Williams Cafe

Beyond the standard breakfast platter, the cafe has a handful of breakfast items that travelers consistently recommend. The biscuits and gravy plate is large, served in two sausage-gravy-smothered halves with a generous portion of pepper-flecked country gravy that has won regional informal taste tests against neighboring diners. Order it with two eggs on top and you have a workhorse breakfast that will keep you going through a full half-day of Route 66 driving. The cinnamon roll is house-made, served warm with a butter knife to spread the icing across the top, and is the cafe's most consistently sold-out item by mid-morning.

Omelets are made to order with three eggs and your choice of fillings from a list that includes ham, bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheddar, Swiss, and American cheese. The Western omelet with ham, peppers, onions, and cheddar is the most popular choice and runs about $10 with toast. Add hash browns for $2 more and you have a complete breakfast that is hard to beat for the price. The kitchen will accommodate egg-white-only requests for an additional dollar, though the cafe's traditional clientele rarely makes the request and the kitchen handles it with a slight raise of the eyebrows.

The breakfast sandwich is an underrated option for travelers in a hurry. A fried egg, a slice of American cheese, and your choice of bacon, sausage, or ham on a toasted English muffin or biscuit runs about $5 and can be ordered to go in about three minutes. Pair it with a 16-ounce coffee for $1.50 and you have a quality on-the-road breakfast for under $8 total, perhaps the best breakfast-to-go value on the Kansas stretch of Route 66. The cafe will also pour your coffee into a thermal travel mug if you bring one, which longtime travelers appreciate.

The daily blue-plate specials are the heart of the lunch menu and represent the cafe's strongest value. Each runs about $11 to $13 and includes the protein, two sides chosen from a list that rotates daily (mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, corn, baked beans, coleslaw, applesauce, mac and cheese, fried okra), and a homemade roll or piece of cornbread. Monday is hamburger steak with gravy, Tuesday is meatloaf, Wednesday is chicken-fried steak, Thursday is beef and noodles over mashed potatoes, and Saturday is roast beef. Sunday is closed, in keeping with longstanding small-town tradition.

Friday fried catfish dinner is the marquee event of the cafe's week and draws a regular crowd that fills the small dining room from about 11:30am through 1pm. The catfish is hand-breaded in seasoned cornmeal, fried to order in clean oil, and served as two large fillets with hush puppies, coleslaw, and a roll for about $13. Add a glass of iced tea for $2 and you have a complete Friday lunch that competes favorably with much higher-priced versions at fancier restaurants. The cafe occasionally runs out of catfish on busy Fridays, so arriving before noon is the safest plan for travelers who want to be sure of getting an order.

Sandwiches and burgers are available throughout lunch service. The classic cheeseburger and the patty melt are the consistent top sellers, but the BLT, the club sandwich, the grilled chicken sandwich, the tuna salad sandwich, and the chicken salad sandwich all have local followings. Sides include crinkle-cut fries, onion rings, potato salad, coleslaw, and a small house salad. The kitchen will substitute a small salad for fries on most items at no charge, which is appreciated by travelers trying to balance the heavier fare of road-trip eating.

The cafe accepts cash and major credit cards, with no minimum purchase for card use. There is no surcharge for cards. The dining room seats about 30 across booths and tables, with a counter holding another six stools. Service is quick and friendly, with waitresses who know most of the regulars by name and treat travelers with the same warmth. Coffee refills are free and continuous, served in heavy diner mugs that have not changed style in decades. The cafe does not serve alcohol of any kind.

Parking is free on Military Avenue out front, with both parallel and angled spots within a short walk of the door. Motorcycle parking is welcome on the street, with no special arrangement needed. The cafe is not strictly ADA-compliant (the entry has a small step up from the sidewalk), but staff will assist diners with mobility limitations and the dining room itself is single-level. The restroom is small but functional. Children are welcome, with high chairs available and a basket of crayons by the front counter.

Williams Cafe is closed Sunday and the cafe's Monday-through-Saturday opening pattern makes it a useful complement to Cafe on the Route, which is closed Monday and Tuesday but open Wednesday through Sunday. Between the two restaurants, Baxter Springs has good dining coverage every day of the week. For travelers who want a casual, inexpensive, locally-loved breakfast or lunch, Williams Cafe is the right choice. For travelers who want a destination dinner experience, Cafe on the Route is the right choice. Both are within walking distance of each other on Military Avenue.