Iron Hen Cafe

This is the best… my friend and I went for lunch. We had the best server (Taylor) and the best food and drinks. The food is fresh and the drinks are fresher!!! I can’t wait to go back

It makes me super happy to see a farm to table place in Greensboro!
I currently live in NYC, but I make it a point to visit The Iron Hen every time I’m in town. You can’t get grits like these in the north.
The menu is southern comfort with a healthy twist. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Everything is extremely fresh and service comes with a smile.
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. There’s also outdoor seating in the front of the restaurant. Perfect on a warm day!
Ps — save room for dessert!

Great spot! I am a vegan and I love all of the options there are! Try the black bean burger and the tomato soup. The fries are killer as well!

Overall, I enjoyed my 1^st visit to the Iron Hen… local, delicious, fresh food. loved the atmosphere. But the service was less than expected. I hate this kind of aggravation to start my day. We were seated inside with glasses of water and not approached again for 10 minutes. and then only after looking around for help until a different server saw us and responded. NOT a good first impression. The Manager was apologetic and ‘comped’ the breakfast meals (which we didn’t ask for or expect)…we only wanted to tell someone in charge that something is missing service-​wise. We tipped the 2^nd, ‘alert’ server and thanked her. Anyway, we may be back, maybe not… the food quality will be the draw, not expectation of service without having to beg for it.

Overall I really enjoy Iron Hen. I love the concept of local, fresh food. I love the atmosphere. But the food has been hit or miss the last several times I’ve dined there. When it first opened I couldn’t get enough of the place, but more recently I haven’t wanted to go as often because I never know how the food will be. This was always my go-​to restaurant for out of town guests, and everyone has always enjoyed their experience.

I have found quite a difference in the quality of my meals based on the busy-​ness of the restaurant. I have had several very enjoyable breakfasts here when I go early, near opening. On two occasions I went during peak times my experience was very different. For one thing, the bar stools are very uncomfortable. Wait for a table. The servers were so friendly and helpful when we went early but seemed frazzled later. And they had no clean coffee mugs, so my coffee came in a paper cup. That takes the experience down a notch. So, I will definitely eat here again, but only if I get going early enough to beat the crowd.

The Iron Hen had a wait time of 15 – 20 minutes when we got there on a late Sunday morning. We put our names on the list and took a walk on the trail across the street. We were seated outdoors per our request and were served our chai and oj shortly after. We had the crab cake Benedict and buckwheat pancakes. We were really happy with the Iron Hen and glad we came here for brunch. Menu is excellently priced and it’s local and fresh food!

I moved away and haven’t been to Iron Hen Café in the last 2 years. Now, that I have returned to Greensboro for the summer I was pleased and looking forward to dining here again. This week, I have dined here twice and my experience with the food and service was much less than I have previously experienced. Iron Hen Café used to be my favorite place to dine in Greensboro.
Today, we arrived at 11:02 and were not seated until 11:30, we were told the wait was only 10 – 15 minutes. I can understand how it can be easy to misjudge time, but I was sure the dining experience was going to be worth the wait. I was wrong. Zach our server, seemed disconnected and never made eye contact, in fact the whole restaurant seemed to have an attitude of complacency. We ordered hummus as an appetizer and the food was as lackluster as the wait staff. Bland and flavorless. I’m not a cook and I could have done better myself. The tortilla chips served with the hummus were greasy and partially cooked.
I ordered an egg salad sandwich with fries and it was just as bland and flavorless as the hummus. I wonder how long it has been since the owner has done a Q&A of the food? My companion ordered the portabella mushroom sandwich and said it was «okay» on flavor, but not great and kind of greasy. He got twice as many fries as I did and neither of us got the «Very Good, deviled egg» as was listed on the menu to be included with our order. This definitely shows a lack of consistency from the kitchen.
The wait staff never smiled and their aprons were extremely worn and soiled. I do understand getting dirty around food, but these aprons looked as if they had not been washed in weeks. Yuck. One server wore light green shoes with white soles and rubber around the edges and they were disgustingly black and filthy. The servers are just there to do a job, I think and I could have gotten lackluster service at Ihop.
Earlier in the week, my companion and I visited and got the Tofu Tacos, initially we thought the flavor was okay, but the tofu was so extremely salty that neither of us were able to finish them.
I thought earlier in the week was just an off day, that is why I came back again today, I assumed that brunch would be served because of the holiday, but they had the regular menu, which was disappointing.
I would like to mention that the food presentation was beautiful, the hummus was portioned nicely in a white dish with herbs on top and the chips were served on a bed of lettuce greens. The sandwiches were uniformly placed in serving pans on parchment paper and were cut evenly and the fries were mostly the same size and were over all tasty, not greasy. I do love the serving cups of ketchup over having to deal with a bottle of ketchup on a small table.
I really loved this place before and I know it won’t take a lot of attention to turn it around, It is so important to support local business. I’m hoping the management will read this and start paying attention. The little things really do matter. A warm smile goes a long way and a wait staff with crisp clean uniforms really says a lot about what is going on behind the scenes (along with management consistently doing a Q&A of the food). Once complacency sets in, business goes downhill and customers stop coming back.

