Great service! I have a dairy allergy and when no allergen menu was available, the server and manager went out of their way to check ingredient lists for me and substitute when needed! Thank you so so much! And the food was delicious! :)
(5)
John D.
Wow, I'm sitting here right now and every thing is wrong on our order... None of us (9 in total) DONT EAT MEAT. How hard is it just to make a bunch of pancakes and a bunch of eggs? Worst Cracker Barrel. I wouldn't even leave 1 star. P.s A spider just fell from the ceiling onto my shoulder. GO TO MCDONALDS next door instead. You've been warned
(1)
Mary Kay B.
This has always been one of my favorite comfort food places until today. When my husband and I walked thru the store to the host to be seated for lunch, we were taken to the last of the seating areas (3 in total). I didn't think anything of it at first except that we past up quite a few empty tables that could've comfortably sat 2 adults. After initially sitting down I looked around, I enjoy people watching. To my surprise there were a large number of African Americans in the same area, however there were none in any of the other areas. Was this just a coincidence? Hmmm, there are 3 African American servers here to. Do you see the pattern? I was so upset by this blanten attempt to segregate seating that I had a hard time even looking at the menu. I looked at my husband and tried to get the words out of what I was seeing. He cut me off and just said, "I know. I see it to". I love my husband and would sit wherever we needed to in order to be together, however today I got a small glimpse of what he had been experiencing his entire life. There was a heavy feeling in my stomach and a strong desire to scream at someone. He was not reacting to it negatively so I contained myself. My husband told me not to hold the entire chain responsible for the actions of this one, but I will not be giving another dime of my money to this franchise! To anyone else who ever felt this way, I would like to tell you that I am sorry! No one is better than anyone else......PERIOD!
(1)
Matt M.
The to go order process needs to evaluated and changed ! I love the cb! However, the last few times I've ordered food to go it is never ready at my pick up time ! I'm having to wait another 20 to 30 mins to recieve an order after my arrival ! I'd like a follow up from a member of management in regards to my to go order concerns ! Please email me macmurray23@hotmail.com
(4)
Patrick H.
Cracker Barrel is always good for a stop along the highway. The food is consistent. The shop is alright if you are in need of goo goo clusters or bubble up. Coffee is adequate. Price is reasonable. That peg game at the table is addicting. For a chain this place is pretty good if you have 45 minutes and want a respectable meal.
(3)
Mason D.
Rarely is the food at this location to the great standards of other Cracker Barrel restaurants elsewhere. I'm constantly hearing other complaints from other tables, as well has having complaints of my own.
(2)
Michael D.
This was, without a doubt, the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Now, I work in food service. I'm a waiter/ bartender. I know how it is. I was talking up Cracker Barrel to my family as we're on a road trip. I couldn't wait to stop here for breakfast. The food was atrocious almost to the point of being inedible. Sausage tasted like it was an old tire, hasbrown casserole? Couldn't even finish one scoop. Was cold and tasted..... off. Eggs clearly were not scrambled. Biscuits were about the size of a half dollar coin and the sausage may as well have been water and flour. Absolutely zero flavor. Didn't even try the grits at that point. Waitress and staff were nice which makes me feel bad writing this review. But like others have said, the McDonald's next door probably has much better food. I hope management sees this. I was with the large family, 9, that had to be split into 2 tables even though it wasn't busy at all.
(1)
Violette H.
This was the worst Cracker Barrel experience I've ever had. Mom and I both ordered our favorite -The Old Timers breakfast but this time there was no nostalgia. The grits tasted like they were watered down, the pork sausage was still pink inside and the last straw was finding hair in my food. This was after we were told because we are sitting at the same table, we had to eat/share our sawmill gravy from the same bowl. What? Is there a shortage of dish washing detergent? Our saving grace was our wonderful server Yemisi...she worked hard, was very pleasant and did everything she could to rectify the wrongs. Unfortunately there are too many Cracker Barrels along the highway to endure sub standard food. Do yourself a favor keep driving or stop at McDonalds instead.
(1)
Sarah T.
Great/friendly/funny/helpful staff, dependably delicious food, quick service. Our family loves eating there :)
(5)
Jason O.
Seems like we always end up here at least once when we travel.... Makes sense, I see it at the McDonald's of comfort food The menu is solid and you know what you are going to get (with small regional variations). Honestly speaking we have never had a bad experience with food and service here which makes the travel to our destinations a little less painful.
(4)
Jack W.
