Great atmosphere and great food. Reminds me of the joys of being a kid. My daughter is always overjoyed when she hears the train coming to deliver her food. I absolutely love that I can order a beer and watch her play in close vicinity. It's so convenient and exactly what Forest park needed. read more

The Junction Diner - Fun train for food delivery - American Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

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What a great treat! We joined some friends here for Valentine's Day-five adults and four kids. The staff was friendly, food delicious, and atmosphere was fun! I loved that the train delivered our food (I have two kids under four, so this is my idea of excitement). Anyhow, the burgers were well prepared and flavorful, and my buffalo chicken wrap was so perfectly constructed that I might even enjoy it during my lunch break someday (without the kids!). The owner is hands-on and super friendly. As a small business owner, I appreciate his attention to detail and focus on customer service. Great job! We will be back....soon! read more

I am a HUGE fan of this place for multiple reasons: - The food is delicious - The owners and staff are friendly, knowledgeable and incredibly service-oriented (my photobooth photo came out jenky and they owner bought me a new one without me even saying anything) -The food is affordability priced and there is a good variety of options - TRAINS! -They serve beer and wine So this is a fantastic place to bring the kids - or yourself. For it being a kid restaurant, it's very classy. The decor is nice, the restaurant is open and airy, and it's surprisingly quiet, even when filled with playing children. They have free wifi and serve a variety of wines and beers, so I could probably hang out there all day and eat their delicious sweet potato fries. They have stuff for the kids to do (a coin-operated train, train table, etc) and both "kid" and "adult" food options, that, if you sit at the bar, are delivered by train. This, understandably, was my kid's favorite part. I wish they had something like this where I live! read more

Not impressed. Took my little toddler here and most of the toys/rides didn't work or looked extremely worn down. We arrived after opening with only one other family there and it took a while to get our food. The waitress was friendly, but the other patrons were extremely stuck up and rude. I'm not from the Forest Park area, but if this is how the neighborhood folks act, we definitely won't waste our time coming back. The food was basic and kinda pricey. read more

The common problem with concept restaurants is that when all is said and done, either the concept or the food quality suffers in the end. In The Junction's case, the food is perfectly fine but the concept is pathetically almost laughably realized in this vacuous space which was formerly a much loved stained glass studio and retail space. The idea of your lunch arriving on a train is hardly and novel concept for anyone over 10 years old and the rest of the concept is executed strictly by the restaurant's name and a few small pictures of trains sporadically scattered on the otherwise massively empty gray walls. The menu is neither original nor inventive in any way. We've all seen burgers on pretzel buns, cheese fries and buffalo chicken sandwiches before and The Junction delivers these with no twist of any kind other than the boxcar it rolls in on. Standard diner dishes, nicely prepared for sure, but nothing special here. The Junction's main marketing point is that it's a family friendly joint. My partner and I are two gay men in our 40's with no kids so this is a plus we could care less about, in fact, the less we have to deal with people's children the better. If the food were better or the menu more interesting, we'd be more than willing to deal with everyone's rug rats for the sake of a great lunch but such is not the case here. Now, if you DO have children, FINALLY you have a place where you can take them where they can run and scream to their hearts content and people like me and my partner won't be at the next table rolling our eyes and wishing they'd shut the hell up and eat their chicken nuggets. The little angels have plenty to keep them occupied including a chalk wall they can draw on and a working model train they can control. My partner ordered the cheeseburger with fries and I had the pot roast sandwich with sweet potato fries. His burger was nicely cooked and the fries were hot and had a nice crunch. My pot roast sandwich was tender and nicely seasoned and my sweet potato fries were crispy and hot. Our sandwiches and 2 drinks came to just over $22 for our lunch. They did not take credit cards at the time, luckily my bank is right across the street so I had to hit the cash machine and come back. The staff was friendly enough but when we went it was not a busy night and they could hardly handle the few patrons they had with any sense of efficiency, I can only imagine how much of a hot mess the service must be on a busy Saturday afternoon. Concept C Execution D Menu C Service C Quality B+ Value B Grade C read more

I really wanted to like this place! The concept is very cute but their food just isn't great. I've tried the soup (which is salty and sadly small for the price) and chicken sandwich which was really dry). I might've caught them on an off day but I wouldn't come here unless I had a child who could benefit from the unique concept. read more

