The Adk Cafe

Ordered the open face meatloaf sandwich — AMAZING, the fries were a mix of white and sweet potato which was also a tasty surprise. My boyfriend ordered the chicken club which was delicious. You can tell it was made with all quality ingredients, even the bread was homemade. DELICIOUS. Wish I had room for a brownie!

Tempai Reuben with nut cheese … I’m 99% sure it was vegan.
Great place for omnivorous group.
Really nice with great atmosphere.
I got the tempai Reuben and asked for it with nut cheese. It was a religious experience!
I took away 1 star because the gentlemen waiting the tables was way stressed and very curt. The other day when there wasn’t a lot of people in there, the waiter was very friendly. Overall, the staff is great. We probably just got one of then on a bad day.

So glad I discovered this spot. My new go-​to when i’m staying in Wilmington to ski at Whiteface. Beware though, they tempt you by putting hot fresh baked goods directly out of the oven (still on the baking trays), along the counter by the register. Best sales tactic. My boyfriend and I ordered 2 take-​out sandwiches for lunch, which were great and came out pretty quick along with 2 fresh chocolate chip cookies and a piece of pie. While I was waiting for the sandwiches, some type of oatmeal cranberry cookies came out of the oven. How could I resist! I bought 2 more cookies. Suffice it to say, we were sufficiently equipped with lots of sugary snacks to get us through our 4 hour drive back to NYC. Everything was delicious. Prices are fair and the lattes we got were also A+. Will be back.

This place is outrageously good. We are in the area frequently, and rarely eat anywhere else. The meats are always well-​selected and perfectly cooked, and the Earth Plate… if you’ve ever thought that vegetarian food couldn’t be rich and filling, this will change your mind! The booze selection is good, too. I suggest a bottle of the Café Red if you’re undecided.
It’s not a joint for people interested in grabbing a quick bite — it’s a very laid-​back vibe, with a cozy fire in the winter and outdoor seating when it’s warm. It’s awesome for unwinding after a day on the trails, cliffs, or slopes. The décor is a nice upscale rustic: a blazer and dress can easily sit next to a table of softshell-​clad climbers here.

Went here for breakfast after a few days of camping. My appetite was ready and so was my stomach.
Many options here and I went with the Climber’s Specials (Eggs, home fries, 2 french toast, sausage or bacon), which came with a tall glass of OJ and coffee/​tea (all for $ 13). Good portion of food and everything was tasty.
They have a bakery here with bread and pie. Really wanted a pie but had no room.
Just the perfect meal and experience after being outdoors.

Third time in a year, same experience. Half empty dining room but «please wait to be seated». Ten minutes passed, still no human contact toward being seated. Have stood and watched people eat here, always in a half empty dining room, with tables set and waiting, but yet to actually be allowed to sit, order food, or eat.
The food could possibly be great but it’s hard to imagine worse service.

Great place to have an awesome grilled cheese, coffee or a slice of pie. The décor is great too. Very friendly staff. Loved it.

A great meal, at a small establishment pleasantly located on a state road in the Adirondacks.
I’ve read reviews where the service was slow, and truthfully, it kinda was, even on a Wednesday evening. My other needling point was that they were out of burgers, but whatever… I ordered the half chicken, and was blown away at how pleasantly spiced and succulent the meat was. The mac and cheese side was delicious, as was the nightly vegetable of squash and roasted cherry tomatoes. Wrapped up with an amazing slice of the lemon pie accompanied by a cup of coffee, and I totally forgot those negative reviews.
The waiter was completely pleasant, even offering a ‘to-​go’ cup of coffee for the road.
I will totally stop here again, the next time I’m in the area.

We have been coming here since they opened. The food is amazing and we have never had an issue with the service. People who are complaining about the service need to relax a bit. It is a very small restaurant and, depending on the season, they do not have a large waitstaff. The quality of the meals is worth a little bit of a wait though. Definitely some of the best food around. Portions are large with a home style feel. If you don’t want to wait, drive up to Lake Placid and hit McDonald’s.
As far as the fact that they do not take cash… big deal. Use a debit card or credit card. It’s 2015 people!
Every item on their menu is absolutely delicious and their homemade baked goods are amazing! Don’t miss out on a fantastic meal! Relax and enjoy the best food Keene, NY has to offer!

Mediocre customer service.
Not only we waited a long time in line for breakfast to find out that by the time we were being seated they no longer served breakfast.
They had this oblivious old lady who had no idea what they were serving nor didn’t know how to use the ipad to place the order. Fine no breakfast, no problem, so I ordered the burger just to find out that the chef didn’t know how to make a burger. Whatever, we ordered a latte and she told us that it will take a long tine cuz it was handmade and blah, blah blah.
I mean the food is good, but they need to maintain the same quality of their food with their service.

