CJ’s Kitchen

Food, as well as service, consistently good, although dining area cramped and in need of a deep cleaning. However, last time there service horribly lacking at table and when my daughter stated that the carmel roll was basically not edible we were told there would be no refund or replacement, even though she had barely touched it. This is certainly not the way to treat local customers, and it was certainly or final trip to CJ’s.

We just stopped in a few minutes ago, 135 local time today May 14^th. The staff looked shocked and dismayed that we were there, so we asked «are you guys almost closed?» The surly guy waiting tables said «trying to be». I said, «we’re after a quick breakfast» and his response was total silence and making a point not to make eye contact. Taking the hint, we ate at their competitors. Obviously North Dakota nice doesnt apply here, as their posted hours showed them open til 230.

Absolutely the BEST breakfast in the F/​M area! Biscuits and gravy are OUT OF THIS WORLD! Even their hashbrowns are some of the best I’ve ever had!

Caramel rolls are to die for and are bigger than your head. Get that, a glass of orange juice, and their steel cut oats. Best steel cut oats I’ve ever had.

Wonderful little hole in the wall. I’m not sure where all the negative reviews come from. This place has awesome North Dakota comfort food at an affordable price. The Knophela soup is some of the best I’ve found at a restarunt. My husband had the biscuits and gravey. They were to die for good! The service was extremly attentive and the owner was very friendly. I can’t wait to try this place again!

I stopped at CJ’s for breakfast after a quick overnight visit to Fargo on my way to Lake Superior. I always try to find family owned restaurants to eat at and CJ’s fit the mold nicely.
From the outside, the restaurant looks a little unkempt and the inside is just a little outdated. The food did the job and was pretty decent (I got a quiche). The one thing that stands out in my mind is their caramel rolls. I saw those bad boys and had to try it. They are absolutely gigantic, which was amazing because I got to experience the sticky goodness twice over when I had the second half the next morning.
All in all, CJ’s was a homey little place that fulfilled my breakfast needs for a reasonable price. And the staff were pretty nice too.

Service was awful. It took 45 minutes to get our food and when we did get it it was barely warm. While we were waiting we didn’t receive and refills on our drinks and the waitress didn’t come to our table at all. We didn’t even get silverware until we had to ask for it.
Even tho the service was awful and the food was hardly warm, it had good flavor. Not sure if I’ll be returning.

I had wanted to try this place out for a while but the fluorescent lights in there dont agree with me. Having read another review mentioning the drive through. I decided that I would get take out and go through the drive through so I gave them a call ordered what I wanted and I was off. My food was ready when I arrived
I ordered the egg bake which was quite good. That said, it could have used a few more vegetables for my taste, although I recognize that that is strictly a matter of personal preference. I also ordered the hash browns and a bowl of fruit. Both of these were quite good as well. And for the hash browns, I would like to thank the cooks for not adding margarine on top of the already fried potatoes. They were not greasy at all and were just as they should be.

Drive thru a plus! I just wanted to try a caramel roll since it’s my first time in North Dakota. She served it to me unheated, so I politely requested for it to be warm. She popped it in the microwave in the styrofoam. Hmm. I wouldn’t have minded waiting for a little oven action. :/
This thing is BIG. I don’t know how people can eat the whole thing. I had about 7 bites and decided that caramel rolls probably aren’t for me. The roll was good, the caramel was of a good quality, but strangely not that sweet. It tasted more like maple syrup. It didn’t excite my taste buds at all. I scoured the Internet for info on caramel that isn’t sweet. Is it not supposed to be in this case? I’m reminded of those unappealing honey buns that you can buy at the gas station. I’m sure this was way better than those, though! I think I’ll stick to the more popular cinnamon rolls!

CJs was THE breakfast place recommended by the peoples we were hanging out with up in Moorhead. So, Saturday morning we swung on over and had our fill.
It’s a decently sized place, so I wouldn’t worry too much about a wait. Good sized parking lot too, so don’t worry about street parking.
Per the recommendation of a friend, we went with the caramel roll before hand because — and I quote — «it’s the fucking shit.» Lets just say it was damn good. I’ve ate quite a few of these in my day, and I’d say it creeps into the top 5 list for best caramel rolls. Fall apart, quite literally melt away kind of baked roll. No nuts or icing or anything, just a straight roll of a caramel goodness.
I then opt for a signature dish, their egg bake with a banana cake. Ashley opts for the pancake meal (3 cakes and meat) with a side of hash.
Very short wait for the meal, which was nice considering the roll made us very hungry.
The egg bake was delicious. What’s included? Sausage, onion, peppers, olives, mushrooms and cheese baked in fresh cracked eggs. served with a fresh biscuit. Decent sized serving size too. Very good mix of things, and the olives were an especially nice touch to bring a bit of a saltier flavor to the party. I didn’t care, at all, for the biscuit served with it. It was rock hard and dry as hell. Had to smother that puck in syrup and then eat it.
Banana cake was awesome. Very good texture, great batter flavor, and the bananas were nicely sliced up and thrown. They were also cooked into the cake correctly so it didn’t fall apart. Appreciated that.
The buttermilk cakes were, again, very well done. Soaked up the syrup nicely, had good solid vanilla-​buttermlik flavor to the batter, and cooked nicely. Well done.
Hashbrowns were done nicely too. Solid crunch, not mushy or dry or whatever you want to call not well done hash browns. Bacon was good, nothing to write home about, even for being bacon.
Service was painful. Took a hell of a long time to get waters refilled, and my coffee. Didn’t get checked on once, had to yell from our table to the fella working behind the breakfast counter.
Will I go back? Probably… but by default because Fargo/​Moorhead doesn’t have too many breakfast places to really hit up.

