Unfortunately I came on the busiest weekend of the year in Emporia. So there was a wait. But like most places you have to wait, it was well worth it! This is the quintessential small town diner. Amazing service with that local feel. I got the chicken fried steak and eggs. It was huge! A whole plate of steak and yummy gravy. It was really good. 2 people could have shared this. Spectacular service and great food at a reasonable price. I recommend! read more

Commercial St Diner - Chicken fried steak and eggs. - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

The place is adorable and the staff is very friendly. Our food came out very quickly. The potatoes and hash browns could have been cooked longer but everything had a really good flavor. Be prepared!! The portions are huge. If you order the Big Mess you'd better be Big hungry!! I ordered the 1/2 order and barely are it through a 1/4 of that. Definitely worth the price (4 people less than $50)! read more

Commercial St Diner - Big mess 1/2 order - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

I came in for the soccer match Argentina versus Norway and my hotel is maybe five minutes from this place. Let's just say very fabulous service was excellent. Very friendly people. The ambience was nice. The food was excellent 10 out of 10 and it's also a great place to walk around after a full belly I love this spot. I will definitely come back over here, even though I live very far away in Miami.FL read more

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It's exactly what you want or of a breakfast place. Just like an old school dinner your coffee cup never empties. Food is cooked fresh and comes out hot. The chicken fries steak was one of better ones I've had in a while. Plus the portion size is worth the very reasonable cost. If you're in the area and need some breakfast this place is great. read more

Commercial St Diner - Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

Out of towner here.. Review is from summer of 2024. I figured ive told so many friends and family about my experience, that I should share it in a review. Went to Emporia for a disc golf tournament. Never felt so welcomed by a city!! From the marquee on the town theater, to the mugs in this restaurant. The food and vibe were classic mid-west diner. Lots of locals were on first name basis with the help and vise versa. Food was fantastic. The chicken fried steak was legendary - both in stature and flavor. This could be a "Man vs. Food" challenge (l lost). Thank you for your food and hospitality! Will definitely be back! read more

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Portions are incredible in this lil gem. Food was very good. Wish they used their sausage patty in their gravy. Friendly waitress. Service tad slow overall but definitely check it out. read more

Commercial St Diner - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

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Small town diner vibes for sure, solid food selection, quality was on point, and great service! I was able to change my side order of eggs to egg whites which was an unexpected positive accommodation. Be warned though I ordered two buttermilk pancakes along with my eggs and little did I know each pancake was the size to fuel a marathoners efforts (Over an inch thick + a whole plates diameter). read more

Customer service and food were great! They're busy but so worth the wait. Food was ready within 10 mins of ordering.

Best breakfast in town. Not open for dinner and closed on Mondays. Parking in front on the street and a large parking lot our back.

Best place to eat when hungover. Portions are so big and pancakes are so good. Service is amazing as well

What a gem! Great food, ambiance, and friendly people! Will definitely return the next time I'm in town!

Stopped in for breakfast and ordered the veggie omelette. This place was absolutely packed and we had to leave our name to be called in when they had an available table. The food itself was alright similar to most diners I've eaten at in the past with extremely large portions. I do wish they had an option to do a half order since a three egg omelette with a pile of hash browns is too much for the average person. The breakfast was decent but I think next time I'll opt for a different breakfast place. read more

Commercial St Diner - Veggie Omelet - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

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Had the biscuits and gravy with bacon and it was so good!! They were pretty quick at customer service.

I am as old school as it comes when we are talking about classic American diners, and the Commercial Street Diner fits that bill to a tee -- but this IS 2021 and I do have a few minor modern-day expectations. First of all, I am of the opinion that a diner is never any better than the coffee it serves, and the coffee I was served at CSD on a lovely recent Sunday morning was, to be charitable, bad. I reached for some Splenda to cut through the bitter, slightly burnt taste with some sweetness, but found only two options: granulated sugar or pink packets of saccharine. I looked at my watch to make sure it wasn't 1975 again, but nope. They hadn't even moved into the '80s with Equal, much less into the 21st century. Who under the age of 80 still uses Sweet & Low? (Spoiler alert: NOBODY.) The food came. I got eggs over easy (VERY easy, it turned out...when did this term come to mean "sloppy whites?"), links, hash browns, toast and a side of bacon. The hash browns were fresh, if a little dry. (I didn't finish them, which is rare for me.) The bacon was overcooked and had been mashed together, I assume under the weight of a bacon press, into a crisp, rather tough singularity on the plate. All of these were acceptable but none were anything I would look forward to eating again. But the sausage links? Truly fantastic. I found myself wishing I had ordered more of those instead of the bacon. I wondered (but neglected to ask) if they might have come from the nearby Fanestil Meats. If you go to this diner, that's the breakfast meat to order, in my opinion. (Though I would like to have given the ham a go, too.) I also shared a waffled with my companion; it was of the deep-welled Belgian style, which isn't my favorite, but it was pretty good. Again, serviceable but nothing like excellent. Overall this place is exactly my favorite type of restaurant but I can't see myself choosing to return. With a little bit of upgrading to the modern era, however, this old-school establishment could take on a whole new shine for years yet to come. PS: Our servers could not have done a better job, and they were hustling with a busy crowd the whole time. Kudos to the whole crew. read more

