4317 W Illinois Ave, Midland, TX 79703, United States
Savor classic American food in a charming small-town atmosphere, complete with nostalgic building facades adorning the dining room.
Rita was extremely friendly. They modified the plate perfectly to what we wanted. Fun atmosphere, clean, good food, fair prices. Can't ask for more.
Eaten breakfast here several times traveling for work. The sweet cream pancakes are an absolute must! My only gripe is there is only 1 waitress in the morning and she has too many tables to cover.
This place is a pretty okay place. The food took 40 minutes but the quality of the food makes up for that time. The place is quite crowded on Saturdays and Sundays so we were lucky to get a seat. But overall a good place. That’s why I give this place 4 stars.
Allow me to boil this down- this restaurant is a place overpacked on peak hours without the staff to handle it. I had to get my mail forwarded here while waiting for biscuits and gravy. Food was ok, but it wasn’t worth the waiting experience. I would recommend staying away on weekends.
Food was really good and the amount you get is filling. We waited over an hour for our meals (chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak), but it was worth the wait. The chocolate Bundt lava cake was a miss for me. The Bundt cake was tough on the bottle and room temperature. Wouldn’t even melt the ice cream.
Love supporting local establishments when I’m visiting a city. This place definitely had a unique set up for its dining area and the food was delicious.
We had a wonderful breakfast here this week! Food and service were excellent. Large portions. Would definitely recommend and return.
It is1of the BEST or if not the BEST place i have ate at so far. The staff was so friendly and the service was amazing. The food was so delicious and cooked to perfection, definitely a must go to if you are undecided on what to eat. The SMALL TOWN ABSTRACT view inside this restaurant is just amazing. Thank you guys for such wonderful food and service!
Good food and service. But had 4 adults and 2 kids and bill included a built-in tip of 20%. That was disappointing
Great Fried Green Tomatoes! Service was Great as well!
Cleanest restaurant front kitchen bathrooms and back that I have had the privilege to work for. Owner very nice with great morals and values hard to find in these trying times.
Overall great food excellent service!
Good service, great price, Awesome food and atmosphere Food
Kid-friendliness: They had a color paper for the child Food
Sweet cream pancakes are the best Ive ever had across the country. Friendly place.
Nothing extraordinary, definity is a one visit place. To long wait due to a bad adminustration of the waiting list, we needed to ask for our place in line, we werent the only ones to do that.
The food was good. The service was better. But its crowded and a little loud. Parking: Its not big enough for the restaurant The employees were nice. Food : 3/5 | Service
Amazing omlette. Food quality and quantity were great. Service was great!
This is the first time I have at here. They were buzy when we got there but they seamed to get you sested very quickly. The staff was very friendly and nice. The wait staff was very friendly also. The Food was very good and you get great portions. I recomend to go.
We really enjoyed our breakfast here. Great atmosphere, large portions, and great food.
Great food, Great service, Great environment!!!
Great service food was great overall one of the better restaurants
Walking into this restaurant, you will immediately be introduced to a sign stating how they pride themselves in using quality ingredients, therefore, prices may be increased. I patiently waited at the front podium for a few minutes while the servers were tending to current patrons. After 5 minutes, i was finally greeted and seated. After another five minutes, my server took my order. I ordered Ribeye steak and eggs, med-rare, and scrambled! For the side, I ask for a biscuit with sausage gravy. The waitress abruptly stated we dont have sausage gravy. I just figured since they serve gravy and they have sausage, maybe they could put the two together! My bad! So I had to order a side of sausage so that I myself could crumble it up and put it into my gravy before slathering it over my biscuit. When my plate arrived, I did just that! The eggs looked nice and fluffy, but I could immediately tell that the ribeye was questionable. The ribeye, being a half-inch thick, looked decent on the outside, and it was cooked to a med rare. My issue with the ribeye is that it was incredibly chewy and over seasoned! My jaws and teeth really had to put in some work to get this thing chewed up! I finally gave up a little over halfway through the steak. Midway through the meal, my server broke free, and as she walked by, she found the time to ask me, How is everything? To which I responded,Its ok! That was the last time she checked on me. I never even got a refill on my coffee! So, ribeye with eggs $24.99, side of gravy $1.99, side of sausage $3, coffee $3, plus tax $36. Not really worth the price I paid for breakfast! This place can be really good, but not like this!
