J & L Cafe

Passing through and read some good reviews. Walked in and literally everyone turned around and gave me that “you’re not from around here are you” look. No greeter, one server. I stood around for a second not knowing what to do (there’s no ‘wait to be seated’ sign) I took a seat at a corner table trying to blend in. A couple came in right after me and the server immediately greeted and sat them, then came over to me and literally tossed some silverware and a menu down on the table, turned around and walked away.

I immediately started looking up alternatives but stopped myself. I’d take the high road and give this shop a chance.

The coffee was okay. I ordered the 2egg breakfast with pancakes. I was pleased that the eggs were real and warm. You’d be surprised at how many diners use fake eggs. The hash browns were tasty as well. The pancakes were chewy. The food came out pretty fast considering there’s only one cook back there.

To conclude: 2 stars for the service, extra star for a decent breakfast. If you’re a “good ‘ol boy” and don’t mind the service, stop in. If you’re from a Midwest state looking for a cozy, friendly cafe for a quick breakfast: PASS.

We were traveling through and decided to get some j and l in sterling Colorado. The experience was great! I ordered the Bubba burger which was delicious while my cousin ordered a bacon cheese burger. Both burgers were great and the fries were yummy. The server was very friendly as well. The price is fair for what you get. I also paid for the elder couples meal next to us and they came out and said "thank you but you are a farthead!" A 5/5 experience for me!

As always great service wonderful food.. Saturday morning you know you may have to wait a few minutes but worth it..

I've never had bad food here, very homey.
Just ignore the grouchy old lady 😆

My wife and I drove from Ft Morgan to have Sunday lunch at J&L Cafe in Sterling. My wife thought I would enjoy the the turkey dinner special. The waitress was very rude and after she dropped the food and ticket on the table she ran off. We looked at our food and it was wrong. It took 10 minutes to get the waitress to return. She was trying to argue with us about our order and then realized she had put the ticket down. She returned a couple of minutes later, the cook took the wrong items off one plate and put it on the other plate. The food was cold by now. We ate what we could, paid our bill and drove back home. We have been a strong supporter of the J&L for over 20 years. We have decided we won't be back.

J&L Cafe

First thing the proprietor of this restaurant needs to do is post at the door and the hostess stand is their intention to add a 4% surcharge to your bill if you use a CREDIT CARD! It needs to be very noticeable for who carry's enough cash to cover a bill for a family of 7? I certainly DO NOT! Also with this extra charge, the food should be very good or at least as good as the last time I ate there (only visit Sterling a couple times per year). It WAS NOT. I had my taco salad (looked forward to it since last year). The guacamole was brown and pale green (not fresh). The meat looked like mystery meat and we found a strange looking piece of gristle in it.

Credit card charges are a business expense that should come off that business's taxes. So why the push for cash? Could it be to hide true earnings. Where does my extra cash go? WILL NOT be going back here for sure!

Friendly home town service. Very good food, large portions. Will be sure to eat there again.

Good food and a welcoming interior. The kids loved watching the train go around above the bar.

I got the kitchen sink burrito with green chili and it was very good although the color to my green chili looked more brown, my husband got the fish dinner which was also good, but the fish was very thin and had more batter than fish. My daughter wanted the Mac and cheese and we were disappointed to see that its only Kraft mac and cheese and that they want $6 for it.

Our waitress, Crystal, was nice and friendly, but took her too long to check on us if we needed anything after we received our food. Had to stop eating and wait to get the other items we needed. She seemed to be more concerned about talking with the locals than waiting her tables.

I also liked that they had hand sanitizer at every table, by the door, and at the cash register.

My wife and I went here as an alternative to village inn.

At about half capacity, it took them 35 minutes to get my food out after ordering.

The breading on my chicken fried steak was soggy and the steak was about the size of my very average size palm.

The hash browns were also soggy and the portion was smaller than my steak.

There was nasty stuff at the bottom of my wife’s water and the check my waitress gave me had country gravy smeared across the top.

This meal cost me 14 dollars.

I will not be going back.

The food is AMAZING! The staff is super friendly, even for service industry workers. Next time I am passing through Sterling, this will definitely be a stop I make!