Family Kitchen — Restaurant in Waterloo

Will come back, if only for the pie lol.

First impression: We parked across the street due to pulling a trailer, like the vehicle near us. The parking lot was pretty full. Parking in front. Table available immediately. Ten tables for four, a single, and one for six. Covered for tables. Cute little Waterloo town historic photos on wall.

Menu is short, easy to read and understand, and laid out well; but plenty of variety. Priced right for the food and portions.

Food was served quickly and served at right temperature.

We ordered: Fried clam strips and sides of onion rings and coleslaw. He thought clam strips were tasty and liked them. I thought they were slightly on the dark side and a bit chewy. Onion rings have a crunchy breading and yellow onions are used. The coleslaw was a unique recipe; instead of mayonnaise, oil was used and pepper added. It was different than regular slaw and we found it really good. (I’m picky about slaw and cringe a little each time I try it someplace new.) I ordered the Philly cheese steak and slaw. Got to say, perfect amount of meat with mozzarella shredded cheese, small diced onions green pepper and the bread was a treat. I needed mayo on it to moisten it up, and asked for a side of shredded cheese (of which they were very generous about), and voila ! it was an amazing sandwich. For dessert we ordered cherry pie. It was fantastic. Crust tasted homemade, and though it had canned cherries(of course, a restaurant doesn’t have time to do otherwise!) you would never know it. It was made perfectly and had a sweet crumble topping. More please and thank you!

Service was friendly and she was a good waitress, however we were at lunchtime and she had seven tables. We realized she was busy and felt free to voice our needs, like refills etc. she was good, but couldn’t give 5 stars because she was the only waitress and it was a little too much for her to keep up with the tables AND cashiering.

It is rare I give five stars, so that says something. If you are near here or local, I recommend...

Passing thru, seen lots of good reviews thought I’d stop by & check out a mom & pop shop & get some great food. Atmosphere seemed friendly. Ordered right away, waitress brought my drinks & as soon as she left acouple teenagers came over right by me literally 2 ft away & started spraying an aerosol cleaning chemical. Because it was aerosol the disbursement was lighter & carried literally all over my table, drinks, and me. Understanding they were kids & completely clueless to what just happened & just following orders, my food arrived at this moment so I asked to them to bring it to another table & moved to the other side of the restaurant. Food was hot and fresh and tasted good until I found a someones hair on the plate that wasn’t mine. I had enough at this point, took the plate up to the lady told her I worked in the restaurant business for years and I was trying to be cool about things but their total disregard for the safety of the customers & health standards was unacceptable.

This place is disgusting. I don’t care how good your food tastes, doesn’t matter if you don’t take the health & safety of your customers seriously. Pics or it didn’t happen? Here ya go. Take a closer look...

From the time we walked in the door, I just knew this was going to be an awesome place! There were people talking from table to table, people laughing, and we were greeted the minute we walked in the door! And let me tell you, we were not disappointed! From the friendly staff to the absolutely amazing, homemade food, we could not have ask for anything more! Although this place looks small on the outside, there is plenty of room on the inside! You must give this place a try! We live in Shiloh, Illinois but will definitely be making the trip again! It's so hard to find great diners with homemade food like this anymore! Make sure you check out their hours before you go! And don't forget to get you a...