Love the ambience and the town adds a quaint feel of nostalgia to the meal. Lets start, i had the chicken fried steak, baked potatoe, and salad. ...throw in the glass of Merlot and the meal was just tasty. I will admit the food is not the best i had in the world, but you goto dinner not just for food. The authenticness of the place adds to the meal. One of the highlights is the real chopped bacon for the salad and the potatoe. Its worth the stop and worth the time to enjoy the town, Daniel Boone would be proud.
(4)
Jason H.
Breakfast buffet, angus bacon cheeseburgers, homemade ice cream, water by the pitcher. If you are biking the Flint Hills Nature Trail, accept no substitutes!
(5)
Dustyn M.
The atmosphere was great. The prices are a bit high with my family of five, one eating from the kid's menu we paid a bit over $90 after tip. So let me break it down. 1. Fried mushrooms, these were actually very good and part of the reason this wasn't a one star review. 2. Potato skins. Don't bother, they are just potato skins nothing, and I mean nothing, on them. Basically paid $5 for pieces of potato that had been fried. No cheese, no bacon, no nothing. 3. Chicken fried steak. I guess it was okay, my son didn't complain about them. 4. Fried chicken. My daughter didn't complain, my wife tried a bite and said it was bland. 5. Kids menu cheeseburger. Frozen patty that had been burnt and dried out. Son ate maybe half. Got it with a side of applesauce and loved that. 6. Prairie Pasta. Wife said it was oily and average in taste. 7. Pork Chops. Two chops, charboiled, with a baked potato and applesauce. Chops were overcooked, burnt, and so dry I actually had to use Ketchup. Baked potato was just that. A potato that had been baked, not a thing on it despite asking for sour cream. Apparently the waitress didn't hear that part. Thankfully they do bring bread out ( not sure what kind but it was really good and had a hint of apple in it) with butter so I used the butter from that on my potato to make it palatable. Apparently the chef today doesn't know what seasoning is as everything was bland as could be. All in all I say don't bother, I don't know how good the cafe up the street is, but I know there is also a dairy queen and a sonic close by and they have better offerings than Hays House at much lower prices. I would've complained at the end of the meal when I received my $79 bill (pre-tip) but I didn't see the point, even if I had the meal discounted I'm still stuck with the after taste of the meal. I won't be back.
(2)
Alan S.
My wife and I have eaten here twice while passing through and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Our first visit was random, it just happened to be lunchtime so we parked and walked up and down Main St and more or less flipped a coin between this and an attractive cafe up the street. The friendly waitress changed my mind by describing the day's special, and it turned out to be a great decision. I rarely have dessert, but chocolate pecan pie sounded too unusual not to try, and that turned out to be a great decision too. That trip was two years ago. I purposely arranged to be going through Council Grove around lunchtime last month and we weren't disappointed. We love finding places off the beaten path, and Hays House is a real gem.
(4)
Dustin J.
I had the rib eye steak, with mashed potatoes. The salad bar wasn't too huge, and it was sufficient for my needs. The house dill salad dressing was really good, I recommend that. The hostess was kinda clueless and I had to wait too long for a drink refill, otherwise I would tell my friends to try it out.
(4)
ML ..
good desserts and the ham and bean soup was good. my chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes were just eh. definitely go for history and the setting. i would still recommend a stop in if you're in council grove. i'm not sure there's much else to eat over there.
(3)
Lisa W.
Very cool historic restaurant that has been operating continuously since 1857. Wow! The food is good, most of the family had beef of some sort. Being a lazy-vegetarian I settled for being a pescatarian for the night and was pleasantly surprised by the salmon. If you go, make sure you poke around in all the rooms. It's like eating dinner in a historical landmark... well... actually it is. heh.
(3)
Sara B.
Cute restaurant with loads of history. The food quality is hit or miss. The salad bar is not so great though, and this isn't really for vegetarians. The Sunday buffet is usually pretty good, and the desserts I've had there are very good (all homemade).
(3)
Tamara M.
The history here is so interesting, it hardly matters if the food is stellar. That being said, I had an AWESOME KC Strip steak here. It was juicy, flavorful and cooked to perfection. My boyfriend's prime rib was average. The sides were decent, as was the salad bar. My favorite part, though was the albino buffalo head mounted over the stairs. How cool. The manager said it was one in ten million. Hay's is said to be the longest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi. It's founder is Seth Hays, great grandson of Daniel Boone and cousin of Kit Carson. The old photos and artifacts alone are worth a stop if you're in the area.
(3)
Courtney K.
The atmosphere here trumps the food. A great, old restaurant with terrific old photos and pictures on the walls. The food, however, was just average. I had the fried chicken that everyone had raved about and found it to be plain old fried chicken, nothing special, and upset my stomach later on. The wait staff seemed average as well, not on par with what I had experienced in other restaurants in the area. Go for the history, not the food necessarily.
