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    The Friendly Cooker

    4.4 (27 reviews)
    InexpensiveAmerican
    Closed 6:00 am - 2:00 pm

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    The Cooker
    Shawn L.

    Good, home cooking with breakfast served all day. The pancakes are great, buttermilk or wheat, and are as big as the plate they're served on. They've got just about any breakfast item you can think of. They've got good burgers too as well as fried chicken and other comfort food.

    Front of the menu.

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
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    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
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    4 years ago

    Good long time local diner. Good food and good service. Open face roast beef very good. Nothing fancy!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    20 years ago

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    5 years ago

    This places food is really good. I love the service, they are always ready for people to come in.

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    5 years ago

    Super good food, super cute place. Loved the small town diner feel!

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    11 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Only place in town that was open on New Year's Day and they had nice warm cinnamon roles. Owner was friendly.

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    14 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
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    12 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

    The open face roast beef dinner and catfish dinner were excellent. Home cooked meals served with a friendly touch and great atmosphere.

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    12 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Great place for a Sunday morning breakfast. The service is wonderful because the staff are really nice and caring.

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    12 years ago

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    Review Highlights - The Friendly Cooker

    The open face roast beef dinner and catfish dinner were excellent.

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    Friendship House

    Friendship House

    4.6
    (79 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $

    Best catering ever!! Friendship House in Wamego catered our wedding reception, and I could not…read morehave asked for better staff or better food. The staff was kind and extremely helpful during preparation for our big day and during the reception. They gave amazing food while making sure all my guests could eat over half of the food options, despite their various food allergies (we had 8+ food allergens to consider). They were timely and well prepared. They even individually served my groom and me, which I would never ask for or expect. We also hired a couple of their staff members to stay the entire evening to help with clean up, and they were beyond helpful. They packaged-up the food to easily take home, took care of the tablecloths we rented for them, and helped with many other miscellaneous tasks. Lastly, we also loved the bartenders that we hired through them. They were friendly, fun, and very efficient, and everyone loved the service and mixed drinks. If you need catering for a large event, definitely contact Friendship House. Would highly recommend for anyone in the Wamego/Manhattan area.

    The food is simple but delicious, the bacon cheeseburger was juicy with the perfect amount of…read morecrunchy bacon. The service was kind, friendly, and the food came out promptly (10-15 minutes). The restaurant/ bakery is located in a converted house which adds to the homey feel of the place. Overall 5/5!

    Photos
    Inside of building
    Inside of building
    Friendship House
    Friendship House

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    Bourbon & Baker

    Bourbon & Baker

    4.5
    (432 reviews)
    13.8 mi
    $$

    I am a student at Kansas State. Naturally, this is not my average meal as I would consider this…read morepretty pricey. However, it was worth every penny that my family spent on my birthday, ha. I love eating for free. Being in downtown MHK, it's a relatively small joint. However, the spacing is easy to navigate, and the decor is very mature. They take themselves seriously, as they should! Anywho, tapas is a very European dining style, with small plates designed to not fill you immediately, so you're able to try several items on the menu in one night. After several visits now, I can say with full confidence that everything on the menu is worth trying and worth the money. The drinks are well measured and nicely balanced. They have experienced staff who know their menu, in the sense that their explanations are very informative. Please, treat yourself and get that basque cheesecake. It's pretty amazing! I'd recommend this to any alumni or parent taking a weekend to watch the cats give a beat down on the gridiron, and looking for a nice, memorable dinner with the family. Once again, students beware! This one isn't cheap! Lol.

    Can't go wrong here. Service is always at the top of its game. Dim lighting and thoughtful seating…read moreelevates your purple t-shirt. I swear the water comes from the fountain of youth but the waitress says it's municipal tap water. The food is unlike anything else in a 50mi radius. (Eat your heart out Topeka :D) This time around I tried the Dutch baby and it was surprisingly tame but the white bean and tomato dip came to the rescue. The fam always loves this place and you should never let down the fam. Just frickin pleasant and ish XD

    Photos
    As you might deduce from the name, this is your place for bourbon.
    As you might deduce from the name, this is your place for bourbon.
    Big Girl Chicken and Biscuits Plate
    Big Girl Chicken and Biscuits Plate
    Interior

