Vanilla Bean is what I would expect for Duluth. It's cozy, quaint, and super cute. I've passed this place on several occasions heading north. I thought they were an ice cream shop...I'm pretty sure it has the "cafe" clearly on their sign. Oops. My boyfriend and I were on a mission to get a quick breakfast so we could get on a trail early before the sun came out and burned our asses. We thought we could grab sandwiches here, but when we walked in it looked so inviting we decided to sit and enjoy a nice breakfast. There was one server, this worried me since the place had about 6 tables already and people walking in for coffee every 10 minutes. It turned out to be no issue at all. Our server was fast, friendly, and efficient. I LOVED the wooden tables. They had little imprints of screws and horse shoes. I've never seen tables like that before. We were seated by the window facing the street. The window ledges had basil and other herbs I think, and flowers. It was darling. I feel like a little old lady saying that, but that's what comes to mind. We ordered an omelet with Gouda cheese, and a classic breakfast dish with eggs, hash browns, turkey sausage, and pancakes. The omelet was really flavorful, the cheese enhanced the mildness of the eggs and other additions in the omelet. I ordered poached eggs, they were cooked perfectly. The hash browns were crispy/crunchy, with the middle nicely gooey. The star for me was the house made berry jam. Next time I head north I need to ask if they sell that stuff in a jar. If not, I'm going to beg them to sell me a to-go container filled with that delicious jam. I will definitely be back. read more

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I am writing while I wait for a cup of porridge. The start was good. A brief moment of distraction. I stopped at another cafe and they watered the restroom soap down so much, I could not get a lather. I asked for a different soap and was told no. Perhaps they deserve a yelp review; I am not sure. Back to the VB. I asked for pecans and I got them on a homemade sweet roll and it was divine. There were a lot of pecans and they were not stale. Such expectations! The porridge was seeming to take a bit long. When it arrived, I must say the cup said 'eat me'. It looked great! It was served with an english muffin and a strawberry rhubarb? jalapeno spread. The porridge was a wild rice, creamy delight with cranberries. Porridge is something I often don't finish; not here. The bread spread was underwhelming next to the porridge. The reason is the fruit flavors were not concentrated enough in the preparation. The service was great. I wanted to sit outside; the hostess said no. I might have been sweating bullets with the porridge, so it was okay. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Roll - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

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Sitting waiting for a table. 4 empty tables but staff is not filling them. I'd rather be sated at a table then see empty rables.

Review is much like the others... Decent food, slow and uninspired service. Took about ten minutes to get seated, even though the restaurant was about a 1/4 full. Another ten minutes to get our drink order. Bloody Mary was decent...love the combo of doughnut and bacon, but the bloody mix was average. Two of us got the "famous" baked omelettes, which is essentially an egg bake. Not bad by any means, but not memorable. I guess I wouldn't travel for it. My biggest issue was the service...from the time we walked in until we left was about 1.5 hours, which is crazy for just ordering breakfast food. Two parties actually walked in and left because they were waiting to long to be seated. Didn't seem to be the server's fault as he was the only one on shift. read more

The service wasn't great the food was okay, the ladies working as servers seem like they maybe don't like their job. The older lady that works at the front with the short blonde hair was pretty nice though, she gave us a good laugh before we left read more

We stopped by for breakfast on our trip to Two Harbors. It was a Sunday morning and they were busy! The cafe is quite small so social distancing is challenging, but they're doing their best with every other table closed off. All of the staff had masks on but I did notice a few of them touched their masks quite frequently without washing or sanitizing before going back to serving. I did not seeing anyone wearing gloves. The food was decent. I enjoyed the Scandinavian Breakfast, my husband had the eggs Benedict, and our girls, the chocolate chip pancakes. I thought the portions were a bit small for the price . But was grateful for hot coffee and a place to sit with the family. read more

The food was great but the service was a tad rude. Overall a great bite to eat and is reasonably priced Food

