Charlie Parker's Diner — Restaurant in Illinois

I almost never go to Charlie Parkers because it's so cramped and the wait time to get in is always kind of outrageous, but the food is so good that every once in a while I decide to go anyway. Today was one of those days, I wanted a breakfast shoe so bad that it would be worth it. My husband and I went with another couple and about 10 minutes after we got seated, a party of 8 got seated next to us(no big deal). We ordered quickly and our waitress was not overly friendly to start with. We sat there for a while waiting for our food and growing impatient because tables all around us were getting food and we were starving. About 40 minutes after we ordered our waitress stopped by to tell us that she had forgotten to put in our order, right before serving the party of 8 their food. She vaguely apologized and rushed off. She then ignored us for the next 20 minutes until our food came. She said sorry once more, almost rudely and rushed off again. My friends order was wrong but that got resolved quickly and we ate our food (still delicious) but had to stop our waitress to ask for every little thing we needed like refills because she was all but ignoring us the whole time. She gave us our checks and was friendly for the first time but too little too late. There was no attempt to better the situation for us, and when we went to pay, the guy at the register asked how everything was, so we told him and he didn't even come back with a "sorry for the inconvenience." They did not care one bit that we were there for over 2 hours and rather upset. So long story short I will not go there again and I suggest that if you choose to, you should ask for any waitress other than Missy (not positive that's her name, her handwriting was...

Eat it and beat it...... 20/10 would recommend.

My husband and I came in from out of town and decided to give this a try. We were not disappointed!

Busy: it was jammed at 9:30am to the point we got the last two seats at the counter but it turned out they were the best seats! We watched the 7 guys in the kitchen slam out so many meals that all looked delicious. The wait staff and cooks never stopped moving and the wait staff don't use trays!

Delicious: I had the biscuits and gravy because that's usually the most bland thing so if you can make that good.... it actually had great flavor. The biscuits as well as the gravy was seasoned well and fresh.

Portions: come hungry or order a side. If you leave hungry, it's your own fault. Where else are you getting a 16" pancake served on a pizza platter?? If you don't finish it and want to take it home, you get a pizza box.

Carry out: they made several orders to go while we sat there also. The wait staff wrote in the top of the containers what it was so there's no digging through to figure it out. Only downside is that the pancakes are so big that they have to fold them in half and part still hangs out the sides by a few inches so if you're germaphobic, might want to stick to ordering pancakes at the restaurant.

Staff: friendly and fast. The servers are quick to get your order and make sure you have everything you need. The coffee pot was constantly pouring refills and they bring you soda refills before your cup gets half empty. We were even given to go cups of our beverages without...

OK, don't judge the outside at all. Once you open that door, you will be blown away by this place. Talk about a hidden gem big time. The staff is fabulous along with warm and welcoming to boot. The last time I was in Springfield, there wasn't enough time to make it before it closed, which is 2pm people. The parking lot was packed, but there were a couple of tables open. Phew made me so happy. Big Shout Out to TT our waitress, she was on point the entire meal with such a great personality too. Big Asset to Charlie Parkers,so friendly and able to answer all our questions, poor thing, lol. We both decided on breakfast,which they serve all day. Sorry when the food came. I totally forgot to take pictures for ya all, trust me the food is delicious 😋 The decor is just marvelous as you don't see real diners too much anymore that have been around for decades. Ensure you get your butts in, and they have Daily Specials, too. Today, it was Cstfish or Walleye with cole slaw and fries I believe looked scrumptious as it went by our table. Brother had the breakfast shoe, read the menu for full details. I enjoyed the Biscuits Breakfast, and it was yummy. Little Brother wants to go back to do the Four Stack Challenge again to read the menu for details. Outstanding Diner, and you will totally freak once you walk in. If not, I'll buy your meal in my mind, I will wink wink 😉 Please support local businesses like these to keep them around and enjoyable for all...