This place is better than 5 stars. Wish I could give them a 6. The food is fantastic and the service is just as good . . . friendly, prompt and attentive. It was crowded and understandably so. Well worth the wait. They have both counter and table seating (no outside seating). We got to use a felt marker to leave our mark by writing that we were there on the wall before we left. We were on a Route 66 journey from Chicago to Santa Monica so College Street Cafe was exactly the type of dining experience we were looking for. It did not disappoint! Wish we had a place like this back home! read more

College Street Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

We were traveling through town and looked it up. It had great ratings online. We got there and there was an isolated little building that looked like a dive restaurant, but we went in anyway. We were so thankful that we did because it looked like an old-time diner, with great service and nice people. The food really appeared homemade and everybody in our table enjoyed what they got. No complaints. A couple of our people were picky with their ordering, but the server was happy to comply. Don't miss out on this rare gem with great food. They also had a counter you could sit at with the same theme. read more

Absolutely amazing and friendly staff! Great prices and great food. You dont leave hungry

Great experience. Staff is super friendly. Portions are large and prices are very reasonable. Sit at the counter for the best experience. There are only four booths and 3 tables. Route 66 memorabilia hang on the walls. Get there early if you want a booth or table. read more

College Street Cafe - Catfish platter special - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Great food! Everything was hot and delicious. The onion rings are some of the best we've ever had! It's a really wonderful step back in time! There are bar stools so that you can eat at the counter or you can sit in booths or at tables. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. She did a wonderful job. It sits next to the car museum which makes it a perfect stop during a "vintage day". They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Great music was playing on the speaker system! read more

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Well, here it is...a diner along Route 66 that takes you back in time. 4-5 booths, 3 tables in the middle of the room, and counter service. We were greeted when we came in and told we could sit anywhere. Menus are at the table. Fast service from a friendly server that is obviously from the area and knows most of the regulars. Ordered a burger and the pork sandwich. Both were delicious! Kind of entertaining to step back in time and have great food. We were travelling so may not get back but if we were ever in the area we would make this a destination. On side note, if you need to use the restroom they will yell to the cooks that someone is coming through and tell you that everything is hot 'cuz you go through the kitchen to get there. read more

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Stopped in and got a to go order, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans, and a piece of chocolate cake. W I was very surprised on how delicious everything was. Will definitely be going back. read more

The food is hot and very tasty! Both ladies are so friendly and wonderful in taking our order. Great atmosphere just great!! read more

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I give this place 5 stars.... Because of the overall experience of the place. On old Route 66, the owner of this place is (always) there. And I give her so much credit for really trying to provide a reasonable priced meal, that isn't short on portions or all pre-fab. Now, some stuff is a bit pre-fab....but overall, it's like semi-homemade to homemade items they serve. And all the staff are sociable, friendly and know so many of the patrons, as they come in. And the place itself: an old building.....but....they have it fixed up cute as a button! read more

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When you accept this is an amazing throwback to the Golden Age of Diners, there is nothing not to love: waitresses are sweet, jovial, treat you like long-lost family - the meals are simply delicious esp Breakfast Sramble w/biscuit & gravy side. Awesome decor w/handwriting everywhere reminds this is a downhome place with terrific tasting food, super reasonable prices, and smiling waitresses who show they care by asking how you are and everything's going. read more

On our Route 66 trip from Chicago. Stopped in Springfield, MO for the night. Next day saw the Big Fork, old motor lodges and the Fantastic Caverns(a must see). Wanted lunch before we left town, found an old Route 66 cafe called College Street Cafe, formerly known as Pats Cafe in the early 1950's. Opened the screen door to the cafe and saw every table and bar stools filled except for one table. Large menu of homemade food. I had the Big Wheel burger and my wife had the smaller Classic Single cheese burger, she was barely able to finish the meal. The homemade potato salad was delicious. The food was simply excellent ! What a treat to eat in a Route 66 cafe. read more

College Street Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

This place was recommended to us and did not disappoint! It's quaint and absolutely well run! Such "over the top" thoughtful and prompt service, with wonderful food, and a nostalgic atmosphere is hard to find! My husband loved his country fried steak breakfast. I loved my classic "single" burger with a side of potato salad A woman (the owner?) noticed I hadn't eaten my potato salad yet and said, "Oh, you don't like it? I can give you some chips." I just hadn't eaten it yet, but was touched by her kindness. Another staff person asked if I wanted more water (which I'd had plenty, but appreciated being asked.) Five star rating and then some! read more

