Keys Cafe - The original

Hate to give a bad review to a local business, but this place just isn’t it. After a mediocre breakfast experience a year ago, I thought I would give this place a second shot since I live so close. Unfortunately, it remained incredibly average, and not worth the money for me. For $4.19 I expected a decent cup of coffee, but it was watery and boiling hot each time it was refilled. For the same price there is far better coffee nearby. Pancakes were a bit pricey and not great, tasted like fast food pancakes, too dense and no flavor. Just a stack of pancakes and coffee was $22 after tip. Probably a result of inflation but still not worth it to me. Ambiance is nice, servers are kind but rushed. If the coffee was of better quality and pancake recipe was improved, then they’d be doing a lot better.

Key Cafe is the perfect spot for a cozy breakfast experience! The homestyle food and coffee are absolutely delightful, and the staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. They truly make you feel at home, refilling your coffee with care and serving up delicious sourdough toast paired with homemade jam. Every visit feels like a warm hug, and the atmosphere is just as inviting as the food. I absolutely love this charming cafe and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing and satisfying breakfast!

Great menu!! Great variety of items!! Daily specials and delicious fresh bakery. They've received many awards, it's a must to visit. There's so many unique options as well as classic favorites, you'll have a hard time making up your mind😊. There's 4 kinds of Eggs Benedict alone!

You want great, plentiful plates of freshly made food from breakfast to dinner dishes? Of course you do. The food is amazing and the service is fun and friendly. Not a frilly place, but the food and service are the stars! Prices are a bit above average and worth every penny!

We’ve been to other Keys Café locations around town, so we decided to check out the original. We seated ourselves in the narrow bar area, which put us in pretty close quarters with the waitress. Naturally, breakfast wouldn’t be complete without pancakes, so I ordered some with blueberries and banana. While they arrived piping hot, the pancakes were denser than expected—not as fluffy as I hoped. I also tried the Benny with ham, which came recommended by our waitress. Unfortunately, the hollandaise sauce wasn’t to my taste—it leaned more on the sour side. The bacon was a bit tough, and the coffee was just okay—not great, but not bad either. One thing I noticed was that our waitress had a habit of handling our coffee cups by the rim instead of the handle, which felt a little too “hands-on” during our visit. Lastly, for those with dietary preferences, they only offer regular milk—no alternative options like oat milk, which I found out when I tried to order a Chai with oat milk. Understandable, but worth noting.

Keys Cafe is, in my view, a very Iconic breakfast joint. It has stood the test of time for a reason....absolutely amazing food. It's a casual cafe that has an old town classic feel. The waiter, Phillip, was what every waiter aspires to be. He was attentive but gave us our room to converse and enjoy the great grub. He was energetic but not overbearing, and he made perfect recommendations. We both got the number 4 with Italian sausage. I got 2 pancakes, and my wife got 2 french toast thanks to Phillip. Our food was brought out in a very timely manner. The american fries were delicious. Perfectly fried, so every bite was crispy. The eggs were cooked as we expected and were great to dip the potatoes in. The Italian sausage is and continues to be the GREATEST in Minnesota. Juicy, full of spicy flavor and large patties. The pancakes are fluffy and monsters in size. The French toast was sweet, paired nicely with butter and syrup. If you haven't eaten breakfast at this Minnesota legend, then what are you waiting for.

Haven't been here in 20+years. The place hasn't changed but the food is so much better and bigger. My husband and I were so satisfied and got that original breakfast craving fixed. I would have loved more gravy on mines even though it was already covered. 😂 It's just so good

The waitress was very polite and helpful with a charming smile. The ambiance was cozy and cute - with enough noise to make you feel you are in a social setting but not too much noise. As for the food, we were split: there were 6 of us, four people gave their food a 4 and 2 people gave it a 5. The Ranch breakfast was very good, the steak in it was super - delicious. The hash browns were under cooked.

Yummy food, quick service, and hit the right spot. It's surprisingly not super busy on a Saturday morning at this Keys location. But it still hits the spot! I was seat yourself style and we received water really quickly. The menus were already at the table and we could order within minutes. Which was good because we knew what we wanted! The food was yummy and hit the right spot. It was exactly what we were looking for. We got the corned beef hash and country fried steak. The corned beef hash came with a lot of celery which surprised me as I had gotten it at another location and it didn't have celery in it. I think I'd prefer it without the celery, but was still yummy.

