South Side Walnut Cafe

I’m giving this place 3 stars only because normally my experience is great. Southside is one of my favorite breakfast joints, and I go there often. I’ve never been ashamed to be a patron of theirs. Today though, I was incredibly disappointed. The only part of the meal I’m going to compliment was the service, from a girl named «R» on my ticket. She was tipped accordingly given she had no control of the situation at hand and simply did everything she could given what was going on. I am a manger at a local restaurant and I have dealt with every type of shitty customer that complains simply to get free meals. However, I am NOT one of those customers when I eat out. To begin, my eggs were delivered and immediately I was able to scrape the watery portion out from the center of an overall spongey pile of yellow. Gross, I will not be eating them. But hey, I work in the industry and I know these things happen. What does one do when the kitchen sends out sub-​par food? You comp it off the customers ticket. ESPECIALLY if the customer does not eat the dish. My ticket was returned to me with a «new» price of $ 9. $ 9 dollars for a dish I hardly touched? Trust me, I hate to be the customer who complains, but I just couldn’t swallow this one. Unfortunately, this is when things took an even uglier turn. The manager is supposed to handle these situations with grace and in my situation (and most others…), complete respect for the customer – especially when they are cool and understanding (as I was). I felt completely patronized as the manager (I believe her name is Dana) proceeded to insist «we’ve never had a problem like this before» (right, a breakfast place that has NEVER had a complaint about their eggs…) and then, gritting through her teeth, took another $ 2 off. Condescendingly, she continued to explain to me how they prepare their scrambled eggs and reiterated that this has never been a problem for them. Look lady, I wasn’t fabricating a whole story so that I could have a full belly and a free meal. At the end of the day, I paid $ 7 for eating half of my small gluten free pancakes, a few pieces of fruit, and an iced coffee. Not everyone is out there to screw your business over, but perhaps Southside encounters a lot of people who seem to maintain that motive. That’s the solace I guess I will take in my experience from today so that one day I’ll be able to return with some dignity. I’ll assume that this is not the way the Walnut restaurants carry themselves as foundational Boulder establishments. Although, when the serving staff exceeds the quality of service well beyond that of their management, well… I guess actions speak louder than words. Needless to say, they have lost me as a customer for a while.

So far so good. Cool local type place. Good menu selections. Very busy but today is Memorial Day after the Bolder Boulder. Food great!

I really wanna like this place. It’s around the corner from my house, the wait staff is super nice and friendly, the espresso is pretty fantastic but the food is beyond mediocre. I thought I’d give it another shot this morning and ordered the quiche (I love me some quiche). But this stuff was a tasteless, gelatinous wedge. I couldn’t finish it. And don’t get me started about the potatoes. If you must go, stick to the simple stuff like bacon and eggs or pancakes and steer clear of the boring breakfast potatoes. I wouldn’t recommend the blueberry cornbread either. I’m not much of a Unilocaler and I don’t generally like to post unpleasant things but I love breakfast and Walnut has consistently let me down.

Other breakfast/​brunch spots in Boulder might compete on food or service, but for delivering on all key points with no pretense, South Side is the winner! I have never had less than a 5 star experience here with fast, attentive service, amazing coffee, solid food, and the friendliest staff on the planet. So glad to have this place in the neighborhood! Definitely my favorite morning spot in town.
Go to: south side special omelet with potatoes and a biscuit!

This is easily the best place in Boulder for breakfast, awesome staff with big smiles and the food is yum, yum, yummy.

Really nice place, good food and service for breakfast.

I love this place! This is by far my favorite breakfast restaurant. I’ve been to the one on Walnut and here and this is the one I go to most. The food is consistent and the staff is very nice. I have only had 1 person there who waited on me and she obviously had other things on her mind… but who doesn’t sometimes. I saw someone say that they didn’t like being out next to the kitchen… ummm the whole restaurant is near the kitchen lol its a small place :) …if I ever had something I didn’t like or wasn’t what I expected, the staff has always prompt to fix it (which is not often that I need to do that). I bring my daughter here and we are always thankful for everyone we get to meet.
If I could I would go here daily.

I grew up in Boulder and have been going to the Walnut Café (on Walnut) for over 20 years. I used to love all of the locations but the past three times I’ve been to this one it’s been a disappointment.
Most recently two weeks ago, I ordered the special it was just ok, the biscuit very dry and inedible, the coffee sub par.
The service isn’t what it once was, everything about this location has slipped.
Hopefully they get a grip on it, there are too many options in this town to mail it in.
I’ll give it a try again in a few months, if it’s still lacking I won’t go back.

I recently stopped here for a late breakfast and ordered the breakfast burrito. I was sorely disappointed. There was negligible cheese on or in it, and it looked and tasted like someone opened a jar of Pace picante sauce and poured it generously on top. I then ordered a biscuit to help soak up the salty salsa taste and while it looked appealing (large!) it was on the dry side. The coffee was hot and robust and the server was friendly and attentive. However, for the $ 15 cost plus tip, it was way too much for too little.

The food and service here is always great but it seems like they bought larger tables or reorganized because there is NO ROOM. It’s so uncomfortable having to squeeze through a 6in gap between tables (and I’m sorry to the girl who I accidentally hit with my butt while I was trying to get to my seat!). I really can’t handle the claustrophobic feel at more than half the tables now.

