I love MCL. The homemade food is very comforting. I had the breaded tilapia which was pretty good. Mac and cheese was tasty and the potatoes (with chicken gravy) were delish. Chocolate cream pie was great. What really makes MCL shine above and beyond is the people. Scott was a great server keeping our drinks full and making sure we had everything we needed. The manager Lance was extremely accommodating, going so far as to carry my tray for me as I was fresh out of surgery and only have one arm that can bear weight currently. read more

Home cooked foods, good service. Great iced tea and sugar cream pie. - when they have it.

Ordered the chicken and Noodles with a friend and he kept saying "Mmmm! Just like Grandma made!" Yes! They we

best restaurant ever i highly recommend it its so good my favorite restaurant ever if you havent gone to this place what are you with your life read more

Crazy expensive for bland/mediocre cafeteria food. Paid $17.29 for a fried chicken breast, small side salad, mashed potatoes and a drink. Everything is ala carte but $6.19 for one fried. chicken breast is high. They had a couple of blue plate specials. Food looked pretty fresh and the restaurant is very clean, service is very friendly. read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - $17.29 for a chicken breast, mashed potatoes, small salad and a Pepsi. - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Went today, first time eating there since they left the White Oaks Mall many years ago. I took my Mother and neither of us had a good experience. Food was insanely expensive, mine over $20! My food was half good, pea salad and banana cream pie great, the Salmon patty was dry and tasted as if it sat for a long period & the fried potatoes were cold! When the Waitress came around asking us how everything was I told her...she said she was sorry and offered to get me more food...AT MY EXPENSE!!!...I said "no way, I already spent over $20!" My location is SPRINGFIELD, IL, not San Francisco, CA read more

The food is excellent. The take out service not so good. The rep asked me my last name and I told her. She then asked if I had a receipt number. I reached for my phone to get it. She then reached for the only bag on the counter and said oh this must be it. A waste of my time. Not friendly at all. read more

Go on Friday during supper. Dead only 5 tables. Manager did explain the way the menu works. No kids options Manager said 4x everything in house from scratch made. NOPE French salad dressing oily and way to Tart of taste. Honey Mustard dressing was at least 2 days old. Salad toppings chopped up and placed altogether on one plate covered in saran wrap. (WHAT IF THE CUSTOMER HAD AN ALLERGY). Mashed potatoes were flakes, not homemade or fresh. They weren't even mixed well. Mac n cheese looked like its been there since open. Green bean casserole looked like Thanksgiving left overs. The chicken was a little pink inside. Catfish was not even warm. The pies were all canned fruit and store bought crust. The corn was well over dried out and looked like decoration. The spaghetti sauce was full of oil grease noodles dried like ramen. Ala cart, of course no specials, no deals. Only thing edible was the jello and tea to drink. 75.00 bucks wasted read more

rude & racist/prejudice worst service ever ; dont patronize them if youre black ; not 1 of the employees were friendly ; the entire staff was rude, from the manager on down ! -& to make matters worse, it was my 1st & last visit there, thats for sure ! read more

Great home cookin! Not to mention wonderful customer service. You can tell that they care about their job and take pride in their work. The food is fresh and hot as you walk in. You go though a cafeteria type line and pick out your meal. All the food is made in house daily. We also had a roll (not pictured) and it was awesome! Next time I hope to try the dessert as I hear it's amazing! read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - Stuffed chicken with chicken gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy and Mac n cheese. - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Food is homemade and always fresh and hot the staff is friendly mostly an older customer base very nice decor and the bathrooms are always clean will return read more

Quality food, great service, very friend service. Very nice setup. Hope to return soon

Snooty manager, the food is fair but they are pricy. If the manager wasn't such a bitch I would have given them 5 stars. The servers work hard and they are pleasant! read more

My husband and I went here yesterday because we wanted to go somewhere we've never been and we were definitely overdue for a cheat meal. I ordered a pork T sandwich with mac and cheese green beans and a sweet tea. My husband ordered fried chicken with home fries green beans a garlic roll and mtn dew. My very picky husband said that the fried chicken was the best he's ever had. I enjoyed everything I ordered and the sweet tea was amazing. It's really hard to find a place with GOOD tea. I see a lot of reviews about the price being too high but we spent $22 and as you can see we got a lot of food, high quality food at that. The place is super clean and the waitress helped us carry our trays to our table as we had a car seat. It was a great experience. read more

