★★★★★
"Best biscuits and gravy in southeast Nebraska. I drive past two other cafes to come here. Brenda knows my order before I sit down."
Facebook review · Lincoln
Twelve years on Pioneers Boulevard. Brenda Failor in the kitchen most mornings, working from recipes refined over the years. Open from seven until we sell out — usually around two.
Brenda writes the board fresh every morning. When the kitchen runs out, the line gets a red slash through it — that's how you know it's the real menu.
A family-run cafe since 2014, tucked into a corner storefront on Pioneers Boulevard. Everything is made from scratch — the biscuits, the gravy, and cinnamon rolls baked fresh every morning.
The cafe is small. The portions aren't. Regulars have their tables, and the coffee gets refilled before you ask.
"Best biscuits and gravy in southeast Nebraska. I drive past two other cafes to come here. Brenda knows my order before I sit down."
"The cinnamon roll alone is worth the trip. My grandkids ask to go to 'the cafe with the red booths.' That's the only place in Lincoln they mean."
"Penelope's is what every small-town breakfast spot wishes it were. Coffee refilled before I ask, food on the table in eight minutes, paid less than fifteen dollars."
Walk-ins always welcome. Groups of six or more, give us a call so we can pull a table together. We don't take reservations otherwise — it's a small cafe and the line moves.