Never Have I Ever is a fun game to play with both people you just met for the first time and with your close friends. Yesterday, while dining at The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors, MN , my husband and young daughter had an experience that never will I ever want to experience again. We came in for lunch on a Saturday. The Vanilla Bean had three young adults sitting at a table and us. In other words, it was empty. The woman working the cash register, (older with short blond hair), has been there for many years. We know, we have been going to this place for a decade. The young adults got up to pay. As they left the woman at the register shouted "I guess some people don't believe in tipping", the young adults were still in the restaurant trying to exit. The woman then became more upset and yelled " I should be giving each of you the finger." OK. Really? Really? I understand that all hospitality workers rely on tips for the bulk of their incomes. The guests should have tipped you. But I was also a customer. I was trying to dine with my young daughter and your feelings of anxiety and resentment should not have been displayed this way in front of her. It was simply not a decent thing to do. I tipped you regardless. Not because you scared me. Not because you shamed others. We tipped because it is right to do. But never will we ever come back. NEVER. And about our service and lunch...... It was the poorest quality walleye sandwich I ever had. The sweet potatoes fries were actually burned. The sandwich which offered a 3" by 3" filet was also cooked beyond recognition. It seemed like the entire plate had been cooked prior and reheated. Just the worst. Service? Thanks, for bringing the sandwiches. You never refilled drinks and you took forever to bring the check. Honestly, we wanted the check so we could leave as soon as possible. read more

We appreciate that this place is open early on a Sunday morning! I go the Berry White Mocha (espresso w/ steamed milk, Ghirardelli white chocolate, raspberry syrup, topped w/ whipped cream). Tasty, definitely a strong berry flavor (though more of a berry syrup flavor, expectedly). They did not have a bakery/cafe as we hoped, unfortunately. Only a sit-down restaurant. They also have a cute little shop-like area with some mugs, clothing, and snacks. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Signature Coffee menu (Sunday morning 2015-09-06) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

Wild Rice comes from a can. But they charge full price like they had made it themselves. Service is slow and servers are rude.

Stopped in for a quick breakfast right away in the morning - and we were pleasantly surprised. Got the Swedish breakfast and the Popeyes omelette and both were super good. The homemade jam was delicious. Service was great (thanks Leah!), and as far as CoVid goes for those of you wondering, they were masked up, spacing tables, and alternating for capacity. Definitely a must stop! read more

Breakfast destination with clever, North Shore tailored offerings that make my mouth water simply to think of them. The food is fantastic. The staff is typically nice and always efficient. At times the latter may overrule the former and leave you with a churlish feeling. But, don't let that dissuade you from going. Embrace it as part of the local experience! read more

We loved brunch at Vanilla Bean, we were seated and served immediately. Our server Jana was very kind and quick at helping us. We got North Shore Huevos Rancheros, Castle Danger Hash, and Walleye Eggs Benedict. The huevos rancheros was a very filling & yummy vegetarian dish and had a layer of potatoes with refried beans, cheese, egg, guacamole. We're usually hash brown people for the crispy aspect but the home-fried potatoes were very crispy and delicious so highly recommend, we ended up getting an extra side to share. The Castle Danger was a tasty hash as the corned beef was locally braised with Castle Danger beer. The walleye eggs Benedict was also very good and everything worked well together, the hollandaise sauce complimented the walleye without overwhelming it. All the dishes had eggs which were perfectly cooked to our preferences. We are all very full and happy, we will definitely come back next time we're in town. read more

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I wanted to like this place more than I did, but I should have listened to the stars already posted for this place and lowered my expectations. The food was decent, don't get me wrong, but it definitely lacked a little something... I ordered the wild rice porridge and the huevos rancheros plate. The porridge was actually much better than I expected, and was my favorite part of the meal. The huevos needed more seasoning. The guac on top definitely tasted like it came out of a tube rather than freshly made. The whole dish also came out a little on the cold side. Poor execution, considering I was the only person in my party; that should have made the timing pretty easy. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place if you have another option available (I was dining pretty early in the morning and my choices were limited for a sit-down meal). But, if you do end up eating there, just lower your expectations, and you should have a fine time. :) read more

Food was pretty good. Service was awful. Our server seemed really rushed, was not welcoming at all. I tried going back a second time just for coffee to go and the experience was just as bad. The customers were the most pleasant thing about the place. Maybe they are short staffed but kindness isn't hard. read more

Good food, but the coffee was pretty bad. Inexperienced waitress tried hard but didn't have it all together. Had breakfast and the eggs, hash browns and bacon were very good and the toast was excellent. I'd give it another try. They looked busy and shorthanded so that could explain the coffee sitting on the warmer too long. On Memorial Day it was about the only restaurant open in Two Harbors! read more