Great place to bring kids, that's pretty much why we frequent this spot. Added bonus is the food is actually really good and they have a decent beer list for adults. Super friendly service; we love this place. It's very close to a local ice cream joint - we usually hit up both and make a family date night out of it. read more

The Junction Diner - American Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

Really great place for kids. Very family friendly, and amazingly attentive service. Impressed by the wide variety of food options--- from soup, to gluten free breads, and cane sugar sodas (and wine and beer!). Kids enjoy the toys and playing w/ eachother. Tip from me: leave purse in car so you can easily go from stools at the bar, to watching kids in the toy area. Also, food is on the greasier side, so order light. read more

My 2.5year son loved this place. I tried Juicy Lucy Burger. It's awesome! My son finished two mini burger with fries. It hadn't happen before. I will go there again and again. It will be our family favorite place. read more

Great place for kids' parties! The staff was friendly and helpful, and made sure the birthday girl had everything she wanted. Kids had a wonderful time! read more

The Junction Diner - Model train with buttons to push! - American Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

Great food here and lots of seats by the tracks. If you're lucky enough to get street parking it's free, otherwise there are smaller parking lots around that will cost $2 for 2 hours (not bad). Back to the restaurant...so much space in here, a few small quarter rides (yes they only cost $ .25!! A train table, huge chalkboard for kids to draw on, a cool gumball machine and a picture booth. I thought their prices were incredibly affordable. We got a coke, chicken Caesar salad, kids mini burgers and a cupcake. Everything was delicious and it was $24. It was very clean (even the bathroom) and the employees were very friendly. Also I'm not a drinker, but they do have beers (including craft beers). I will definitely be back again, I like it WAY more than the choo choo and I will drive the 30 minutes rather than the few minutes it would take me to get to the choo choo. read more

Lots of fun, great fun and great food. Kids love it. The food is pretty tasty and the staff is wonderful, especially with my Bugga. I highly recommend everyone with kids bring them here for a Saturday night out on the town experience for your little ones. read more

The Junction Diner - American Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

My 4 year old really likes this place. The food is okay, I guess. Better than McDonald's. I think we'd go back more often if they would wipe down the children's area and clean the bathrooms more often. The place just isn't very sanitary (although I haven't ever gotten food poisoning from eating there so my hope is the kitchen is clean). My stars go towards keeping my child entertained (with the train that delivers the food) and the fresh cut fries. read more

This place is adorable (if you have kids or a really childish like me). I went for a walk with a girlfriend of mine and we stumbled upon this place. It was a weekday early evening and the place was empty so I can't say how it is on the weekends when it's full of little ones playing with the trains and running around. My guess is that unless I was there with my nephew's, I'd avoid the place like the plague on the weekends as I have very little patience dealing with screaming kids while I am trying to eat. The food is reasonably priced, the soup I had was yummy, and they deliver the food on a train that goes around the counter. Yea, that was my favorite part. Apparently I'm just a giant child. There's nothing special about the menu. You can tell they are trying to cater to kids and keeping it simple seems the safe bet. It's a neat idea for families in the area, especially since there are so many bars and adult driven restaurants around. I'd return with my nephews...and some earplugs...on a weekend just to see how it is. read more

Went here for lunch. Ordered a kids meal, the steak tacos, and the Reuben. Everyone thought the food was fantastic, and in general, this place walks the perfect line, appealing to both kids and adults. The kids will love the Good Humor ice cream for dessert; the grown-ups will love the local beer selection. The kids will love the trains and the carnival machines; the grown-ups will love the Pac-Man and pinball machines in the back room. Overall, this place is very clean, bright, well run, and well loved. We will definitely be back! read more

i didn't know what to expect, other than what I had read, about this place. I knew it was kid-centric, but also knew they had beer and wine offerings ... presumably for the adults to consume, not use as bedtime aids :) Will definitely go back, even without the kids. Owner is from Indianapolis (turns out a classmate of my wife's) but that's not the reason for the four stars, that's all about the menu and the space. Still, both, works in progress, but good offerings for anybody's palate, food is delivered by locomotive and the food's good. I had the juicy lucy style burger which did justice to it's Minn. namesake/roots, wife had the chicken wrap which was also very good. Kids had chicken nuggets and they were good enough to keep their attention, and bottoms in seats, despite the appealing kid-centric playthings which were available. This is a great concept and I really hope it works because what a great place to grab a bite and entertain the children and maybe make some new friends in the process. read more

