Emmy Lou's Cafe

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  Stooped in for lunch on our way to a wedding in Iowa.  We were looking for a fast bite and had planned to go to Culvers, but like to support the local businesses when we can.  
  
  First off, I don't really understand the previous reviews of this place.  Two stars?  When you really didn't have anything bad to say?  This is not haute cuisine - this is a local breakfast/lunch spot with homemade food and excellent prices.
  
  The positives.  My husband had the soup with his lunch - homemade right down to homemade noodles.  Really tasty and not the overly salty canned stuff so many small restaurants are serving today.  He also had the meatloaf sandwich and asked for extra gravy.  Again, everything was homemade and flavorful.  My son loved his peanut butter pancake and my reuben was more than I could eat.  Lots of sauerkraut and a good balance of meat/cheese/bread. Drink refills were very fast  and service was fast and efficient.
  
  My only negative was a very messy bathroom.  Not dirty - just an overflowing trash can and paper towels and toilet paper all over the floor.  We came just after the lunch rush (the staff were eating their lunches when we arrived) and I expect they just had not gotten in to clean up after the busy time.
  
  This restaurant is an excellent example of a small town lunch/breakfast place and in no way deserves the two star ranking others have given it.  Highly recommended for locals or for a family just passing through town.  Great food, great sevice and an excellent value.

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  Posted on 06.24.13 Maryanne T.

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  This is a restaurant that can easily be missed.  It "hides" next to the Country Inn & Suites in Galena and behind a Culver's.  Tired of paying too-high prices at the resort we were staying at, we thought we would come here for breakfast on a day of touring the area.  I ordered the "Big Pancake" and my wife ordered an omelet.  Her omelet was good and my pancake was, indeed, big.  Sadly, I didn't much care for it. There was nothing wrong with the pancake itself, I just prefer buttermilk pancakes.  
  
  The service was friendly, the coffee cup was continually refilled, and there were a fair amount of locals in the restaurant.  I view that as a good thing since locals usually know a good place to eat.
  
  And, the price was right!

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  Posted on 09.04.11 Ray T.

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  The server was kind. Lots of food. The hash browns were awful, you could taste the freezer burn. The All meat omelet was tasty

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  Posted on 11.15.10 Josh N.

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  This is pretty much what I would have expected driving through a small tourist town in Illinois.  The service was good enough considering that we were one of 2 couples in the place.
  
  The best thing that they have going for them is that they serve breakfast until 3 and the portions are pretty big.  The food was decent but the waitress messed up the drink order.  Maybe its a decent place if you're a local, but not worth going to unless you are hard up for some place to eat and passing through.

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  Posted on 08.01.10 Eric L.

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  Even the 2 star is generous. I am allowing that this was an off day and a combination of a terrible server. Emmy Lou's came recommended by people we just met in Galena. We were attempting to go off-the-tourist path to find a place the locals frequent. Sometimes it is best to stick with tried and true.
  
  Emmy Lou's TRULY is for locals. We arrived and were seated promptly. It took them 5 nay 10 minutes to walk up to us. For servers, who read Yelp, a simple "...I'll be right with you..." goes a LONG way. Our server arrived and was engaging but as we were soon to learn clearly indifferent. We got out coffee which was hot, which is good. (I am trying, really!) Our orders were taken. Problem it turns out is the missus asked for water. Yes, good ol' fashioned two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. This proved to be too much to ask.
  
  What pained me the most was the fact that the same server spent a good amount of time talking to her friends who were seated right NEXT to us. It took me waving my hands to get her to bring us water and coffee refills.
  
  Lest you think there was something about me that deserved a cold shoulder we noticed others in the restaurant get ignored. There were other servers who seemed more involved and paid attention to customers but not ours.
  
  The food was actually decent. It is the diner type of breakfast  and nothing spectacular. I enjoyed the eggs and ham sandwich and took stabs off the missus blueberry pancakes which were superb.
  
  So it is true Emmy Lou's is for the locals and your tourista dollars are not wanted. I doubt I will ever go there and if I do I WILL ask for a different server.

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  Posted on 04.13.08 Francis K.

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