The Open Door Diner

We picked this place to meet up with friends for lunch. The place is HUGE!! The vibe is minimalist…read moreroadside bar and grill. It felt very clean and well maintained. We waited maybe 10 minutes for a table on a Sunday afternoon. The service from everyone team member was friendly and prompt. The menu is extensive. We tried the catfish bites with a homemade dill forward tartar sauce and the fried green tomatoes with a spicy remoulade. They offer brunch on the weekends. We had pancakes, and biscuits and gravy. For the more savory palates, we ordered a burger, the ribeye, and the Capone. The burger was thick and juicy, the bun held up to all of the toppings. The ribeye sandwich is a full steak on a hoagie roll. The Boursin cheese made this a little too rich for me but an amazing sandwich nonetheless. The Capone is a burger interpretation of a parmigiana sandwich. Rich marinara, mozzarella cheese and grilled onions and mushrooms made for an amazing meal. We had a wonderful time. We plan to stop in again soon

We've been coming here for years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I say that all the time. What can I…read moresay? Wifey and I eat out A LOT. The goat gets you a few ways: 1.) unusual name 2.) cool building 3.) great food 4.) ver good prices 5.) really nice/fun staff I gave you lots of pictures and show the menu. Wifey will comment on our next visit. Have a fantastic day, and eat at The Gabby Goat.

House beer, brewed for us at Main St. 4204 brewery

Drunken pig (menu item)

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Half order nachos (menu item)

Shakerag Bar & Grill

4.6(7 reviews)

29.6 mi

Food was amazing Debbie & Peter we're fast with service but…read moredidn't miss out on anything I needed, very kind. Very laid back and a fun place to be!

Nice place to eat, daily specials, not many people working like most restaurants so you have to…read morewait and they will tell you that it will be about an hour to 45 minute wait. Price is about average.

Inside bar and grill

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Chicken salad

Luke's Bar & Grill

3.8(11 reviews)

0.1 mi

We travel from Tucson to Youngstown Ohio a couple times a year. We normally stop in Altamont…read morebecause it works out for us to stop to sleep or eat. We found Luke's by accident when we stopped and Joes Italian was closed. It has always been great food and friendly service. The customers at the bar love our dog and we always enjoy stopping there. Not expensive. Today we had 2 cheeseburgers, fries and I had a margarita. It was all good and the cost was $21. Beats MickeyD's. Their c Buffalo chicken wrap is great too!

Dependable pub grub and a super price point. We haven't been disappointed by anything at…read moreLuke's--fish n chips, burger, chili, quesadilla. Beer and cocktails are cheap and the fries are absolutely awesome. Fries are so not good for you, Luke's fries convince you that you MUST eat them! The tasty food, the low prices, and the peppy waitstaff have made Luke's our on-the-way-to-Effingham stop. It's worth the 5 minute detour from I-70, that's for sure.

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Lickin' My Chicken & Pullin' My Pork BBQ

4.8(75 reviews)

11.0 mi

Passing through and found this place on Yelp. It was a little hard to find as our maps app said we…read morewere there and we couldn't see it. Then we first smelled and spotted the smoker and figured out how to get around to the entrance. It's in a big warehousey type building and everything looks brand new inside. I had the brisket sandwich. So tender and loaded with meat. The loaded potato salad was really nice. I think it had pulled pork in it, something smokey, but not bacon. My friend had the brisket nachos. She got the half order and barely made a dent in it. Service was very fast and it's right off the interstate.

My family Stopped at this place on our road trip based on seeing all the great Yelp reviews. We got…read morethere around 1pm on a Sunday and they were sold out of mac n cheese and their potato salad already. So, ended up trying the cole slaw which was good. We tried the pulled pork nachos, pulled pork sandwich, Wings & the chicken. Everything we had was yummy. It is hidden in an industrial park area and they don't have great signage. The place was very clean including the bathrooms which is always a plus.

Epic murals

Lickin' My Chicken & Pullin' My Pork BBQ

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Roomy seating area

Firefly Grill

4.4(884 reviews)

10.8 mi

•$$$

Amazing spot! Love the interior. We stopped in for dinner last week and so happy we did. The inside…read moreis gorgeous and the service was outstanding. Aja was out waitress and explained that Firefly is farm to table. We tried their spicy pineapple vodka drink and it was stellar, had two. For entrees, we both had the wrapped filet. Cooked to perfection. We also split the brussel sprouts and they were amazing. Lastly we had the brownie with ice cream and it was decadent and delicious. Everything was a 10/10. Highly recommend!

