As a Bath resident, I can't believe that Chat-A-Whyle's signature item hasn't yet been highlighted in a review! Maybe most locals are trying to keep their best secret, but I love 'em so much I take every visitor we have to get one. STICKY-BUNS. Tell anyone in Bath you are going to get sticky buns and they know exactly where you are going. Fingers and napkins are a MUST for fully enjoying their pull-apart goodness. When that fresh sticky bun arrives, the sweet aroma fills the table. Breathe the steam in deep before slowly separating the doughy pieces with your fingers, tearing off a small piece to pop in and savor the gooey sweetness melting in your mouth. At this point, many continue eating it as is, others prefer to spread some butter on top and let it melt into the crevices. I prefer my sticky-buns in their pure state, but they tastes fantastic either way. :-) Of course, Chat-A-Whyle sticky-buns are best when freshly baked & eaten immediately, but we often order a dozen takeout for two people and have leftovers; many a breakfast has been made in my house on day-old sticky-buns. Just add coffee and they become great for dunking. :-) Best part is - they serve sticky buns ALL DAY! No need to make it in time for Breakfast. read more

Good thing the dining room is nice because if you go there, you'll be spending A LOT of time in it. The food is decent but service is terrible. I work within walking distance and everyone knows not to try to have lunch here. There just isn't enough waitstaff to attend to the large dining room. We were told to seat ourselves, and after a 10 minute wait wondered if we were supposed to serve ourselves as well. If you want water, you'll have to ask for it and even then don't expect to get it until your food arrives. Predictably, when the food did come it was no longer hot. Asking for the check will only prolong your agony. Pretty sure our waitress took a smoke break between clearing our plates and bringing us our check. Nice place, if you have the time. read more

We normally eat at this restaurant a few times a year; especially in the summertime while motorcycle riding. This past Sunday we stopped for the breakfast buffet and was truly disappointed. The food was cold, they seemed to have cooked too much to soon. The eggs were more like cardboard, the (i guess it was) sausage gravy was way to thick, and the hash browns were under cooked. The sticky buns were cold and hard. I have had better at this restaurant. The server was very polite and upbeat. Recommendation is to not cook so much food at one time, even though it will mean refilling the pans more often. read more

Really Really Bad....... I got the "homemade" corned beef hash. It was so dry and almost sour. I could not eat it. I then ordered a side of home fries since I did not want the hash....the potatoes were not hot. Cold in the middle and under cooked. My friend got eggs and hashbrowns. Her hashbrowns were under cooked and she said "I didn't know it was possible to mess up eggs...but they did". Then there was the coffee.....at least it was hot...but it was really watered down and had no real flavor. Not good. Our waitress was pretty nice but I will never go back. I don't usually go out of my way to write a review unless I go somewhere that is really really good or really really bad...and this was BAD. read more

Three strikes and the Chat-A-Whyle is out. I really did not want to go in but I had missed my bus and had a 2 hour wait for the next one. It was morning, far too early for Pizza Delight to be open, so after having been alienated by the place the other 2 times I had come, I thought, "maybe the third time's a charm" and decided to give it one more try. Big mistake. Big, big mistake. The first time I went in there, about a year ago, the waitress had lotion or perfume on her hands and it was all over my drink cup, utensils, and plate. I was eating in a cloud of perfume. When I complained about it I was treated as if I were crazy and they very begrudgingly and with a pissy attitude replaced my drink cup and utensils. I was stuck with the plate. I foolishly tried again several months ago, I went in there and left before even placing an order as the excessively strong air freshener odor from the restrooms was wafting into the dining area. Being stuck in Bath for two hours on a freezing day, early in the morning when most other places on Liberty Street were still closed I had to go somewhere and decided after some debate to give the place one last try. It was a catastrophic fail. The waitress invited me to sit anywhere and asked if I wanted coffee. I said yes and sat. Others came in and were seated and received menus. I waited and waited and received no menu. Finally I got up and got my own damn menu and a good 10 minutes after I set the menu aside to show that I was ready to order, a waitress came and asked for my order. I ordered the loaded fries. Another man came in and sat down. He ordered. At some point the waitress came to refill my coffee and slopped it all over hell down the side of the cup and onto the table. She didn't acknowledge it or offer to clean it up, just left my coffee in a pool. The other man received his breakfast and was halfway through it before it dawned on me that my fry order had been completely forgotten. Pissed, I stood up to leave and was instructed to wait while she wrote my ticket. When I got to the register with the ticket I was apparently expected to wait at the register forever while another waitress yukked it up with the good old boys in the front booths. Disgusted, I threw the ticket and the $1.24 for my coffee on the counter, and left, loudly announcing on my way out, "THANKS for the loaded fries, they were fantastic." If you enjoy slopped coffee and mediocre (at best) food in a highly perfumed environment (that is, if you manage to receive your order at all) then this is a great place to dine. read more