This place didn't seem to have anyone helpful. We stood in the doorway with three other groups for at least 5 minutes without anyone saying how seating worked. We asked about sitting at the counter and they had groups that made three different single spots without advising them to sit closer so folks could use. We saw a group leave a table and someone in the doorway stand next to the table so not sure if it's literally a free for all? Super unhelpful staff and no one looked friendly in any way to even want to ask questions. What a bummer.

Always good to visit the original Keys when you are near Raymond in St. Paul. On a whim, I stopped in for some late breakfast/brunch on a Saturday. Service was good, food was above average, but the thing that got me is the prices have continued to outpace my expectations. That said, you do get a generous portion, which is really enough for two meals. Overall, Keys breakfast is always good, but competition is pretty tough out there. Street metered parking nearby and when crossing University Avenue, be sure to watch out for the light rail!

Having eaten at many Keys over the years, this was disappointing: Everything omelette was good But cold Oatmeal was late, cold and a watery mess with no taste. Sent it back and waiter wanted to know 'if we wanted to take it and cook at home

Cozy kitschy lodge vibe, tasty foods, enormous portions. My partner had their omelet (can anyone honestly consume three eggs plus filling in one sitting?) and I had a side of cheesy hashbrowns with a side of bacon and a side of their "Loon sauce" which is a GF mushroom gravy. Delicious. The coffee was tasty too ($4 for drip coffee reminds me how old I am). Service was quick and friendly. We will return

Went to eat here for the first time with a coworker. I like a very simple breakfast and the place was perfect for what I was looking for. I went around lunch time and was still able to order breakfast, the service was fast and it was busy but we didn't have to wait:

Eating out is expensive because both food and labor is pretty expensive in 2025. Really, service and convenience is the only real justification to even dine out anymore. Service today was pretty nonchalant and it wasn't even busy in there. The young server didn't even know what the daily specials were, or indeed, whether the restaurant offered specials in the first place. She looked at me very confused as though I were asking what the current moon phase was and said, "I'll have to go ask." A different server offered a strawberry cream cheese French toast. The price was undisclosed and I had no interest in having dessert for breakfast. The standard eggs, home fries, toast, and sausage was only adequate, and was a whopping $18+. There's a reason I'm an infrequent Key's patron. Because every time I think to go (every 4-5 years) I remember why: it's always just incredibly underwhelming. This time there was also front of house music clashing with loud music from the kitchen which made a discordant din in the dining area. This place needs management and supervision.

This location is off university and was my first time there. The customer service was superb, and everything was hot and delicious. Very cozy spot, the energy in there was calm and relaxing.

Keys café is a staple in the Minneapolis community. Great diner-esque vibes with breakfast served all day. I went out on a limb to try their lunch food; while good - not as good as breakfast. As always, Cristal was a fantastic server. I recommend grabbing a late breakfast before starting the day.

Came to Keys on a Wednesday around 11 with a group of work colleagues. I tried calling ahead, but was informed there were no reservations. Luckily when we showed up, there was plenty of room. Our server was great! She brought us everything we asked for, though our waters were never refilled. The food was what was to be expected for diner food. The menu was giant and it was hard to choose! My colleague and I split the everything omelet and patty melt, but we could have opted to split one dish because the portions were MASSIVE The omelet was the better of the two. The ratio of toppings was great and it was perfectly cheesy. The patty melt was extra thick, and maybe didn't have enough cheese. It was also incredibly greasy. The fries were sooo tasty though! The seasoning was my favorite!

I've been to many of the Keys Café's in the Twin Cities and this one was average. The server was great, very personable, the food was ok.

