I had occasion to visit the VA hospital this week for an 8am appt, and wanted breakfast once the appt was done. My husband asked about a chicken friend steak, so I Yelp'd and low-and-behold, Cook's is really close to where we were. I was raised in a small midwestern town, and this, folks, is a quintessential midwestern diner! I didn't snap a pic of the menu, but ordering is done at the register and all the prices are very reasonable. I ordered a coffee & western omelette, which came with a side of hash-browns and biscuit. The coffee, very standard diner percolator brewed stuff, was fresh and the perfect consistency. The food was served quickly by a cheerful waitress who came by a few times to continue to check on us. My husband was very pleased with his chicken fried steak, hash-browns, eggs and toast. My breakfast was well-portioned; not a huge plate but definitely ample, fresh and tasty! The best part of the experience for me what the cleanliness of the dining room. Not fancy- utilitarian carpet, linoleum table tops- but so clean, fresh and well-tended. It seemed busy for a Thursday morning; more than half the dining room was occupied, and the low storefront of the building is easy to miss, but I was confident these customers were regulars. We don't live in Topeka, but this is now my fav restaurant there, so I plan to return! read more

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It has been about 2 years since I had been to Cooks. It has not changed and the food quantity and quality is still a good place to find a great breakfast and lunch meal. Coffee was good. The staff are always helpful. They have good deserts also. Not fancy but very relaxing place. Bisquits and gravy were great. read more

Really great place for homemade food. Have tried many items on their menu and everything has been amazing. Great staff with real from-scratch cooking in proper sized portions at great prices, especially when you consider the quality. Last trip we had a pork tenderloin sandwich with veg beef soup. Other one had a pork loin dinner with mashed potatoes with white gravy, green beans and a roll. Highly recommended. read more

Cook's American Grill - Pork tenderloin sandwich with beef veg soup - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

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Cook's has a large variety of delicious food. We have never had a bad meal there. Our very most favorite dish there is the open-face roast beef. The beef is super tender and the gravy is so flavorful! The best!! Last, but not least, all of the employees there are SUPER FRIENDLY! read more

They are a great family owned restaurant and always friendly. Food is always hot and fresh. read more

Cook's American Grill - Meat loaf dinner and of course I always add hot sauce - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Customer service is lacking. Owner doesn't want to listen to customer. He has no time for people. Why would people want to return to a business where they only care about your $$ . But not you . read more

Cook's is a staple in Topeka. Some of the best breakfast food you'll find. Honestly, their other food is good, but if you're not going to have breakfast, then I can't be your friend. Breakfast food always wins in my book and you're missing out if you don't try it. Their breakfast bowls, french toast, omelets, pancakes, whatever. Get you some. read more

Outstanding diner! Great food with an impressive variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items. Excellent customer service with friendly and appropriately attentive staff. We'll definitely be back next time we're in Topeka! read more

Throw back cafe/diner that delivered a GREAT double cheeseburger. Loved the special sauce mixed with DICED lettuce, great cheese and fresh tomato & pickle. The bun just became part of the burger. Ordered a bowl of chili on the side and it was exactly what you would expect-hearty with some spice and good ground beef. Definitely stop in if you haven't. read more

Cook's American Grill - Double cheese burger and chili - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Definitely a learning curve experience on my first visit here. I now know TO ORDER the two eggs with sausage and hashbrowns. I also know NOT TO ORDER the pancakes as the included side as they were DELICIOUS but only a tease with the tiny size. Instead I would opt next time for the biscuit. Also under NOT TO is the biscuits and gravy. So, why a side biscuit but NOT the B&G? Simple, bland powdered gravy mix. The biscuit drowning under it was quite nice looking. Sausage had great flavor and two generous patties. Coffee above average. read more

Cook's American Grill - Outstanding hashbrowns, sausage and cakes. Pass on the gravy! - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

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This place was our go to when our kids were small, and we've rediscovered it over the last 2 years so. They food was always good, the staff were nice and the kids loved the meals served in the little cardboard cars. The price was right too! We started going back a few years ago whenever we just wanted a really good basic cheeseburger. It's not the best burger ever, but it's always really really good, and fairly priced. We just tonight and had the chicken fried steak and it was pretty awesome. Once again, very good food, good sized portions and the price is very reasonable. I'm thinking we'll be going there on a more consistent basis. The double bonus is supporting a local small business! read more