I'm a fan of Cracker Barrel in general, but in Bloomington-Normal it really fits the bill because it's not like every other cookie cutter restaurant in town. The food is of a mostly consistent quality (occasionally the hash brown casserole is off), the staff are for the most part very friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere transports me out of town for an hour. They were the first place in town to serve sweet tea. They have menu items that are not available elsewhere. The prices are very reasonable. Love the option of getting breakfast any time. Love the chicken and dumplings!
(4)
Mike N.
The service was fine but the food portions are small and tasted bland. I've always enjoyed Cracker Barrel in the South. However, every time I've been to one in Illinois (5 separate locations), they've all been very bland tasting. I've also noticed the portions have shrunk as well. For this specific occasion, we came for breakfast after church. I ordered the same thing I normally get for Breakfast. The Country Fried Steak, 2 eggs, grits, hash brown casserole, biscuits and gravy. I wont go into details on what my two kids and wife ordered but they ordered similarly. The bowl of grits may have contained 3 tablespoons of grits. Same thing with the has brown casserole, it was a very small amount, maybe 1/2 cup at the most. Eggs and steak were fine but had no flavor. I don't really care for biscuits and gravy, so we actually took home a box of those. They did give a large bowl of sausage gravy and about 6 or so large biscuits for the tabe to share. Anyway, there are so many places to go for breakfast, I really doubt I'd go back to this one. It's just not worth the money in my opinion.
(2)
Scott B.
We stopped in for a late breakfast this morning and ordered pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and turkey sausage patties. The eggs arrived room temperature and certainly not scrambled. It was obvious to me the cooks cracked the eggs onto the grill, broke the yokes and then swirled them a round a bit. Scrambled!! (Not.) The egg whites and yokes were not mixed and had an unappetizing appearance. Meanwhile, the sausage patties were way over cooked, nearly black on one side (the side they hid when they put them on the plate), and lacking moisture. Finally, our waitress stopped by 20 minutes into the meal (with check in hand) to ask us how our meal tasted. In addition, at least half the staff were walking around like zombie characters from the Walking Dead. The hostess never cracked a smile and shuffled around with a scowl on her face. There appears to be a serious morale problem at this location, and it shows in the service and the food. What a shame. We usually laud this chain for its food and service.
(1)
Laura Kate S.
A roadtrip with my parents is incomplete without at least one stop at a Cracker Barrel. Quick service, tasty food, and it wasn't packed. I've been to this location before when it was swamped and the day we went recently was nice and calm. A really yummy lunch with a chatty and friendly server.
(4)
BloNo Foodie F.
Sure, this place is a chain. No matter where you go in the country - you'll get consistency across the board. The sawmill gravy is the same in IL as it is in NC - but - what floored me was that the cooks here in the "north" knew what Red Eye Gravy is. Your server might not - but the cooks here do. They have a great tasting version of Red Eye Gravy here - which actually is a part of the "sawmill gravy" they boast on their menus. They start with a Red Eye Gravy and add flour, milk, black pepper, and sausage to make their signature sawmill gravy. For a true southern experience, ask for red eye gravy and try it over grits, or over biscuits, or over a biscuit and ham sandwich. Red eye gravy is nothing more than ham fat and burned ham in the pan, water, salt, and coffee - but I think they have it down pat! I could almost drink this stuff. Well, I have.
(4)
Lety V.
We were on a road trip to St. Louis,and thought the CB would be a good place to stop for lunch. It took about 15 minutes for someone to acknowledge we were there and seat us. There was no one else ahead of us waiting for a table either. We sat down and looked at the menu, and we noticed the waitstaff taking other orders at the tables around us. It took awhile for our waitress to take our order. She acknowledged how long we had been waiting,apologized and took our drink and food orders. So we are once again waiting, watching the other tables get service and the waitress never comes back to give us our drinks. A waitress was putting a very, heavy, hot plate of food on the table behind us and she dropped it. The plate shattered everywhere, a big piece of it came sliding right by my foot, but luckily I was not injured. I understand accidents happen, but the woman that came to clean up didn't even apologize or ask if we were alright. By that time I was just fed up, thirsty and hungry so we left and no one said anything to us as we walked out,
(1)
Josh B.
