Country Kitchen

How can a country kitchen not have biscuits and gravy? I got the bacon waffle and asked for it on the well-​done side. It came up a little mushy with not very much bacon inside and only one piece of bacon on top. Friend suggested the real Kernal Corn pancakes, but I’m not a huge fan of corn and my waitress said that would be the last thing she’d get on the menu. I don’t feel an overwhelming urge to make this a destination again in the future, but the owner Peter, was sincere with his policy to be sure his guests are satisfied. I’m typically not one to send food back that isn’t prepared to order. I’m sure his 38 years here is proof of that desire to please his customers. He has a new cook and I suggested they do a better job of dispersing the bacon in the batter and perhaps a 2^nd piece of bacon atop the waffle. His comment of «it’s only a $ 1.50 worth of food,» he’d be throwing out, left me thinking perhaps the $ 9 and change is a bit steep for a bacon waffle. I’ll probably give them the benefit of the doubt, not arrive as soon as the doors open and try an omelet my next visit.

Ben going here since I was a little girl food is good and service is good. People are very very nice at this place!

I loved this diner! One of my girlfriends lives in HP and when I told her I wanted really food for lunch and not silly girlie food, she said I know just the place!
It was packed at 11:45 and had several tables with large groups. I thought service would suffer but that was not the case at all. I had something called a spicy tuna melt with tomatoes and fries of course. Wow was it good. My GF had a salad with grilled chicken. Large portions and cheap prices, especially for the North Shore.
It’s decorated like a diner from the 1960’s and that is a good thing in my book. I saw several senior citizens having lunch and you could tell they were regulars. By the cashier, they have a box of little toys for the kiddies to take. How sweet is that? My friend said the daughter of the original owners is now running the restie and has added some new menu items.
I told my GF I am coming back here for breaky. It was really good and places like this warm my heart.

Average food and below average ambiance. Nothing particularly original on the menu. It is a Highland Park tradition for those from the area and a great place for seniors. If you just want an egg (boiled or friend) and maybe a piece of toast then okay. The price is quite reasonable for the size of the dishes. However, when I leave my home to eat out I am looking for something more special in the food, setting and service. This is not the place. I would like to see this place get a total makeover!

I can’t believe this place has so many stars. It’s literally the worst place I’ve ever had the unfortunate luck of eating at. My boyfriend and I are new to the area and love checking out new places to eat. Our normal spot was packed and had a long wait so we decided to check out Country Kitchen. When we walked in I really dug the whole grandma southern feel. Grandma= great food right? I was even impressed with the large menu. My boyfriend first ordered some chocolate milk which seemed off. Seems like they use some sort of powder. We shrugged it off. That’s ok. No big deal. Both of us ordered the eggs Benedict which came with hashbrowns. We also ordered a side of the corned beef hash. The eggs Benedict was on a hard burnt– around-​the-​edges English muffin. The rest of the eggs Benedict was so bland I could only finish half which says a lot for this food lover. The corned beef hash looked and tasted like cat food. Shortly after starting our meal we both agreed the hash was pretty gross. «Actually this is all pretty terrible» and I just had to laugh. The only saving grace was the hasbrowns and even those were lackluster and stringy. Parts were burned, not browned. At least I didn’t get home completely hungry after spending about 20 bucks on my meal (with coffee). We are disappointed in this place because we thought we found a good home cooking dinner to come to regularly but our first experience was so bad we won’t return.

Great place to go with the family. Works well for large groups.
Menu might need to be reworked as I ordered the potato pancakes and after waiting for nearly an hour, they came out partially cooked. The owner was very kind and came over and offered another meal (we didn’t have time), and explained they had a very hard time with this menu item and it should really never be ordered (!!!). He took it off the bill, but still.
Oh, and be sure to have cash or to run across the street to the ATM. Cash only business.

Pretty good brunch place — huge menu. Another one of those neighborhood places that, although not the best meal ever, is a tradition for the area it’s in. Highland Park isn’t exactly a foodie mecca so you have to take what you can get and the bar isn’t exactly set high. That being said, the breakfasts are solid, filling, and the coffee is strong and hot. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here but if you’re in the neighborhood, it’s a good option.

The food is always good at this famous little Highland Park breakfast place. The service is always great and the food comes out quickly! They also have a lot of things other breakfast places in dont.
Always clean and always consistent

Well I guess I’m the only one from the North Shote who hadn’t been to this place. One of those staples I learned. Somewhere you go to see everyone and their grandmas (literally).
Great for groups, had nine people today, they seated us quickly. I got the Rio Grande omelette, has chorizo. Very good. I like my hash browns crispy, they have the very soft kind, so next time (and probably from now on everywhere) I will ask for crispy. Price is high but it’s HP, so figures. Service great and great family vibe. I’m sure I’ll be back many times. Oh yeah, they do take credit cards now.

Cute local diner. Friendly staff. Decent food. I was surprised that biscuits and gravy was not on the menu! Perhaps slightly overpriced. When the waitress offered to help me decide between two breakfast items (french toast and an omelette) She actually said, «The french toast isn’t very good… go with the omelette,» which was both endearing and slightly off-​putting. I will probably bring my family here again for breakfast.