We've been to a few different train restaurants, some awesome some just ok. The junction diner was definitely just ok. They had really nice staff, and good food (we were pleasantly surprised, the veggie burger was delicious!) , but the space itself lacked, well, trains. And let's be honest, we come here for the trains! There were a couple pics on the wall, a train table, and a train that the kids could ride for a quarter, but then that was it. The train on the counter is always a favorite at these kind of places, but the kids lose interest as soon as their food has been delivered. Other places have more games, moving trains on the wall, decorations, even bathrooms decorated with trains! read more

Wonderful unique fun diner that delivers your food by a model train. My family loved the atmosphere and the restaurant staff were very friendly. Great place to take a small child. Highly recommended the Burlington Burger :) read more

We LOVE this restaurant! It's hands down our kids favorite place to go!! Brad goes out of his way to make everyone feel special! Our son is a huge Train fan so we are regulars! The food is really good too! Check it out- your kids will have a ball! read more

Recently ordered a Patty melt and lemonade via Ubereats from the junction diner. I paid $3.00 for the lemonade and when it arrived i was given a lemonade caprisun juicebox! I called the restaraunt to confirm that this is the lemonade they offer and indeed it is. There is zero indication that this is the case online. While I understand times are hard for all restraunts this is unnacceptable and the Diner should be embarrased to be putting out such food items. Was a loyal customer but will now be going elsewhere. read more

They really nail the train motif. A train brings out the food, they have a couple of play train sets and they also have one for the kids to ride. Some other nice touches are the full wall chalkboard, wine and beer, and the free wifi. That all came first because the food is pretty standard. Burgers, pasta and the regular kids menu filled with cheese with mac or grilled. Overall a great place to take a kid to keep them busy in between bites of food, but not a place to come for just for the food. read more

Came here for my grandson's birthday. He loved the choo choo train and the photo booth. And the food was good. Great destination for the little ones. read more

The Junction Diner - Spivey chicken salad - American Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

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Amazing time. If you have kids and are looking for a kid friendly place with great food (and alcohol) this is it. A train brings your food to the table and the kids will love it. Had a great time. Bacon Burger- great! Big! Homemade donuts with dipping sauce- great! Take your family. read more

This is such a cute and fun spot for kids! My son absolutely loves this place. I love the theme of the trains and how the food is served. The additional activities for kids makes this place even better. This is my second time coming to Junction Diner. I love the atmosphere, but the food is okay. The first time I had a chicken wrap and it was pretty good. Yesterday I got the tacos and they were alright. I hear the burgers are good so I will have that the next time I go. Overall if you have small children that like trains and could use some entertainment while dining this is your place. The staff are all really nice as well. Would for sure comeback again! read more

Let me start by saying that I felt like I was being rushed, I decided to order the Mushroom burger and it was bland. My son had the mini burgers which he enjoyed, fries were horrible. Also they should probably take the time to keep the place cleaner, overall I probably won't be back. read more

After watching the CTA green line and Metra trains for 20 mintues with my 21 month old, The Junction Diner came to mind. We had had a rough dinner at home the night before and I didn't want to wrangle him. When we arrived, I didn't know at first that the train went around the counter. When we saw it we snagged a seat near the entrance where the train came out. Since it was our first time there, I didn't know how to get the highchair over the seat. There was a nice customer who helped me since my husband wasn't there yet. It was so much fun! I got into hearing the train horn and then seeing the food pass by. I had expected the food to be blah since we were there for the train not necessarily the food, but I am happy to report it was good. Not out of this world but good. Good enough to where we will go back. I had the spicy chicken sandwich, my son had the grilled cheese and my husband had the taco bowl. All decent sized servings, well made and tasted good. It was also nice to go somewhere and not feel self-conscious about having a toddler. When he yelled "train," I didn't think twice. That was nice, too, especially since we like to eat out and I truly got to enjoy my meal without being nervous about disrupting other customers. I liked the toys at the front. Our son liked to jump from each toy. I liked the photobooth! It was fun to get a quick family photo together. Overall, I highly recommend this place. Great entertainment, good food and lots of family fun. read more

