Great service by most waitresses with a friendly smile. Food is good, the fish has changed though from when Phil owned it. The pieces are smaller and cooked longer (especially on carry out orders. But I still recommend this place as they have a big menus and fantastic home made pies. read more

Our waitress was great, she seemed to be working the dining room area by herself (July 12). We had pork tenderloins, always a meal when I am back in Indiana. They were moist and tender. The pickled eggs were great. I had sugar cream pie, which was more of Amish style (this is Adams County), still very good. Really the only issue was the mildew smell upon entry. read more

I ordered the corned beef hash & cheese omelet & had coffee. I loved that they bring a little carafe of coffee to the tables, which reduces the wait time for servers to come around to the tables, which was only thrice- to take our order, to deliver our food, & to bring us our check, never once to check on us or see if we wanted additional food or beverages. The mean age group of customers was definitely in the 60s, which made us the youngest couple in the room. This fact apparently warranted stares from all of the customers & staff upon entry, which made for an incredibly uncomfortable breakfast before we even made it to our table. I am unsure if us being younger & from out of town/state is what caused the subpar service from the staff, or if it is always that way, but they sure appeared to visit the other tables to check on them, but they also all seemed to know one another & are probably regulars. On to the food. Wow. This is the entire reason for the single star. I can understand bland eggs & potatoes, but how the heck do you have bland corned beef?! The corned beef hash & cheese omelet was one of the most tasteless things I have ever tasted. That wasn't even the worst part about the meal. The center was so unbelievably piping hot when the outer portions were merely lukewarm, tricking you into thinking that it was cooled enough to eat, that I severely burned the roof of my mouth. Not a simple "oh, that's hot" burn, but a 2nd degree burn to the roof of my mouth, which was so bad that it had caused the skin to blister by the time we walked to the parking lot that had broken within the hour & layers of skin on the roof of my mouth were peeling away for days afterward. I am writing this review a week & a half later, & the skin is barely healed, but I still have a gouged "dimple" in the roof of my mouth where the burn was at its worst. Honestly, the pain & the burn may have been worth it if the food was at least good, but I couldn't taste anything in it aside from all of the salt & pepper that I had to add to it to give it SOME form of flavour. It's just unfortunate that I was forced to eat even more bland & mushy food for a week afterward thanks to the 2nd degree burns that this restaurant had provided to me. I can't believe I paid them for this. Shame on us both, I suppose. read more

We used to love this place. The fish has always been delicious. It's hit or miss with the wait staff. Sometimes you get a decent waitress, sometimes you don't. The wait staff is nothing special though, I've had better and I've had worse. The prices are the big issue. Everything is overpriced on their menu. The amount of food you get for the amount spent doesn't match up. I went in during my lunch hour and spent over $20 including tip for fish with fries and a cup of soup plus a pop. Way overpriced. read more

Nice old timey place but food was just ok. The people that had fish really loved it. Onion rings had little flavor. I had the chicken and server forgot to put in my order (6 in our party). She was apologetic and it wasn't too long after everyone else got their food. Chicken came out hot and crispy. Fries were cold and inedible. Chicken had their signature batter but not a lot of flavor. Server took off the chicken basket from the bill which was nice. If we were ever in the area I might stop in again and try something else. read more

Would not recommend. The breaded tenderloin was very greasy. The potato soup had absolutely no flavor. The chicken strips were ok. It took awhile before we were even acknowledged. The server never came back to refill our drinks. We will not return. read more

Home style atmosphere and food. Hard to make a choice, but never gone wrong! Generous portions and smiling attentive servers,

I grew up in Decatur and we would go to West End occasionally (my family did not eat out much). I remember always being excited to go there. They always had good fish and awesome onion rings. I was recently home for a short trip and took my grandma and parents out for supper. It had been years since I had stopped in here to eat. The restaurant looked just as I had remembered it but with a new perk. No Smoking!!! I was so happy they changed to this! We got there early enough on a Friday night that we were still able to seat ourselves. I had a seat facing the TV which made me happy since Purdue basketball was playing that night. Our waitress was kind and answered any questions we had. They had a special for $1 off their Breaded Flounder with choice of potato, salad and roll. All four of us decided to order the smaller portion (4 oz vs 8 oz). My mom and I had onion rings and a lettuce salad. My dad had french fries and a lettuce salad. My grandma had a baked potato and cole slaw. When our food came, my mom and I could not even see our fish at first. There were so many large onion rings (not complaining here). Everything was really good! The onion rings were just as I had remembered...big, battered and delicious! The only reason I will not give them five stars is that the fish could have been a little less crispy but it was still really good! I am very happy that my memories of coming to West End were brought back to life again! I would recommend trying it out! read more

Second breakfast in as many days - friendly waitresses, fast service, good food at reasonable prices! In addition it was very clean. Thanks!