Country kitchen is a great hole in the wall breakfast place in Highland Park. Though it is unassuming from the outside it is actually quite spacious inside. Their French toast is likely the best in Highland Park. Service is also quite friendly. When lines for other breakfast places in the area are out the door, you can sometimes count on Country kitchen to be a little less busy and still provide a great environment and good food.

Certainly Country Kitchen is a Highland Park tradition, though I am not sure that is a compelling enough reason to dine here. In a sharp contradiction to the pervasive elitism of HP, Country Kitchen is «down home» cooking like your mother used to make.
Nothing fancy here but you can find all your traditional breakfast and lunch items on the menu. I stick with the breakfast items, usually an omelette. The portions are huge and easily fill you up.

There are weeks we are there up to 3x. Carlos is very efficient is getting everyone seated. The food comes out fast and the egg white omelets are great.
My kids love the grilled cheese, waffles, fries etc.
Great service. Perfect for meeting friends or going with family.

My husband and I saw the 4 star reviews and decided to give the place a try. We went on a Friday morning when the place was empty but service was still slow. The food was ok but nothing to rave about. And I guess we should have paid more attention to the warnings about the place not taking credit cards because we usually don’t carry much cash and barely had enough cash to cover the bill (partially our fault there).
When we’re in the area we usually go to Walker Brothers which is a little more pricey but also has better food and bigger portions. Think we’ll stick with Walker Brothers in the future.

This place is packed on the weekends. I didn’t get the 4 star review. The food is just ok and the environment is old school country kitchen. The omelette I had was hard cooked but I did like that they used green onion and feta, that’s different. But nothing was extraordinary– the coffee, the fries, the bagel… all just ok. Prices are reasonable and wait staff is friendly.

3.5 stars. This is a good, easy place to grab a bite in downtown Highland Park. The service gets 4 stars and the food gets 3. The restaurant was packed when we went in, and we were seated almost immediately. Our waitress was super friendly and kept our drink glasses full throughout the meal. I had the hot corned beef sandwich and it was pretty good. I wouldn’t put it on par with most delis I’ve been to, but it was tasty. The fries were quite good, though. The portions are really large. The others in our party got a salad and an omelet, and both were huge. We actually got take-​out from here the next day for lunch, as well. I got the hot roast beef sandwich (basically a French dip) this time, and it was fine, but could have used some horseradish or something. I’d give the overall experience a thumbs-​up.

This breakfast/​lunch diner is a typical small town diner… except that it is in Highland Park. Food is good and served hot and delicious. Service can be a bit spotty.
One major downside… THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH! In today’s age, and considering costs for meals, this can be a huge turn-​off and business killer, but they seem to be doing alright.
Worth the trip and cash hassle.

I appreciate the Country Kitchen. My boyfriend lives in the burbs and I have to haul my ass up on the Metra to see him on the occasions when I can’t convince him to see me in the city. As an ex-​suburbanite I have some perspective on city vs suburban living. So again, I appreciate the Country Kitchen.
This little greasy diner is in the heart of HP. I love it because the food is reasonably priced, the place has personality and it’s decorated like someone’s outdated suburban kitchen. The waitresses wear denim two pocket shifts and it’s cash only. Country Kitchen is always crowded, no matter the day of the week or time. The menu is huge and your expectations should be set low for the quality of the food. Don’t order anything that you wouldn’t at a diner anywhere else in the country (ie huevos rancheros) and don’t expect for streamers to fall from the sky when you take a bite of the eggs benedict. Everything is just OK. The reason why I appreciate this place is because it is hard to find a decent, non-​Bakers Square/​Marie Calendar type diner in any suburb in America.
I find that the patrons are generally a pain in the ass but I figure that if I order fast and shove my breakfast down my gullet ASAP, we can get out of there and start the day!

A little greasy diner in the heart of trendy downtown Highland Park. Great owner. He’s the old guy holding court in full uniform when you walk in for breakfast. Friendly staff. Solid breakfast food. THIS IS NOT BRUNCH!!! If you want that, I’m sure HP can accommodate you.
Cash only. Big booths and tables. Décor straight out of the 70s.

Okay, So. My boyfriend grew up in Highland Park, and has been raving about Country Kitchen since we first started dating. This past weekend, I finally got to eat there.
The menu is extensive. I didn’t even look at the lunch side, because I was hell bent on breakfast. I decide on the Rio Grande omelette, which is basically chorizo and eggs. We all know by this point that if there is chorizo on a breakfast menu, I am going to eat it. Next time, I would add some onion, tomato, and cheese.
The BF got the same thing he’s been getting there since he was a kid: rolled chocolate chip pancakes. These things were HEAVENLY. Smothered in whipped cream. A kid (or big kid’s) dream. I can’t even believe he let me taste a bite.
Service was friendly, but a little slow. I can’t be too upset, the place was JAM packed.
Next time, I’m definitely trying pancakes, because that’s what the restaurant smelled like. I would also like to try lunch!