This is one of my favorite places to eat in town. It's buffeteria style with an array of delicious Midwestern cuisine options, including pies and cakes! I'm always surprised I don't go more often. The staff are extremely friendly and hospitable and the seating area is usually not crowded. It's a nice place to take family, grandparents, or just yourself for a quiet evening. Watch the menu for specials! read more

Twice now I have ordered food for delivery and when I get it was missing part of the order. Called the last time and was told I had to contact door dash. Gave them another chance and same thing. How hard is it to check an order before it goes out. Terrible customer service. read more

Not sure how my lunch ended up costing $17 - but it happened! Basically, I wanted a salad and not much to choose from unless I went to the new Hy-Vee on MacArthur. I ended up here because I assumed that a salad would be easy to come by. This was my first time at MCL and it's a hospital cafeteria with nicer decor. Food is about the same, a little more than you expect it to cost with waitress service to clear plates and refill drinks. I started with the Baby Cobb - at $4.19. The operative word here is "baby." It was a little less than my entree which was the stuffed chicken breast - which was quite tasty if not swimming in chicken gravy. Adding on vegetables cost me another $4.50 and a drink which was $2. I honestly didn't think my check would end up at $17 before tip. Food was ok, but definitely not worth the price tag. read more

Why would you go to a place with mediocre cafeteria food that is so over priced? The only reason I went there is because a friend of mine insisted meeting another group of friends there. I had a piece of overcooked salmon that was so fishy (it is probably because it is packaged frozen filet) with green beans from a can, and a tiny scoop of fresh fruit. When I went to the cashier, she said $15.87! What?!? I thought I misheard it and had to verify how much each one costed. The service was slow and the ambiance is...um like a school cafeteria. I don't see a reason to come back. With this price tag, I can have tasty lunch at Cooper's hawk, American harvest, Long 9 junction, Obed and Issac and other place. You can skip this place - your tummy and wallet will say thank you. read more

This place is great. The food is always good, good variety and you cannot beat the price. I like seeing what I'm getting before deciding. Scott is the best waiter in town and gives great service! read more

Friendly service made this an enjoyable experience. The food was classic comfort food that was good. The restaurant was clean and comfortable and the staff knocked it out of the park. They were all happy, kind and attentive. I love places like this for all these reasons. Thank you for a great experience. Keep up the good work. read more

This place has good homestyle cooking. I can't say I've ever really been disappointed with any selection I've made here. The food always has really good flavor and it's really easy to order too much. Definitely be mindful when you go through the line or you can end up with way too much. read more

MCL Cafeteria in Springfield, IL was such a treat! The food was all delicious, there were numerous selections, and we loved the process of going through a cafeteria line and choosing our various dishes. We live more than an hour away, but we will definitely eat here again when we come to Springfield. read more

My son and I were driving past looking for a place for lunch and I mentioned how much I liked this place in the early '80's when it was at the mall. We decided to stop. What a disappointment!! My son, who is 34, immediately realized he didn't like the entrees. We were already in line and I'm in a wheelchair do I felt we couldn't just leave. I had the spaghetti and a roll and drink. My son had a drink, a piece of zucchini bread and pie since they said the coconut cream pie was .99. I had a piece of lemon pie. The lunch came to $28. We were there about 45 minutes. The spaghetti was not bad. My son said the pie was on sale because it was old and stale. My pie was obviously a frozen pie and was awful. The dining attendant flitted from table to table getting people things, yet my son held up his empty glass for a refill for 30 min to no avail. I finally sent him up to the cashier for a to go box because it was obvious that she was not going to come near us. We left no tip, which is quite unusual for me. Sadly, we will not be returning. Reminded me too much of a nursing home cafeteria. read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - Our small lunch that costed $28. Way too high!! - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

