Some Sandpoint institutions earn their place one ordinary morning at a time, and Connie's Cafe and Lounge, at 323 Cedar Street in downtown Sandpoint, is one of them. The cafe describes itself with a simple motto, "Good People, Good Drinks, Good Food," and it has been a cherished Sandpoint establishment since 1955. For Schweitzer visitors coming down the mountain and for locals starting a workday alike, it is an easy and welcoming stop for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the heart of town.
The story begins with gasoline rather than gravy. According to the cafe's own history, Connie's started out as a Conoco gas station with a five-seat lunch counter in 1952. Fred Hartley closed the gas station and remodeled the building to become Fred's Diner in late 1954. Hartley then sold the diner to Conrad, known as Connie, and Donna Balch. Connie had owned two restaurants in Washington, and his parents lived in Sandpoint. At first he simply painted out Fred Hartley's name on the diner and substituted his own, but in time the facility became known as Connie's Cafe, and the name has stayed ever since.
That continuity is part of the appeal. The cafe's About page recounts how owners Lars Hall and Chris Ankney took over after David and Penny Libby put Connie's up for sale, drawn in part by the chance to be part of Sandpoint history. Some customers have been coming to Connie's since it opened in the 1950s, and the staff continue to set out places and mugs for regulars who arrive on a schedule their neighbors could set a clock by. Hall and Ankney said they would keep the same menu, with the potential to add daily specials, because keeping what locals love about Connie's was the point of the transition.
The menu is built for a full day in town. The cafe's own menu states that breakfast is served all day, and its lunch and dinner menu ranges across wings, soups and salads, sandwiches, beef and poultry, and pasta and seafood, with a Connie's Prime Rib Dinner listed for Fridays only. The lounge side is part of the experience as well. The cafe's neon sign still advertises cocktails, and its website notes that it hosts many local musicians on the lounge patio, which gives an evening meal a distinctly Sandpoint soundtrack in season.
Visitors will find Connie's at 323 Cedar Street, Sandpoint, where current listings show hours of 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Whether the day calls for a long breakfast before heading up to Schweitzer, a sandwich at midday while shopping downtown, or dinner and music on the patio after a day on the lake, Connie's offers the same promise it has kept for seven decades. Good people, good drinks, and good food remain a reliable combination in Sandpoint.