This is a must stop for breakfast or lunch for any weary traveler on Route 66. The food was excellent and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly to tourists. Highly recommend!!! read more

Clanton's Cafe - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

I'll always come here for chicken fried chicken and their pie. Delicious! Tried the home style pot roast recently and it was just as good!

We ordered the chicken fried steak and it wasn't as famous as we thought. It was paper thin and we didn't get homemade chips like we ordered. The gravy and chicken fried chicken was ok and the staff was nice read more

Calf fries were good, our first time trying them. Our waitress was probably 30 years past her prime, and she acted like she didn't really want to be there, but did keep our glasses filled, etc. My wife and I both had chicken fried steaks (dinner and sandwich) and both were extremely greasy, same with my fries. They either need to A) replace the oil in their fryer B) turn up the heat on their fryer C) put less food in at one time Here we are 8hrs later and we both still have grease burps and bubbly stomachs. read more

Excellent service. The chicken and dressing was very good like old fashioned cooking. My friend had their catfish and she said it was excellent too. Oh and their cream pies and cobbler was delicious. Yes I'll eat there again when I'm up that way!!! MARYJO FROM MUSKOGEE read more

I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED! Finally got to eat here after hearing all things good about the place but the food was just ok n not made to order AND SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE! NOT A SMILE OR A THANK YOU! JUST "here's your order" got it to go and didn't even get our drinks. Customer lost! read more

Triple D Tour #1 Great downhome county food. The Chicken Fried Steak was great! Service was very nice. I would go back next time I'm in town. Enjoy & Foodies Rule! read more

Clanton's Cafe - Yummy - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

Was closed. Didn't look like it has been open for awhile. Disappointed. Was looking forward to this restaurant since it had good reviews.

Reunited with some Oklahoma friends, and they suggested this place. Hipster, cozy, subtle, but familiar interiors, one of kind. For a place that could easily seat more customers, it was only just a little bigger than a typical coffee shop. I had the burger with home-made chips. Chips came with a 2nd round. It had all the right condiments and accessories-tasty. The bun was fresh-I never ate a burger with a bun that must of been baked in the kitchen-properly baked, wonderfully soft, almost fluid-like. Very attentive servers. Awesome "EAT" sign can be seen for a block around. Bought me a shirt from there. Want others that find themselves on the Oklahoma interstate 44 near Tulsa to Joplin to certainly stop by. I would like to sample the rest of the menu. Hope I get back soon. read more

Decent classic old-school American diner food with lightning fast, friendly service. This is one of those places that just plain feels right. Will definitely return! read more

Great diner/cafe. of course we came because of DDD and we were driving Route 66. Even at 1pm on a Wednesday, this place was packed. Service was great and food comes rather quickly so it doesn't take long at this local favorite. Southern/diner cooking at its best, try the chicken fried steak or the daily soup, or why not both! read more

So this place is old, dark, outdated, and kinda dirty. It's also absolutely delicious food. This is the pinnacle of greasy spoon eatery. I had the calf fries, French fries, and green beans. The calf fries were incredibly lite and tender. It was like eating deep fried air. The fries were fresh, and the green beans were delicious. We went there for breakfast the next day. The breakfast was also delicious. The food was cheap and made from scratch. Coffee was .65 cents. No that's not a typo. If you're in the booming cow town of Vinita Oklahoma, you have to stop here to eat. read more

Great food. Best CFS I have had in a long time. Social distance seating was also good for the COVID-19 outbreak which at this time is out of control. Wife had a salad and said it was wonderful. We will be back the next time we are in the area. read more

Following Route 66 for our short vacation we discovered the historical Clanton's Cafe in Vinita, OK - a family tradition restaurant since 1927. The warm character and food are like Nana's kitchen. read more

Clanton's Cafe - Clanton's Cafe - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

What a neat place! Right on Route 66! I had the chicken fried steak meal. It was great! My friend had the chicken and dressing meal and she said that was good too. Service was upbeat and quick. Southern style cooking that even the locals seemed to be enjoying. My one regret is not getting dessert, as I bet the pie would have been good! read more

This place just has good down home country cooking. I eat here for breakfast whenever I'm driving through Vinita. I have eaten here several times but my favorite by far is the country fried steak and eggs!!! This local spot has been featured on Triple D. The food, service and price make this place worth the drive! read more

Felt very embarrassed standing near the side door, trying to pick up an order. Literally looked up and down by every waitress and ignored til I said something after seeing someone greeted and seated who was standing behind me. My omelet was good but the sides were dry and burnt and overall I felt very embarrassed and out of place. If they didn't want to serve me they could have told me to leave I will go to Cherokee if I want breakfast food in the future. read more

Just stopped in on our Roadtrip. I saw all the reviews and thought we'd try it. We both had the Biscuits and Gravy, really good. I had a cup of coffee which was good also. If you're driving on Route 66 stop by, I will be whenever we're going this way again. read more

