Not sure why the negative reviews. The one time I had an issue with an order the manager went above and beyond to fix it. I recommend.

We had breakfast here our only morning in Hannibal. It was close to the hotel. We knew it wouldn't be that good by the looks of it but we just wanted breakfast before it was too late for some reason. We both had omelets, English muffins, juice and hash browns. My husband ate his, I ate some of mine. It is just one of those "white bread and American cheese" type restaurants. Not my cup of tea which I should have had actually as the coffee was hot and brown; no flavor. I did enjoy the people watching and how friendly everyone was. It was like being on the set of the Andy Griffith show. That was fun but for food, there has to be something better. read more

Tough food choices in a dying town across the ole Mississippi. Settled for this crusty relic and paid the price. Fried chicken was cooked to order one hour before closing, it was fine but the broccoli side and the salad bar are to be eaten at your own risk. The ranch dressing was very "textured", the vinaigrette was odd, the other dressings looked as you would expect. The lettuce looked as if it had been waiting my arrival since Twains posthumous release of Letters from the Earth. The home made root bear is lackluster at best, heavy on the honey or something. The "Maid-rite' sandwich was the embodiment of disappointment. I was hoping for some local or regional experience and what I got ws the equivalent of cold dry ass ground beef on white bread wrapped in wax paper. Completely inedible. I swear they put this concoction together before the chicken was dropped into the deep fryer. Breaded pork tenderloin was overcooked, almost dusty it was so dry . The onion ring tower? Don't get excited, it is one of those ring toss games dressed up as onion rings. The service is as you would expect of youngins coming to the realization they live in Hannibal Mo. In case of fire, jump through a window, one fire exit had a booth in front of it and the main exit was locked with a key . We had to get assistance from a waitress and she had to get a key to let us out. read more

It was better than dinner but that is not saying much. Had I known about the Ole Planters Inn we would have had breakfast there. Lousy omelet, cheap food made fast. This is why you are better off not spending the night in Hannibal. Come for the day, have some lunch, go on your way. read more

We stumbled upon this place after we couldn't find our first choice for lunch. It has a classic small-town diner feel--nothing fancy and full of locals. Service was friendly and prompt. The "homemade" root beer, served in frosty mugs, was the highlight of our meal. Our sandwiches, both served with steak fries on the side, were nothing spectacular but not bad either. My husband dubbed his pork tenderloin sandwich "comfort food." My "Cajun" grilled pork tenderloin did not taste spicy at all but it was still satisfying. Overall, if you're passing through Hannibal and looking for a decent, inexpensive meal, or are just sick of the chains, you can't go wrong with the Mark Twain Dinette. It could easily have been a tourist trap but in our opinion it's a nice, unpretentious rest stop. read more

This is a small-town diner, full of local ambience. Old pictures of Hannibal are all through the restaurant, giving it an old-fashioned, homey feel. Nice, comfortable atmosphere! I had heard that their "Mark Twain Fried Chicken" was one of their signatures, so decided to try it. Since they make it fresh to order, it took 15-20 minutes to arrive, but our server made sure to let me know that as I ordered it. It was worth it! The meal came with 2 sides, and I order mashed potatoes-n-gravy (REAL mashed potatoes!) and homemade macaroni and cheese. It was all delicious! Hubby ordered the chicken strips, which were very meaty and flavorful. His also came with 2 sides; he ordered the mashed potatoes-n-gravy and macaroni and cheese, and loved them! We both decided to try to homemade root beer, and it was great. In fact, we bought a gallon to take home with us so we are continuing to enjoy it! Our server was very outgoing, friendly and attentive. She made sure we were well taken care of. Yes, we would go back if we were ever through Hannibal again. read more

Great food. I had the maid rite and my husband had the pork tenderloin and onion rings. All was really good!! Definitely recommend this place!! Great read more

Mark Twain Dinette - I had the maid rite and my husband had an excellent pork tenderloin. Their onion rings are delicious!! Great place to eat!!!! - American Near Me - Hannibal, Missouri

Wasn't impressed at all. Place is dirty and run down, food isn't that good. The in house rootbeer they brag about reminded me of making rootbeer koolaid out of carbonated water as a kid. Just seemed like a tourist trap to me. read more

Not sure why so many bad reviews. Nice little diner. Food was good!! Service was good too! read more

Mark Twain Dinette - She loved the French toast - American Near Me - Hannibal, Missouri

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Not sure why all the bad reviews. Went during a busy lunch hour. Service was great. Food came out fast. Prices are unbeatable, portions huge. Natural cut fries were great. Massive tenderloins. Classic Maid-Rites. Not sure what there is not to like! read more

Breakfast here was breakfast. Nothing too exciting. Blueberry pancakes were a good size for the short stack (2 pancakes) and the French Toast was good. Again, there's nothing much to write but it's unfortunate that you have to walk through the smelly smoking section to get to the bathrooms. Our waitress was great but everyone else looked like they were not happy to be there. I understand it's a job but you are getting paid to make my time delightful! read more