Generally, pretty tasty. I had the corned beef hash, which was filling, delicious, and seasoned well. I also had an iced latte which was slightly sour — usually this is a sign that the espresso machine needs to be flushed out.
The wait can get pretty long — so get there early!

We came in for a late lunch today with high expectations. Unfortunately they weren’t quite met. Grilled chicken sandwich and bacon wrapped meatloaf were both good, but not great. Pork nachos were good too, but it was hard to find the pieces of pulled pork. The ending was the biggest disappointment. We tried to order dessert, one rice pudding and one banana pudding. Waitress came back to apologize for being out of the rice pudding. So we swapped that out for cobbler. Then after waiting again, a different wait person comes over to tell us that actually they have NO desserts. Err, they didn’t know that before?
Sorry, we’ll look elsewhere for a complete meal next time. A bit disappointing.

Super cute place to have lunch/​brunch with a friend with a good variety of things to eat.
Highly recommend the collard greens egg rolls and Devil’s eggs, amazing! And I don’t even like veggies, let alone collard greens. The corn on the cob was so-​so just bc corn isn’t in season right now, the actual taste of the kernels were quite bland. Nothing wrong with how they prepared it. However, I did not like the mushroom melt. I had even added a chicken breast to give it some protein. Chicken was ok, but the actual issue I had was how the mushrooms were prepared… cooked in a vinegar reduction sauce that was way too sour for my taste. I prefer my mushrooms just grilled and more natural tasting.

Lots of great vegan and gluten free options. Quinoa hash is amazing. Great craft cocktails also. The blackberry bramble is on point! Bartender really knows his stuff and even customized the drink to my liking

Food is good if you want to eat clean. The waitress was super sweet when giving us our food and refilling our waters. It is a quaint place that some people were also using as a coffee house studying atmosphere. If is nice and quaint but also easy to miss because it is hidden behind a gas station/​Dunkin donuts. The sandwich was really good as well as their sweet potato chips were so tasty, but I felt like there wasn’t enough. Their tomato coconut soup was delicious. I tried my friends and had to order some myself.

My last review of the year goes to Iron Hen Café. I had my first meal there the other night. My dad and I were the only ones eating there but do to the rainy weather and our early dinner time I knew that was the reason and wasn’t to worried about that. Plus I had read all the great reviews on the place on here!
The staff was busy cleaning the place and it lookedlike the were getting ready for a dinner crowd rush perhaps at a later hour. The place had a quant and charming country look to it, painted with sage green and beige colors.
I had the mushroom melt with a devil egg and a side of the Gudda mac and Cheese. The food was great and fresh tasting and you really get large side portions! Great price points and since everythings fresh and local, I really did feel like I was eating healthy even though I was chowing down on some mac and cheese! The staff were friendly and tended our needs quicky! I really look forward to trying brunch here soon.