Commercial St Diner - Sausage links & eggs breakfast with sides of bacon & waffle. Truly bad coffee. - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

We stopped in on a Sunday for brunch after Radius Brewing had too long of a wait time. You can tell from the moment you pull up outside that this diner has seen a thing or two. When you go inside the story doesn't change; friendly faces, hometown pride, and the smell of good ole' homemade cooking! I had the French Toast (which was amazing) and my date had a hamburger with fries (also pretty darn good). Not only was the food good, but the staff was very friendly and the service was quick! So, why the four stars? Well.. on my way to the bathroom I saw an older man sleeping in an office with a dirty fish tank, six dirty coffee cups, and a disaster of old papers everywhere. I'm sure he's a great guy and a hometown hero, but if that's what the office looks like, it makes me nervous to see the kitchen. All in all, it was a great experience and if we were ever passing through again we would be sure to go back! read more

Commercial St Diner - Breakfast - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

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Breakfast was worth the wait! People were super nice. Restaurant was very cute. Perfect stop on passing through the town.

Wow best breakfast in emporia town the workers are friendly the service are great the restaurant is clean as well the food is great the biscuits and gravy are perfect taste 100% recommended. El mejor desayuno en el centro de emporia los trabajadores son amigables el servicio es bueno el restaurante esta limpio la comida is deliciosa y los biscuits y gravy tienen un sabor delicioso y único 100% recomendado. read more

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Here for unbound, this place is the hometown diner that travelers look forward to when visiting new towns. Friendly staff and good food.

This is the best breakfast in Emporia! If you leave hungry it is your own fault. Generous portions of meatiness and eggyness. And don't forget the biscuits and pancakes. Wonderful amounts of perfect hash browns, lots of gravy, hot coffee till you float out. It is worth the trip, the time, and the money. Can't wait to go in again! read more

There aren't many options in this small town so we decided to check out something local for breakfast due to the good reviews. I was very underwhelmed. The breakfast wasn't bad but it just wasn't something I that wow'd me or set it apart from other breakfast places. Overall- Big portion sizes and lots of option for bread at a decent price. But would I go out of my way to stop here? No read more

Commercial St Diner - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

The food here is good in my experience. It's basic diner food done well. Nothing special but overall solid. The service can be a little slow (they were packed both times I've been here) but they're friendly. It's worth it for the price. read more

Commercial St Diner - cheeseburger and mashed potatoes with white gravy - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

Amazing food. Great service. And very clean establishment. A hole in the wall that you need to go to if you are in Emporia.

Stopped while on the road, very good breakfast, and others have complained about the coffee but it was fine!

Passing through Emporia. We asked where a good diner to eat is, and five people recommend Commercial St Diner. They did not disappoint! Great menu, great service, and the patty melt I ordered was the best patty melt I ever tasted in my 47 years! I can't wait to go back! read more

Commercial St Diner - Beef patty melt! Minus the pickle. Genelle yanked it off my plate! - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

This review is delayed because of the day. Ate breakfast here with friends this morning. Since we all came from different out of town locations, giving this place an A+ in patience. Our waiter was pleasant, accomodating and quick. The portions were HUGE and tasty. One of the best breakfast I have had in a long while. I dined with a bowling team. Three of us left food because we could not eat another bite. Prices were fair for the quality. Not in Emporia very often, but hope I can try this place for lunch someday! Keep up the great job. read more

You can't really go too wrong with classic diner food. Everything we ordered was good and expected. The service was great. My two main complaints: the coffee tasted awful. Like straight butts. It was also kinda grimy in the back and hard to get to the restroom. I wouldn't say no to going back! I would just make sure to get enough coffee before I went. read more

