Quarter Chute Cafe

If I could give this place a higher rating, I would! I have been coming here for years and the food is always great. My favorites for lunch are their Deluxe Burgers and their salads (I like them all). For breakfast, they have the BEST pancakes. Also, really good eggs benedict, but its usually a special they would have.
Not to mention, the owners, Joe and Sally, are the kindest people in the world! I’ve known them for a while and I have always admired their hard work. The place is always so clean too.
To summarize my thoughts on the café. The food is great, the employees are awesome, and the atmosphere is always clean.
I would highly recommend this place! If you’re in Auburn or just at the races, be sure to stop by the Quarter Chute.

This truly is a one of a kind spot. My daughter loves horses so I took her here to watch them as they pass. She had a great time waving and speculating. This place is laid back and very affordable. Someone previously reviewed that the chicken fried steak was terrible. Don’t come here expecting a gourmet meal. But I actually thought the chicken fried steak was delicious. Comparable to Denny’s. We also had the Belgian waffle which was super good as well. And HUGE. This place is so unique. You have to give it a try!

The best breakfast priced reasonably. Good lunch to. Good fresh homemade cookies. Husband works security so on his lunch break he eats in the café. Nice friendly staff. Good size plates.

We love trying new spots around town. This place is mediocre, at best.
We were fooled by the ‘Best Breakfast in town’ sign outside. Don’t be fooled.
This is a cafeteria style eatery. You order in line and move down with your ‘tray’ until you have reached the cashier.
I ordered the Denver Omelet. The eggs were super rubbery, and chewy. Kinda strange.
My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. He said it wasn’t horrible, but it definitely wasn’t anything to remember.
The price was pretty decent, but the food was barely edible.
We won’t be back.

I was looking forward to a decent meal when the sign on the street was advertising «best breakfast in town» it was a pretty tall statement especially with so many other places to go in Auburn that is exceptionally good. Walking in you have to go through an office that’s reminiscent of a DMV, there’s no great signage to the café so you’ll look like a lost tourist. When you do finally get down the hallways, you get to a room that will remind you of a high school cafeteria. The food is relatively cheap though and the people were friendly — That’s probably the only good thing I can say about this place., the layout of condiments, creamers and utensils has no rhyme or reason, completely disorganized — I ordered pancakes, eggs bacon and hash browns and coffee. How can you screw that up? Pancakes tasted of baking powder, eggs were cold (I order over easy — but cold on the inside?) hashbrowns were watery. The bacon actually was okay… But — the coffee was so bad it tasted like they had dipped into the toilet of someone’s diarrheatic excrement and warned it up, yes it was that bad! Maybe Ill give them one more shot, but doubt my review will improve.

Excellent food. Been going there 20+ years. Laid back cafeteria style. Service is quick, owners Sally and Joe are eager to please. Added bonus watching horses go out to track for training. Great place for families and large parties. Prices very reasonable.

Ever make a wrong turn and find something good?
I made a wrong turn and found the Quarter Chute Café.
I know a high school cafeteria style dining experience is not for everyone, but can over look that. The Quarter Chute Café is one of the better places to eat in Auburn.
You cannot go wrong with any of the Breakfast and Lunch Specials. The burgers are of Red Robin quality, but at a McDonalds price.

I’ve visited the Quarter Chute a couple of times. Once on a Sunday for breakfast and another on a Friday for dinner. The experience here is one of a kind — you order in a cafeteria style line and get a number to put on your table — food is cooked to order and the waitress will serve it to you. The prices are the lowest you are going to find almost anywhere.
For breakfast I had the biscuits and gravy and dinner had the Mexican torta. Both meals were just fine, but nothing great. The corn chowder soup I had with the sandwich was quite excellent though. The chairs are plastic and tables are covered with plastic picnic style table cloths — I really didn’t care for that and think it would be nice if they could transform it into more of a restaurant.
We decided to splurge on a $ 2.00 chocolate chip cookie that was the size of our heads. It was pretty terrible. The taste was good but the texture was mostly hard and chewy, think carmelized sugar. Anyway, I would say that I think the food here is better than the concessions inside the track. There’s more options and I think it’s overall better for you than nachos or hot dogs.
I like the Quarter Chute because you don’t need to be fancy or pay more than $ 7 for a good size meal. So although it’s worth a visit, there’s a lot of room for improvement.

This not good café food at all! I had ordered the Daily Double breakfast which consisted of eggs, pancakes and either a choice of bacon or sausage. The eggs were out of a carton which didn’t taste like real scrambled eggs at all and the bacon was so dry it must of been cooked a long time ago and sitting around to be served. Double yuckkk!
The café itself is located outside of the main entrance to Emerald Downs and it is not easy to get to as it is patrolled by security. First you have to relinquish a picture ID to a security guard before you can enter. You then wait for them to beep you through a security door and then you enter the café. Totally weird for a restaurant. Granted the food is cheaper here than if you had bought your food inside the racetrack, but for me this place is not worth my money.

If you are going to Emerald Downs, stop in here for breakfast/​lunch before heading off to the track. It’s a much better value than the track’s concessions!
A few things to keep in mind. First, everything is pretty bare bones — plastic chairs, cheapo tablecloths, etc. You go through a cafeteria-​style line to order and pay, at which point you get an order number to put on your table. A server then delivers your food when ready. All food is cooked to order.
The quality of the food is good but not outstanding — I’d say a notch or two above Denny’s. The fare is the standard kind of stuff that you’d see at a typical diner. However the prices are so ridiculously low and portion sizes large, which is what earns it 4 stars.
Staff is cordial and friendly. The average age of patrons seemed like 65 or so on the Sunday morning we went to breakfast — which fits given the prices and that it’s at a race track. What can I say, the elderly know a good value when they see it!

