Wampach's Restaurant — Restaurant in Shakopee

On the bright side, the food was good and our waitress Irene was so nice and helpful. She was a wonderful server and was pleasant and kind the whole time. However, on the worse side of things, there was another older waitress (didn't catch her name but I didn't even want to know it by the time we left) who was terribly unpleasant for all customers inside. She reprimanded us for standing in the doorway when there was no room to get in, and then would claim that there were no tables ready because she had to clean them. She would then take two or three plates, bring them to the back, and then come back to ask a new table what drinks they wanted before interrupting them and going to take a few more plates back. It took her 10 minutes to clear a single table and there was a huge backup. When our small group was seated at the biggest booth in the restaurant ("seated" was generous; she just pointed at us, barked "You three!" and then pointed sharply at a booth behind her), a large family came in and she told them they had no room to seat them. Her tone was rude and snappy; very off-putting. We and another large table both offered to switch with them since we could fit at the smaller open tables, but the waitress stopped us and said not to switch anything and that it was fine. The other table said they were just trying to help and she interrupted them by saying "it's all good the way it is." The large family had to sit in two separate tables on opposite sides of the room, and when she asked them what drinks they wanted and they began to respond she stopped them and told them to "give me a second," as if she was irritated that they were requesting drinks at all. Then she left and cleared three more dishes from a table she had been working on the whole time. The room is pretty small and all the customers present witnessed the whole thing, and we all shared awkward glances as she continued to run around the restaurant and bark at incoming customers like a school playground supervisor while the separated family was still waiting on starter drinks. So glad our waitress was the good one and not...

Wampach's has been a fixture in downtown Shakopee since the 1950s. Jerry Wampach sold the place in the Seventies, and it went through several changes in ownership. In 2022, a mother and son team of Lois and Nelson Petricka took it over after working there for decades. There are several iconic breakfast places in Minneapolis/Twin Cities, like Al's Breakfast, Tiny Diner, and Egg & I. Wampach's right up there: you must go there!

There will be a wait, but they give you an honest number like 20 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour. There is very little place to wait inside. If you go for a walk, make sure someone in your party stays near the door: when they're ready for you, the open the door and yell out "Connie's party!" Someone needs to claim the table.

I had two pancakes with chocolate chips (extra), and egg over easy and a massive, thick cut slice of a real ham roast. I had to get a box, since I could handle the whole ham slice. A nice touch: if one goes to OPH or another chain, the whole mini chips are put into the batter late, so they are pretty much intact, which isn't really that interesting. Here, the chips are melted into a small spread of chocolate jam inside the pancake. The cakes are basic, well done and really filling.

My son-in-law works out a lot and has a hot furnace which consumes thousands of calories. Even he cried uncle and took home a box.

The prices are nice, and the ladies who serve you handle everything stress free and with smiles on their faces. I love being called "Dearie." Wampach's has a full diner menu if you are looking for lunch, or hamburgers or sandwiches.

At first, when we arrived we were told, "There are two seats at the bar," but we said no thanks. When we came to our capacious booth, the "bar" was two stools with Rayco seat coverings jammed into a corner of a table. This is classic iconic diner stuff!

Want atmosphere? Look out the window or stand in the parking lot and see an attorney's office, a bail bondsman, and a realty office all in a row.

Don't miss a trip to Wampach's. We all plan to go back...

We stopped here on a Saturday morning and there were people standing outside so I got a little excited at what I would be in for. I didn’t mind waiting. It’s usually the sign of a great experience. This place looks nostalgic which I love. To keep up with the crowds they sit tables so close together you can’t move. I had 2 in my party and we were sat in a table that was shoved together for 4 with another couple and the table next to me (separated) was so close her leg brushed against mine. The wait staff couldn’t get thru- they handed things over heads. It took a very long time to get water, coffee or give an order. The staff was super friendly and when they finally got there I enjoyed the exchange and they were extremely accurate with the order: the food didn’t take any time to arrive. Unfortunately utensils did. We sat for quite a while trying to get their attention while our hot breakfasts cooled. When we got our utensils the food was good. It wasn’t the perfect breakfast I was expecting from the build up. The hash browns were average. They appeared to be canned or dried and fried.The sausage gravy was canned. The eggs were cooked perfectly To he coffee was pretty good too. I’m glad I went because it’s a part of history I was excited to experience. I may try again when it’s...