Kristina’s Cafe

My husband and I met for a quick lunch here yesterday. My goodness, the food was cold (and it wasn’t a salad!), the service was deplorable and I think there was (what looked like) a bug in my coffee! We’ll never go back. So far the only breakfast place in my area that’s good is Butterfields… Well Honey jam too (I need to review them!) so sick of wasting my money on bad food!!!

We came here for the first time and I was very happy, I don’t like the idea of chowing down on potatoes for breakfast I don’t like potatoes let’s put it that way. The omelette with equal amount of hash brown is not for me. I asked them what is the most meaty and spicy omelette they got I don’t remember what I ordered but I asked if they could add jalapeño to it and they I got beans as my side which was well seasoned needless to say right portions. Staff was welcoming and polite we were seated quickly and I would go back to this place if I am around.

Great place for breakfast! Standard breakfast food. Always great service and fast service. They even have a patio for the summer months!

This is a diner in the truest sense of the word. There is nothing evolutionary, revolutionary or retro chic about the food.
It changes ownership ever couple of years, so here is hoping the new guy does a better job than the last who was kind of lackadaisical about owning and operating a restaurant.
The waitstaff is very good — nice, attentive, very good people.
The food is, like I said before, nothing surprising. If you imagine a club sandwich in your mind, what you will get will look 100% just like that.

All new management and ownership in July 2015. It shows in a bad way. Disregard any review previous to July 2015. This is my second visit for a late breakfasts. Both times had mediocre omelette or skillet with decent pancakes. The photo I took is how much food I’m leaving uneaten because it was cold unappetizing and generally almost repulsive. The whole vibe here has changed for the worse too. Fortunately there are better choices in Downers Grove.

Excellent friendly staff. Kid friendly crayons toys stickers. Great breakfast food. Place is a western suburbs staple.

This place sucks! Literally the only thing that is keeping this place in business is the location. That’s unfortunate.
I’ve been here twice and both times the food was… meh. The fruit was literally brown… BROWN. It should have been thrown out a week sooner. I don’t return anything at restaurants and when I sent back the fruit, the waitress looked at me cross eyed! Boooo she sucked too!
I’ll go around the corner to egg harbor EVERY time from now on!

Food is good — on par with the other better breakfast restaurants in the area. The two times I’ve eaten there I’ve had a breakfast and lunch. The breakfast was inside and service ok. Had to waive waitress down for water/​coffee refills but no big deal.
The second time I had lunch outside. Place wasn’t busy but the waitress was confused at best. I had a club with fries which was good, fries hot, great sandwich. But trying to get the waitress for drink refills and the check was impossible. Is was sitting by the door, she couldn’t miss me. So no refills for me. I had to go inside to find her for the check and while waiting at the register to pay they seated someone at the table before I could even leave the tip.
I may give the place another shot because the food is good but honestly, the last experience was a turnoff.

I went and had breakfast this morning and the food was amazing. The skillet with the country gravy was delicious and so was the pancakes. I went in with a friend and we were seated very fast. Food came to us fast, hot and fresh. For two skillet meals the tab was only $ 19 and some change. I highly recommend this restaurant and I definitely will be back soon!

Great downtown location. The ambiance of the place is average for a breakfast place. I can only say our food and coffee was average, I always judge breakfast places by their skillets, very middle of the road, my girlfriend’s omelet was just average as well. The saving grace of this place is the convenient location.

Let me get this straight, you complained you didn’t think there was enough fries on your plate and then when the waitress brought you more, you complained that her hand slipped while she was trying to give you more fries?
Full disclosure, I’m a regular at Kristina’s and for a reason. I love this place and definitely get the «Cheers» vibe when I walk in. I have not had a bad meal yet — and my friend and I have been going for a while — and the staff is warm, friendly, fun and completely accommodating.
I was also there the same afternoon as poster Cory F. Yup, they were pretty much made infamous when my friend and I commented to the staff about the two teenagers standing in front of the restaurant — in full view of everyone in the place — making out, one with a sucker in their mouth. And yes, the mother was standing right there. I’d rather have my waitress touch my fries than watch that again.

Just had a horrible experience here. They are under new management and did not have many of the options on their menu. The waitress tried giving us waters from another table, and they brought a cold «plate» of fries (barely any on it) and when she brought more to us, touched them as she was combining plates. The manager was less than interested in helping or resolving any issues.

Food is really good and reasonably priced. Staff is friendly and accommodating. Décor is outdated and bathrooms are really run down

This is a great place in downtown DG for brunch! Prices are reasonable, food is hot and fresh, and I can’t complain about the service!
The breakfast menu is huge; pancakes, eggs benedict, lunch sandwiches, French toast, lox, skillets… The menu is about 10 pages long! Everyone can find something they enjoy here.
I am happy with the quality of our dishes that we received. The eggs were cooked just right, and everything was so hot and wonderful. Crispy bacon, crispy hot hash browns, and AWESOME giant Texas bread that caters to my carb addiction!
Total bill for 2 people was around $ 40. We left with full bellies and plenty of caffeine in our system thanks to bottomless coffee they provide! It was both satisfying and refreshing to go to Kristina’s for Sunday brunch.
I recommend it!