Stopped here for a late lunch, about 2 on a Tuesday afternoon. This location was recommended to me by a local. We were suprised to see how packed this place was, but we were seated right away. The sevice was fast and friendly. Our order was taken right away and our drinks arrived quickly. After, seeing that DDD had visited this establishment, I decided to order the chicken fried steak dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy salad, and green beans. My other half, ordered the 4 piece dark meat fried chicken dinner with french fries, salad and green beans. Our salads were served right away. The salads were fresh with, I believe, homemade croutons. The remainder of our order took sometime to be served, but was well worth the wait!!! The chicken fried steak was cooked to perfection, light batter coating, hot and crispy and almost tender enough to cut with a fork. The mashed potatoes tasted like homemade as did the white gravy. Even the green beans tasted fresh and nicely seasoned. The fried chicken was also cooked to perfection, great crispy coating, and steaming hot, right out of the frier!! My other half said it ranks up there with the best he ever had! The french fries were hand cut and served hot. They remained crispy even after cooling down. We will definitely stop here again no matter which way we are traveling on I44! read more

Clanton's Cafe - Chicken fried steak mashed potatoes, green beans in the foreground, and 4 piece dark meat fried chicken dinner. Yum! - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

If you are in Eastern Oklahoma this is a must stop. Old style home cooking at its best. Save room for pie. I had the liver and onions. Thin sliced cut it with a fork. Mashed potatoes green beans and salad along with a dinner roll. Wife had their chicken fried steak which is just the best. Same sides but had corn. Just off I44. Don't miss it read more

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I used the TVFoodMaps app to find this place when we were traveling through on our way from Missouri to Texas. My husband is big chicken fried steak connoisseur, so we were pretty excited to find that was one of Clanton's Cafe specialties. This cafe is a gem. If you want to get right to the heart of Vinita, OK, this is where you want to go. The Cafe is decorated with a lot of nostalgia. The booths are low, which for small town America - makes them perfect. Everyone in the cafe knows each other, so the booths give you the opportunity to chat with your neighbors! The Cafe is bustling with activity! The first thing I noticed was that every single employee was busy! An adorably sweet waitress, named Michelle, came to our table right after we were seated. She gave us recommendations and answered all of our questions. By the time we received our side salad, I told my husband I would be back. He laughed and reminded me we hadn't gotten our food, yet. I replied, "Just because of the service and the environment, I would come back!" Seriously, our waitress as fantastic. She was fun. We were outsiders, just traveling through. She made us feel welcome and included! We ordered onion rings & chicken fried steak with all the fixings. Everything was excellent. The chicken friend steak had the perfect amount of seasoning! It was tender and cooked perfectly. The gravy was creamy and smooth. The potatoes were deliciously whipped. Even the green beans were fantastic! We were stuffed by the end of our meal, but we had to grab a couple of deserts to go! Haven't tried those yet, but I am sure they will be epic! I love this place and I highly recommend it. We will be back and of course we will be requesting to sit in Michelle's section! read more

This review is entirely based on breakfast so you might really love this place for lunch. In addition, I did not order their famous chicken fried steak. That all out of the way, it was really sub par. I like the place, the vibe, the people. I love the history and artwork. Here's the problem, somewhere along the line since 1927 they switched to really bad quality food. Butter to margarine, cream to non-dairy creamer, cheese to cheese food, preserves to flavored gelled corn syrup in a packet. I am quite sure that this isn't what this place was based on. Breakfast is a simple meal and what really sets places apart is the quality of their ingredients. I ordered an egg white omelet with mushrooms, swiss cheese, whole wheat toast and hash browns. The omelet was cooked perfectly but the cheese was white cheese food and the mushrooms came from a container. The bread was unremarkable. The hash browns were good, there weren't very many. It's time to let go of the bad processed and fake food America. You are 3 times more likely to have a heart attack if you are a margarine consumer than if you consume butter. It is increasingly obvious that we need to return to our whole food roots and there was little here that was real for breakfast. I am not accusing anyone of sinister motives at this restaurant, they clearly just aren't aware of what is and is not good for you or they probably wouldn't serve it. You're hard pressed in this part of the country to find a good honest meal on the road so was glad we had somewhere but I definitely wouldn't come back for breakfast. read more

