TLDR: Basically Denny's. MENU: Breakfast seems to be the happening thing here, especially brunch on Sundays. They have your typical breakfast fare in the morning, and diner style burgers, fried chicken, and whatnot during the day. FOOD QUALITY: Good, but very basic. I believe most of the items are made up of factory ingredients thrown together. For example I went here for brunch with a friend recently and got the barbacoa bowl - the spuds were the frozen par-fried kind, the cheese sauce was out of a can, etc. I also had the nutella waffle, which was a frozen waffle (kinda soggy, rather than crispy) with literally a squeeze of nutella and a sliced banana. Their stuff is basic to the point that you could make most of the menu at home in less time than it takes to drive up there and wait for your order. MENU FAVORITES: I've only been here twice, once for a burger (which was pretty good - I'd say a contender for the best restaurant burger in Kirksville), and once for brunch, so there's a lot of things I haven't tried. The stuff I did have was satisfying, and the price is fair. MENU FAILS: N/A. FRONT OF HOUSE SERVICE: Staff is friendly and attentive. KITCHEN SERVICE: The food is basic, but done well. Your scrambled eggs will be cooked through but still moist. Your pancakes will be nicely browned and fluffy. COMPETITION: The closest comparison for breakfast stuff would be Rosie's Northtown Cafe, and Diner 54 is definitely better. For burgers and fried chicken, the closest comparison would be Maxwell's, and I'd say they're about the same, quality-wise. ATMOSPHERE: The last time I went was for brunch on a Sunday and the place was PACKED! (Meaning there was a short wait, the restaurant was noisy, etc.) Otherwise, clean, comfortable, and cheery. read more

OK, so we get there we order our food you know normal stuff and then we get the mashed potatoes and they're green and it looks like an alien urinated in them. The chicken looked like it had just been killed and not a good way and it was dry AF as said by the person who ate the chicken the chicken wraps were good and so the fries, but they were really big and also the tomatoes, kinda taste old. their chocolate milkshake was really good and it brought all the boys to the yard. The onion rings looked really bad, but I guess they were OK and most of the food was average. The service was good. We got our food pretty quickly and it was a quiet little restaurant. It was like little café. It also kind of looked like a trap house, but it was OK on the inside. read more

As many times as I have passed this gem, I want to kick myself now. For starters homemade sweet rolls to your table with a scoop of butter. I could stop there but why? The inside is fresh, modern and clean. The menu is extensive from breakfast to lunch, soup, salad, sandwiches and pastas. We stopped for dinner at 6:30 pm and had breakfast. It was delightfully delicious snd I left full and IMPRESSED!!! We will def be returning often when in Kirksville. read more

Diner 54 - Veg omelet, hash browns and whole wheat toast with strawberry jam - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

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The food was delicious with warm polite service in a homey setting. I would recommend the restaurant if you're looking for warm kind comfort food in a pleasant atmosphere. read more

This is fine. Nothing awful and nothing amazing. I received hashbrowns crispy which is more than I can say for most small town breakfast places. Swiss cheese is waxy like American cheese. Eggs were orders over easy but did came out almost completely done. Cinnamon toast was not amazing and tasted like cinnamon English muffin. Just average. read more

Diner 54 - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

Stopped by Diner 54 after moving family back to school. We visited on a weekday during the breakfast rush and was seated without any issues. Our server quickly took our drink order while we reviewed the menu. Diner 54 has a pretty diverse menu for any palate. I always enjoyed a diner as breakfast is always my favorite meal. I was in the mood for ham steak and pleasantly surprised it was on the menu. I ordered a side of pancakes and we also went with Nuttela waffle with bananas. Meals were quickly served and delicious. Our server kept drinks full and checked on us frequently. The diner's tables were quickly serviced and restrooms were clean. Great experience and delicious food. Will be back! read more

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Had lunch here first time ..had dumpling soup but no dumplings in it!! & really salty. Just tried breakfast had a skillet, it was good, but I find it strange in 2026 you don't offer dairy free creamer?!..most restaurants offer both on the little cups, their shelf stable and cheap. You can't ask for just margarine either, not everyone can have dairy products, these 2 simple things are inexpensive to offer!! read more