The Commercial Street Diner is located on one of the most Charming main streets in America. Emporia really has a certain Middle America charm to its downtown area. I'm giving the diner mixed reviews. The food was fine. Nothing special. We ordered breakfast and each one of the three of us got something a little bit different. No one really were marked on their food, except when it came to the size of the pancake one of us ordered. So, this place has your standard diner fare. Don't expect your taste buds to be dazzled. The pancake was massive. I don't really have an issue with size on pancakes, they can be big or small, or medium sized, as long as they're fluffy and taste great. This one was huge, thick, and it was pretty dense - so, not light and fluffy. It looked cool, but didn't taste all that great. Now, for what I really liked about the Commercial Street Diner. The staff were super friendly, kept the coffee cups full, and seemed genuinely interested in making sure that you were enjoying yourself. I give the staff five stars. Overall, if you're in Emporia, Kansas, the Commercial Street Diner is a nice place to stop for breakfast. If nothing else, it will give you a chance to enjoy the quaint and Charming downtown area of Emporia. read more

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A wonderful diner with great omelets, hash browns and other breakfast specials. We eat here every time we are in Emporia for DK or Unbound.

Great little hometown diner, right in the middle of Commercial St. It was PACKED the morning we stopped by, locals rubbing elbows with out-a-towners here for a tournament. I guess everyone knows it's the best breakfast in town! Service is superb and the food is amazing. Flavor and portion sizes are good enough to challenge even mom's best. The diner was recommended by three different sources as the best in town, but all of them understated what we experienced. A Must Visit if you're ever downtown Emporia while it's open. read more

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Real Home Town Cooking! Great food, friendly Staff and Homey atmosphere. What more could you want? I had the "Hungry Man" (B&G) and my wife had the Western Omelet. We split it up so we could try both. The 3-egg omelet was scrumptious with fresh eggs, lots of cheese and fresh tasty veggies. The B&G was loaded with big chucks of flavorful sausage with an extra patty to top it off. The generous portions were too much for us to finish. A great value for the money. One other thing. It was a cold morning and the diner was toasty warm (but not too hot). We'll be stopping here the next time we pass thru Emporia. read more

Commercial St Diner - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

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Tasty with big portions and great service. Cute little homey cafe. Everyone is very friendly

Classic old diner in downtown Emporia where the servers call the regulars by name and run crazy taking care of the whole dining room. Candace kept the hot coffee coming and took great care of us . Our food took a while to come out, we think because of a really big table and even at that late morning hour they were busy! Pancakes were huge and excellent, hash browns crispy, eggs cooked correctly and biscuits tender. The gravy was probably the star as it was full of sausage, not just white sausage flavored gravy. A bowl of gravy would make a meal by itself. If you appreciate an old downtown diner, you'll love it. If you're someone who sees shabby and old rather than classic and quaint, you might not. We are fans and would go back if we're in the area again. read more

Commercial St Diner - Half biscuits and gravy with hash. Hubs having cakes, eggs, browns and sausage. - Diners Near Me - Emporia, Kansas

Only had to wait a few minutes. The biscuits and gravy were outstanding. Wife did an omelette and it was huge! You will leave there stuffed! Can't go wrong with a good ol' American diner read more

In and out quickly. Eat here at 3 times a week. 1/2 order of bisquits and gravey is plenty. Pork tender loin is awesome and I tried the burger the other day and it is the best I have ever eat out and it was not $10.00 either read more

Great little mom & pop diner. Beware - everyone else knows how good it is, so you might find them packed on the weekends. Worth the wait, so hang around. Great breakfast choices, good coffee, excellent, fast service. read more

Amazing food! Quick service. Not a fancy place, but so worth the trip! Will definitely be back when we are in town again.

Very busy and friendly staff. I was mesmerized by the hostess. Did not get her name but she was a cutey. Tye dye Commercial Diner shirt on and grey exercise pants that left nothing to the imagination. Feel bad cause I forgot to leave a tip. Her smile and smoke show body had me hypnotized. read more

Great diner! Everything you'd expect - friendly service, huge portions, small town everyone-knows-everyone atmosphere. Food was great!

A Sunday morning go to for college students and locals. Gives you that small town mom & pop feel & the food never disappoints! I always get the chicken fried steak & hash breakfast which can probably be split between 2 people read more

Great food both times we stopped in for breakfast. Both times the service was not so great. Other that your initial drink order do you see the server again until you food is served. On the whole that would be ok except for the fact I am a coffee drinker and both times our food took 45 plus minuets to come out. Over all while the food is good and the portion size is huge, Its not so exceptional to spend 2 hours on a meal. read more