Big portions, down home diner cooking. Breakfast, lunch or hangover helper.

The best breakfast I've had in years, too they don't have this on the west coast. Super generous portions, lots of regulars, super tasty food, friendly waitresses, and even if it's your first time here you will like you've been coming here for years. read more

Great place for breakfast. Amazing meal size for the price. The ham was out of this world.

I have been coming here with my dad for years. Its one of our favorite breakfasts spots in the northern suburbs. I always get the ace of clubs and the fries. I love those fresh cut fries, they are so good. I thoroughly enjoy the cream of chicken and rice soup. WARNING: Dont order a bowl unless your ready to have an ocean of soup!!!! Their ham steaks are unlike anything youve had before.....I Promise!!!! read more

AKA "Mr. A's", this is an unassuming diner type establishment tucked inside a small strip mall at the border of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect. I had their ham and cheddar cheese omelette, American fries, English muffin, and was well satisfied. Everything was fresh and made to order and the portions are AMPLE. My breakfast was enough for two people. The omelette was loaded with chunks of savory ham, rather on the salty side but to my tastes. The English muffin was toasted perfectly (it's amazing how many restaurants seem to mess this up). Their American fries/hash browns are of the soft and mushy variety. Passable, but rather bland tasting. Good service and decent coffee. Excellent value for the money. Recommended. read more

I am not only shocked but feel disrespected. So i was eating my food (it was cold btw) when i noticed a long black strand of hair. I spit out the food i was disgusted and shocked that this would happen at such a fine place. Then i also overheard a work swearing near and VERY LOUDLY NEXT TO MY my 3 young children read more

Cannot say enough good things about this place. Great prices, portions, servings and staff. I have been to this place several dozen times and only once had poor service and that is when I sat at the corner of the "bar" area. I love this place! read more

Mr. A's has become our yearly breakfast spot during our lull in work. we get together with all the guys who've retired and we don't get a chance to see during the year... Mr. A's has THE BEST ham steak i've ever had---and i try it wherever i go. The service is always friendly and never rushed.... I've never had a bad thing on the breakfast menu.... read more

Classic diner with great food and good portions. Definitely recommend the ham off the bone as a winner. Also they have delicious potatoes instead of the common shredded hash browns. Definitely recommend. Loses a star because the coffee isn't great. read more

Huge portions, fast and friendly service. This place is busy and for good reason. Oh and about as cheap as breakfast gets anywhere close to the Chicagoland area. read more

A few of us started a breakfast club awhile ago. We usually go once a month, but decided to do an extra one prior to my friend's upcoming surgery. We've been to numerous restaurants and this was by far the worst. The portions were adequate but not large. The coffee was good and may have been the best feature. The whole environment seemed rushed to me. From the servers to the cooks to the hostess to the busboy. I could feel that and it made me uncomfortable and it wasn't that busy. The waitress was efficient, but not fun or friendly or helpful or anything to make for an enjoyable experience. The wood chairs we sat on were terrible. The mugs and plates were plastic, the silverware dimestore cheap. I had an omellete which would have been OK if the ingredients weren't so undercooked. potatoes were decent and pancakes were adequate but nothing special. My friend complained of frozen pieces of potato and processed cheese on the omelette. He ate less than half and threw the rest away. The servers also carried a lot plates, which was impressive to look at, but if you looked you'd notice that they stacked the plates on top of the food. That can't be right. We will not be going back. read more

This place is old school breakfast done right. No matter what you order make sure to add ham. We loved it so much, I ordered a half ham for the holidays. There usually a wait on the weekends, but it moves fast. Great food, fair prices. read more

Don't waste time looking at the menu! Best ham off the bone you will ever have! I have never had anything bad. Great breakfast and lunch items including home made soups! A true staple! read more

Too bad I don't eat ham--those ham steaks looked like something out of Shrek. Nice, old fashioned flat omelettes, just like God made them. Perfect pancakes and potatoes. A winner. read more

Fries. That would be enough said, however there is more that should be said. If you are one for ambiance this isn't a place for you...but if you want tasty no frills food, go now. Their ham is awesome, good burgers, and great breakfast food. Huge portions, and easy on the wallet. Not so easy on the waistline, but sometimes you have to live a little! read more

Great service, HUGE portions and super affordable. Food came out quickly, was hot and delicious. We will definitely be back.

Local diner with friendly and really efficient service. The menu is not extensive or fancy but is adequate: breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches, shakes....The coffee was a bit on the weak side but refills were abundant. The portions are huge for a relatively cheap price tag. The food is solid and good but nothing out of this world. Good omelets and great fries. Dieters stay away but if you are starving and want solid diner food that won't empty your wallet this is the place for you. read more

The food here is actually really pretty good. I came here multiple times and was always Satisfied with the food here. I recommend a meat lovers skillet. read more

Mr A's has decent breakfasts, and good stuff like chili and shakes. And if you like ham, this may be the place for you. But what really sets them apart from the crowd is one of my personal favorites - the good ol' fashioned cheeseburger! A classic - they're hand packed and delicious. And while lots of places have good burgers, they also have great fresh cut fries. VERY FEW places have that one-two punch - the great burger and fries to match. The burger is abut a 4.5+, the breakfasts, little lower. And they serve soft drinks in BIG cups, so you don't have to ask the waitress to refill a juice glass with pop three or four times - like at other places. If I were rating this place just on the burgers I'd do a 5 I think. It's worth the trip so check it out. Watch the lunch crowd, it gets pretty thick - though they do move 'em through fast, and there is counter seating too. Oh yeah - they close about 2PM or so - no dinner service. read more