Three is a church inside this restaurant!! Really different and cool to see , the breakfast menu is full of options really good breakfast spot
They have good food their wait staff was exceptional especially for Midland dressed modestly instead of half clothed very attentive but not overwhelming I wish they were still open on Sundays my bestie and I would be eating there EVERY Sunday Food
Decent breakfast food but service could be more frequent. They forgot about my special request (switching out hash browns for biscuits), so double check when you make yours!
Hands down the best breakfast in town.....
Great food. Large portions and good prices.
Always get pleasant staff, great food and all for a great price! The ribeye omelet is delicious!!!
Everything was excellent and the staff were great!
First time to visit, can t wait for this place to be our regular Saturday breakfast place. Pork chop and eggs were cooked perfectly.
Had the meatloaf. It was deeeliscious
Food is great, I was disappointed at the waitress , she was not very friendly and she served the 3 tables around us first, Im sorry to say but I believe she was possibly racist or discriminated against us, I ordered coffee to drink with my breakfast and she served the other tables first, I asked for a refill while the people at the other tables did not, she went to each table first before ours and asked if they needed a refill, we arrived there before the people at the 3 other tables and yes they were Caucasian. She brought our food and didnt bring silverware, I asked for silverware and she insisted on visiting and talking to the people at the other table, about 3 trips to the kitchen to bring other people their food she finally brought our silverware. I left her a $13.00., tip anyways. The restaurant has great breakfast for a very low price. I would recommend this restaurant and next time I will request for Rita Brown the waitress. I know her and I observed how she took great care of her customers.
Food was really good and the amount you get is filling. We waited over an hour for our meals (chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak), but it was worth the wait. The server did not check on us but once during the hour wait. The atmosphere was great! Would definitely go back.
We just had lunch for 20 people. Great food and service! The Ribeye was very good. Rita, our server was great! Highly recommend this place.
I love this place. I am from South Texas and tacos here are not made the same way or so I thought til I went to this place. Their breakfast burritos are the best.
A great gem in midland
The food was absolutely delicious
The waitress was good and the food was good
Great place to eat. Friendly staff and excellent food.
Definitely a crowd pleaser. 10/10 will come again!! Chicken fried steak is phenomenal!! Vegetarian options: Veggie plate
I went during lunch the food was excellent. The food took a while to get the table .
Horrible horrible customer service waited over hour for food
Great food and great service!!!
Food and service was GREAT. Prices good too. Will definitely be back. Wish they was open for lunch and dinner.
Love the food and the staff you got to try
This place seems like a hole in the wall from outside. Let me tell you, the food is AMAZING. Flavorful, fresh and filling! The staff was cool with my 2 kids being... Well, kids.
Food is delicious
First time visiting this place to eat. Food was amazing. Had omelets and hashbrowns and biscuit and grits. Omelet was huge and tasted great. The salsa was amazing flavor with the flavor of being hot but with very little heat (which is great). The waitress made sure we were good all throughout our meal. Coffee was a bit on the weaker side but even with that it is definitely worth returning to eat here.
Not enough help and the food took to long and they over charged me
Old school diner with good atmosphere and aura. Definitely recommend
Whether you have breakfast or lunch, the food is always fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is like a town square. A great place to take out of town guest. Service is great too! One of my favorite places to dine.
We loved the unique atmosphere at Back in the Day but my girls didnt really like their food. My salad was good and their jalapeno ranch was yummy. Their fried pickles were good and my husband liked the chicken fried steak. Kid-friendliness: They have a kids menu but my children didnt like what they ordered.