The food is amazing, unfortunately it’s almost impossible to get seated, get a drink, or anything close to what you ordered. They only take credit cards because ‘the owners are too busy to go the bank’, and apparently too busy to find, train or orchestrate a coherent plan that ensures they have more than 6 of any given beer in stock, (and that lack of said beer /​entrée is communicated to the customer in less than 30 minutes, and that when replacement beer is brought, its not poured with the grace of someone watering a lawn.). Take out (still loving the food, but having given up on actually eating there) takes an hour.
Amazing bread. Good luck getting it.

There is a trend appearing among the recent reviews. Something disappointing is happening here.
I have eaten here at least five times in the past couple years. The first time (maybe 2 years ago) was stupendous. I couldn’t say enough great things about it. I suppose I should have wrote a review then. Each occasion since then has been a little less impressive, though. This past Sunday (8÷16÷2015) was downright terrible.
The food is great. It’s high quality, locally sourced stuff. Delicious, usually. Served right and appropriately it has been a treat. Served poorly and prepared poorly (as it was Sunday) — incredibly disappointing.
Arrived to a very busy place. Saw three wait staff and presumably a cook for a full house. One waitress was mostly manning the front register for walk-​in coffee/​pastry business leaving two waitstaff for greater than 20 dining customers (they should have anticipated this, it’s a Sunday morning in August!). I was advised it would be a 30+ minute wait for food. OK, fine. Everywhere in town was busy.
I placed my order and received a half filled mug of coffee and half filled glass of juice (rationing?). No cream, sugar. None delivered when asked for. Food came. Pancakes without syrup. Luckily that came on the second request. Over-​easy eggs were definitely sunny side up and that’s a stretch for how undercooked they were. Home fries amounted to four pieces of quartered potato. Yep, four quartered pieces. One small potato. I’m positive that they were rationing now. And there was no bacon. The meal definitely came with bacon. Asked for bacon. No bacon to be had.
I can identify when you’re busy and stressed out. That was definitely the case Sunday. Normally I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe someone called in, I don’t know. But now that I can see it is a trend developing… well, that’s disappointing. I liked this place. I probably won’t be back again for awhile.

Honestly the food was decent to pretty good. However the service could literally not have been worse. I went in an ordered take out for two sandwiches, a grilled cheese with spinach and tomatoes and a reuben. I explained I was in a hurry due to a hungry wife in a bridal party at a nearby mountain resort. It took 30 mins for two sandwiches and was told nearly every 3 – 4 mins that my sandwiches are nearly ready. I also witnessed a gentleman come in for a takeout sandwich and a coffee and have to wait nearly 15 minutes for his coffee to be made even though there was someone working at the coffee bar.
The grilled cheese was good and the reuben was pretty good even though it tasted nothing like a reuben. The sandwich I got had corned beef and thats about where the similarities end. It had what tasted like white bread (homemade so it could have been a subtle rye but nothing like the strong rye a reuben should be served on) and some white sauce (def NOT a russian dressing) with homemade sauerkraut that was more pickles than cabbage. It was a good sandwich, just not the reuben I was expecting.
All in all the food was fairly good but the pitiful service, which was similar to the experience some of the friends I was meeting for the wedding had that morning for brunch, would keep me from ever going back or recommended this place. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but it was bad enough that I’m not willing to give it a second try if I happen to be in Keene ever again.

A Queen Mary among dinghies, the ADK café stands alone as the breakfast of champions in the high peaks region.
Our server Alex, whose customer-​first altruism shone from the moment he brought my coffee, is destined for greatness.
I ordered the special. A sausage gravy Benedict with house cut bacon. What? Are they just throwing delicious nouns and adjectives together in an effort to lure unsuspecting customers into another average greasy spoon? No. This was legit. Fresh Cheddar chive biscuits (yes you read correctly) drowning below a bed of eggy basil infused mouth pleasure. Just when you think you’ve seen it all.
My daughter ordered the French toast. But this wasn’t the sub par wonder bread wanna be French toast you’ve come to see on nearly every menu in an accepting America. This was a made-​that-​morning loaf of cinnamon ecstasy topped with local maple syrup. The titanic slices almost proved too much to chew, but she was up to the task.
I’m not one to buy a restaurant’s counter offerings after my meal. The amount I consume generally leads me away from such impulse buys. Yet, on this morning, I was compelled to purchase 8 of the cheddar chive biscuits, a homemade granola bar, AND an apple pie that was contained at least 300 apples based on an eyeball estimate. The granola bar didn’t last until noon.
Just go. Thank me later.

Kind of a strange place…
Was recently staying in Upper Jay at an Airbnb and got takeout from The Adk Café a couple of times.
We were greeted by friendly staff on both occasions, however, both were new to the position and took a little time getting our orders together. Food is a bit on the pricey side for what you get. Two chicken salad sandwiches with bacon and spinach for over $ 20. Seems more like Manhattan pricing…
Based on the other reviews, it sounds as if this spot is really hit or miss. I wouldn’t tell someone to avoid this spot entirely, but I would tell them to proceed with caution.

