Engine House Cafe

I visited this morning for my birthday breakfast, and it was my first time at this spot, which I chose because of its fantastic reputation. I had to try the biscuits and gravy, and they definitely did not disappoint! The hash browns, however, weren't quite to my liking. Our food arrived swiftly, which was great, although it did feel a bit rushed with others waiting for our table. We got there at 8 am, and it wasn’t long before the restaurant filled up. The place was clean and well-maintained. I found the prices to be fair for the quality of food. The service was decent.The woman who seated us was particularly pleasant. Overall, while I'm not certain if I'll return, I'm glad I had the chance to try it out.

Short wait to get in for breakfast after The Thunderstorm of August ‘25 earlier in the morning. I woulda waited all day if I had known what I was in for. Best breakfast in ages. Service was great. Several folks topped off my coffee throughout breakfast. I had a couple eggs over medium, perfect hashbrowns (are they crunchy? Are they not? Are they both? So good!), sausage patties, sourdough toast. And a side of sausage gravy to make sure it all went down smoothly. My buddy had a ham and cheese omelette and raved about it as well. As I was paying, a server walked by dousing a cinnamon bun in icing like a fire engine at a 4-alarm pancake factory blaze. I was full to the brim so gonna have to make another trip for one of those. Not big on taking pics of my food, so here are the mints at the cash register. This proves I’m not a bot, right?

Great place for breakfast or lunch! Local favorite! Awesome eggs and sausage! Clean and comfortable with nice atmosphere and appointments. Great burgers and BLTs! Great service!

The best thing for me is the atmosphere. I know people love this place but Lincoln’s breakfast option are literally sub par and breakfast is they easiest thing you can make!!!!!!! I simply asked for eggs with cheese (that never melted), hashbrowns with a crisp NOT BURNT & fresh bacon. Who would put this in a box and serve it. That’s insane to me. I would never pack this up and serve this to someone. I asked for it to be remade and the cooks refused - that’s completely fine. That would be my last straw here.

After years of driving by this place with a line literally out the door we decided to try it. We went at noon for a late breakfast and it was really good. Service was above average but nothing too special but the food was very good, and the order was accurate.

From out of town, reviews were great and we understand why! My husband is a biscuit and gravy snob, and he said best ones he's ever had! Got in quick, great service and amazing food!

The first thing about this place is that the entrance is just way too small. When someone is coming into the restaurant at the same time that someone else is leaving, you are bumping into each other, which is very uncomfortable. Our service was good but the food was just ok. My husband wasn't impressed with his salad and ham and cheese sandwich. my mom's hashbrowns were very greasy. And there were only 2 kinds of jelly for the toast.

Highly recommend this breakfast spot in Havelock! I tried the French toast breakfast combo and it did not disappoint. The vanilla flavor really shined through and it had a nice crispy shell. Husbands chicken fried steak breakfast he noted was one of the better in Lincoln NE! Crispy breading with gravy. This place was hopping on a Sunday morning, it’s possible you will need to wait to be seated, we felt it was worth it! Servers were attentive and very busy! Atmosphere was bustling, a little loud. However it’s a small space and very busy so it’s to be expected. I love the Firefighter decor.

The food is fantastic, the wait staff are great, and it has a homey atmosphere!!! You will never leave hungry and if you do, it's your own fault.

Great place for breakfast or lunch! Local favorite! Awesome eggs and sausage! Clean and comfortable with nice atmosphere and appointments. Great burgers and BLTs! Great service!

I have been there a few times. The atmosphere is great and they serve excellent food no matter what I chose. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice. I would recommend.

I closed my eyes and had a moment after my first bite of biscuits and gravy great atmosphere, great service, and definitely must have the biscuits and gravy again.

I personally have only had the breakfast but that tells me all I need to know because it is delicious and very homey. They have lots of breakfast options with fun names. The waiters are always very nice and helpful too especially when it is busy. The restaurant also has top tier decor and I love all the little fire trucks and uniforms and stuff. A #1 breakfast option if you are in Lincoln like me!