Decent size portions, jus a bit sweet for my liking..Almost should be eaten last as a dessert..The rolls were awesome
I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and corn. It was all outstanding!! Great fast service and really cute decor. Do not pass this one up!! p.s. the peach cobbler is to die for!
Best pancakes in the world.
Outstanding meals, Pork Chop dinner Da Bomb!
Great service and fantastic food!
Waited all most 1 hour for my food
Cute and cozy cafe with delicious food! Stopped in for breakfast and the food was hot and fresh! Will definitely be coming back!
Their breakfast is fantastic!
Very cool place to dine. The breakfast was awesome!
This is a great place to eat. The food is delicious, service is very good and the decor is so cute. The interior is set up like an old time town. Im so glad to have found it.
I had the Back in the day Special for breakfast! It was tasty and filling, made to order. The pancakes were delicious!
Breading did not stick to the chicken fried steak, and it was a little greasy. Eggs were OK. The hash browns, the cheapest item on the plate and I got a whole two bites.
The only reason I leave one start is because I doesn t let me leave a 0 star review. Sadly, I had a horrible experience in this place! The establishment is dirty and they dont wear gloves in the kitchen. Customer service is terrible, especially from an older lady with the name Becky! Not only was she was very rude towards me but also racist! To be clear she was laughing at the way I speak English and the manager(owner) was very much ok with it. When I asked Becky what was wrong with the way I spoke English (trying to understand why she was so rude and disrespectful towards me) the owner in front of all the customers told me to leave the establishment. I couldn t believe this, after years of not only me but friends and family members supporting this place. To say the least, I felt so humiliated and for that reason we will not be returning. I was planning on not leaving a bad review since it is a pretty small local business and I know its hard to get people in the door. But the experience I received there was really horrible and humiliating! I would like to make everyone aware of this place because nobody deserves to be treated this way.
Awesome food and service!
Didnt get my food, same waitress who in the past forgot my husbands order. Hostess was nice and offered us a dessert but all I wanted was my food and had to go back to work. Will be going back but this is the 2nd time this happens with the same waitress.
PRICE ON MENU DOES NOT MATCH WHAT THEY CHARGE??? NOT SURE WHY.. Parking: A little cramped!! Food : 4/5 |
Got a sandwich, a doorstop and some softdrinks. And they were made with the care and ingredients my nanna would have made them with. Ive never seen such fresh green lettuce anywhere else. Now, for delivery, they have had the good sense to only include items that would still be in good shape after travel time. Seeing other reviews has made me aware their dine in options are expanded. Well be visiting when we can. I also like their sense of humour on their online menu. Back in the day Cafe sounds about right, cause eating their food makes me feel like Im eating food from a different era, back when ingredient quality used to be a thing. And the price is quite reasonable too. And I dont even need to walk uphill, both ways, in the snow to get it. In fact, Im about to order more right now.
Everything was perfect; I just wasn t fond of the cut of meat for the chicken fried steak (could have been the oil), but again it was cooked perfectly. Service was great.
The cheese curds alone are worth the visit. The tea is good. Service is friendly. The eggs are great. The waffle is probably one of, if not the best in town.
Service was so bad . We only got half our meals. Catfish dinners come with 2 fish fillets and we got 1 . It also comes with 2 sides we got 1 and sat there over a hr and a half to be served. If I could give zero stars I would . Thatd be a good location for a restaurant!!
Everything is great! Chicken Fried Steak, Meatloaf, Hamburger Steak, Fish....cant go wrong here!
It was my first time here for breakfast, but they werent serving it anymore even though it was mid morning! So no we didnt stay for lunch.laters.
Food and service is great. You need to watch your bill, they have started charging you for using your debit card. Debit cards are cash. Not a happy customer, for that reason.
Ordered the special...Habanero, Bacon, Cheeseburger. It was good but did not have any lettuce, tomato, etc. I thought that was odd. The onion rings were really good!
Awesome food! A true home town jewel of a diner.