Adorable restaurant with a great breakfast menu but if you don’t have all the time in the world, I would keep driving.
It took me 15 minutes from the time I was sat for a cup of coffee to arrive. After my cup sat empty for another 15 minutes after finishing, I finally had to ask for a refill.
As for my food, just a simple order blueberry pancakes, it took over 45 minutes to come out… and it was wrong — they brought out buckwheat pancakes and bacon. And, two people came over to question me… Did you order the special from inside? Nope. I ordered blueberry pancakes. Another one said, I can bring you blueberries on the side of you like. I politely said no thank you, I’d like the blueberry pancakes I ordered.
There were plenty of empty tables (both inside and out) so I’m really not sure what the hold up was. Yes, it was the Monday after Ironman and people were looking to eat before getting on the road BUT, the event has been happening here for 17 years so they should know the drill by now. Staff the business accordingly.
On the whole, all the servers were «fine» but nobody goes out of their way to even smile. They all seemed like they wanted to be anywhere else.
When the pancakes arrived (total wait time to arrive correctly: 60 min), they tasted like nothing but flour. The only palatable part was the part that were full of the blueberries.
The service really breaks this place. I wouldn’t come back, ESPECIALLY if you’ve got some place to be or just want to get on the road.
And, they only accept credit or debit. I heard another customer ask why and the answer was, «the owners are too busy to go to the bank.»

I have driven past the ADK Café many times, and finally stopped in here this past weekend. I had high expectations, but I was incredibly let down. Due to many positive reviews here, I am hoping it was perhaps just an off day, being busy with the fourth of july weekend… however, it was fourth of july weekend, so they should have been on the ball.
The service was slow for someone only stopping in to buy a loaf of bread. The girl behind the counter was rude and obnoxious, and not helpful at all. She was complaining out loud to another server about how busy it was and ignoring the line. Just really unpleasant and made me not want to come back. However, I will give it another shot on a quieter day. That said, I think this place needs to adjust their service.
My issue with this place was the service, and only the service (no cash allowed? weeeeird). The atmosphere was cozy with good camp vibes. The bread I ordered to bring home was delicious.

Very disappointed as I had high expectations for this place. It took them what seems forever to seat us /​I have a one year old… They only had 1 high chair. After being seated … It took 20 minutes for someone to take our order and she only took it because she knew we were getting annoyed. If I wasn’t with my son, I would have tolerated it but my son was getting antsy and it’s not like we had a choice to
Leave him anywhere since we were heading back home from a vacation.
The waitress didn’t write our order down anywhere but I didn’t think much of it until the order that came was all wrong. It took them 40 minutes to get our order and at that point my son was famished. We didn’t get water or coffee and when I asked the waiter came in with one cracked glass… We were 3 people.
All in all. It was a horrible Experience… I am being generous giving them two stars. This place is obviously not equipped to handle folks from out of town.

I have dreams about this place. No really. My husband and I vacationed in the Adirondaks in 2011 and discovered this café early in our vacation. We try to do only local and something different everyday while on vacation, but once we discovered it, we went back almost everyday. We stopped in for dinner the first night and fell in love. We ended up eating breakfast here 3 or 4 times that week.
I don’t remember what all we tried, but I do remember the French toast was amazing. My husband also raved about the sausage. We have joked that we are gonna take off on a Friday and make the drive just to get breakfast. I think the café had just recently opened when we went and I hoped it would remain in business. I follow them on FB and glad to see things are still going strong for them. If you are within an hour (or 9) of this place, it is absolutely worth the stop! I promise.

Definitely the best breakfast/​lunch food between Keene and Lake Placid. We came here for breakfast a couple of years ago and decided we wouldn’t miss it this time around!
Located right at the intersection of 9N and 73, ADK Café is family-​owned and everything is made from scratch, including all the pies, breads, fries, etc. The food is on the pricier end, but it’s amazing!!! The inside dining room is woodsy and welcoming, but the outdoor patio is just AWESOME on a warm day — it smells wonderful, feels wonderful and the service is excellent. On both occasions we visited, we sat outside.
On our most recent trip, we opted for the Caesar salad and one of the specials, a salmon sandwich with hand-​cut French and sweet potato fries. We also got two beers in a bottle, Long Trail for him and the Southern Tier Porter (love this porter) for me. We visited after a long hike and the food tasted incredible. The salmon was cooked perfectly, the homemade bread was crisp and light, and the fries were so fresh. The servers kept our water glasses filled and it was just impressive as I previously rembered. We were too stuffed for pie, but they had 6 or 7 homemade types, including ginger, which sounded different and delicious.
Do yourself a favor: don’t miss this place when you visit lake placid/​Keene/​Keene valley!!! We’ll be back. The breakfasts are great too.