Whenever I eat at Cracker Barrel, I always go crazy because the food is just so darn good. It really is hometown old fashioned cooking tasting food. I love being able to get breakfast for dinner. I usually get Pecan Pancakes, a side of hot apples, 2 scrambled eggs, a side of green beans, a frosty mug apple cider, hash browns and a few biscuits. Oh gawd! So good. I didn't want to miss the chance to get my Cracker Barrel fill since there isn't one in Washington. Makes me miss living in Oklahoma a little. Then when you're done eating you can go out and peruse the store and get some old-fashioned candies and gums and they always have nice cute holiday decor and apparel. It's a nice alternative to going to like a Denny's or IHOP. There are usually a lot of older folks in there carrying on about whatever old people do, but I didn't feel out of place because I was just tryin to git mah eat on and demolish a few plates of food.
(5)
Les O.
Solid as a Rock! Momma's breakfast is the bomb!
(5)
Jeff H.
Was expecting better, wait staff did not give us a chance to view the menu, even after saying we needed more time. Order was wrong and when paying the person at the register asked if everything was OK and we responed with the food order was wrong she just said thank you and turned around like we were not there.
(2)
J W.
Not a place to go to unless you have no other options. It was raining and I was walking. It was Cracker Barrel or McDonalds and I made the wrong choice
(1)
Scott J.
Tired of driving. It was hot out. I needed a place to sit, relax and eat a meal with my son on my way home. I thought about a truck stop, then, two seconds later I thought about the Cracker Barrel. Twenty minutes later I was here. The atmosphere is right, but just a bit too darkly lit inside the restaurant for me. Yeow! The dinner price specials are right on--$5.99 for your choice of Baked Chicken N' Dressing, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Pot Pie, Turkey N' Dressing or the Country House Salad and Baked Potato. Okay, it's not "city-life glamour food," : ) but it is not supposed to be. It's country food--like my nanny would dish out on Sunday afternoons when we kids visited her and Grandpa. I know this, the unsweetened ice tea is really good! The mashed potatoes where fresh made, not reconstituted, and the meatloaf was not taken from a freezer and heated up in some microwave -it was fresh and meaty and delicious. This what you want when you buy a meal in any restaurant no matter what kind of restaurant it is. And, for $5.99, I think it was a really good deal all around. Service was quick and friendly too. The table was clean when we were seated at it. I love it when the waitress says, "I'm going to take care of you!" My son was introduced to a bottle of Sarsaparilla--the granddaddy of all rootbeers. When we left the sun was out and the temperature had fallen to about 70 degrees. Perfect.
(4)
Tj M.
great place for everything: The west side has a hidden place for great food.me and my Lady really enjoy going to this place. There food is always good. I like the country boy breakfast and i'm stuffed when i leave. I also enjoy uncle herschels plate also. When we have to go into work early I'll convince my coworkers to meet here for breakfast and they never regret it.My girlfriends enjoys there vegetable plate as you can choose 4 dishes to make up a plate.wether your getting breakfast or dinner you will not be dissapointed.We always get great service and they have excellent waitresses that are always friendly and helpful.I do not normally review franchise places but this chain is really worth it. About the only gripe i can see is it can get pricey as nothing comes cheap anymore.
(4)
Tom Z.
I went here for an dinner today. The special was fried chicken plate. The boneless fried chicken breasts were pretty good. They were juicy inside and crispy on the outside. They also had good flavor. For the sides I had mashed potatoes and corn. The mashed potatoes were average and could have used much more gravy. They put very little gravy on the top of them. The corn was pretty flavorless. Pretty sad when you consider the fact this location is right in the middle of corn country. It was far from sweet yellow corn I'm used too at home. I also got a biscuit and cornbread muffin. Neither one impressed me. I really was expecting more from the Cracker Barrel food. The people were very nice and friendly and the place was clean. I'm not sure if I would return again.
(3)
John L.
I was here for breakfast how hard is it cook thinks as you need them? I had a very simple breakfast bacon and eggs with potatoes. The was cold over cooked and plan to see cooked some time ago. The potatoes were cold mess of starch. Come on cook it as you need it I am sorry to put you out but how easy can it be? Like most chains this place just does not care about what they put out. If I could give zero stars I would it has been a few years since my last visit to a Crackle Barrel and with any luck it will be years before I come back.
(1)
Joyee L.
Cracker Barrel always has to be the stop whenever I am on a road trip. That said, I am not sure that I will be coming to this one ever again. The waitress was nice, but she was a little clueless. She waited until after we ordered to tell us that some things were not available in the kitchen. My boyfriend, who was already having enough trouble deciding what to get, had to spend another few minutes trying to figure out what he now wanted because the waitress didn't think it was necessary for us to know what wasn't available. Nice. The food, as usual, was good and plentiful though. As we were finishing up, I noticed that the same thing happened to the table next to us. Except this time there were even more things unavailable. I guess this Cracker Barrel is feeling the pinch of the recession.