This is our GO TO family breakfast place. The food is great and the service is wonderful. The place is always clean. We go every few weeks and request our favorite waitress, Ciara. She is the sweetest! My husband and I usually get omelettes, the 2 kids split a kids’ pancake meal and with coffee and juice, we average $ 30 or so. It’s reasonably priced and the food is really good. I change my meal at times and I don’t think there’s ever been something I was uninterested in. Sometimes I order their specials which are delicious– their Cream of Chicken soup on Sundays is delicious! I guess I’d have to say sometimes the coffee tastes a little bitter, but they have the flavored creamers at every table so with a little bit of creamer, it tastes fine. They also have a stack of napkins on every table– VERY convenient for families with little kids!
The booths are comfortable. We use a highchair every time. I guess I’d prefer the highchairs were a little bit cleaner but I can just as easily wipe one down before putting my kiddo in it. We are always greeted with a smile when we walk in and the kids love to go and pay the bill because they each pick one of the complimentary suckers by the register.
They have outdoor seating which we’ve yet to do. With a dog bakery a couple doors down, you will see TONS of people walking their dogs if you sit outside. We just like to see them from the window.
Parking CAN be difficult if it’s a beautiful day. We often times have to park on the side street instead of Main Street due to no parking available. The area is perfect. There many boutiques and shops all along the street. You could easily head here for a breakfast and make a morning of shopping afterwards. Nearby there is a bakery, dog bakery, ice cream/​yogurt place, toy store across the street, kids consignment shop down the side street and book shop down the road. Super fun. We also tend to eat breakfast first and then head down Main Street afterwards for a super quick walk just to get to the train station and watch the trains for a bit. There is also a beautiful fountain by the train station which is super popular. Also, look out for the Farmers market that takes place in the Spring/​Summer. Our routine becomes eating breakfast here and then heading to the train station for some fresh produce to bring home.

This has always been an enjoyable breakfast place. Food is good, wait staff friendly and attentive. The owner Lance is a really cool guy too.

Closest thing to Connie’s restaurant (berwyn) you’ll find out here in downers. Aside from the rather creepy owner who is around 50% of the time, the staff is quite inviting. Not your usual toothless Greek restaurant servers. Food is consistent and not bad. The washrooms could’ve used an upgrade about twenty years ago, but the owner makes up for it by keeping the urinal filled with ice. That said I eat here couple times a month and I’m not disappointed, but maybe part of that is I know what to expect. I suppose what I’m saying is keep your expectations in check and Kristinas will probably exceed them.

Cute place in downtown Downers Grove. The food is really good, very healthy portions and a great bang for your buck. The menu is very extensive, so it took us a bit to order. I got the Kristinas Skillet — with no jalapeños — added green peppers and had toast instead of the pancakes (included). the BF had one of the grove combos — eggs, meats, pancakes, coffee and juice. Everything was delicious. I guess if I had one minor criticism it’s the salsa that came with my skillet. It was clearly from a jar — if they just made a simple pico de gallo, and had the option of a few tortillas instead of the pancakes/​toast, this dish would be over the top delish.
Out waitress, Danielle, was soooooo wonderful!!! Love her, she was patient with us, went over the menu, gave suggestions — she is a gem.
We are already making plans to return. Yummy, budget friendly breakfast places are hard to find — this one is definitely a keeper!

Darn, I really thought we were going to have a great lunch here today! Having received 4 star ratings from two respected Unilocal friends of mine, Kristina’s made it onto my itinerary when I planned an outing in downtown Downers Grove.
I arranged to meet a friend here for lunch. She and her kids arrived first and got a table in the back. «The back» is where you hope to be seated when dining with four kids under four.
My son’s kids meal looked really nice. Two mini burgers and a generous portion of very fresh fruit. I wish I’d snapped a pic, but apparently he was starving and inhaled the entire plate immediately. His buddy had a Micky pancake that he seemed to enjoy. I wish I could say my burger (cheddar jack) was impressive, but it was really just eatable. It actually had very little taste, which is odd for anything with cheese. I chose shoestring potatoes as my side because they sounded interesting, but they turned out to be just slivered chips that were difficult to eat without looking like a wild mongrel.
Aside from the food, we found the service inattentive. I waited with an empty water glass for what seemed like a very long time, especially considering that there were only three or four other tables occupied on our visit. I almost think they were hoping we’d get the kids packed up and leave more quickly if we weren’t well cared for.
Even though this was a semi disappointing visit, I think I’d give Kristina’s another chance… maybe I’ll order something different in hopes that burgers just aren’t their strong suit, and maybe service would be better on a different day. With such good reviews, our experience must be somewhat of an anomaly.

In downtown Downers Grove sits a small little café called Kristina’s. After looking over reviews of previously unvisited breakfast places I decided to make the trip there to give it a try. After walking in I was offered seating both inside and outside and decided to stick to the air conditioned indoors.
After looking over my menu options, I settled on a meat lovers skillet and chose pancakes as the extra option. I then waited a little bit longer than most places for my food to be ready, but once it was out I was excited to dig in. The skillet here was excellent, the amount of meat in the meat lovers skillet was definitely satisfactory. The pieces of meat were both abundant and thick. There was also a good amount of cheese on this skillet. The eggs were soft and well prepared as well. The potato at the bottom of the skillet was a little on the bland side, this along with the slightly longer than normal wait are my only complaints about the skillet. So the positives were lots of thick cuts of meat, lots of cheese. The negatives were somewhat bland potato at the bottom.
The pancakes here were also good, there were two berries for eyes and a strawberry for a mouth on the top pancakes. This extra charm puts a tingly feeling in the back of your head and makes you feel special as you think to yourself «Awww they made a face on the pancakes.» The pancakes themselves were soft, the powdered sugar gave it a dash of extra flavor. These pancakes were good as well.
Overall I was quite impressed by both the food and the service at Kristina’s Café. Things like the face on my pancakes give it that extra bit of effort and caring that really shines through, they don’t cut corners on meat or cheese which is somewhat common among breakfast places. I am going to give Kristina’s Café four stars, a recommendation and I plan to visit again.