The food was good, standard diner fare. I have no complaint with the food; however, having to wait 45 minutes for food is something I will complain about. Two of the four diners at our table ordered biscuits and gravy, the other two omelettes. I can't wrap my mind around a 45 minute wait for that?! One of our orders was incorrect, but the food was put on the table so fast and the server immediately left before we could say anything, I do understand that this was a big weekend for Hannibal, but if staffing up is needed to keep up with the crowds, please do. read more

I chalk it up to the Maid Rites here. They're amazing. I'd never had one until I came here with my guy and his mom who are Hull natives. I'd only visited Hannibal prior to and knew nothing of a Maid Rite. Well, I do now, and you MUST try. Also be sure to get a root beer. It's fantastic! His mom and I shared a stack of onion rings, and those were absolute perfection. Be sure to stop by this perfect little diner. It's exactly what you'd expect but better! read more

Sad and disappointing. Food was oversalted and lacked flavor. Young wait staff hung out in the kitchen instead of with guests. Their "special chili ranch" sauce is bad - the person who makes this needs to have their tastebuds cleaned....UGH! On the positive side, it was neat and tidy, booth was clean and well stocked. They use a SQUARE for debit/credit transactions. read more

Great lil place in between Chicago and KC. Great service. Had yummy maid rite sandwiches, Reuben's, house made fries, onion rings and primo homemade root beer. Whole family loved it. Love good ol fashioned places like this. Authentic to its Missouri roots. Our new stopping place now on our trips to KC. read more

Located at the riverfront in downtown Hanniable, the Mark Twain Dinette is a local favorite. While I am not a resident of the area, I have family there and whenever I am in town we always eat here. While their food is not 5-star, the service is. The homemade root beer is a must try. It is truly the best I have ever had. My favorite is their maid-rite, loose meat, sandwich. It is perfectly flavored and not greasy. Their onion rings are also amazing good and a great start to any meal. If you're looking for down-home cooking at a very fair price, I would definitely put the Mark Twain Dinette on your list if you're ever in town. You'll be glad you did. read more

Family style restaurant near the Mississippi waterfront. This business has changed hands many times over the years, and with each change comes updating. This diner-expanded-to-restaurant, however, retains the old fashioned river-town ambiance, and a reputation for serving the maid-rite hamburger (some folks call this "hamburger-loose"). They still make homemade root beer, and serve a stack of onion rings a foot tall. All in all, a nice family place. Don't be in a hurry, however, they never have been known for fast (or particularly good) service. Decent food, though, for a fair price. read more

Google search show 4 stars so I was thinking it was tied to Yelp. not...Yelp shows 3 stars, which means not up to par. 2 stars in my book-food served lukewarm to cold. It was clean and servers were friendly. read more

Great childhood memories for sure but the quality is no longer there food is much lower quality then the past they are living off the the Tourist trade now so sad Maid rites were a child good favorite the taist is no longer there and was dry read more

One of a kind maid rites and root beer. Excellent grilled tenderloin with plenty of tomatoes. Customer service at its best. Conveniently located near tourist attractions. #marktwaindinette read more

The food was fresh and good enough, but it was not delicious. We had a very good server, though, and she was so nice, as was the cashier. It wasn't the best meal; it wasn't the worst. It was just a serviceable meal on a travel day. read more

I am sorry to report that this restaurant is consistently nasty. I have visited a couple of times over the year. The last time I stopped in I was hoping that the time before was just a bad day and not the status quo. I was sorry that I gave it another chance. Kind of funny, they have a sandwich called the "Maid-Rite". This seems to be a knock off of the sandwich that the restaurant chain called "Maid-Rite" in Iowa and Illinois are famous for. Not only does it appear to be a knock off, but it is a sorry excuse for a knock off to boot. Do yourself a favor and don't let the name fool you; choose a different place to eat while you are visiting Hannibal. read more

Nice little dive. Friendly service and a limited menu. We started with fried pickles. The batter and pickles were better than average. I got the Mark Twain fried chicken with the house made rootbeer. The beans served with the chicken were canned with weird slivers of bacon. The mashed potatoes were solid, which came with a white gravy. The chicken was juicy and nicely breaded but not very meaty. The bathrooms could benefit from remodeling. For a diner, it's good. read more

Mark Twain Dinette - Rootbeer - American Near Me - Hannibal, Missouri

We traveled from Illinois to spend a few days in one of our favorite places! Mark Twain Dinette did not disappoint! I ordered a BLT + my boyfriend ordered fried chicken, with a side of cheese curds. It was delicious! Quick, and friendly! We definitely will be going there again. Also, try the ranch! It's bomb! :) read more

