Breakfast and lunch comfort food. Down home decor that matches the name. Quick service and good food.

Restaurant prices have gone up everywhere, and I don't expect a restaurant to charge what a can of Coke costs at Jewel. There's overhead, labor and profit, and that's part of eating out. But there's a point where pricing stops feeling reasonable and starts feeling opportunistic. Three of us ordered Diet Cokes with brunch. Mine came in a fairly small glass, and when I finished it while waiting for our food, I asked for a refill. Country Kitchen doesn't do "refills." Each Coke is $5. So two Diet Cokes with brunch, you've spent $10 on diet Cokes. Three, and you're at $15. Fortunately, I can afford it. That really isn't the issue. The web says that the raw ingredients cost a restaurant between $.30 & $.50, to put a glass of diet Coke on the table. At some point customers should still be able to recognize bad value, even when they can comfortably pay the bill. Unfortunately, the food didn't make the pricing easier to overlook. I ordered an egg-white sandwich with turkey sausage on the side. Instead, the sausages were stuffed into the sandwich. The white onions were simply white onions, not grilled, and the whole thing promptly exploded all over the plate. Nothing disastrous, just surprisingly careless presentation for a restaurant comfortable charging premium prices. Highland Park can certainly support expensive restaurants. But higher prices should buy something, better ingredients, better preparation, better service, or simply a little more generosity toward the customer. Charging $5 every time someone wants another small fountain Coke doesn't feel upscale... It just feels stingy. read more

First time at Country Kitchen. They offer free street parking on the street and also have a parking lot ( I think it's for all store fronts) . First impressions when I walked in. It had an old homie feeling (in a good way). Felt like was eating in my kitchen at home . They offer plenty of seating as the restaurant was pretty big. Our waitress was very nice and helpful. I ordered the Butcher block skillet. It had bacon, sausage, ham,onion,green pepper, mushrooms, egg, and cheese . And it came with toast, they will butter your toast if you ask. With all the ingredients it was definitely a good bang for your money. The skillet was cooked perfectly and very tasty. They offer a big breakfast menu and they also have a lunch menu. Definitely want to come back and try something different. read more

Country Kitchen - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Ok it is the north shore so you are still going to spend $50 on breakfast for two no matter what you eat. For a $14 breakfast sandwich, they were at least generous as you can see from my picture, so much so that I took half home for the next day. My wife enjoyed her country benedict as we took in the decor which is straight up grandma retro throwback kitchen with lots of booths to sit in. Arriving at prime time on a recent Sunday, there was no wait, we were seated immediately. The service was friendly and prompt and you pay your check at the register by the door. So glad to have this option nearby, we'll be back. read more

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A Greek diner. There were TONS of retired patrons here. Obvious reasons. There are beyond generous portions of food. It was packed. They are only open till 2pm. The restaurant filled every box in the Greek diner handbook. Lots of food selections, outdated decor, open cooking area, etc. Food was fresh and tasted good. I had a triple decker sandwich that I could not finish and my significant other had an egg white omelet which more than half came home with us. They give you way too much food. I would have felt better with a smaller portion. Ambiance not fantastic. I felt as if everything was from the 1950's. The whole restaurant could use a makeover. I would highly suggest a makeover. We would go back to Country Kitchen read more

Food tastes as old as the place! Service is decent but would not recommend especially since there are better much better places in the Area!

Food is okay if it's the only restaurant left on the planet. In the general area, try That Little French Guy or Walker Bros. If you can get further away, any other breakfast place is better. The owners seem to think customizable food is more important than taste. Ambience is good if you like to be around people that will eat anything read more

I agree with the low average ratings. I assume this chain is staying business for their best practices and not the quality of the food :( Great location in downtown Highland Park. Burger with fries was fine. Mediocre diner food. My companion got hot sauce condiment served in a plastic sauce cup?! read more

I love this place! Very townie but food is spot on great! They only serve breakfast and lunch but if you're hungry for either, I'd def come here! read more

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Always terrific. My father in law says they have the best Patty melt. Great friendly service