Took a chance despite reading a couple bad reviews. No idea what the issue was for others. The wait was a bit, but they were pretty accurate with their waiting times. The service was super friendly and fast. The food was served quickly, exactly as ordered, and was quite a solid standard breakfast. Didn't order anything exciting - classic breakfast and chicken fried steak and eggs. But all was good. Not greasy at all. And the homemade jelly was great. read more

Great stop for breakfast on the way to Lutsen. Surprised to see numerous vegetarian and vegan options, like the impossible burger, on their menu. Hometown, family environment. Good food and friendly service. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Hash browns, soy milk hot chocolate, and fresh fruit! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

This place is incredible!! We came in after spending a day at Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse. Allie was a gem and let my husband know, that since he was a veteran, his meal would be free. Allow me to say, I would have gladly paid for this meal, two times over. Yes, it was THAT good! We had the walleye cakes (OMG), I had one of their famous oven baked omelettes (The Popeye) and my husband had the North Woods Classic breakfast. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this meal, the atmosphere and the service. Oh, and make sure to try the apple cider! Did I mention Allie was awesome?!?! Great discovery and will definitely be back whenever we come back to the Duluth area. read more

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There is room for improvement with customer service. The place is cozy and family friendly. Overall food is okay. Nothing outstanding. read more

I had a real good breakfast here this morning; I found this place thanks to all the great reviews here on yelp. I was craving a French Toast combo, and the server allowed me to substitute a slice of French Toast for the pancake in Mick's breakfast special. It was the perfect amount of food for me... and I can't believe it was only $6.50! Service was excellent, excellent! I overheard the server speaking with another table about how all the pew benches are from a church in Southern Minnesota and all the light fixtures (or atleast the hanging ones) are from an old schoolhouse in Minnesota. If I was going through Two Harbors again, I would certainly stop back here. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Mick's breakfast substitute Fr Toast for pancake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

We stopped by the Vanilla Bean Bakery & Cafe on our way out of Two Harbors, and were pleasantly surprised. The outside is pretty plain, but the inside has a real nice feel. Old church pews as benches other unique decor that I really can't describe made it quite inviting. As for food, I got the french toast - nothing fancy but a quality breakfast with good portions. My wife got an omelet with Gouda, ham and basil. (Ham was substituted for bacon). They made everything to order, and avoided the prepackaged food that you sometimes find in small cafe's. This was definitely a plus for us as we wanted something homemade feeling. I think we would definitely go back because it was a no-frills, good eatery that captures the pace of the north shore. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

Very friendly people, very good food. Other reviews saying otherwise are just wrong, this is an excellent spot.

We stopped at Vanilla Bean on our way back to the Twin Cities from a trip in the Boundary Waters. I had the Wild White Moose sandwich (smoked turkey and bacon) w/ kettle chips, and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Great sandwich. As for the rest of the group, they all rated their food "okay." This included two people who ordered the Classic Reuben, one w/ the Bistro Burger, and another w/ the Cranberry Club. It's a convenient stop on your way through Two Harbors and the staff is very friendly. We received prompt service and the cost was reasonable. All in all, a good option in Two Harbors. read more

Very good home cooked food, large portions and great service. The dinnerware was exceptionally clean.

Best food ever! Went online yesterday looking for a place for breakfast. Saw this and thought we would give it a try. So glad we did! Came back again today. If your ever in Two Harbors you must stop here!! read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Best food! A must stop in Two Harbors. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

My family stopped in here before leaving, it's a cute little cafe. I loved the vibe here. I'll save you the trip, I would only recommend coming in for coffee/sweet roll. There was a long wait in the morning but they only had a small portion of the restaurant open. I got eggs bacon and toast. Eggs were under seasoned, bacon was dry and they had no grape jelly. BUT the coffee is fantastic & the cinnamon rolls are amazing as well. Staff was friendly but our waitress seemed to not wanna be there. read more

This is mixed review as my wife wasn't happy with her order but I was really happy with mine. I will describe my wife's order first and then mine. The biggest issue with my wife's order was it was not anywhere near what it was described on the menu and because of that, she had part of mine and was still hungry afterwards. She ordered crepes and it was described as plate sized crepes. What she got was three pieces about the size of my phone and a 1/4 of that thick. Not very big at all so she was not happy and when they dropped it off, I was half expecting there to be another plate brought out thinking that they couldn't carry everything out with what I ordered. Wasn't the case and she wasn't really happy. What I ordered on the other hand was awesome. I got an omelette that was 3/4 the size of the plate sitting on a half plate of hash-browns with toast. Tasted great and everything was cooked just right. I was extremely happy with mine but my wife ended up eating my toast and part of the eggs and hash-browns. I think if she had ordered something else, this would have been a 5 star review for sure but she did leave hungry and it wasn't really described real well. She's had crepes at other places that have come out plate sized and was expecting that. We will be back there on our next visit through the area though, she'll just be ordering something else. read more

