When traveling to central IL 2 things need to make a way into my belly. Those two things are a…read morewhole fired catfish, and a tenderloin sandwich. Today's visit to the Hungry Moose was for the latter of the two. After much discussion with friends and family alike I was to to head here with f I wanted to leave happy and full. Little did I know this would end up like a full tenderloin buffet on a plate. The size of this beast made me feel small for the fist time in my life. I'm full sized man with a appetite to match, but this in fact was too big for my needy belly. The flavor itself was quite good too! Having tried many tenderloins around town over the years this one would easily make the podiums. Maybe not the very best but bronze is a respectable medal to come home with as well! A crispy corn flake breading fried to a golden brown was awesome Just needed a little spicing up with salt and pepper. The side of onion straws on the other had were flawless. Hand fills of these curly bits couldn't reach my mouth fast enough. In the end I ordered a huge meal, enjoyed it and have another huge meal in the to-go box. The single waitress did her best to keep the tables happy and clean and made for a pleasant experience. Try it out here is you have not, I'll be going back from breakfast soon enough. I

Food below average. Service just average- nothing special in any category. Yet their "expected…read moretip" scale starts at 20% and steps up to36% and figured including tax. Expecting above average tipping for mediocre food and service does not speak well of them.

Visiting family in Washington last week, we were taken here for breakfast…read more Great food, great atmosphere! Jon Uditsky, Los Angeles

One word: N A S T Y. Do NOT eat here. It looked promising…read moreat first when it was just down the street from the laundromat where we were finishing laundry. It looked promising when we walked in and the decor was so cute with license plates and stoplights. It looked promising when the wait staff were very nice and delivered an extensive menu. That's where promising ended. I ordered mozzarella sticks with marinara, a dinner salad and a side of cottage cheese. Pretty simple, right? The waitress asked what I wanted on the salad??? I said hard boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumber, whatever vegetables they had. She sort of shook her head as if she did not know what veggies they had. I ordered a side of blue cheese dressing. Mother in law ordered a grilled chicken salad. Mozzarella sticks took 25 minutes? I actually had to leave to get our laundry caus we were waiting so long. Came back to lukewarm NASTY mozzarella sticks that we did not finish. The marinara was underwhelming and warmer than the cheese sticks. Gross. Then we wait another 10-15 minutes wondering where the heck our simple salads are. The staff would not make eye contact. We kept looking for someone who would check our order and gave up. Finally after 45 min of waiting we get our "salads" YUCK. Mine we the tiniest bowl of white / pale green iceberg lettuce. A piece of white onion. A small plastic container of dressing sat on top of the sad lettuce. THAT WAS IT. Where are the vegetables I asked for? I look at the salad my MIL got and THERE was my hard boiled egg. There were the chopped vegetables. Luckily she offered to share her egg and vegetables with me. My salad was NASTY. She did not like hers, it was covered in melted cheese. Only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because the waitresses were very nice. It wasn't their fault the kitchen staff can't make salad.

Came from Chicago area, Love this place, food great, good portions and staff attentive and…read moreefficient. Seemed like mostly all local people. Sat at the bar and spoke to friendly people near us. They could remodel and update bathrooms. Hope to get back to area and try the restaurant adjacent.

Outstanding breakfast. I try to eat here whenever I come home for a visit. The food and service is…read morealways awesome. We had pancakes, biscuits and gravy and the hearty breakfast with poached eggs, bacon, pan fried hash browns. Their hash browns are excellent. Coffee is served piping hot with a small carafe on the side. It's a cute little restaurant that typically has a short wait on weekends. I highly recommend.

I had the best Mediterranean omelet on Friday. The gyro meat and veggies was delicious. The…read morehashbrowns were crispy. My wife had a cheese steak sandwich and enjoyed it alot. Jack's is always our go to place because of the variety of items on their menu. ​

Extremely clean restaurant. & Bathroom. From Breakfast…read moremeals to dinner you can't go wrong. Meals always at the correct temperature for what you ordered. All the greeters & waitresses are extremely observant to your needs. ENJOY

Small town diner with fast and friend service. Right off interstate for travelers. Typical amercian…read morebreakfast, lunch and dinner. I have had all three and never can go wrong with pancakes or a fish sandwhich from here. Don't forget to end with a piece of pie!

This is one of my favorite restaurants. I came for dessert and stayed for lunch. I had the chicken…read morefried steak, with potatoes and gravy. Which was delicious. My meal came with a dessert and I had the french silk pie. My tip is to order your dessert with your meal.