(2)
Christi C.
The food came out quickly, it was nice and hot. My family and I enjoyed the atmosphere. The waitstaff was excellent! We had a great time and we will definitely be back. The only thing I did not like was the fact that we had to decode a labyrinth just to get to the dining area, not fun.
(4)
Matt M.
This is a First for me ,we go in for breakfast get seated ,the waitress comes over and takes our Drink order ,(you following me?) bring out our drinks and takes our food order & Before my Coffee even cools the Food is Out on the Table I thought this to be a Myth but I now have witnessed a Cracker Barrel that has fast Service Now if only they could figure out how to make Grits!
(4)
Leo T.
I must be a fan of this place, because this is the third one I've been to. Like all the rest they have a gift shop selling clothing and accessories of the local college or sports team. In this case it would be Illinois State University, the "Red Birds". I had the chicken dumplings, it was OK. What I think made it OK was that they used to much flour. The mac and cheese was very good. Highly recommend it. Service was good and the place was clean.
(3)
Monica A.
this was my first-ever visit to a cracker barrel! i know, i know - "where u been, girl?" ...but let me just say, it did not live up to the hype! that little store is so f'ing crowded with 'stuff', it made me kinda claustrophobic (and i don't easily get that way)...howsinever, i stayed...the food was pretty good, not great, just pretty good (i had the grilled chicken tenderloins, which were very good & i would go back JUST for them, turnip greens, pinto beans, and corn)...the cornbread muffins were horrible - no seasoning whatsoever...and don't even get me started on our server! 3 times - yes, i counted - during our meal, we heard "i'm sorry, i forgot"...so guess what the tip was?? can u guess???....on the receipt, i wrote "sorry, i forgot" (now before i get hateful commentary, let me stress that i am probably a GOOD server's best customer, because i believe those people work very hard for their money and i respect that by leaving generous tips, should the service warrant such...however, this particular service warranted what it deserved)...so, all in all, i won't be rushing back to cracker barrel.
(2)
Kelly M.
Notes about the Bloomington Cracker Barrel...it's RIGHT off the interstate, so it is generally busy. On Sundays, go early or late...the after church crowd is BRUTAL. It's a clean restaurant and it's the same food that you get at any Cracker Barrel. Everything I have ever ordered (mind you- only breakfast foods) are what you get. The waitresses there generally have been there for a few years and are efficient. Not my pick for breakfast, but for some, I can see it.
(3)
Susan L.
We ate a very late dinner there on a weeknight in 4/07. That was actually the first time we'd been to a Cracker Barrel and we had a *terrific* experience. We arrived just twenty minutes before closing, yet we were welcomed and never rushed. The young woman behind the counter ushered us into the dining area, our server was *wonderful* in every way, and the manager was a very kind person (I complimented her afterwards). The food arrived promptly and it was really good (turkey & stuffing and two sides, of which both the sweet potato casserole & hash brown casserole [I know I was loaded down with carbs, but I couldn't resist either dish] were delicious). The prices were a bargain ($7.99/each for all that food!) and the portions were generous, to the extent whereby we didn't have room for the bread and our server packed it up for us. She also gave us drinks for the road.
(5)
Russ C.
Just like all the other 600 Cracker Barrels, which is a good thing. Great classic American homestyle cooking. Everything is good except the burgers aren't that great (sort of bland and dry). The salads are excellent.
(4)
Kathi M.
Wow Great fried chicken, a Sunday only special. Very nice people and great service! They are serving a double fudge Coca-cola cake that is the best chocolate cake I ever had in a restaurant! Don't let the name throw you! It doesn't taste an inch of Cocacola in the entire cake! It made my hot fudge sundae seem like broccoli compared to my husband's cake that I kept stealing bites of. :x
(3)
shari a.
Give it a zero if I could. My first trip to middle Illinois from California. Everything fried and unattractive. No bar. Nothing healthy on the menu. Asked for fresh fruit was told I could have fried apples. Probably one of the main reasons America is so obese. I had to explain how to make an omlette and they had to go on a search for veggies in the kitchen. It came out greasy and gross. Their side "vegetable" is corn. Just gross and worst eating experience ever. Next time sticking to Chicago for dining. Surprised they didn't have possum on the menu.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast, Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes
Kate S.