On our second day riding Route 66, it occurred to me that, since we were riding into Oklahoma, the only thing to eat for dinner that night would be a chicken fried steak. I asked the copilot to use her IPhone to search for the "best chicken fried steak in Oklahoma". That is how we found Clanton's. From the outside, it looked like any typical small town diner. From the inside, it also looked like a small town diner. This is probably because Clanton's is, indeed, a small town diner. There are no bells or whistles here. At this point, I was starting to get a little excited, because the place reminded me of a restaurant my Mom's family had in MO years ago. We entered and were asked to seat ourselves wherever we wanted. We grabbed a booth, and the waitress took our drink order immediately. The iced tea is fresh, and they serve it either plain or sweet. The GF and I both ordered the chicken fried steak, hers with black eyed peas, and mine with green beans. We both got salads. The salads are standard diner fare, or even a little less, basically, just lettuce mix and croutons. You could bypass it, or maybe try the soup. When the entrees came out, all of my anticipation was rewarded. At this point, I knew I was going to leave happy. I tried the green beans first, because typically green beans in a restaurant are underwhelming. These were stewed with bacon, and were very good. I could have eaten a bowl just of the green beans. My girlfriend's black eyed peas were similarly great. Just looking at the chicken fried steak, I could tell it had been pan fried the traditional way, not deep fried like you get at most places. It was extremely tender, seasoned just right, and, frankly, perfect. I can't think of a way to improve it. The sawmill gravy was creamy and delicious. To top it all off, the mashed potatoes were made from scratch and awesome. By the time I finished the generous plate of food, I was eyeballing the dessert case. I had spotted a slice of chocolate cream pie in there, and felt like I should make it mine. I'm not typically a dessert guy, but chocolate cream pie is a particular weakness of mine when it's done right. I ordered it, and I was not disappointed. It reminded me of my grandmother's. The service at Clanton's was great, very attentive and very, very friendly. I felt like a local. The prices were so low it was shocking; less than the same meal at a Cracker Barrel. Our bill was about $20 for two with the slice of pie. The only bad thing about this meal was that it hit me very hard with nostalgia. The food was a fantastic example of southern Midwestern cuisine at its very best. I would drive several hundred miles to eat here. read more

I've traveled Route 66 several times......And I've had quite a few CFS, and this is probably the best Chicken Fried Steak on Route 66. Big portion, hand breaded, served with two sides.....$6.29 for lunch....mighty fine!! As others have said, quick, friendly service. This is THE place in Vinita.... BTW, the worst Chicken Fried Steak?? Joe & Aggie's in Holbrook, AZ...Frozen Blah!! read more

Clanton's Cafe - mmmmm, Chicken Fried Steak.... - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

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Not a lot of choices in downtown Vinita, but my trusty yelp lead me here for some down home/ southern fare. That bloke from the TV, 'Diner's, Drive ins and Dives' had been there and has a signed picture on the wall. Must be good eh? I had the their signature chicken fried steak (that's right -it's not a steak and there ain't no chicken y'all!) which I must say was pretty good. There's plenty of memorabilia from the original family that began the place and it's been around for ages so it's worth your time if you're in the area. read more

Food was really good and very quick! First time we had to try the chicken fried steak and wasn't a let down at all. Mashed potatoes are just like school made but the good ones, not the bad ones. Gravy was white and it was the from scratch country gravy. Sunday even came with and apple crisp and man that was really good. Wanted a scoop of ice cream with that! Would definitely go again to try other items. Wife got the salmon and said it was really good too. Wait staff was quick and very nice. read more

No calf fries or pies on Sundays :( womp. womp. They have a limited Sunday lunch menu, so we stuck with the chicken & dressing and the chicken fried steak. The chicken and dressing was okay. Even with the celebrity-endorsement on the menu, I thought it was only okay. The chicken fried steak, however, was awesome. Best I've ever had! (I also keep typing chicken FRIEND steak during this review, which is my brain subconsciously wanting me to go back right now). The rolls were okay, and the Sunday dessert of apple cobbler was super disappointing after wanting coconut cream, but the veggies (especially the green beans and squash) were awesome. The mashed potato were creamy perfection and almost as good as the people-watching! Everyone here knew each other; makes me long to live in a small, friendly town like Vinita. Definitely worth a stop.. just not on Sunday! read more

So I recently downloaded an app that lets me know where there are restaurants featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. Found out Clanton's was within a decent drive from NWA. Man this place was spot on! Great good and great prices! Three of us ate like royalty for thirty bucks! I had the hot cheeseburger which was an open faced cheeseburger covered in gravy. Heart stopper! But so good! Wife had the chicken and dressing, which she called thanksgiving on a plate. I snuck a few bites and it was to die for. Mom had the chicken salad sandwich and she loved it. The onion rings are amazing too! Cooked in a fried chicken batter...omg! Great little spot to try!! read more

Appetizer: Fried pickles were good, but felt like the helping was not big enough. Onion rings were alright. Chicken noodle soup was pretty good. I'd definitely choose the soup of the day over their salad. Chicken fried chicken - Delicious! served with tasty gravy. Chicken fried steak - moist and good flavor Chicken and dressing - Great! Gravy was very taste Fried chicken - over cooked, dry and no flavor Green beans - tasted fresh and had a great flavor Cole slaw - nothing special. Order something else. I would love to go back. :) read more

