Careful with beverage choice . McLean uses well water, and it sucks. So soda is bad tasting coffee seems okay,

We needed a place to have lunch on the road and saw the good reviews for this restaurant. What a great decision! Our server (name started with an A) was the kindest and most helpful server ever. She was so nice. Our food was delicious. We had a sandwich and the chef salad. Great portions and fresh!! For people with large appetites, they offered an attractive buffet lunch offering a wide variety of salad bar, entrees and even deserts. Everything looked good, but I can't eat that much and did not want to be tempted. Many other people were taking advantage of it. We don't get through Mclean, IL very often, but whenever we do, we will make sure to stop in! read more

Service very good atmosphere cute. They could add a little more spice/salt to the food. read more

Dixie Family Restaurant - Classic Americana - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - McLean, Illinois

Excellent food and selection great buffet the food is not bad for truckstop actually, it's pretty good. We've been there a few times but they is always nice and warm and hot and good. Good variety nice place kinda reminds me of the 50s diner. read more

Food was good waitress very nice , lots of good pies Place was clean today didn't See any dirt like previous review. read more

The waitress was extremely friendly. We did receive very good service, however we should know better! We were hangry and both got the buffet. Best thing on the buffet was the chili. Great flavor. Wanted a salad, lettuce was wet. When the lettuce is that wet dressing does not stick. Dressing was very thin and little flavor. However the toppings were very fresh. Potato salad was bland and flavorless. Did not try any other dishes on the salad bar. My husband had ribs from the buffet and said they were ice cold. He told the server not sure if she replaced them. Of course like every buffet food was mediocre and not hot. Shame on us for getting buffet. Maybe other food would have been better. Buffet on a Thursday night $16.99 read more

If you have not been to the Dixie for some time like myself because the food was not good, go back. I am not sure what happened but the food is delicious. The buffet offers so many types of meat, side dishes, salads, and deserts. I love the Chicken both fried and baked. The ribs on Saturday were very good also. Try the beef and noodles and the bread pudding. I was very pleasantly suprised. read more

Just a piece of blueberry pie! I love Dixie! All kinds of gems when I pass thru! But the blueberry pie is the best. Got it to go, and I'll be back! read more

Dixie Family Restaurant - Blueberry Pie - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - McLean, Illinois

Mold in pie, which was served to the table. Very disappointing. Was taken off the check with out asking.

i stopped by hoping i was going to get a decent meal, WRONG! food was terrible, food was cold,everything was tasteless, i tried the buffet wrong choice again.very little options, and flys everywhere, could not even eat in peace! waitress took forever to grab plates from table, so many flies were coming! tried to get desert but the flies was eating it so i pass. Also while i went to go pay, waitress watched me as i pressed skip on paying and asked me did i leave a tip on table...im sorry i served myself i thought that was very rude but hey its Illinois.....2/10 DONT RECOMMEND....overall decorations looked nice. read more

Do not stop here. The entire place looks dirty, which should have tipped us off to move along but we ordered anyway. It took about 15 minutes to get our waters and coffee, only one other person in entire restaurant. Took 45 minutes get our food. Coffee was undrinkable. After eating part of our breakfast I noticed there was mold on the bread. Obviously couldn't eat anymore. Took the plate up to show the owners and they tried to argue with me. Then said well you ate most of it. Yes, that's the problem. They did not take the other French toast order off the bill. Would not recommend. Would leave no stars but not possible read more

Stumbled in by accident. I was looking for coffee when I noticed to decor getting real cute toward the back of the door I came through. Instantly I was greeted by great smelling food and extremely pleasant waitstaff. I was going to have eggs but THEN I saw the buffet!! Walleye, fried chicken, baked chicken, winks,.pork tenderloin, sirloin tips.....and what a salad bar!!!! The atmosphere is reminiscent of the old Route 66 and has any pictures of bygone eras. This place is awesome, good is good and plentiful especially for the price. It is attached to a Subway, but I recommend trying this home cooking instead of the sandwich!!! Take the family, fill up the car at the gas pump, eat some good grub and head on down more of Historic Route 66 Travelers Enjoy read more

