The Chuckwagon Cafe is a cozy family diner at Vandalia IL. We are fortunate to pass by on our road trip from St Louis. Breakfast options are plentiful and very reasonable in price. The waitress recommended both Greek omelette and the Western omelette. We ordered Greek omelette ($12.99) , with additional green peppers ($0.75) and mushrooms ($1). The portion is generous, sufficient for two persons. Coffee ($2.75) was okay to do the job. This is a homey spot to start your day. I'd recommend this for eggs and omelette! read more

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The Chuckwagon has very cute decor and is very inviting. It was such a surprise to seat yourself. Our server had just started her shift and was very friendly. I had a Ham, cheese and mushroom omelette which was really good, a biscuit and some yummy home fried potatoes. My husband got a skillet that he really liked. Their coffee was also really good. read more

Stopped on a road trip. Great location for home style food off the highway. Sweet staff.

The food was good when we stopped during our road trip. The serving staff was friendly, good selection on the menu, and a clean, bright, & open dining space. read more

Stopped here during a road trip for breakfast. It was a good stop for food and a break. It was friendly service. The food is good value for money. They also allowed us to add extra filling to an omelet and were accommodating. read more

Chuckwagon - Breakfast food - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vandalia, Illinois

Sooooo, not horrible. But not great either. I ordered biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were good, but I'm pretty sure the gravy was straight out of a can. True, they serve breakfast all day, but I'm not sure I'd choose to stop here again. Sometimes fast food wins. read more

Chuckwagon - Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vandalia, Illinois

Remodeled nicely!!! Breakfast food is all we have had. Greek Skillet was very good! Hubby's eggs & pancakes were good! Service was good. Very enjoyablew experience!!! I would highly recommend stopping going down I-70. Right at the exit...look tall sign! read more

Just good food any time of the day. Great soup and sandwiches. If you like giros this is the place.

Excellent chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and cream gravy. Fork tender and Great tasting. The grilled chicken sandwich was also excellent. Crinkle cut fries were very good. Great service. Great local find right off of I-70. read more

Food was quick and delicious, service was excellent! It's a little difficult to find if you're from out of town, but was well worth looking for! read more

Food was good. Very basic diner but had some great homemade dessert options! The cinnamon roll sounded amazing!

Breakfast was great this morning. The eggs were perfect and they really do extra crispy hash browns! Everyone is friendly. Our server Toffey was great. It's a nice way to start the day. read more

Excellent food and fast service. A great spot to stop in for breakfast. Highly recommend!

This is the most wonderful cafe we have found in a very long time! The food is 5 star! The service is 5 star! The portions are 5 star! The homemade cinnamon rolls are to die for- never tasted better & I am a connoisseur! read more

I had the Greek salad and it was delicious! I was with a group of ladies and our meals were were all great! Everyone commented on how good it was . There wasn't one complaint in this group and they are a picky bunch! read more

I'm from out of town. Breakfast was so good. I had the chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs, toast, and fried potatoes. Fiancé had a huge omelet and fried potatoes. The potatoes were my favorite. Thank you for your hospitality. read more

Left Springfield, OH at 4:30 a.m. to begin the second leg of cross country drive from NY to AZ. We were starving but found ourselves with few choices other than fast food along I-70 in the middle of southern Illinois. We always aim to support local businesses with our cash not just our rhetoric so thankfully The Chuckwagon Cafe popped up on my Yelp search. My husband is easy going when it comes to breakfast food, but I'm a bit pickier. The place was busy with what appeared to be locals. As a curious New Yorker, I was intrigued by a table of 8-10 work and weather hewn men dressed in rural attire. I would have loved to have sat with them over a cup of coffee to have a genuine conversation about rural life but my growling stomach prevailed. We ordered our food to go since we had anxious pets in the car though I would have loved to have eaten inside this come-as-you-are establishment. The woman who took my order was kind, helpful, and accommodating. My husband had scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage links, and toast. I had an egg-white veggie omelet (no cheese; lots of menu items have cheese), hash browns, and dry wheat toast. The food was plentiful and quite delicious. I loved the combo of crispy exterior and the soft interior hash brown. The wheat toast was thick the way I rarely see it these days. Coffee was simple but fresh and tasty. Stop in and give it a try. read more

The Chuckwagon is now open 6am - 3pm ..still same owners good food and homey atmosphere. Come join us for breakfast & lunch read more

