Fillin' Station — Restaurant in East Peoria

Review Visit: September 7th, 2014

Three visits. Three stars.

Like many places on my list, the Fillin’ Station is one that I’ve drove by many times without thinking to stop there. We all do it. Its just a thing we do for places that are local to us. We gloss over them because they are there to visit at any time but we never actually end up going. With my travels, this is something I actively work on countering.

The time came for my dad and I to get breakfast one morning and I suggested the Fillin’ Station. We both knew about it. We both heard good things about it. We both agreed to check it out. We pulled up and barely were able to park due to it having a strange parking lot layout. I can’t describe in unless I was physically there looking at it. So, keep that in mind if you stop in for a visit.

We walked in and the first thought I had was… “oh, its like a diner but not”. It has a diner feel to it. It some of that 50’s diner decor. But it also had it’s own decor of… stuff? I couldn’t really find a theme among the things hung on the wall. Just older stuff. That’s fine. I’m here for food and the random stuff on the wall keeps your eyes wandering.

Once seated, we got to looking at the menu. The Station offers your typical diner food at diner prices with some personalized menu items unique to the restaurant. We came for breakfast but it was around brunch and a burger sounded appetizing, so that is what I ordered. My dad stuck with breakfast. It didn’t take too long for our food to come out as we were in between the breakfast and lunch rushes. The food was placed in front of us and I was pretty happy with my meal portions. My dad was not. What he ordered and what he got was not quite what was expected. A little less but sometimes the taste and “fullness” can make up for that.

We dug in and we both had the look of disappointment on our faces. While the food itself looked presentable and full of flavor, it lacked that last part. Flavor. My burger was a hunk of meat surrounded by toppings. Luckily the toppings themselves were full of their usual goodness. But that meat patty was devoid of all flavor in existence. My dad made the comment that his meal was similar to cardboard or another tasteless object. We didn’t stick around long after finishing our meal and left with taste buds that feel like they were woken up for nothing. The waffle fries on the other hand were pretty decent. Not the best I’ve had but also not the worst. It was passable considering the rest of the meal was less than appetizing.

Now, I have been back twice since this first visit. I will talk a bit about those times and how it bumped the score from a 2 to a 3. We came here after a St. Patty’s party the following year or something like that. We were all hungover and hating the world. We ordered an assortment of food and downed it quick to help feel better. Whether it was the hangover or the different food items, it wasn’t so devoid of flavor this time. While it still left a lot to be desired, it registered some responses by my mouth.

Again, after a New Years Eve of fun and drinks, we found ourselves here with some killer hangovers and killer desire for greasy food. Again, we ordered something. I couldn’t tell you what. But it was greasy and it may not have helped the hangover in any way but it did help us feel better. This time, the food was a small notch above the prior visit which was a notch above the prior visit.

I’ve heard only good things about this place and have had only less than average food when I come here. Maybe it’s just my taste buds that aren’t compatible with the food here. Maybe everyone else is ordering something special.

Either way, don’t take my word on it. Try it out for yourself to see what you and your...

I love diners and strive to do my research to find a great breakfast diner on every trip. My research led me to this place! My husband and I stopped in for breakfast. We were immediately greeted by two lovely ladies taking care of customers and told to sit where we like. Our waitress came over right away and brought us coffee. They have a good sized menu but not too many options (which is good!). I ordered the meat lover’s skillet. They top their skillet with eggs your way and smother the whole thing in gravy!!!! Ohhh my! I was in heaven! The ham, sausage, and bacon were cooked to perfection on the flat top and soo crispy! Portions are big! My husband ordered the Denver omelette with grits. His grits were served with a little plate that had butter pats, milk, and a little condiment container of brown sugar so he could do up his grits any which way! The food came out fast. When we went up to pay our bill, the waitress offered us a discount punch card (since we ordered coffee). Every time you come in and have coffee, you get your card punched. Once your card is full you get free coffee then you give them the card to enter a drawing (can’t remember the prize if you’re the monthly winner, sorry!).

We will definitely be back! The decor was Route 66 themed and just quaint all around. You can tell they take pride in this place, as do the locals that dine...

This cozy diner is full of character and characters. The clientele are regulars and with good reason; the food is good and very reasonably priced. There’s nothing earth shaking on the menu, but for a quick lunch or dinner you can’t beat the service or the people watching. This is a breakfast all day, shoot the breeze with the guys, talk about corn and weather kind of place. A highlight for me were the home made breaded mushrooms- no matter how often I get these I can’t resist them long enough to avoid burning my mouth - and these were no exception. :) they were perfectly done, seasoned well, crispy exterior and cooked through- delicious. Portions are generous. I had the pulled pork special, it was an interesting sauce, reminiscent of a mole vs a traditional sweet or vinegar sauce. Texture of the pork was good, and I’d certainly get it again. Strawberry shortcake for desert. It’s likely the berries were from frozen but it was still a nice treat on a sweltering humid day. Service was spectacular, staff is attentive and friendly, know the regulars by name, remember how they like their eggs and what they drink. When I think of a small town diner this is exactly what I think of....