Great service! I have a dairy allergy and when no allergen menu was available, the server and manager went out of their way to check ingredient lists for me and substitute when needed! Thank you so so much! And the food was delicious! :)
(5)John D.
Wow, I'm sitting here right now and every thing is wrong on our order... None of us (9 in total) DONT EAT MEAT. How hard is it just to make a bunch of pancakes and a bunch of eggs? Worst Cracker Barrel. I wouldn't even leave 1 star. P.s A spider just fell from the ceiling onto my shoulder. GO TO MCDONALDS next door instead. You've been warned
(1)Mary Kay B.
This has always been one of my favorite comfort food places until today. When my husband and I walked thru the store to the host to be seated for lunch, we were taken to the last of the seating areas (3 in total). I didn't think anything of it at first except that we past up quite a few empty tables that could've comfortably sat 2 adults. After initially sitting down I looked around, I enjoy people watching. To my surprise there were a large number of African Americans in the same area, however there were none in any of the other areas. Was this just a coincidence? Hmmm, there are 3 African American servers here to. Do you see the pattern? I was so upset by this blanten attempt to segregate seating that I had a hard time even looking at the menu. I looked at my husband and tried to get the words out of what I was seeing. He cut me off and just said, "I know. I see it to". I love my husband and would sit wherever we needed to in order to be together, however today I got a small glimpse of what he had been experiencing his entire life. There was a heavy feeling in my stomach and a strong desire to scream at someone. He was not reacting to it negatively so I contained myself. My husband told me not to hold the entire chain responsible for the actions of this one, but I will not be giving another dime of my money to this franchise! To anyone else who ever felt this way, I would like to tell you that I am sorry! No one is better than anyone else......PERIOD!
(1)Matt M.
The to go order process needs to evaluated and changed ! I love the cb! However, the last few times I've ordered food to go it is never ready at my pick up time ! I'm having to wait another 20 to 30 mins to recieve an order after my arrival ! I'd like a follow up from a member of management in regards to my to go order concerns ! Please email me macmurray23@hotmail.com
(4)Patrick H.
Cracker Barrel is always good for a stop along the highway. The food is consistent. The shop is alright if you are in need of goo goo clusters or bubble up. Coffee is adequate. Price is reasonable. That peg game at the table is addicting. For a chain this place is pretty good if you have 45 minutes and want a respectable meal.
(3)Mason D.
Rarely is the food at this location to the great standards of other Cracker Barrel restaurants elsewhere. I'm constantly hearing other complaints from other tables, as well has having complaints of my own.
(2)Michael D.
This was, without a doubt, the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Now, I work in food service. I'm a waiter/ bartender. I know how it is. I was talking up Cracker Barrel to my family as we're on a road trip. I couldn't wait to stop here for breakfast. The food was atrocious almost to the point of being inedible. Sausage tasted like it was an old tire, hasbrown casserole? Couldn't even finish one scoop. Was cold and tasted..... off. Eggs clearly were not scrambled. Biscuits were about the size of a half dollar coin and the sausage may as well have been water and flour. Absolutely zero flavor. Didn't even try the grits at that point. Waitress and staff were nice which makes me feel bad writing this review. But like others have said, the McDonald's next door probably has much better food. I hope management sees this. I was with the large family, 9, that had to be split into 2 tables even though it wasn't busy at all.
(1)Violette H.
This was the worst Cracker Barrel experience I've ever had. Mom and I both ordered our favorite -The Old Timers breakfast but this time there was no nostalgia. The grits tasted like they were watered down, the pork sausage was still pink inside and the last straw was finding hair in my food. This was after we were told because we are sitting at the same table, we had to eat/share our sawmill gravy from the same bowl. What? Is there a shortage of dish washing detergent? Our saving grace was our wonderful server Yemisi...she worked hard, was very pleasant and did everything she could to rectify the wrongs. Unfortunately there are too many Cracker Barrels along the highway to endure sub standard food. Do yourself a favor keep driving or stop at McDonalds instead.
(1)Sarah T.
Great/friendly/funny/helpful staff, dependably delicious food, quick service. Our family loves eating there :)
(5)Jason O.
Seems like we always end up here at least once when we travel.... Makes sense, I see it at the McDonald's of comfort food The menu is solid and you know what you are going to get (with small regional variations). Honestly speaking we have never had a bad experience with food and service here which makes the travel to our destinations a little less painful.