True mom and pop old style diner. All food is good as well as service. Down side is small on the seating, and limited breakfast hours. read more

EVERYTHING is homemade and delicious. The hamburger patties are fresh and handmade. The potato salad is honestly the best I have ever had! Meatloaf is great. Chili is outstanding and the best ever! They have everything you would expect in a diner. Everyone is very friendly. It's definitely a happy place to be. The service is great too. There are old license plates on the walls AND you can sign your name on the wall with a Sharpie pen. And if that's not enough, they have great prices. read more

The staff here were all super nice! I wish I liked the food as much as I liked the folks serving it. We ordered chicken strips and fries and a double cheeseburger. The fries were a bit underdone and had seasoning on them and the chicken was kind of dry. The burger was alright, a pretty middle of the road experience. Something to note is that the soda does come in cans, which are $1.50 a piece. I thought this was neat! The place also has great ambiance and a real classic diner feel to it, including the shiny vinyl booths and pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis on the walls. It's worth it to come just to see the place! read more

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This place is trip into the past including the screen door on the front door. I took a seat at the counter and the waitress was right there with a cup of coffee. The special of the day was biscuits and gravy. I had an omelet and hash browns. The lady beside me had pancakes and the guy beside me had the special with a side of ham steak. All of us found the restruant on Yelp. The food is excellent, if you want a good ol fashion diner with a fantastic breakfast I highly recommend a visit to College Street Cafe. read more

Wasn't the best fries were sweet philly cheese steak wasn't great either service was fast but won't go again disappointed

I love burgers... I love whole in the wall eateries..... I love places that seem to know most of their diners names... put it altogether and you have the College Street Cafe. It's little and right out of Mayberry but they make a great burger at a crazy good price. If you are looking for fancy topping and lots of glitter this is not your place. If however you want a tasty burger with that crispy char texture on the outside and juicy and tasty on the inside this is for you. We also got an order of the meatloaf lunch special for dinner and it was way to close to my own version for comfort, in other words it was pretty good. They had homemade chocolate cake on our visit as well but the double cheeseburger and fries we ordered was more than enough for lunch. I can't wait to go back! read more

The food is always amazing the staff is a delight every time we go in I recommend this place often at work when people ask for an amazing place to eat. read more

Simply amazing food and service. Great lunch option when visiting the Route 66 Auto Museum.

The burgers are fantastic and the staff was wonderful. Highly recommend this place for something off the beat! We'll be back for sure read more

College Street Cafe - The boys giving it three thumbs up - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

I just left from eating breakfast and I have to say this is the best back home cafe with the best food and the most amazing staff. I was very very pleased and will be going back and referring people here. Thanks College Street Cafe!!!!! Wonderful experience!! Thanks Jamie read more

The best breakfast that we had on the entire Route 66 trip. Service was friendly and top notch. I love it when you see that the people enjoy being with their customers. read more

Fun little classic. Burgers, fries, shakes, brakfest, and a special always going. Classic diner through and through. I had the double with cheese, fries, and a pop. All were good and the staff super friendly. Again all classic diner. For me it brought back great growing up small town memories. So four stars all day in my book. read more

College Street Cafe - Classic double. - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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Thought I'd give recent review. Small neighborhood diner. Open 6-2. Next to classic car museum. Noon on a Wednesday. Packed with one table just for us! Breakfast menu looks good. Lunch menu is diverse and priced fair. Pork tenderloin. Good version. Big, hand breaded, arrived hot. Tasty and done right. Potato salad as my side. Creamy and to my liking. Wife said meatloaf sandwich was good. Fries standard but note- all food arrived hot and that is a big plus for fries in particular . Service was fast and waitress was super friendly. Food arrived in reasonable time. For a non chain Route 66 experience give it a try. read more

Tiny little place, probably only seats around 40. Looks like it was frozen in time around 1955 or so. But sometimes the old ways really are better! Great breakfast and the staff were super friendly and accommodating. read more

