We hadn't been in a while and decided to stop by for dinner. When we arrived, the hostess seemed either impatient or just annoyed -- not sure what was going on there, but it wasn't the warmest welcome. The drinks were fine, and everyone really enjoyed their meals. I was honestly surprised by how flavorful and well-cooked my smoky southern grilled chicken was -- definitely exceeded my expectations. The steak fries were also delicious, but the broccoli tasted like it had been microwaved, which was a bit of a letdown. Unfortunately, at the end of our meal, someone in our party found a piece of hair in their salad. They ended up giving us 50% off the salad, which was something, though honestly it probably should've just been comped. Overall, good food with a few hiccups -- hoping for a better experience next time. read more

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Was in Ottawa yesterday morning and decided to get breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Walked in and was seated and even coming in the parking lot noticed not many cars in the lot. Few diners in the restaurant either, when in past visits in was pretty much always a busy place, but not this morning. Was seated and immidiately noticed the backround music was quite loud and a non-traditional form a country crap schlock Nashville Corporate blather that was really distracting and bordering on just irritating! We decided to forgo breakfast after looking around and noticed the staff had a big change since we were last in April 2026 and the distracting music was just too much to bare so ee just left. I can't say anything about the food but the atmosphere sure has changed and that horrible Nashville commercially contrived fake country music was just too much to withstand! We are going back! read more

Jay was great! So nice and attentive the whole time we were here. Get my man his star

On a road trip and needed a place a stop for dinner. This was right off the highway. It's a country restaurant that gets a lot of flack for its treatment of some of its customers but I tried anyway. Service was slow but kind. It was a little on the loud side to not be crowded. The food was alright. We had leftovers. Nothing to write home about also no big complaints. They were out of the cornbread and was supposed to bring some when they got it ready. It never came. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Drink menu - American Near Me - Ottawa, Illinois

Always a great place for a BIG satisfying Southern-style meal. It is a very big open space in the dining area and a huge toasty fireplace in the main seating area. Very nice variety on their breakfast and lunch/dinner menus. I am not super crazy about the dinner choices and if you are a vegetarian you will be very limited. I do eat fish so there is always a rainbow trout or catfish entree. Abbey was our server tonight and she was so good! Friendly, made suggestions for my mom's meal, apologized that the special broccoli cheese dish was not done and gave me another side. Then she brought out the broccoli cheese side when a fresh batch was finished anyway which was nice of her. The broccoli side unfortunately was a bit underwhelming. The broccoli stalks were hard and didn't seem to be through cooked and was not very warm. I took it home anyway, probably will be good tomorrow. The lemon pepper grilled rainbow trout is very good. I like that you can choose cornmeal breaded fried or grilled. It is a little bit salty but the lemon is a nice touch. Their gift shop as you enter and leave the facility is a very fun place to look around. Lots of retro candy from the 80s. I love the sparkly wine bottle lamps. They are so fun! Our last visit they already had their Easter items out. Super cute things, something for everyone. read more

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Ambiance: 5/5 The restaurant has super cute olden-day town style. It is nice and spacious. There is a store front before you walk into the restaurant and omg, my friend and I spent 3 hours in there! There was so much stuff to see and the sale helped too (; definitely beware lol. Service: 4/5 Everyone is attentive and helpful. However, we had left our food on the counter and had walked out the door for less than 3 minutes before realizing and returning back to get it, but they had already thrown it away apparently lol (that's what the employee told my friend). Food: 4/5 Overall, just basic American food hahah. My friend really enjoyed her breakfast item plate which had eggs, steak, hash brown, and a side of biscuits. I got the southern chicken and corn muffins. The chicken was not bad, but there's definitely better out there. We also got the deal for the buy one get one free apps. We got the fried pickles and the fried cheese. The best thing was probably the fried cheese for me, but we enjoyed our experience (it was my first time). read more

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Server seemed polite. When we ordered the campfire chicken, I was told it would be an hour wait for it bc they were out. I asked about the campfire beef and said they were out of that too. We asked for couple more minutes to rethink our order. 5 mins later the table accord from us ordered the same exact thing and they were served that meal. Better communication from the management or better server attentiveness. read more

