Coney McKane's American Eatery — Restaurant in Decatur

We were shopping in Decatur today and I asked my husband where he wanted to have lunch (I always choose Panera). He wanted to go to Coney McKane's because in the past, we have eaten there and it was really good. I ordered a spinach salad and a cup of potato soup. I had the peach cobbler for dessert. My biggest complaint was the soup. I wish I had returned it. It was supposed to be baked potato soup, which I've had in other restaurants and enjoyed, but was basically a cup of mashed potatoes. I normally wouldn't mind mashed potatoes, but it was a bowl of very thick, tasteless mashed potatoes. I think they boiled water, threw in instant potato flakes, and added cornstarch to thicken it up. There were no real potatoes and I got a couple of globs of something like a glob of corn starch and sadly, it was barely warm. It was very disappointing, and frankly, I'd be embarrassed to serve it. When I think of soup, it is usually the consistency of soup, with a milk or broth base. My spinach salad was okay. Nothing to brag about. And the cobbler wasn't homemade. The commercials about Flo making homemade pies is a bit misleading. The peach cobbler wasn't what I remember peach cobbler, which is dough rolled out, put in a baking dish with peaches and baked. The filling was the canned pie filling and the crust was tasteless. I ate my food in silence because this was my husband's choice. We were there on a Wednesday, in the mid afternoon, maybe that was the issue...not prime time. But I secretly wished I had pushed for Panera. Their soup at Panera is amazing and consistently good. We were recently on vacation and that's where we ate just about every night because they are the same everywhere...and good. I realize I'm selling Panera instead of Coney's, but it seems that is the only restaurant that doesn't disappoint, other than a handful that I can even think of...one being in Indiana. So, next time Coney McKane's is a suggestion, I'll push for Panera. The help is always very nice and attentive though. Just disappointed in the quality of the food since Covid. Tariffs? No enough profit margin so quality of restaurant food is going down? Not enough good help? I don't...

This is one of my favorite spots. If you are a party of two, my wife and I love to order our favorite sandwiches (My wife likes the Cheddar Maple Bacon Burger and I enjoy The Buff-ickory.) and we get the Loaded Waffle Fries to split as our side. I have been lucky enough to catch one serving of Flo's Special Recipe Meat Loaf.... in two years (It goes sooo fast). I honestly think Flo and my grandmother have the same recipe. Melt in your mouth delightfulness. If you are on Keto or low-carb the Coney's Cesar Salad or Butterflied Chicken Breast with double steamed broccoli are spot on. Lets talk pie real fast. I dare you to try one and find a way to argue! They are so great (all of them).

I love the atmosphere at Coney McKane's. You get a small dinner feel in the front room, on the side room you get a nice family feel with awesome décor and outdoor atmosphere. If you prefer outdoor atmosphere, the outdoor seating is an awesome brunch spot on warmer days. If you are seated upstairs you can look out on the street and enjoy the view as cars and peoples are out and about. The interesting wall décor is present through the entire eatery.

Lastly, I would like to mention the service. I have never had an empty cup, never had to request a refill, and I have never had a rude waiter or waitress. I feel like family when we visit. I have met one of the cooks and you can see the passion in his eyes. When you walk into any food establishment and see fire in the chefs eyes, for their craft, make sure you remember how to get there. You will want...

While the menu created initial interest in this establishment, the poor food quality definitely dampened that interest. Our waitress while very sweet and generally attentive, she lacked knowledge of menu items & pricing was very poor. I ordered the pork tenderloin & pretzel bites. The tenderloin was dismal & not even as good as I make at home. The pretzel bites & dipping sauce were good. My dining partners ordered chicken wings with the bourbon sauce, which were amazing; the buff-hickory sandwich which was passable; loaded waffle fries which were good but the portion size was not worth the price; and the bacon pepper-Jack burger which lacked any flavor to the burger itself at all-it was like to cook pulled off 1/4 pound of beef & threw it on the grill with NO seasoning. Overall, while the outdoor seating was passable & the service was less than stellar but the waitress definitely did her best to hustle. Overall, I’d call this a pass for anyone looking for a place to grab a...