Service if horrible. We sat and a table was finishing up their meal. They leaf and another table sat in their booth. They received drinks and placed their order while no one came by our table. I went to the manager who apologized and told a wait staff member to come over. She literally walked by us and didn't take our order. We left. Can't comment on the food but the service if terrible. read more

We went there twice and liked both times. All items we ordered were good. The quantity is right for the price. There house Benedict is real good! I loved it. The coffee is also good. read more

Really quaint little breakfast spot in downtown HP. It's a really relaxed atmosphere. The staff was very friendly. The menu has some really great breakfast options. Their pancake choices are awesome! My fiancé had the peanut butter chip pancakes and I had the corn cakes, both were delicious! We also got a strawberry cup to share at the table and it was fresh and delicious! We will absolutely be back to eat at Country Kitchen again. read more

There are a number of reasons why Country Kitchen is always busy -- friendly and fast customer service, engaging and energetic ambience, delicious and plentiful food, and ample parking. The same family has owned the restaurant since the beginning and they still provide the same service and product since I was a child decades ago. I'm convinced the plates and coffee cups are the same ones as well! :-) While everybody I've come here with as had something different and it always looks great, I've never strayed from my exact same order. I'm not even ashamed to say it! Crepe style chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream on top, and two sides of crispy bacon! I'm sure everything my family and friends have eaten is quite good, but I can only attest that my chocolate chip pancakes and bacon are beyond quite good!! The bottomless coffee cup is usually good enough, and juices are squeezed fresh and they're delicious. read more

Country Kitchen - Chocolate chip pancakes rolled, with whipped cream on top, and two sides of bacon, crispy. An absolute guilty pleasure! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

There is no better place for breakfast or lunch in the north shore!! The food is always amazing and the service is the best ever! Every single server and employee there is wonderful! read more

The food was excellent, reminiscent of homemade meals from grandma's kitchen. The service was outstanding - quick and welcoming. Although the decor is a bit old-fashioned, it adds to the restaurant's charm. read more

We ordered pick up and they forgot an item that we paid for. We noticed it right away and they made us wait twenty minutes while the other dishes sat in the bag and got cold. Everything was cold when we got home. The food is good when it's made right. Maybe they need extra help when they get busy? read more

In HP and decided to go get a little breakfast and was told this was the place to go. After a 20 minute wait we were seated. I had the pancakes. They were good but did not blow my mind away. The young one had the house omelette and she said it was alright. She thought it would be better since it had bacon in it but her mind was also not blown away. The wifey had a cheese omelette and she gave it 5 stars but she is very nice and generous with her stars. My mom was the special guest and she gave 4 stars for her omelette. She would of gave 5 stars but she did not love the coffee and she subtracted a star. She is not generous with her stars. I also did not think the coffee was all that good. Being from California I thought the prices were cheap for breakfast and the service was pretty fast and nice. read more