I like how this place look now. It looks more cleaner. But, the only thing I don't like about this place is "NO WI-fi" Now a day restaurant, diner, fast food has available wifi for costumer customers. Social media is so on demand and this place should allow customers to use their wifi. Other than that the wait for our food takes longer than usual and nobody comes around to refill coffee. I don't know if it's the ethnic thing but yeah, i hope this place improves more though because i still do like coming here read more

Oh boy. First, I feel like I need to say that the service was OUTSTANDING! Our server was friendly, attentive, and took good care of us. That was the good part. The coffee: quite possibly the worst cup of coffee I've ever had in my life. The food. The omelette I ordered was the Greek omelette. It was delivered without any hint of seasoning whatsoever. It was just completely bland. Same for the pancake side. No seasoning at all. I would not recommend this place, but since it's one of the few breakfast spots In Kirksville, I will probably go back. read more

Diner 54 - Worst cup of coffee. Ever? - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

Food was okay, but one thing my whole table was grossed out about was the older lady waitress who was friendly but her fingernails were so long and dirty and they were going into the food plates and touching out food. The manager needs to tell this woman to clip and clean her nails. That's a sanitation issue. read more

Large portions! Generous sides and starts out with warm soft rolls and whipped butter. The flavor was mediocre for the clam chowder. More cream of chicken than clams. The Malibu chicken sandwich was average and my Tibetan had lots of meat but the meat was delicious sliced. Service was prompt and friendly. Prices were very fair. The ambiance was clean and warm. By the time we left it was full. read more

We stopped in for a quick breakfast bite. My fiancé ordered the all meat omelette which came with hash-browns and toast. I ordered biscuits and gravy. Our waitress stopped by our table frequently to fill my coffee and check on us. The food was fast and fresh! We only waited eight minutes for our food! read more

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Diner 54 is a bit like a IHOP's type of good place. The food is fine, service is good, ambiance is good with the folks who come there.

Rating: 3.4 Stars This was my first time at Diner 54. As a Pancake Reviewer, I naturally had to order the Buttermilk Pancakes. Three pancakes just were not enough, so I decided to also order the 2 Eggs, Any Style, with a Buttermilk Pancake. The Buttermilk Pancakes were slightly above average. They had decent flavor. Unfortunately, the outer surface was a little too tough and overcooked, and they did not cut nicely. Rather, they tore when trying to cut through them. For the 2 Eggs, Any Style, I decided to go with Scrambled Eggs. They tasted very good. The Hash Browns were average. They could have used more salt, and they were a little undercooked. They were more on the soggy side, when they should be on the crispy side. For the price, it was a lot of food. I hope to give them another chance in the future when I am back in Kirksville. read more

Diner 54 - Buttermilk Pancakes (4), Scrambled Eggs (2), and Hash Browns. - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

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The 1960s rock and R&B background music would have been a little young in the day for the mostly octogenarian lunch crowd at Diner 54. But, it was entirely appropriate considering the diner looked like not much has changed there since the 1970s. Country style white oak chairs, simulated wood table tops, and torn Naugahyde booths were accented by posters and art prints of 1960s pop culture icons. Diner 54 has a large breakfast/lunch/dinner menu. I chose a daily special--bacon cheeseburger and side. The grilled patty was predictably overcooked and lacked any grill taste. Cheese sauce was drizzled unevenly over the patty. Oddly, pickle spears were included rather than common slices or chips, which lie flat on the patty. The three-sided spears kept trying to squirt off the burger. Fries or soup were side options with the special. My beef and barley soup had a flavorful tomato base. It also had a nice balance of veggies, was heavy on barley, and light on ground beef. The excellent soup, though, couldn't overcome the so-so burger. Service was okay. Though the meal was delivered quickly and accurately a drink refill had to be requested because the server overlooked the empty glass. read more

Diner 54 - Beef and barley soup was flavorful. - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

