Stressed? Blessed? A little of both? Chocolate cream pie is the answer for everything! I strongly recommend stopping by Chenoa Family Restaurant for a slice of homemade pie. For dinner, I was torn between a platter of turkey and dressing or a fried shrimp platter. I went with the former and chose a side salad and mashed potatoes as my side. Good! Not great like my mom's, but satisfying. Special thanks to Brianna for the friendly, efficient service! read more

My Husband and I ate here about a week ago, and the food was fine. I ordered a BLT sandwich, nothing to complain about food wise. The service on the other hand was our issue. Our waitress (didn't catch her name) a young, short, blonde hair girl. She seemed as if she didn't want to give us proper service due to the fact we came in about an hour before close. She seemed very out of it and didn't look like she was all there. We were concerned that she may have been under the influence of something.. it took her forever to get us our drinks and there was two other tables besides us. After we received our food, she didn't even bother to come check on us once, until we got the check. As we were leaving we happened to pass by the back of the building and we saw our waitress outside who appeared to be smoking something. When she saw us passing by she hid whatever it was, and immediately walked back inside. We were more concerned at how young she looked. But besides our service the food was fine and the price was within reason. I hope this restaurant realize what their staff does behind their back. read more

Restaurant Occupancy: 23% bill: $60.38 time spent in restaurant: 115 minutes tip: $15.00 Last time person attended our table: minute mark 24:00 I ain't gonna ask someone to do their job. I'll just do mine, for paying the bill, and applying the proper tip comparative to bill. It's up to you, to do your job. Not mine. read more

Don't miss this delightful gem of home-made deliciousness! Reasonable prices, fast service and great small-town ambiance! Driving from St Louis to Chicago and happened upon this delightful and unpretentious family restaurant. My husband had the Shrimp Alfredo which was fabulous and filling--great sauce, plump and tasty shrimp, served with grated Parmesan and fabulous garlic bread. I had the Lasagna which was over-the-top delicious (8 layers of "lasagna heaven"). We both enjoyed the salad bar which had a nice variety of choices. We did not make it to dessert (too full); however, the pies and cheesecakes in their dairy case were obviously home-made and looked heavenly. read more

Driving through Route 66 on a road trip and saw this restaurant and decided to stop by for breakfast and it is absolutely an amazing place. Wonderful and friendly service, very clean environment and food was great! read more

Our waitress was pleasant and professional. The water was awful. It tasted moldy. The cream of chicken soup was excellent, however the French onion was nothing remotely good. Gyro was overcooked to the point of dry and very dark. Children's pancakes were fine with sausage links. Monte Cristo was good. Fries were overly cooked and served lukewarm. It filled your stomach but not your soul. Also an extra charge to use a debit card. This is really annoying. I hadn't planned on dining so didn't have a large amount of cash. read more

I went there in March and didn't get half of what I ordered. I spent around 70.00 on four meals. When I called them, the waitress asked for my name and told me she was going to have to put the phone down and ask her boss what she should do. After a few minutes, we were "disconnected. " I never did receive a call. On Mother's Day, we ordered seven meals and seven desserts. We picked them up at the given time, a little after 8:00pm. When we got home, we realized we were missing one meal. My husband drove back there, his time was approximately 8:15 pm. he was informed they don't have any more food. They did give us our money back. Doesn't help when two adults have to share a meal, one being pregnant . I did not exaggerate; each of us got six and a half fries and half a sandwich To eat. Because of their mess up. read more

You must stop, I was absolutely impressed!! The fried chicken (hand breaded) was amazing and the amount of food that you get for the money is unheard of now-a-days! read more

Went here for a Sat morning breakfast. Everything was very good! Plenty of food. Fast service. Will definitely go again.

lol service wasn't bad but man I can't believe the food I wish I would've went up the street to McDonalds a double cheese burger is way better than what ever frozen patty they are using here, the water taste terrible so your forced to buy a pop unless you like drinking water out of the ditch, I didn't try the breakfast that's something hard to mess up so hopefully that is good but idk what I was thinking ordering salmon from a small town family diner I guess I shouldn't of expected much but this place is for people who don't have taste buds or have never eaten outside of this city lmao read more

We were homeward bound on US 24 when we came across old Rt 66 at Chenoa. The time was right so we stopped at The Chenoa Family Restaurant. This was a delightful break from the franchise fast food joints dotting the highways. Home cooking! we could smell the fresh bakery, the bacon, the French toast and so many other great offerings as we entered. The ambiance was home town café with a Greek flare. The restaurant was clean and modern. Service was prompt and friendly. Food left nothing to be desired. Prices were fair, and there is a discount for paying with cash. This is a stop I would go out-of-my-way for. A solid 4 stars from me, no make that 5. read more

