The waitress was very polite and helpful with a charming smile. The ambiance was cozy and cute - with enough noise to make you feel you are in a social setting but not too much noise. As for the food, we were split: there were 6 of us, four people gave their food a 4 and 2 people gave it a 5. The Ranch breakfast was very good, the steak in it was super - delicious. The hash browns were under cooked.

This is probably one of the Original Keys... I had breakfast, and proved to be a very good place for breakfast! The prices are good the portions are huge. The atmosphere is rustic... Love It! Kind of reminds me of old time Mom an Pop places. You might wanna arrive early, seating is limited and it kind of felt like one would have to wait a bit to get seated. But if I remember correctly it is a seat yourself type of place. I cannot complain, the food was good but I have had better at other Mom and Pops, do not take me wrong the food is good but not really something to write home about. I think these chains are known for their hot sandwiches, and they are definitely awesome. But the breakfast does leaves something to be desired. Will eat there again in a heartbeat!

Old town diner with some fabulous food. I love diners like many of you, and Keys Cafe is one of the best. Everything was perfect to order. I had the Italian sausage with eggs and fluffy crisped French Toast with a cream cheese buttered whipped spread. Let me tell you, ask for it this way. This is the way the family eats it. Of course, our server was the grandson of the founder. I think the other grandson was in the kitchen cooking it up. As simple as the breakfast was, it came with love. I'm happy I asked what their favorite was. My wife ended up getting the blackened salmon sandwich. It was the first time I've seen her smile all day. She was in heaven. She had the salmon between sourdough bread with a lime creme fresh dressing. She was so amused singing while eating. Keys Cafe makes up for quality service, awesome flavor, and great cooking makes up for presentation. If you ranked home cooked a meal a 10, this would be a 12. If you want a home cooked meal like mom or grandma, go to see the grandsons at Keys Cafe.

Haven't been here in 20+years. The place hasn't changed but the food is so much better and bigger. My husband and I were so satisfied and got that original breakfast craving fixed. I would have loved more gravy on mines even though it was already covered. 😂 It's just so good

This place was adorable! The food was amazing! Lots of menu options. Shout out to our server Grant and the cook TJ for such awesome service! Will definitely return when in the area!

My Uber Driver, Daniel, recommended this place to me when I asked for a great breakfast joint in town. They have a few locations, but since I'm not from around here, I went to the original location. Daniel was right! Seat yourself, and I think after I sat and ordered, it took about 10 minutes. Got the Eggwich with Italian Sausage and 2 Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Pancakes. The sandwich was good, but the pancakes were to die for! Highly recommend if you're not from around Minneapolis/St. Paul area and want breakfast, come to Keys!

I really like this place. It's a good classy diner, with great food, and just what I was hoping for on the road. No nonsense, and fantastic.

I'll hop on the fan bus. It's excellent and talk about an underdog! We were taking our daughter to MSP and wanted something sit-down to discuss logistics, totally happenstance. I cannot believe how attentive the staff was, how good the food was, and that they serve decent beverages. Cost is fair, certainly not unfair but not stealing.

Been coming here for years, always quality food, big portions and a reasonable price.

Keys Cafe is, in my view, a very Iconic breakfast joint. It has stood the test of time for a reason....absolutely amazing food. It's a casual cafe that has an old town classic feel. The waiter, Phillip, was what every waiter aspires to be. He was attentive but gave us our room to converse and enjoy the great grub. He was energetic but not overbearing, and he made perfect recommendations. We both got the number 4 with Italian sausage. I got 2 pancakes, and my wife got 2 french toast thanks to Phillip. Our food was brought out in a very timely manner. The american fries were delicious. Perfectly fried, so every bite was crispy. The eggs were cooked as we expected and were great to dip the potatoes in. The Italian sausage is and continues to be the GREATEST in Minnesota. Juicy, full of spicy flavor and large patties. The pancakes are fluffy and monsters in size. The French toast was sweet, paired nicely with butter and syrup. If you haven't eaten breakfast at this Minnesota legend, then what are you waiting for.