I love their famous Sunday lunches! They never let us down. The staff is always courteous and friendly. Love local owned business!

On the road...decided to stop at a local place for a break...fell upon this place. Sum it up...disappointing. It takes effort to make average food taste below average. And the sticky buns mentioned in the prior reviews; and also by our waitress were bland, doughy..lots more flour than cinnamon. .YUK read more

It's the quintessential American family owned diner. My favorite breakfast there by far is the corned beef hash, the perfect early morning comfort food. The owners are very friendly and will come out and talk to you while you're eating, no matter how busy they are at the time. You really feel like part of the community there, like you've found the best place to be. read more

Had breakfast with the grandkids and it was very good. The kids really enjoyed the homemade french toast!

This place was very cute and was actually a nice find. This place is definitely the most crowded in the area. The atmosphere is typical diner, with a counter and a few tables when you walk in, and a full dining room with many tables towards the back. The decor is bland, but I guess it is sort of expected in a small town, neighborhood eatery. The service was quite nice, accommodating. The menu was short and sweet, with a little of everything. There was breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, and on Sunday's, a full dinner (maybe you could get it during the week.) It happened to be Sunday when we went, so we all ordered the special. The price was amazing for the amount of food you were receiving. You got a dinner roll or a sticky bun, soup or drink, salad, and choice of sides, with a choice of dessert. We started off with our breads. The dinner roll was okay, but you must get the sticky bun. It is paradise. It is so sweet, sticky, and had so much cinnamon that I thought I would faint. Plus, they make it on the premises. Their soups are quite nice, not the greatest. Their salads are fresh, I don't know why some people are complaining about freshness. They are busily preparing all of the entrees in the back very quickly! Our entrees came out very fast. I had ordered a turkey dinner, which I got with mashed potatoes and vegetable. The turkey was dry and a bit undercooked, which was a disappointment, but I forgave them since it tasted pretty good and the mashed potatoes were buttery and delicious. Their fried chicken was very good, prepared fresh. The chicken was cooked nicely and was quite a surprise. All of their entrees sounded appealing, so make sure to check those out. The best part of the meal was the dessert. We had a choice of a pie flavor which was written out on the board, where they were slowly erasing some selections as more people ordered them. I ordered a graham cracker pie, which was really sweet. The pie itself had a strange consistency, but the piece was huge and it tasted great. Their raspberry pie is yummy and so is their peach. read more

Don't chat in the car on your way. Save your chatting for when you get to the restaurant. You'll have plenty of time to talk about everything including the weather and beyond. We were here on a busy day about eight people here. We waited about 30 minutes to 40 minutes for breakfast. If you have anything to do or schedule anything to do be prepared to cut out enough time to have a decent meal at this restaurant. read more

Had the Sunday dinner. The food is cafeteria quality. Everything is already prepared and it tastes like they just heat and serve it. I was pretty disappointed with the dessert. It is really quantity over quality here. It is cheap here and caters to an older crowd. read more

My wife and I went here on a Sunday and had their Sunday Dinners. We both wanted Prime Rib but there was only one available. It was mostly fat when she got it. The chicken breast that I got was tiny, like a kids portion. the carrots were soggy and overcooked. Broccoli was the same soggy and overcooked. The orange juice appetizer was a bit larger than a shot glass. Overall it was terrible. We brought the prime rib home for the dogs. The desert was nothing special. All of this for 40 bucks! We'll never go there again and would not recommend it to anyone. read more

Terrible experience, their geriatric waitstaff was clearly overwhelmed as my family sat without being spoken to (i.e. No menus, beverage orders taken) for over 20 minutes before we decided to leave. On our way out we spoke with the manager, who just brushed us off. Can not speak to the quality of the food as our time there was overshadowed by an entirely negligent customer service experience. read more

it was my 1st time going there. breakfast was awesome. definitely want to go back. Was touring wine country. Friends told me about it.