(2)
Tom W.
Wasn't expecting too much based upon prior reviews, but was pleasantly surprised. Had an excellent (I mean really good) beef brisket sandwich with homemade bread. There was a lot of brisket that was very tasty and tender. My "crispy" fries were not at all crispy. My wife had a very good chicken salad. The desserts looked good so we had strawberry pie. Yummm, flakey crust, fresh strawberries, and just enough filling to hold the strawberries together so they could cut slices. Nice atmosphere and good service. All in all, a very good lunch in this cute town in the middle of some spectacular countryside.
(4)
Lisa T.
I love to come home and eat at Hays House. Now that Rick is back its great!
(5)
Angela R.
While the Hays house is a beautiful historic site, the service and food are despicable. It was almost 30 minutes before we were asked our order; we were sat down and forgotten. When we finally did get our dinner, the skillet fried chicken was uncooked. The only reason it is an "8 wonder of Kansas cuisine" is due to the fact it is the only place to eat in the "blink of an eye" sized town of Council Grove. Save yourself and bypass this place.
(2)
Stuart C.
Worst chicken fried steak that me and my wife have ever eaten, It was tough and tasted funny. Yes it is historic, Go in and take the free self guided tour and go eat somewhere else.
(1)
Biff D.
My wife and I stopped here while passing through town and definitely enjoyed our dinner. Everything was home cooked and was delicious. The staff were all friendly very knowledgeable about there menu. I would recommend to anyone passing through!
(5)
Andy H.
What a trip back in time! If you're passing through, this is a must stop for lunch or dinner. My wife ordered the chicken fried steak. Now, this is a common dish throughout the country, but whatever the amazing cooks did to this dish, it tops my list as the best I've had. It's cooked in chicken grease, and comes out battered like crispy fried chicken, but with a mouthwatering steak in the inside, and the gravy, wow! Their lemonade is an also must have. Fresh squeezed and really hit the spot on a blistering hot, humid day. The only bad remark I could say is the salad bar was a bit sparse on the offerings. The only other vegetable beside the iceberg lettuce was cherry tomatoes. Would have loved a greener salad option and a few more veggies to complete the bar. Unfortunately there was a power outage and we had to leave before dessert, but better believe we'll be coming back for that! And kudos to the manager for stopping food service when the power went out despite the chefs who thought they could finish.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Thomas M.
Love the ambience and the town adds a quaint feel of nostalgia to the meal. Lets start, i had the chicken fried steak, baked potatoe, and salad. ...throw in the glass of Merlot and the meal was just tasty. I will admit the food is not the best i had in the world, but you goto dinner not just for food. The authenticness of the place adds to the meal. One of the highlights is the real chopped bacon for the salad and the potatoe. Its worth the stop and worth the time to enjoy the town, Daniel Boone would be proud.
(4)Jason H.
Breakfast buffet, angus bacon cheeseburgers, homemade ice cream, water by the pitcher. If you are biking the Flint Hills Nature Trail, accept no substitutes!
(5)Dustyn M.
The atmosphere was great. The prices are a bit high with my family of five, one eating from the kid's menu we paid a bit over $90 after tip. So let me break it down. 1. Fried mushrooms, these were actually very good and part of the reason this wasn't a one star review. 2. Potato skins. Don't bother, they are just potato skins nothing, and I mean nothing, on them. Basically paid $5 for pieces of potato that had been fried. No cheese, no bacon, no nothing. 3. Chicken fried steak. I guess it was okay, my son didn't complain about them. 4. Fried chicken. My daughter didn't complain, my wife tried a bite and said it was bland. 5. Kids menu cheeseburger. Frozen patty that had been burnt and dried out. Son ate maybe half. Got it with a side of applesauce and loved that. 6. Prairie Pasta. Wife said it was oily and average in taste. 7. Pork Chops. Two chops, charboiled, with a baked potato and applesauce. Chops were overcooked, burnt, and so dry I actually had to use Ketchup. Baked potato was just that. A potato that had been baked, not a thing on it despite asking for sour cream. Apparently the waitress didn't hear that part. Thankfully they do bring bread out ( not sure what kind but it was really good and had a hint of apple in it) with butter so I used the butter from that on my potato to make it palatable. Apparently the chef today doesn't know what seasoning is as everything was bland as could be. All in all I say don't bother, I don't know how good the cafe up the street is, but I know there is also a dairy queen and a sonic close by and they have better offerings than Hays House at much lower prices. I would've complained at the end of the meal when I received my $79 bill (pre-tip) but I didn't see the point, even if I had the meal discounted I'm still stuck with the after taste of the meal. I won't be back.
(2)Alan S.