(4)Jack W.
I'm a fan of Cracker Barrel in general, but in Bloomington-Normal it really fits the bill because it's not like every other cookie cutter restaurant in town. The food is of a mostly consistent quality (occasionally the hash brown casserole is off), the staff are for the most part very friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere transports me out of town for an hour. They were the first place in town to serve sweet tea. They have menu items that are not available elsewhere. The prices are very reasonable. Love the option of getting breakfast any time. Love the chicken and dumplings!
(4)Mike N.
The service was fine but the food portions are small and tasted bland. I've always enjoyed Cracker Barrel in the South. However, every time I've been to one in Illinois (5 separate locations), they've all been very bland tasting. I've also noticed the portions have shrunk as well. For this specific occasion, we came for breakfast after church. I ordered the same thing I normally get for Breakfast. The Country Fried Steak, 2 eggs, grits, hash brown casserole, biscuits and gravy. I wont go into details on what my two kids and wife ordered but they ordered similarly. The bowl of grits may have contained 3 tablespoons of grits. Same thing with the has brown casserole, it was a very small amount, maybe 1/2 cup at the most. Eggs and steak were fine but had no flavor. I don't really care for biscuits and gravy, so we actually took home a box of those. They did give a large bowl of sausage gravy and about 6 or so large biscuits for the tabe to share. Anyway, there are so many places to go for breakfast, I really doubt I'd go back to this one. It's just not worth the money in my opinion.
(2)Scott B.
We stopped in for a late breakfast this morning and ordered pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and turkey sausage patties. The eggs arrived room temperature and certainly not scrambled. It was obvious to me the cooks cracked the eggs onto the grill, broke the yokes and then swirled them a round a bit. Scrambled!! (Not.) The egg whites and yokes were not mixed and had an unappetizing appearance. Meanwhile, the sausage patties were way over cooked, nearly black on one side (the side they hid when they put them on the plate), and lacking moisture. Finally, our waitress stopped by 20 minutes into the meal (with check in hand) to ask us how our meal tasted. In addition, at least half the staff were walking around like zombie characters from the Walking Dead. The hostess never cracked a smile and shuffled around with a scowl on her face. There appears to be a serious morale problem at this location, and it shows in the service and the food. What a shame. We usually laud this chain for its food and service.
(1)Laura Kate S.
A roadtrip with my parents is incomplete without at least one stop at a Cracker Barrel. Quick service, tasty food, and it wasn't packed. I've been to this location before when it was swamped and the day we went recently was nice and calm. A really yummy lunch with a chatty and friendly server.
(4)BloNo Foodie F.
Sure, this place is a chain. No matter where you go in the country - you'll get consistency across the board. The sawmill gravy is the same in IL as it is in NC - but - what floored me was that the cooks here in the "north" knew what Red Eye Gravy is. Your server might not - but the cooks here do. They have a great tasting version of Red Eye Gravy here - which actually is a part of the "sawmill gravy" they boast on their menus. They start with a Red Eye Gravy and add flour, milk, black pepper, and sausage to make their signature sawmill gravy. For a true southern experience, ask for red eye gravy and try it over grits, or over biscuits, or over a biscuit and ham sandwich. Red eye gravy is nothing more than ham fat and burned ham in the pan, water, salt, and coffee - but I think they have it down pat! I could almost drink this stuff. Well, I have.
(4)Lety V.
We were on a road trip to St. Louis,and thought the CB would be a good place to stop for lunch. It took about 15 minutes for someone to acknowledge we were there and seat us. There was no one else ahead of us waiting for a table either. We sat down and looked at the menu, and we noticed the waitstaff taking other orders at the tables around us. It took awhile for our waitress to take our order. She acknowledged how long we had been waiting,apologized and took our drink and food orders. So we are once again waiting, watching the other tables get service and the waitress never comes back to give us our drinks. A waitress was putting a very, heavy, hot plate of food on the table behind us and she dropped it. The plate shattered everywhere, a big piece of it came sliding right by my foot, but luckily I was not injured. I understand accidents happen, but the woman that came to clean up didn't even apologize or ask if we were alright. By that time I was just fed up, thirsty and hungry so we left and no one said anything to us as we walked out,
(1)Josh B.
