Morningstar Cafe

I'm not one to bash a small local business so I will start with the positives: The staff is super kind and personable, the venue is cozy and well decorated with beautiful pieces of local art, and they seem to be really connected to the community there. The bathroom was also very clean and well decorated. I got the Southwest tofu scramble with smashed potatoes and avocados. The tofu had a good texture and was well cooked, the potatoes were well seasoned, and the avocado was ripe. There are also vegan milk alternatives for their coffees. Moving on to the negatives. While well seasoned, the potatoes were greasy and black with char all over, and contrarily the tofu was wildly under seasoned. It was to the point where I was wondering if the potatoes were purple to begin with; they were white when biting in. A scramble typically implies some sort of egg adjacent flavor (achieved with kala namak), which would still be fine if not present, however any flavor at all would have been appreciated. To be entirely fair, It is possible that this is a one time bad meal. I went with my (non-vegan) family and they all sang the praises of their food. I would be willing to give them (and their other 3 vegan options another chance). I was just very disappointed in what I got. Updated from previous review on 2025-06-05

Do not sleep on this place !! Talk about a hidden little gem!! My hubby and I stopped by for lunch today and we were absolutely blown away . We both had the Boulevard Burger and it was amazing! The burger was cooked to perfection, the onion jam melts in your mouth, the roll was super fresh …. Just plain delicious!! Gunna be our new fav spot 😊😊

will definitely be a recurring brunch spot. I want to eat nothing but their french toast for the rest of my life.

My husband and I were in the area and saw this place was opened. It was really good! The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious! Will definitely recommend to others and be back for more whenever I’m in Tom’s River!

This morning we visited Morningstar cafe. During our visit, we waited 20 minutes for our orders to be taken. Once the server came over, we ordered waters and 1 chai latte, as well as our food. Our food took about 15 minutes to come out, which was impressive considering one was a fried chicken sandwich. The food overall was very good. However, we got and finished our food before we got any of the drinks. It took me asking a nearby waiter, who came in towards the end of our meal, for our water and chai after almost an hour of waiting. We really want to revisit this spot, and we hope that in a month or two we can come and enjoy our meals here.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 1

Atmosphere, service & the food was great! Unfortunately there is one person taking care of the front, serving & making the coffees. We waited 30 minutes to receive our coffees.. I asked her if they were understaffed, & she said they weren’t, which leads me to believe that this will be the case if we went again. The breakfast was SO DELICIOUS!!, but the wait will deter us from going again. Please consider hiring someone to help serve on the weekends.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

The food was excellent, service was great!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was outstanding. Top notch. Juan our server was super friendly, and spent time speaking with us about the restaurant and the art on the walls. This is my new favorite place. It is adorable inside. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I love the local artist work on the walls. I love everything about this place. They even have vegan options on the menu. Wonderful place with outstanding service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I don’t write reviews and I’m typically picky about food but for real this had the cutest fall, black cat energy vibe. The waitress was so kind and the fact that they were open a little later on a Saturday was perfect. This is a lowkey chill place, good music, cool little cafe bar, warm dim lighting aesthetic, and the best part is when the food matches the energy. My cappuccino slayed. The burger and the grilled cheese also slayed. I live an over an hour away but I’m coming back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fries, Boulevard Burger, Brie Grilled Cheese

I was not allowed into this restaurant because I had a 5 month old sleeping in a small doona stroller. They would not let us in. I have not left many if ANY bad reviews on restaurants, I absolutely hate doing because I advocate for small businesses and growing up in a family that ran small businesses in the catering industry truly understand how hard it is. That being said tha with plenty of tables available for me my son and small carriage all they would have had to do is take away a chair for my stroller and we would have been fine. Really not wise to do what you did.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

We went Wednesday for breakfast. It was top notch! Very clean. Server was kind and friendly. The food was amazing. The corn flake French toast is a must! The breakfast potatoes were the best we have ever had .
People are always saying they want better restaurants in Toms River but yet there are always lines at CHAIN restaurants places. Do yourself a favor and go to a local small business and get the best breakfast you have ever had.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Seriously outstanding food! It is tucked away in the corner of the shopping center but OMG , find it and go! Chef is amazing!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I've been coming here since they opened last summer. Morningstar Café is just as phenomenal as the first time, if not more so. The food, the service, the atmosphere...all 10/10 !!! This café has a very welcoming, wholesome and spiritual vibe. It has been wonderful seeing this spot grow and evolve, and it just gets better with time !!! My favorite drink is the iced matcha latte with whipped cream. Too hard to pick a favorite meal, but my most recent brunch outing included the Peaches and Cream Waffles and Harissa Avocado Toast, which were both delicious! Can't wait for the Tarot Card readings event this Friday! Thank you, Morningstar Café!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Ricotta Scramble Toast, Harissa Avocado Toast, Chicken & Waffles, Crispy Brussels Sprouts

I came here on a weekend morning. Since the photos looked very good and the food. I had ordered orange juice which was squeezed, but I didn’t enjoy, but that’s my preference. What I had really enjoyed the a burger the meat had a very nice flavor to it compared to the rest. The rest of the food was good as well.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Excellent food. A bit pricey but happily paid for high quality food and nice portion size.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5