If you're craving an old-timey, classic diner then Southwest Diner has to be at the top of your…read morelist. The outside is very unassuming; I'd driven by this place sooooo many times and never even noticed that it was a diner! It looks just like many old-timey STL buildings which just adds to the charm. Once you walk in, it's like teleporting to the past. It isn't fancy, but it is packed (and rightfully so). It was just myself when I went, so I was able to be immediately sat at the bar which was a nice surprise considering it was packed on a holiday (Labor Day) morning. The server was very nice and attended to whatever I needed efficiently despite juggling a lotta different folks. For the food & drinks, I started off with a nice cold brew. I didn't love the taste, as it was almost tea-esque, but to be fair I don't drink a lot of cold brew so maybe that's just how it is. I decided to get some Sopapillas as an appetizer as I'd heard they were good and they definitely did not disappoint. They arrived very quickly, were hot out of the fryer, and tasted amazing! They were pillowy soft and just sweet enough while not being overbearing. I added a little honey on top and it was like I was in heaven. There were 5 in the order and I had to stop myself after quickly devouring 3 within 2 minutes. That's how good they were. Onto my entree, I went with the Breakfast Burrito with homemade sausage. I am a big breakfast burrito guy, and a pretty tough critic, but I've gotta say that this was one of the best breakfast burritos I've had in recent years for sure. There was just enough cheese to add flavor and make it the perfect texture without being too much. The sausage had an incredible flavor that complemented the egg, home fries, and chiles perfectly. After devouring half of the burrito in under 90 seconds, I once again had to restrain myself and opted to take my leftover home before I made some really good but bad decisions (aka eating wayyyy too much). Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. The vibes & food were immaculate despite the location and decor feeling very unassuming. I'd be excited to come back and try some of their other popular dishes, and I'll be sure to bring along some friends to share the experience next time!

The food was delicious, and the decor and overall aesthetic really do make it feel like you've…read morestepped into the Southwest. That illusion fades a little if you sit outside on a humid St. Louis summer day, but the vibe inside is great. The food is consistently tasty, the Bloody Marys are solid, and the whole place has a classic diner feel with a Southwest twist. There's usually a wait on summer weekends, so just keep that in mind, but it's definitely worth it.

Been here for 2o years for a reason. It's a classic affordable breakfast spot, which used to be…read moreeverywhere but seems to be rarer these days. Anyways the food is great, it's basic breakfast done right and for a fair price. There is a reason its been here for 20 years. 5 stars. They deliver on what they are selling.

I stopped by early one Sunday afternoon, so they were fairly packed when I arrived. Attentive,…read morefriendly service, reasonable prices for the amount of food you get. Also a very big throwback, as it's proper diner food. Bring a big appetite or prepare for leftovers! Good option for a hearty breakfast

I've only been to maybe a couple real "old-skool" diners in St. Louis, and it wasn't until a couple…read moreweeks ago I finally went to one of the Courtesy Diner restaurants. Went during dinner time (5-ish) and surprisingly I was the only person there. But as I was leaving, people started coming in. I had the chili mac (the largest; they have two sizes) and an order of fries. Both came out very great. The only thing that was missing was parmesan cheese (didn't know if I had to ask for it...) but they had hot sauce on the table, which made up for it. It was just the cook and the waitress, who were keeping busy while it was dead. Service was great. Would go back to any location.

Great place for diner food. I had a western omelet and hash browns that was very good. Sometimes if…read moreI'm out on my own running around, I'll stop in and get breakfast or grab a quick burger. I like to sit at the counter when I'm by myself and the service is always friendly and fast. Ambiance is typical diner but it's clean and open allot of hours. (Early/late). Coming in is a great idea if you are game for a typical diner experience.

Just about as perfect as you could ask, for the diner feel, Smashburger. I went as plain Jane as…read moreyou could with a double Smashburger with just some raw onions so I can get the full flavor of the burger, which had crispy edges just like it should. I got my first root beer in probably two decades because it was in a barrel. I think you're meant to have root beer at a place where they serve it out of a barrel. About as authentic as you could get and I really liked it check out the pics.

