K-18 Café — Restaurant in Lucas

This small town diner in Russell county could be mistaken for the worst place to eat in Kansas if it weren’t for nostalgia it brings from a world not yet past, but soon forgotten. It reminds me of the time where being a straight white male was paramount to success and acceptance. I ate here twice, once for breakfast which was a subpar lumpy double order of biscuits and gravy washed down with fresh tap water. The service was slow, but that’s how it goes in a small town where the locals get priority service. For dinner I got the k-18 special! It even came with a surprise salad, unfortunately the salad dressing attracted a horde of gnats that got in my salad… So, I ended up putting it aside after eating just a few flies. Luckily my young waitress found time away from being berated by her manager to bring me the special. I got the revered K-18 Special as advertised. The nondescript menu isn’t coy in the slightest, it describes the K-18 special to a T… “hamburger.” I found that even if I requested cheese on they don’t compromise, it’s truly that special. So there it sat in front of me, bread and meat in its purest over processed form. The plain cold hard bun encompassing the Luke warm preformed meat patty is something to behold, the K-18 Special. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to enjoy it before the gnats swarmed it… Oh well.

I could go on, there were a lot more hiccups throughout, but this place isn’t worth it. 0/10 would...

Driving across Kansas I found this gem of a restaurant. A local, all American spot to get some amazing food at excellent prices.

This family-owned cafe has been around since the 1950s and continues to operate under the care of the same family.

I know this because the owner, a fun and friendly guy, was kind enough to include me into the conversation with the staff. While I enjoyed a large plate of AMAZING fried chicken (no seriously, this was among the best fried chicken I’ve ever had) we shared laughs with the staff. The staff are all sweet and welcoming young ladies. K-18 is a must, not just while in the area, but as a destination on its own. The coconut cream pie is made from scratch in the restaurant and it is ridiculously delicious and BIG.

I’ll be back for Christmas for a special homemade eggnog with organic, locally...

We stopped in after visiting the Garden of Eden. We went in for pie and coffee and was extremely pleased. The little roadside cafe was packed with people and we soon found out why. We watched as the waitresses brought out plate after plate of piled-high food. It really looked amazing. I choose the rhubarb pie and my husband had apple pie with ice cream. The rhubarb pie was layer with a custard type filling and the apple pie (I had a bite of my husbands) was the best apple pie I have eaten; full of flavor and cinnamon. They were both was so good I wanted to take a piece of fruit pie home for later. I asked what the best fruit pie was; she said cherry was the top seller but went on to say the coconut cream pie was hands down the best sellers of all pies. I took a slice of...