Hackberry’s Bistro

I love the menu at Hackberry’s! It’s got a nice variety from vegan to everyday favorites like Mac & Cheese, using mainly local, organic, & seasonal ingredients. Hackberry’s Bistro sits above the local food co-​op where you can find a variety of locally grown organic foods, all kinds of cruelty free, natural healthcare products, a large selection of beverages from wines, beer, soda, and market items. It’s within walking distance of the shopping & riverfront area, so if you look for it, you can’t miss it! Definitely worth checking out.

I’ve been to hackberry’s numerous times as a La Crosse native. It’s usually my go-​to for food, as it has vegetarian/​vegan options.
However, I have noticed the quality of service is very spotty. Sometimes the service is excellent, while other times the servers really seem to have an attitude. The hostesses don’t seem welcoming at all, and the servers really don’t seem like they want guests there either. It was an icy experience the last time I visited. My fiancé and I pretty much pledged not to come back because it has become a pattern– and he noticed the attitude too.
On the food– well, we ordered brunch. We both had pancakes and paid a dollar extra each for toppings– they were very minimal. The menu has become significantly smaller, with fewer and fewer options it seems– but the quality of the food has become worse. I can’t really put my finger on it other than it seems like the staff just really doesn’t care anymore. I’m pretty disappointed, as this used to be my favorite place to dine in La Crosse.
I hope La Crosse comes up with some more vegan/​vegetarian options for brunch — I’m pretty bummed.

We went for Mother’s Day brunch; very disappointing. The sausages were cooked but NOT even warm. The sweet potato hash was so undercooked that the sweet potatoes were crunchy! (I usually like that dish on the regular menu; however this was a buffet.) No hash browns or their roasted potatoes; egg strata was only okay – very bland. French toast sticks with strawberry sauce was also lacking in… something. Scones and muffins were good but when the buffet is $ 25 a person, you kind of expect something much, much better.

We stopped at Hackberry’s this past weekend. We choose Hackberry’s because of its commitment to local and organic foods. Sadly, we ran into the same service issues that have been referenced in other reviews. It took more than 35 minutes to receive our food after our order. It was a typical breakfast style order — eggs, pancakes, … By the time the food arrived we had very little time to eat since we had to get to another event. While we waited, no one checked in on the delay. I asked the hostess what was going on and never got an answer. Will need to find a new place going forward — the delays in service were unacceptable.