If you haven't been to Carl's before, it doesn't have a lot of driveby appeal. It's got a small…read moreparking lot too. That's not why you go to Carls though. Carl's is what Carl's has always been. A great lunch counter to grab a burger and fries. Everything works like a well-oiled machine. The cooks, wait staff and customers all keep it pumping. It's a small place so you don't have fool around space. You see the cooks and the wait staff is always nearby. I love it! This visit I was right by the grill.... Watched those burgers get smashed, saw onion rings and decided to get those too. There is seating for just a dozen or so people. You sit on stools at a counter and pay cash cause they aren't dealing with the other stuff. You may have folks eyeing your seat too before you finish, don't rush, just don't dawdle either.

Stopped here while we were visiting from out of town. It was SO good!…read more Some of the best pretzel bites and onion rings we've had in a while. Our kiddos loved their food and I had a great burger. It is kid-friendly but not lame. Haha. We had an excellent server(I think his name was James)! Prompt service and was very attentive. They also have a snow cone bar that was a super fun touch. Highly recommend.

Stopped in for Saturday breakfast. Greeted and seated promptly…read more James came over and introduced himself and got our drink order. Returned with our drinks and took our order. I wanted to add red pepper and subtract the mushrooms and cheese from the veggie omelette, James was very nice and made sure he could accomodate. Food came out quickly; my potatoes came out with parm on top. James was quick to remedy the situation, leaving me with the omelet and having the potatoes redone. He was great, I hadn't asked for no cheese and didn't realize the potatoes came that way. Omelet was thick and fluffy with lots of veggie filling, I was surprised the peppers where pimentos but I love pimentos so I loved the omelette. He returned the potatoes minus the parm and they were delicious! Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Check out was quick and easy and we are on our way. Love the atmosphere and service and the food is great!

I got the Chicken Pot Pie. It was amazing! First, it came out so quick. I thought that we would…read morebe waiting for a lot longer. The pastry was light and flaky, and a perfect golden brown. This filling had lots of chunks of chicken, and the vegetables and gravy were a flavor bomb. This was the best that I've had in a long time. We went on a Saturday evening and we had to wait around 20 minutes for a table, so if you are planning to go on a busy time, definitely try to get a reservation ahead of time. Our waitress was outstanding, helpful, and kept our drinks refilled constantly. The restaurant is small(ish), but has indoor dining, a four seasons type of room, and outdoor seating. We'll be back!

Last minute decision to go here for dinner as we hadn't been in a while. Lots of full tables but…read moreit was unseasonably hot so no one sitting outside. We were seated quickly and our waitress, Karen, stopped by for drink orders and asked if we had dined there before, that was an affirmative. Karen was no nonsense and efficient, telling us about the special and answering questions about the pot pie. We happened to be seated next to a table from someone I knew, so we didn't have to pretend not to stare at the food they ordered, lol. We just talked about all that we ordered. Their Piccadilly fish looked amazing as did the rib special. I ordered the chicken pot pie, I had been thinking about it, and craving carbs to boot and it didn't disappoint. Karen informed me that it had lima beans and corn, so I wasn't shocked by that. Came in a bowl draped with puff pastry. Pastry was flaky and lightly browned, the base was creamy with lots of chicken chunks, carrots, corn, and lima beans. I haven't had lima beans before and I liked them. I had ordered the soup of the day, Tuscan white bean that sounded great, but I thought it was just ok. Husband ordered the fried chicken with slaw and mashed potatoes. The chicken was HOT! I enjoyed the leg piece I snagged off his plate, the breading is thin and adhered well to the chicken, the slaw was creamy, I didn't try the potatoes. Great home-style food, nice atmosphere, efficient service. Try the pot pie!

The crows nest has been a long time favorite of mine--I used to go to their weekend brunch at least…read moreonce per month. It is such a unique vibe, especially if you're into the horror or metal aesthetic. Most of the servers and bartenders are phenomenal as well. This particular visit, I popped in with a friend for a quick lunch. I have tried far less from their lunch menu, but oh boy! We decided to split the French dip and the fried pickles appetizer. This sandwich was easily the best one I've had all year! It is not your basic French dip--this one comes with marinated red onions and horsey sauce, on the most PERFECT crunchy ciabatta bread. Give it a try!!