The new location is nice; cafeteria-style home cooking. If you're looking to save money, the Mayfield Plate is a good option (choice from selected entrees, 2 vegetables, and bread). I recommend the chicken & noodles and the cinnamon rolls. They also have a separate take-out area, which is quite convenient. There are several large seating areas for groups. read more

Used to eat at MCL all the time when it was inside the mall!! Reminds me of cracker barrel but better :)

First time visit was great. Will definately go back. Prices so reasonable. Cheaper than fast food. Everything homemade. It was the best strawberry shortcake I have had in a very long time. House salad had celery and green onion mixed in for great flavor and texture. I really can not think of one negative thing. I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed read more

Awesome variety of healthy food! I get the vegetable plate. Super low prices, awesome service! Love this place!

Highly overpriced and the food is very bland. Dessert is ok! Prepare to spend $15-20 on a meal.

Great home style food. You get your pick of food, get to eat right away, pay right away, and it tastes wonderful! The wait staff is extremely professional and courteous, too! Love it!! Probably my family's favorite place to eat! read more

Not at all impressed by the food or the service. The items on the line all looked tired and wilted. It was not an appetizing experience and the cost was a bit more than I expected. It almost seemed as though they wanted to charge by the weight of the food. Strange. read more

This is definitely geared towards the older generation. Food wasn't very good, and prices were really high. This is a cafeteria style restaurant. Honestly I didn't like it at all. read more

An old-fashioned cafeteria that serves home cooked-style fare: salads, entrees, many cooked vegetables, baked rolls, cakes, pies, coffee in a cup with a saucer. The food is fresh, good-tasting, and pleasantly served. An elderly clientele is not a bad thing. Suggestions to management: First, the pleasant atmosphere of the dining-room is sometimes overwhelmed by the piping in of loud, fast-paced music. Please pay attention to the volume and choice of music; no music at all is both peaceful and congenial to conversation. Second, nearly all the custard ramekins are cracked. read more

My husband and I have eaten at MCL in Springfield ever since it originally opened at White Oaks Mall. The food used to be super. The last couple of years--not so. The variety of salads and vegetables isn't what it used to be. The dinner rolls are grossly under baked resulting in sticky, doughy rolls. We have gotten entrees very lacking--i.e. chicken and noodles with one piece of chicken, pot roast which was a plate full of gravy with one piece of meat, one piece of carrot and one piece of potato. Also, some entrees have been between cold and lukewarm, and we get there at a not so busy time and go thru the line quickly. Overall, it's just not what it used to be. read more

Cafeteria style place, caters to seniors. Food is not bad, a little pricey to buy everything separately though. Great place to take your gramma. Packed on Sundays after church. read more

Ate at MCL for Mother's Day. When we came in the door there was a sign for a fried chicken special for $2.99. My husband decided that sounded great. What we didn't see in tiny tiny numbers was the days in May that the special was good. Where you pick up the trays there was a card for the special and we ask the lady if we needed it to get the special...she said no and didn't mention it wasn't good today! After checking out....we discovered we were charged much more for the chicken and then my husband ask the checker about it and we were informed it was only the 5, 12, 17' ...anyway the Fridays in May. We feel that is almost false advertising. The information for the dates was so very very tiny! Come on MCL! Probably will not return! read more

Over priced, mediocre food. First visit. The process and prices were confusing. I wish I would have yelped it first. Chicken and noodles, green beans, mp&g, drink, cherry pie $15. For lunch!! Ridiculous! read more

We absolutely love this place. Eat there almost everyday. Food is great and prices are good.

This place has the best chocolate cake in the world! It is a cafeteria style restaurant with food made from scratch, but I have never actually eaten there. I carry out the cake. The cake is sold in slices if you don't want a whole cake, but you will after you taste it. read more

MCL is not your typical restaurant. They have perfected the buffet cafeteria experience. There is a little something for everyone. I personally prefer the stuffed turkey breast with stuffing and a little bit of gravy. You can also surprisingly get away with some healthier alternatives as well from their selection. Excellent pies that can be ordered to go as well. The new location is much better than the previous one in the mall. read more