Excellent food. Lots of choices. Outstanding price, Lots of food. Tried both breakfast and lunches menus. Delicious. read more

Show up very hungry and you won't be disappointed. One plate is enough for two. It was very affordable and the waitress was cute. A down-home feel. read more

I was in town for an overnight stop on a drive from Virginia to Colorado. I chose Chuckwagon after a quick drive-by of the other main food alternatives in town. Its parking lot was pretty full and, upon entering, I noticed the place was mostly full with families and folks that looked like they went there often. It was a cheery crowd and the staff was enjoying serving them. I was promptly seated and presented a menu. It was a Friday, so the Daily Specials sheet had lots of fish options. One option was bluegill and memories of fishing in my Uncle's farm pond as a kid came rushing back. I haven't seen bluegill on a menu in, oh, ever. So I ordered a bluegill sandwich and a cup of their vegetable soup after being assured it was made in house. I also had a beer, so they had to switch servers. Sad to lose the first server, I found the second server was also attentive and pleasant. The vegetable soup was delicious. Veggies were mounded in the bowl. The broth was full flavored. The bluegill sandwich was next. The fish, with its lovely fresh water pond flavor was breaded in corn meal and overflowed its bun. Another delicious treat. The whole experience was delightful. I left feeling very full and sorry that I couldn't take the leftovers due to no refrigerator in my room. Four plus stars in general plus extra for food you just can't find almost anywhere else. Simple foods prepared deliciously by people who care. Who can ask for anything more. I look forward to the next time I am in the area. read more

Chuckwagon - Housemade Vegetable Soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vandalia, Illinois

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Stopped today for breakfast. Very welcoming place clean and decorated very cute! Had delicious breakfast ham eggs and toast and coffee. Coffee cup never empty and a very nice slice of ham real ham. Hubby had corned beef hash eggs toast and hash browns. All cooked perfectly and delicious. Kendra was a great waitress very attentive. Definitely a good place to eat! read more

I had hot tenderloin, chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes and gravy. Everything was great. Kendra was my waitress. Great job

This 4 out of 5 stars is really a 3.5. I am torn. Went to Vandalia for my first time ever and actually went to this place twice because my omelet I got my first time here was delicious. While this place is pretty outdated and the booths are uncomfortable, the food is really good. I had a ham and cheese omelet with hashbrowns. So tasty. The next time I had a grilled cheese with bacon, fries and cream of califlower soup. Everything was so good, except I didn't like the soup....creamy tastelessness. My only other complaint is that the orange juice is too expensive. Next time I'll just have a Pepsi. Thank you. The servers were really nice, the host was a little out of it though. I'm 100% sure it was because she was hungover. read more

I hit up this place 2 days in a row because....well, my options were limited for Vandalia. I'm from this small town, aside from fast food there aren't a lot of sit down options. Service is ok. Food is good, given the options. Anything and everything on the menu. I enjoyed my denver omelet subbed with bacon instead of ham. Plenty of cheesey goodness. The next day I had a pork tenderloin sandwich, fries and soup. Also deliciuos. Yummy cream of cauliflower soup, a bit bland though. read more

A prison ministry trip brought us to Vandalia and this place was across the street from our hotel. I've found these small diners to be either an UGH or a delight and Chuckwagon Cafe was the latter. A fairly decent menu, I went with the breaded pork tenderloin w/brown gravy, a favorite of mine at small diners. I asked our server Bambi if it was fresh versus frozen and it was indeed fresh and of good size. The gravy was a very dark brown which is the way I like mine. Bambi was a friendly server and attentive. The overall place felt welcoming and was clean. We went back in the morning for breakfast though not as enjoyable as dinner it was good but I'm one who not is a champion of breakfast. I was bummed when it was decided that the prison ministry team was to meet up with another team in Lynchfield the next evening for dinner as I was looking forward to trying something else on the Chuckwagon Cafe menu, but if and when I return to Vandalia the Chuckwagon will be on my list of must go to eateries. read more

Stopped here on the back end of an overnight vacation car trip for breakfast. This is old school, rural American breakfast at its finest. The prices? So low you barely notice them. The food? Just what you'd expect from a small town breakfast place. The biscuits and gravy were pretty good. The biscuits were actually some of the best I've seen in a long while. The gravy? A little bland, but the right consistency, etc. Nothing but good things to say about the service. The crowd was fun, too. There was a table of senior citizens engaged in a debate over the Affordable Healthcare Act. The sole Obamacare supporter was taking his octogenarian buddies to SCHOOL, too. It was a good old-fashioned old-guy political argument. That probably shouldn't factor into my star rating, though, as I can't guarantee the same old dudes will be there fighting every day. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if they were... Nostalgic, tasty, cheap. Go Chuckwagon! read more

