Iron Hen Cafe

NOTE: As a dinner option, Iron Hen tends not to be as crowded. The food is still uneven, but it's a better all-around experience.

Located at 908 Cridland Road in Greensboro, the Iron Hen Café serves coffee drinks as well as sandwiches, salads, and entrees for lunch and dinner. Catering is available through the café’s parent company (Fresh Local Good), and there is limited outdoor seating.

Iron Hen is yet another “looks good on paper” restaurant. The concept (fresh, locally sourced ingredients meets southern comfort food with an eco friendly twist) holds appeal, and several of the menu items look enticing, but the overall experience is underwhelming.

For starters, this is not a particularly comfortable place to eat. Though the green décor adds a note of brightness, Iron Hen is small, loud, and crowds easily. There is little room between tables, and lots of bustling at breakfast.

Of course, this would be forgivable if the food was worthwhile, but this is sadly not the case. Tempted by the prospect of corned beef from Giacomo’s, I went with the corned beef hash. The beef was almost overwhelmingly salty. The eggs, while cooked well, had almost no flavor (until pepper was added). The highlight may have been the sweet cinnamon butter served with the accompanying toast.

At $9 this made for a somewhat pricey disappointment. Other breakfast items offered no greater value. Stacks of pancakes were available at $7 to 9 (depending on the toppings) with no sides save for fruit while something as simple as granola, milk/yogurt, and blueberries goes for $6 here.

Iron Hen’s one unqualified positive is the service. Despite being absolutely slammed, the servers were polite and cheerful, food came out quickly and correctly, and everyone seemed poised to handle the volume.

There are far worse places to grab a bite for breakfast or lunch, but the brisk business that Iron Hen does suggests an appeal that I’ve yet to discover. A good concept and hard-working staff can’t overcome inconsistent food and a lackluster experience.

6.5/10