See all

This place is amazing. We had the buffet and everything was delicious. How could a person not like this place. The lunch buffet is $9 and it has lots of meats you won't typical find on lunch. The desserts and soups were stand out. The place is huge and clean. Our waitress was Very good. read more

Dixie Family Restaurant - A little bit of everything. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - McLean, Illinois

See all

This is one of the best old time Truckstop's I have found in the country. Home cooked meals and large portions. I had the roast turkey and you could tell it was all fresh made from the dressing to mash potatoes. No peeped heat and eat here. read more

The older kids were taken on vacation with their grandparents, so we were finally able to go sit down and eat at The Dixie. We had been waiting to for months. We moved to McLean about 9 months ago, in July, just 3 miles up the road from The Dixie. Very suddenly and unexpectedly our three year old son passed away in mid September. Out of state family desperately looked for any place nearby that would deliver food to us and couldn't find anyone who would. I remember turning away from our son's bedroom, 7 hours after finding him that morning, having passed away during the night and thinking to myself, "Now I'm supposed to just.... cook dinner? Like every other night?" Nearly moments after this realization we had a knock on the door. We weren't made aware that food was being sent and had no idea who it would be. See, The Dixie doesn't deliver. But when our out of state family called and explained the circumstances, an exception was made and they sent tons of food, drinks, and desserts with someone getting off their shift. I tried to give her a $10 tip but she wouldn't take it. Of course, I didn't have much appetite but the tasty desserts were something that I actually could stomach that day; while my husband and mother in law were constantly making sure I was eating something throughout the day. So many desserts were sent that it was those desserts that kept me fed for a few days, having little appetite for anything else as we planned our son's funeral. So this week with our older children away, we finally visited - something we've wanted to do ever since. I owe a lot of credit to The Dixie because I don't think I would have eaten anything for three days had their food not been sent. What we found: this isn't just a truck stop restaurant. I see why they made an exception for our delivery that awful day six months ago. Their service is exceptional; the servers greet you with a personal smile and talk to you like you've known them for years. Our 16 month old was patient for a while, but once her patience was worn the server was wonderful in helping keep her happy while my husband finished his food. As for the food, we went on the Seafood Buffet day. For $15.99 we got freshly cooked crab legs (that came out about every 5-10 minutes), crab chowder, shrimp, catfish, plus tender and juicy brisket. We were always checked on and our drinks never went empty - and that was on a busy Friday night. Even the other patrons were friendly and we left that evening feeling like we'd made a bunch of new friends. What a job well done. We are so happy that our experience was so great since we live just 3 miles up the road. We are going to make The Dixie a regular visit with the older kids, and definitely return on Seafood Day. Thank you for being so accommodating for our family last fall, it was a customer service move that did not go unnoticed and generated a lot of new business from a loyal family who is now in McLean to stay. read more

I've been driving between Chicagoland and St. Louis on a monthly basis since 1989 and the Dixie Restaurant is by far my favorite place to eat. The Buffet is awesome with all the down-home food I wish my mother would have made when I was growing up LOL. The waitresses are also very friendly and I especially love Connie who has been working here for almost 40 years. Highly recommended! read more

This was an extremely disappointing experience. The servers are told to tell people that the food is fresh when it is frozen in my example would be the walleye. The fish itself was very tasteless definitely lacking seasoning. The Greek gyro was very very dry and came out cold, it was sent back they placed it under a warmer for a minute instead of re cooking it. Then brought it back out still very dry. And lukewarm. The salad was wilted and very disappointing. The highlight of our meal was we were told they had homemade pies. Upon asking if they made them she said homemade but not here but they are told to tell customers are homemade they are in fact store bought. Just not a fan of a lying owner. Very disappointing for a restaurant that I had such fun memories of. read more

Love this place! Best buffet ever! Super friendly staff. By the way, this was the very first truck stop in America. Very cool decor.

