Harner's Bakery Restaurant — Restaurant in Aurora Township

My family and I have been coming here for over 30 years, and for the life of me until my Father-in-law mentioned today... I never had their fried chicken before... I'm sure I've had almost everything on the menu but I never had their fried chicken... So when you go into their menu you will find what's called a "1/2 Battered Chicken".. which essentially is four pieces of fried chicken; a breast, a thigh, a wing and a leg w/ choice of potato and a vegetable of your choosing. They were out of everything else in terms of vegetable except for green beans which were fine... but let me tell you there is a little wait time on the chicken because it is hand breaded per order from scratch, fresh in their kitchen, but people...

I CANNOT UNDERSTATE THIS: IT. IS. WELL. WORTH. THE. WAIT... The chicken came out piping, hot (don't be stupid n' burn yourself, just be careful, lol) but when you sink your teeth into that crispy, light, perfectly crunchy batter and just below the surface is tender, hot, juicy chicken... It is some of the best chicken I've ever had... Like it's right up there and behind White Fence Farm in Romeoville, IL(another Illinois establishment that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you need to go to BUT BACK TO HARNER'S) The meal I had today at Harner's Bakery Restaurant was SO GOOD; I had a side of fries as my potato choice, they were perfectly seasoned nice and crispy It was a wonderful experience overall. A nice glass of raspberry iced tea they happily keep refilling for ya(and quickly!), spent some time with my in-laws... The service and the servers were absolutely kind, sweet delightful joys, they're absolutely wonderful.

The Family that took over from the original owners continue to treat this place like The Gem it truly is; The food is always wonderful, their baked goods are outstanding and some change with the seasons, So sometimes things in the fall are different than what you get in the summer or spring, etc, but they always have their constants like cakes and cookies and other lovely yummy baked goods throughout the year..

Just another reason why I love this place and why you should come too if you haven't already.

I'd show you a picture beforehand, but I...

Dinner was $83 for 2 people! We had a rueben, no fries, salad bar, a very fatty and gristly chopped "steak" dinner, 2 pieces of pie, and 1 coffee. The food is on par with any other "family style" restaurant, it's good, but nothing special. The pies were terrible. The crusts were gummy. They are severely overpriced. You pay $5-10 more per dish then you would at Grandma's Table, George's, Silver Dollar, or Mother's, and it is exactly the same food. They charge extra for everything. They only "extra" we got was extra sour kraut which they charged $5 for, and if that was extra, then their normal amount must be miniscule! The man who checked out before us was upset that they charged him for extra gravy and didn't mention the charge. They even charge you extra if you do not pay cash!

We pay $83 at Longhorn Steakhouse for the two of us and order a salmon dinner and a steak dinner, both cooked perfectly, and it's a special dinner. Eating at Harner's is not special, it's only a 1/2 step above eating at Denny's!

It is a shame because my family has eaten at Harmer's since I was a kid. It is shameful how the take advantage of their customers like this. We will not eat there anymore. This is the final straw. There is no reason on earth that a place like this should charge so much for normal food. And I do not know what they spend all of this money they they rob us of, they certainly do not spend it on the building. They have never remodeled, it's still the same tired old tables and chairs, the same counter, same dirty carpet. And you know the waitstaff is still paid under minimum wage. It's greed. They should be ashamed, but we fools keep dishing out the money to them. Well, not this fool. Never again. They can keep their massively over priced basic food along with their nasty cash register cookies that everyone reaches over, drags their sleeves in, breathes on, spits on when they're talking, and...

My mom and I had high expectations for this place as so many people have been recommending it to her for years and has good reviews. However, our experience there wasn't as good as others. Although the staff and our waitress was very courteous and quick, the food was as plain as can be and they don't have chocolate cake slices. They have birthday cakes and wedding cakes, but no cake slices for patrons. How are people suppose to know how their cake tastes before buying a whole cake for a birthday party or wedding? Anyways, I had their New York strip steak which was cooked to my preference, but lacked even a speck of spice or salt; very plain. My yellow mashed potatoes had no salt in it as well and was super plain. I tried their soup and could barely eat any of it as something about the broth was off. Very plain like everything else and had a weird smell/taste to it. The bread that we received either has cinnamon in it or was baked next to something that had cinnamon in it. There's no bar although they do serve beer and wine. Above all, the place was chilly and we had to wear our jackets while eating our dinner . I was also the only young customer during my visit. I did order four chocolate chip cookies and two eclairs from the bakery, but when I got home the box contained two cookies and four eclairs. Overall, this place is great for seniors wanting to watch their salt intake, be bundled up in a sweater, and can grab a cookie or two from the bakery. If you're under 60, it's probably best to go elsewhere. This place needs an update if they want to attract younger customers. Also, no chocolate cake...