Whenever I eat at Cracker Barrel, I always go crazy because the food is just so darn good. It really is hometown old fashioned cooking tasting food. I love being able to get breakfast for dinner. I usually get Pecan Pancakes, a side of hot apples, 2 scrambled eggs, a side of green beans, a frosty mug apple cider, hash browns and a few biscuits. Oh gawd! So good. I didn't want to miss the chance to get my Cracker Barrel fill since there isn't one in Washington. Makes me miss living in Oklahoma a little. Then when you're done eating you can go out and peruse the store and get some old-fashioned candies and gums and they always have nice cute holiday decor and apparel. It's a nice alternative to going to like a Denny's or IHOP. There are usually a lot of older folks in there carrying on about whatever old people do, but I didn't feel out of place because I was just tryin to git mah eat on and demolish a few plates of food.
(5)Les O.
Solid as a Rock! Momma's breakfast is the bomb!
(5)Jeff H.
Was expecting better, wait staff did not give us a chance to view the menu, even after saying we needed more time. Order was wrong and when paying the person at the register asked if everything was OK and we responed with the food order was wrong she just said thank you and turned around like we were not there.
(2)J W.
Not a place to go to unless you have no other options. It was raining and I was walking. It was Cracker Barrel or McDonalds and I made the wrong choice
(1)Scott J.
Tired of driving. It was hot out. I needed a place to sit, relax and eat a meal with my son on my way home. I thought about a truck stop, then, two seconds later I thought about the Cracker Barrel. Twenty minutes later I was here. The atmosphere is right, but just a bit too darkly lit inside the restaurant for me. Yeow! The dinner price specials are right on--$5.99 for your choice of Baked Chicken N' Dressing, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Pot Pie, Turkey N' Dressing or the Country House Salad and Baked Potato. Okay, it's not "city-life glamour food," : ) but it is not supposed to be. It's country food--like my nanny would dish out on Sunday afternoons when we kids visited her and Grandpa. I know this, the unsweetened ice tea is really good! The mashed potatoes where fresh made, not reconstituted, and the meatloaf was not taken from a freezer and heated up in some microwave -it was fresh and meaty and delicious. This what you want when you buy a meal in any restaurant no matter what kind of restaurant it is. And, for $5.99, I think it was a really good deal all around. Service was quick and friendly too. The table was clean when we were seated at it. I love it when the waitress says, "I'm going to take care of you!" My son was introduced to a bottle of Sarsaparilla--the granddaddy of all rootbeers. When we left the sun was out and the temperature had fallen to about 70 degrees. Perfect.
(4)Tj M.
great place for everything: The west side has a hidden place for great food.me and my Lady really enjoy going to this place. There food is always good. I like the country boy breakfast and i'm stuffed when i leave. I also enjoy uncle herschels plate also. When we have to go into work early I'll convince my coworkers to meet here for breakfast and they never regret it.My girlfriends enjoys there vegetable plate as you can choose 4 dishes to make up a plate.wether your getting breakfast or dinner you will not be dissapointed.We always get great service and they have excellent waitresses that are always friendly and helpful.I do not normally review franchise places but this chain is really worth it. About the only gripe i can see is it can get pricey as nothing comes cheap anymore.
(4)Tom Z.
I went here for an dinner today. The special was fried chicken plate. The boneless fried chicken breasts were pretty good. They were juicy inside and crispy on the outside. They also had good flavor. For the sides I had mashed potatoes and corn. The mashed potatoes were average and could have used much more gravy. They put very little gravy on the top of them. The corn was pretty flavorless. Pretty sad when you consider the fact this location is right in the middle of corn country. It was far from sweet yellow corn I'm used too at home. I also got a biscuit and cornbread muffin. Neither one impressed me. I really was expecting more from the Cracker Barrel food. The people were very nice and friendly and the place was clean. I'm not sure if I would return again.
(3)John L.
I was here for breakfast how hard is it cook thinks as you need them? I had a very simple breakfast bacon and eggs with potatoes. The was cold over cooked and plan to see cooked some time ago. The potatoes were cold mess of starch. Come on cook it as you need it I am sorry to put you out but how easy can it be? Like most chains this place just does not care about what they put out. If I could give zero stars I would it has been a few years since my last visit to a Crackle Barrel and with any luck it will be years before I come back.
(1)Joyee L.
Cracker Barrel always has to be the stop whenever I am on a road trip. That said, I am not sure that I will be coming to this one ever again. The waitress was nice, but she was a little clueless. She waited until after we ordered to tell us that some things were not available in the kitchen. My boyfriend, who was already having enough trouble deciding what to get, had to spend another few minutes trying to figure out what he now wanted because the waitress didn't think it was necessary for us to know what wasn't available. Nice. The food, as usual, was good and plentiful though. As we were finishing up, I noticed that the same thing happened to the table next to us. Except this time there were even more things unavailable. I guess this Cracker Barrel is feeling the pinch of the recession.