I have come here 2 more times since my last review, and I must say that I really enjoyed my meals the last two times. First, I came here for breakfast. I had the chance to enjoy their kid sized blueberry pancake stack since I was buying something else. It was pretty large for a kids size breakfast. I also got a grits bowl with eggs, bacon, and cheesy grits of course. They do top it with goat cheese, which I didn’t like but I was able to take it off. Both were pretty good.
The second time I have come here was for lunch, since a friend of mine highly recommended the crab cakes, so I came over to try them. They were amazing! They were fresh and extremely tasty and well seasoned. As a side I also got the collard green egg rolls which were very good as well.
As always the service is great. I think its a bummer that breakfast isn’t served all day. I also do not like the ambience or the way the tables are set up. Still, the food is great here, as is the customer service.

Had our choice of seats and were waited on immediately since we got here early. Mary actually trued something else other than the excellent Rueben. She ordered the Pimento Melt and our server said the Pimento Cheese is great, we’ll see. I am giving the Friday special, Pan Fried Chicken another try. It was okay the last time but the place was crowded and I’m hoping since it’s not so crowded now it might make a difference.
Mary said the the Pimento Melt was excellent. And the fried chicken was also very good. Everything was perfect.

This is one of my favourite breakfast places in Greensboro. I am huge fan of their omelettes and freshly squeezed orange juice. It is one place in the area where I think they have a garden in the back. Everything tastes freshly picked and cultivated. Gave it 4 stars because the lunch/​dinner is not as excellent and brilliant as their breakfast/​brunch.

(3.25 stars)
After an underwhelming initial visit, I decided to give the Iron Hen Café another try during a different time of the day. While there were still a number of inconsistencies, the second time around proved to be a considerably more enjoyable experience.
For starters, Iron Hen isn’t nearly as crowded at dinner as it is at breakfast. This translated into more parking, less clamoring, and a decidedly more relaxing environment.
The restaurant’s focus on fresh, light, Southern-​influenced cuisine carries over onto the lunch/​dinner menu. Salads and sandwiches feature local goat cheese, North Carolina (beer-​battered) catfish, Summerfield Farms beef, and more. There are several vegan options, but those seeking heartier fare can indulge in crab cakes or shrimp and grits as well.
I went with the latter (one of my favorite dishes) during my most recent visit. The plating and presentation was somewhat odd: the grits were clumped together in the center of the plate while shrimp and ham encircled them. This made for some texturally unappealing grits, but the rest of the dish was quite good. The shrimp were large, the ham was salty, smoky, and a little bit sweet, and the sauce was rich and creamy. The $ 11 price tag seemed fair.
My fiancée’s order was somewhat more uneven. Her half-​pound grass-​fed cheeseburger was simple (and at $ 12, perhaps too simple) but not without strengths. The bun was buttery, the tomato was juicy, and the meat was quality albeit under seasoned. She also picked up on a chemically aftertaste. Meanwhile, her side of choice — Parmesan corn on the cob — was tasty but could have perhaps benefited from some herbs. A kona mocha drink, on the other hand, was an unqualified success that puts the Sheetz version to shame.
The one constant during both visits to Iron Hen is that the service here is excellent. Danny, our server, confessed to being relatively new to the job, but he was still able to provide useful recommendations. The wait time for our food was minimal.
All told, Iron Hen proved to be good enough the second time around to merit future consideration as a lunch/​dinner spot. The food still has the potential to disappoint at times, but the menu and the service are fairly compelling reasons to take that gamble.

I’m pretty sad I didn’t take advantage of this place when I lived in Greensboro. It is so good. I’ve gone twice now and everything has been delicious. The fresh pressed orange juice is amazing with breakfast. I ordered the smoked salmon omelet and it was wonderful. I ate every last bite. I really hope people don’t avoid coming here because of the weird location. Can’t wait to get the chance to go back and eat here again. Next time I’ll try a Benedict of some sort.

I just had my 1^st experience at the Iron Hen today & I was not disappointed. We brought our dog & ate outside. Our awesome waitress, Jen, brought out a little water bowl for him. Then we ate some of the best food! I had the crab cake & gouda mac n’ cheese. If you haven’t had this macaroni side item, you simply must! It had a good subtle flavor & the parsley was nice too. My crab cake was juicy & the aioli added was tasty. My partner loved his steak & cheese sandwich & our friend gobbled up her mushroom melt with spicy eggs rolls. All of the wait staff who walked by was friendly & helpful. We can’t wait to return.