Country Kitchen - 4 stars and that is all I am saying. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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The food was mediocre. It wouldn't be bad enough to comment on if it were just mediocre food. The terrible service is what pushed me to consider discussing the totality of my experience there. I ordered two eggs over medium with toast and hash browns, plain crepes, and a side of veggie sausage patties. The crepes weren't crepes they were more like really thin buttermilk pancakes. Ok no biggie, their blintzes on the menu may be different from what I understand to be blintzes and there was no "plain crepe" on the menu so my bad. The hash browns were cold and oddly cooked. They were the shredded in house sort with dark charred bits. I like that style except that the crunchy bits weren't crunchy they were just tough. The potatoes tasted slightly undercooked which wouldn't have risen to the level of notice if it weren't for other issues like that when I asked for plain crepes I asked if they had real maple syrup. The server said that they do but they charge $1.50 extra. She asked if I was ok with that. I said "ok, sure". She asked again if I was ok with that and reminded me that is was a whole $1.50. Then after I affirmed for the second time she asked if I was sure. I don't want to think that she assumed I couldn't afford it because I'm a black male and this is in highland park. Let's give the benefit of the doubt and say it was simply an annoyingly persistent display of demanding enthusiastic consent. Next up we asked for another order of maple syrup because my mother had asked for a waffle. They'd already placed a container of FAKE maple syrup on the table so when my mother asked for the second order of the real stuff they asked if they should leave the the fake stuff there and again reminded us that it was going to be a whole one dollar and fifty cents. We said fine. They never brought it to us. We were asked twice before we even started to actually eat, how things were but after we started eating the wait staff barely checked on or acknowledged us. It felt like we were unwelcome and they were doing as much as they could to pretend to be polite enough to let us know that they'd rather we not be there. Our check was dropped on the table without asking if we wanted anything else and, insultingly, it was placed in front of my mother. When I flagged down the woman who dropped off the check she actively disregarded me the first two times I said "excuse me". When she eventually came to the table we told her that I wanted a coffee and My mother would like a hot cocoa. With much attitude and flare she replied "oh! Ok I'll get you a NEW check"! I stopped her to ask if they had heavy cream for my coffee stating that I only wanted it if they had heavy cream to which she replied yes. When the drinks arrived at the table they provided no spoons and there was a mound of whipped cream that made it impossible to sip from the mug without covering one's face in froth. Also, the "cocoa" was basically chocolate flavored water. Not at all what one would call cocoa in any reasonable context. my coffee came with a little metal creamer containing half and half. I tried to flag down three separate members of the waitstaff but they all managed to not see me. Finally when a young g woman came by to ask if I needed more coffee I'd asked her if they had heavy cream because that's what I'd asked for. She told me that they don't have heavy cream only half and half and milk. ‍‍‍ We were then ignored for at least 7 minutes and eventually I had to flag someone down to ask for the check. We went to the register and when asked how things were I gave my honest unvarnished feedback: "the food was mediocre and the service was abysmal" read more

Could have been a breakfast place in NY - accommodating, quick service, handled strafe orders correctly and the food was hot. The restaurant itself was a little run down but everything was great. read more

Overpriced and mediocre! $50 breakfast for two ... and an upset stomach after breakfast .. fried hash browns in cheap oil! Won't be back! Too many great options nearby! read more

I went here recently for brunch on a Sunday afternoon. Its a nice family kind of restaurant with a huge variety of breakfast and lunch foods. When I went, I tried one of their omelettes which was tasty. You got a choice of potato and also toast. They also had a bottomless cup of coffee which made for a great meal. I'd go here again if in the area for some great home-cooked kind of food. read more

Let me first say that during the Covid-19 times when businesses complain business being off and are trying to make a go of it, offer good service. As our usual fall tradition of going to the nearby botanical gardens for a fall visit, we usually have breakfast at a nearby restaurant. From the reviews of the Country Kitchen, it seemed like a good place to dine at. Due to time limits, we only had forty five minutes to eat and get back on the road. Upon entering the restaurant, we were seating at a table right away. Handed a paper menu that you needed a microscope to read. Then the wait started, the waitress never came to our table even though the place was fairly empty. I had to yell across the room to get her attention. Ordered the coffee and places our food orders. We were served luke warm coffee and just barely enough cream and sugar to make one cup of coffee - not three. Food came a few minutes later which was hot and nice portion size. Saying that, each order of pancakes came with about a shot glass worth of syrup. We also got one refill on the coffees and that's about it. But it seemed the other tables reaped the most attention (either regulars or friends of the staff). At about the forty four minute mark had to chase the waitress down again to get our bill and get of there. The only positive thing a will say about this place was that they had hand sanitizer bottles on each table, Will not repeat. read more

Our favorite little breakfast spot. Super reasonable prices, fast and friendly service despite always being packed, absolutely delicious food. We love the eggs benedict, the grilled cheese, and the strawberry waffles. Also the best curly fries I've ever had. Love this place, 1000/10 read more

I have visited the Country Kitchen a couple of times for breakfast meetings so I decided it was time to introduce my wife to this large local diner. It was a late breakfast on a quiet Friday morning. It was almost 11:00 before we finally got to the restaurant and as expected the dining room was mostly empty. I had been told that the corned beef hash was some of the best any place and with my wife being a CBH connoisseur we decided to order a full order. We were a little surprised it wasn't offered as a part of any of the egg dishes. The flavor was ok but the texture was way too fine and just felt weird on your tongue. Oh and like the entire meal it was not very warm. The Cinnamon French Toast was very sweet and tasty but not very warm. If hot I would rate this FT as some of the best I have recently tasted. Service was quick and friendly and if they could get the food to the table while still warm it would be elevate our dinning experience greatly. I will be back to find out if this was just a off day for the Country kitchen. read more