Lunch with a friend took me to Keys – the Original, on Raymond. We both had BLT sandwiches. Here’s the lowdown on all the components. The bread was perfectly grilled, tender and crisp and tasty. Lettuce was crispy and just the right amount. One thin tomato slice on each half seemed a bit sparse. The meaty bacon was cooked well, but the rind edge was like eating rock shards it was so hard. That’s more to do with the meat than the cooking. The assembly was odd – all the ingredients were bunched in a single heap in the middle of the sandwich halves. An easy fix as we simply redistributed the foods to even out the sandwich. I ordered a caramel shake and it was divine – extremely thick and rich but almost impossible to suck through the miniscule diameter straw. I ate it with a spoon instead. All in all certainly a good value for the price.

Since I was only here for to work for a week. I asked some of the people I was working with what dishes were popular in the area. Minnesota wild rice soup was the most mentioned. I ended up here because of that dish. This place is definitely an old school diner. I ended up getting the wild rice soup. Despite it looking like blah 😂 it was very good. The rice was cooked well which can be a challenge when it comes to wild rice.

Go-to breakfasts since before I was born. Since the owner took the time to respond I feel like I should give a more detailed review than my general "four stars". Don't get me wrong, Keys Cafe is absolutely the place to go for a pretty solid breakfast. Which is why it gets 4-stars. We're not talking blow my mind epic food, or service that can't be topped by anyone. We're talking a place that if you're looking for breakfast you should heartily consider. The food is always well prepared, their coffee isn't terrible, and it's exactly, and I mean exactly what you've expect from an established and respected Twin Cities institution.

Met a friend for brunch. Atmosphere is perfect for chatting over coffee and eggs. Wait staff is attentive and the food is priced well.

Nostalgia always wins when we make our annual visit to the ORIGINAL Keys Cafe location on Raymond Ave in Midway area. Delicious coffee, prompt service, clean although obviously well-used.Sweet Potato Fries were delicious, Salmon sandwich only so-so, hamburger just ok. Food here is more bland than the other 2 Keys Cafes where we've dined.

Visited a longtime favorite from my days in Minnesota. Ordered an omelet with Italian sausage, cheese, hash browns, and onion. We also needed a caramel roll for old times’ sake. The omelet is not your traditional rolled or even a simple folded with an appropriate ratio of filling. Instead you get a giant mound of filling encased in a crepe. Outstanding. The caramel roll is also one of the best essays of its genre: ultrasweet, over the top.

My family has been going to Keys (and particularly the original location) for probably 30 years. They’ve never disappointed. As kids it was Barb, Jo & Roy who always chatted us up & made us feel like we were at the family kitchen table. Now it’s Jay & Jay is absolutely AWESOME! He remembered serving us at a different location & then when my daughter asked for an item off that menu, he made it special for her even though it’s not on the menu at the Original! We had some laughs and we’re right at home, as usual. The food was amazing, as usual. The portions were massive, as usual. Keys never disappoints & is always a guaranteed win for our family. I hope that my kids will take friends or even their kids in 15-20 years & be able to share similar fond memories to the ones I have.

Hometown feel in the city - food was delicious! Home-cooked from scratch.. you can definitely tell the quality.. *Blackened Salmon Eggs Benny* Friendly staff, small and quaint. The aesthetic seemed original and untouched from the 70s, but honestly, that's what made the experience all the better.

I am a fan of Keys, but especially the original location. I went with a coworker for lunch and we both tried new menu items. I had a qusadilla burger and he had a beef & cheddar sandwich. We both choose fries as the side and also got pickle slices. Like always, portion size was big and we both took boxes home. Food came out hot and was tasty. Service time was good and waiter was very welcoming and friendly.

Hey y'all so this was my 1st time at this Restaurant. Didn't even know about this little Gem.. but they have these Cinnamon/ Carmel rolls that gotta be home made 💯 because when I took that first bite I instantly stopped my movement because the taste was so dangerously good I was actually upset about something that happened right before that but totally forgot why I was upset when I tasted that Roll . Amazing! Hands down!!!! Go get one for sure! 😉

Visited for Sunday brunch and began with a neat mimosa that hit the spot. I've always loved Keys for the large portions and this was certainly true again. The Cajun Skillet I had was exactly to order and tasty! I love ordering with my eggs over easy rather than scrambled. The serving staff was attentive and kind but also a bit brisk by nature and there were minor language barriers. Would definitely eat here again!