I have been eating here for years. The service was good today. They are always friendly. Sadly, today I have a mixed review. I ordered the roast beef dinner, mashed potatoes, green beans, roll, and lemon meringue pie. My entree came out a little cold today. The food tasted okay but I found a hair under my roast beef That is such a bummer. I will finish on a positive note. My lemon meringue pie was delicious. The crust is always perfect. The flavor of the lemon curd was just the right amount of tart and sweet. And the meringue was piled nice and high. This is the kind of place you order Thanksgiving and Christmas pies! I will be back to Cook's someday. Let's hope my next visit is more like all the times before! read more

You will need to order at the counter when you walk in, but they will bring your food to you when it's ready. It definitely has an old school feel to it - nothing fancy, but the service is friendly and the food is good. I had the breakfast bowl with bacon and thought it had great flavor, was fresh and not greasy tasting. The potatoes had a perfect crunch to them. Hubby said the pancakes and hash browns were excellent! It was a wonderful stop for breakfast on our way out of town. read more

Cook's American Grill - Breakfast Bowl! - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

We were visiting family in the Topeka area and we always like to find little mom and pop diners to try. Cooks was one of the best we have had in quite a while. The food tasted like it was freshly made in the back, the service was outstanding and the ambiance was quaint. We highly recommend Cooks if you are ever in the area. read more

Want some home cooking? Look no further. I like this little spot; nice service and decent food. I really like their meatloaf dinner and they have some great burgers. Come support a locally owned establishment that has been around a long time. read more

This is just a great middle-American diner that Californians will never understand. It's great because it has all the little touches that only comes from cooking comfort food thousands of times until it's perfected. The sausage has a little sear on it without being dried out. The gravy has crumbled - not lumpy - sausage, and pepper you can see. The biscuit was brushed with melted butter before it was baked, to make it a little salty and stiff - not crunchy. And the chef's secret gravy ingredient is paprika :) This place checks all the boxes with a sweet waitress, an old guy behind the grill, and a newspaper waiting for you. I got a sausage and cheese omelette, hash browns, biscuits and gravy. The gravy is OUTSTANDING. Don't miss it. Hang your coat and take a comfortable seat. read more

Cook's American Grill - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Had a great dinner and great service Very clean and very fast to have the food to the table.

Great burgers and great service. Also have a lot of other great things on the menu. I was impressed

Best comfort food in Topeka!!! The breakfast is wonderful, the cinnamon rolls are made there and baked fresh daily. If you like cheeseburgers, you have got to have the 1/2 pound cheeseburger special, it will blow your mind. I love, love, love the chef salad with blue cheese dressing, which is homemade-but not shown on the menu-just ask for it. The ranch and thousand island are also made fresh and the french dressing is OTTS, how can you mess with perfection. I just tried the fried shrimp and it was wonderful. Be sure to ask for extra crispy fries or hashbrowns. They also have homemade chili that is perfect with a side of sour cream and cheese on top. Another not on the menu favorite is a frito chili pie. Speaking of pie, they bake the fruit pies on site and the cream pies come from a pie maker who makes them at home. I love the lemon meringue pie. Treat yourself, you won't regret it. read more

While the staff is great, the food always tastes like it comes directly out of a can. I have tried to like the food, but it just doesn't taste good. All the people I know that like this place only do so because they are friends with the owner. read more

Ate here for the first time this morning for breakfast. The breakfast menu was small, but had all the essentials. Our biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs, and bacon were all really good. The sausage I had was not. I think it's just the brand they use because I recognized it from having it somewhere else in the past, didn't like it then either. It was fairly busy. A lot of people were getting food to go, but several groups were there to eat. It's a smaller place, but not congested at all. Staff was extremely nice and made it feel even more of a cozy place to eat. Definitely recommend going here and I definitely will be coming back to try lunch/dinner sometime! They also had like 10 kinds of ice cream, which I'll need to try at some point in my life too... read more

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Love this little hometown restaurant, the food is cooked to order tastes home made and they have a huge selection. The onion rings are my favorite. read more

Hidden Gem off Gage Blvd. Great value for your $. The food comes out fast and hot. Covid sanitation is on point. Table was sanitized prior to sitting down. read more

Cook's American Grill - Classic Rueben and chicken fried chicken - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

A GREAT restaurant! Home cooked food, friendly staff, and opulent integrity! This place will become one of your regular stops!!