We stopped by here on our way home from our son's cross country meet in Peoria. So much nicer to…read morestop here than some fast food restaurant. Very clean and casual atmosphere. Our server, Jillian, was super nice and attentive. I don't think I ever say the bottom of my drink glass. It was always being refilled. :-) My turkey club was delicious. My husband really enjoyed his country fried steak. We will definitely stop by again when we are in the area.

I saw a photo of the taco salad and had to come here for the first time. I also needed the cheesy…read moretots and Texas sheet cake. The taco salad would've been much better with refried beans in my opinion. The lettuce chunks had to be cut up a lot. The cheesy tots were the best of the items we tried. The Texas sheet cake was very dry and gross in my opinion. My poor mother was given a very mushy peach cobbler, didn't look anything like the display desserts. She hardly touched it.

Excellent service, Macy is an exceptional host/server would highly recommend. Food was great and…read morevery timely overall a great experience and way to start the day.

Not welcoming of a customer with a Service Dog. Offered to seat me outside in the hot sun no shade…read more I was fine with a table next to the kitchen door away from other customers. I was not alright with the service and timing. Ordered Coffee ($3.60) and classic eggs Benedict. My food was delivered and had to ask again for my coffee. Ham on Benny was "country salty ham" not Canadian bacon style. Yuk. I won't be dining here again.

A go to place for breakfast. Omelette and American fries are great. Also has great chicken noodle…read moresoup and chicken wraps. A family favorite restaurant. Service is friendly and fast.

My family and I ate here shortly after arriving at the Peoria Airport. Shortly after walking in, I…read morediscovered that there is not a changing table in the women's restroom; my hubs informed me that there is not one in the men's either. So maybe not super suitable for families with young kids. We were greeted promptly and drink orders were taken. The coffee was mediocre and we had to request a fresh pot be made. Our food came out quickly and was pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Atmosphere was average but inviting. Picture here: French toast combo with scrambled eggs and bacon

My boyfriend and I enjoy some roadside kitsch, so when a magic shop we wanted to visit in Champaign…read morewas closed, this place was a welcome substitute. While it's not terribly impressive on the outside (it's in a strip mall), the 50's diner is a full-in blast from the past. Even better, it has a gift shop with all of the cheesy handmades (Signs with quotes! Crocheted tablecloths!) you could want. It has an old-fashioned soda fountain/diner counter and a jukebox, interesting cut outs on the walls, and a Batman on the ceiling (Why?) Service was great! There was a sign that said they were understaffed, but it didn't feel like it. To drink, I ordered a Red River (cherry soda). Green River was out, which made me a little sad. My boyfriend ordered the Reuben and I ordered the patty melt, and they were everything they should be: buttered bread, AMERICAN cheese (this place ain't fancy), burger patty that would be overdone by itself (me) but was perfect on the sandwich, buttery grilled onions (me), tangy and creamy homemade 1000 island dressing (my boyfriend). We both got the onion tanglers, which are like thick-cut onion rings, but are coarsely-chopped instead of rings. Salty crispy heaven served with a side of ranch in true Midwestern fashion. With tip, our bill was about $25. No doubt this will be a regular stop on our trips west!

Review Visit: October 28th, 2014…read more If you are a diner aficionado, do not confuse yourself. Yes, there is two diners in Illinois that have nearly the same name. This one is THE 50's Diner located in Peoria, IL and the other is THAT 50's Diner in Dwight, IL. The similarities do not end there. They are both themed from the 1950s. They have a big love of Elvis and other 1950's stuff decorating the diner. That's about where it ends. Matt, Tim, and I rolled up on a sunny autumn afternoon for some nostalgic trip. Not that we were alive in the 50's but it is always fun to visit a place themed after a time period one isn't alive for. I am still waiting for someone to open a Cafe 80's modeled after the one from Back to the Future II. This diner was screaming 50's from the moment we walked in. Black and white color scheme for the seating. 50's decor and memorabilia lining the walls and counters. A menu that screams styling from the time. But none of that matters in the end. It's the food. The menu emhpasizes the Loosey Sammich and that is just what I ordered. While looking over the menu, I did notice they served curly fries, which seems like a rarity outside of Hardee's/Carl Jrs. The diner wasn't busy so our server was timely and our food was delivered after a short while. The food was served in those plastic baskets with wax paper (but sometimes served on plates). To me, I enjoy food being delivered in those things. Why, only foggy childhood memories can explain. The food was dropped in front of us and the Loosey sandwich was... not appealing. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it if you've read enough of these blog posts, you know I save my judgment for how it tastes, not how it looks. Chomp. Chomp. A few bites in and my mouth ran in to dryness without flavor to cover it up. The sandwich was somehow disappointing despite being their signature sandwich. I am going to guess that the meat was sitting in a warmer and dried out. Ah, what a bummer. The fries were good, at least. I've been back a few times with my friend Maria for random breakfasts and lunches and the food from those visits mirrored my first experience here. Bland. Not to say the food is awful or should be avoided, but don't expect anything to make you crave coming back time and time again. But, on the other hand, maybe you'll love the place. Don't let me bland experience deter you from checking it out. Maybe my taste buds are compatible with the 50's. Ah, but this isnt the end of this blog. Nope, one little thing left to talk about. There is a store that takes up the right side of The 50's Diner. Yes, you heard it here. A store. I've browsed the merchandise for sale and I am not sure if this store is a consignment-based or what. The assortment of items is rather eclectic. There's novelty candy, jewelry, random clothes, and other odds and ends. It kind of makes visiting here exciting because you just never know what they will have on sale.