This restaurant has been on my list for awhile, consistently popping up on my socials. Based upon…read morethe way it's decorated inside and the fact that Labyrinth was playing while we were here, they seem to be going for a Gen X crowd. Lots of little touches that age group will appreciate. Even though the place was packed, we found a seat right away. Service was prompt but not pushy, and based upon how hot the food was when it arrived, it wasn't sitting around in the kitchen for long. Pretty good price for the generous portion. If I had been going straight home after, I could have brought enough in leftovers for another meal. They also have a heavy metal themed brunch, which will be my next thing I have to check out here

Great little diner. Stopped in for breakfast and got two seats right next to each other for me and…read moremy friend on a Sunday morning. It's hard to get multiple seats in a row, a group of 5 came in after us and had to be split up. The food came out pretty quickly and you could see the cook making it right in front of you. It's cash only, they have an ATM. Server was super nice. Food all tasted good and was affordable. Would definitely come back.

Wow. We started part of our Route 66 trip here. I can say enough great things. We ordered Omelet's…read more 1 ham, 1 sausage. Both were great, but the sausage was so much more flavorful. They come with hash browns and bread. We both got the homemade banana bread. Cash only, no worries, happy to spend our cash here.

Came here for breakfast on a Sunday late morning. They have a few tables for outside dining or you…read morecan sit inside. The parking lot was filling fast. I'm glad I entered from the opposite way google maps wanted me to add the lot isn't as big as it should be. The seating inside is a little cramped to me, at least where they sat us. It was a 2 top next to the wall across from a 4 top. Between our table and the next was a tiny path to the bathroom area which is too close. Next time, I'll be specific with where not to seat me. Outside of that, the service was really good. Great staff, very attentive. Menu had a nice option so it took us a minute to fully review the menu. The food was delicious. Cinnamon roll was very sweet as expected so brace yourself. My menu mimosa was pretty good. A lot of pulp from the mango and not enough champagne but still enjoyable. We will definitely.

My husband and I wanted to try a new breakfast spot. We stopped by another spot in the area but the…read morewait time was over an hour. So we pivoted and came across Chris' pancakes. Upon arriving, the parking lot appeared jammed pack, and you could tell there was a wait. I checked us in to be put on the waiting list. Our wait was about 30 minutes. We were sat at a two top table. A server came over to grab our drink order, and our actual server came over to introduce his self. Our server was polite and willing to answer any questions I had. We waited about 30-40 minutes for our food to come out. I ordered short stack pancakes (w/strawberries and blueberries), bacon and eggs. The pancakes were huge, fluffy, and savory. Bacon was crispy, and eggs were cooked perfectly. My husband ordered a country omelet that came with a side of pancakes. He stated his pancakes were rubbery, but his omelet was good. This place is not very big and can feel quite cramped when full. There's not much room to stretch out, and when people are walking past it feels as if they are all up on you. The building was extremely cold, even with a jacket on. Very filling, and the prices are reasonable!

I got the Biscuits Combo (two eggs, two biscuits, gravy, two bacons, two sausage links). I was a…read morelittle disappointed . The gravy had almost no flavor. I cut up and added the sausage links and bacon to it, but it still didn't help much. The eggs weren't seasoned well either. I ended up putting hot sauce on them to spice them up. We were only one of only three tables with customers while we were there. The service was OK, but we didn't see our waitress too often either. I'm not sure if we'd come back.

This place is huge! Nicely decorated and clean. It's nice that they have separate rooms if you had…read morelarger parties and wanted it as a private area. I ordered the off the border. It had lots of yummy vegetables inside of it and cheese. It came with a good amount of hashbrowns and two good size pancakes. I ate half of it and took the other half home for breakfast tomorrow. By the time we left at 12:30 there was only one table there besides us. So they sure weren't very busy. But the food was good, the waitress was very good and we had good company to share with.