Since I was only here for to work for a week. I asked some of the people I was working with what dishes were popular in the area. Minnesota wild rice soup was the most mentioned. I ended up here because of that dish. This place is definitely an old school diner. I ended up getting the turkey wild rice soup. Despite it looking like blah it was very good. The rice was cooked well which can be a challenge when it comes to wild rice. The turkey and the veggies were all tender and seasoned just right. I can back again on Friday and tried the Chicken Wild Rice Soup. The turkey one was better. Food-4 stars- The wild rice soup with turkey was belter than the one with chicken in my opinion. Service- . The lady on my first visit was okay I guess. The guy on my second visit was awesome. Ambiance- Definitely Old School

I finally made it to the ORIGINAL Keys in St Paul! I've always enjoyed their diner type food. Healthy portions and affordable prices. Friendly and efficient service. It's really a Twin Cities institution to get some brunch or a diner meal here sometime. You have to try it! I've been impressed with their desserts as well. The St. Paul location had a good variety to choose from. You really get the diner feel with the low counter with stools or booths to sit in. Everyone that helped us was so nice and helpful. It's like you're a regular even for the first time! My friend swore by their breakfast combo. The one that suggested it to us and I tried the reuben. It did not disappoint! I honestly did not realize how many locations they actually had until I looked at their website. Now that I've been to the original and the one in the Foshay I may need to take a tour around town to try all of the others! My favorite part honestly, was I got a cute sticker of the founder, Barbara, on my to go box. Cute! Support those family businesses. We need to keep them around for as long as possible!

This is the original store. The decor is a typical old style breakfast place. The staff is friendly and helpful. The portions are huge.

The service was horrible. The place only had a couple of other customers, with whom the apparently only server was having a nice, long chat I had to interrupt in order to, well, order. Way slow on coffee refills. My toast came out after I'd already eaten a few forkfuls of my omelette. The latter was good and the portion generous. I waited a long time to get a box for the leftovers - and a final refill. It's a decent spot if you have nothing else to tend to. Yet another institution that has gone downhill. This is my last visit. Sadly.2?

I used to get good food here, but the last two times I was here it was seriously disappointing. Biscuits and gravy were swimming in bland gravy. Burger, which I requested NOT well done, was overcooked. The seasoned fries weren't, and the replacement batch was barely seasoned. The specials board listed navy bean soon, which my companion ordered. When my burger was brought out, she was informed that there was no navy bean soup. The Crane Leaf wine was awful. I added ice cubes and lemon to make it palatable. The single server was very pleasant, but there it was. The final straw was a dirty, littered toilet with a seat half off the stool. Oh, not their fault, but there is no free parking anywhere around anymore. The lot behind the restaurant is reserved for other business.

Food is always good at keys but today the service was horrible I ordered a bowl of grits and the guys with me did omelettes . The grits didn't make it to the table until the 2 people I was with was just about done eating Then I was sitting next to one of the other guys I was with and he is right handed I am left handed so I moved my chair away from him so we wouldn't elbow each other as we were eating the waiter lady made seen telling me next time I go there not to do that and told him that from across the restaurant so she could make a seen . I will never go to this restaurant again the proper way for a left handed and right handed person to sit next to each other is to make a little space this lady had horrible customer service skills

I brought out my laptop once I sat down and the waitress already knew what I needed...she said 'do you want coffee?' Great service! I also ordered a strawberry rhubarb pie. Best piece of pie I ever had!

Lunch with a friend took me to Keys - the Original, on Raymond. We both had BLT sandwiches. Here's the lowdown on all the components. The bread was perfectly grilled, tender and crisp and tasty. Lettuce was crispy and just the right amount. One thin tomato slice on each half seemed a bit sparse. The meaty bacon was cooked well, but the rind edge was like eating rock shards it was so hard. That's more to do with the meat than the cooking. The assembly was odd - all the ingredients were bunched in a single heap in the middle of the sandwich halves. An easy fix as we simply redistributed the foods to even out the sandwich. I ordered a caramel shake and it was divine - extremely thick and rich but almost impossible to suck through the miniscule diameter straw. I ate it with a spoon instead. All in all certainly a good value for the price.

Flavorless food with odd textures. Hash browns were undercooked, eggs Benedict came with... old bay seasoning?!! My plate of biscuits and gravy was the palest most bland thing I've ever seen and one of my eggs was severely undercooked.

We did not get to order for fifteen minutes. We were freezing because they were blowing cold air. We asked for our food to go. Those eggs were really gross.