Stopped by for dinner Nice place for kids entertainment...good food friendly staff The kids love the train ... read more

Love the concept - and that unlike Hamburger Choo Choo in DesPlaines, there was abundant counter seating as opposed to them. My Patty Melt was superb and my 5 yo grandchild enjoyed her pancakes and yogurt. Crayons and a paper are given which is always good while waiting for food; that it's delivered via a counter train is always a crowd pleaser (this train and the track distance is probably 4x greater than HCC mentioned above). There are two play areas for the kids, a huge blackboard floor to ceiling, and a photo booth that takes credit cards $3 for 4 poses and you get a printout in color and another in b/w. Fun. While the food was very good the high ceilings amplified the noise of at least 25 children under 8 yo - providing the neck, jaw, and shoulders to cringe often at the decibel level. The kids were being kids but really, is there nothing that could've been done architecturally to restrict the amplification - a problem in many restaurants. Lastly, I didn't feel the place was all that clean - maybe it was the worn flooring or the sticky ketchup jar - it wasn't the fault of the waitress who wiped down the counter once we were seated. I'm not saying the entire restaurant was unclean - but one thing like a sticky, greasy ketchup bottle is a major turn off for me. I'm not prissy in the least - I'm immunosuppressed and where stuff like that doesn't bother others, it has the potential to kill some others. read more

I have a three year old that loves trains and we live so close. I would be here at least every other week if the had for entertaining. More train things for the kids. Also the bathrooms are not very clean. The owner walks around looking like he just finished fixing something. Service is ok. The menu is ok. I see they added a few more things. I like there juicy Lucy and my boy the cheeseburgers. I think a better desert menu will be good to. And again more train things it is a train restaurant. read more

My family and I walked into this restaurant and stood at the front door waiting for about 10mins. My spouse finally walked up to a really nice Hispanic gentleman who was working at the counter and ask, if someone was seating people. He kindly told my spouse and I to walk to the back at the counter where there were seats. We sat down and a caucasian gentleman walk up to us and said. Who set these guys. My spouse then ask, who are the guys that you are referring too. My Spouse said we are people not guys. Come to find out that he was The owner. He was Extremely racist and did not apologize regarding calling us guys, and not customers or people. Then, there's a lady behind the counter that's extremely racist as well which is the owners mother. We ordered 3 entrees for our twin girls. We said we wanted Apple juice for all three then the woman said oh so she's ordering a kids meal. My spouse said no my spouse ordered an entree from the regular menu. We were sitting at the counter closest to the register. The owners mother was at the register with the Hispanic gentleman as she asked him did that woman from table two (our) table order anything. We stayed for our children but we will never ever step foot into that place ever again. On top of everything the place is dirty. Bathroom was dirty, the counter seats are worn, the floor haven't been cleaned there was dirt and lint. I would like to add we are a black and Hispanic couple. We are very well educated individual that have degrees. We were judge by the color of our skin. Very sad world we live in. read more

I love this place and agree with the previous positive reviews. My son is happily playing with the trains right now while I sit with a full belly from my spicy chicken pasta. Yum! The staff here rocks! read more

This place is a family favorite and a great example of a child centered restaurant! The vehicle displays and food delivery by toy train are a hit every time! The menu choices are perfect for children and adults alike. The waiters are always wonderful and have offered us crayons and a coloring sheet on top of all the distractions they already have. The Junction Diner is definitely worth a visit! read more

It's a very fun environment for children so if you have a lot of free time with your kids come here. It's extremely noisy! So get ready for a headache ALSO the food takes FOREVER so make sure you're ready for about an hour. Your food arrives on a toy train by the way read more