We had an outdoor vendor event not too far from away and one of their guys came around, took orders, delivered food, and took payment. We ordered grilled chicken sandwiches, even though they weren't listed on the menu. Came with super fresh lettuce & tomato, mayo, bbq sauce, and fries. Super hot, delish, and less than $20! 10/10 would recommend! read more

Nice little cafe. They have fantastic food I dont think ive eaten anything I didn't like. The times I was there they didn't take cards only cash. They might have changed that now tho im not sure so if you go take some cash just in case. You should definitely give this little Mom and Pop place a try. read more

"Don't judge the book by it's cover" This little restaurant provides great atmosphere, food and WONDERFUL hospitality! You won't regret it, and Don't forget to sign the wall!! read more

A step back in time - a real Rt 66 diner with bar stools, breakfast and lunch specials and what seemed to a steady stream of regulars known by the staff. A real treat, lots of food at fair prices. The service was fabulous - they are warm and friendly and they even hand dried silverware. They have breakfast and lunch specials. They serve classic diner meals like hand breaded chicken fried steak, home made meatloaf, roast turkey and dressing and typical open face diner meals with mashed potatoes and gravy. Home fries have options like adding peppers and onions or add mushrooms and thick crispy bacon on a large charred smash burger. It's a tiny red and white building that is decorated with dated memorabilia, signatures on the walls, chalkboard meal specials and classic desserts like pineapple upside down cake, coconut cream and chocolate cream pies. Can't say enough about this great dining experience in a blast from the past setting. Can't wait to go back. read more

College Street Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

The food was really good. Burgers were tasty. Replaced fries with fried okra for me and fried mushrooms for hubby. All the sides were really good. I got the cheese steak which was of, since it was in bread and not a roll, but it was really good. Place was good, and we will probably return. 4 starts because it wasn't amazing. And waited had mall on, but mall didn't cover her nose, which kind of ruins the point. However, she'd probably been wearing it since opening and it may have just gotten loose. Waitress was very friendly and service was good. Be aware this place has been there since the 60s definitely looks it. No remodeling. Still, it was clean. read more

Absolutely amazing homestyle cafe! I definitely recommend this place. It's perfect for a Friday lunch. Very friendly staff! Very good prices too! My only complaints are that they only offer canned soda and no diets to my knowledge but other than that an absolutely amazing restaurant. I would definitely recommend this place! They Rolls Royce is absolutely amazing and you can request jalapeños and mushrooms which is an absolute plus in my opinion. I love this place and will continue to go! read more

Great Breakfast deal. The Wait Staff and Kitchen crew are friendly and attentive. I have had the cook step out and check on my satisfaction a few times. The Restaurant is pretty small and gets a little congested. Today I had the Burger for the first time, It was great. Classic Diner food. (if they only had Crinkle cut Fries). I'll keep going back. They open early also, 0600. RC read more

This is my go to place for breakfast and lunch. The prices are very reasonable and the food is great. Lou and the crew do an outstanding job of making sure their customers are not only getting great food and service but they are treated right. If in the Springfield, MO area, go by and check this place out, you will be glad you did. read more

Cheap breakfast, great waitress. I just read Theresa G's review, and it makes me want to come to the College Street Cafe for lunch some time for those handcut fries. This diner has a friendly, homespun, little town feel. Working class people. Nobody in a tie the day we visited. Not one power couple in sight. read more

Great place to get a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee without having to break the bank. The $3.99 Early Bird Specials are amazing, not just for the price, but the convenience of the location makes it the perfect place to stop on the way to work in the morning. The servers are always pleasant and bring your food in a timely manner. They're also open later now, so if you need to get a quick dinner, they've got daily specials at good prices. read more

The food was very good and the staff was VERY nice. I recommend the open face roast beef sandwich with fried mushrooms on the side. read more

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Fantastic!!! Best place to eat in Springfield. I saw that someone posted that they only take cash, this is not true they do take cards.

I love this place. Very cheap, tiny, original diner/burgers type food. They also usually have some sort of special like chicken-fried steak and green beans or pork chops. Southern, simple. Been a few times. WIll post pics next time I go. :) read more

I have been going there for a few years now, and have yet to be disappointed. The food is always amazing, and the staff are always super nice. (And there fries are too die for) read more