If I could leave 0 stars I would. 4 parties that entered after us were seated before us, and the people arriving after us at the bar already had their food. I asked someone to wipe a 2 seat table, and then sat there for 25 minutes, no service, not even water or coffee. We were watching this waiter, who clearly saw us, completely avoid us. Finally we asked the cashier if we could get service, watched him go back to the waiter and talk to him, and then sat there another 5 minutes, and nothing. It's weird as hell. So so bad. And you know the saddest thing is we were likely discriminated against by the waiter and it won't matter because they are busy and making money.

Keys Cafe and Bakery has great food and service! It's one of the few restaurants that can accommodate my healthy low sodium diet, which has made my taste buds more sensitive than they used to be. Keys Cafe and Bakery offers comfort foods without the food coma and without the persistent thirst. I've ordered the salmon special and the tender roast beef dinner, and they were delicious. Please note that there are other locations. (I did enjoy the oven roasted turkey dinner at the Roseville location several years ago, but this was before I was on my current healthy low sodium diet. As of this writing, I have not tried any of the other locations.)

So I'm at this Restuarnt ordering my food and this lady being my server goes "wow are you trying to die" because I ordered a couple things. Then I stopped her walking away and she immediately goes nope shaking her hands thinking I'm gonna order more food. I said I just wanted orange juice and she's oh okay.... like what? I don't even want to eat here anymore.

Such a neighborhood gem! We go about once a week & the food is always perfect. It's also impossible to beat their prices! The servers are always on it, especially Crystal at the Raymond location! 10/10 recommend, especially if you're looking for that dinner feel.

To Start off, the coffee was fabulous. Staff was friendly. We ordered the biscuit and gravy with eggs. It was probably one of the worst breakfasts I've ever eaten, except for roadside machaca in Baja. The gravy for some reason tasted burnt, and watery. The biscuit was hard like it gets after being microwaved, I couldn't even cut it with a knife. The hash browns were uncooked in the middle and completely burnt on the outside. The Heinz ketchup was even sour. The eggs were completely tasteless. Other people were ordering things and they LOOKED much better, BUT were they? I regretted coming, will not return. To the manager, you need to do better.

The original is always the BEST. I come to this location whenever I can because I think it has the best overall service and taste. I ordered the make my own omelet this time with bacon, ham, Italian sausage and cheese with hash browns on the side. Very friendly service and very speedy! I was in a hurry to catch the next light rail and made it just in time. The flavor was very meaty...just the way I wanted it! I had been on the Amtrak train for 24 hours coming from Montana and sparsely ate on the train. This certainly curbed my appetite! This place is the all around best and I have eaten at 3 locations.

We've been here many times on weekends for breakfast/brunch, and it's always busy. Still, we've never had to wait more than about 15 minutes for a table, and service has been prompt and friendly every time. The space is small and bustling, with counter, booth, and regular table seating. Lots of fun historic photos and tchotchkes to look at. Overall the food is quite good, although I'd say some things aren't always consistent. For example, the veggie scrambler has been completely different every time I've ordered it - sometimes the veggies are in big chunks, or they're more cooked, or the eggs are mixed in with the hash browns or else sitting on top. It's still good, you just don't know exactly what you're going to get. The pancakes and French toast are consistent, and awesome. The seasonal pumpkin spice pancakes with real whipped cream! Fan-freaking-tastic!! Lots of vegetarian and gluten free options. The coffee is good and refilled often, bacon is crisp, burgers and sandwiches are reliably tasty. And that bakery case though. Good luck beating that temptation!

The issue of the food was less than the server shoving the menu in my face to show me the photo. Then proceeding to gossip with other servers about my displeasure with the menu choice. This was not the level of customer service Keys was founded on.

Great food and great prices! Ordered cinnamon French toast and it was awesome! The restaurant has a very slow, small town feel, which is cool since it's in the city! Definitely not the type of place to stop in for a quick bite, but if you're in the mood for breakfast this place has a lot of great options and is really fun! They also have very good coffee which is a must for any breakfast place.

