Jennifer L.

Hubby and I visit AJ's regularly. The food and atmosphere are casual with a distinct "down-home" bent. If you're looking for something fancy, you'd best look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you appreciate simple food, this is a good spot to visit. The pricing is what I consider to be average, not overly cheap and not expensive. The previous reviewer described the food as "super cheap," meaning primarily fake. I'm not sure what they mean by that. The butter, cream, and jelly comes in small, single serve containers, which does not necessarily make it somehow "fake." The butter is margarine. The cream is half and half. The jelly is... jelly. The ketchup can be runny, but so is the stuff I keep in my own fridge unless I shake it up a bit before using it. As for them only having white or wheat toast, well I'm not sure what else they would have. Unless the other reviewer was looking for artisan breads. Or maybe English muffins or bagels. Again, this is simple food, so white and wheat bread or biscuits is pretty much all anyone should expect. I don't claim to be a frequent visitor to a diners in general, but the ones I have visited were pretty similar. They aren't meant to be monuments to nouveau trends in gourmet cooking. A word of warning. The chef in the kitchen changes frequently. There are several different people who work back there, so if you're looking for precise consistency in how your meals are cooked, you might not get it. I can honestly say that I've never had bad food there, though my appreciation of what I get varies a bit depending on who's doing the cooking. The "staff" generally consists of one person. She is there six out of seven days a week and I would not call her surly, though I do think sassy might apply. She's been working there her whole life and she knows her regulars and sometimes has their drinks waiting for them before they even get in the door. Even when several weeks to a few months pass between our visits, she knows us and remembers what we like. In short, AJ's is a local diner in a very small town. It is frequented by locals who can be colorful to say the least. It's regular patrons have come to expect "home-cooking" and would balk at anything else. There are other restaurants in town that have somewhat more "refined" menu options. If, however, you are looking for quick, simple food that comes accompanied by local patrons and often local gossip, then AJ's is a good place to visit. Lastly, Indiana has recently enacted a smoking ban, so all the restaurants in town are now non-smoking establishments. (Though you will likely hear some of the regulars at AJ's complain about it.)