This restaurant is like an oasis in the middle of the dessert. The place is cozy and nostalgic. The server made us feel right at home and the food was real comfort food. We hope to stop here again on our way back home. read more

we were traveling in our motorhome and stopped in by chance. the food and service was excellent and it was very very clean. we will try and stop in again on our way home. read more

Home cooked food. Way better than expected for roadside truck stop food. Chicken noodle Soup is phenomenal. Staff was friendly. Restaurant was clean and food was fresh and affordable. read more

Best buffet in Illinois and all homemade food only thing better is in Mississippi, Georgia, or NC read more

Dixie Family Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - McLean, Illinois

The food here was fine. I thought it was going to be a unique little route 66 diner with some home cookin', though. Instead, it was a fairly standard truck stop. On the upside, they had plenty of parking. And, they had a buffet, which overall was ok. The bread pudding on the buffet was delicious, though. I also recommend the carrot cake. read more

Stopped at the recommendation of friends. I got the breakfast buffet Worst buffet I've ever had. Items cold, greasy, extremely unappetizing. Ate some, lost it in the bathroom before leaving. Would not recommend to anyone, there is a Mc Donalds across the street, worlds better than this place. Biscuits were still cold inside from being frozen, gravy had no taste or flavor, bacon was very tough, greasy. I could go on but you get the idea. Not the way to start a Monday, paying homage to the Porcelain God. Also breakfast buffet was 8.00, 'chocolate milk' was white milk with Hersheys Syrup. Should have kept going when we pulled up and the tattooed, pierced pregnant waitress was right outside the door taking a smoke break with another waitress doing the same. read more

Made a couple stops here for to/from trip to Kansas City. Its about what you would expect for a truck stop diner. Clean, reasonable prices, broad selection of basic items for the breakfast buffet. Nothing too fancy as far as the food goes, but a few steps up from McDonald's. About par on the junk food/snack/soda/beverage selection. Entertainment has a pool table, large screen tv, a couple arcade video games. Private showers, clean bathrooms and retail products for truckers. read more

When I was little I used to go here a lot now the food isn't as great and there aren't as many options in the buffet than they used to have just not my favorite but they do have some good food. read more

if you are on I-55 this is a must stop. this is a old route 66 stopover. The food is very good, you can't go wrong here. Located halfway way between Chicago and St. Louis perfect place to take a break and experience part of the route 66. read more

See all

I pass by here quite frequently between Chicago and St. Louis and have have stopped here quite a few times. For a hi way buffet stop off kind of place it's pretty good. Did the dinner buffet. Chicken soup was decent Salad bar was decent Tried the broasted chicken, fried shrimp and the ribs. Was very pleased with all of the main courses I tried. Mac n Cheese was good. Bread pudding, choclate cake. Had a bit of both of these and both were quite good. read more

Solid truckers food. I got the country fried steak and mashed potatoes cause I liked the picture. I liked the food and the decore. Ill come back sometime soon Im sure. read more

See all

In the past I did not like the food what so ever... It was bland or cold.. Lettuce was wilted.. Flies would be flying around, floors were dirty, tables were not completely cleaned off .. I could really go on.. BUT I tried coming here once again.. AND the food was amazing.. It's only been maybe 2 months and have been back 5 times but it's a lot nicer and food is a lot better! My only complaint now... Their not open 24hrs as we stopped in at 1am and a sign said opens up at 5am.. Please open 24 hrs again =)) read more

I had the house special omelet, what a disappointment! The Ham was lunch meat cut into pieces. The coffee was undrinkable. I will look for a different spot next time this way. read more

As a family, we stopped here all the time going between STL and CHI -- it was the half-way mark. Nowadays, I am not sure it is still worth the stop. I have been here 3 times since August 2015. My two stops for lunch and dinner were so ho-hum that my parents (who loves this place from the 1960s to the 1990s) do not want to stop here anymore. We have had everything from hamburgers, salad, soup, sandwiches, and it just was soggy, not crisp, boring. We just ate breakfast yesterday. Now, their breakfast we way better than their lunch and dinner. So maybe, their breakfast may be worth a stop. The eggs are hot, properly cooked, toast was not soggy. The bathrooms are dirty, even at 6 am on a Sunday morning. The gasoline is not a better bargain than across the street name brand. And the gift shop is a rip-off. Wi-Fi is paid. I am sad to say we will not be returning to Dixie Truck Stop. Made my elderly father sad because he has been coming here nearly 60 years on his travels. It just has gone down hill. read more