Hubby and I checked out this place for breakfast for the first time. It was excellent. The over medium eggs were perfect and the bacon was crispy. Just like we like. We will be back. We ordered the two eggs any style with hashbrowns, eggs, bacon and toast. Simply delicious. read more

Cook's American Grill - The best over medium eggs I've ever had when dining out. Koodos to the cook. - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Excellent home style breakfast. Very divey but my over-medium eggs were cooked perfectly, which seems to be hard to come by these days. The biscuits and gravy were not the best "looking" but they we're surprisingly delicious. My nine-year-old said his pancakes were the best he ever had and my husband did not even touch the salt and pepper which is next to never. Great stop while driving through Topeka. read more

Cook's American Grill - a breakfast of eggs, hash browns, bacon and pancakes - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Had the Patty Melt for lunch today. It brought to mind the classic question "where's the beef? The beef patty was no thicker than the slice of cheese. This was the worst patty melt I've ever had. I'll not be going back to Cooks very soon, if at all. read more

TL; DR: Solid food and cheap prices, but weak coffee Came here while in town on business. This place is set up a little differently: you go up to the counter to order and pay, grab your own utensils and drinks, and sit. They bring the food to you, and the lady was walking around refilling coffee, but it appeared you put your own dishes up as well (I did, following suit of what appeared to be regulars). I got a breakfast special with coffee for less than $6. Now the coffee was the weakest coffee I've ever had in a diner, but my meal was so cheap I didn't bother to ask for a different drink. The food came out quickly and was delicious. Just good hometown diner food, yano? Didn't require the addition of salt or pepper, as is the case with so many small diners. Overall, I want to try some other places in town, but I'd be willing to come back. read more

Lunch with moms & brother...its Always good at cooks. Happy empty plate...my mom had the veggie beef soup & grill cheese sandwich gone! read more

Cook's American Grill - American Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

What a great restaurant! The food is very good as well as the prices. I had a ham and cheese on rye which was loaded with meat. The bread was really fresh. The people there are really friendly. The inside is also very clean. read more

I always eat at this nice local family-owned restaurant when I am in town. The employees are always very nice, and the food is delicious. There is such a variety to choose from--hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, salads, dinner plates (roast beef, chicken, meatloaf, and more). They even serve omelets and other delicious breakfast items during morning hours. Although they get lots of regular business, there is plenty of room since they recently expanded. It's so nice to see a local business thriving during the current state of the world! read more

Love the cozy and casual atmosphere. Service is great even though it's kind of a self-serve place. The small taco salad is just the right size. Love the pork tenderloin sandwiches. The sizes and prices are just right! But....you need a more prominent sign on Gage Blvd! Unless someone points the place out, it's easy to overlook. read more

We had breakfast here yesterday, and it was really good. We enjoyed the trivia cards on the table, and it seemed like no time at all before our food was brought to the table. Orange juice, coffee were top notch. Great hash browns, eggs, etc. Comfort food is always fun, so we will be back again soon. read more

Stopped here on my way through Kansas. I found traditional favorites, done well, at a good price, and with friendly staff =)

There are fewer and fewer classic American diners in existance. There are even fewer that cook their own food and do it well. If you want trendy, if you want the latest fads about what to put into and not put into foods, go somewhere else. If you want excellent traditional midwestern diner food at a reasonable price in a clean place with friendly staff, go hear. I do. read more

They have great burgers. The cheese sauce they put on the burgers make it extra yummy. I have never ate in there since I am always on the go and never had anything else since I usually don't order meals, so other than that the burgers are awesome!!! read more

Very inexpensive and delicious burgers and fries! A must for anyone looking for a cheap old-fashioned American meal.

Good food, prices, and service. Had sandwich and pie. Nothing fancy but a great breakfast or lunch stop. Will go back for sure.

I would go elsewhere if you're looking for a home-style meal...mine was nasty. Atmosphere could be a little better as well.

Very friendly and great lunch spot. Don't let the scary outside deter you! Burgers and Ruben were very good. Skip onion rings and potato salad. Fries are good! read more