My wife and I have eaten here twice while passing through and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Our first visit was random, it just happened to be lunchtime so we parked and walked up and down Main St and more or less flipped a coin between this and an attractive cafe up the street. The friendly waitress changed my mind by describing the day's special, and it turned out to be a great decision. I rarely have dessert, but chocolate pecan pie sounded too unusual not to try, and that turned out to be a great decision too. That trip was two years ago. I purposely arranged to be going through Council Grove around lunchtime last month and we weren't disappointed. We love finding places off the beaten path, and Hays House is a real gem.
(4)Dustin J.
I had the rib eye steak, with mashed potatoes. The salad bar wasn't too huge, and it was sufficient for my needs. The house dill salad dressing was really good, I recommend that. The hostess was kinda clueless and I had to wait too long for a drink refill, otherwise I would tell my friends to try it out.
(4)ML ..
good desserts and the ham and bean soup was good. my chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes were just eh. definitely go for history and the setting. i would still recommend a stop in if you're in council grove. i'm not sure there's much else to eat over there.
(3)Lisa W.
Very cool historic restaurant that has been operating continuously since 1857. Wow! The food is good, most of the family had beef of some sort. Being a lazy-vegetarian I settled for being a pescatarian for the night and was pleasantly surprised by the salmon. If you go, make sure you poke around in all the rooms. It's like eating dinner in a historical landmark... well... actually it is. heh.
(3)Sara B.
Cute restaurant with loads of history. The food quality is hit or miss. The salad bar is not so great though, and this isn't really for vegetarians. The Sunday buffet is usually pretty good, and the desserts I've had there are very good (all homemade).
(3)Tamara M.
The history here is so interesting, it hardly matters if the food is stellar. That being said, I had an AWESOME KC Strip steak here. It was juicy, flavorful and cooked to perfection. My boyfriend's prime rib was average. The sides were decent, as was the salad bar. My favorite part, though was the albino buffalo head mounted over the stairs. How cool. The manager said it was one in ten million. Hay's is said to be the longest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi. It's founder is Seth Hays, great grandson of Daniel Boone and cousin of Kit Carson. The old photos and artifacts alone are worth a stop if you're in the area.
(3)Courtney K.
The atmosphere here trumps the food. A great, old restaurant with terrific old photos and pictures on the walls. The food, however, was just average. I had the fried chicken that everyone had raved about and found it to be plain old fried chicken, nothing special, and upset my stomach later on. The wait staff seemed average as well, not on par with what I had experienced in other restaurants in the area. Go for the history, not the food necessarily.
(2)Tom W.
Wasn't expecting too much based upon prior reviews, but was pleasantly surprised. Had an excellent (I mean really good) beef brisket sandwich with homemade bread. There was a lot of brisket that was very tasty and tender. My "crispy" fries were not at all crispy. My wife had a very good chicken salad. The desserts looked good so we had strawberry pie. Yummm, flakey crust, fresh strawberries, and just enough filling to hold the strawberries together so they could cut slices. Nice atmosphere and good service. All in all, a very good lunch in this cute town in the middle of some spectacular countryside.
(4)Lisa T.
I love to come home and eat at Hays House. Now that Rick is back its great!
(5)Angela R.
While the Hays house is a beautiful historic site, the service and food are despicable. It was almost 30 minutes before we were asked our order; we were sat down and forgotten. When we finally did get our dinner, the skillet fried chicken was uncooked. The only reason it is an "8 wonder of Kansas cuisine" is due to the fact it is the only place to eat in the "blink of an eye" sized town of Council Grove. Save yourself and bypass this place.
(2)Stuart C.
Worst chicken fried steak that me and my wife have ever eaten, It was tough and tasted funny. Yes it is historic, Go in and take the free self guided tour and go eat somewhere else.
(1)Biff D.
My wife and I stopped here while passing through town and definitely enjoyed our dinner. Everything was home cooked and was delicious. The staff were all friendly very knowledgeable about there menu. I would recommend to anyone passing through!
(5)Andy H.
What a trip back in time! If you're passing through, this is a must stop for lunch or dinner. My wife ordered the chicken fried steak. Now, this is a common dish throughout the country, but whatever the amazing cooks did to this dish, it tops my list as the best I've had. It's cooked in chicken grease, and comes out battered like crispy fried chicken, but with a mouthwatering steak in the inside, and the gravy, wow! Their lemonade is an also must have. Fresh squeezed and really hit the spot on a blistering hot, humid day. The only bad remark I could say is the salad bar was a bit sparse on the offerings. The only other vegetable beside the iceberg lettuce was cherry tomatoes. Would have loved a greener salad option and a few more veggies to complete the bar. Unfortunately there was a power outage and we had to leave before dessert, but better believe we'll be coming back for that! And kudos to the manager for stopping food service when the power went out despite the chefs who thought they could finish.
(4)