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Diner 54

3.6 (68 reviews)
InexpensiveDiners, New American
Open • 6:00 am - 8:00 pm

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DINER 54 ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for kids
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Joshua D.

Stopped by Diner 54 after moving family back to school. We visited on a weekday during the breakfast rush and was seated without any issues. Our server quickly took our drink order while we reviewed the menu. Diner 54 has a pretty diverse menu for any palate. I always enjoyed a diner as breakfast is always my favorite meal. I was in the mood for ham steak and pleasantly surprised it was on the menu. I ordered a side of pancakes and we also went with Nuttela waffle with bananas. Meals were quickly served and delicious. Our server kept drinks full and checked on us frequently. The diner's tables were quickly serviced and restrooms were clean. Great experience and delicious food. Will be back!

Dee W.

This is fine. Nothing awful and nothing amazing. I received hashbrowns crispy which is more than I can say for most small town breakfast places. Swiss cheese is waxy like American cheese. Eggs were orders over easy but did came out almost completely done. Cinnamon toast was not amazing and tasted like cinnamon English muffin. Just average.

Worst cup of coffee.  Ever?
John D.

Oh boy. First, I feel like I need to say that the service was OUTSTANDING! Our server was friendly, attentive, and took good care of us. That was the good part. The coffee: quite possibly the worst cup of coffee I've ever had in my life. The food. The omelette I ordered was the Greek omelette. It was delivered without any hint of seasoning whatsoever. It was just completely bland. Same for the pancake side. No seasoning at all. I would not recommend this place, but since it's one of the few breakfast spots In Kirksville, I will probably go back.

Toast
Tina Marie A.

We stopped in for a quick breakfast bite. My fiancé ordered the all meat omelette which came with hash-browns and toast. I ordered biscuits and gravy. Our waitress stopped by our table frequently to fill my coffee and check on us. The food was fast and fresh! We only waited eight minutes for our food!

Buttermilk Pancakes (4), Scrambled Eggs (2), and Hash Browns.
Richard V.

Rating: 3.4 Stars This was my first time at Diner 54. As a Pancake Reviewer, I naturally had to order the Buttermilk Pancakes. Three pancakes just were not enough, so I decided to also order the 2 Eggs, Any Style, with a Buttermilk Pancake. The Buttermilk Pancakes were slightly above average. They had decent flavor. Unfortunately, the outer surface was a little too tough and overcooked, and they did not cut nicely. Rather, they tore when trying to cut through them. For the 2 Eggs, Any Style, I decided to go with Scrambled Eggs. They tasted very good. The Hash Browns were average. They could have used more salt, and they were a little undercooked. They were more on the soggy side, when they should be on the crispy side. For the price, it was a lot of food. I hope to give them another chance in the future when I am back in Kirksville.

Beef and barley soup was flavorful.
Michael S.

The 1960s rock and R&B background music would have been a little young in the day for the mostly octogenarian lunch crowd at Diner 54. But, it was entirely appropriate considering the diner looked like not much has changed there since the 1970s. Country style white oak chairs, simulated wood table tops, and torn Naugahyde booths were accented by posters and art prints of 1960s pop culture icons. Diner 54 has a large breakfast/lunch/dinner menu. I chose a daily special--bacon cheeseburger and side. The grilled patty was predictably overcooked and lacked any grill taste. Cheese sauce was drizzled unevenly over the patty. Oddly, pickle spears were included rather than common slices or chips, which lie flat on the patty. The three-sided spears kept trying to squirt off the burger. Fries or soup were side options with the special. My beef and barley soup had a flavorful tomato base. It also had a nice balance of veggies, was heavy on barley, and light on ground beef. The excellent soup, though, couldn't overcome the so-so burger. Service was okay. Though the meal was delivered quickly and accurately a drink refill had to be requested because the server overlooked the empty glass.

Mashed potatoes with dark gravy

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2 years ago

Diner 54 is a bit like a IHOP's type of good place. The food is fine, service is good, ambiance is good with the folks who come there.

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Good food and reasonable prices. Seems to be a popular spot. The place was busy but we did not have to wait.

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8 years ago

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5 years ago

U went one time it wasn't to bad but wasn't a big fan. Might try it again sometime tho

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5 years ago

Ordered a BLT Club and got a normal BLT. It was a to go order so wasn't going to go all the way back to get it fixed. Wings were ok.

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

Very busy restaurant but with kind and efficient staff and service! I loved my meal breakfast skillet!

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

Get the skillets! Reliable service, always tastes good. Friendly and lots of options.

