Eel River Cafe

This cute cafe has everything to experience a delicious meal, fun atmosphere and good down to earth people ❤️ I will always stop here when traveling north😇 Thank you to all who work there!!

George McDonald

Great vibes at this retro diner, established in 1935. Black and white linoleum, old timey signs, etc. Wait staff was delightful, and the breakfasts hearty and tasty. I can recommend the huevos rancheros. Worth the stop.

Heather Kouveras

If you are looking for great food served by friendly people this is your place. Huervos Rancero was the winner but the Southern Scramble was a close second. This perfect in every way retro diner/Cafe has friendly people eating and working. Coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice hit the spot. We even took a couple of biscuits for the road.

Jose Rivera

Ask for green chilaquiles, not on the menu, but they are delicious, also not on the menu, chorizo, and scrambled eggs.

suzanne chesser

I don’t give 5 stars for breakfast often, but this one deserves a! We shared an omelette (avocado, cheese, and spinach). All fresh ingredients, nothing frozen or microwaved. The prices are reasonable and the service friendly and fast!

Geovanny

My wife and I had a wonderful service here today! Burgers were amazing and my wife loved the beef chili soup! Very charming spot!

Brycey Boo

many cows 🐄 and cute doggy 🐶 across the street that day oh and good breakfast 😋

Matthew Castaldo

The Eel River Cafe in Garberville, California, is a charming and cozy eatery that embodies the warm and welcoming spirit of the small town it calls home. This café is a local favorite known for its friendly atmosphere and delicious comfort food. The interior of the Eel River Cafe has a rustic and inviting feel, with wooden furnishings and a relaxed ambiance that makes it a great place to unwind. The menu features classic American diner fare, including hearty breakfast options like pancakes and omelets, as well as burgers, sandwiches, and homestyle comfort dishes for lunch and dinner. One of the cafe's standout features is its dedication to using locally sourced ingredients, which enhances the freshness and quality of their meals. It's a popular spot not only for its tasty food but also for the sense of community that pervades the establishment. Whether you're a local looking for a familiar spot to enjoy a meal or a traveler passing through Garberville, the Eel River Cafe offers a taste of home-cooked comfort and the friendly vibes of a small-town diner.

Amy

Please, do yourself a favor and stop here. Small local gems like this are a vanishing breed, and this place is the real deal. My first thought was that I had stepped back in time based on the decor alone. Then add in truly kind and efficient service, immaculate everything, and food that literally tasted like childhood. If you are a chili fan, I cannot recommend a cup of this strongly enough. Perfectly seasoned, plenty of cheese and onions. Patrons and servers joke around good naturedly, but we as strangers were warmly welcomed. Garberville, you guys have a treasure here. We’ll be back.

Mary Ann McCullough

Our waitress was great best. So attentive and kind to out dogs and us. We had the Reuben and ranch dip. The room in the tree and gift shop shouldn’t be missed

Olive Solomon

This cute cafe has everything to experience a delicious meal, fun atmosphere and good down to earth people ❤️ I will always stop here when traveling north😇 Thank you to all who work there!!

Loved the atmosphere with old photos of the town. The cafe was clean and the staff was wonderful. The food was great! They offered breakfast all day. The bathrooms were clean. The pancakes were very tasty. Kind of had a cake batter taste with a bit of vanilla taste to it. The omelets were tasty along with bacon and hash browns. Definitely going back!

I've been going here for over 20 years and they really know how to make breakfast. We had oatmeal, fried eggs, hash browns, pancakes and biscuits. Everything was cooked perfectly.

Most excellent meal I had in a very long time!!! Onion rings tasted like the oil was good, not old. They weren't oily and they tasted great! Freshly squeezed OJ was awesome, little pricey but I loved it so much, I ordered a 2nd one! Turkey melt on rye with swiss cheese was cooked to perfection. The waitress was very nice and helpful specially for being so close to closing time 🙂 I most definitely will be back there!!!

Super friendly staff. We ordered the pancakes and breakfast scramble. The pancakes were fluffy and scrumptious, the the scramble was loaded with delicious sauteed veggies and cheese! We plan to return there tomorrow for another breakfast.

Happy Hippy

Most excellent meal I had in a very long time!!! Onion rings tasted like the oil was good, not old. They weren't oily and they tasted great! Freshly squeezed OJ was awesome, little pricey but I loved it so much, I ordered a 2nd one! Turkey melt on rye with swiss cheese was cooked to perfection. The waitress was very nice and helpful specially for being so close to closing time 🙂 I most definitely will be back there!!!

Nancy B

I've been going here for over 20 years and they really know how to make breakfast. We had oatmeal, fried eggs, hash browns, pancakes and biscuits. Everything was cooked perfectly.

