Early Bird Cafe

We decided to try the Early Bird in Plaistow NH, on a weekday in the early afternoon, because the Unilocal reviews were, for the most part, positive. The restaurant was buzzingly busy, and the service was fast and friendly initially.
Pros: bottomless cup of drinkable coffee. Fast service. The chili that topped my husband’s omelette was actually good! I was impressed, usually diner chili is canned and bland, but you could tell this was homemade and spiced very well.
Cons: The greek omelette was so salty from the kalamata olives and feta cheese it was inedible! I even had my husband try it and he concurred. In my restaurant experience, the cheaper feta comes in a very salty brine and needs to be rinsed before added to a dish. When the waitress stopped by to check-​in, I told her about the inedible omelette and she was not concerned in the least. I should have asked her to take it off the check, but I was not assertive enough.
This is not a restaurant we would return to.

I’m giving it an a-​ok only due to how much milk was. There was 8 in the party and the milk added up to $ 28.00. I couldn’t figure out how the bill was more than what we thought it would be. Never would have guessed milk would be that much money, $ 3.50 each! Other than that it was fine.

Good place if you need a quick breakfast fix. The food is good, but not stellar. The place is big so the wait during the busy rush times is typically not very long.

Wow this place is amazing, more of a selection than many big chain restaurants. The service is phenomenal and the ambiance is perfect, well spaced seating and the food is absolutely delicious. I had the Yankee pot roast that was extremely tender and juicy, followed it up a few days later with an amazing breakfast that was fresh and inexpensive. Make it is a point to visit the Early Bird Café, you will not be disappointed.

I love the home made chowders! Amazing!!! My father and grandfather go almost everyday. the food is very good and the customer service is also very good! Definitely try it out

I’ve been to Early Bird many times with family. Only one time we waited a while. It’s usually a short waiting time. The waitstaff is great, my family has a favorite. The place is clean. The food comes out in a timely manor. The price is about right. I like it there.

We’ve been coming here for years, and they never ever disappoint. Good, wholesome food; competent, friendly waitstaff; simple, down to earth atmosphere. Always a winner.

The place is fast, friendly and yes, the food is good. We’re not talking fancy but simple, tasty, and plenty of it for a good price. The staff is friendly and there is plenty of seating so even the wait on a weekend morning is typically less than 15 minutes. The atmosphere is somewhat commercial but based on the building, that’s understandable and the open dining room allows for the vast seating. Kid friendly too!

Just had the best breakfast here! Great pancakes and hash was the best we ever had! Our waitress was Aven and she was super friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back here soon!

Craving Blueberry pancakes… I stumbled across this diner when all my normal breakfast places were packed with a 45 minute wait. This place was packed as well, but we were able to snag seats at the bar right away. The blueberry pancakes were fluffy and light and just wonderful. The coffee was free flowing. Not too harsh, not too weak– just perfect. The food came out super fast. I noticed they also serve mimosas and bloody marys– a great find for a diner!!!
The staff really bust their butts. Sitting at the bar you could see that these guys work hard. I was impressed, I have never see restaurant staff work so hard. Seriously.

The food is all pretty bland. nothing well seasoned … Fries are soooo soggy it’s disgusting .they supposedly hand cut their own fries … But They are just gross .like inedible gross … Same thing on home fries *yuck* I’ve tried them a few times… nothing was good… it barely was even okay … Won’t waste any money there again …

I can’t go anywhere else for breakfast!!! The food is always delicious, and the service is spectacular! Price is very fair, along with the portions. If you are in the area looking for a breakfast joint, this is your place!!! Make sure you try the eggs benedict!

I have to say the breakfast is not good at all, very greasy and the home fries are very dry. I also went into lunch and had the Ruben sandwich, which was falling apart and mushy. I had them take it back and give me a BLT. Which was ok. I do go here for breakfast quite a bit since its so close to my home, BUT I only go because of the wait staff, especially to see Dawn and Karen. They make the experience better than the food. Now that I found out Dawn is no longer there, after 13 years. I will have to go somewhere else because with the awful food and not having the best waitresses there this place will eventually go out of business. The waitstaff is one of the only reasons I believe why they are still afloat. It’s time to wake up and get better food and keep your tenure employees happy.
Signed, Rock Star Food Critic

Typical diner food, but with a friendly staff that makes the experience even better. Will be my go-​to diner when I’m in the area. Be there before 9 am because it gets busy later. Organic eggs available, and I enjoyed the grilled English muffin.