Not located on a corner but busy nonetheless…read more As I get back to exploring and the crazy of the world settles down, it's also time to try new items and popular favorites. My girlfriend and I were wanting breakfast and I was asking around what sounded and looked good. She suggested Busy Corner and I had thought she meant Cobbler Corner. Nope, there is a Busy Corner and a Cobbler Corner in Pekin. We showed up around 9am and it was still busy with the breakfast crowd. I guess this is why it's called Busy Corner. We parked in what appears to be a closed business' parking lot next door and headed in. Upon entering, I was shocked at how open the place is. With it being so busy, I didn't feel it was appropriate to take a photo from the entrance but trust me when I say that the dining floor is a square room with nothing but tables and chairs. A hostess (or something) came out from the back and nodded at an empty table for us to sit at. We grabbed the seat along the right wall and were given menus. Emily gave me a rundown of what she knew on the menu and her experiences here. She ordered her usual John Wayne breakfast skillet thing. I noticed a Bacon Waffle on the menu and debated on if it was a waffle that came with bacon or a waffle with bacon in it. Our waitress cleared the air on what it was when it came time to order. Can you guess what I ordered? BACON WAFFLE! It's a waffle with bacon in it. What a fun novelty. It took a little while for the food to come out due to how busy it was. Once it came out, I was impressed with how well the waffle looked with bacon in it. Emily's meal that the Duke loves looked just as good. I grabbed the syrup and poured a ton of syrup on both sides. I dug in and have to say this novelty of a meal is just that. I'm no food snob or professional but after a few bites, I knew the type of bacon they used didn't mesh with the waffle mix at all. I believe it was a hickory-type bacon used and it didn't go well at all with the generic waffle mix. Despite that, it wasn't bad at all. I put the whole thing down and each bite was just a confusing taste of bacon and waffle that tasted separately with each bite. Due to some recent food allergies, I had to decline the butter that came on the waffle. Maybe that would help bind the flavors together? While the flavor was odd, the portion size was huge. It was nearly as big as the plate it was served on and with my voracious appetite, I had only the waffle and the filled me up until early afternoon (and a whole front/back yard mow). Emily couldn't finish her John Wayne breakfast and had to take half home with her. As for why this place as a meal named or based on The Duke or John Wayne, I am at a loss to explain why. Maybe it's mentioned on the menu and I somehow overlooked it or maybe it's just a known fact... I will never know. If you know and want to share, leave a comment below. I had mentioned this place was an empty square. This works for jamming in as many tables as you can but also causes some slight claustrophobia-like feel because your neighbor sits a bit closer than a normal restaurant. With that in mind, it does make having a conversation a bit difficult due to everyone's voice filling the room. I repeatedly had to go 'huh?' 'what?' more so than normal. But... I'm glad my initial skepticism was extinguished once we sat down and had our food. Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

This review is based on the service. As soon as we walked in (first time here), a 'short…read moregray-haired' waitress loudly asked from across the restaurant if we were picking up. We said no, and she told us to sit, saying she wondered why we were "just standing there." While ordering, she was impatient, didn't make eye contact, and gave off a rude demeanor the entire time. When paying, she was holding on to the tablet which had a 20% tip pre-selected, we changed it to $1 due to the poor service. As we were leaving, she came outside, yelled for us to never come back, and flipped us off. We were polite the whole time, so this was shocking and uncalled for. Terrible customer service. Clearly caters to regulars, not new customers.