Food was mediocre. Service was terrible, our table of four waited over an hour for our food saw our waitress twice within that time. We had to walk up to the counter to get her attention after trying to multiple times. The inside was quaint but cute! We were all very disappointed with our experience here.

First time eating here. The atmosphere was nice. I ordered the eggs Benedict which was delicious and the portions was big. The service was lacking. The waitress never came to my table once to see if I needed anything else. When I was done eating I waited till she made eye contact so she can come to my table. Mind you I've been sitting there for awhile for someone to refill me something to drink. Had to finish my plate with no drink of water nor did she refill my coffee. By the time she came to my table she asked, if my coffee needed a refill. I said no, I just want the bill. I paid for the food because that was the only thing that was good. No tip was given to this waitress.

Brunch with a friend, I had never been here before. I enjoyed the meal, portions were generous and price was reasonable. Service was okay. I would go again and try something else from the menu.

Great breakfast! Service was polite and friendly. Inside was cool to see so much history. Definitely worth the trip!

Love it all. Great service, great food. We had French toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham and eggs Benedict. Hollandaise was awesome. Hashbrowns were perfectly crispy.

Good food! Awesome ambience! Nice server!! Reasonable prices! Definitely recommend if you're passing through!!

Many years ago this building was home to the old Havelock Fire Station. Now it's home to one of the best breakfast spots in the Midwest. All of your breakfast favorites are available, and they're served in large portions, at a fair price. Please don't feel bashful about asking for a container to go because you won't leave hungry. This is a popular place. Please be prepared to wait during peak hours. It's worth it.

I have lived in Lincoln for over five years, being a breakfast lover, and yet this is the first time I've managed to make it here to try theirs. It's always packed when I drive by, people waiting outside for their tables, which is normally a pretty good indicator of how enjoyable the experience will be. Still, I had such a nice meal and a nice time that I was surprised. The staff were all very welcoming and friendly, my veggies were fresh and perfect, and they have my favorite hot sauce (green Tabasco) on the tables. I loved it here! It is a little ... cozy ... inside but I still felt comfortable, and even though it was busy, the noise level and general vibe were pretty subdued. I will definitely come back with my family and stand in line for as long as it takes to eat here again.

Idiot lady wouldn't seat 5 of 7 people in the biggest open table they had. Completely rude to make us stand in a hallway. Left after she sat 4 people in the at the big table then wiped off a 4 top. What a moron.

I never do this, and I work in the industry so it takes a lot to make a complaint. the food and almost all of the staff was good, with one exception, the hostess. she was so terribly rude multiple times, it ruined the whole time our family was there for my husbands birthday. we felt uncomfortable from when we got there to when we left. I feel bad for the rest of the staff who were friendly, one negative person is like one bad apple spoiling the bunch. this was on Saturday, November 2nd.

Great Breakfast! Despite a huge crowd, it took no more than 10 minutes to get us seated. Wait staff was pleasant and VERY efficient, with drinks being served quickly and the food being served even more quickly. It was terrific as well, with big portions for a small price. It's cozy, and doesn't serve many groups at once, but with their efficiency, it's no problem! Outstanding!

5-stars for the food and service. 3-stars for being only open for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast and lunch, you can't beat the Engine House Cafe. Excellent Americana menu prepared with attention to detail. I visit Lincoln, NE 1 or 2 times a year. Engine House Cafe is always on list of meet ups with family and friends.

We have breakfast here every time we visit our daughter. They have the best Eggs Benedict .

Great service and food!! We had the hash browns with gravy and a perfect over medium egg!!

We found this breakfast place on our road trip. Highly rated busy. Pro- seated right away. Fast service. Pretty good food! Con - NO soap in bathrooms. Dirty toilets. Greasy, grimy, Dirty in the back hallway by kitchen and restrooms. I would think the local health department must have missed this place! For those reasons stay away! This is a health risk. I would presume the employees don't have access to hand soap either.