Larry Greenfield

Perfectly cooked and seasoned grass-fed beef on the burgers. A friendly, on-top-of-it staff. The owner of the restaurant hard at work in the kitchen as any crew member. A restaurant doesn't have to be fancy and expensive to get five stars, they just have to do everything right, which the Eel River did.

Fil Flores

Loved the atmosphere with old photos of the town. The cafe was clean and the staff was wonderful. The food was great! They offered breakfast all day. The bathrooms were clean. The pancakes were very tasty. Kind of had a cake batter taste with a bit of vanilla taste to it. The omelets were tasty along with bacon and hash browns. Definitely going back!

Frank Fazio

Awesome small-town 50's Diner vibe. Great service (treated us like family), really tasty food, and very clean and neat. We sat in our booth, enjoying our lunch, and watched the locals as well as travelers off the Interstate, making their way through this nice little town. We highly recommend a stop as you travel the 101!

Beautiful old time small town cafe. Great basic breakfast/lunch menu with bacon, eggs, butter milk pancakes and good hot coffee.

We stopped here for lunch because of the old fun sign outside! We had to try this cafe! Very cute cafe with fun decor.. many cows. They had friendly and speedy service. The food was good. We were eating healthy so mostly ordered cold sandwiches and fruit. I did have the French fries and they were very good. My mom had the patty melt and that was probably our table favorite other then the fries. Fun place to stop.

3.5 stars. It's a decent diner. Very cute ambience dedicated to cows and cars. Limited seating in a very small area so they have panels for social distancing. We got here around 9 am on a federal holiday so there was still place to sit. Typical breakfast diner food is served. We ordered the french toast and the fiesta omelet, a hot chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice. The french toast started just ok but towards the end we liked it, esp with the butter and syrup. The fiesta omelet is basically beef chili with egg, avocado, olives, etc inside the egg with a side of hash and toast. The omelet itself was good but the hashbrown was very tasteless and needed a lot of salt. The orange juice, freshly squeezed, was AMAZING! Def pay the extra $1 and get this. The hot chocolate was on the sweeter side. The meal lasted us a good 4-5 hours in terms of hunger.

This is a nice spot to grab some breakfast or lunch. We really like their fish and chips which comes with in house made tartar sauce. I've had their breakfast as well and they have good portions. I did not really enjoy their tuna melt but I normally don't order tuna melts from anywhere so not sure if it was just me. Maybe I don't like warm tuna sandwiches. The servers are always pleasant and attentive.

Gary Westphal

Beautiful old time small town cafe. Great basic breakfast/lunch menu with bacon, eggs, butter milk pancakes and good hot coffee.

Gigi

We stopped here for lunch because of the old fun sign outside! We had to try this cafe! Very cute cafe with fun decor.. many cows. They had friendly and speedy service. The food was good. We were eating healthy so mostly ordered cold sandwiches and fruit. I did have the French fries and they were very good. My mom had the patty melt and that was probably our table favorite other then the fries. Fun place to stop.

KD

This is a nice spot to grab some breakfast or lunch. We really like their fish and chips which comes with in house made tartar sauce. I've had their breakfast as well and they have good portions. I did not really enjoy their tuna melt but I normally don't order tuna melts from anywhere so not sure if it was just me. Maybe I don't like warm tuna sandwiches. The servers are always pleasant and attentive.

Pranjali Sharma

3.5 stars. It's a decent diner. Very cute ambience dedicated to cows and cars. Limited seating in a very small area so they have panels for social distancing. We got here around 9 am on a federal holiday so there was still place to sit. Typical breakfast diner food is served. We ordered the french toast and the fiesta omelet, a hot chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice. The french toast started just ok but towards the end we liked it, esp with the butter and syrup. The fiesta omelet is basically beef chili with egg, avocado, olives, etc inside the egg with a side of hash and toast. The omelet itself was good but the hashbrown was very tasteless and needed a lot of salt. The orange juice, freshly squeezed, was AMAZING! Def pay the extra $1 and get this. The hot chocolate was on the sweeter side. The meal lasted us a good 4-5 hours in terms of hunger.

Meh, just your average, small town American Diner. Cows and cars line the wall with a few trophy steelhead. Seating at the bar was comfortable. The portions were a little on the slim side, was expecting a pile of fries and some real battered cod. Not what I was expecting at all.

Steen Ooi

The turkey sandwich was pretty standard. The chili, despite the waitress’ praise, wasn’t anything special and not as savory as I’d expect. Service was good and the atmosphere is Main Street USA. If you appreciate kitschy ornaments and have a cow predilection, this place will be right up your alley!