O. M. G. Â This place...I cannot say enough. Calico is the owner and she was working hard the day we were there. We stopped for lunch on July 2nd, 2013. I had the super special of the day, the bacon stuffed, bacon wrapped meatloaf sandwich. 2 slices on toasted bread with mozzarella cheese slice, offered with homemade fries or homemade chips (I went with homemade chips per Calico's recommendation and they were great). The sandwich was awesome. My wife had their Texas toast chicken melt with homemade coleslaw and homemade cream of broccoli soup. Again, awesome. The kids got sandwiches off the kids menu and when they came out, they were cut and stacked in a tent shape, great. I also had a cup of the homemade potato salad, again, awesome. If you ever find yourself along the Fox River in central Illinois, do yourself a favor and find it on your GPS and stop by.
Review Source:Calico cafe is a diner, and a great one at that. If you are in the area, maybe visiting Matthessian State Park or Starved Rock, or staying at Fox River Resort, this is a perfect choice for breakfast or lunch.
We went in June 2013, and the restaurant was full of happy diners. The very friendly owners were cooking food and waiting tables, and it was clear they were proud of their food.
We ordered the veggie omelet with swiss cheese and it was cooked perfectly. Fluffy, cheese fully melted, vegetables fully cooked and chopped small enough that you didn't need a knife. Offered in 2 sizes if you want a smaller option than the 4-egg. I took the small omelette after running 7 miles and it was just the right size. Â
We also ordered a side of sausage links and practically licked the plate.
Finished off with a rhubarb strawberry pie with fresh whip cream on top. I am still dreaming of that pie.
Cost is very budget-friendly.
They appeared to still be doing some painting on the ceiling and a few walls, but hopefully the next time I'm back they'll be completely done. One star short because they didn't have everything on the menu that we wanted to order, no non-dairy milk/creamer, and also (mostly) because the bathrooms aren't as lovely as the rest of the place (but it might have had to do with the time I was visiting in relation to the painting work). I would give it 4.5 stars but the half-star isn't an option here.
Charming place, locally owned, great service, tasty food. Loved it. Will go back. Fully support this cafe!
We loved this little place. Good food, cute atmosphere, good service and reasonable prices. Can't ask for much more than that on a road trip!
Christopher had the spaghetti and I had the 50/50 which was spaghetti and fried chicken. It was all very good and came with a simple but fresh salad bar and garlic bread. The portions were ample. The only disappointment was the hamburger - vegetable soup I brought home for Mom. It wasn't bad, but it lacked flavor.
Anyhow, this is a great little spot to stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner, if you happen to be in Sheridan Illinois.
Very comfortable low budget place. Friendly with small town locals. Â Food was hit or miss. Chili from a can, French dip and Italian beef had the same meat. The latter was difficult to eat. 11yo liked the spaghetti, 9yo liked the BLT. Chopped steak plate was very tasty topped with mushrooms and onions and mashed potatoes w/gravy and green beans. Food seemed to take a long time to prepare.
Review Source:I learned about this place last week when they provided a tasty lunch for the Starved Rock Cycle Club's annual "Pumpkin Pie" bike ride. Today, my husband and I came back to Sheridan for another ride through the beautiful IL farm country, but first we fueled up with breakfast at the Calico Cafe.
It's a very pleasant little diner with a nostalgic, "Mayberry RFD" vibe.
Two genial sisters handled the front of the house, making us feel welcome and keeping our coffee cups filled. It took a while for our food to arrive - the kitchen is tiny - so our breakfast was a leisurely affair. Probably not the best place to go if you're in a hurry. GREAT place to go if you want to sit at an old-time lunch counter, read the Sunday paper, and say "hey" to all your buddies who've also stopped in for a cup of joe and a slice of pie.
I had pumpkin pancakes, today's special. They were moist, fragrant, sprinkled with cinnamon and not overly sweet. Absolutely delicious with some butter and syrup. The "short stack" was plenty.
My husband's hearty meal included eggs scrambled with cheese, spinach & sausage, a mound of nicely cooked hash browns and a side of (excellent) biscuit and (somewhat bland) gravy. The cheese turned out to be processed American. Next time we'll ask if there's an alternative cheese.
Nice little diner in my book! Â It was 1:50 when I got out of my car and noticed that they closed at 2, which made me hope that they weren't gonna spit in my food.
Inside had a lot of various small town decorations and figurines. Â My presence wasn't deterred, due to my late arrival. Â Menu was pretty extensive so I asked what was good and the girl recommend the Texas Chicken, which was a boneless chicken drenched in ranch sauce, then topped with barbecue sauce and shoestring onions with a side for $6. Â While waiting, I got some sweet tea and a slice of unbelievable apple date pie, which apparently was made my Calico's mom. Â
The sandwich was delicious! Â Has a lot of flavor and was priced well below what I'm used to. Â Would love to have one of these places near by. Â
Local History Lesson: Â The town got its name from General Philip H. Sherman, who was a cavalry officer during the Civil War.
I just had to add I had the pork tenderloin this past Friday and it was the best pork tenderloin dinner I've had in a long long time and pork tenderloin dinners is an item I almost always have if it is on the menu.
It is fresh! It is not the frozen type you get just about everywhere these days, Â big plus. It was big too another big plus. I had mashed potatoes nice and think, once again big plus. Add the gravy a deep rich brown gravy (kudos to Liz who made it fresh) and this meal competes with the French Dip as my favorite at Calico Cafe.
Both the French Dip and Pork Tenderloin if I were to rank them would easily be in the top five meals for home cooking type meals. Again price is right I tip at 20%+ and have yet spent more then $10 for a meal and have not yet left hungry.
Only negative on Calico Cafe is it is a bit of a drive from Cortland but even the drive is making this little gem worth it
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