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The four stars on this restaurant is because I think customer service is the most important quality a place of business can have. This place knocks the customer service category out of the park. Our server was wonderful. The manager or owner stands at the front of the place when you walk in, to greet everyone. The reason for the one star off, is the food is good but not great. Everything is pretty basic as far as a diner goes. The fried chicken was good not great, the salad was good not great, and the mashed potatoes were good not great. I would order them all again though. The iced tea was perfect! I get mine unsweetened and I'm pretty picky about iced tea. It's flavored just the right amount. Not too strong and not too watery. The mozzarella sticks are not made with real mozzarella, when I asked the server about it, she apologized profusely and got us new ones. Unfortunately, the new ones were also awful. But she apologized again, didn't make us feel even a little bad for sending them back and didn't charge us for them. She said they aren't normally like that and they've had an issue with a new supplier. So hopefully that's fixed soon. I'm extremely pleased with my visit. I would definitely go back and recommend a kirksville visitor to this place. read more

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Met a friend for dinner. The food was below mediocre and the server was not attentive at all. The mashed potatoes that came with my country fried steak were actually crusty, the cottage cheese was warm, the steak was over cooked. All in all, very poor experience. Have been to the diner several times and this visit was definitely not up to par. Will be a while before going back. read more

Yummy food. Great service. Had hashbrowns with expertly cooked poached eggs and a very large pancake. Breakfast is served all day. Love that. read more

Such great service very friendly and food is hot and delicious. Country fried chicken was good. Great value and tons of food. Got the hand breaded chicken strips and highly recommend. read more

Good food and reasonable prices. Seems to be a popular spot. The place was busy but we did not have to wait.

Mostly premade food. Got the waffle and it was soft. When I asked the waitress why it was soft and not crunchy she said it was because they come out of a box and they just warm them up on the grill. Uhmmm, what?? As we tried to find something for my daughter to eat that had no milk or eggs, she went on to say that most of them stuff comes pre-made. She begrudgingly went in the back to read the package in a few items but the only thing they had were hash browns. Not sure why this place is so popular. read more

Small town restaurant. Was going to eat at a different restaurant but they were in the process of closing for the night despite what they had posted on the internet. read more

Love this place!!! I usually get the fried chicken meal because it the best fried chicken in town!! They have a lot on their menu to choose from and though I've tried a few entrees I always go back to their fried chicken. The staff is super friendly and the wait staff is super fast and efficient. I would recommend this place!! read more

My family stopped here after visiting Truman College. The omelets and fried chicken were delicious! The omelets look better than the pics on the menu. The service was wonderful! It really was the cherry on top after visiting my dad's alma mater. read more

Stopped here with my local colleague. Your traditional diner but with an extended menu. I ended up with the house skillet which was delicious. Loaded with hash browns, peppers, cheese, ham and 2 eggs (I asked for no onions). I got the cinnamon toast as the bread and it was good. It was a huge portion so I ended up eating about 1/2 and my colleague took home the other 1/2. Great service, clean and like the rest of the town, friendly locals abound. read more

Cannot say enough good things about this fine establishment. Kirksville's hidden gem. GET THE HOT WINGS, you won't regret it. Impeccable service, and the pies are always fresh. Cartoons on the TV? Got it. Margaritaville on the radio? Amish cheesecake? Got it. Breakfast skillets? You tell me read more

U went one time it wasn't to bad but wasn't a big fan. Might try it again sometime tho

Ordered a BLT Club and got a normal BLT. It was a to go order so wasn't going to go all the way back to get it fixed. Wings were ok.

We went to the Diner 54 as a request for my nephew who was graduating on a Sunday afternoon. They were busy, and there was a line, and four of us were quoted a wait of 5-10 minutes and they were able to seat us in about 8. The gentleman at the front (owner/manager) kept his staff in motion and things were moving very efficiently. Once seated, our server took our beverage orders and got them. My nephew requested mozzarella sticks. They were obviously homemade, or high quality, and served very hot. I ordered a gyro, my wife a club sandwich, my nephew a double burger with cheese and his mom a bacon cheeseburger. The food arrived hot and fresh looking. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal, except my nephew, but he still ate most of it. We all had french fries which seemed to be a batter coated fry. They were hot and crisp. Our server brought refills on the drinks promptly. Se picked up 3 glasses of brown soda, all different, refilled them and returned them in correct order. She asked about dessert, but we were pretty full. My nephew and his mom had visited the diner when they did a campus visit to Truman, where he is attending in the fall. He said that visit he ate chicken strips and they were excellent. He's planning to order more when he comes back in the fall. read more