Worst place I ever ate at! Nasty place store bought frozen preformed hash browns were burnt the eggs were slimy and the sausage had to have been Great Value Walmart patties
Good food made by people who know how to cook! The hospitality is off the hook!
I live in san angelo I frequent this place. The food is always very good. But on my last trip I left an item on my table worth 85 dollars and didnt realize it u til after they were closed so I wasnt able to retrive it immediately. So when I returned the following week when I was back in town I stopped by to retrieve my item and was told that it was thrown away because I didnt come back to get it immediately. So all in all that one lunch cost me over 200 dollars 100 for the meal 30 dollar tip and then my item that they destroyed 85. Very disappointed with the way it was handled by staff. Will not be coming back. And will be warning others of my experience. Sincerely once a faithful customer.
Had the special of the day- chopped beef with brown gravy and onions, mashed potatoes and corn. All was good but no roll/cornbread came with the meal, would definitely go back to try something else.
10/10 pancakes
I got the habanero bacon burger and it was really good. The service was good but a little slow. The atmosphere its fun and comfortable. Id recommend the burgers, fries, okra, and lemonade!
Tonight our service seemed just a little slow, but there was a sign at the front telling us they were understaffed so thats very understandable and excusable. The food was EXTREMELY plentiful - in fact all but one of the 5 of us took enough home for another meal. Good gravy makes a good chicken fry and their gravy didnt disappoint. However the breading on the steak itself seemed slightly over cooked and a little too crisp, but very good anyway. I will definitely return again soon.
Glad I took the scenic route to get to this place. Online it looked like it was worth the drive. Guess what, it was most definitely worth the drive. The meatloaf is recommended by the locals inside & I m glad I listened. Everything from the salad to the meatloaf & the bread was astounding.
Came from out of town to see the eclipse in Midland. Back in the Day Cafe had great reviews and they definitely didnt disappoint. Our breakfast was fresh, hot, and tasty. Even better, was the service! I would definitely come back.
1st time always the make or break it time. We will be back. The food is good and priced right for Midland. Thanks for being so welcoming!
Great atmosphere and very attentive personnel!! Love the food. Always a pleasure to dine in.
The fried catfish at lunchtime is great! Rita is a wonderful waitress. I have not had anything that wasnt good here. A must try if youre looking for a new restaurant to check out!
One of our families favorite Saturday morning breakfast places here in town. Our littles like the feel of it being a little small town inside and likes to explore the places inside.
Meatloaf thats usually PERFECT, unfortunately had something EXCESSIVELY spicy in the sauce on top today...dangit
Excellent place to eat. Good variety of food.
Food was ok. Waiting a long time to get seated and then waited longer to get our food. Nothing to write home about.
The food here was absolutely amazing. Everything cooked just like I asked. The service was horrible. Took forever to get a drink order and to get submit payment. While eating I noticed the servers were constantly running over and cutting off customers that were trying to get to their tables.
Great place to eat. Food is good service is awsome.
Food was good and service was quick.
Yummy breakfast
Everything was amazing to end with dry, burnt biscuits for our biscuits and gravy.
Good digs tasty, fast and friendly. And very affordable.
Two stars because the atmosphere and interior decor is absolutely amazing my waitress was friendly and helpful but I was so so disappointed in the food. I requested hash browns and cream gravy the cream gravy was instant not homemade and the hash browns were absolutely horrid
Wonderful, fast service. The food was absolutely delicious. We had the meatloaf and catfish and both were great! Will definitely be back.
Great place for a good breakfast
Good steak fingers and biscuits!
Love this place! The atmosphere is fun and inviting, The food is absolutely delish and It gives homemade/comfort food, The service is wonderful!
Comfort Food at the Max!!!!
The best chicken fried steak ever of my life. Can t wait to eat it again!!! I m in love/obsessed with how amazing the food tastes. I can not get enough. Plus they have some of the sweetest tea ever.