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    Interior
    The Chef

    The Chef

    4.3
    (431 reviews)
    13.9 mi
    $$

    Always enjoyed coming here during my time studying at Kansas State…read more This breakfast joint is very cozy, with some of the best eggs and dishes I've ever had for a breakfast place. The decor, and aesthetic are well thought out, with indoor and outdoor spaces to eat, and the staff is very welcoming and don't mind talking. Jacob was my server at the Chef and he was on top of everything, helped with ordering and answered any questions I had. I chose the special for the day, the Cuban Bennie, and I'm glad he talked me into it. I will say if you can get there before it opens and can make it in at opening time, do it, because by the time we had ordered and finished the line was starting. Time to order, and receive food was ~ 20 min, coffee remained filled as was water. If you're visiting or a local, highly recommend this cozy breakfast place.

    Great day in the morning beautiful people of Yelpsville. Thank you for sharing a moment of this…read morefine life we're living, together. The 250th anniversary of being the new kids on the blue marble is upon us. My fam decided to make a pilgrimage back to the wifes stomping grounds. The heartland, Kansas. We're staying in the "Little Apple", Manhattan, Ks. Home of K-State University. Well also home of The Chef, which should be just as famous and endeared. The Chef is this gorgeous, chic, yet not so that it's kitschy diner in the heart of the main district of Manhattan. A classic diner, from the hospitality of the service staff, to the lunch counter with cute doodads for salt and pepper shakers. You've been here, because you've been home, or so it feels. Yes, be prepared to snuggle in for a teensy wait, because everyone loves home cooking, especially when someone else is doing the dishes afterwards. The portions are truly well beyong the prices. I ordered a CFS, smothered in sausage gravy. Was plated a Texas sized portion, thick steak, lightly crispily breaded, with a savory southern styled country gravy that honestly looked a bit intimidating in quantity, but I'm no fraidy cat. I came to conquer. Two perfectly running over medium eggs, whites done, yolks on the run, my style. A mountain of softly crunchy, better-than-homestyle fried potatoes, and a slice of thick cut wheat toast. This was a ton O' grub Bubba dub. Each component treated and seasoned well enough, to eat stand alone. Our meal partner kept checking on the family to see if we needed any more of that rich Arabica bean juice, or water, with the care of your fav Auntee from Mississippi, but right here, in the Land of Ahhhhs. She was winning us, even as much as The Chef that prepared the feast itself, and the food. Whew. The belly beat down was in effect, but I didn't tap out. I took that esophageal excitement with relish. Well not relish, with a sweet house made strawberry compote on toast. I wiped the plate clean. $15. You read that right... just $15. Oh I understand $15 is real money in this economy, but in relationship to the level of service, quality of service, epic portion sizes, and the finesse with which this small diner beat most anywhere we've been, and we share 39 years of worldwide travel as an old married couple, this was a bargain at $15, in the 90s. For sure back home in Texas this was honestly a $21 - $26 plate, and we're a beef producing state. Still with me? You're the real hero for hanging in here, and I truly appreciate you. If ever you want to taste Americas 250 years, in one sitting, visit The Chef in Manhattan, Ks. It's families feeding the community. No political spin, no feeling unwelcomed. An open door, to open hearts, feeding hungry bellies, without crushing your purses and wallets. They leave room in your account to make you want to reciprocate with generosity in returning, but also, tipping heartfully, without pressure. I miss when a meal was worth tipping huge without feeling it wasn't worth it. Here at the Chef, the earn it the old way. Be well, be loved, we're in this life past this page no matter what social media tells you. Hugs to you from me and mine. Go out and smile like ya mean it. Laugh like you're cray cray, and love like tomorrow isn't coming. Want pics? Nope. This place is worth you seeing for yourself. My pictures wouldn't do them justice. Peace y'all.

    Photos
    The Chef
    The Grant "The Perfect Breakfast" containing biscuits and gravy with slices of bacon and eggs over easy over hash browns
    The Grant "The Perfect Breakfast" containing biscuits and gravy with slices of bacon and eggs over easy over hash browns
    The Chef

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    The Friendly Cooker - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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