Lock 16 Cafe and Gift Shop

Beautiful gift shop with local wines and products. Delicious scones with Devonshire cream and other baked goods to choose from. Local ice cream, and coffee drinks with lots of options. Had the chocolate cinnamon latte. Super friendly staff, very helpful in making local recommendations of must sees. Wish I had made this my first stop when I arrived in the area. Will definitely come back here!

Great kept secret that needs to get out. I drove past this little hide out before and always intrigued by the historical area of LaSalle. This is a must stop! Great food and excellent service. Soft environment and very cozy feel. Highly recommend you stop in.

For her birthday, my wife expressed a desire to take a ride on the canal boat that berths at Lock 16. I checked into the prices and trip times, and decided to make an afternoon of it by having lunch at the Lock 16 café and then going for the ride. I called the Lock 16 café/​office the week before, purchased the ride tickets, and reserved a table for lunch. The rep that I spoke to, Lisa, gave me some information on the fare offered by the café, so that we knew what to look forward to.
When we arrived at the café, we were quickly ushered to our table. The café is quite eclectic — there is a small gift area in front featuring clothing and gifts related to the area. The counter in front is shaped like the prow of a canal boat, which is very inventive and perfectly fitting.
For lunch, all three in our party opted for the specials — two of us had the chicken/​cheese quiche, and the third had the spinach/​feta quiche. This dish was served with salad and soup. We each selected one of the house-​made dressings, and each selected a different house-​made soup (creamy meatloaf, chili, and corn chowder.
Presentation was perfect — a generous slice of quiche, with the mug of soup and the salad served on the plate. I had the corn chowder, which was delicious. I sampled the other soups the rest of the family had ordered and was impressed by all. The salad was assorted greens with a tomato slice, shaved carrots, and croutons, garnished with a slice of pineapple. Everything was delicious.
We decided that, since lunch was so good, we had to include dessert. I had the cherry/​orange scones with Devonshire cream, my wife selected the cinnamon bun with icing, and our son had the «canal cookie» — a large chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of ice cream (he selected the coffee espresso), with whipped cream and drizzled chocolate sauce. All included, the bill came to $ 51. Not bad!
We all left the table incredibly satisfied with our dining experience and ready for a relaxing ride on the canal boat, ¼ mile down the street.
the usual fare for Lock 16 consists of a variety of sandwiches with daily specials added, and a variety of house-​made soups and salad dressings. If you’re in the area you will greatly enjoy this gem of a café. If you’re looking for activities in the area, there are several mansion tours (we took the Hegeler-​Carus home tour), the canal boat, and many other attractions in the area of La Salle/​Ottawa/​Utica/​Streator.

We stopped in here on a whim while driving through the area. What a gem! Friendly service, yummy treats, tasty coffee, and a unique gift shop to boot! What a fun surprise for weary travelers to discover and relax. We just wish we had time to catch the historical canal boat ride.