The food was delicious! The service was excellent! Clean and pleasant atmosphere!Reasonable prices. Definitely worth the stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner! read more

Came here for a Sunday morning road trip breakfast. I had the cinnamon swirl French toast breakfast which came with two eggs and two pieces of bacon as well as two pieces of French toast while my wife had the country fried pork chop which came with two eggs. My food was good but my wife said her pork chop was possibly the best breakfast meat she's ever eaten. Service was good and friendly. Coffee was decent. We'll be back next time we're in the mood for a 20 mile ride for breakfast read more

We took a couple friends to dinner on a trip back from our home town. First let me say our waitress was very nice. I ordered the salmon, had no flavor and was dry and tasteless. The potato was dry inside, the skin shriveled, rebaked? I normally love salmon and baked potatoes. The girls had fajitas, they were ok. Our friend had fried catfish, there was a hair in the fish. We didn't say anything, long day and just wanted to get going. The salad bar had a nice selection, egg slices were watery at the bottom of the container. They had a good size staff for mid afternoon on Sunday and just started to get busy. We didn't try the desserts. Not knocking the restaurant, this was just our experience stopping one time. They had good reviews on line. Our experience food was not the best but prices were very affordable. read more

Stopped there a few times for breakfast. Always good! Hard to stomach the constant Fox News dribble they have on, though!

I'm surprised by the low reviews for this place. I've eaten here multiple times in the last year and consider it 4-5 stars each time for variety, quality, and service. "Family" in a restaurant name means "comfort food" and "inexpensive." Comfort food means hearty and filling, not usually healthy or adventurous. So, "family" sets my expectations when I enter a place like this. My t-bone meal for $17 could have fed two economically. Though the medium rare request came out rare the meat was still flavorful. Choice of two sides and choice of salad or a (large) bowl of soup, plus a slab of home made bread were all included. The mashed potato consistency was more like a baked potato with gravy, which was odd. But that's the thing about family--I may eat your family's recipe but prefer my own. And besides, where else are you going to get a large t-bone and that many sides for $17? read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - All this plus a large bowl of soup (or salad) were included in the $17 t-bone lunch. - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

Wow. What an outstanding find. On our way back from Springfield to Chicago and needed a late lunch. This place is down home good cooking. The portions are huge. All dinners cone with a trip to the salad bar. It was plentiful and the soups were homemade. I got the fries chicken dinner with all white meat. It was awesome. Not greasy, crispy skin, very juicy and super tender. Tge others in my party got beef ravioli and chicken parmesan. The chicken parm was not breaded but still great. The pies are all homemade and the staff was delightful. Worth a stop if you're local or from outta town. read more

See all

If you want great, home style food and some delicious desserts, complete with excellent service , do yourself a favor and stop in at the Chenoa Family Restaurant off exit 187 and I-55. read more

Great breakfast at a great price. Our waitress made a fresh pot of coffee for us- she insisted, we didn't ask. My husband had a small biscuit and gravy which was good because I ordered the pork chop breakfast and there was plenty of food for both of us. However, it was so delicious I wasn't sure I wanted to share! Our breakfast experience was a good one! read more

STILL CLUCKING Raw chicken is completely unacceptable and it could really kill someone. We had an order of fried chicken and it was bloody and raw in the middle. We alerted the waitress who took it back into the kitchen. The crazy part is that they threw the chicken back into the deep fryer even though we had cut two pieces completely open. Is that acceptable? Throwing chicken that was touched by a customer back into the kitchen deep fryer. I'm sure the hot oil kills everything but I'm also sure there's some kind of health code violation going on here. There were other problems too. The bake potato was beyond baked. It was actually so old it was almost black on the inside. I've honestly never seen that. We did point it out to the waitress and she kind of gave us a look, so apparently they serve old potatoes here. She really didn't get it. We ordered grilled onions on our burger. The waitress asked us if we wanted the grilled onions on the burger and we said yes. When the burger arrived we pointed out that there were no grilled onions on the burger. Our waitress immediately said, "Don't worry I won't charge you!" First of all we weren't going to get grilled onions and secondly we didn't know we were being charged for them. I then pointed out that I didn't even get my lettuce for the burger and since I wasn't getting the grilled onions could I at least get the raw red onion that the burger came with. The burger patties were really charred and dried out. If anything was a little raw for dinner, I would have loved for this burger to be under cooked. We also got a chicken salad and asked for the canned fruit to be subbed out for tomatoes and lettuce. We got the tomatoes and the canned fruit but no lettuce. The sad part is that the waitress read back the order to all of us and everything still got screwed up. I'm not sure what happen but the chef didn't do anything that the waitress wrote down. We really wanted to like this place. It has great reviews and the staff seemed very friendly but the execution of the food was all wrong. Raw chicken is just unacceptable and screwing up all the orders do not make for a good dinning experience. The final straw was the vacuuming. While we were dinning the staff broke out the vacuum cleaner and started cleaning. This is kind of unacceptable. Last time I saw someone vacuuming in a restaurant while people were dinning was thirty years ago and another diner picked up the vacuum cleaner and threw it across the restaurant. I was young when I saw this situation go down but now I know how this guy felt and why he reacted like this. I don't like writing bad reviews but serving food that could kill someone needs to be addressed. It's chicken and all you have to do is temp it. Most real chefs would do that. Please fix this problem before you actually get someone sick. You just don't pull it from the fryer, serve it up and hope for the best. read more