Cute little spot for lunch!! The cheese curds were yummy. I had the walleye cakes with the wild rice soup both were DELICIOUS! My husband had the pesto eggs Benedict with potatoes that was good as well! Highly recommend stopping for lunch or brunch! They serve breakfast all day! read more

Cute little restaurant. Definitely try the cranberry wild rice pancakes and breakfast sausage. They roast their own coffee and it's delicious! read more

This is my third time here and the two prior times, everything exceeded expectations. This time definitely not. Took at least 20 minutes to be seated which is fine, considering it's a small place. But while we were waiting there were two empty tables that sat for 5-10 minutes before anyone was sat at them. So after ordering it took 40+ plus minutes to get very easy to make food- pancakes, hash browns, and eggs. The pancakes came out without their famous vanilla bean butter. Asked the waitress and she said they haven't had time to make it yet. We were there on a Saturday morning, presumably the busiest day and time for them. Very disappointing overall. Hopefully they up their game. read more

Our 2nd visit here and this time we had breakfast which was wonderful..my husband had biscuits and gravy and I had ham and eggs and AWESOME coffee..Jared was our server and was GREAT!! This will be our go to place for breakfast and/or lunch!! read more

Can't tell about the food because we couldn't even get a seat. Came in and hostess just stared at us... When we finally asked for a table she said there was nothing open even though three tables were obviously open. When another waitress tried to seat us, she was stopped and told "another party is waiting." I hate to read into things but this was VERY fishy. read more

AMAZING breakfast. Went here twice during our Two Harbors stay. Local vanilla coffee is phenomenal. This is a gem. Will come back every time I'm in the area. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

The cashier/greeter was very rude to us. We have a group of 10 people including 3 children and we understand that due to COVID19 there's restrictions and guidelines that we all have to followed. The cashier (lady) told us that she only allowed 6 people per table and we are not allow to dine in there. She should used her brain to give us the opportunity to seat us in 2 tables and we would of been ok. Whoever is the cashier or greeter needs to go get her customer training how to handle her position. I called the cashier in a few minutes later and talk to her and told her about what just happened and that I was going to Yelp with bad review, she than said she is sorry and yes she could of give us 2 tables. Well too late....we are enjoying our lunch at Lily's Asian Cafe. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Bad customer service - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

This the worst service ever ! Food is not as good as they said the wait was over an hour without telling first we had to wait ... Waitress was bad I totally don't recommend this place if you don't have time ... Don't waste your time waiting on tasteless food and terrible service read more

The food is great, but the service is so-so. I've tried several times to order takeout from Vanilla Bean and usually no one answers the phone. Typically they seem to have only one server and one cook on staff, which seems to overwhelm them at times. Since we have so few options for takeout in this tiny town, it'd be great if it was easier to do so. That said, I'll keep coming back. read more

This is now my new favorite breakfast spot! Amazing food! Highly recommend the biscuits and gravy the best I have ever had. They had a cute patio for outdoor seating if desired. Coffee was amazing, vanilla latte was the best I've ever had. read more

Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors - Patio Area - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Two Harbors, Minnesota

Coffee was old an had a burn taste. Got to go so I didn't get a chance to try to be my money back. Never again!

The first time we had lunch here we were both pleasantly surprised by tasty food. The second time was a completely different story. My husband ordered the lunch special which was Sirachi Bacon Mac and Cheese. I ordered the Scandinavian Breakfast. There is literally a sign on the wall that states they pride themselves on hand crafted meals. Now imagine our surprise when my husband's man and cheese comes and I kid you not looks exactly like the mac and cheese your kids get at Perkins. Yep, instant. But it was topped with a generous one strip of bacon rolled in Sirachi so there's that. They could have at least given him the whole box of mac and cheese instead of the tiny portion he got for $9. My Scandinavian breakfast was okay. The french toast was pretty good, small portion. I asked for the ham side and got the smallest, three bit, piece. Our waitress never came to check on us after we got our food, we were the only table. Sadly this isn't the place for us. read more