food is great!…read more Spencer (part owner) is super hospitable and was kind to me! good prices and specials! def add this to your places to try out! kuddos from this portland traveller

Our food was served cold. Our waitress did not get our order correct. She said she was new and…read moreshe was very nice, but it was really the food that was disappointing. The waitress did bring fresh fries out, but these were not done. I just sat the time I was there and the food went in the trash. Didn't want to sound like a broken record. My burger was awful, cold. Nice atmosphere, plenty of room and comfortable, but they really need to up their cooking skills.

I had occasion to visit the VA hospital this week for an 8am appt, and wanted breakfast once the…read moreappt was done. My husband asked about a chicken friend steak, so I Yelp'd and low-and-behold, Cook's is really close to where we were. I was raised in a small midwestern town, and this, folks, is a quintessential midwestern diner! I didn't snap a pic of the menu, but ordering is done at the register and all the prices are very reasonable. I ordered a coffee & western omelette, which came with a side of hash-browns and biscuit. The coffee, very standard diner percolator brewed stuff, was fresh and the perfect consistency. The food was served quickly by a cheerful waitress who came by a few times to continue to check on us. My husband was very pleased with his chicken fried steak, hash-browns, eggs and toast. My breakfast was well-portioned; not a huge plate but definitely ample, fresh and tasty! The best part of the experience for me what the cleanliness of the dining room. Not fancy- utilitarian carpet, linoleum table tops- but so clean, fresh and well-tended. It seemed busy for a Thursday morning; more than half the dining room was occupied, and the low storefront of the building is easy to miss, but I was confident these customers were regulars. We don't live in Topeka, but this is now my fav restaurant there, so I plan to return!

It has been about 2 years since I had been to Cooks. It has not changed and the food quantity and…read morequality is still a good place to find a great breakfast and lunch meal. Coffee was good. The staff are always helpful. They have good deserts also. Not fancy but very relaxing place. Bisquits and gravy were great.

I go there because of Mr Blood. Great food , alot of TV's…read moreto watch any game , great patio seating , service here is too notch

Bullfrogs is an average bar in an average town with an average menu at average prices. If it…read moreweren't for their nicely shaded patio that occasionally has an average breeze I would never visit the place.

Drinks are priced well for what you get, atmosphere and staff are PHENOMENAL…read more Me and my friend had gabby as our server and she was just fantastic. As someone who works in the service industry, I can judge appropriately at how a place is functioning and servers like Gabby make the place what it is. Lovely experience.

The appetizers are great for sharing especially with a cocktail. The service was great. It was a…read morefun place for a girls night out.

My family and I were passing through on our way home from visiting family and stopped for dinner…read moretonight. We wanted burgers and decided on this place, and had a really great experience. Our waitress was amazing, the food was amazing. We got the regular cheeseburger, the mushroom burger and the country fried chicken steak dinner. Would recommend all!

Camped at Lake Perry and stopped in for dinner. I had a double cheeseburger that was incredible…read more Came with crispy fries. Appetizer we had was cheese curds - on the small size but still good. Waitress was nice and efficient. Great lil place to stop.

There are places you plan to visit, and then there are places you stumble into--the kind that feel…read morelike they've been sitting there for years, quietly daring you to notice them. Little Russia Chili Parlor is the latter. A small, out-of-the-way joint in Topeka that doesn't scream for attention--but once you walk in, it doesn't need to. The air alone tells you you're in the right place. This is Daniela's house. Not in the literal sense, but in the way that matters. She runs the place with the kind of confidence you don't fake--part host, part artist, part benevolent dictator of flavor. You don't get the sense that anything leaves that kitchen unless it meets her standard, and that standard is unapologetically high. Start with the pickles. Yeah, pickles. The kind that makes you pause mid-bite and reconsider every sad, limp grocery store version you've ever tolerated. These are spiced, alive, sharp in all the right ways--like they've got a story to tell and no patience for small talk. Then there's the baked goods coming in from Oakland's Bakery--local, honest, the kind of bread that actually tastes like grain and effort instead of air and preservatives. And then you hit the sides. The spiced pimento cheese spread isn't some afterthought--it's a statement. Smoky, a little dangerous, layered in a way that suggests someone in that kitchen understands restraint just as well as indulgence. It's the kind of thing you keep eating long after you've told yourself you're done. But let's not kid ourselves. You came here for the chili. And the chili... the chili doesn't just deliver--it recalibrates. Deep, complex, unapologetically bold. It's not trying to be trendy or Instagram-friendly. It's trying to be right. The kind of bowl that makes you slow down, lean in, and pay attention. Every spoonful feels deliberate, like it's been simmering not just for hours, but for years of trial, error, and quiet perfection. The sandwiches? Stacked, messy in the best way, built on that Oakland's Bakery foundation like someone actually cares about what bread is supposed to do--hold everything together without getting in the way. This place doesn't need hype. It doesn't need a rebrand or a marketing push. It exists in that rare space where authenticity isn't a strategy--it's just how things are done. You don't come to Little Russia Chili Parlor to be seen. You come because someone told you, quietly, "Trust me." And if you're smart, you listen.

Loved this place so much! Truly local, we found it by using the "lunch near me" function. The…read moreregulars greeted us warmly and guided us through the menu. We started with chili this time but next time we will try the sandwiches. Any place with homemade pickles wins my heart - they had three kinds. And a cracker trough made from a garden planter. And pimento cheese. Basically, it was amazing. And the chili was super tasty too.

I stopped at this cute little diner while traveling through Topeka. Nice crowd for early Monday…read moremorning. So, must be popular with the locals. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Hot coffee. I ordered the Western Breakfast which is country potatoes cooked with ham, onions and green peppers with two eggs on top. Toast or biscuits on the side. Hit the spot, however, had to take 1/2 in a to go box the serving was so much! Highly recommended for a delicious breakfast that will fill you up.

Best breakfast food we've had in AGES. Hands down best breakfast in Topeka, Lawrence, or Olathe…read more Crispy hashbrowns and the BACON is the best bacon I've had from any restaurant anywhere!!! Thick, crispy, and slightly sweet. Waitress was friendly and attentive.

Super impressed with our first visit. Kids meals are top tier marketing, our kids will absolutely…read morebe begging to come back for free slushy and ice cream. I was worried it would be the same as salty iguana that was here before, but definitely was not which is a good thing

Drinks were strong figures it mighy cater to more of the college crowd that is typically occupying…read morethe space. Wonder if the food could be prepared better once they figured the flavor to provide. Price is fair and the server was fairly new but very well knowledgable. It is a good spot to try atleast once.