Great little diner with 11 years in the biz. They have a darn good system in place here let me tell ya. We sat at the counter right as we walked in at 915AM. It was pretty darn busy. We got to see all the plates coming out of the kitchen in the window and they never stopped coming the whole time. Everything looked so good! I settled on the pecan and raisin pancake (3) and wife got the volare French toast combo. Our food came out within 10 minutes of ordering. Great service, delicious food, quick service, good portions and great prices. Our meals with a coffee was under $20. Next time we come in to town will be stopping here again. read more

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#11/2025 Still a great value Not much is really changed during regular peak hours it does get crowded with locals here it always has probably always will. Not too many trucks utilizing the truck parking area though I don't know why but LOL But once again you get this great home cooking here as far as I'm concerned and I need to start stopping here a little more often when I'm on interstate 80. Today I had to taste for a BLT came in and got one with fries but I sampled stuffed pepper soup it was fantastic! So I decided to opt for the deluxe which gives you the soup and the fries. It was really good The BLT could have a little more toastage to the bread but that's okay. Fries were good the soup was just fantastic The best part there were no onions and no god-awful carrots I was a happy camper enjoying the soup on a very very cold day. Lol Breakfast is still served all the time while they're open during the day from 7: 00am to 9:00pm. Keep up the great work read more

Big Apple Restaurant - 2/20/2025 The deluxe portion of my BLT and Fry meal Homemade stuffed pepper soup absolutely delicious no evil carrots no onions - American Near Me - Peru, Illinois

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Cozy dinner vibe. The breakfast was very good with large portions. Burger and fries came with a soup/salad and was definitely a big meal

The restaurant is located conveniently to the northwest of Peru, Illinois near Sapp Brothers. When we arrived there were not many customers there. Our server greeted and seated us instantly and took our drink orders. Pretty extensive menu to please anyone who enters. Entire restaurant seemed recently remodeled with new fixtures everywhere. It felt very clean and inviting. I ordered the sausage mushroom skillet with cheese. Hash browns were under cooked and should have requested them to be browned more to begin with. Overall very satisfying and we're able to order, eat and leave while feeling satisfied. Prices seemed small for the loads of food we got. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone. The best element of this place was the service. Our server brought her A game early read more

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It was my first time dining in with my parents & it was terrible service. I ordered a soup to begin with & said I would be ordering something else, I just wanted to look at to look at the menu still. When my parents food came out she slipped the check & never came back. She never even checked to see if we needed refills (coffee) & she never brought ketchup for the breakfast potatoes/eggs. My mom ordered toast, eggs, & potatoes. The toast was stale & her meal was cold. My dad ordered the roast beef sandwich & he said his meal was cold as well & tasted instant. When we were paying our bill, Amanda was the only one who asked how everything was (which we highly appreciated) & we kindly told her our experience. She apologized & gave us a 20% discount, which she didn't have to, but we appreciated it as well. read more

This is our first visit, we had brunch. Cowboy Reuben (that's a Reuben with a hamburger patty added, a personal creation suggested by my wife), Eggs Benedict and a Big Apple Crepe. Amazing service (thanks Jamie!), excellent food, big portions, and very fair price. We will be back. read more

Big Apple Restaurant - Cowboy Reuben (that's a Reuben with a hamburger patty added, suggested by my wife), Eggs Benedict and a Big Apple Crepe. - American Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Place is very nice inside, the waitress was wonderful. Easy to order menu and great food! quiet place is the mornings it was a great breakfast and a great place to bring your family for a meal! read more

Big Apple Restaurant - hand and cheese omelette with bacon, waffle and chocolate chip pancakes - American Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Ordered meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. Potatoes were instant, gravy was out of a jar, mixed veggies were frozen. I also question if they made the meatloaf or was it storeboought. read more

The food is great just like the service, the plates are served with big portions doesn't matter what you order there will be plenty of food in that plate to fill you up. Everything is fresh and of quality. Pictured is their hearty skillet with eggs over easy and wheat toast one of my favorites. Like most reviewers have said most of the customers are up in age but are all great people with great stories and positive vibes. read more

Big Apple Restaurant - American Near Me - Peru, Illinois

The chicken parm is ok, burgers aren't bad chicken fried steak is fair, the vegetable soup is terrible has no flavor, don't recommend

Excellent service and tasty breakfast!! Service was fast and food hit the spot. A great place to stop while on the road!!

Went to Big Apple Peru, Illinois first time last Sunday. Excellent food, large portions. very clean atmosphere. Wait staff was very friendly, Anne did a really nice job. Jesus saves! John 3:3 "Bible" read more

I go here third sat every month went today. Had the BLT club and took a big something sharp in my mouth it was piece of toothpick told waiter and owner he said you got be carefully with the tooth pick didn't offer anything I'm pissed glad I didn't swallow it could been bad going to call lawyer I took picture of tooth pick read more

I had to laugh about all the "old people hang out" commenting until I looked across the room and saw its true! Oh well I'm 50+ so I fit right in! I liked the food. Breakfast skillet and crepes and a loaf of cinnamon bread to go. I thought the service was great. No issues there. read more

Great food and service. Prices are how they should be. It's a fine little gem of the Illinois valley

Always good food . We love the tacos and get them almost every Thursday!! Keep you the great work!

Senior citizen hang out! Stewed tomatoes and jello on the salad bar. Great place to find a grandparent figure or life mentor.