My Husband took me to the "West End" Resturaunt in Decatur Yesturday, he said he had Not been there in years, But keeps talking about the Gizzards, "How Tender they are" So we both ordered them, Wow!! They were the Best Ever!! They know how to cook them at the "West End" (Monroe St) in Decatur, In Great Job Hats off to the chef there. Thanks for such a Tasty meal. If you get a chance stop by & try some. read more

I happened across this place quite by accident, and I am glad I did! I would describe the West End as a typical small down cafe or diner. They have one exposed brick wall with photos which is nice. Staff is friendly and courteous. I always visit the restroom to see how clean they are - because in my mind if they restrooms are dirty the kitchen is also. What I found was a spotless restroom with ample room for the disabled to maneuver. Their onion rings are delicious, battered just right, and crisp. They could improve upon the flavor, however, by using sweet onions or Vidallia onions. Also the addition of dipping sauce, perhaps with a Ranch dressing or horseradish base. Chicken gizzard basket was excellent! The gizzards were soft and tender, and not overcooked which is the norm at some places. The batter was light and herbed. Definately recommend if you are a fan of chicken gizzards. The basket is served with a side unremarkable crinkle-cut fries. The boneless chicken wings are really chicken nuggets, and are offered with a variety of sauces. The Teriyaki was traditional and reliable in flavor. The Caribbean Jerk was awesome and contained a mixture of spices that set the sauce off perfectly. The Mango Heat was an unexpected treat, and light on the heat. Parmesan Garlic was mediocre, as it was drowned in butter and parmesan; would ask for them to go 'light' on the sauce next time so they aren't so wet. I also enjoyed the Asian Garlic, which also is a traditional sauce at chain restaurants; it was predictable and tasty. The Butterscotch Pie was delicious, as was the more traditional Pecan Pie. Prices on everything is very reasonable. A simple dinner costs between $10-$15 with deserts (pies) around $3 a slice. read more

You will never stick to your healthy diet if you eat here on a daily basis, but they don't claim to have a health food menu. If you wanted to order baked fish and salad, you would do alright. Where this small, old fashioned cafe has it going on is in the "comfort foods" they provide (read: fried). The first thing you notice when you come through the door, besides the rustic exposed brick decor and the friendly waitstaff who greet you, is how clean it is. For being over a hundred years old (I think they told me 150 years, but who is counting?) everything is spotless. The bathrooms are cleaner than some dining areas. And as a previous reviewer stated, SMOKE FREE is a big bonus! I was going to rate 3 stars based on the food, but I am so impressed on the cleanliness that it gains another star. The Onion Rings are perfectly battered (not too much), are crispy and have great flavor. The only thing more I could ask would be for a tasty home-made, signature dipping sauce. The Southwestern Cod was tasty and not over baked. The "American Fries" are essentially hash browns and a nice departure from French Fries. The wings are a recent addition to their menu, according to the owner, and can be ordered after 4pm. The Cajun flavor was unremarkable, but the Asian Garlic was very good and so far my favorite. For the brave there is Fire but it was not so hot as to not have flavor. As for the cooking of the wings, the meat was cooked through but the skin a little fatty and slimy. (Yes, I'm very fussy about my wings being cooked perfectly so that you can remove the bones from the flats with just a twist). The owner seemed open to suggestion so perhaps they will perfect their wings as time goes by. The prices are very reasonable with the most expensive dinner on the menu being around $12. They also offer a Breakfast menu and there is an adjacent bar so adult beverages can be ordered with your meal. read more

Don't like to give bad reviews, especially when the food is so good. This is the second time I have come in and sat at the counter and never got waited on. So I left and found food elsewhere. read more

I go here every Friday with my grandpa and we both love it. Never have gotten my order wrong and they are so friendly. Because we are regulars, the waitress calls us by name and already knows what we want to drink. read more

I decided to give West End another try recently. A friend and I ordered basket meals this time. I made sure to avoid the house salad this go around since I didn't want a bowl of prepackaged lettuce mix. We did get an order of broccoli bites and they were okay but not worth the price. My friend ordered the 2 piece fish basket and didn't eat most of the fish. She was expecting "West End"'fish and this did not deliver. I don't know if you have to order the cod to get that type of fish, but this wasn't good. The breading seemed mealy and the flavor of the fish wasn't what I'd come to expect from this restaurant. It just tasted wrong as if it had freezer burn or something. I ordered the grilled chicken basket. One piece- I ended up putting it on the small dinner roll to eat as it was so small and dry. Nothing more than GFS chicken and not at all matching the menu description. The waitress was better this time around and when she did check on us; was very attentive. Getting her attention took some time when she was busy visiting with a friend who had come in to eat- but overall- she was great compared to last visit. Was this second chance enough to make me come back to West End? No. If I want food and service that this restaurant used to provide I guess I'll need to go to Nine Mile. This is a shame to me. I grew up eating at West End and when I didn't live here the first thing I wanted was chicken or a tenderloin from West End. Sometimes we'd come here right after the airport. Sadly, those days are over and I hate that I can't pass on what used to be a family place-my grandparents introduced me-to my own children. read more