The service was pleasant and the food was good especially the pancakes. The coffee is the best Ive had in a long time and they give you just enough food that you arent too full but more than satisfied. My husband and I enjoyed looking around at all the places we assumed were part of Midland Back in the Day! We will be returning. UPDATE: we took our daughter for pancakes but was too late for breakfast, she really enjoyed her cheeseburger she ended up with instead. I guess we still have a reason to return, she still wants pancakes.
Food was good
Never got waited. Will never go back!!
This is the best breakfast spot in all of Midland. Everything was amazing. The service, the food, ow my gosh the food. Pricing was also in line. This is Midland hidden gen. The atmosphere is also to notch. This is a must visit for all .
Very good food, and excellent service
Havent been here for several months...the food has definitely gone downhill and the prices have gone up. Very disappointed with the quality. Probably will not return.
This is the place to go when you are in the area. The food was amazing and the service was even more impressing. Laura was the most amazing and accommodating server I ve ever had. She and the entire staff went above and beyond to accommodate my family members with food allergies.
Small place family atmosphere excellent service very friendly
Great food.
Will always give 5 stars to Back In The Day Cafe. I try to get here and enjoy lunch at least once a month. Today I experienced my first issue ever with my meal ever, and it was handled in minutes with out question. They was so amazing and had me a new order of mushrooms brought out to my job. I cant express how thankful and pleased I am with all of them there. Go and enjoy an amazing meal freshly cooked to order, you wont regret it. Thank you ladies for taking care of all your customers the way you do, your community is thankful! Tina Sibley
Food was great. Our waitress was very attentive. Pancakes were bigger than expected but good. Very cute on the inside; love the update.
One of our most favorite places to go for breakfast and lunch
Verygood food prices, and wonderful staff
Good comfort food.
Use to be 5 stars.. Just now my wife and I go to eat and not once ever did we wait nearly 20 minutes to get served, Most places ask you right off the cuff what would you like to drink. The waitress looked shady too , one of her fake long eye lashes started to hang off , its really a turn off now at back in the day. I guess Ill have to wait until that waitress quits then maybe we can get better service. Its a shame too we enjoyed going there for years ...
Great food and great service.
My new go to breakfast place have to try dinner
love this restaurant and the new owners! food is very much worth the money. great staff! will be returning!!
If I could leave 10 stars I would .The food was absolutely devine! The new ownership of back in the day is that much better! The service here is phenomenal, the type of service you usually don t come across. I did notice how clean the restaurant was and how much they truly care about their customers since I ve eaten here more than a handful of times now.Laura & Viviana have taken care of us each time and they go above and beyond in every aspect! Definitely my favorite here in Midland! 100/10 recommend!
Love us some Back in the Day Cafe! Great food, big portions very friendly staff and nice dining. This is our go to when we want good food, good company and relaxing environment. Breakfast, lunch and dinner!
We was greeted as soon we walk in,the food was AWSOME!!!! FRIED PICKLES IS A MUST AS A APPETIZER. WAITRESS could of been more attentive.
The atmosphere is awesome and the food is outstanding! And the staff is very friendly definitely enjoyed my experience
Great people good food
One of the best breakfasts I ve had in quite awhile. My favorites were the sausage patties, diced potatoes, pancake and coffee. The gentleman next to me ordered an omelette and it looked pretty amazing as well. I will definitely be returning.
I was looking for a totally different restaurant and ended up settling for this one. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I had the Chicken Fried Steak with green beans and Cole slaw. The steak was HUGE. Lol. It was also very good, and the gravy excellent! The green beans though.... The great beans were excellent. Next time there might just order a large bowl of their green beans they are so good. The atmosphere is...quirky, but not in a bad way. Dont miss this place!
Amazing food
If I was going to open a restaurant. I wish it was like this one. Please stop in and treat yourself to the best in Midland. Food
Delicious, fresh, food and friendly, attentive staff. Great atmosphere...old town square vibe.
Love their breakfast
Very good atmosphere, great food, friendly service. Very very cute place. Highly recommend
Great people. Friendly staff. Great breakfast.