Country Kitchen - Full order of Corned Beef Hash. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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This restaurant does not even deserve one star. They were very rude when questioned about their pricing. I think their menu is a scam, it is meant to confuse you into thinking that you are getting a better "deal" if one orders a certain way. I ordered corned beef hash with my eggs and had to send it back. It was burned on the top and the rest was dried out. I had to order some toast with my eggs and for that they charged me $2.95 extra. When I inquired about this, the manager was called over and when questioned about this, she became very indignant and said that if I didn't like what I got they would recharge the check and it would cost more, the waitress was trying to save me money. What a bunch of malarkey. They will never see us again and I hope that anyone who reads this will never go there. Carol T read more

Great menu, great service and very good food. Lots of parking and a lot just steps from the door. Family owned and the price is right. It does get crowded on the weekends so if you are a big party you can call and reserve a table. read more

Friendly and super fast service (perfect for when you have young antsy kids!!) And I loved my lox and cream cheese omelette. They even gave peanut butter chips - instead of chocolate- for whose kids love all thing peanut butter. read more

I've been coming here for over 25 years. Great food, great service ( the serving staff helps everyone ) & the very best omelettes i have ever had! read more

Probably one of the worst breakfasts I've ever had. The only positive was that we were seated within minutes of walking in. After being seated a woman approached us and asked if we wanted coffee. We ordered two coffee and a milk for my son. 20min later, she came back with our drinks and to take our order. I asked if there was a kids menu, she said she will come back with one, 5mins later she came back and said hey don't have a kids menu. We ordered a lox plate, eggs, pancakes, and Canadian bacon. It took such a long time to bring such simple things, it was ridiculous! We had a doctors appointment to go to, so had to eat in 10mins since it took them so long to being the food out. The waitress never came to check on us, we had to ask someone else for the check. And the food, don't even get me started. I asked for feta cheese in my eggs and I received mozzarella. It was tasteless. She forgot to bring the bacon, but didn't forget to charge us for it. I asked for goat cheese on the hash browns and received American. What could have went wrong, did. read more

Country Kitchen - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Food and service good, price is fare. Place is clean and charming. I do recommend the place. read more

Country Kitchen - a cup of coffee on a table - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

This breakfast/lunch diner is a typical small town diner...except that it is in Highland Park. Food is good and served hot and delicious. Service can be a bit spotty. One major downside...THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH!! In today's age, and considering costs for meals, this can be a huge turn-off and business killer, but they seem to be doing alright. Worth the trip and cash hassle. read more

We came here for a family brunch during our trip back home because everyone LOVES it here! Upon arrival we were seated right away. It's a cute little spot where you are almost guaranteed to see someone you know. The service is great and quick. The omelettes are so fluffy and seem to be a favorite here, as 9 of the 10 people at my table got an omelette of some sort. I ordered pecan and banana pancakes and they actually blended them into the pancakes and they were AMAZING! Next time we're in town we know where to go for a quick yummy decently-priced breakfast! read more

host acts like he is doing you a favor when you walk in. He is lucky the food is good and the waitresses are pleasant read more

Certainly Country Kitchen is a Highland Park tradition, though I am not sure that is a compelling enough reason to dine here. In a sharp contradiction to the pervasive elitism of HP, Country Kitchen is "down home" cooking like your mother used to make. Nothing fancy here but you can find all your traditional breakfast and lunch items on the menu. I stick with the breakfast items, usually an omelette. The portions are huge and easily fill you up. read more