I really want to like this place and I have been here a handful of times already but I just can't. The food is just ok for me. Decor is so outdated. The staff are "rough around the edges" so better get used to that type of service when you eat your food here because all of them are that way. Two stars because they do have good prices for the food. Yes, I ordered the ham and it's the best thing on my plate but not impressive and everything else is "meh". read more

Great old-fashioned diner with great food. Be prepared to eat when you go here they give you a lot of food for your money. The staff is very friendly and it is a nice neighborhood place to eat. read more

Nice local diner feel with great value. Always get a skillet and a side of pancakes which has always been cooked to perfection with plenty of toppings. The ham steaks look huge and I look forward to trying those one day. Have both breakfast and lunch options. read more

In a time when Diners are becoming hard to find, Mr A's has been around for a long time. Food is aways good. service is fast and friendly, and the portions are huge! The breakfast specials are about more then you can eat. Like Kathy said the Ham slices are giant. read more

This place is great. Tasty, inexpensive food, and great service. The only thing that held me back from 5 stars was the coffee, it was a tad on the weak side for me. Will definitely be going back! read more

Haven't been here in 5 years, but met a friend for breakfast. The service is still top notch and the ham is to die for. The eggs are nothing special and somewhat overcooked. The hash browns are burned and rather tasteless. In summary, if you are in search of a HUGE excellent slice of ham, and some of the friendliness service around, it is worth the trip. If not, there are plenty of other diners. read more

Great food, great portions. Excellent service. I will go back again and again. The husband had the meat lovers skillet. He said it was amazing. My omelette was delicious as well. read more

Read the reviews, checked out a cool YouTube video of this place and headed over . Lived up to expectations . Ham steak was legit as it gets

Been going to this family restaurant for 30 years and have watched it grown over that time. Great service and love the food. Known for their ham and eggs, which is everyone's favorite, but they also have a great lunch menu. Just a great family diner. read more

Good food with big portion, fair prices, nice wait staff always happy to great you. I love going their.

OMG! What a place for breakfast. A man-sized delicious breakfast for sure. The purple ladies of Mr. A's were a delight. What can you say about the ham, other than you'll not get any better, anywhere. Yum! Don't miss this place but come hungry. read more

Great place to grab breakfast for a reasonable price. I have been coming to Mr.A's for years! First time I went I had a skillet and then every time after that its been the same. Sometimes with toast and sometimes with pancakes. It's not that anything else doesn't look good, everything looks great especially the big club sandwich. I just only go here when I am craving a skillet. The corned beef hash skillet, the sausage patty skillet, or the Denver. All great choices in my book and I will be returning here for breakfast lunch for as long as I live in the area. Keep up the good work Mr. Allison's. read more

The best ham ever! All the meals are big enough to eat 3 times and it's really good and cheap! It is always crowded so I would not recommend for big groups but it's really an awesome place! A true gem. read more

HOLY HAM!!! Went here for the first time last week and it was so good we returned the next day. Food was made as requested (I like my hash browns crispy) and the ham is addicting. its a very hustle and bustle type place but even with all the chaos the food gets to you quick, drinks are filled and the employees are very nice. will return and have 0 complaints. Just wouldn't recommend to anyone looking to accomplish anything besides a nap afterwards. read more

This is a great breakfast place, great soup, sandwiches & salads. Portions are huge! There is never a problem if you want a substitution. I have NEVER had anything bad at this restaurant. The NWSSA ( men's senior softball) plays at Melas Park, which is just down the street, come here for lunch after softball 2-3 times a week. The waitresses are friendly, & very efficient Orders are "up" very quickly. And the prices are amazingly inexpensive! read more

My mom mentioned this was her old high school favorite years ago and after she passed, I kept driving by thinking of her. Today I finally decided to take my three boys there to check it out and WOW... sad we've been living in the area for 4 years and haven't checked it out sooner! My 16 year old son was in heaven with the giant portion sizes and I was in awe at the price given how much we got. Definitely our new favorite breakfast/lunch spot! read more

ALWAYS fantastic breakfast!!!!!! Great service, always familiar faces greeting us at the door. Fast service, they don't miss a beat and NEVER get my order wrong........ I will forever adore Mr A's for breakfast :) read more

Classic breakfast diner. A true local business with a focus on quality ingredients and great values. I've never gotten anything I didn't love here, it's always just the right amount of grease and sugar, and all American portions if I've ever seen them. The ham here is just as good as they're telling you. I walk here all the time with my boyfriend, but walking back is the always the struggle. read more

Good service, great food, the BEST ham EVER!!! Reasonably priced. Family loves to come there on the weekends for breakfast and we go there for lunch for work during the week. read more

I use to go here when it had just a counter with stools and 4 or 5 small tables 30 + years ago and just went back and wow it's bigger but same great huge ham sandwiches and ham and eggs. And the folks there are just as nice. read more

Like an old time diner, with a route 66 painting on the wall. The food is amazing. The giant slice of ham is the best I've ever had. Service is great too. Definitely the best breakfast/lunch place around. read more