It’s like eating at your best friend’s Grandma’s house. Low key but comfortable atmosphere, friendly family-like service, large portions of delicious comfort food make for a heart-warming and belly-filling experience. I’ve been going to various Keys Cafes around town for years and I’ve never been disappointed. The original restaurant has a particular charm with brick walls and the smallest, most cozy dining room. The addition of plexiglass dividers (remember COVID?) has actually made conversation easier and more private, which I like, as the place can have quite a noisy din when it’s hopping. On my waitress’s recommendation I got the Cajun Skillet, which is hashbrowns, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and spicy andouille sausage with scrambled eggs, smothered with hollandaise sauce. I came hungry and left happy. My daughter got the classic eggs “Benny” and devoured it in a way that only a college student can. She got the fruit plate side and our fun waitress swung by our table with another one saying, “I wasn’t thrilled with the first one I brought, so here ya go.” The omelettes are also huge and ever so tasty. I really don’t think you can miss with this menu. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. If you’re in the mood for some top-notch, no-frills but delicious food with generous portion sizes, this is your place.

Loved it was amazing food 10/10 will go again! Price was reasonable and service was great

The chef, Jay came out briefly and spoke to the patrons. I am a traveling superintendent and I wanted him to know, that I’ve been all over the country and I seek out the best breakfast nooks anywhere and everywhere that I go. Jay ultimately has made in my opinion the best omelette I have ever eaten in my 51 year life. If you haven’t tried Jay’s, everything omelette, try it you’ll love it! Worth mentioning, the ladies running the show here are incredibly awesome! Happy wonderful, very nice people working this restaurant.

My stand-by, faithful local diner always offering favorites and steady service. It was a busy brunch but there was no one waiting when I arrived so I took a small booth. A server who isn’t my usual server skipped placing my order, and I was overlooked for 15 minutes. The busser made sure I got coffee. While waiting after my order was finally taken by my lovely and sturdy server whom I have always been cordial to, the non-usual server made a backhanded comment. She said “people would pay you for your booth”. Okay. So what. Were they here at 10:30? Did they wait until 10:45 for their Order to be submitted? Did I look like I was sad to waste the booth space? The truth is, I made a decision to come to the restaurant and spend my dining out money for my birthday. I decided to eat alone. It wasn’t sad about the other people waiting. When I arrived, there were three empty tables. Do not ever tell a customer to move unless you’re ready to offer a complimentary offer, or make a more courteous approach. My server forgot my fruit. I got hashbrowns. I didn’t worry about that. I asked for my fruit. I will be back for good service. But grey-haired lady, you need to not be rude like that. Blonde sturdy lady (lisa?) love her to pieces. Bussers, all wonderful. replace that counter server; sit her down; she needs an attitude adjustment.

Excellent breakfast for the family & I. Cinnamon French toast was delicious! Portions were good size for the price and our server was so great. We got a peanut butter pie to go for Thanksgiving it was the most delicious dessert ever!

I wish I got my server's name! He was so warm and helpful. The bread pudding is to die for!

Staff was nice and restaurant was super charming. However my omelette had burnt chorizo and hash browns were also burnt and had no flavor, but the raspberry white chocolate pancakes were yummy!

Very good place for a nice american-mexican breakfast. It's welcoming and beautiful. Food was very tasty when I visited. It's well cooked and served. Service was excellent. Ovearll very nice experience. I'd go there again

I gave two stars because I got what I ordered but it was not what I wanted. The food there is odd. Tried them twice n both times I was a little bothered. One, during the pandemic the whole cake was just left on the counter without a cover next to patrons eating. There’s a back shelf and a dinner type shelf but for some reason it made more sense for the worker to sit it by the people. The other time the guy said oh great we just made new dressing. I get it and it’s as old as any forgotten thanksgiving leftover. It was hideous to be exact. Gordon Ramsey needs to pay this place a visit. I won’t visit other locations due to the experiences here at the Raymond location. I tried to like it.

We stopped here for a quick bite of breakfast but the other options changed our minds. We love the Ruben and Philly cheese steak. The fries are great and the portion size is great. The husband and I both need to-go boxes. It's worth the trip.