Wildey's Country Diner — Restaurant in Lacon

Review below is from when it was called Victoria's. Cannot guarantee same menu or items under new ownership.

As my search for the famed BPT (breaded pork tenderloin sandwich) continued, I was informed of Victoria's Country Diner in Lacon IL. I looked it up and was well within my travel radius so I had to make a trip.

The drive was nice and quiet with it being a 50/50 split between country roads and highway. Once I arrived I was met by a nondescript little building with the sign pictured out front.

I walked in and was greeted by a small cozy diner without a lot of frills and extravagance. It's seat yourself and I grabbed a small table near the middle of the dining area. There were a couple employees working the front of the house and having conversations with the locals who were just hanging out. One of them came over and took my drink order and upon returning with it, was carrying a menu. I told her I was on a mission and wouldn't be needing a menu. I said I was there for the BPT and asked what toppings came with it. By default, nothing, but you can add lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. I ordered a side of fries and asked for a bottle of hot sauce.

The BPT arrived pretty quick to the table and was every bit of what I expected. Nice size with it being as large as and in the shape of the plate. A nice soft bun on top and the toppings were plentiful. The BPT is cooked well, still very tender and juicy despite having a nice size and crisp coating on it. The staff was attentive at keeping my drink full and checking in on my while working my way through the sandwich. They seemed pleased that I had driven to visit and try the BPT and said they just don't get as much traffic as they used to. Some pricing has been raised due to the economy and inflation but despite this, I still felt the sandwich was great and worth the drive.

After finishing up I paid and walked outside a bit before getting back in the car to head home. Something I'd make another trip for and would suggest others in the area to...

We had ordered take out for dinner several months ago. Once I arrived at the designated time to pick up dinner, I had to wait quite a while longer as food wasn't ready yet. Once I got home with the food, it was mediocre at best. Decided we would give them a second chance as every place has a bad day now and then, so we went and dined in for breakfast today. The waitress was prompt and pleasant and took our orders relatively quickly. Then the wait began. We sat for over 45 minutes waiting for an omelette (with toast and hash browns) and some type of skillet. When the waitress said "hash browns and toast?" I assumed she was asking hash browns vs American fries and asking what type of toast I wanted. I was unaware there was an extra charge for the hash browns and toast. My fault for not clarifying. When the waitress finally delivered the food, she apologized for the wait. I asked if it was always this slow, and she responded "when this cook works, it is". Once again, the food was mediocre. The omelette was shiny and somewhat slimy, I assume from the grease. If the toast actually made it into the toaster, I would be surprised as tasted more like buttered bread. The hash browns were the best thing on the plate. The skillet was ok but not worth ordering again. We spent $30 and had to wait close to an hour for food that I wouldn't recommend to a friend. I really wanted to like this place as it does seem to get good reviews. But after two visits, I'll either eat at home or go somewhere else. (Please note the one star rating on service is reflective of the wait time and NOT...

This used to be our go to restaurant. Both the food and service were outstanding. Sadly, the food and service have steadily declined over the last several months. It is totally understandable for restaurants to have an off night, but we’ve had several visits with subpar food and service. We took our two granddaughters there last month. My husband and I ordered meatloaf and one granddaughter ordered the loaded mac & cheese, all of which we had ordered and enjoyed in prior visits. The meatloaf was horribly salty, greasy, and overcooked. It was basically inedible. The loaded mac and cheese had very little cheese and there was an only very small amount of bacon sprinkled on top. It was much different than it was when she ordered it in a prior visit. My other granddaughter ordered spaghetti with garlic bread. To say it had very little sauce would be an understatement. She pretty much had plain noodles. The waitress never came back to the table to check on us so I went to the counter and nicely asked the owner if we could possibly get a dish of spaghetti sauce. She relayed the request to the cook, who seemed to take offense to the request. We didn’t receive the sauce for over half an hour. By that time, her noodles were already cold. We wish them the best and hope things improve, but we have regrettably made the decision to not return to...