My first visit. Friends and family suggested I try the place. Meh, It was just okay. I was in a party of four. We were seated at a table that was set for three and they gave three menus to the four of us. We looked at each other, chuckled and shared menus. This was a Thursday morning at 10am and the restaurant was 70% full. The restaurant is an old fire station and decorated very nicely although it was quite dark. Once our eyes adjusted it was fine. The menu was for breakfast and lunch. The usual fare of biscuits, gravy, omelettes, pancakes. Lunch menu was burgers and other sandwiches. Prices were slightly higher than expected for what you're getting. Between the four of us we got a little bit of everything. From breakfast and lunch menu. I got an omelette with sausage, cheese and onions. It was mostly overcooked and they had forgotten to put the cheese on top. (More on this later.) One of the others in my group got a Ruben sandwich. I was still thinking about the missing cheese on my omelette when my friend said, "What's this?" Well, it was the missing cheese and other toppings from my omelette which were now stuck on the bottom of his plate. When the server brought our food out she didn't use a tray. She grabbed all four plates in two hands and the bottom of the Reuben plate ended up on top of my omelette. (It was a really disgusting thing to discover.) Being from the Midwest I'm not one to complain. So, I ate my overcooked omelette in silence. (Probably a mistake in hindsight.) The rest of the people in our group were pretty grossed out by the omelette smeared on the bottom of someone else's lunch plate. This place is cruising on their reputation alone. I do not recommend this restaurant. It was my first and last visit. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Definitely a place worth checking out! It's built in old firehouse and has memorabilia all around it. ! I love to have Reuben or Captain's platter with cubes (square potatoes). I only can eat half, so thankful they have that option! I also like their breakfast burritos

Food was great, staff was amazing, place was clean! I don't write many reviews, but if you're looking for a good breakfast place try Engine House Cafe!

The food was good but the service was a little lacking. The waitress didn't know the menu very well and was hard to find when we needed her. Biscuit Breakfast Combo $8 - Comes with biscuit and gravy, 2 eggs, hash brown and toast. The gravy was tasty and the biscuit was nice and soft. Hash brown was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside. Ham Eggs Benedict $10 - Best in the world? I'm not sure about that, but it was pretty good. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) 2018

Our barrel race gang of 4 in about an hour ago for excellent breakfast variety. I asked for burnt black pancakes and hash browns. Of course didn't even get close to that. Sent pancakes back for more and got minimal changes. Oh well. Were really good anyway. Hash browns had a little dark to them, and were very good. Cannot get any restaurant to make my pancakes or waffles really cooked harder and dark. They just refuse. I don't understand!! Food quality here has been excellent for all our experiences in past. Pretty sure breakfast is only food we have done here.

My GF and I went here for breakfast on New Year's Day and it was a great experience! The employees were super friendly and easy going. This place has a really cool fire station vibe to it as well. The brick is really nice. I ordered the eggs Benedict and it was pretty dang good. The hollandaise sauce was spot on and really flavorful. The prices were right for a 'diner' type place. I will definitely be going back to try one of their specials.

Excellent service. Fun atmosphere. Amazing food. Our wait was only about 15 minutes on a Sunday - late morning. Our party enjoyed the biscuits and gravy (very tasty) crispy bacon, crispy hash browns and eggs cooked perfectly as ordered. Will definitely return the next time we are in Lincoln.