Ok. First and foremost. Our server Hannah was great. We have also had great service from Julie and Abbey over time and usually enjoy our food and time. Not today. First off.my wife's shepherds pie was gross. No peas one carrot and 2 hunks of foreign substance. Looked like hotdog but could have been sausage etc. secondly the steak fries had enough salt for 13 plates not just one. These Things can be fixed. The manager Stephen's attitude is what has ruined it completely. We had to wait longer than usual for our food. But our server let us know that a huge party got the kitchen a little backwards. No big deal. Wife and I don't get much time as us. 2 bites in and it was absolutely gross. We asked to speak to the manager and he came out telling us we were wrong and very dismissive about it all. Like he didn't care. I guess he skipped customer service 101. Even when wrong treat the guest nicely. We enjoy coming here a couple times a month. Enjoy breakfast and the friendliness of most of the staff. Stephen. He's god awful. read more

Good fresh food, good service like always. Country fried chicken is the best. Onion pedals are not bad either. read more

My first time at a Cracker Barrel, even though this is a franchise. The entrance leads to a store apparently, where you can get all sorts of merchandise from candy to a souvenir hat. Wait for the host(ess) to seat you. The dining area is huge, consisting of a real fireplace with crackling wood. Plenty of chairs and tables and booths. We ordered: Biscuit Benny which consisted of over-easy eggs served on a buttermilk biscuit with bacon, then topped with Hollandaise sauce, green onions and tomatoes. You also get a choice of a side, which I picked grits Chicken n' French Toast which consisted of fried chicken, with three griddled slices of French toast, powdered sugar, whipped butter. It also came with a small miniature sized syrup bottle, all warmed up. The plate was delicious! Our coffee cups were refilled constantly, and service was top-notch. No complaints here. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located in the merchandise area of the restaurant, the bathroom was OK, considering the high traffic it takes. Urinals were OK and the stalls seemed workable. Sit or squat? Squat. read more

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My first time at a cracker barrel. I've always wanted to check it out because on any road trip you see them on the side of the highway. The menu is quite extensive but I settled on the fried catfish and southern fried chicken. The sides are a good portion and lots of variety. We had the okra, dumplins, and Mac n cheese along with biscuits. For appetizer we had the white cheddar bites. The cheddar bites were a good texture with a bit of chew with each bite. Salty, and probably could have used a dipping sauce. The okra was cute and bite sized, a good breading and complimented the fried catfish well. The catfish was really juicy moist and tender. A nice cornbread breading - was excellent with hot sauce and the tartar sauce that it came with. My kids are usually mac and cheese fanatics but this time they actually enjoyed the dumplins more. It resembled heavy thick fat-cut noodles. Great texture on those... The southern fried chicken was flavorful, kind of like the colonels style with some good crispy bits on each bite. We also celebrated a birthday and they were kind to provide us with a warm Choco fudge cake w/ a scoop of ice cream. My daughter was all smiles. Haha - our server said her singing voice was not that good and frankly, its family that should be singing anyway. Service was ok. They were quite busy on a long holiday weekend so the servers were all running around the place tending to the tables. But they were all smiles and super welcoming. For my first time, It was a good experience and next time I cross a cracker barrel I'll think about dropping by and having a meal. read more

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Social distancing, and masks are required. The employees here are really attentive and friendly. The store and restaurant is clean as well. I loveee Cracker Barrell, especially during or close to Thanksgiving and Christmas. :-) I've been to many locations, but this one is definitely one of the very best. I went here last night for dinner, and came and picked up breakfast this morning. I had fried fish, greens, and Mac and cheese last night. My husband had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and string beans. Everything was delicious. This morning I had fried fish, cheesy grits and eggs. My husband had bacon, grits and eggs. We're stuffed. We will definitely be back soon. read more

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Food is good and well service is as good as it gets here. There are times where food comes out different from what you expected but very seldom do I complain about it. They serve good food and that's what matters. I wish to eat with a little more space and not too close to other I feel too crowded when I go here that's the only thing I would change. read more

