The servers are always friendly. The food is good. Breakfast will fill you up and the buffet is kept fresh

Decent breakfast. We stopped while traveling. Kind of a long wait for food and it was cold when it came.

Chili was not good Pepper crab soup was ok. Salad bar was decent not a lot to choose from. The French dip with peppers, mozzarella cheese & mushrooms was not good. The beef was dry and the aus jus was TERRIBLE. I ordered fried mushrooms for an up charge and they were good Our server was good The bathrooms were not handicap accessible. No pull bars and toilet was extremely low. No return trip. read more

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Had the deep fried mushrooms as an appetizer --real mushrooms dipped in a light batter; very delicious! I had the lake perch. Perch was very good. Their tartar sauce has a sweet taste that I couldn't adjust to, but the fishy itself was great. Had French fries with it and a cup of sweet pepper crab soup. The soup was delicious! They serve it every Friday. The fries were perfect! My husband ordered the hot beef sandwich. He was expecting more sliced roast beef rather than shredded pot roast so he was not as happy but they took his sandwich off the bill--he only ate 2 bites. read more

Panel Room - Hot beef sandwich - Italian Near Me - Hartford, Michigan

Always great food. Local people and nice atmosphere. Parking is easy and never a long wait. Have to try the pizza since I heard it was great. read more

I had a chicken Philly and it was really good. 2 chicken breasts on a hoagie with veggies. Very good food. They were put of the fried chicken and we were told about 15 minutes after ordering. The entire visit was 2 hours. Luckily my boss was with me or she may have thought I was skipping out on work. There was a very bad smell in the building. Grease trap or sewage maybe? I smelled it on my clothes the rest of the day. My boss said her water tasted like the smell. Ill probably eat here again but probably take out and call to make sure the orders ready. I forgot to get a pic but the sandwich was 4.5 stars. read more

Well. If you're desperate... and the long drive between Chicago and Battle Creek Michigan might kill you of boredom, the Panel room, with no paneling in it (disappointment), is pretty average. Not that I was expecting amazing food, but they didn't even do diner food really well. I had "Hamburger Bowtie" soup and a double cheeseburger. Both were fairly lame and the cheese on my burger wasn't even melted. And it had green olives on it, the attempt at some flair didn't outweigh that it was super average. There was a gross salad bar, too. Service was great and people were super nice, but keep driving past this one in Hartford, MI. read more

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I've been waiting an hour for an omelette. The place is half empty now. Seems like the only game in town but I'd keep driving. If I die of starvation I hope it isn't in this crappy restaurant. read more

I'm not going to raise the average star rating with this review - the panel room is a divey, dated and somewhat dingy place, recommended to us by a neighbor for their seafood buffet. I have to say the buffet had a ton of seafood items - if it swam it was in there! We might have gone too late so our food was way past its peak. The service was friendly enough and the buffet super affordable but not my cup of tea...or should I say "sea." read more

This is a great place. Good menu, super affordable, lots of room in the dining room, and extremely friendly servers.I have only ever had breakfast food here, but I am looking forward to trying lunch and dinner. I hear they have fabulous pizza. Located just off 94, if you're buzzing by, I'd recommend it for a bite and a smile. read more

Panel Room - a view of a restaurant from inside a car - Italian Near Me - Hartford, Michigan

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We loved the service and food we ordered -- the pepper crab soup of the day was creamy and cheesy and tasted great, ham and cheese sandwich and club sandwiches on texas toast were done to perfection, and the hand dipped onion rings actually melt in your mouth. We'll be back! If the name Panel Room evokes images of walnut walls and fireplaces, just reset your expectations -- this is a low-key, family-friendly diner with friendly service and affordable good food. read more

This place doesn't look like much, but the food is hot and the portions are reasonable and the prices are good. The staff was friendly and efficient. Also, it's really clean. The tables aren't sticky and the bathrooms are well kept. Not a bad roadside resting point between Chicago and Detroit. read more

