Heritage Cafeteria

Cafeteria style restaurants are unfortunately a dying breed in our great country. This place however, is still leading the way down memory lane. They just don’t make these places anymore. A place where you stand in line and looked down the long bar of foods steaming up to the sky. The daily specials are a steal, the food is simply awesome. The service… ehhh…never got any… but that’s ok… I’m not a needy person, so I’m not taking away from what they do best… Food. Will return simply for the fact to support a true American tradition. Cooks, and servers, keep up the great work.

Cafeterias, as a dining venue, are a dying breed. People want to go through the drive-​thru, get something in 2 minutes, and be on their way, all the while checking their Facebook on their phones.
You can’t do that at the Heritage. You go in, go through the line, get real eating utensils, choose what you want to eat as you go down the line, and the server behind the line dishes it up in real bowls and plates, which you put on your tray. Then you pick out a dessert, a drink, get your ticket from the cashier at the end of the line, and go sit down to eat! Nothing here happens in two minutes.
And the food? It’s fantastic! It’s REAL food. Mashed potatoes from real potatoes and not potato flakes. Real vegetables! The green beans are amazingly good! Everything tastes great!
For about $ 9.00, you will leave stuffed!
The Heritage has been in Springfield for a long time. I hope it is here for many more years!

Typical cafeteria style. Specials every day. Portions are very nice size. I got the Friday fish special with two sides… Mac & cheese and broccoli. I thought the portions looked small in the bowls they were in, but I was stuffed by the end of my meal!
It was a wonderful trip down memory lane. The mac & cheese was prepared exactly like my mother used to make! I have not had her macaroni and cheese in 20 or 30 years probably.
The prices were very reasonable. I got all of the above for around eight dollars. This is well worth a visit! Whenever I’m in Springfield from now on, I will definitely be eating here.

It certainly is a cafeteria. Classic almost. You walk in, walk down a line of options and at the end you get billed for what you took. Pretty simple. Food is basic. Under seasoned uniformly so if you are looking for lower sodium maybe this place is for you. Probably the best part of this place is the nostalgia. Your are served by sweat old ladies, drinks come in glass not plastic, and the staff are were just so nice. So big plus on the welcoming factor. My friend who took me here is getting older and I think he summed up the food best. Sure its a little bland but at my age a little bland means I’m not bothered by indigestion in the afternoon. I laughed at that. But very true. Later that day I did note that I felt really good. I also liked that there was variety of real vegetables to choose from.

Heritage is one of the few TRUE cafeterias left.
If we deal with the restaurant in general it could use some updating. I enjoy it because I get my «fried Chicken» Fix.
Is it pricy? I’m not sure if it is or it isn’t. I usually get a main course, 2 sides, roll and a drink for about 10.00 with tax.
I’m a fan a cafeterias. I used to go to one in KC every Sunday for dinner.
If I was to say something negative, its that there is no change in the menu. Now, it is consistent for sure. the Main courses never change. Yes, some changes in the sides, but not usually.
the staff is friendly and i promise you, your drink, whatever it might be, won’t be empty.

Great tasting REAL food, the kind that it’s hard to find these days. You may order as much or as little as you wish and I keep at home and use the carryout menu I got from a slot in front of the checkout area to order from home and then use the reserved parking space on east side of the building to pick up my order. If you want a full meal for carryout, try the specials: fried chicken on Sat. evening and roast turkey on Sunday 3 – 7 pm, each with all the trimmings, roll, specified dessert and coffee or tea. I don’t know where the person who wrote the bad review on here is from, but this is just down-​home grandma’s food and maybe she wanted something fancier. In my book, taste always outweighs fanciness!

Never thought I would post a review on Unilocal about the Heritage Cafeteria. Not a cafeteria kind of person, but maybe I will change.
I wanted healthy food that was not from a fast food joint.
Tried to figure out where I could get a baked potato and some broccoli but not go to Wendys. I decided to give a cafeteria a shot. Great idea! For $ 4.99 I got a small tossed salad, steamed broccoli, and a medium sized baked potato. Totalycost: $ 4.99 or a few pennies less.
Didn’t have to leave a tip. Nobody was bugging me to order dessert or anything. The food was equal to or better than any fast food joint. Had real silverware.
There were lots of people eating there, but not THRONGS of people like I would’ve seen if I’d eaten at Ruby Tuesdays or Panera or something.

We went here because it was the only restaurant open for Thanksgiving and we were in town to visit relatives. There must be better choices to spend your time and money on. Won’t be back.

Heritage Cafeteria was a staple of my childhood. Yes, I went every Sunday with my grandparents after church. (I guess that goes without saying.) I still visit quite regularly to have lunch with my grandparents. The coffee is the best ever, the mashed potatoes are made with real potatoes, and every now and then they serve delish fried okra. The food is fresh and reminiscent of home cooking.
It is a cafeteria, be prepared to stand in line. But don’t let the line worry you as it never takes very long. And the cafeteria style works in your favor — you can sit and chat as long as you like, no anxious wait staff rushing you along so they can make more in tips.
Considering that many of their patrons are, um, mature I do wish they’d get an automatic door opener. The entrance consists of heavy wooden doors that are a challenge to anyone with mobility issues. This is my only gripe and the reason they aren’t getting all 5 of their stars.