We dropped in for a dinner with friends - this is the closest half-way point with restaurants, and Cracker Barrel got the nod. You walk in to what seems to be an old Country Store, stocked full of choochkies and knick-knacks and food items. Head over to the hostess station, and check in. We were seated when we checked in promptly, and drinks were ordered. By the way, if you are waiting for someone to join you, there is a row of rocking chairs on the deck outside to sit and rock away the minutes if that bumps your starter! After drinks we ordered dinner. My wife had their Chicken and Dumplings and I had their sirloin steak. My steak was cooked to order, and the jumbo-sized marshmallows on top of my sweet potato were, well, sweet. The service was prompt and polite to a tee. It took a minute to pay (you pay at the counter as you exit), but otherwise, it was easy in, easy out, easy order, decent food. read more

Our server was a fun and efficient lady named Racheal K. My husband had the Classic Meatloaf with 3 sides and chicken noodle soup. The portions were great and he said it taste almost as good as mine. I had the Sheppard's Pie which had nice size chunks of beef the was very tender. I taste the chicken soup and it was great. We wound up taking bowls of it home for later or tomorrow. From the time we walked in until we left after paying the check the service was outstanding. We will ask to be served by Racheal K. again. read more

Always great service and food, the staff is awesome especially The Boss Queen she's like a celebrity in a way, Always a nice place to stop for a good meal read more

As far as chain restaurants go, Cracker Barrel is one of my favorites. I like the Southern touches from catfish, baked apple with your eggs for breakfast to hurricane lamps on the table. Cracker Barrel reminds me of rides at Disneyland. Everything is corporate make believe nice and then at the end of the 'experience', you end up in a giant gift shop where they can up sell you more. Pretty clever and enjoyable once in a while. read more

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Huge disappointment for me and my wife. We went to the Cracker Barrel for the first time and probably a year and a half. We ordered what we normally order and were disappointed to say the least. The food did not taste bad but the biscuits which were usually an inch and a half tall were approximately half an inch tall and probably a good half an inch in diameter less. The chicken fried steak was not a pounded out ribeye or something similar but actually tasted like hamburger steak. The hashbrowns with cheese that are so fantastic are still fantastic but instead of being the size of my hand, they were 1/3 amount served to me. Finally, I ordered a side of bacon for four dollars and got instead of thick cut bacon that I expected, but just normal bacon strips with no amazing flavor. This franchise has gotten nothing but good stuff to offer and they need to step up their quality in order to get us back. If it cost more money so be it. I gave it to just because it still tasted good. read more

Use to love the chicken and dumplings and well the last 2 times I ordered them they were below par. Whatever they changed they need to change it back cause in all honesty it is the only thing on the menu I enjoy. read more

We went there for breakfast because I love the breakfast biscuits were as hard as a rock. My breakfast, which was scrambled eggs sausage was cold. She never came back until she handed us the bill to ask us how our meal was, which was. I could understand a little bit if they were busy, but I think the total of 10 people were having breakfast that morning I don't think I'll ever eat at that one in Ottawa again read more

So I have to say, typically I have always loved this Cracker Barrel. It's home, and while the staff is typically subpar with service, the food has always been good. We walked in to be assaulted by Christmas stuff in early September, nothing Halloween to be found. Kind of weird given that again, it's barely September when we went. My best friend and I get a table and were helped quickly, didn't get friendly service but it's fine. The four star apron server came over after a moment to get our drinks, and I learned they discontinued the frozen mug apple cider- a huge disappointment. I opt for soda and she gets water, we place an order for the new fried pickle appetizer and they came out quick enough. I ordered chicken and dumplings with three sides- mashed potatoes with white gravy, corn, and carrots. They were out of a lot of sides and the server said the truck would come later and it was always that way. She gets the same entree but with a house salad, okra, and I believe green beans as the other side. The salad came out quickly, and she immediately noticed a huge piece of mold growing on her tomato. The bacon also looked questionable, but the tomato was shocking as it almost seemed intentionally placed facing out. I don't know how NO ONE noticed it for as fast as she did. The server removed it and brought her broccoli instead as a side, because she didn't want to risk the salad being reserved to her. The pickles were surprisingly good, almost like an onion ring but the breading was enjoyable particularly. I'd say these are probably my favorite fried pickles of the places I've tried. The food came out and I noticed after he left that I had no gravy on my mashed potatoes. When I eventually found him (he was hard to get over), I asked for the gravy and he brought it out quickly, though he brought a full portion which was hysterical and we laughed for several moments over the silliness of that much gravy. The chicken in the entree was incredibly tender and fell apart, that I was impressed with. Overall, I really do love this Cracker Barrel and I know it has the potential to be good. I've eaten here for years without major issues and been happy, I was just disappointed that the one time I came home to Illinois and had Cracker Barrel, that we had such a Fauxpas on the food. I'll be back next time I'm home, but I hope your location amps up the level of quality control on your produce moving forward. read more