Vinita - On the Cutting Edge of Technology since they were the first city in Oklahoma with electricity. While The Crusader was recently visiting this small town in Oklahoma, he was encouraged by the locals to visit Clanton's Cafe. Their claim to fame, besides being featured on The Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", is that they have been owned by the same family since 1927. Their glory days were during the times of popularity for Route 66 but it is still thriving as a local spot as could be seen by the crowd. I was told that I must stop there for lunch. Dinners were tough to come by for this reviewer as most places in Vinita close at 8pm so get there early! I was greeted at the door by the waitress that told me where I could sit. This was great for me because I loathe walking into a local place and hearing the record screech as everyone turns and stares like George Bush walking into a Democratic National Convention. There were pictures and items of nostalgia all over the walls. I love this sort of thing so it appealed to me. The waitress was sort of what you would expect in a local place...blunt, but on top of things. I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken sandwich and it was HUGE. I didn't grow up in the South, but my grandmother lived there. Each year we would go down and experience home made fried chicken. This tasted exactly like that! It was juicy and crispy and the best that I've ever tasted. I'm not a fried steak kind of guy as I'm really picky about my cow meat so I can't give you any perspective about their most famous dish. But I would recommend that you try the chicken fried chicken. All in all, if you're in Vinita, or if you're making the trip down Route 66, this is definitely the place to visit so save some room! read more

All four of us got their famous Chicken Fried Steak! We all agreed that in was delicious, very well cooked. The gravy just made the meal. We recommend the Fried Pickles for the appetizers. Sweet tea is alright, it was light on the sugar. Corn was good. We gave it 4 stars because of their lack of sides. They only have 4 side to choose from and the salad is about the size of my fist. And wish the wifi was unlocked. But it's probably good because you'll actually TALK to each other We love the waitresses! If you have Anna, make sure offer if she would like a hug. And make sure you encourage Erin as she goes to school as a Dental Hygienist. Tip them good! So if it's your first time here, get there Chicken Fried Steak. You won't be disappointed! read more

Great lunch spot! We are Travelling and happened on the cafe. Chicken fried steak!!! Great homestyle cooking , friendly staff, and reasonable prices. I debated on the fifth star because of the old / outdated decor but figured it could actually be considered a style given its an "old cafe"....... Definitely worth a detour, but don't forget to save room for home made pie. read more

Clanton's Cafe - Sniper - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

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Fried green beans are great. And they sing happy birthday to you. Down home cooking!

It's not that good. But theirs not many places to eat around here. The steak tasted like it come from a box. The fork and knife they gave me to eat my food with where not clean. I told the waitress she took them back and brought me some more and those where dirty to. And the food is very expensive. read more

This place is a fantastic stop if your driving through. The staff is amazing and they have the best chicken fried steak I have ever eaten. read more

Clanton's Cafe - Awesome chicken fried steak and eggs. - American Near Me - Vinita, Oklahoma

The food here is ok. They are famously known for their Chicken Fried Steak, but if you don't like that, then you are pretty much SOL. The food tastes generic, but I guess that's okay, if you like that sort of thing. I ate the chicken strips (which were fried to a crisp), mashed potatoes (which were ok) and squash (which was the most disappointing aspect of the whole meal, because they were so over cooked they were mush, and you could tell that they just scooped the glop with an ice cream scooper... it stayed in the same shape too). My fiance had the chicken fried steak, which he said was delicious. So, if you are looking for a good chicken fried steak, this is the place to go, but don't be too hopeful with the rest of the menu. I do have to say, as a side note, that I would go back, and give it another shot... to see if maybe they were having an off day. read more

This place was amazing. The chicken fried steak was perfect and the service was excellent. This Route 66 spot is a must stop location.

Heard about this on Triple D. Put this into our vacation road trip agenda from Dallas to Minneapolis. Seeing their website, looked like they served lunch ALL day, no breakfast menu online. We arrived at Clanton's at 9am...very dissapointed to learn they didn't serve lunch until 11. Their breakfast was not Triple D quality. I was sad that my biscuit was small and hard. On our way back from Minneapolis, my husband wanted to give Clanton's a second chance, so we dropped by around 1pm to have lunch. My husband LOVED the chicken fried steak and I had a burger that was pretty dang good. The onion rings were the best we'd ever eaten. I recommend those! read more

Good, hardy country cooking. Ordered the chicken fried chicken sandwich with a side of gravy and was totally satisfied. I guess I'm giving them 3 stars based on the so-so service (though they were pretty busy) and the food coma I'm slipping into on this road trip. Definitely has the local vibe and I can't imagine there's anywhere better to eat in the area. read more

Excellent service! Dinner was perfect-we had a patty melt, chicken salad and taco salad decor is kitschy and pays homage to Oklahoma. Convenient location off I-40 read more