Maggie Mae’s Sunrise Cafe

The best breakfast in all of Tampa Bay! Yes you will probably have to wait but the food and staff are absolutely worth it. We have been going to Maggie Maes for years and its an awesome place with awesome staff and food.

Food was delicious. Portions sizes were great. Service was good. The best is when you feel like you got a great deal on your food.

We’re standing inside our 6^th floor condo that practically hovers over the beach as the light drains from the day and pools onto the horizon. The vast expanse of the Gulf of Mexico slices through the distant sky as the remaining embers of the day burn away; people lined up and down the long sand disperse for the evening hand-​in-​hand. These are slow, long days in my gravy adventure, perhaps caused by the natural relaxation a beach destination brings, but more likely due to the fact that everything here in America is very much more spread out and it takes a while to get anywhere. Walking to places isn’t really an option in 90-​degree weather, but I’m always amazed at the size and scope of these united states that seem to act as mini-​nations within a greater nation of drawling accents and huge restaurant portions.
We’re here in Florida with my family so I left it up to my sister to decide where we should test the gravy-​waters, so on a lazy Sunday found ourselves just up the coast at Maggie Mae’s Sunrise Café — an unassuming little nugget along the shoreline overlooking mega-​mansions, fishing boats, and run-​down tin-​roofed shacks left neglected for decades against the salty ocean air. Maggie Mae is a restaurant nestled in a strip mall filled with nail salons and tattoo parlours — and I swear I looked into that ink place and saw a 9-​year-​old furrowing his brow with indecision about what his next tat should be — it’s great to be back in Florida.
I wasn’t interested in fries as accompaniment this time out, because I had come here for dat southern gravy — and everyone knows what you pair with that particular sauce — the most buttery of biscuits. We don’t have biscuits like this back in Glasgow, since biscuits are cookies over there and anything that even resembles a proper biscuit ends up being a proper disappointment. My mouth watered as they brought out the dish of one biscuit cut in half and slathered with so much country-​white gravy that it looked like they ladled it out of a giant bucket onto the plate. The presentation was somewhat expected, but I didn’t really think it would appear as if they made way too many buckets of gravy and really had to get rid of it before it went bad. Unfortunately, it tasted a little like it already had.
Labeled a ‘sausage’ gravy, the bits of meat visible in the sauce felt a little unnecessary, as the sausage flavor had no problem shining through on it’s own. The way I would describe the gravy’s actual taste was as if I was eating thick cream that had fell into pieces of gravel. It didn’t taste BAD really, just confusing, like eating a gravy flavoured-​cloud. The biscuit itself was magnificent; a buttery delight that I really do miss now that we’re in Glasgow — but I digress. An opacity of 99% only served to amplify the bland white sauce, and in the end I had unknowingly slathered so much of the stuff up I started to feel like I was becoming lactose intolerant.
Being in Florida for me is like travelling back in time; we used to come here almost every year in our youth, the scent of saltwater taffy being pulled down at the boardwalk; the leathery brown figures adorning beach chairs below us; it always amazes me how so little actually changes. The restaurants with the charming names, the friendliness of the people, and the spectacularly warm weather are reasons to come back to the state best known for it’s lack of motorcycle-​helmet laws — so it’s unfortunate that I can’t say Maggie Mae’s gravy will be one of those reasons. The southern states are a huge place though, and maybe one day I’ll have some luck adding ‘best gravy’ to that list above in the state often referred to as ‘America’s Wang’.
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Friendly waitstaff, no matter what they tell you. Eggs Benedict was really tasty. Great hash brown casserole. Coffee was especially good too.

Good breakfast joint with a nice menu. Initially got seated outside but it started getting hot so we asked to get seated inside. Ordered the breakfast burrito minus the sausage and double the bacon with salsa on the side. The burrito came out excellent and delicious. Also sampled my wife’s pancake and it was tasty and light. Service was good and will definitely come here again. Its a good idea to come here for breakfast then head out to the beach after.

From a personal perspective, I’ve always thought it was a retarded notion to wait an hour to eat breakfast, or brunch; therefore, my review might be skewed. Of course, the wife on Mother’s Day wanted to come here, and we arrived very early, before the madness evolved. BUT– since my wife who is preggers, and very hormonal (probably viewed as a sexist comment these days) wanted to sit outside, we had to wait an hour– all while people who called in, were seated before us. {big kool aid smile}
When we were finally seated, I found the server to be curt, and forgetful. I found the food to be average, at best. Like I said, I’m not a fan of loud, crowded brunch joints where they cram you in like sardines, and I feel rushed. I like to relax, and sip on a bloody mary, or mimosa at brunch– which Maggie Mae’s (of course) does not offer any drinks as these.
Overrated, in my view. I wouldn’t return. Good view though.

Place is simple, great outside seating BUT you will have to wait long time.
Food is kind of fat, not much option for those who watch calories :-) but views outside were really nice for morning breakfast.
I probably won’t come back, rather drive to main clearwater beach restaurants

Great breakfast joint.
Stopped here while on vacation with wife, two children (3 and 6) and grandparents. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast. Even the children finished everything on their plate. Nothing spectacular, just a solid good breakfast.
The pancakes and french toast had a hint of something… almond extract perhaps? Very delicious.

The best breakfast in town! Amazing views and a huge selection makes the wait worth it all. If you are in a hurry, place a to-​go order and enjoy it on the beach. Great service, friendly staff, and reasonable prices. Highly recommended and I eat here at least once a week! The Big Bustin Burrito is my go-​to. Enjoy!

