Great food, great service, and the ambiance of an iconic bar, which it is. The vine covered…read moreexterior is neat, downtown landmark location. This is the place to eat or drink in Mount Olive. You will like or love this well run spot..

Had a delightful weekday lunch here on a recent road trip. I went with the pork tenderloin "shoe."…read more If you aren't familiar with the "shoe" it's a mid Illinois thing with Texas toast, topped with your choice of protein, fries, and your choice of sausage gravy or cheese sauce. Each element of the plate was great, good tenderloin, lightly battered, crispy fries, and outstanding cheese sauce. They were very busy with the local crowd, including a couple of tables of card players. Just one employee and a cook holding down the fort, but they managed well. Wish I knew what was in that cheese sauce.

There are times when you want to walk into a space that has been carefully put together by someone…read morewith all the right training, so the colors are just so. The furniture blends seemlessly into the theme of the menu or some such. There are other times when you are content to walk into a clean, simple space where the decor has been put together over the years by many different people, with different quirks and fancies. The furniture is functional, might not even all match...all good. Route 138 Cafe is that second kind of place. The name alone, is so plain sense Midwest, practical. It not some whimsical thought excercise like Nutmeg Hutch or some such. There are no fancy uniforms, the staff might have on T-shirts from the restaurant. We have had no issues with any of the staff, they have been nothing but pleasant, effective and welcoming. We have been here a few times now since moving to the area, this was the first time for lunch. I had a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich with seasoned fries, my wife got a BLT with same. Do splurge for the "special" fries vs. the standard crinkle cut. Somehow crinkle cut fries take me back to elementary school, and no matter how hot and great they may be in this present time, they take me back to luke warm unsalted punishment on a plastic tray. There is nothing fancy about anything I have eaten here. It's not perfect, what is- it is also obviously put together with care. That goes a long way. I have had beautiful, expensive meals and left hungry and full of regret. We left Saturday afternoon feeling full, comfortable and starting to fit in to our "fly-over" retirement.

This is a decent, good not great, locally popular cafe. Eclectic ambiance and plain but decent…read morefood. I prefer nearby Tillies Tavern , which is iconic, but this is a comfortable reasonably priced place. Service is iffy, sometimes great sometimes not. It could be run much better.

Color me surprised, I really didn't think Twistee Treat Diner would be as good as it was. With it…read morebeing such a tourist trap, I really was expecting the food to be mediocre at best. Instead, it was a very enjoyable breakfast. I ordered, The Livy which was, one egg, choice of protein, hash browns and toast. I choose bacon as my protein. Their menu proudly promotes that the bacon and sausage is from local farmers. Trust me when I tell you, the bacon was very delectable. It could have been crisper, but the flavor made up for the lack of crispiness. I choose not to take the toast with my breakfast entree, because I also ordered a half size of Biscuits and Gravy. The biscuit was not made it house, its shape was too perfect. However, the gravy with chunks of locally sourced sausage made it a true comfort dish. The gravy was a semi-thick milk gravy and it wasn't overly seasoned with salt and had the right amount of pepper. Trying to watch my sodium intake, I like it when chefs are light handed when shaking the salt into a recipe. The atmosphere is like stepping back into the 50's. You truly will feel as if you left the sock hop and stopped by the local soda shop for a bite. I'll give you a heads up, the outside is junky with a lot of weird stuff. Ignore the decor on the outside and head straight into the diner for a good home cooked meal. The service was impressive. One waitress was taking care of the entire small dining room. I over heard her tell another table, that she was relatively new. Being new, she did a great job. She was attentive and very personable. Her service alone would get me to come back.

Went yesterday evening after dinner. We had salad so felt "entitled". This is a unique place. We…read moreboth got softe serve cones, although there is quite the menu. I am sure we will be back over the years to try other things. The young lady working the window was a delight, bright, friendly and a good ambassador for the place. There are "oddities" all over the lot. I suspect it was quite the back in the hey dey of route 66. It all looks a bit weather-beaten and a little sad right now. Perhaps that is the charm.

Great place to stop with plenty to see . . . giants, quirky atmosphere, large gift shop, ice cream,…read moresnacks and welcoming staff. If traveling Route 66 as we were be sure to get your stamp.

Watched two old guys by the counter staring at little girls behinds as the girls walked away from…read morethem. Not sure if they worked there or not, but they never took their eyes from several young girls. Maybe they were looking at flies flying around from the filthy store. Either way, this place screams "creeps are welcome here"

I wish I could give negative starts because this place should not be open. The staff and owner are…read morehorrible people that treat customers like trash. I have been to Hard Dog cafe a few times for breakfast. They have a buffet on the weekends. I think its some kind of bar/ restaurant. They never have serving utensils at the buffet. You have to try and use the fork they give you but its not very easy. The staff will get you drinks when you sit down but after that you are on your own. If they mess up your drink order then thats on you and they will not fix it. I left a review on a Facebook post they had in a group and apparently the owner and staff did not like it. I was called all kinds of names and even threatened. I made it clear I will never go back yet the owner made it clear I was kicked out. LOL. Sure no problem. But then he told me it was not over and it felt like a threat. The waitresses called me names and other stuff. Take my advice and avoid this establishment at all cost. There are plenty of other places to go with not only great food but lovely staff. One place is just down the frontage road they are located on. I am sorry I can't remember the name but you can't miss it. It is next to the gas station off 55