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I had a bad first experience at this Cracker Barrel location but one of their employees named Teddy made sure I spoke to the manager to clear up my issue and I've been back 3 times on my trip because of Teddy. The food is amazing and the French toast is to die for. Make sure you ask for Teddy if you need anything there, she's the best!!! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Mama's Momma's French Toast Breakfast® - American Near Me - Ottawa, Illinois

I usually go with the Momma's Pancake Breakfast and a side of hash brown casserole - Yum! Well, this time I veered. Why I thought I'd like fried chicken with my breakfast is beyond me. I must remember that I'm a daddy's girl from the Chi and not a country bumpkin from Atlanta - we eat pork with our breakfast, by way of sausage, bacon or ham. Bacon makes everything better. Fried chicken doesn't. So the breakfast was great, but not the chicken. Don't get the fried chicken unless you're eating it with mashed potatoes and gravy - not pancakes! Our waitress was friendly, refilled our drinks promptly and smiled. I like smiling. Smiling's my favorite. Cracker Barrel, I'll be back soon for your Momma's pancake breakfast! read more

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The food consistently gets worse ever time we go. Chewy chicken strips, overbaked potato, hashbrown casserole with steak tips that had a lot fewer tips than last time. The quality just isn't there anymore. Service could improve also. We have taken it off our list as a go to list. Only gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because it was clean. read more

We usually have a good experience while dining in, but last night(14th) it just wasn't a good experience at all. When our food came 45 minutes after ordering it was all cold,all out of four ppls plates,half of what we ordered wasn't on our plates, my son got grilled chicken tenders which was supposed to be crispy then he immediately let waitress know and even after 20 minutes of waiting they still never arrived.She never even mentioned them again. So he didn't get his food. My mother ordered Mac n cheese and potatoes with her meatloaf, she for some reason got two big heaping portions of just potatoes with gravy next to a very cold piece of meatloaf.We had to ask for her Mac n cheese it came out 10 minutes later.My husband asked for a refill while we were eating she never did bring his drink so he left very thirsty after only eating half of the soggy fried cold chicken.His salad they completely forgot about so of course we had to tell them about that it came out 10 minutes later.I asked for gravy on my potatoes and of course there was none. My chicken had cold cheese,bacon,onions on top it's also suppose to have a ranch sauce drizzled on it which wasn't there. Chicken was very cold which made the breading soggy. Usually we take leftovers home, we weren't even asked if we wanted to go boxes like they usually do, we had decided anyways we weren't going to cause it wasn't good cold I'm the restaurant. Oh yes we mentioned to our waitress that it wasn't at all good, we mentioned we didn't get what we ordered and all she said was "I'm sorry this is my first night."Ok well then when we go to pay my husband let them know how aweful it was for us all,she says "well you can take a survey Have a good night."We won't be back unless changes are made to the management cause we saw him walking around doing nothing but looking at ppl. Not even listening to the customers complaints and oh we were not the only ones who had a not so good dinner experience for Valentine's Day there either from what we saw and heard. read more

Drove to restaurant to order Thanksgiving meal for family and my mom in nursing home. Food was cold and portion sizes were small. Also, wanted to substitute or buy a lesser meal without pie and they said they couldn't accommodate that at all. Extremely disappointed in this location. read more

Needs a good cleaning , floor very dirty, table sticky dust inch thick on shelf's . Smells like people using dirty Mop! Time for clean mop and bleach! Wipe down tables and chairs . Etc! read more

Ordered food to go - ready on time and tasty as always! The store always has some seasonal and unique items, too!