We took our son here for dinner. He's 14 months old and he LOVED it. When we got there on a Friday evening around 530pm, the place was already busy! Kids were all over the place playing and exploring what the restaurant offers. We got seated in the middle with stools - iit's a small menu but still ok choices. After we ordered, we went to play with the trains, ride the trains, and all they offer. My son had a blast! The food was okay - I did not like my chicken cesar wrap, but my son finished his grilled cheese and chicken nuggets which we were amazed since he normally doesn't finish his meal! My husband ordered the alfredo pasta and he said it was just average pasta. Overall the food is meh, but it is a great place to bring your kids. The trains bring the food to your seat! I would definitely come again - maybe not eat but at least my son will be fed and he had a good time. read more

Crazy place - let me tell you. Great concept but it's not working. That place feels to empty and disorganized. We went there after brookfield zoo trip total of 6 heads. Waitresses are kind of mean and they don't care. Food wait time was long app 35 min for burger with only 2 more people there with 2 cooks. Cooks are not trained right based on my observation- he was handing meat then some block of chesse, then he grabbed for some tomato and lettuce to the cooler without washing hands between or gloves or anything. Then he let that chesse sit on the cutting board for good 30 min. Floor and counter was not cleaned since morning I guess cause I saw some pancakes by the chairs. Wont be back there for sure. No one got sick but still you see thing like that and something turns on in your brain. read more

I believe that they had only been open for a week or so at the time of my visit. The decor is still a work in progress, large blank walls. However they have a neat interactive train table, a coin-op train ride, and a huge black board wall with chalk. The waitstaff are friendly and helpful though a little overwhelmed. The service was quick. The food was excellent. I had the mushroom burger on a pretzel bun with regular fries. The fries are tasty and crispy. My wife had the sweet potato fries and said they were equally delicious. My boys had grilled cheese (nearly impossible to screw up) and mac and cheese with whole wheat pasta. The mac and cheese was great, next time I'm there I may have it for myself. Considering they just opened, the The Junction Diner is off to a great start. read more

Unbelievable went here with the kids thinking it would be just another kid friendly restaurant but boy were we surprised, first off the burger I had was as good or better than any I've had in recent memory, my wife had a wrap and said it was equally delicious. The kids both had Mac and cheese and devoured it, the wait staff was friendly and quick but I could definitely see them getting over burdened if the place fills up to fast. We went at 430 on a Saturday and it was absolutely perfect a small crowd with enough room for us and a few other families, in other words if your kids are hungry go early if you don't want to wait, I see this already popular place getting better and busier. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! 1st **The Staff** Nicest people on the planet earth. Especially the early afternoon waitress. On more than one occasion she has taken quarters out of her tip cup and given them to my children so they can ride the train. Of the many times my family and I have eaten there my order has only been wrong once. The waitress figured it out right away and promptly fixed it. Its also nice seeing the owner walking around talking to other customers and children making sure everyone is enjoying there visit. 2nd ** the food** I've personally only had the burgers and fries and they are delish. Burgers are cooked to the right temperature you specify, and the fries are homemade and yet still crispy and well seasoned. I would go back for the food alone regardless if I had my kids. 3rd **atmosphere** I love the fact that my kids can run around and play until the food is ready. There are many activities that keep them occupied from writing on the chalk board, to playing with the different train stations. My only complaint is I wish there was more trains for them to ride or play with. Not to make excuses for this place, but I get the feel that this is a fairly new business and they are still working out the kinks. If you didn't have a pleasant experience I would go back and try it again before you write them off completely. Read my other reviews I don't say that EVER. read more

Color me surprised - and happy! We stopped in for lunch while we had family in town. I warned them before we got in to have low expectations. I've been to many a train-themed restaurant before and food quality is typically not the draw. Most places like this know that your kids are going to beg to go there even if the food sucks. The Junction figured it out though - our food was fabulous and there was a great selection for the kids *and* the grown ups (wine! wraps! soup!) .... sorry, I'm just used to seeing bad chicken nuggets and grilled cheese. I had the buffalo wrap and sweet potato fries - excellent food and great value. We'll be back! read more

Wow, I'm really disappointed. We tried to eat here tonight, but sat around for nearly 20 minutes (with a grumpy toddler) without getting drinks or even being acknowledged. That's pretty unacceptable. I didn't recognize anyone working tonight so maybe they were new, but the restaurant wasn't even that busy. With so many restaurants on Madison St., your service really needs to be better than that. read more