Luisa’s Cafe

We don’t usually go out to breakfast when we are in MI but made an exception for my daughter’s birthday. We had an excellent breakfast and will definitely be back. My hot chocolate came back in the biggest mug imaginable and while I was stuffed from my carrot cake waffle, I totally wanted more because it was so good. Our entire table enjoyed their meal!

I love this place. The bakery is totally legit and my dad raves about the elephant ears. I prefer the breakfast. I have had the french lentils and eggs, perfect. I have also had the gluten free carrot waffles with chicken sausage… so bomb! Love them there, this is the only good place for breakfast in the neighborhood so expect a little wait but totally worth it!

Luisa’s is absolutely precious. Half restaurant, half bakery, all cozy. The staff is friendly and attentive. The menu isn’t large (at least in the off season, perhaps bigger during the summer), but the items are appealing, with a wide range of options. I got a scramble with smoked gouda, crimini, and sausage, which was delicious. Make sure to ask for jelly with your toast, it’s homemade. The potatoes weren’t my favorite, but I had plenty of other food to eat. Warning, the coffee is STRONG. I loved it, but it had me vibrating for hours. Next time I’m out this way, I want to try the carrot cake waffles.

Great concept, poor execution.
The menu looked excellent, but the actual food quality was disappointing. Took 45 minutes for us together our food and when it came out it was sub par.
The granola was good, the raisin toast was good — the waffles, eggs, and sausage were awful. Almost seemed frozen. Service was rushed and unfriendly.
Save the 40 bucks and goto Davids café. Much friendlier and high quality baked goods, coffee, food.

Our favorite family breakfast in the area! The staff was so personable and friendly and made us feel so welcome! Not only that, our food was delicious. The Swedish pancakes were mouth watering, the grits were fantastic and the fresh squeezed orange juice was the perfect addition to an ideal breakfast. Definitely recommend!

Yummy food and excellent customer service. Will definitely stop back in when in the area.

Unique options like carrot cake waffles make this a great find. The food is great and the service friendly. We have tried many of their meals and never been disappointed. The place is small so get there early or you may have to wait.

Totally love this place and have been two times now (once with my whole family of 9 and then my family if 4) for breakfast. Everything have tried was really awesome. My favorite hands down is the Swedish pancakes and if you get the three you will be stuffed (I’m 6’3″ & 215 lbs). Plus they have great coffee and a bakery attached.

So good! We’ve stopped in to Luisa’s twice during our stay here in Harbert. Love the feel of the place and the food is wonderful. It is a bit cramped and often busy as some have mentioned – but that’s truly a statement to what great find Luisa’s is. I had the zucchini and caramelized scallions quiche the first morning I was there. Heavenly! The second time I had the baked oatmeal with dried cherries and the hardwood smoked bacon… also delicious. Both times I left full and happy. Great service, tasty, well-​prepared food – 5 stars in my book.

After driving by this restaurant for years, we decided to stop in after blueberry picking. Yes, there was a short wait, even on a Friday morning, and we occupied our time in the bakery. Service was friendly and our beverages were refilled quickly the kitchen seemed a bit slow but the food was worth waiting for. The apple pancake was just sweet enough and their pure maple syrup was a good touch. The omelette was huge. We will definitely be back.

Just a-​ok.
Came here on our last day in town, Saturday morning. First off, the space is very small and cramped and we sat next to their kitchen which is teeny, so these two things made the experience what it was.
First off the wait staff had to scoot around our table quite a bit to expedite food, not too annoying but enough when they’re hustling to be uncomfortable.
Next the food took forever to come out. The manager and wait staff had to apologize a few times — hence small kitchen with overmatched space = long wait.
Lastly, the food was just okay. I can taste that it’s home made, fresh ingredients, I just felt that everything was just okay. Had the tomato soup which was a little herby and a bit too tangy. Also had biscuits and gravy, the biscuits were super good but the gravy was underseasoned making the whole dish very hearty but no flavor :(
Their fresh squeezed oj was thumbs up.
Wanted to love it, didn’t. Not a bad choice if you’re in the area, but avoid the busy times.

Nice, quaint place to get breakfast. My wife had (and I tried) the curried lentil eggs. She has been talking about them ever since. I had a tasty chicken sausage biscuit and gravy. My only gripe would be that as a big appetite kind of guy, it wouldn’t have done it on its own for me, but I ordered a couple of eggs on the side and it was perfect. Also, they are cash only, so bring some extra to hit up the attached bakery on the way out.