Excellent breakfast here at Maggie Mae’s. An all American diner, with great coffee, quirky décor and friendly staff.
Be prepared to wait though, it’s popular in the area with people normally waiting outside for a table. And don’t forget to put your name on the list when you arrive!
When we had breakfast we were still on Irish time, so we were able to get a table. It was 07:45 after all. But the place filled up quickly after that.
I had the pancakes, which were fine. Nice maple syrup. And it cost half the price of the breakfast at our hotel, so win win.
Free Wifi here too, which always wins me over.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Clearwater area.

Great breakfast. Cornbeef hash was fantastic, large portions. Wonderful breakfast spot.

Not sure what all the hype is about. We came in at 8 am got seated right away. My husband and I ordered a pretty simple breakfast. 2 eggs bacon for me sausage for him, and fried potatoes and toast. I did ask for fried onion in my potatoes. A 50 cent up charge for a scantily amount of fried onion thrown on cold potatoes that tasted as though they were fried the day before. My eggs were ordered over easy, one was and one was hard. My bacon was cold and burnt. My husband’s sausage was spicy, I like spicy, but was too spicy for my breakfast. Toast was cold and dry. You have to butter your own at the table, so hope it arrives promptly. Our bill was $ 18 and some change. You decide. I will go elsewhere for my money.

Luckily when we got here we snagged the last available table before dawn the long dreaded breakfast line started. The food was great and the prices didn’t break my wallet, your standard mom and pop dinner with a few menu items you normally wouldn’t see on the menu. If you arrive early enough you can a table and ocean view of Sand Key.

Went here for breakfast on a Saturday recently and was very disappointed with the food and the wait but it’s small and busy! I visit the Maggie’s in Bellair Bluffs every week and love it! This location was very disappointing! Food was cold and subpar… No reason they can’t improve!

I had the farmers feast the wife had the big combo. The kids had waffle with whipped cream and the other French toast. The prices were good, food was great, service was terrific and the atmosphere inside and out was really fun. A relaxing dinner setting with outdoor seating also. A definite return trip coming soon.

Prepare for an average of 30 – 40 minute wait.
We ordered to go, and they screwed up the Eggs Benny upon pickup, causing us to go window shopping for another 15 minutes despite our hunger.
The eggs benny were bland and the muffins weren’t even crispy. I guess when one is starving, one will eat just about anything.

So disappointed with all the great reviews. I was excited to try this place as it was within walking distance from our hotel. It’s a typical mom and pop place in a strip mall with such excellent reviews we didn’t mind the 20+ minute wait.
We all ordered and I ordered the corn beef and hash, by the time the food arrived I was starving so we all started to dig in. My daughter glanced over at the wall and there it was, cockroach. My boyfriend smacked it off the wall and there went my appetite. My daughter and I ended up walking out. Boyfriend informed the waitress of our extra visitor for breakfast, she said don’t worry about the bill and he ended up walking out. You know when you see one there are tons of them hiding, who know when the last time that place as fumigated. And if there was one on the wall out in the open like that, who knows what the kitchen looks like. Seems like a visit from the county is in order. I know it’s Florida and you should expect to see some bugs, but not cockroaches while I’m eating. blech
I’ve never been more disappointed in a restaurant, I was so excited to try the food.

We decided to head a bit further away from the walkable breakfast places and found Maggie Mae’s in a strip mall (which at first was disconcerting b/​c the pics showed waterfront views). As we enter, we are met with a packed diner-​like set up with people waiting to be seated and a sign saying «sign up on clipboard». We are immediately greeted by a sassy (not in a nasty way but in a entertaining way) waiter who told us it wouldn’t be too long to get a seat. I inquired about sitting outside and he replied «sure you can but it’s really hot out there. go take a look and see if you can stand it). And i checked and it seemed ok, so we sat outside under 1 of the 4 umbrella’d tables on a porch overlooking the bay. Beautiful blue water, with people on wave runners sealed our choice. We were quickly greeted by our server, brought ice coffee and juice and questions were answered about the menu.
Quickly, a server came out and greeted us, giving us menus and taking our drink orders. While she was gone a slew of little sparrows came around to check out what they could hustle away from the table next to us. very cute.
we sampled pancakes, home fries (TASTY), eggs, and crispy perfectly cooked bacon. there were no complaints between us. although, at some point the sun became to persecute us especially once we started eating all the good food!
if we are back around, we will def. be stopping back by. This café was the best at all around breakfast of all the places we went to in clearwater beach.

Visited here for breakfast before a trip to Busch gardens. It’s a bit of a spin beyond Busch gardens from Orlando but it’s worth it!!!
Lovely atmosphere, pleasant staff, endless coffee and good food.
I had the French toast with bacon. It was fab.
One more thing, the view of the bay from the back door is beautiful!

What an adorable place! I was in town on vacation and came across Maggie Mae’s when looking for somewhere to eat in the area for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised by the cheap prices — you get so much food! I ordered a larger breakfast with eggs, home-​fries, pancakes, bacon, sausage and a coffee — my bill was under $ 10 and I left stuffed! It’s a cute little Southern dinner filled with locals and people on vacation.
We sat outside and enjoyed the view of the water. It was such a relaxing way to start the morning. My only concern was the aggressive (to say the least) birds that I kept having to shoo away from eating my breakfast. I honestly have never had so many birds fly to my table in my life. Hey, I guess the food is that good even the birds want some!