What a wonderful experience! This is a gem of a restaurant that I will definitely revisit! The staff was exceedingly friendly and accommodating. They are quick to grab your order and quick to deliver your food. The menu has plenty of choices to satisfy any craving, and they are willing to customize your order so that you receive just what you want. The food was as delicious as a snooty restaurant without the snooty prices. I wish I could bring this diner back home with me! read more

My wife and I had the pot roast tonight. It was wonderful. The place is clean, the service adequate and the coffee fresh. I even found a lump in my potatoes! A very pleasant experience for sure! read more

I've patronized this restaurant for many years. It's a good local diner; meaning it gives you a good meal but nothing fancy. The place is nicely decorated for a small town diner and it's always clean. Wait service is adequate; no one will go out of the way to welcome anyone. I particularly like the meat dishes, e.g. prime rib, pot roast - the portion is not big, just enough - but the taste is good. Their chili is always good too. One thing though, if you order a hamburger you'll only get a bun with meat. Any additional lettuce is $0.25, additional slice of tomato is another $0.25. This is a good place to eat if you need something quick while in the area. The Sunday dinners are the best value; the buffet is OK if you arrive early at the start of the buffet. read more

Good food ...decent service. Wish they stayed open later at least a couple times a week.

We arrived this morning between 10:35 & 10:40. Our order was taken promptly by a friendly, polite waitress. I chose a breakfast from the menu & my husband & daughter chose the buffet. They finished eating & my food still hadn't arrived so, I waited a little while longer. After 20 minutes I politely asked about when my breakfast might be ready. The waitress answered me in a very irritated tone and told me that they were busy & it would be soon & she would go check (she didn't offer an apology even). She came back & told me "about a minute". I asked to have it boxed so I could eat in the car because I heard her & other waitstaff telling other tables "about a minute" so I didn't know what that really meant. She brought my food out shortly after (she didn't even throw in a free cup of coffee for our trouble) and while I was eating (in the car) I found hair in my food!! Will not be going back EVER!! read more

so this was definitely not the best place to eat.. there fish was horrible the mac salad was all runny.. my wife got the wings they were cooked thru all the way.. her cheese sticks were warm but not hot.. there waitress staff are very rude and had an attitude we paid for our meals and walked out would never go there again read more

My coworkers and I traveled the Bath, NY rather unexpectedly one Friday and were unsure of where to stop for lunch. We passed a Pizza Hut along the way as well as a few other diners, but nothing caught my eye quite like the Chat-A-Whyle. Upon entering, I immediately knew that I had made the right decision. My party and I were greeted by the friendly wait staff advising us to pick whichever table we liked. There we stood, trying to choose, when we saw two perfectly good tables right next to each other. "May we push these together?" we asked. "Of course!" one waitress replied with a smile. From then on the service was impeccable. I may have been handed the wrong drink order from the waitress, my water may have been in a 6 oz glass, but I didn't let that get me down. Next came the time to order. The waitress listened patiently to our orders, making sure she understood every detail of our requests. It's that kind of diligence that gets you places in this world. When the food arrived, my party and I were more than satisfied. Was my potato salad overdressed? Perhaps, but that's not what's important. What's important is that I was able to share a lovely afternoon with my coworkers in a historic, country setting. We even passed around the onion rings and French fries to share, more like a family style setting, which is exactly what Chat-A-Whyle is. A family. read more

Management is awful. Run as fast as you can AWAY from this place.The flat patty burger served to my son tasted like old beef (after his bite, I tried it to see if he was just being picky). We informed our waitress that the beef was old and tasted bad. She apologized and offered my son to choose from something else on the menu. He declined. Another waitress approached our table, informed us that she was the manager, and that both she and another employee tasted my son's burger and there was nothing wrong with it. Yes, two employees tasted my son's burger and said there was nothing wrong with the beef. I couldn't believe what I heard. Not only are they unprofessional in customer service, but they tasted the burger. Weird at best. They refused to remove the burger from our check. Our waitress apologized but could do nothing about it. We paid our bill and will NEVER eat there again. Horrible food, horrible customer service, horrible diner. read more