Little bit disappointed today. Have went to west end for over 50 years!!Chicken basket is not the same. Used to have French fries good roll, celery with the basket. Chicken is greasy now. Just not the same! read more

Simple country kitchen but the staff personality is a complete fail...rude, rude, rude. If your in the customer service business, and being a server at a restaurant I think qualifies, then come with a smile. Or at least try and fake it, everyone has a bad day or a slow moving morning but I expect more then "are you ready". I know I'm from out of town but it was more then apparent that the locals get the same service. So will I return, perhaps... but I'll look for other options for sure. read more

Well this place has been around a long time, but I think it is NOT because of their take on what fried chicken is... simply put , you can't dredge chicken in beer batter and dunk in deep fryer and call it fried chicken. Try something else on menu, creamy slaw was good but over priced! read more

West End Restaurant - Beer battered Cluck = YUCK!! - New American Near Me - Decatur, Indiana

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I have always received good food when visiting. On Tuesday however my service was well below standard. I sat for awhile before being acknowledged by the waitress. After my order was taken, I received my main coarse. This was within a reasonable amount of time. However I still had not received my drink or salad. I had to mention it to the waitress or i might not have received it. The waitress did apologise to me for not bringing them to me. This was very disappointing to me. The house dressing for the salad is a big reason for visiting. I had to leave my main coarse pushed to the side, getting cold, while I ate my salad. Overall, it was a disappointing visit. read more

So I work in Decatur and alot of the locals brag about this place. So I gave it a shot. I ordered their fish basket and it was the absolute worst tasting fried fish I have ever had. It was really doughy and just had a really nasty taste. I can't speak for the other meals on the menu but that meal was the worst 1st impression for a new potential customer and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone read more

I love West End! I've been going here since I was five and I know some of the waitresses by name. I love how they always have something for everyone and they are always willing to take off the onions since my stomach can't handle them. I love the food and atmosphere. I definitely recommend this place to everyone! read more

Great food, great service, and a nice clean homey feeling. Well worth the stop when in Decatur.

Friendly staff, clean & cozy with a lot of small town charm. Menu consists of a lot of fried foods. Not a lot of alternative options if you are not a fan of deep fried items. A large pie selection to choose from. The Carmel Apple pie is terrific. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Pleasantly surprised with the meal. Great food, lots of choices, and reasonable pricing. I may go back for supper!

I've been going to the west end for years. They have great home cooked meals and a friendly staff. I might add that their fish is the best around, though it can be soggy at times. I'd give them 5 stars if they would set the fish on a strainer so that the fish wasn't so saturated in grease on the bottom. Great place regardless. read more

9 of us went for lunch there today, a Saturday, to celebrate my mother's 91st birthday. It was a disaster. The service was horrible. Most of us ordered soup and asked that it be brought out first to the private dining room we were in. After 15 minutes and a lot of empty drink glasses and no waitress (and they were not very busy) I finally went to the front counter and said we needed drinks and had been waiting 15 minutes for our soup. A few minutes later, the waitress came in and brought the soups and the meals together and filled our drinks. My potato soup was cold so I just had it packed to go since my entree was there. I ordered the "new" blackened cod and it was awful. I couldn't eat it--cold, rubbery and no flavor. I sent it back. When we finished eating the waitress came and took our dessert order and left all the dirty dishes sitting in front of us. We cleared the tables ourselves and stacked the dirty dishes on the end of the table. I ordered coffee with my dessert and was never offered a refill. the waitress didn't bring silverware with the desserts so we were using soup and tea spoons. The dirty dishes were still piled on the table when we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone. It ruined what could be my mom's last birthday and I'm just so sorry we chose the West End Restaurant. read more

Ya wanna know how much I like their chicken?... My grandfather use to work there for many years... knew the recipe,.. when I was getting ready to go to Viet Nam , he fixed chicken for my last supper here in Decatur... Every time I eat there , I always have the chicken... well sometimes I will get the gizzards, love them also...Never never have I had a bad batch.. ... And you all should try the pie selection, they have many to chose from. read more

A Decatur tradition for over 130 years. Reviews should reflect what this restaurant reflects. A quintessential small town diner where locals meet regularly. Excellent diner type breakfast, great pies and a fun local environment. If you want to know where the locals go, you have found it! read more

My favorite restaurant in Decatur...breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Good value. Best onion rings I have ever had. Chicken and fish is good. You really can't go wrong with any thing on their menu. I will admit that the service is not always as good as it could be but overall it's not as bad as some on here say. read more