Food was awesome! They were also selling farm fresh produce in the front of the restaurant and offered us some cantaloupe, which was really good. I have been before but it has been a while, and the place looks better after the facelift. read more

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Visiting relatives in the area and stopped for lunch. I had the pork chop sandwich special that came with soup and steak fries. The sandwich was moist, good and I would get it again but it needed salt. The vegetable soup was homemade and full of various veggies. It was very good and flavorful! A walleye fish sandwich and Rueben sandwich were also ordered and enjoyed by people in my party. They said they would order them again. Will be back when we're in the area. read more

We were there for lunch while camping near by-very nice and clean-i was very excited to see blue gill on menu-it is not a common fish on menus and is my favorite=my husband got catfish-the batter and the way they fried it was awesome=and to our surprise it was served on a toasted buttered bun-delicious-we tried to go back for supper another night because my husband was craving their chicken and dumplings or liver and onions-but they close at 3-Angie the waitress we had was awesome-very friendly, fun, knowledgeable about menu and things to do in the area-awesome waitress read more

We stopped by for pie to go today as we were driving pass and thought it would be a great spot to stop. About an hour later we finally stopped to eat the pie and the piece of chocolate cream pie we got had mold growing on it. read more

Love this place! My favorite spot for breakfast. Hash stack is awesome. Dinner is great too. Only reason for 4 not 5 stars is that good wait staff is kinda hit or miss here. read more

Carla white was so great! Beautiful smile and positive attitude! She was very attentive and worked so hard! read more

Chuckwagon - Really great coffee! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vandalia, Illinois

I don't think I've ever done anything but lunch here, so consider that, but when I come to Vandalia this is certainly one of those places that I HAVE to eat in at least once. Most of the time I end up getting their Greek chicken with their Greek potatoes, but I've had other things and they are always at least decent. The service is always good, I don't think I've ever had a bad experience at the Chuck Wagon. They have a large menu so I wouldn't come here expecting the freshest anything, but it's certainly a good place to come for a quick lunch. Would I come here for breakfast or dinner? I wouldn't be against it, I just never have. The atmosphere is a bit dated, but at the same time that kind of makes me feel more comfortable. Certainly not the place I personally would bring someone for a first date or take my family to celebrate something. Unless that first date is with this really cool lady who doesn't want me spending too much money on her in which case I'd be happy to bring her. read more

This is my first dinner experience at this restaurant. Greek pork chops over cooked n no seasoning. Poor choice. The juice they were in was good. Basic salad n baked potato. We also had BBQ chicken. Ugh. Basically baked chicken they put sauce over and threw under a broiler. No seasoning on chicken, no grilling nothing. It was a big let down. I had a great breakfast experience here so my wife n I thought we would try dinner. Never again. Sad a very clean and nice looking place. read more

Love this place. It is kind of a hole in the wall diner but awesome. The owner just built a beautiful full service bar as well. Some of our favorites are: farmers skillet, fried potatoes and gravy, breakfast horseshoe (can't go wrong with breakfast!), chicken stir fry, and gyro (I'm very picky and wouldn't just get these anywhere, they are awesome) Great place to go that has something on the menu for everyone. read more

Hit the spot. The Chuckwagon Cafe is the quintessential Midwest diner, complete with such standards as fried chicken gizzards and livers, pork cutlet, and fried walleye and bluegill sandwiches. The walleye was fresh, light, and fried perfectly. The servers were friendly and warm. We'll be back for sure. Loved the Chuckwagon. read more

Stopped in here for lunch on our way back from Indianapolis. Really good hometown style cooking with a decided country flair. We both had the chuck wagon wheel which is a full on breakfast with eggs, choice of meat, homemade hashbrowns and pancakes. Stop by and check them out, I know we will next time we are passing through. read more

They gave the ole' place a fixer upper Great food Great service And most of the positions of food are huge It's right off the Interstate Worth the stop read more

Had the prime rib filly it was to die for. Also homemade vegetable soup and my niece had a club sandwich that could have fed 2 people read more

Chuckwagon - Right off interstate 70 there is also a bar inside wide variety homemade aoup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vandalia, Illinois