Mirth Cafe

CLOSED —
Mirth closed in summer 2014. It closed very suddenly. We mourn the cinnabon pancakes.

The place looked nice and clean. However, service was awful: we ordered, waited for 20 minutes to be told that there was no ingredients for what we asked for; then took another 15″ to get just an average sandwich.

This place used to be good when it opened, but through the years it has consistently gone down hill. The last time I was there (bc it was the only place w a table available) it was so dirty, I had to leave. Lots of other good spots in Lawrence for breakfast (the roost, global café) go to them instead.

We go here because it’s easy to get a table on the weekends, which exemplifies the three star rating. The service is very hit and miss. Their pancakes are very good, and so are their breakfast potatoes when they cook them crispy. They also make very good coffee drinks, and have a self-​serve coffee bar, which my husband loves.
The biscuits and gravy are nothing to write home about, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, they can’t seem to figure out how to poach eggs SOFT for their eggs benedict (which should not even have to be requested).
My husband would give it a 4. As a self-​proclaimed food snob, it gets a 3.

The food was good, but the service was so slow. It was also extremely hot, almost ten degrees warmer inside than outside, which made the experience a bit unpleasant.

I live just 3 blocks from the Mirth Café, yet never realized it was there! The windows are dark in this ground floor space of what looks like an office building and their sign is barely visible through the tinted windows. Once inside, a modern décor of wood, tile, and dark steel has none of the homeyness I enjoy in a good breakfast spot (e.g. The Roost).
We were quickly met at the door and seated, but it took 10 minutes for a server to arrive. A young man dropped off some water, but was off before I had a chance to ask for some much needed coffee. Once our server arrived, we found out that it was a «self-​service» coffee bar, so we wasted 10 minutes for nothing. I scurried to the bar only to find a dirty mug on my first attempt. There was neither half-​and-​half in the creamer nor coffee descriptions (dark roast, etc) on the 5 – 6 available options, only «Columbian» or «Ramona’s», whatever that is, or DeCaf. Splenda was available only in shaker and I had difficulty locating it because packets were provided for other sweeteners (sugar, SugarInTheRaw, Sweet&Low).
I had the Mirth Breakfast $ 8.45 with extra country gravy $ 1.95 for a total of $ 10.45, a bit pricey for breakfast in my opinion.

Although this place wasn’t terrible, I left a little disappointed. The coffee bar was great, but the food left much to be desired. I ordered the vegetarian biscuits and gravy, because I can’t find them anywhere! However, the description didn’t mention that there was red peppers in the gravy which I am not too fond of. I could have ignored this if it had been hot, but it was barely luke-​warm.
The service was fine, but I hope if I visit here again the food improves.

I loved getting breakfast at the Mirth and I don’t like breakfast. I am not sure how anyone could ever eat at Ihop, denny’s, perkins, etc, after eating at the Mirth.
Their food is very fresh, well presented, and delicious. They also give you a lot of food! And they had the best cole slaw I have ever eaten. Not my favoite place in the world only because I find traditional American fare to be boring, but the Mirth makes it as exciting as possible.
One thing I was always disappointed in, to be fair, was their fruit plate. I think it has ¼ an orange, ¼ an apple, a ring’s worth of pineaple, and a reasonable amount of grabes for… $ 9!!! That’s not much fruit for the money I felt like. But it was really fresh, well presented fruit. ;)

Underwhelming considering the reviews. Food was an ok Denny’s type café. Got seated at the only booth that had a torn up seat, wait staff took a long time and there was only 2 other customers in the restaurant. Menu said they had daily baked goods and they didn’t. Just an average meal gave it an average rating.

Every time we try to decide where to go to brunch in downtown Lawrence, we somehow end up at Mirth the vast majority of the time. The combination of amazing food, great service, delicious coffee & espresso bar, and reasonable prices makes this place a smart choice every time.

Definitely one of my favorite breakfast joints in Lawrence for its variety, price and seating space.

Decent food, but the waitstaff is incredibly rude. Have had experiences on three separate occasions where our group was ignored as far as being seated. (There were three of us.) If we actually were seated, nobody came to take our order. Or they came to take our order, and never came back. (Pretty sure drinks should be out within an hour, for crying out loud.) Believe me, I get it that Lawrence is a «College Town», and panders to snotnosed brats on Daddy’s money, but if you drive away your economic base, where will you be?

I love Mirth for a multitude of reasons:
1. Breakfast. One of the best in Lawrence. We will often bring out of town visitors here to have them try their variety of options, from savory to sweet.
2. Pancakes. I often times find restaurant pancakes to be rubbery, and always find myself regretting them after I order them. NOT at MIRTH! These are the only pancakes I will order because they are WAY better than my own!
3. Kid Friendly. They are sooooo great with families, or with a mom out for lunch with her 1 year old. They brought my son’s fruit plate out early because they could hear him squawking for food. :) Way to go, Mirth!
4. Specialty Drinks. Way back in 2008, Starbucks had a fantastic Honey Latte for about 3 months, and then they took it away FOR-​EV-​ER (at least I’ve never seen it there again). I was so sad… and then I came to Mirth and was overjoyed to see the Bee’s Knees (Honey Latte) and the Honey Bee (Vanilla Honey Latte) on the coffee menu! Both are fantastic.
5. Self-​Serve Coffee Bar. Need I say more?
6. Corn Chowder. So delicious, and my 1 year old gobbles it up!
Do you need more reasons to try Mirth?
7. Reasonably priced.
8. Chicken Salad.
9. Great kid’s menu.
10. Great Service
11. Great Atmosphere.
There. Don’t make me go to 20…

Why doesn’t Mirth have any reviews?! Definitely one if the top-​five breakfast spots in LFK. Often too busy to get a table at on weekends, Mirth offers a dependable, hangover-​curing breakfast. Check out their DIY coffee station.