Not the fanciest place in St. Paul, but one of the best values! It seems spendy in this neighborhood-until you see the amount of food they bring you! My Monte Carlo Sandwich was the best-savory goodness with hand sliced thick ham & turkey! Parking can be a pain on the street but we parked in the parking lot across the street (nothing was posted there about not parking there). Remember, you can always bring a to-go container home for the food you can't finish off there!

Absolute fantastic place for a downtown breakfast. Had a business meeting scheduled for breakfast and Keys did not disappoint! Great service! Great food!! Next time I'm in Minneapolis, I will be stopping here. The Omelets are fabulous!!

I'd been to Keys a few times pre-COVID and enjoyed it; but a recent visit really made me thrilled. I am a general fan of the Monte Christo sandwich. Who know who first had the ridiculous thought of making a ham and turkey sandwich with french toast, (dipped in rasberry jam), but god bless them. It's not uncommon to see this treat on a diner menu; but the quality can vary wildly depending on the meat used and the style of the french toast. I ordered this from Keys and couldn't have been more pleased. HUGE pieces of french toast. CHUNKS of turkey, (looked like rotisserie), and quality ham. (the rasberry sauce was a bit odd; it was very thin. But if this is the weak link, that's OK). Apologies for not taking a pic. EAT THE MONTE CHRISTO SANDWICH!

Why didn't anyone tell me about this place?!?!!!!!! First of all, it's adorable. It's so cozy, and it's exactly what I'm hoping for when I go out on a mission for breakfast food. Their cinnamon French toast is damn near perfect. Not soggy, the bread is thicc and well-flavored, and it was slight twist on a pretty typical breakfast dish, which I always love! I think they may also use almond extract in their French toast recipe which is another instant win for me. It's winter in the Midwest, so I ordered their side of fruit with low expectations - honestly, it was fantastic. It wasn't just watery cantaloupe and two grapes like most places tend to serve in the winter months. The staff were all masked the whole time, social distancing was enforced and they provided sanitizer for their customers. Highly recommend! Great hangover food too

Great place for a home style family breakfast. My fav meal is biscuits and gravy with hash browns YUM. Sausage is not too spicy and the gravy is so creamy. Very busy location on a Sunday morning so get there early.

If you have a sweet tooth, keys cafe's bakery is the best place for it! My boyfriend and I were craving chocolate cake and live down the street from the Minneapolis location and thought we would stop by. They had 5+ kinds of cake, and the best part was that they sold it by slice. We got a classic chocolate piece and an Oreo slice - both were amazing. We will be back, the cake was 10/10!

It was okay. Kind of dingey. Parking is good and there always seems to be a table. Mostly seniors, retirees, and the elderly (which is kind of nice, to be honest.) The food was okay, the toast is extra scrumptious (BIG pieces of crispy artisan bread), and the coffee hot and plentiful, but it was so disturbing to see our waitress, who was probably in her early 30s and noticeably 6-7 months pregnant, waitressing our table, mask and all. And, at times, we weren't wearing masks to eat or drink, like so many other tables she was hosting. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for everything...but why risk your unborn baby (which looks as though it was conceived during COVID) by waitressing dirty tables and unsafe diners? It kind of threw everything off and was disturbing enough to make everything uncomfortable and distressing. To this day I can't help but hope she and her baby make it through okay.

My first breakfast visit, I like the vibe here and will definitely come back. The custom omelette I ordered (meats and mushrooms with gravy on top) was a disappointment, but I think there are many items on the menu that will satisfy me. The gravy is thin, so I'd recommend their Benedict's over biscuits and gravy.

I came here yrs ago just realized today its the best for quality and quantity if u havent had keys pancakes then your missing out

Friendly staff and a cozy, cute interior! Wish they had parking, but there's free parking across the street and half a block over. Generous portions. I had the buttermilk pancakes and eggs. And a lovely hot chocolate piled with whipped cream. The bathrooms are cute, but TINY.

Excellent customer service, ambiance, and food! If you're looking for traditional diner food, you can't go wrong with Keys. It's charming. I would recommend ordering their eggs Benedict or their Loon omelette (wild rice)! The wait staff is always friendly and they've always been great about making sure my coffee and water is always filled. Private lot in the back with 7 spots otherwise there is metered street parking up front. It's always been busy when I've stopped by but the turnover is pretty quick since you pay for your check at the front register.

