Carolyn's Essenhaus is a true gem on the Kansas prairie. Located just southwest of Salina along…read moreState Highway 61, it's well worth a stop at almost any time of day. They're open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and until 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Saturday. They're closed on Sundays. After a long day on the road traveling from Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Salina, Kansas, we arrived around 6:00 p.m. on a Monday evening. We were more than ready for a break. We had found Carolyn's Essenhaus on Yelp, and from the photos and reviews, it looked like just the kind of place we were hoping to find. Inside, the restaurant was much larger than we expected. The dining room was filled with local artwork, charming Kansas memorabilia, comfortable tables and booths, and a classic salad bar prominently displayed in the center. Table service was friendly, warm, and welcoming--like enjoying dinner in your grandmother's kitchen. My wife ordered the chopped steak topped with cheese and grilled onions, served with green beans and sweet potato fries. I chose one of the local favorites, essentially a hearty patty melt featuring a grilled burger, grilled onions, and a thick slice of grilled ham. Both entrées were excellent, but the real star of the meal was the salad bar--especially if you appreciate an old-fashioned, homemade selection. It instantly reminded me of family potlucks with all my aunts and uncles. There was macaroni salad, cottage cheese, potato salad, broccoli raisin salad, a sweet and creamy chopped cucumber salad, and plenty of other homemade favorites. It was so good that I went back for a second small plate and happily told our server to charge me for the extra trip. To finish the meal, we couldn't resist taking two slices of their homemade coconut cream pie to go. It was every bit as delicious as the rest of the meal. Before heading out, we picked up a few of their homemade cookies from the front counter, paid what we thought was a very reasonable bill, and continued our journey with full stomachs and smiles. If your travels ever take you near Arlington, Kansas, do yourself a favor and make time for Carolyn's Essenhaus. It's the kind of place that reminds you why small-town restaurants are often the most memorable stops on any road trip.

Seat yourself, waited on quickly. Hot coffee, food arrived soon and was delicious!…read more A little out of the way, but so worth the drive!!

Food is amazing don't get me wrong, but the service is a whole new thing. Whenever I call in an…read moreorder and pick it up, I always get an attitude from the waitress if I don't leave a "big enough" tip.

Great family run bar & grill. Stopped here to get a quick bite to eat.. Food is cheap and tastes…read moregood!

We brought a local work group in for a celebratory dinner. We coordinated the menu and happy hour…read moreneeds in advance. The owners were very accommodating and so friendly. We had a small plates type menu that had 8 choices including meats, salad, fruit, cheese, fish and sides. Everything tasted delicious and home made. We had approximately 24 people and started with a happy hour with a full bar. The menu options were incredibly complimentary of our teams food interests. The ambience is French countryside. Fine tables. Linens. Center pieces. It's felt special and everyone enjoyed it so much. I will absolutely be back. Great experience and highly recommend this location.

This place has a for sale sign on it and is chained up. Don't think of coming here. The…read moreneighborhood cafe across the street looks like a dive but the food is good

Friendly and helpful servers. Great food. Refreshing beer lots of beer on tap…read more Burgers & sandwiches, fries were well seasoned.

Great small town bar restaurant nice clean place for lunch. Friendly attentive staff. Had a…read morecheesesteak and pountie both really good!

Amazing food and wonderful staff! Everything is delicious and huge servings. Love the decor,…read moreespecially the chandelier.

Delicious as always. The fried mushrooms are a favorite. Split the catfish nugget dinner, order…read moreside salads to go with it. Beer is always cold. Carry Hutchinson brewery beers, Salt City and Sandhill breweries. Service was fast, not a long wait. Recommend to get on the waitlist through Yelp during busy times. Great atmosphere. If you like the present atmosphere of Cracker Barrel, you'll like The Barn's atmosphere.

Applebee's is one of the most famous restaurants here in Great Bend. I went a Sunday night, around…read more9.30 p.m. I am going to base my opinion on three criteria: service, quality and price of the food, and the environment. I am going to start with the environment because it's the first thing you notice when you walk in. The lights give you a warm welcome to the restaurant. The vibes that the restaurant spread change your mood. The environment stimulates you it does not matter if you are tired, angry or just stressed, all that goes away the moment you walk in. Also, Applebee's has a Karaoke night every Sunday, which is another highlight of its atmosphere. The food price is another feature of this place. They have affordable prices and the quantity of food you get is satisfactory. I got the Oriental Chicken Salad with Krispy chicken. It was a mix of flavors in my mouth. Without a doubt one of the best salads that I've ever had. As well, Applebee's has deals in some dishes, you can get two for 20,25 or 30 dollars. Also, you can have half-price appetizers every day past 9 p.m. on weekdays and past 10 p.m. on weekends. I tried the mozzarella sticks and believe me, they were exquisite, I loved the texture and the sauce goes perfect with them. The service I got was coherent with the fact that the restaurant was packed. The waiter took care of my order as soon as he could, and he apologized for the wait. Even though he was checking on me while I was waiting for my order I did not feel overwhelmed. Overall, Applebee's is a restaurant that you must try if you are in Great Bend. It has cheap prices, tasty food, and the environment makes you want to come back. Without a shadow of a doubt, I would recommend Applebee's.

Over an hour to get our cold food ... really bad , 4 cheese pasta could have been called no cheese…read morepasta , just really poor across the board.amazing that this place is still open

We were so glad to find a restaurant with good home cooking. It was excellent, and the staff was…read morevery friendly. Food was outstanding!!

Great food, great service. Went there this evening. Highly recommend this place. Wish it was closer…read moreto home.

Great little find as we traversed Kansas - Google Maps took us to the cemetery in town - but it's a…read moresmall town and this little gem is right on Main Street. We split the double patty burger with all the fixings and each did a side salad. Salads were very generous and the burger was great. Very friendly service as well. Walked away full and ready to continue our trek across the plains.

We have been going to this restaurant ever since moving to Spearville years ago! The owners and…read morestaff are always so welcoming! Mario has been so kind to our family, and my daughter absolutely LOVES going to eat there! The establishment is always clean and the food is sooo good. We highly recommend the pork green burrito and the beef chimichanga!!

Great open beef sandwich. Great home cooking and burgers, etc. Friendly and attentive staff.read more

The best burger I have eaten in a long time If you want to…read morebe treated like you have family in the restaurant business and have some of the best fresh cooked food come here If you want pretentious expensive overpriced slop go to a chain The burgers were amazing and onion rings to die for Ice cold beer excellent I'm a fan But the creme de la creme was the "dessert" Seriously great food , great prices and service second to none You won't be disappointed

Very neat place with a 50 year history! GREAT SERVICE!!! My goodness, we couldn't have been…read morebetter taken care of! Food was really good, but pricey. Highly recommend!

Stopped here at 10:40 pm To see if the kitchen was open…read more It was not. This is not a restaurant, this is a Bar. Asked if there was "Any Food Close"!? As we have been driving all day and had not had dinner... she said: There Is Absolutely NO Food for at least an hour away... When Sonic was literally right around corner. 1 Star for making things up And not telling the truth. I would give Zero stars if it were a possibility.