Was heading home after a weekend and looked on Yelp for a good place to eat in Lincoln Nebraska. This place did not disappoint. If you have problems with waiting in line and waiting for your food this is not the place. If you've ever heard the phrase good things come to those who wait. Then this is the joint that you want to go to. My staple at every small Cafe is their chicken fried steak. Everything on the plate was homemade. The sausage gravy had good size chunks of sausage and enough pepper to give it an adequate amount of spice. My daughter had the chocolate chip pancakes which came out the size of her plate and the French toast was fantastic. Others in our party had the biscuits and gravy which were equally fantastic. The only disappointing thing probably in our whole meal was that the sausage patties are the same that you would get at a hotel breakfast. I will let down not devastating. The waitresses were attentive and my daughter's coffee never went empty. As always drive a little further off the main interstate and treat yourself to something locally owned! You'll be glad you did

Grate food and serve cool fire house it was clean and all 3 serving were grate there was this kid about 13 that was there helping his grandma grate helper and was helping us with a smile on his face

We dined here recently with party of 17. I suggested the place not knowing that it was a fairly small dining room. The person who planned our outing told us she called in advance and was told they do not take reservations but they could handle our party and the wait likely wouldn't be that long. Our whole dining experience was 10/10. They split us up between two tables. They appeared to be very patient with us as our group kind of arrived in waves. You can tell the staff are no strangers to a rush and did a great job at managing a very full dining room. The food was SO good. I got the chicken fried steak and it was perfect. Also - the hashbrowns. Maybe the most perfect hashbrowns I have ever eaten. Everyone was so pleasant. So a big thanks to Engine House for accommodating us and serving fresh delicious breakfast.

Great food! Breakfast was delicious! The staff was friendly and even though it was super busy the morning we were there we were seated in a reasonable amount of time.

A classic diner experience with a fireman vibe. The bacon cheeseburger had the perfect bun - meat - topping ratio! My hashbrowns were super crispy and respectabley greasy but not much! The biscuits and gravy were well seasoned but not salty. The waffle with strawberries and whipped cream was yummy and the "combo" with it- eggs and perfectly crispy bacon were just right! Service was good and not pushy - I hate a server who is in your face every 5 minutes. Will definitely return.

I ordered the blueberry pancakes with a side of fried eggs and hash browns. The size of the pancakes was ideal in my opinion they were on the larger side but not so much so that they sacrificed any flavor. I enjoyed the number of blueberries that were in the pancakes. It was the perfect amount! I wish there was an option for some sort of flavored syrup but overall they were great.

Nice place very good food. My biscuits and gravy was great. My wife had the loaded hashbrowns and loved them. STAFF was very friendly. The decor really stood out.

Food was awesome! Service was very average. Nice place overall.

Still the best cafe in Lincoln! Used to come here every week with my classmates while in college. Was back in town for a wedding and took my family for brunch today. There was a line out the door when we arrived with our party of 10. The staff was amazing and had us a table arranged in just 10 minutes. They even provided fresh hot coffee while we waited. I had the ribeye steak sandwich with a side of Au Ju. It was fantastic just as I remembered! My wife got the special(Bacon avocado eggs benedict) there was not a scrap left on the plates. They should be added to the regular menu. The kids loved their Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon. Overall an great experience and most definitely worth the wait. My wife even scolded me for not bringing her sooner. We will be back for sure!

Saw this place driving by a couple times, people waiting outside. Great breakfast food. Didn't try their lunch. Waitresses are fantastic and such an authentic place. Gotta go to if you are in Lincoln.

The eggs Benedict here is freaking fabulous! My husband got their chicken fried steak and it was so good he barely said a word until it was gone Though it was busy, as expected for Sunday brunch, we were seated and served pretty quickly and the service was friendly. Definitely going on the recommend list.

On a road trip, and wanted to have a nice breakfast. Found this place on Yelp. The cafe itself is small and has lots of firehouse memorabilia on the walls. It was busy for a Thursday morning and with only two servers we waited for a short time before we were seated. First the coffee was great and the servers kept my cup full. We ordered one Chocolate Chip Pancake (it was huge) with a side of sausage and a South of the Border Potato Platter with toast. Perfect portions and very tasty. Would stop again.