If you're looking for a hearty breakfast in a low-key, old-fashioned type of diner, then Keys is the place. This is the original Keys. There are many others in the Twin Cities metro area, but this was the first. You'll find excellent omelets, pancakes, caramel and cinnamon rolls, hashbrowns. They're all good. Though $11 for an omelet is a bit pricey. We visited before the Saturday morning rush. If you get here, early, you're sure to find a seat. If you show up around 10-ish, you may have to wait a bit. The ambiance is like an old fashioned cafe. Tight booths, a counter if you're alone. Historical photos of the family that owns the restaurant on the wall. It's a great space to meet a friend and linger over coffee and breakfast. We received great service on our recent visit. I'm so glad there are still places like this around. It reminds me a bit of the old Serlin's on Payne Avenue.

Great service, food was good, but not great. Will return to try different menu items since everyone was so nice. I had the Hawaiian chicken sandwich.

I met an old friend here for breakfast and after eating what turns out was my meal for the day, I felt like I could have been on one of those Man vs Food episodes. I've heard that Keys is a good place for breakfast and I love a good breakfast. We walked in and were greeted by a sign that read to seat yourself. At the same time on of the servers also greeted us and echoed the statement on the sign. Keys looks like an old school place with lots of pictures and awards on the wall. There are lots of your typical breakfast items available. I opted for the everything omelet with homemade whole wheat toast. The everything omelet has all things I love. Hash browns, bacon, sausage, ham, onions, tomatoes, green pepper, mushrooms and cheese. I think that was everything. What seemed like only 5 minutes, and our server is delivering the biggest omelet that I have ever seen in my life to me. I mean this thing was huge! Overflowing the sides of my plate and stuffed like a football. At first sight I'm thinking two meals. Probably three meals for the average person. I love it after my first bite. Spicy Italian sausage, smoky bacon, savory ham with sweet onions and papers. The absolute best part, the hash browns were REALLY crispy! The meat and potato to egg ratio had to be 3-1. I have no idea how they were able to wrap the egg around this pile of food. The homemade toast was also very good. Fresh and warm with melted butter. Yes I was full about half way through this huge meal but that little devil on my shoulder convinced me that warmed up eggs might not be as good second time around. It didn't hurt that everything tasted so good and those addictive hash browns were nice and crispy. So let's save the suspense, I finished my meal and hate myself for not wearing sweatpants. Service was quick and what accounted to an entire day of food for me was only $13. Looks like they have a nice lunch menu too which maybe I'll try sometime if I have room after eating their breakfast.

Oh, Wendy H, Wendy H, Wendy H, so YOU'RE responsible for the 3.5 overall star review? These are all just plain real people serving up real food over here. I'm pretty crabby when I have to get up at 4:30 AM. And on a weekend?!? You'd need to be very quiet and keep your distance. There's nothing hoity-toity going on over here, but, damn! the food is great. People watching, too. Old, creaky place. Too few of them left. I suppose someone will do something stupid and build an apartment or something. THEN you'll be boo-hooing on your way to Perkins. So, Wendy H, I am in the area at about 10 on Thursdays. I would like to pay for your breakfast to get you back on over here so you will boop up your rating. I expect 6 stars for what you've put me through. Woah! Eggs have arrived. I should've brought the neighborhood.

The OG Keys Cafe location which is right down the street from my apt (unfortunately for my waistline)! Definitely your classic, hole-in-the-wall, diner style breakfast spot. Unmatched in terms of portion sizes. It does get busy, especially on the weekends and it is a smaller space so I often just order to go and its usually done in 10-15 min. The hosts/servers are always super friendly, treating you like someone they've known for years. If you don't get the everything omelet though you are missing out. Its enough for three entire breakfasts and is packed full of fun ingredients- bacon, ham, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, lots of cheese, and, my personal favorite, their addicting Italian sausage! It's all fairly reasonably priced and a great spot to check out on a lazy Sunday :)

This is my first visit to this location, so I tried something new to me, the Loon Omelette. It features turkey, wild rice, and veggies, covered by mushroom cream sauce. Very much a Minnesota comfort food, and very enjoyable.

