Balsam Lake Cafe

Wow, here I am in a small town called Balsam Lake in rural Wisconsin writing a review for a great small cafe. Go ahead, be surprised, I’ll wait…...! Well, you might find yourself here at some point, and you just might be looking for a place to have breakfast or lunch. Balsam Lake Cafe, without a doubt, has the best breakfast in town; period! They have the best Biscuits and Gravy that I have come across since I left my mothers kitchen. I think their secret is that they take their time and make all of their fare from scratch. I have to tell you, as good as the breakfast is, their cook knows how to make a hamburger (and don’t forget gravy and biscuits). I love Jalapeño peppers and this cook uses Jalapeño infused bacon that makes the simple act of eating a hamburger a epicurean event. I have been eating at this cafe when I am in town for about 6 years, but since the new owners (Angie and her family)have taken over they have really redefined their A-game. I don’t know their hours—that is probably on the review page—but I do know that reviews can’t tell the whole story; so please, don’t take my word for it, go and order food and decide for yourself. Odds are you’ll be glad you did. (Couple of pictures for reference)

Food was very good! It's a very small space and the servers were nice but too busy. Granted it is memorial weekend. I would go back!

We were greeted very rudely. My pancakes were over cooked and tasted burnt so I couldn't even taste the blueberries. Probably would not return or even recommend to my customers.

A nice find as we bike across the country. Such a pleasant place to stop, refresh and replenish. The food was delicious and the portions large to fuel our ride. I love the atmosphere.

Absolutely delicious! The carmel roll was decadent, best homemade corned beef hash ever! The pancakes, biscuits, country fried steak, we were all raving. And such a friendly cozy atmosphere. We'll be back!!

We enjoyed the experience. The service and food were good. I felt the price was higher than the portions we received and the place was a little run down. We will be back. But I can not justify it being more than an occasional stop due to the price.

Coffee is great, food is great, staff are friendly and welcoming. Better yet, you know the food is being made with thought and love. The cafe is an excellent choice for a morning brunch, especially when they have their mimosa flights! Highly recommend to anyone!

The corned beef hash, eggs and rye toast was phenomenal. Even leftover the next day was pretty darn tasty.

Their Swedish meatballs are yummy, too!

Balsam Lake Cafe is a clean, cozy, family run restaurant. The chai latte was very good and the french toast made out of cinnamon fritter bread was heavy and pudding cake-like with syrup soaked in. The cinnamon rolls were a bit dry. A hard-working son in the kitchen exercised patience with his mom's chastisement, this is a family business.

I highly recommend going here, the people that work here provide great service. They were so enthusiastic to be around. Their food is sweet, savory, and fresh. The cost of the food made sense if you compare it to the quality of the food/restaurant. The Balsam Hash is the bomb. And don’t forget to get their Special with their homemade cranberry sauce. We were debating if we should go to McDonald’s, later we found out that would be the worst mistake in our life.