The worst restaurant I have ever been to. The service was incredibly slow and incredibly poor. It took us 45+ min to receive our meal. when we did receive our meal the food was… mediocre at best. I had coffee. I drank the coffee and waited 40+ min for a refill. It seemed everyone in the entire building was having their coffee topped off except me. They walked past me several times with a full pot of coffee and didn’t even look in my direction.
This ranks well below McDonald’s breakfast. Go someplace else.

Great breakfast. Had the omelette with wheat toast. Would go back again next time I’m in town

Great mom and pop spot. Caramel roll was huge and yummy. Very attentive and friendly staff.

A little place with a lot of wow! This quaint little place with the nicest folks working there. The food is so delicious there is no one favorite on the menu! The homemade egg bake, the biscuits and sausage gravy, and homemade salsa! Best breakfast in town!

Breakfast and Lunch. That’s it. You want dinner? Better go elsewhere.
But that’s OK, because their food, while pretty basic recipes, is done well.
I had a craving for biscuits and gravy, as I often do, and this place came up in the search, so I thought I’d give it a try (it’s funny to me how many of my reviews start this way!)
Anyway, CJ’s is on the West side of University. While the building is small, the breakfasts that come out are pretty good-​sized. I ordered the biscuits and gravy and a side of hashbrowns.
The hashbrowns were done just the way I like them: crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
The biscuits and gravy were pretty basic — ground beef and white gravy. While they didn’t use sausage in the gravy, the seasonings were still good and there was enough there to fill me up, without making me feel stuffed.
I will be back to try other things.

Modest building and décor, excellent offerings!
Our party had the Knoepfla, the ham, pear, and brie sandwich, and the Cuban, and also shared a caramel roll.
The Knoepfla was a hearty, flavorful version of this traditional German stew. the Cuban was presented perfectly– hot inside with bread that was toasted crisp and buttery on the outside. The ham/​pear/​brie sandwich featured freshly sliced, perfectly ripe pear and a brie with authentic flavor.
The caramel roll was declared delicious by all who tried it. Fresh, warm, soft, and sticky but not gummy, these are a must to try!
Unfussy setting, unfussy service, unfussy pricing, with some surprising menu offerings and some really good food.

This is hands down the go-​to breakfast restaurant for my husband and I. We usually get the breakfast burrito and biscuits and gravy and split the two, because they are our favorites! The burrito is so full of flavor and the salsa that goes with it is excellent. I have never had a bad thing on the menu. For lunch, try the Italian chili, knoeffla, and you must try the homemade German kuchen for dessert. I love this place because it’s always full of local characters and the staff works so hard to make sure you enjoy your meal. I also love the local art on the walls, and the bible verse on the white board every day. The food is always excellent, but it’s the character of the establishment that we love most.

Cj’s Kitchen is a classic breakfast/​lunch local family diner. They serve the staples in a casual, coffee-​laden, and quiet atmosphere (usually). For breakfast, you’ll see eggs, pancakes, sausage and bacon. For lunch, they offer a mishmash of hot or cold sandwiches and burgers. It’s certainly a long way off from a fine dining experience, but I have never felt anything less than attended by waitstaff, and the food is satisfying. It’s a clear and rewarding step away from more chain-​like brunch experiences, and offers a unique to Fargo restaurant that locals and visitors alike are encouraged to check out. CJ’s isn’t trying to impress you; they are trying to make you feel comfy while you visit with friends and fill your tummy with foods that feel like home. With that said, you can get a few fairly unique northern Midwest foods here– authentic kuchen, egg bakes, and knepfla, all recommended over the standard fare (Cuisine of North Dakota, who knew!).

I was very pleased with my meal. Tiny coffee cups, I felt bad running my servers legs off, but she kept my cup full… thank you. I am surprised with the vehemence of the negative reviews. Sometimes I think Unilocalers are just venting and not being very honest. Y’all have responsibility to be honest. One star… really? You should start a blog so you can bitch about what’s really bothering you. If this restaurant deserved the bad reviews I wouldn’t be defending it. If you are thinking about going here for the first time, dont be put off by the negative reviews… try it, I bet you like it.

Six of us just left CJ’s Kitchen and LOVED it! We didn’t want the carbs at the hotel breakfast and found good omelets at CJ’s. However, the best was finding homemade, authentic German kuchen (cherry, blueberry & rhubarb), so we tried each one. The taste and texture were amazing. Our service was very good and friendly. We’d highly recommend this place!