Came across this wonderful place during our cross-country trip. Located in a historic firehouse, it is tastefully decorated with cool memorabilia, that gives a glimpse at life of the town throughout decades. Service was great, hostess and waitresses were kind and accommodating. The place was full, which is always a good sign! We were in for a treat - had avocado eggs Benedict (delicious!) with best hash browns we ever had. Another meal featured 8oz steak, which was perfectly grilled and very tender. Definitely a must-visit when you're in the area!

Good food but need more help! Walked out without eating after 5 tables that came in behind us ate and left and still no food. Waitress said several orders came in at once rather than taking accountability and just telling us our order was misplaced. Guess they are so busy that they don't care about repeat customers.

Was in town visiting friends and they raced about this place. Typical diner fare. Food was tasty. I loved my cappuccino. I truly enjoyed my Benny but it wasn't out of this universe or even the best I'd ever had. I'd go back but my biggest complaint would be the cleanliness and I didn't even see the kitchen. Food was all over the floors and hallway and the bathrooms looked like they hadn't been cleaned in a month. Very unappealing. I'm glad I didn't notice this until our way out.

NEW POLICY..... if your whole party isn't there they won't seat you. They leave you standing there with open tables looking like a fool. I recommend telling them your party consist of how ever many people are currently there at the time, even if it's just you, say party of 1 and then say your friends showed up. I was on a tight schedule as I had to catch a plane out of Omaha a few hours later. I didn't care if my friends didn't make it in time. I wanted to eat and get on the road. I couldn't do that here at this restaurant so I left.

This place is absolutely adorable! Best ambiance of any restaurant in Lincoln. Love the decorations on the wall--so much history and character. If only the food was as good! All our food came out lukewarm, the vegetables in my husband's vegetable eggs benedict were nearly raw, my pancakes were undercooked (raw batter visible), and the pancakes came not with butter but some kind of spread that was "48 percent vegetable oil"...not the best taste for spreading on a pancake. But, it's nice they have lots of combo options, and service was friendly.

We've taken visitors a couple of times since we moved to Lincoln. The breakfast is simple and relatively inexpensive by brunch standards. It is also very popular so you will wait in line and there's not a lot of room inside to wait so bundle up or go early. Make sure everyone you want to eat with shows up at the same time. This isn't the kind of place that wants you to lounge about - eat and move on to a coffee house if you want to catch up for hours. I heard Engine House is known for benedict. My FIL usually eats poached eggs because of dietary restrictions so I figured this would be a good spot, but EHC doesn't do poached eggs, they do only basted eggs. Basted eggs make tasty benedict though and for my most recent visit last week I enjoyed a special version with avocado and bacon with the bacon cooked well done enough that it was crispy (yay!). The hash browns taste buttery and delightful - not super crispy, but cooked well. Tabasco hot sauce is the only available, no other that I could find - not that important to me. It's the Midwest, not New Mexico. The server kept our coffee and water full. My friend wanted tea and honey - that took a little longer - tea isn't a cafe staple. I appreciated our server's friendly but efficient ways - get us served but get the table turned. When you're the one waiting to eat, you'll appreciate it too.

This is our go-to for breakfasts when we are in Lincoln; great food, generous portions and a friendly staff. The wait can be long, but well worth it!

We wanted to find a neat location for a Sunday Brunch. Was dropping children off at UNL for summer camp. The venue is small and they have limited seating for groups larger than four. There are two tables that can handle 6. The service was quick and the wait staff attentive to our needs. The food came out fast and was wonderful. A must visit.

Would give a five, but could not get past the old oil frying smell.... If restaurants would ditch the carpet, sorry it's gross. As far as service and food, it was great. I will definitely try it again. Just hope owners read this comment.

Food gets 5 stars. Service gets 1 star. Got seated right away but took forever for someone to come to our table and bring us coffee. Saw our waitress only when she took our food order and when she brought us our check. Last filling coffee cane to our table and said "you good here?". How about "would you like more coffee?". When paying the lady gave me two slips of paper and walked away. Not friendly at all.