Steve C's review from 2 months ago is nearly identical to what I have to say, which says a lot. Apparently no one in management/ownership pays attention to the reviews or they just don't give a sh... I've been coming to this Keys location since the mid/late 1970's. I haven't been to this location in a couple years. My review isn't from a position of malice or a one time visit. I had good memories of meals here. I still like the decor. It's got a certain something that a dinerish place should have. Great booths, not a lot of space, etc. Loud, talkitive energy in the room. It's got a nice patina. I really love the salt and pepper grinders at the tables. Good on you Keys! Fresh pepper and salt are always far better than shakers. Where Keys used to be an affordable spot to grab b'fast and the fresh hot caramel rolls seemed to roll out of the oven every few minutes - today's Keys feels over priced and offers day-olds from the microwave. Meh. The two of us swung by this particular Saturday about 8:30am. It was relatively quiet. A server said we could sit where ever we like. So we chose an open booth near the counter and sat. and sat. and sat. AND sat... No further acknowedgement from staff. Eventually about ten minutes (or more?) into our stay a busser finally dropped off some water. ..and then we sat... we discussed our orders. and sat... Marveled at the $6 short-short stack pancake and the $12.50 egg sandwich. ("Damn, they're proud of their egg sandwich!" I thought.) We decided to split some items from each of our meals. We continued to wait... And wait. And wait. A server finally stopped by with a brief smile and a curt, "What're we having?" "A number two for me, please. Scrambled." I said "A number three," my partner said, adding, "scrambled," for his eggs. "Could we have an extra medium round plate with our order?" I asked. "Sure!" was the server's reply, and off she went. As she neared the kitchen, I yelled to add coffeee to our order. She didn't hear. The busser did, tho, and dropped off one cup. I asked for another and the busser promptly delivered another cup. So all is well... We finally have our orders in and we have our coffee. Food is delivered in a respectable amount of time. And no extra round plate. "Don't forget the round plate." I reminded the server. "Yup!" she repsonded. She got two booths away and took another table's order. And apparently forgot. After having eaten half my meal and still waiting for the extra plate I finally went to the kitchen to ask for the plate. So now I've asked for a round plate three times, and finally the kitchen manager steps up and hands me a plate. The server apologized profusely, but by this point, the damage was done. Oh hey, our food - I bet you want to know about that, eh? Hashbrowns were probably the highpoint. The scrambled eggs however were over-cooked, flavorless dried pebbles, rolling around on each of our plates. (side bar: Pardon me for wondering, yet again, how *any* restaurant can honestly think that serving unseasoned food is appetizing and worth the price they charge? Any restauranteur or chef wanna take me up on this discussion?) The pancakes, as Steve C. also mused, were like chewing on rubber (or "Rubber balls," as my dining partner said at the table). While we were eating, a customer was waiting for a booth behind us. After quite a wait, the Kitchen Manager yet again stepped up, grabbed a rag, cleared and wiped the table. We finished our meal. Empty coffee cups patiently sitting on the edge of the table, hoping for a refill. No server in sight. Plates cleared. And then cups are refilled (if you run a busy, saturday morning restaurant, you'll understand the problem with refilling the cup at this point. Your table just failed to turn.) Server disappears again. No check, but at least we have coffee! So we sit and wait. And wait. And wait. The line grows at the front cash register with people waiting to hand over money. And we wait. Finally I spy our server back at the kitchen and wave my hands trying to get the bill. Our tab arrives. The line lingers, trying to pay. No one is taking money. Day-old microwaved carmel roll is "dropped" on a waiting customer - not with a choice, but with a pronouncement, "No fresh rolls, so here's a day-old. $2." (Customer looked crushed, I'm thinking, "I bet he didn't want a day old.") We finally ring out. I'm never asked if I want a receipt. When I ask for a copy of my receipt I'm told (really) "No. Too late. I can't." I tried protesting, but gave up when I realized it was going to be a struggle, just like getting service, the plate, more coffee, or the bill. Keys, you just broke the camel's back. Don't count on me gracing your door again anytime soon.

The classic diner! A St. Paul original! Food so good it has spread all across the metro. The comfort food you crave for. Be warned tho, the pancakes are massive!