See all

Ive never had a bad experience and ive eaten here from early childhood, to the time i flew stag back in sr year for sweetheart dance, to eating with my whole family and then bringing my son in the mix if the wonderful cfr life. Im located in Pontiac but if I had to call something my "hometown diner" well its 12 miles away on rt 66 and 24. read more

We love small town mom and pop dining. This place does not disappoint. Had breakfast and lunch here, and really enjoyed their food. Located right on the corner of US 24 and Old US Route 66 in the quaint town of Chenoa. Nostalgic gem. read more

Absolutely amazing restaurant! Stopped by with family on driving vacation and was pleasantly surprised by the huge menu selection and the phenomenal pies! Great food & great service! read more

Looking at the outside of the building, you would not think much of this restaurant. It has a sign with a hen on it. So out of pure curiosity, I stopped on for breakfast. I'm so glad I did. Here everything tasted homemade and fresh. I had eggs, ham and potatoes in a skillet and it was yummy. The waitresses are friendly and make you feel like you lived in this tiny community all your life. Did I mention the prices? Unbelievably cheap with good quality. 7.95 for steak and eggs. You can't go wrong! So if you're like me, get cooped up and need to drive in the country, head out to Chenoa. It's a hidden gem that can't be missed. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

Their new building opened last month and it's really wonderful. Inside feels open, clean and comfortable. The staff is friendly and the food comes out very quickly. While the menu is huge, with a little something for everyone; what I would really recommend are the soups. Each day their are 2 soup specials which are tasty and homemade. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - Inside the new building - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

See all

This is quintessential small town family restaurant dining. Big portions. Small price. Quick service. Decent food. We eat here about once a week and my favorites are: Reuben, spicy chicken wrap, taco salad, steak sandwich, breakfast skillets. Everyone is friendly! read more

Well that was delightful! We were a large party (9) but they seated us right away. Courtney, our server took great care of us and put up with our noisy crew. The food was great, and SAVE ROOM FOR PIE! The price was more than worth the value of the meal. I highly recommend it. read more

See all

The place was busy, on a Friday night..... I came in by myself just driving thru town. Got seated right away, bus boy was awesome. Got me coffee and water right away..... Had the all you can eat fish fry. Came with salad and potato. Was good but not out of this world. Fish a little bland. But unlike other AYCE things..... They don't make guy wait forever for more.... Waitress was on it right away as brought more before I needed it. If I lived here I would come often. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - Never even looked at the menu - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

See all

We did an all weekend rally through 4 states and this family restaurant came up on our radar. The food was great! We had the chicken and rice soup which was great and as pictures a turkey sandwich and chicken quesadilla which came with 2 sides. This place is great because it's located right off the highway and you get sick of getting off the highway just to eat fast food chains. Great portions just don't drink the water. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - Great family food spot! - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

Found this just passing through, Wow what a great find! You better be hungry! Really good food and a lot of it, staff was nice and restaurant very clean. Right on Route 66, small town feel with new building. Good lunch specials and even had daily specials. read more

Typical family type place, recently redecorated so not a dingy diner. Even has a cute little fireplace. They hit all the boxes on a couple things I usually look for. Real mashed potatoes. Pies made here. The soup salad bar was not huge but it had everything and it was all very fresh. Small town where everyone knows everyone, even nice to us just passing through. All you care to eat fish on Friday for ten bucks? Might have to make a trip back. read more

This place is essentially a truckstop diner and it does a great job at doing that. The food is good, you get a lot of it, and it doesn't cost a lot. It's not upscale and it doesn't need to be. They do have some healthful options too but the unhealthy stuff is too darn tasty. read more

Not bad .... I had the chicken sandwich it was a 6/10 my gf got a tuna melt it was a 3/10. Good menu selection and not too expensive.

