Saint James Restaurant (Avilla, Indiana) - iconic area restaurant worth a try Take a short drive to downtown Avilla to try the Saint James Restaurant. It has been a fixture in Avilla since 1948 when it started as a hotel. St. James has a long tradition of serving northeast Indiana patrons (groups, families or friends) food and drinks from this historical structure. The building is large and dominates the block. It is in good repair but rather plain in appearance. There is plenty of parking out back. Once you find the entry door you have to navigate a series of hallways to the attractive bar and hostess area. The building has lots of walls that reflect the hotel structure. The back of the restaurant has a large open and plain looking dinning area. Everyone here is very friendly. They are good and simple people. They seem to seek to serve you and make you happy. There isn't much fancy about St. James. Just a good ole relaxing and home feel atmosphere. The menu is big. There is something for everyone. Prices are fair and portion sizes are decent. Here is a rundown on the items we ordered: -Strawberry pie: it's seasonal and popular. Reserve your piece when ordering dinner - if they still have it. The berries were sweet and fresh. The filling is homemade, nice berry flavor, not over the top sweet. Crust is flaky, tender and delicious. -Onion rings: we got about 6 medium sized rings for $7 on the appetizer menu. Each piece was uniquely made. Some were really thin and crispy. Others had a really thick/tender piece of onion with a thicker batter. Overall nice taste, not too oily. The ranch sauce was very thin and short on ranch flavor -Side salad: nice smaller salad with fresh ingredients. Plenty of side veggies and cheese. The croutons were tough. Garlicky and very crispy. The Smokey Bit dressing was outstanding. Kind of a blend of a southwestern chipotle sauce with a strong smoke flavor! -Crab cakes: my wife really liked the thinner cake. This allowed the cake to be heated throughout and more crispy surface areas. She liked the stronger crab meat taste. -Oven baked BBQ ribs: very tender and meaty rib. The BBQ sauce had a mild BBQ flavor with no spicy kick. The meat could be flaked off the bone with a fork. No Smokey or grilled flavors. The baked potato was large and cooked to a tender but firm center. The skin was slighted salted. read more

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The broasted chicken wasn't the normal fare it was in the Boaster too long. I'm adding 85 characters for some damn reason. read more

Service and food were excellent. Prices were reasonable. We had a party of 12 and our waitress was exceptional. read more

Been going to the st James for over 45 years. Best food and service. Best known for broasted Chicken and fried taters and onions. If you go on Friday or Saturday eve. Be ready to wait your turn read more

The food was good, we had a big table and the service was fast. Our group found the history of the building fun.

Decent meal for a good value. Golf group went last week in September and from appetizers to deserts the entire experience was outstanding!

Small town feel, with all the comfort food you need. Love the grasshopper drink and of course the chicken.

While the broiled sea scallops were very good, the crabcakes left a lot to be desired, mushy is the best way to describe them. I've had much better crabcakes in many places. The bar could not make the drink I asked for (lacked ingredients for a simple drink), so I settled for something else. Our server was okay, but not particularly personable - it was as though she did not want to be there on a busy evening. Quaint place, nice ambiance and a good deal of very nice looking wood finish in the bar area. Not an awful place, but I really feel like the service and food are better elsewhere - I likely will not be back when I visit the area. read more

Love the food and great service. I could eat there everyday if I could. Best sweet potato fries I ever had! read more

I hadn't been in quite some time but have returned to the area several times recently. Had their broasted chicken dinner. So tender and juicy. They Cole slaw is also delicious. Bean soup is served piping hot and is hearty but not heavy. The restaurant has been a staple in this small town for years and still delivers a great dining experience. The bartender has a tendency to wear her mask as a chin diaper. Didn't order any drinks but that should be corrected. Will return soon. read more

St James Restaurant - a sign on the wall - American Near Me - Avilla, Indiana

Good food for a quick bite. Service is always good. The ladies have all worked there for years.

Whenever I visit a friend's office in Avilla we walk over to St. James Restaurant. It's a treat!! Their delicious bean soup is on the daily menu!! Sometimes I get a quart of bean soup to take back home. Yes, it's THAT good! Their wedge salad is crisp and refreshing with a good amount of bacon, tomato, and blue cheese dressing. I have ordered other menu items and have never been disappointed. There are a wide variety of dishes on the menu, so they should have a meal for everyone's tastes. Service is always friendly and prompt. They check on you enough to promptly get something you may need, but not too frequent as to be annoying. We often sit in the dining area. The seats are comfortable and the environment is warm. We are able to have a normal conversation without needing to shout or talk softly. Seating in the bar area is also good. I'll be back next time I'm in town! read more