I loved this diner! One of my girlfriends lives in HP and when I told her I wanted really food for lunch and not silly girlie food, she said I know just the place! It was packed at 11:45 and had several tables with large groups. I thought service would suffer but that was not the case at all. I had something called a spicy tuna melt with tomatoes and fries of course. Wow was it good. My GF had a salad with grilled chicken. Large portions and cheap prices, especially for the North Shore. It's decorated like a diner from the 1960's and that is a good thing in my book. I saw several senior citizens having lunch and you could tell they were regulars. By the cashier, they have a box of little toys for the kiddies to take. How sweet is that? My friend said the daughter of the original owners is now running the restie and has added some new menu items. I told my GF I am coming back here for breaky. It was really good and places like this warm my heart. read more

Grandma? Grandma where are you? Seriously, when you walk into this restaurant it's almost like you're transported to your grandmother's kitchen....but there happen to be about 100 more people than you'd remembered. This place is super cute; wood tables, waitresses in jean aprons, chicken/eggs/plaid dcor everywhere. Most importantly the amazing yummy food. I've never really had a bad meal here; the are pancakes delicious, the bacon is crunchy, the eggs fluffy, and the coffee is always hot. The only downside (which doesn't merit a minus in stars) is that during breakfast hours there tends to be a longer wait than some would like. But, since they are so quick on service, you'll be sitting down before you can finish your venti coffee from starbucks. read more

A little greasy diner in the heart of trendy downtown Highland Park. Great owner. He's the old guy holding court in full uniform when you walk in for breakfast. Friendly staff. Solid breakfast food. THIS IS NOT BRUNCH!!! If you want that, I'm sure HP can accommodate you. Cash only. Big booths and tables. Decor straight out of the 70s. read more

This place has gotten rave reviews via Yelp, and when I was in the area I figured this was a place I had to stop and try. I'm not sure what the high marks are for - where the food was hot and fresh enough, it's nothing I can't find at any diner in any town, USA. ATMOSPHERE: A bit kitzy. The walls are filled with odd dishes and knicknacks, which look like they haven't been dusted since they were made (circa 1970 or so). The lighting is dirty (the light fixture over our booth had dust and cobwebs hanging off of it in strips. The vents in the bathroom had a VERY thick layer of dust / dirt / grime on them. It gave me the shivers to see the eating area so unclean - hope the kitchen / cooking area is better. FOOD: Decent, but not memorable. We had breakfast, I had the "Ole" omelette, and my husband the Cinnamon Raisin pancakes. The server sold me on the Ole because of a supposed home made salsa, and him on the pancakes as the two MUST TRY plates. The pancakes were a bit dry, and we have had the same dish in other restaurants which were 1000 times better, so these were a let down. The Ole omelette was HUGE (come very, very hungry), it's twice or three times the size of a regular omelette, and it was also a bit of a let down. The promised home made salsa was a let down as well, it looked like red water with little bits of green and red pepper thrown in it. Taste wise, it was fine, but the overwhelming size and underwhelming salsa didn't make for a great experience. SERVICE: Meh. The server was unimpressed that it was our first time. She had to be flagged down to bring coffee, and was MIA when we were eating. I would have expected the best service ever from other reviews, and was let down by the real life experience. VALUE: Fair. While not a tremendous value, it's moderately priced at around $8 or $9 per plate for breakfast. If I was hungry and happened to be in the immediate area (on the same street, within 10 feet), I'd maybe stop again. Otherwise, this is not a place I would go out of my way to visit again.. read more

Okay, So. My boyfriend grew up in Highland Park, and has been raving about Country Kitchen since we first started dating. This past weekend, I finally got to eat there. The menu is extensive. I didn't even look at the lunch side, because I was hell bent on breakfast. I decide on the Rio Grande omelette, which is basically chorizo and eggs. We all know by this point that if there is chorizo on a breakfast menu, I am going to eat it. Next time, I would add some onion, tomato, and cheese. The BF got the same thing he's been getting there since he was a kid: rolled chocolate chip pancakes. These things were HEAVENLY. Smothered in whipped cream. A kid (or big kid's) dream. I can't even believe he let me taste a bite. Service was friendly, but a little slow. I can't be too upset, the place was JAM packed. Next time, I'm definitely trying pancakes, because that's what the restaurant smelled like. I would also like to try lunch! read more