We've been to the Panel Room many times in the past both for breakfast and for lunch, but never posted a review. (We have a vacation home nearby.) Four of us went there for lunch and had delicious meals and great service. Three of us had the buffet and thought it was excellent. The fourth person had biscuits and gravy and thought it was very good. Salad bar had very fresh and tasty salads and ingredients. Both soups served were excellent!!! Their broasted chicken was about the best I've ever eaten--nicely seasoned and very moist. Their macaroni and cheese and their green beans with bacon and onions were also delicious. Great place to go for delicious food and great service at a reasonable price. We'll definitely be back again. read more

The Panel Room is a small, family restaurant in Hartford, Michigan. We eat there every year when we are attending the Van Buren 4-H fair. It is always busy and very friendly. The portions are large, the prices reasonable, and the food homemade. The pot roast is always a favorite--moist, flavorful, and fall-apart tender. The homemade vegetable beef soup is really good, too. The Sunday brunch buffet is not elaborate but the items on it are always fresh and tasty. read more

we were in the neighborhood, and decided to stop here, the food was great. Had the buffet, and there was a roast beef that was great, melted in your mouth, mashed potatoes were the real deal. Our waitress was friendly kept our sodas full, we will be back. Even the other customers were friendly. read more

One of the few non-chain alternatives off I-94 btw Chicago and Detroit. Just a coffee shop, with decent food . Sign says "closed for renovations"..... (but who knows)! read more

Too typical, tastes like a lot of frozen food just heated up. Coffee is okay - service varies.

This is a very low class establighment, but the wait staff was very nice. I would rather sit down to lunch in The Panel Room than the McDonald's next door to it. read more

Service is friendly and prompt. Food is average. Menu choices are a little skimpy. Everything on the menu is high priced. Dinning environment is fine. Noise level is like any family restaurant. Average meal ticket price is about $11-12 dollars per person, without any extras on the side. read more

I have been dining at the Panel Room for over 30 years! The food is great, as is the service. Sometime there is a slight wait, but only because they are so busy. The Panel Room is a community icon! It has been there as long as I can remember and you are missing out if you haven't tried it! The Italian Beef with homemade marinara is the best! As for the salad bar, it's always fresh and delicious! And to the guy who was disappointed about no paneling, what the.....paneling is around the entire dining room. But we don't expect you big city boys to know what paneling is!ha ha read more

Just average. It's part of Hartford's history but is starting to lack in everything. The owner keeps raising prices and fiddling withnthe menu. Some of it is a wanna-be chef in the back coming up with sorry excuses for entrees. It's not going to kill you but be prepared to pay more than what you receive. Sorry Panel Room, Jack, and Becky.... You lose the good pizza, raise prices, don't honor the customer loyalty cards you gave out. Customer appreciation is something to be shown from the owner. And the bathrooms are filthy! Broken toilets and no-flow faucets. Frequently has power surges due to the lack of hiring a licensed electrician to properly hardwire machines and appliances. Don't worry, it'll burn down soon from an electrical fire. :-/ read more

Avoid like the plaque for takeout! They pass burnt food at bottom with fresh on top! It happened once before and I had to bring the food back and they gave me new, but no refund or discount. Thought we give them another try....same ol same ol story bring it back. read more

I found out that Joe Capozio is making his signature pizzas again at the Panel Room. I drove the 25 miles to Hartford to pick up a couple and was rewarded for the effort with two excellent pies. Way to go Panel Room! I thought that I would never experience my favorite pizza again. What a treat. I'll be back. read more

Good food, service , and prices. I eat there once or twice a week. Always satisfied!

The 4 star rating doesn't imply that this restaurant is on a Gordon Ramsay scale. There is a reason that this restaurant has been around as long as it has and that is simple. It's a good place to eat. I've read a couple of negative reviews on here and they sound like they were written by quite pretentious people who think they are too good for a small town, family restaurant. I work in the industry and when another business was opening in Hartford that contains a restaurant a delegation of people from the new business stopped in for lunch at the panel room. Amongst these people were genuine culinary school graduates and a well known chef. They enjoyed the food, were not pretentious at all and that says a lot. So if you are a pretentious snob, you will probably find fault with something. But for the majority of people around here they love the place. read more