You can't go wrong with old country fare like pork chops and applesauce , chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, and pot roast. Their fish fry is absolutely incredible ((best cod ever, my roomie remarked at our lunch) on Fridays. They have $7 lunch specials. The old country dining room and decor is so charming. Grandma's breakfast plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, or ham, plus French toast is incredible. Make sure the eggs are scrambled though , make sure you specify that to the waitress because they served it over hard if you like your eggs scrambled!!! But good taste, yummy sausage patties. Their buttermilk pancakes are divine and their coleslaw hit the spot , super perfect! As for cornbread and biscuits when you arrive see that you were hungry I want them right away they will serve them ASAP with Dickinsons jam and butter three varieties of jam! Lastly be sure to check out the country store for Dickinson's jams, Cracker Barrel brand maple syrup, clothing, housewares, lotions, and lip butters. Cute kids and pets toys too! read more

Great food I love the catfish fillets although it's not on the online ordering system. Great macaroni and cheese.

So disappointed in Ottawa Cracker Barrel. Love Cracker Barrel but this definitely was worse service ever at any Cracker Barrel. When I tried to call it to the attention of the manager he said all food is taking on average 45 minutes as he walked away and didn't even fully stop or apologize. Yet other tables recieved food. Not the waiters fault. I tipped him well but corporate might want to come check on the Ottawa store. Also Pancakes came out hard. And after 1/2 hour I asked about my order and they said 'poached eggs take awhile'. I would have preferred when I thought the manager would have like to know that he just apologize verses making an excuse as he walked away. 30 seconds to listen would have help. I thought he would want to know the hard food and that others seated after me got their food. I thought maybe they misplaced my order to be honest. The people next to me Received their food, ate it and wished me luck at getting mine before they left. I wouldn't give it even one star but it made me to post review. read more

Stopped here on thanksgiving and the place was a power packed capsule of family togetherness we had a group of 10 and were seated promptly every one ordered the Thanksgiving special except for me I ordered the Country fried steak with mashed potatoes and white gravy, I had my other 2 sides put straight into a togo box as I knew I would be able to consume such hardy portions and wanted to save room for dessert. Originally the service was poor, our server seemed new and inexperience. It took her several minutes just to bring drinks, however help came along the way and (in the form of a more experienced waitress helped out our original server and things started. The food was great not a single complaints from any of the 10 of us for desert I ordered the Cokeacola cake with ice cream and it was amazing. The only reason I gave them 4 stars is because of our 10 minutes waiting for drinks an the management putting s very inexperienced server at such a large table on such a busy day. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - American Near Me - Ottawa, Illinois

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I'm definitely not part of the toothless retired crowd yet, but I like the Cracker Barrel chain. When I travel across country or we're on one of our family road trips, we all like Cracker Barrel. My kids enjoy the candy and "chochkies" in the store even though they didn't grow up with then like I did. But then again, these items have a long history, some that long preceded me, so I guess my kids are lucky to be creating their own associations. read more

Everything was great until my husband and I looked over at a boy with his head on the table and the mom feeling his head for a fever. He looked sick! Then they got up and walked around the store. I pointed it out to the manager and he seemed to care less. My husband didn't even finish our meal and left. read more

I love the whole cracker barrel line of restaurants / stores. They always have quality service. This time was no different. The food was awesomely delicious and service was friendly and fast. I love coming here on my road trips it is a relaxing place to stop after a long drive. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Chicken and dumplin - American Near Me - Ottawa, Illinois

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We arrived with an unannounced party of 17. They were able to seat us together within 15 minutes! Kudos to the staff for pulling that off. Generally, the food was good...standard CB fare. My only complaint is that the food was brought out by individuals (not our waitresses) who had no idea which customers ordered what item. So similar sandwiches that might have only differed by topping selection (no pickles, extra onions, etc.) were mixed up and we had to figure it out on our own. Overall, a positive experience. read more

I had grilled catfish it was cold want not done. Serves was great. Broccoli could have done more also

Gosh how can i even explain this, the service was awful, they took to long to cook my food, and it is literally salmon how hard can cooking salmon be, not only that but it was also raw in the middle, my drink had some black hair in it and i wish i didn't even go, i should've sticked with my gut and listen to my friends and go to panda express and the wait took so dang long it was a hour wait. Never going here again! read more

Always a good product. Friendly service. Reasonable prices. Interesting store in the lobby, lots of stuff to buy.

Prices have gone through the roof, food portions are smaller, and many other choices that we liked are gone. Unfortunately just like every other restaurant of their caliber. Cracker Barrel used to be a very reputable restaurant you could send anybody to it but I would hesitate to send people there now unless they are extremely hungry or they love to wait in line for 20 minutes. read more