Food– The quality is the draw here and is why this place dominates the other 3 diners in Plaistow. It’s all fresh, quality food, made the day it’s served. They offer a ton of daily specials including prime rib, turkey dinners, American chop suey with garlic bread and over the top fish chowder, plus home made desserts. Once they run out, they run out. There is no freeze it for the next day here. They serve breakfast all day and nail the staples with fluffy pancakes, loaded omelettes, crisp bacon and home fries and juicy burgers. My favorites include the Yankee pot roast, Huevos Rancheros (dropped eggs in a tortilla with rice) and the Monte Carlo sandwich with a bacon and swiss wrapped chicken breast.
Prices– They are standard prices with breakfast specials and sandwiches running around 7 or 8 bucks. You get huge portions of quality food for the prices.
Service– This is not a place you’ll see a miserable teenage waitress. It’s family owned and operated and the staff is always friendly and accommodating since it’s often the family you’re dealing with.
Atmosphere– It’s a pleasant diner setting with not a lot of frills. There’s plenty of seating inside and stools at the counter. This place fills up and the lines are long on the weekends though, a testament to the quality.
It’s the best place for home cooked and fresh breakfast and comfort food around. They’ve done it right to stay around for 20 years so go try it and let the food speak for itself.

Probably the best breakfast place in the area.
Food is good, prices are great, service is exceptional.

How can I have not yet written a review for the Early Bird?
This is my go-​to breakfast place. Back when I was young and had plenty of disposable income (i.e. not a homeowner), I was here all the time. Now I get here a lot less frequently.
Way back when, they were only open til 1:30. Now they have late night hours Wed through Friday til 7:30 PM. Which worked out great because a GF & I were on a shopping rampage and starving by 2PM. It was either the Early Bird or ice cream for lunch — not that there’s anything wrong with that!
For breakfast I usually get one of their omelets. Two that stand out are the Dutch Omelet & the Italian Style Omelet. The Italian Sauté is also a fave. The BF always gets French toast & thoroughly enjoys it. I brought a friend once who asked the waitress if they served fresh fruit and was told yes. Turns out it was the canned fruit that all tastes like pineapple. Lesson learned.
The coffee is always great in the morning. Today, my friend needed some caffeine and the coffee was old & stale. It was so strong, I could smell it across the booth. The waitress did offer to make a fresh pot but my friend just went with a soda.
Today, I got the pastrami on rye with fries. The pastrami was OK, but since I’ve now had amazing pastrami, none can compare. The french fries are house made and yummy. My friend got a mexican omelet with beans. She thought the beans were a little sweet but otherwise thought it was OK.
and yep, as Christine H. says (and a double check of their website), they now accept Visa & MC.

Early Bird is dependably delicious and really cheap. and the locals know it as it is always packed.
we always try to go during off hours.
I typically get a cheese omelet with hash browns and the bf gets a #7 which is two pancakes and bacon. My cheese omelet is always delicious and a good size, hash browns are good as well. The bf is obsessed with the pancakes here, says they are the best he’s ever had and I agree, they are really good… if you go you should definitely try them. Our two meals with drinks always come to well under $ 20, it’s great.
parking is ample, the staff is usually friendly although at some times they seem tired (understandably). we’d certainly recommend to a friend.
NOTE: they are no longer cash only! we were in on 6÷28÷11 and the waitress informed us they now have a credit card machine.

This is the best place for breakfast– hands down!
I get the egg-​white omelet with fat free cheddar and spinach with organic sprout toast and home fries. there’s something for everyone, even the health conscious.
Their weekend dinner menu is delish too. They make everything fresh and when its out, its out.
Brandy is the best server.
The only thing that realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly stinks is they don’t take credit cards. how stupid!!!

Dennis and I found a new favorite breakfast place. The Early Bird Café is a hot little spot in Plaistow, NH. Open for breakfast and lunch, they offer traditional American favorites.
Its the only place I know where they have both the breakfast AND Lunch menu available. I love this since I am not a big fan of the American breakfast.
So this am, we get there and the place was PACKED. It is one BIG open dining room and it hold close to 100 people if not more.
I had a cup of the chicken and rice soup and I had Huevos Rancheros which came with beans and rice. Both were excellent. Dennis had a chili and cheese omelette. The chili was made there and it was loaded with fresh tomatoes.
The coffee was really good. The place really clean and service quick and efficient.
We will def be back.