This is the first time coming here. Service was amazing. Walking in it was really cute and homey looking around at the decor. We werent expecting the food the be so freaking good as it was. I had a happy accident with my order. Im very picky on mash potatoes so I didnt order any. I wanted mac n cheese. But like i said happy accident. I got both. My plate was eaten entirely as well as my fiancés. Our waitress suggested dessert and we were willing to try. The turtle cake brownie dish was awesome. Both of us ate up everything, enjoyed every second. We even tipped higher than we normally do. We are definitely coming back real soon. Thank you so much for the food!
I have always enjoyed Back in the Day. Good food all day. Prices very good. Service is always friendly with a smile. Highly recommend you try this hideaway. Parking is limited and precision needed as it is a snug lot.
Great food I had the catfish entree and it was seasoned well
Always a fun place to to eat! Great home-cooked food!
AMAZING FOOD!!!!
LOVE their Chicken Frid Steak!! The best we have found in Midland/Odessa. Mushrooms are tasty and the okra is awesome. Perfect for a lunch date.
Food was great. Atmosphere was down to earth. I will definitely go back.
Great food and friendly service
As always AWSOME service and food.
Service was adequate. Food was meh. Biscuits were lacking. Pancakes were ok at best. Sausage was burnt. Won t go back.
Delicious!
Food was ok, service was lacking. Server seemed mad about everything. Including us not knowing that they only serve breakfast. She did apologize for the food taking so long because their internet went down?!?!?.
Thank you cook your chicken Fried steak and fish awesome .....highly recommend
So happy to have found this little gem of a restaurant. We had the steak fingers. Delicious and very tender. We got there about 11:50. It took about 40 min to get our food. It was very busy at that time...but worth it!
It was nice when we came in and seated. We were disappointed to find it was past the time to get breakfast so we got lunch instead. We got the fried pickles, the ham and cheese sandwich, and the chicken strips. I ordered coffee as well, and after adding some cream and sugar I realized it tasted like hot water not coffee. Luckily they didn t charge me for it but still disappointing. The food wasn t great either, greasy sandwich, the breading on the pickles wasn t cooked, and the chicken wasn t anything to talk about. Along with that when I was opening the cream packets I found one to be solidified into jello-y cheese. Over all it was over priced and not that great. Wouldn t come again .
The service is excellent. The food, good as it looks. Yum yum yummy! The ambiance is awesome. Overall, best experience!
Sausage was cold as if its been sitting out for a while The hash Browns were frozen from a Box instead of fresh Pancakes were not done Not sure what happened but this place is gone down here
Great food and service! I highly recommend you try this little mom and pop place.
Amazing staff, great ambience, awesome food and drinks.
All the food me and my family eat there is always amazing. I just wish they were open longer for dinner and on the weekend. Try the chicken fried steak its amazing
Very friendly staff. Good service. Good food. Nice atmosphere
Great atmosphere. Top notch food, and the service is the best you can hope for. My new favorite go to place when Im in Midland!!!
Great breakfast spot
The Decor is very cool and the staff is very nice my problem was not the service it was the food I got the breakfast special Which consist two pancakes two eggs two pieces of bacon which was nice ok nothing out of this world the hash browns have no flavor and are the ones you can get at sams or HEB frozen not what you would expect from a diner or cafe it resemble the ones from McDonald s to be honest it taste like cardboard had no flavor everything was just OK on terms of food I probably won t come back the food was what did it for me
Food is always delicious, and the staff is outstanding! I would recommend this place to anyone!
We went on Saturday for breakfast and it was good. Thats probably why they are busy for breakfast on Saturday morning
Been in love with the place since it opened. Its be many years since the last time I went there but same now as it was back in the day!
Great Friendly service The food is good and decor is awesome.
They bring out hot food..!
Busy Saturday morning good for a quick breakfast Road trip
Good food good service. The plates go smaller than they were a couple of years ago. But still authentic home cooking.
The best chicken fried steak in the State of Texas!
Fantastic. Cleaned my plate down to the crumb