The service here is pretty good overall, but it took a while to get more ketchup and the check both…read moreafter the main food was delivered. The lunch specials were quite fantastic. The shrimp burger is served with very crispy fries that they use a coarse salt sparingly on which is exactly how I like it. The arugula salad that is served with the muffaletta is every bit as good as the sandwich it comes with. The muffaletta itself is quite savory and very delicious. It is a little on the salty side so be prepared with plenty of water, but the flavor is well worth this small sacrifice. Their outdoor seating area is an absolute gem and we had a wonderful table here with a great view of trees and the pond nearby.

Bar area

Crispy honey glazed chicken on a bed of whipped potatoes.

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Outdoor patio seating.

Curly Girls Cafe & Catering

5.0(3 reviews)

28.4 mi

We were so pleased with Curly Girls we'll be going back tomorrow! The service was friendly &…read moreefficient. The decor was simple & neat tables. And the food was Fantastic. The breakfast burrito was huge & delicious. The chicken bacon wrap was equally satisfying and the fries were top notch.

I am from Southern California and I was visiting family in Iowa and Illinois. We stopped in at…read moreCurly Girls and had lunch. OMG THE FOOD IS AMAZING!!!! The staff and the owner/chef, make you feel as good as the food. This place is top shelf on everything. Just wish it was in California!!!

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Demi's Diner

5.0(1 review)

33.2 mi

We stopped in for breakfast while in town visiting our family. There were 10 of us in all and we…read morewere greeted and accommodated quickly by the staff. The menus had many choices for breakfast lunch and dinner. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Some of our group had breakfast while others chose lunch. My "mama's special" was delicious. It included 2 sizable pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage. My daughter ordered biscuits and gravy with eggs which were also very tasty. (I had a nibble). All of the others seemed pleased with their choices as well. The portions are generous, the food is really good, and the service was great. I would like to return and try the fried chicken before our trip is over! I noticed this establishment was not yet listed on Yelp, so i decided to add it for the benefit of others who might enjoy it too ;)

Pinky's

4.1(51 reviews)

8.1 mi

Perfect place to meet good friends, and have a great menu to choose from! We will definitely be…read moreback!

What a find! You would never know this place exists unless you're a local. It's hard to put into…read morewords how cool this place is! The deck is massive, tons of tables, and the view is top 10! Service was excellent and super friendly! Got the lobster salad BLT with the pub chips. The bacon- thick, crispy and amazing. Texas toast was perfect. The lobster salad was spot on. Definitely want to go back on a weekend and enjoy the deck!!

Decor

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Signatures Bar & Grill

4.5(2 reviews)

45.7 mi

Very mellow place, owner stays very involved, which keeps it consistent…read moreWell priced food and drinks

This bar is so cool. Darren (I'm sorry if I spelled your name wrong) is super chill and his…read morecollection of autographs is badass. The food here is REALLY good too. It's such a chill place to be after a long day. Super underrated place in my opinion.

Plenty of sitting room. And friendly people.

Blt' sandwich is awsome!

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Friday and Saturday nights free pool!

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Joe B.

12 years ago

Wow, what a find!!! Small, cozy, family owned restaurant about a mile off interstate 70. Friendly courteous service, very clean, and neatly decorated. The mourning we were there it was filled with the local town people, very friendly! Now, the food, we had breakfast, everything was cooked as ordered, was not greasy or cold when we got it. I would recommend anyone in the area or passing through to stop and give it a try. Joe and Ann Brown Nashville, TN read more

Elizabeth M.

9 years ago

Looking for a meal like grandma cooks? Look no further. Their hand-breaded chicken is delicious. We love the dressed up chicken sandwich and the Dagwood. Breakfast is a hit as well. You won't go wrong with anything you order from here. The restaurant is cozy and the staff is friendly. read more

The Open Door Diner - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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A must try effingham staple…read more Eat on the salad bar or diner side and enjoy a hometown style meal or the spring rolls! Every time we visit this town we try to get in a meal or at least take home one of their handmade pies or cookies. They rotate staff a lot but the food is always the same so it's a good bet you will have a good meal. Don't forget they do a great job catering!