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4 years ago

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Thousand Hills State Park Lakeside Grille, Cabins & Marina - Fried Pickles

Thousand Hills State Park Lakeside Grille, Cabins & Marina

3.5(48 reviews)
4.3 mi
•$$

Short answer: Maybe…read more This location is a treasure, with a history going back decades. It's a special place. A media release this past summer announced, "Hospitality company ExplorUS has been awarded a 10-year contract to operate concessions at Thousand Hills State Park in northeast Missouri beginning in January 2024." That was just a few weeks ago. I was visiting town and came for dinner here for the first time in years, so this is my first look at the new operation. So how are things faring? - The food was okay. Not bad. But seems to fit more into the realm of "something decent in a place that's convenient for where you already were" rather than destination dining. Here, you're likely coming for the view or because you're already nearby. - The drink menu was disappointing. Better than you might find in some other places in years gone by, but not quite where it could be. - Kind service. Young team, we were there on one of the first days of the season, so they were still getting their rhythm- not in a negative way. They were great. I love this location. I love this part of the world. I am rooting for it hard. As such, I'm protective of this place and the people. So let's talk about value: This is where it falls off for me. As an example: One of the appetizers is onion rings, for $10. They aren't bad. They might be good enough. They are not $10 good. And there are not enough of them to justify the price point. Or their cocktails: Some places out there are charging $14 for mixed drinks. Even more! I don't begrudge it, some places are doing inventive work with an expertise or ingredients that costs money to sustain. But then other bars and restaurants follow the trend and deliver the price point... but not the quality. That's where I get annoyed. It's possible the drinks are $14 amazing, but reading their menu left us skeptical and we just went with a beer ($8) and a glass of wine. Another aspect of the menu is the menu itself. Ours were very clearly printed on inkjet printer, then laminated. If I may offer some free internet advice - go with laser, or a print shop, or adjust the design. Very difficult to read certain prices because the typeface is small and skinny, and white text on a blue background can look great, but with a basic inkjet printer you're going to get bleeding (which ours definitely had) and uneven coverage, and laminating can make it even harder to see. Is this a super nerdy tangent? Absolutely. But it's a detail that's fixable, and one that impacts guest experience and perceived value of what you're delivering. The part of the menu that really got to me, though, is the fact that all the prices end in .99 or .95 - this is a marketing cliche that to me just feels disrespectful at this point. You do that when you're trying to trick people. That's not a great sign for where priorities are at. A place that serves filet mignon does not need to be doing this kind of hack chintziness, it's tacky. Just own it - either your food is worth it or not, this is not a place where impulse buyers are going to matter a whole lot. This location should be a destination, with food that complements the beautiful setting. Imagine something on the level of The Pear Tree and Sebree's. A place that showcases just how amazing what we grow here is- food, talent, people. And one focused on delivering as much value as possible for the population it serves. I don't know about you, but I like that idea. So why mention all this? ExplorUS has just a signed a 10-year contract. They will be here a while. So the choices they make will impact the experience that visitors to our park will have. And those experiences will form a picture of this area- for the people who live here and those who don't. ExplorUS is a management company that used to be called Ortega National Parks, a concessionaire that was recently bought by a private equity firm. That firm is based in Los Angeles. They will want a return on investment. And that return is not going to stay in the local community. Those pressures are real, which is why I'm vigilant and wary. Done well, these arrangements can add resources which will improve the experience for everyone. But if the pressures for profit get out of control, it turns into an extraction operation where the goal is to take as much from the area while giving as little as possible. Corners get cut while prices increase. Which is not an environment I want for our park or our people. It feels easier to get right when the leadership is in the local community. And in some ways, the eccentricities of the menu might be a sign of local involvement in the design, or at least the printing. Hopefully the local management will feel empowered and supported in making improvements. I am rooting for them! So we will see how it goes. And for the next ten years we will have no other choice.

Not horrible, but ain't great either. The appetizers were even greasier than most fried food I get…read morein restaurants. The salad was okay, but nothing to write home about. The cocktail was good. Service was okay, but they were out of at least 2 items that were wanted by my companions. Don't know how many other things that nobody was asking about. The view is FANTASTIC and makes for a pleasurable meal.

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Thousand Hills State Park Lakeside Grille, Cabins & Marina - Outdoor seating!!! Like... WHY THE HECK ARE WE THE ONLY ONES ON THIS DECK?!?! Good food, amazing facilities... what am I missing?

Outdoor seating!!! Like... WHY THE HECK ARE WE THE ONLY ONES ON THIS DECK?!?! Good food, amazing facilities... what am I missing?

Thousand Hills State Park Lakeside Grille, Cabins & Marina - Spicy Cheese Curds

Spicy Cheese Curds

Thousand Hills State Park Lakeside Grille, Cabins & Marina - Lakeside Vodka Lemonade

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Diner 54 - diners - Updated October 2026

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