We went to the Diner 54 as a request for my nephew who was graduating, so it was a Sunday afternoon. They were busy, and there was a line, and four of us were quoted a wait of 5-10 and they were able to seat us in about 8. The gentleman at the front (owner/manager) kept his staff in motion and things were moving very efficiently. Once seated, our server took our beverage orders and got them. My nephew requested mozzarella sticks. They were obviously homemade, or high quality, and served very hot. I ordered a gyro, my wife a club sandwich, my nephew a double burger with cheese and his mom a bacon cheeseburger. The food arrived hot and fresh looking. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal, except my nephew, but he still ate most of it. We all had French Fries, which seemed to be a batter coated fry. They were hot and crisp. Our server did bring drink refills, which was impressive. She picked up 3 glasses of brown soda, refilled them and returned them in correct order. She asked about dessert, but we were pretty full. My nephew and his mom had visited the diner when they did a campus visit to Truman, where he is attending in the fall. He said that visit he ate chicken strips, and they were excellent. He's planning to order more when he comes back in the fall. read more

Good food.... vast menu! Friendly staff good hot food. Breakfast lunch or Dinner you can probably find just the combination of things to nourish you and satisfy your tummies grumblings! read more

Maybe it was just a bad day, but I ordered an omelette, which was really thin, and there were small pieces of eggshells in it randomly. I got it to go so didn't give them a chance to make it right. Several people have good things to say about this place so it's very possible it was just a bad day. read more

Great breakfast. Standard omelet hash browns and toast. Would definitely return. The one issue? The service was horrendous. Waitress was very nice and good with refills, but waited almost 25 minutes for my food after ordering. Not good if you are in a hurry, but I wasn't. read more

Very busy restaurant but with kind and efficient staff and service! I loved my meal breakfast skillet!

As a family of 3 we went and were zero impressed. Service was nice, but the rest of the food was like frozen to re-heat. We had chicken fried steak, and other items and dessert chocolate pie and all tasted frozen and then thawed and re-heated. We were not impressed, not like home cooked, home made what we think of when we think of dinner food. Servers were super nice thought, just not the food-no, sorry, just not going back read more

Just had a really poor experience here came in half hour before they closed it was 8:30 on a Sunday manager met me at the door said we close at 9 I said OK he repeated we close at 9 I said OK then I asked if he could seat me and he said well we're very limited on the food we can serve you I said OK what can I eat he said I'll send a waitress waitress comes over just me a menu I tell her order one of the specials came with 2 sides order to bake potato and salad waitress came back said can't give you a salad because we've already packed everything away I said OK what can I have She said vegetable of the day is green beans I said OK I'll take him food came out steak was Gray overcooked full of fat very small side of green beans baked potato had the slightest amount of butter and a small side of sour cream asked for more sour cream food was bland but the real problem was the whole time the manager was complaining to the other waitresses about my presence and he kept saying well what do you expect what do you expect in broken English very disappointed pass this on the way home from work every day needless to say I won't be stopping here again. read more

Diner 54 - Had a really poor experience here - Diners Near Me - Kirksville, Missouri

Only been here once so I can't make an extremely accurate review. I went once with my parents and we really enjoyed our half breakfast and lunch meal! read more

Get the skillets! Reliable service, always tastes good. Friendly and lots of options.

They are horrible to their employees. The food is mediocre at best and that does not include the free roaches you get with your dinner cause the employees have told them many times they have them! read more

My first time in Kirksville and we tried out this place. If you can't find something on this menu you can't eat you're not trying! I had all you could eat catfish filets. My wife had the MonteCristo sandwich and my 2 adult children spotted the gyros and they both tried the Greek sandwich. The staff was very friendly and spot on refilling our drinks. Shout out to Hannah! Reasonable pricing just made it even better. read more