Passed through Effingham IL again and decided to commence my 30 minutes + off duty break here…read more Low-Key truck stop next door to Niemerg's Steakhouse is the Speedway; the startegy is park your rig there and walk over to this landmark. Haven't not been inside this restaurant ever, i kept an open mind I didn't know what to expect. Theres apparently three dine in area options. You have a whiskey, bar lounge that probably the likes of General MacArthur would patronize for food and cigars like at the Historical Manila Hotel in Manila Philippines. Then you have the open dining room where you seat yourself and it was reminiscent to an Army Chow Hall...sort of with retro 80s decor. And lastly, I chose the Salad Bar room with a booth seating. Server Jessica was fantastic! Went through the standard protocols with me; I was really enjoying the vibes at this place. It's very Mahogany, 1960s - 1980s feeling, almost like that steakhouse Warren Buffet likes to go to in Omaha Nebraska. Very community family oriented, quiet, really quite different than any restaurant or diner you patronize in a city like Los Angeles. A lot of retired folk here and truly, you feel like you been thrown back in time to the 80s and early 90s in some sense. So anyways on to the food. I'm going to state my opinion straight up, the salad bar hot food bar is the star of the show. In fact everything from the soup to the oven potatoes to the COLESLAW (Best Coleslaw Ever), reminded me of that once upon a time Soup Plantation that died during Covid....and the best part is the Cold and hot bar is all-inclusive with your main entree order. Yes you heard that right, you buy the resort tickets, and you enjoy your stay with unlimited cocktails at Cancun...I mean Neimergs... Now to the Iowa Premium Rib Eye Steak. To the kitchen staff: 2 minutes on the top side, 2 minutes on the bottom side. Bake in oven 1 minute on both sides. Done. Medium Rare. A perfectly good steak was destroyed because it came out well done. To future passerbys, skip the baked potato loaded if you decide to dine in at the hot and cold bar room. Last thoughts. I want to give the steak a 3 stars but the overall ambiance, the grandpappy grandma vibes and that overall feel like your dining at someone's home in farm country really elevated the entire experience. Plus the servers are all working their tails off. So I've rated this place a 4 stars. Think anyone on a road trip, or just driving their rig through town should give this historical site a visit. 1978 right? Or something like that. This place also has some of the freshest greens.

Depot

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(11 reviews)

MEH.. not that great. One waitress ran around doing everything from taking orders to clearing…read moretables to ringing up the cash register ...all while another woman stood behind the counter doing nothing. local joint.. lots of truckers. We wanted the walleye special, but it was sold out. We went with the cod sandwich special. It was a square fish ..like from McDonald's. It wasn't really hot. Fries were cold. Cole slaw was SPOILED!! I told the woman behind the counter, and the next thing we knew, she took one sandwich off the bill. She didn't have to do that... but it made the fish sandwich more reasonable because it certainly was not worth $12.

Great food. Cooked to order, so always fresh! Always…read morefriendly waitresses. Good portions. You can also fill up your car's tank, after you've filled up yours. Subway is in the same building if you're in a hurry to grab a bite and run.

Blind Society

4.1

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We had 3 great meals here while we were visiting. The menu was very good. Service was fast and the…read morestaff was very friendly.

There isn't any dedicated parking lots for this restaurant but plenty of street parking around it…read more It is located in the same space as Witness Distillery. I made a reservation on Google and my friend and I promptly seated at a high top table near a wall. The noise level is moderate but I was able to have casual conversation with my friend. He ordered a burger with mashed potatoes and a Coke and I had the brisket tacos with sweet potatoes and an espresso Martini. The Espresso Martini was more on the creamy side but still good nonetheless. While I believe the guacamole was store bought, it meshed really well with the brisket, cotija cheese and whatever else was on the brisket. The brisket was all protein, no fatty parts and tender. The sweet potatoes fries had sea salt flakes that balanced the sweetness. They were perfect. Everything was really good and my friend enjoyed his meal as well.

Gopher's Grill

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Great food and laid back feel. Lunch stop complete! Traveling... stop here! Really give it a tryread more

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Brickbat Bar & Grill

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Bartender with orange hair is not friendly at all. She was very short with us, answered in one word…read moresentences. Felt very unwanted in the environment.

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Nehemiah's Steakhouse

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