Barbie's Cafe

I've driven by Barbie's Cafe several times during my time here in Anchorage and it's always been busy, so I was glad today when I only saw 2 cars in the lot. Let me say that I'm rating the Cafe 4 stars only because of the speed of service. Having said that, if you go in understanding you'll have to wait a bit longer for cook to order service, then you will probably love this place. I did! I had the hash, 2 eggs, and sourdoughtoast and it was awesome! Again, if you're in no rush, then this place is a 5 star diner and dive!

We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was crowded and busy. The two waitresses were practically running trying to keep up with everything. They really were working their butts off to accommodate the customers yet were still friendly and nice. It was a beautiful day outside and I gathered that the restaurant wasn't usually this busy. The food was okay, basic diner food but a little on the pricey side. What was off putting was the condition of the cafe itself. The windowsills were dusty and dirty with quite a few dead bugs sprinkled around. Several of the chairs had ripped vinyl. The outside of the building was scruffy looking and could stand at least a fresh coat of paint. Although there was a large pot of lovely purple flowers that did brighten the outside up.

Paint chippings, old tables, stains on the ceiling tiles, unsatisfactory lighting, wobbly chairs, a musty scent, and some sketchy happenings in the parking lot. Haven't even gotten to the food yet. The food wasn't horrible. The hash browns were overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. I got an omelet this time and the eggs were burnt on the outside and too wet on the inside. The bacon was flavorless. The biscuits and gravy were tasty but that doesn't justify the hefty $37 tab for a breakfast for two. The gravy prevented me from rating 1 star.

Tl;Dr: The food was okay, the service was exceptionally slow, and the prices were a little too high for the quality. We came here for brunch on a Saturday and arrived about 11 AM. It was busy and parking was extremely limited, but not all the tables were full. After we sat ourselves it took a few minutes to get water and menus. We were checked on twice before we ordered and eventually decided on 2 omelettes with toast and an order each of home fries and hash browns, as well as a bearclaw. Our order took almost 30 minutes to arrive. Both orders of toast were cold and the eggs felt like they'd been sitting for a few minutes. The bearclaw was the only item that actually arrived hot. The food was okay, above average for diner fare. The all meat omelette was prepared well, had plenty of protein, and was good. The hash browns were cooked well. The veggie omelette however had undercooked veggies. The home fries were good. The bearclaw was definitely the best part of the meal and to be honest it's adding a whole star to this review. After we were brought our check we immediately placed our cards in the book and stood it up. It was a full 20 minutes before our server picked up the book to take payment. The other reason for the poor review were the prices. While we did get a lot of food I think $14 for an omelette is too steep, especially given the quality and service.