Wish I could say how great this place is, but the service really ruined the experience for us. The food is very good. Do not expect good, or quick, service. Eggs and toast should not require a 50 minute wait.

No other place better to have breakfast in my opinion. The wait, if there is one, is worth it. Besides you get wait in the Swedish Bakery whose shelves are lined with every delicious baked good imaginable. The charming dining room and great staff, lead by the lovely owner, make for a great way to start your Harbor Country day. You can’t go wrong with any of the menu items. Everything is great, but I find myself returning to the buttermilk pancakes time and time again.

OK, am writing this even though I know that many people seem to love the place. The one and only time I was there the service was fine, cute establishment but the egg dish I had with sun dried tomatoes was awful. My friend had the Swedish pancakes. Since we’re Swedish and make them at home, mom made them at home, I’m sorry but they weren’t good. Maybe we were expecting traditional. Buckwheat Swedish pancakes, really? Just my apparently minority perspective. Long lines not worth the wait in my opinion.

Such a cute little place.
When you drive up, it looks like it’s in a house. It’s not fancy, but it’s homey.
Our server was a total sweetheart.
I ordered the Spicy Chicken Sausage ($ 4.50). It’s two patties. Nice flavor, not too hot.
I also ordered the Dutch Apple Pancake ($ 10). It takes 18 minutes to cook, so plan accordingly. When you get it, it’s a giant thing with a spongy texture, very similar to an actual cake. I’ve never had anything like it. It could have used a bit more cinnamon or syrup, but I found it light and fluffy and tasty. It’s also huge, so it’s sure to knock out your appetite.
Luisa’s is a cute place to grab brunch when you’re in the New Buffalo area. It’s worth checking out.
Be forewarned the attached Harbert Swedish Bakery shuts down in winter months, so consider that in your planning.

We were seated right away for Sunday brunch and there seemed to be a regular turnover of tables becoming available so I couldn’t have imagined more than a few moments delay to be seated in the worst case.
They serve intelligentsia coffee here which is one of my favorites, it definitely hit the spot.
I had the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, warning if you are not a butter person to ask for the butter to be served on the side. They certainly give an ample amount of butter with the cakes.
I have had Swedish pancakes before in other places– and these were different– these being more chewy and without the crisp edges. No matter… they were tasty and I enjoyed them. I shared some with Terri and she smiled.
Not much else to add that hasn’t already been mentioned other than we felt it was a down home and relaxing spot for a bite to eat and we would definitely stop again.

While my husband and i were staying in Bridgman we looked for nearby restaurants for breakfast. We luckily stumbled upon this gem! It was so delicious and such a good experience on Saturday morning we went back on Sunday morning before heading back to Chicago.
There was a bit of a wait, but there’s a sign in list and you wait in the bakery and can sip on coffee while you wait. The delicious baked goods are also quite a nice view :) We got a few cookies and limpa bread for the road. Highly recommend the chicken breast on pretzel roll (which was a special), the carrot cake waffle sandwich, the scramble, fried green tomatoes, corned beef hash and the biscuits and gravy!

A couple of more points to add:
My better half always orders the buttermilk pancakes but they are in no way light and fluffy — they are firm, chewy and not very typical of what one would expect for a buttermilk pancake.
The Swedish pancakes look like thin crepes and we will try those next time.
Coffee is excellent — smooth and just a little dark roast. Even the decaf is delicious and they bring out matching mugs for the table that are different than the next table over’s mugs. Interesting.

At first, I thought this restaurant was part of Harbert Swedish Bakery (which I LOVE), but then realized it was just housed in the same establishment. Good thing, because this café doesn’t live up to the bakery’s standards.
It was definitely busy when I visited for breakfast on a weekday, which was a good sign. The menu looked fantastic, and I landed on the Chiliquiles, fried eggs. The thought of how good this could be makes my mouth drool. The thought of how good it was NOT makes my stomach turn.
I received the dish — delicious guacamole, beans and ranchero sauce. But the eggs… something went so horrible here! They were over so easy, they were barely cooked. The whites of the eggs jiggled around on the plate like warm jelly; it was disgusting. I tried to eat around them, but as they were so runny, they went everywhere. Thankfully I didn’t leave too hungry, as I just broke into one of my treats from Harbert. I wouldn’t eat breakfast here again; cooking eggs all the way through seems like a pretty necessary task for a breakfast joint.