I had a special needs young man with me (of which they were aware) who is never satisfied with a menu. Even though he ordered a lot, the total cost of the ingredients was probably less than $7 but the owner / manager charged everything alacarte and the total bill came to $25! How abusive! read more

In the 1980's, it was difficult to find a parking spot here. Truckers and regular folks came from near and far to eat here. I ate there at least once every couple of months. Then, I moved away about ten years ago. It used to be my destination spot, mid way between Chicago and St. Louis. I loved the coffee, the breakfasts, the burgers and the meatloaf. So, I was really looking forward to eating there again last month. This time I had my husband and two kids with me. The empty parking lot should have been my first warning. Our waitress was completely uninterested in serving us. We asked for coffee and had to ask for it again. She finally got us some marginal coffee, but no cream. I had to ask for that. She seemed like she was doing me a favor by bringing me cream for my coffee. The food was warm, that is the one positive thing I can say. The rest of it was terrible. This meal was so high in sodium that it was not edible. Honestly, not one of the four of us enjoyed anything about our meals. It was a huge disappointment. I wasn't expecting much, but honestly, it was one of the worst meals I have had in a long time. I will never, ever go back. read more

While some other reviewers lamented that the Dixie is no longer home-cooked, fresh meals, we found the hot buffet for supper had a wide variety (9-10 different meats), several veggies and a full salad and soup bar for $12.95. Hubby said the buffet food was tasty and just the right temperature. He also said, "All truck restaurants should be do good." I tried the "Mother Road" burger which was huge (2 full patties), and smothered in cheese, bacon, cooked onions and mushrooms - and the beef tasted like grass-fed, not cardboard. We were delighted with the food, the friendly service and wide variety in a little bump in the road (town of McLean). We'd eat here again. And we'd boondock here overnight again too. read more

This has been my stopping point between the Chicago suburbs and Springfield/ Jacksonville for over 20 years. Standard roadside fare, plenty of drinks and snacks to grab plus a lot of random junk tidbits, too. Plus, it is always open - a good thing when, as a college student, you travel at odd hours like I used to do. The bathroom is usually pretty clean which is nice. Plenty of parking and easy to get in to and out of and back on the highway, which is a big deal to me, though sometimes the parking lot can be hard to navigate if the big trucks are moving around. read more

Small roadside truck stop buffet. Very good salad bar and hot buffet. For the price you won't get much better elsewhere, less than $10. I'll make this a regular stop on my way to Chicago. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Cheeseburger came with soup or deluxe with soup and fries. My husband asked if I wanted to share his fries. I said sure. The waitress brought out my soup and then brought ONE cheeseburger with fries and a plate for us to share his meal! Please educate your help to take orders as given and not make them up from a private conversation between guests. read more

Pretty solid buffet. Tons of different items on the salad bar. The waitress was very friendly and fast, would stop again if i were in the area. read more

My mother sings the praises of this truck stop so I just had to stop here because I was drinking her Kool-Aid. But I don't know why it's a big deal. (To be fair, it was many years ago that she was traveling between Chicago and St. Louis and it could have been different then.) Food is OK, service is OK. Both times that I have been here in the recent past, I ordered sandwiches and I didn't like that the meat wasn't sliced like, you know, sandwich thin, but in big chunks like your Uncle Harold hacks up the Thanksgiving turkey after he's had a few too many while watching the game. Pretty much guarantees you'll be trying to work it out of your teeth later. I also had a milkshake that was just a milkshake--ice cream (freezer-burned), milk, chocolate syrup, whipped cream. Nothing special but nothing horrible. Yeah, the bathrooms are clean, and there's shower facilities, a gift and road-snack shop and gas station there too, so I guess it's a good place to stop on a road trip, but no need to seek it out. read more