The Sandwich Shop Diner — Restaurant in Collinsville

I approached this establishment with genuine enthusiasm, as diners are a rarity in our area. Upon arrival, I was greeted by courteous staff, and the restaurant itself appeared well-maintained and clean. Unfortunately, the culinary experience did not align with my expectations, particularly given the price point.

The burger I ordered was made with what appeared to be unseasoned, frozen patties that lacked any depth of flavor. The buns tasted inexpensive and slightly stale, and the toppings seemed carelessly assembled. Equally disheartening was the portion of fries—approximately twelve in total—which cost an additional $4 on top of a $10 burger. For a party of three adults and two children, all ordering water, the final bill exceeded $80 after gratuity.

To be fair, my wife reported that her turkey club was passable, though unremarkable, while the chili I ordered bore all the hallmarks of being poured directly from a can. The disparity between the cost and the quality of the food was striking, especially when the fare more closely resembled gas station cuisine than a sit-down diner experience.

I will say, their buffet brunch looked quite good, but due to the timing of our arrival, I didn't want to chance eating the food that had probably been sitting since an hour or two prior.

In its current state, I can see this restaurant may struggle to sustain itself unless it brings the caliber of its food in line with its pricing. A more thoughtful approach to preparation and ingredient quality could make this a local gem, but regrettably, my experience fell far short of...

I've ordered lunch from here twice before, and have had no complaints. My meal both times was a club sandwich, so you can imagine other than being happy with it, there wasn't much else to comment on.

However, this past Friday I stopped for a curbside pickup for breakfast for 3 people. It was a fairly large order, so wasn't surprised it took longer than the 10 minutes quoted off the app, especially since they had basically just opened.

Two of us had gravy and onions over potatoes, and another had an order of biscuits and gravy. All three of us were extremely pleased with the gravy, normally not being happy with anyone else's unless made at home. One person also had the french toast sticks and commented on how they were perfectly made the old fashioned way. I look forward to trying them myself next time.

The over easy eggs I had had beautiful orange, flavorful yolks and were cooked perfectly. The potatoes were perfect with just the right amount of crispness, but not burnt. Bacon and sausage were all equally expertly cooked. And the biscuits were fresh, fluffy and hot.

We all ate until we were stuffed, but hardly anything was left! And two of these people are EXTREMELY picky eaters, always claiming someone else's food doesn't taste right. This was a delicious, HOT breakfast even after the 10 minute drive after pickup. I can only imagine it being even better if eating in.

5 Stars for sure, hat off to the chef, and I will definitely be getting breakfast from there again!...

Not sure how this place has the reviews that it does. My husband and I have been wanting to try it and heard good things about the Sunday brunch buffet. We took my mother with us, who is in a wheelchair. The inside is very crowded and doesn't have much room for someone in a wheelchair. If you want the buffet, you would have to wheel the person all the way down the alley to the back patio to access it. However, it was probably a good thing that I just got my mom's plate for her since the concrete where the buffet tables were set up had large holes that my husband (with two good legs) almost fell in. Now on to the food....the buffet was not stocked well and what was there seemed old. We were there for over an hour and they never brought out bacon the entire time. The biscuits were canned, ham had no flavor, the eggs were a bit watery, and the sausage was equivalent to sawdust. The gravy was decent, the flies really liked it! If you want a colon cleanse, I would suggest the buffet, otherwise you might try your luck with the menu. Given the price though, Walgreens would be a cheaper option. $77 for 3 people is crazy given the standard of the food. I wish I could say the service made up for some of it, but again not that great. Really disappointed as we had heard such good things, but we definitely...