I heard nothing but positive things about this place but it didn’t met my expectations for what it was built up to be. It was ok food but wasn’t the best thing ever — French toast was hard and kind of cold while the omelette wasn’t anything special. It was good but nothing I would rave over. Service is decent I suppose. Give it 3 stars because it was good, but just not the best and not what I expected.

Lots of high school kids at lunch time out front and the restaurant is larger than expected. Server was prompt with water and taking our order, he forgot to bring the coffee. Lunch chicken fiesta salad was okay. I asked for dressing on the side but toss the salad. Salad was tossed but with dressing. Fortunately, they were not heavy handed with the dressing. Portion size was on the small side. Ingredients were fresh. The half sandwich and cup of soup were small servings. Soup was not hot enough, a little thin and flavorful. There’s lots of staff here. We waited for refills on coffee and water.
I think we may try this location for breakfast. The breakfast menu looks pretty good. We would not return for lunch.

We were seated next to the kitchen, which was very loud. It was hard to hold conversations. While the menu appeared appealing online, the quality of the food was subpar at best.
The bread on the sandwich was soggy and the roll was not toasted. They offered a side of apples, which again sounded promising. Although they served a side of chopped apples that were brown.
While the omelet was good, the side of potatoes was soggy yet over cooked. The biscuit was semi-​edible but very dry.
Needless to say, the promising menu left little to be desired in actual experience and food quality.

Awesome little spot, and I’m glad I checked it out!
Had some amigos come in from out of town so I decided to check out trusty Unilocal for some reviews to get an idea on where to take them for their last breakfast in town. This place seemed the overwhelming choice and we got a great table the next morning. Place was busy, but not crowded, and everyone had a smile on their face. Our waitress was top notch and was efficient, but not too crazy with anything. She also did a great job of explaining the specials and her favorites, much appreciated! I got little bit of everything, and once it came out, should I say, Lil bit of Everythang. Hot damn was it good. Potatoes were great, Hobbits would be proud, we got served a massive biscuit that had the scrumptious mass of a small moon (Thats no moon, its a baked biscuit), and the coffee /​espresso drinks were perfect. Great place, good service, good ambiance. Good for families, couples, or the lone breakfast warrior. I’m right down the street so I expect my wallet to be present at a table here again very soon.

This breakfast place has great food, service, and space.
I had the eggs and bacon with breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit. Everything was good, especially the bacon and potatoes. The potatoes have a sort of Cajun-​type seasoning and were awesome.
My friend got a waffle and loved it.
We also had coffees, and the coffee was some of the best I’ve had at a diner.
The space is cool, too. It has a fun vibe. There’s a good amount of room and outdoor seating. They have a café bar as well, and you can get a bunch of coffee/​espresso drinks.
Great place to go for breakfast.

I can’t remember the last time I experienced such remarkable service! The staff here have enough positive energy to brighten any day. On top of that, the food is seriously de-​lish. I recommend the pesto quesadilla and breakfast burrito (tip: order it topped with green chile sauce). We’ll definitely be back here again!

I love this place! Our waitress was so cheerful and sweet on a Sunday morning, which was a nice difference from other restaurants we’ve been to in Boulder.
For starters, I ordered the Oregon chai with almond milk! It was delicious and it was nice not having to go to a coffee spot to get it.
For the food, I ordered over medium eggs and bacon with gluten free pancakes. It was yummy!
I am highly impressed!
Five stars for 1) great service 2) coffee and tea options 3) gluten free options 4) reasonable prices 5) and there was no wait!

Well I just received the sweetest message from the owner so I am changing my rating from four stars to five.
Apparently the no dog rule is a health code thing and not them discriminating against our furry buds. Sooooo five stars to South Side Walnut Café!
They really are awesome and I’m super happy I love so close.
Delish!!!
PS– Anytime an owner takes the time to write such a sweet and thoughtful message to somebody who is reviewing their establishment I instantly become a regular. So thank you for being awesome Dana!

Why do I keep eating here? What is this compulsion to keep going back? Insanity, I tell you!
The flagship spot on Walnut and 30^th was my first introduction to the Walnut Cafes of Colorado. I ordered the veggie biscuits and gravy which filled a long-​held desire. Yet, the service was not good and the plate looked so sad with its pale gravy and yellow biscuits. My bad. My sentiments on the service come from our waitress’ constant neglect. We had to beg for drink refills and we were otherwise left to our own devices.
So, we tried the South Side Walnut Café, in hopes that the distance would make our bud. The staff is infinitely better at this location, but the food is still so painfully boring. Each time I meet my partner for lunch (which has totaled maybe 6 times now), I try something different — which is made possible by their many veggie options. However, each has been more disappointing than the last. The most recent, a breakfast burrito, was almost inedible. It was drowned in their salsa which is not particularly good. The filling was bland — the breakfast potatoes were under seasoned and the eggs were overcooked.
The grilled cheeses have been the most promising. There is an interesting variety, but even then, I still feel like I pay $ 2 too much for a boring grilled cheese.
I can see why others may go crazy for the Walnut Cafes — it’s a local business that fills a void — but it has just never quite worked out for me.

Something keeps pulling me back in to this place. The people here make me feel so welcome every time i come in and they have pie!
This morning my (super awesome) server suggested the pesto quesadilla. i ate the whole thing and it was pretty big! I was enjoying myself so much I had a slice of blueberry pie and ice cream. I may be done eating for the day but it was worth it.
The coffee was spot on as well.
I’m hooked.