We've come to the area for over 25 years and always hit Hannibal for Java Jive/Ayers Pottery, and the root beer at the Mark Twain Dinette. But I'd have to say over the past ten years, the tradition has become more of a burden at the Dinette. The root beer is still outstanding (don't bother getting any to go unless you consume it within an hour or two. We bought a gallon for the 8 hour drive back home, and it was as flat as roadkill the next day). But the food has become so-so, and the price of Maid-Rites is really out of line (Maid-Rites are a last vestige of regional cuisine, and they grow on you despite its school cafeteria appearance). . It seems this restaurant prospers from its location and caters to a lot of tourists. So the food is so-so, and the prices make it a sub-par value. But if you love root beer, you still have to try it. read more

We tried to order kids meals. As the menu plainly states kids meals come with one regular side, kids drink, fresh fruit, and kids portion of fries. My boys (both under age twelve) decided they wanted Mac n cheese for their side. We ordered the waitress a bit unsure due to new menus she said but she thought the only sides we could have was mash potatoes, fries, or fresh fruit. I asked if she would check with the manager. She came back and said we get fries and fruit and the only side choice is mashed potatoes. I asked why would anyone want mashed potatoes with fries? I asked to speak to the manager? She came to the table with a look on her face like why was I bothering her? I read the menu allowed and asked why we couldn't have a choice from the sides menu? She responded with this is a reasonably priced kids meal and you can have mashed potatoes, but I'm not giving you Mac n cheese! I said we'll take the check for the appetizer and drinks or actually we'll just leave we had just recieved the appetizer and hadn't touched it yet. She said no you'll have to pay for it because we've already cooked it and brought it too you. I told her she was awfully rude for a manager she said I was rude apparently for bringing their false advertising to their attention. DO NOT GO HERE THEY ARE RUDE AND APPARENTLY DO NOT STAND BY THEIR MENU. I would have been fine if she had been pleasant and said sorry this is just a typo on our menu but she came at me like I was the bad guy for trying to get some clarity. read more

Mark Twain Dinette - American Near Me - Hannibal, Missouri

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Got the bbq smoked pork Mac-n-cheese it was delicious. Was part of a 25+ person take out order so it was a little cold, but reasonable considering the size of our order. read more

Homestyle dinette in America's hometown! Be sure to try their fried chicken and homemade root beer! The place is always clean, the staff is always friendly and helpful, and the food is always hot and tasty. And a slice of pie is $3.14! Gotta love this place! read more

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Terrible service is about all I have to say. It took 15 minutes to get our drinks. Now, another 40 minutes in, we still don't have our burgers OR drink refills. The servers only pass us mentioning "they're getting our refills and our food will be out shortly". I definitely won't be back. read more

There was some Karen sitting next to us being a jerk so I am writing a 5 star review to spite her. The food and service is great!

I have been eating food from this restaurant for close to 55 years. My grandmother's house was where the parking is. We would climb over the wall and buy a bag of maid-rites. I preferred the hot dogs and the roast beef sandwiches when I was younger but now, I order the pork tenderloin. I've had the BLT once or twice and it was good. Always good service and good food. read more

Love this place since I was a kid. Mothers day was really good staff was very friendly food was great. Manager handled a very rude customer with grace and style read more

This is the type of place that charges for soda refills. When the waitress let me know there were no refills, I also learned this is the type of place that charges $.50 for tap water. Enough said... read more

Always a must stop when I'm in town but it's just not the same. Food quality is inconsistent and honestly the place could use a deep cleaning. I just happened to look up at an air vent & it was covered with about an inch of grease & grime & dust. Our server was very personable. Onion rings were very anemic looking but fries were golden brown. Go figure. read more

First time here not very impressed ordered taco salad and hubby a sandwich.. he said his was pretty good Pepsi products.. taco salad looked really good upon getting to the table it was not quite what I gotta would hav expected it was more meat then anything and only about half full tasted good meat was a little dry but with the sour cream and salsa that came with it made it better... probably will not be back read more

Typical small town eatery. I am vegetarian, and the only things on the menu that I could order were a grilled cheese sandwich or spaghetti. I ordered the spaghetti, which consisted of canned sauce and undercooked noodles... The salad that came with it was iceberg lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes, and two thin slices of bell pepper. The onion rings were alright. read more

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Good comfort food and friendly servers. The homemade root beer is pretty good. Very few vegetarian options unfortunately, but the appetizers are not bad read more

Mark Twain Dinette - Fried pickles - American Near Me - Hannibal, Missouri

Food arrived cold and slower than surrounding tables who ordered after us (just two of us eating, no special requests, slow time of day). Order was wrong and it took two times to get it correct...and the food was still cold. Taste was nothing special. Extra disappointed because this place had been recommended to us. (Pre-Covid visit) read more

This food is phenomenal, everything on the menu has been cooked to perfection! Highly suggest the chicken & waffles!

Haven't been to this restaurant for a few months. Last time we ordered chicken with sides as a pickup order and it was great. Today we went inside and ordered burgers and onion rings. The hamburgers smelled like outdated meat so we didn't finish them. Onion rings definitely not worth $3.50. Total bill was over $26 for mediocre food. Don't plan to revisit. Oh, and they now charge for water...! read more