(2)Christi C.
The food came out quickly, it was nice and hot. My family and I enjoyed the atmosphere. The waitstaff was excellent! We had a great time and we will definitely be back. The only thing I did not like was the fact that we had to decode a labyrinth just to get to the dining area, not fun.
(4)Matt M.
This is a First for me ,we go in for breakfast get seated ,the waitress comes over and takes our Drink order ,(you following me?) bring out our drinks and takes our food order & Before my Coffee even cools the Food is Out on the Table I thought this to be a Myth but I now have witnessed a Cracker Barrel that has fast Service Now if only they could figure out how to make Grits!
(4)Leo T.
I must be a fan of this place, because this is the third one I've been to. Like all the rest they have a gift shop selling clothing and accessories of the local college or sports team. In this case it would be Illinois State University, the "Red Birds". I had the chicken dumplings, it was OK. What I think made it OK was that they used to much flour. The mac and cheese was very good. Highly recommend it. Service was good and the place was clean.
(3)Monica A.
this was my first-ever visit to a cracker barrel! i know, i know - "where u been, girl?" ...but let me just say, it did not live up to the hype! that little store is so f'ing crowded with 'stuff', it made me kinda claustrophobic (and i don't easily get that way)...howsinever, i stayed...the food was pretty good, not great, just pretty good (i had the grilled chicken tenderloins, which were very good & i would go back JUST for them, turnip greens, pinto beans, and corn)...the cornbread muffins were horrible - no seasoning whatsoever...and don't even get me started on our server! 3 times - yes, i counted - during our meal, we heard "i'm sorry, i forgot"...so guess what the tip was?? can u guess???....on the receipt, i wrote "sorry, i forgot" (now before i get hateful commentary, let me stress that i am probably a GOOD server's best customer, because i believe those people work very hard for their money and i respect that by leaving generous tips, should the service warrant such...however, this particular service warranted what it deserved)...so, all in all, i won't be rushing back to cracker barrel.
(2)Kelly M.
Notes about the Bloomington Cracker Barrel...it's RIGHT off the interstate, so it is generally busy. On Sundays, go early or late...the after church crowd is BRUTAL. It's a clean restaurant and it's the same food that you get at any Cracker Barrel. Everything I have ever ordered (mind you- only breakfast foods) are what you get. The waitresses there generally have been there for a few years and are efficient. Not my pick for breakfast, but for some, I can see it.
(3)Susan L.
We ate a very late dinner there on a weeknight in 4/07. That was actually the first time we'd been to a Cracker Barrel and we had a *terrific* experience. We arrived just twenty minutes before closing, yet we were welcomed and never rushed. The young woman behind the counter ushered us into the dining area, our server was *wonderful* in every way, and the manager was a very kind person (I complimented her afterwards). The food arrived promptly and it was really good (turkey & stuffing and two sides, of which both the sweet potato casserole & hash brown casserole [I know I was loaded down with carbs, but I couldn't resist either dish] were delicious). The prices were a bargain ($7.99/each for all that food!) and the portions were generous, to the extent whereby we didn't have room for the bread and our server packed it up for us. She also gave us drinks for the road.
(5)Russ C.
Just like all the other 600 Cracker Barrels, which is a good thing. Great classic American homestyle cooking. Everything is good except the burgers aren't that great (sort of bland and dry). The salads are excellent.
(4)Kathi M.
Wow Great fried chicken, a Sunday only special. Very nice people and great service! They are serving a double fudge Coca-cola cake that is the best chocolate cake I ever had in a restaurant! Don't let the name throw you! It doesn't taste an inch of Cocacola in the entire cake! It made my hot fudge sundae seem like broccoli compared to my husband's cake that I kept stealing bites of. :x
(3)shari a.
Give it a zero if I could. My first trip to middle Illinois from California. Everything fried and unattractive. No bar. Nothing healthy on the menu. Asked for fresh fruit was told I could have fried apples. Probably one of the main reasons America is so obese. I had to explain how to make an omlette and they had to go on a search for veggies in the kitchen. It came out greasy and gross. Their side "vegetable" is corn. Just gross and worst eating experience ever. Next time sticking to Chicago for dining. Surprised they didn't have possum on the menu.
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