Family restaurant with the primary clientele being the 50+ crowd. My hubby and I were visiting his Grandma in Peru and she wanted to eat breakfast here. The prices are alright, typical for a restaurant in this area. I ordered the pancakes of course! I was disappointed that the stack only comes in three, so I ordered the stack with eggs and sausage. The eggs were cooked perfectly (over easy as I requested) and the cakes were nice and fluffy. Grandma also ordered the cakes so I can't vouch for what the rest of the menu tasted like. Service was great. The server brought soda/coffee refills jiffy on the spot. The ambiance was alright. Nothing memorable but the place was clean and inviting. It was cold when we went, so I had to keep the jacket on during my visit. Overall, I would go back. It's nothing special but the food was good and hot. read more

Big Apple has bounced back from Covid and is serving up it delicious "home cooking" style menu! My family and I ordered take-out there today (9/4/21) and it was plenty of tasty, hot food to go around. Very pleased, we will order again! read more

Very good place to have a quick lunch foods great service is great also. So if you're up north of Peru stopping at the Apple and grab yourself something to eat you won't be sorry read more

The Big Apple Restaurant in Peru IL has recently been very nicely remodeled. The food is excellent and the service is some of the best I've had anywhere! I go there with my family often for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every month a group of around 15 to 25 people from my exercise group go there for lunch. They accommodate us very nicely with the same great service and food. I highly recommend the Big Apple Restaurant in Peru Illinois! read more

The food is good, and so is the sirvice. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. And the atmosphere is great.

Great family restaurant!! Good prices & portions Fast and friendly service They have a salad bar Daily specials All day breakfast!! read more

I agree with a lot of the "Yelpers". This place is more of a senior citizens hang out and salad bar is lacking. You are not going to get gourmet food at this restaurant. You will get a pretty decent breakfast there. I love the homemade chicken strips. I must stress that these are the homemade chicken strips. You get a huge portion. I must confess when I don't feel like cooking it is a cheap and tasty way to get dinner on the table quick. read more

I stopped at the big Apple after getting fuel and being hungry from the road. To some this up quick I'll say this the grease stains on the walls, wrinkled up menu, 3 older gentlemen cooking in sweaty t-shirts without hairnets, waitresses playing on their phones at the front desk wasn't sign enough to walk out. I got one of my favorite home cooked meals because it was a special for the day. Cabbage rolls. The food I got you could tell was reheated due to the water sitting stagnant at the bottom of the dish. The veggie mix I got was from a frozen bag and left out too long because it presented darker in color. Mashed potatoes tasted and looked like box mashed potatoes. Finally for the cabbage rolls themselves the meat in the center looked and tasted like dog food. I have no idea how long ago they pre-made and froze the rolls however I can only assume a long time ago.... sorry for the bad review but it's the truth. read more

This is a typical diner with typical diner food. It's not a fancy place, and the food isn't fancy. We often get the specials when we go....things like cod dinner, spagetti and fried chicken, etc. Meals like this usually include a big bowl of soup or the small salad bar, which has things like cottage cheese, pasta salad, potato salad, and beets on it in addition to lettuce salad fixings. A special with all this normally runs about $6.50-$8.50. I usually have enough left over for lunch the next day. I've also had their patty melt and their gyros, which are pretty tasty. My husband likes their breakfast skillets. Like I said, it's a typical "greasy spoon" kind of place, and the prices are reasonable. I think they have lunch specials for around $5. read more

Go elsewhere. Used to be a staple of roadside dining. Quality food anytime day or night. Great waitresses. Now it doesn't even qualify as roadkill dining. Quality example of trying to keep good staff at a low paying iobs. Cooks are slow. Food just sucks. Only people in there and waited 25 minutes for a pancake and biscuits with white water. Not the first time either but will be the last. Won't return after today. read more

Rotten food & rotten people, the place is dirty & I wouldn't go back!!! U can feel the tension coming off of everyone in there!! The waitresses do not get along with one another & when I go out to eat I expect a better atmosphere!! VERY DISAPPOINTED, the area has several nice places to eat.......this just is not one of them!! The food is bland & I have never seen such a lacking salad bar. I am very certain that I will not eat there again!!! read more

I don't think I can give this restaurant any stars but in order to write a review I have to give it one star!!! My family and I have travelled all over and visited many restaurants but this is by far the worst!! Total waste of 36 dollars!! First the salad bar (if you could call it that) had only maybe 6 choices and none were meat or cheese!! Then the salad dressings were watered down a lot!! I have never tasted ranch so runny!! Next, my husband ordered the steak hoagie, which was hamburger shaped into a rectangle with NO cheese!! I've never heard of a hoagie without cheese!! He also stated that it was very bland!! My two bigger children ordered spaghetti, which tasted like Chef Boyardee that was very runny (again...do we see a theme??). I am not sure why they water everything down except to save money!!! On to my meal which was chicken fried steak.....I have made this a lot in my life and have eaten it from many restaurants but this was a very unique situation!! It was very mushy and the gravy was the only thick thing in the restaurant, however there was no taste...even when I peppered it!! This is definitely an older persons restaurant because taste is not a high priority for them!! Really disappointed that we wasted our money!! read more

I rated it 1 since I can't go any lower. How can you go wrong on a salad bar and soup.. I did. Slimey lettuce nothing to go on the lettuce. Stewed tomatoes were nasty salt and pepper didn't help.The creamy cheese soup...if you wanted to call it that needed more help than the salt and pepper at the table. The garlic toast that came with the meals one bite...no vampires near me now. Chicken fried steak soggy and gravy tasted like breakfast biscuits and gravy. Veal parmesan was oh god...tasted like tomato paste on it. The spagetti with it was yuck....tasted like chef boyardee. Pasta was over cooked. One of the bow tie pastas on the salad bar about made all 3 of us throw up at the table.The shell pasta one on the salad bar was bland and over cooked. Way over priced for what came up as soon as we walk out. Proof is on the ground. I will NOT go back!!!! Best part was the laughs the family had at the table. read more