Poor boy sandwich is the best on the menu...more like a classic French dip sandwich but amazing!

We had high hopes for this restaurant because of the google rating. Although the food was good, the customer service was horrible. Upon arriving, our server told us that the kids meals include a drink, so we ordered them drinks (3). At the end, we get the bill and they charged us $2.39 per child drink. My husband explained this to the checkout clerk and the waitress even told her that she had thought they did come with drinks and the clerk (I'm assuming manager) still did not take them off the ticket. We will not be back because it's clear that they do not care about their customers and are likely overcharging in many areas if they wouldn't fix something as small as this. read more

Service a 5, atmosphere and cleanliness a 5, food a 3 so i am giving a 3 this review. I ordered the breakfast that consisted of biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs and 2 sausage links....everything was good but the biscuits and gravy! The biscuits where soft little hockey pucks and the gravy was not homemade, it tasted like it was a powder mix and it left an after taste in my mouth. My dad had the special which was 3 eggs, american fries, 2 sausage patties and 2 pieces of toast. A lot of food for the cost but they never get their american fries done enough in my opinion. Had several breakfast items here in the past and they are just average. Bought a whole apple pie for $18 here a few visits ago and got it home and ended up having to bake it an extra hour to get the apples done. I have just realized over my past few visits its just an ok place to eat but with great service. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - Biscuits and gravy in my opinion not very good - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

See all

Good basic food. Husband had tuna sandwich and I had chef salad. Service was fast and pleasant. Knew this was a much better choice by the cars parked out front. Portions are large. We could not finish it all. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - Leftovers! - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

See all

Great service. Angi was so amazing. Friendly and gave excellent recommendations. Good food, good prices, huge selection. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - $8 chicken special. - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois

This family diner/restaurant has a diverse menu and excellent food. Look for the home made dishes in particular. Our fussy 10yo devoured the tempura chicken instead of the regular chicken strips. And he is a fussy, fast-food only eater. The lasagne and beef ravioli were great and the soups at the salad bar were delicious. Incredible value too. If you want somewhere to stop having driven Route 66 out of Chicago, then stop here for sure. read more

At the intersection of historic Route 66, and US 24 lies the little town of Chenoa. Directly to the northeast of this exact intersection is the Chenoa Family Restaurant. Strategically located almost 100 miles south of Chicago, and 25 miles north of Bloomington on Interstate 55, Chenoa is a tiny little town of 1800. It's where I grew up. I visit Chenoa annually on July 3. This time, I was hungry and it was a little rainy out, so instead of eating the pork chops at the street dance, I decided, let's go to the Chenoa Family Restaurant. We stopped in and were immediately seated. The place was relatively full of blue hairs and other people who looked like they just got out of a church service. Our waitress was extremely friendly, oddly friendly. Not too talkative, but had a bubbly personality that was obvious from the start. The place definitely has regulars, as it was obvious from the looks of "who is he?" that I wasn't one of them. The menu is all encompassing. What do you want to eat? Dunno, but I'm sure it's on the menu. Their daily specials list is longer than the menus at most places I frequent, and was 2 sided. Their actual menu seemed to have more words and pages than a John Steinbeck novel. It was after 6, but I was in the mood for steak and eggs. I got the rib eye, with over easy eggs, hashbrowns, and white toast. Kridz got the turkey sammich with a bowl of soup. The size of the soup here is legendary. The soups (from my memory) are all good. She was really shocked with the size of the soup that came out. It was massive. Her turkey sammich came on a croissant that appeared to be dripping butter from every pore. (my toast was not as buttered). I apparently enjoyed my dinner, as when the waitress came by to check on us, she remarked "man, you ate that fast". I considered ordering another, as what the heck, it's only like $12 but decided against it. The prices are reasonable (if not low), the portions are ample (if not too big), the service was great. There are devil boxes. I'm not sure when the old Hen House building was tore down, but the new building just doesn't feel right to me (yet). It seems like it's a White Castle building. The old hen house sign is still there, with the Chenoa Family Restaurant lettering on it. If for some reason, you are driving on 55, and need a place to eat, skip the mcd and subway, venture another block towards town, and eat here. read more

Chenoa Family Restaurant - This soup blows. - American Near Me - Chenoa, Illinois