Fantastic chicken dinner. This broasted offering is the best I've had in many years since the cafeteria closed in my home town of Connersville. Two breasts and a wing for only $13.00? They will probably have to raise prices before long. Half a chicken for only $16.50. Baked potato at 1:30 pm? Super outstanding. Slaw is great too. Plenty of seating. Room for a large party even though we only had two. Service was outstanding. Seasonal strawberry pie delicious. Only downside was the garlic bread. Get the rolls instead. Will definitely be back to try the steaks. read more

Loved their roasted chicken. Great food and great beer! It's a nice location, great for groups. Fast service and the wait staff knew their stuff! read more

Only went for lunch. Had a BLT. it was very good. It's a grey hair place, so this a real review but more of an overview of a place that everyone there knows multiple people there. I don't think anything would floor me but ivv be also think nothing will disappoint either. Nice bar but little to no bar vibes. I'd go again knowing I'll get a decent experience. read more

Food is great and the service is amazing. I've gone their alot and I have never had a bad time or bad food. There is also a sports bar and an upstairs space that u can rent out for events. read more

Everytime I eat here it is great. Best chicken I have ever had and specials are always fantastic.

Wonderful food and staff!! Always feel welcome in this small town gem! Broasted chicken with fried potatoes and onions is delightful.

We stopped on our way back home to Indianapolis from our lake house. We had a marvelous meal - our server was Kariann and she was the best! Our Old Fashion was great - and we had the broasted chicken. It was wonderful - and you can get all sorts of permutations of which pieces you like. It's a quaint old restaurant that has been updated and it was crowded! But we didn't have to wait long. We will definitely be back. I tried the bean soup and it was delicious. And the wedge salad was generous and tasty! My husband really liked his German potato salad. I brought home a piece of carrot cake. Don't miss this little gem! read more

Was very disappointed tonight with the quality of the German food.Its been a year since we have been to St.James for German Food and has it ever went down in quality. First they downsized their German entrees to only 2 they no longer offer the German cabbage ,the Jaeger Schnitzel was 2 breaded tenderloin patties stacked together with the most bland gravy and mushrooms We were both very disappointed. The tossed salad was great and our waitress was fabulous. Instead only offering German food on Thursday I would drop it completely until it gets a lot better. read more

Well me and my daughter stopped into the restaurant on our way home today as I haven't been to St James for quite awhile but just remembered how great it was so I wanted to share the experience with her. Unfortunately when we got there and sat down the waitress took our drink orders,then it too about 15 min to get them,and then when we got them we waited another 15 min at least to get our orders taken. When we finally got our food it was so good,but the waitress never checked back to see how are food was if we need refill on our drinks,or if we wanted dessert. My daughter and I both have been waitress and we were not very impressed with the service. We left very dissatisfied. Was not great like service I got in past. read more

Breakfast here is always AWESOME... the lunch and dinner are totally worth it too, but I love their breakfast. The handmade sausage is delicious. Coffee is always spot on and the service is exceptional. The egg sandwich is my favorite. Mom and dad had the French toast special. Two eggs and two pieces of French toast was devoured. They have a great event space along with group areas. A full bar is available. Their broasted chicken and potatoes made it with going there twice in one day. So get off the same old, same old routine and check this place out. They also have a great German selection that will please everyone. read more

St James Restaurant - American Near Me - Avilla, Indiana

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Great place for breakfast and dinner. One of only 2 places in our rotation that cooks my eggs perfectly every time. Good bacon, good potatoes, great service every time. The breakfast menu is a bit limited and their sausage gravy isn't to my liking, but you can tell it's house made, so I give them credit for that. The jagerschnitzel is amazing, but they limited the German menu to Thursday only, and that doesn't fit often with our dining out schedule, so we don't have dinner there anymore. The breasted chicken is great though. read more

Consistently good food in a family friendly atmosphere. 3 generations of great service.

Ordered a shrimp cocktail could tell it definitely wasn't fresh, cocktail sauce I'm sure wasn't just mixed up as it was more a paste than a sauce, Bloody Mary was great, service absolutely was one of worst, waitress didn't check on us, was left with empty glass most of my meal, now the only reason I'm leaving a 3 star, breaded chicken sandwich was great, and my wife had the broasted chicken thighs and legs both were great but service and the shrimp cocktail knocks this down to a 3 star for us read more

Great fast service for our table of 10 b/4 a Friday night football game. I had the breasted chicken platter and it was tasty. Wife had the Reuben, it was just so so. They were very busy and our waitress was on it. We would like to try this place again sometime and explore the menu a little bit more. Very clean and Covid friendly. read more

We ordered carrot and their prime rib burgers were amazing. Finally found a good burger without driving to Fort Wayne

At first I was excited to be here, but things kept going down hill. Our party of 3 had been set and service at the time was good. We ordered our beverages and an appetizer received promptly. Ordered off the menu. Grilled fish, prime rib, and ribs. I had watched patrons that had come in at the same time leave. Watched tables that sat after we order and receive their dinners still we never received ours, it has been just over an hour. When asked we were told it was because they ordered the special which was walleye. Now I will remind you we ordered grilled fish (does not take time) prime rib ( precooked to rare then cooked to order)(ours was ordered med) and ribs (precooked then heated when ordered with added bbq) nothing we ordered takes over an hour. To add salt to our dining experience. The same customers who sat after us asked the waitress if the walleye had a seasoning after eating of course it was then explained that one diner could not have seasonings. So bc of she discounted the bill half. We got our coffee removed because she felt obligated wow. Oh and to finish two of us did not get our full order. Missing the Cole slaw. Should of asked for a manager but I was so upset I did not want to embarrass my elderly parents. Hope this reaches our waitress I want her to know that I am a retired restaurant manager and I know that just because a customer orders the special it does not give them priority over others. You failed in the customer service dept. I will not be returning. read more

We did broasted chicken takeout. We ordered the 4-piece white meat and coleslaw. This HAS been a favorite for a long time, but things have changed. The coleslaw is no longer the hair-fine shreds with vinegar dressing. Now it is just chopped cabbage with bottled creamy dressing that tastes a bit chemical. The chicken was good but not the usual exceptional chicken that is worth the drive. KFC is about the same quality as our takeout. read more

Good Friday night prime rib. Calamari was not good, could tell it was artificial. Great drinks. Excellent service. Recommend the mushroom appetizer and broasted chicken. Can't go wrong with the fish. Always a treat. Back room is a bit noisy as its set up with tables close together. If over 21 the bar area has some great character. Ask for Cody at the bar! read more

Had breakfast here. Seats were comfortable. Atmosphere was conducive for conversations. Beverages were kept full. Prices were reasonable. Vegan items: They don't have fruit. The hash brown potatoes are made with butter. English muffins are also automatically swiped with butter. However, I requested my English muffin dry and with peanut butter and the potatoes to be made with olive oil; they obliged. They had to redo the English muffin (out of habit the cook added butter), but I understood. So I was able to dine here as a vegan and got my protein too. read more

We love to come here to eat. My daughter and son in law transferred here 1 1/2 years ago and discovered the great broasted chicken here. They have 3 young kids that love the broasted chicken legs. The portions are good, the prices are very reasonable and it is still locally owned. A supper club atmosphere with a lot of history. They are also known for their homemade desserts, especially the chocolate spoon cake. Nice bar if you are not eating with kids. read more

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It is wonderful to find such a good place to enjoy a dinner when in the road. I do not like chains when I travel. This place is just what I like. Service is great. Food is great. I will stop here again next time through. They have a large menu with weekly specials but I tried a German dish. Glad I did. I got the German Special with pork chop and Brst read more

St James Restaurant - the interior of the restaurant - American Near Me - Avilla, Indiana

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This place has the best the best broasted chicken it's amazing and they have really good soup and their burgers are awesome the service is great parking is great I recommend 100% on this read more

5 of us ate here on a Saturday night when there was a long wait at our intended destination. All 5 meals were consumed with gusto. I had the scallops, which were very well cooked and seasoned. 2 people had the prime rib, which was delicious, and 2 had sandwiches. The Reuben was deemed very good, but strange because the cheese was on the outside,which made it a bit messy to eat. The Philly Steak sandwich was also consumed enthusiastically, but to this former Philadelphian it was more a steak sandwich with cheese than a Philly Cheese Steak. Side orders were all good, and the two who ordered cocktails said they very good. The weak point were the desserts, which tasted commercial. On the other hand, everyone was very full by the time dessert arrived, so maybe that was part of the problem. read more

Got a grilled chicken salad. It was really good. Great portion, tasted really good. The atmosphere was a little outdated, but good food and good service. read more

I have been here several times for thier "famous " prime rib... 2 times they were out... 2 times it wasnt ready. Tonight i finally got prime rib, however my partner ordered the buffelo strips, and the trend of disappointment continued. A dinky chic breast cut up, smothered in hot sauce on a leaf of lettuce! I was embarrassed for the resturant! I was stunned... i shared half my 18.00 prime rib with my partner, and later suplimented with quick bite from McDonald's... atleast with them you know what to expect! I cant beleive our waitress had the nerve to even deliver the plate she did. What a waste of gas money to drive all the way there to support a resturant that obviously dosnt really care about its own reputation. read more

Good times and delicious Friday noon-special fish in the tiny town. I always try to stop in when I'm home.

This is a good place to eat if you like broasted chicken they have one of the best broasted chicken that you can order however the price of the dishes are a little bit salty read more

Appetizer mushrooms had ice in the middle. Stomach upset could not enjoy meal after trying to eat these. The server did not seemed suprised that there was a problem with the mushrooms. Threw out leftovers. Was charged for mushrooms anyway. read more