I think it is an interesting view the food for me was just ok. I went at lunch time.
I like horses so that part was really cool seeing them bringing in the horses but I found the food wasn’t really something to write home about.
Maybe breakfast is more what this place is about.

The Quarter Chute is as down-​home as you can get, and in my book that is a very good thing. In the interest of full disclosure, I must mention a few things that may color my review:
1. I’m a horse nut, and a former horse owner/​servant.
2. my friend has credentials in the racing world, which enables me to go «backstage» with her.
3. I love dive bars and cafes.
This is not haute cuisine. You will not hear the words «fusion», «balsamic reduction» or «locally sourced» unless it is in the name of a racehorse. While I love those things (when they are not too pretentious), this is not that. If that’s what you are looking for, this is not the place.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for generous helpings of good food prepared with care and served by a staff that treats you like cherished family, then come on in! I usually enjoy their delicious biscuits and gravy while watching the beautiful racehorses parade by for their morning workout. Yesterday when I went I was STARVING, and had the «daily double» (two pancakes, two meats and two eggs). The pancakes are at least 8″ in diameter — ginormous! — and fluffy and slightly sweet. I ate one just with butter on it, and the other with raspberry freezer jam (it’s free, but you have to ask for it). Round that out with a nicely cooked sausage patty (the equivalent of two links), scrambled eggs, and your basic diner coffee, and I am a happy girl. That breakfast lasted me until dinner, and it was $ 4.95. Then my friend and I went to the barns to visit some of the horses. Sometimes we go to the track and watch some of the workouts. That makes me an even happier girl.
Sally, one of the owners, is almost always at the register, and she is just a lovely person.
I practically never give 5 stars, but if I could have given 4 ½ I would have. I love this place.

severly disappointed by this place! based off of fellow Unilocaler’s reviews i thought that quarter chute would be great and delicious! this was not the case. there were flys flying around inside. the quality of the food was not even sub par but just terrible for example my sausage was not cooked all the way through rather browned on one side. the food was cheap though about $ 4 for a meal, you get what you pay for here. i wont be going back.

The BEST WAY to begin your day at Emerald Downs. It’s over by the stables/​training area. Don’t enter the main Emerald Downs yet. Go to the Quarter Chute café for late breakfast/​early lunch. It’s open to the public… you just have to give your ID to the security people inside the door, and they’ll give you a visitor’s badge. It’s inexpensive diner food. You order at the counter and they bring it to you. Offering a selection of breakfast options, as well as your standard lunch foods and some really great mexican food. Additionally, they have a variety of baked goods (Cookies as big as your head for just $ 2)!! This is where most of the staff eat. It’s pleasant and tasty. (Not a lot of vegetables involved, but I got Joe’s Scramble last time, and it was full of fresh spinach leaves, which was lovely). The staff is always friendly with big smiles.
Plus, the bottles of beer are WAY cheaper than inside the race track.

Where do I start. If you like to walk into «restaurants» and not know where the actual restaurant part is then this is the place for you. So to help you out I will give you some directions to the food portion of the restaurant. Walk straight through the first 2 doors then hang a right on the big hallway and walk through any 3 of the double doors down there past the bathrooms and the gentleman that don’t look like they have a busy day ahead of them. Order at the counter at the far side of the room, pretend your a father so you get free coffee, and be polite and get the homemade raspberry jam, available only upon request.
When it comes to the restaurant its like a café but with less order, 2 pool tables, and a bunch of people that just got done cleaning a horses and have dirt all over them. The atmosphere is somewhat like a high school cafeteria that is open after hours for service with people with food stamps but everyone at the counter, except for the lady filling the silverware, was friendly, happy, funny, and spoke English.
I got the Quarter Chute Omelet. Very tasty, simple and delicious by taste, not appearance, and came with hash browns and toast, and the sourdough is white bread just to let you know. I liked my food and so did my buddy. If I want a tasty meal that was filling and affordable this is the place to be, expect a crappy atmosphere and people watching opportunities. And if you want to play pool its right next to your table, just avoid the guy who looked like Kicking Wing from Joe Dirt.
Honestly, a great meal with no frills and a true experience. They have TV’s that bring back fond memories of the 90’s and tables that make me think I’m at a crappy BBQ. I will be back if Sun Break Café has a line about a quarter mile long again. I’m not sure if your supposed to clear your own dishes or not but we did and I think the non-​english speaking silverware lady appreciated it.

Have you ever went to a place and felt, ahh… this is it!
Well I can say that Quarter Chute Café give me that «it» feeling… Great breakfast and lunch specials… great owners (Joe and Sally)…and a simple and not cluttered dining area where you can «hang out», watch some races, or people watch enthusist of horseracing.
And if your craving Mexican food… well they’ve got you covered here too.
Now this place isn’t your normal restaurant you would normally find… in fact, if you’ve never passed by Emerald Downs racetrack, then you would never see Quarter Chute. It’s worth the visit, though, if you are ever in the neighborhood… OR if you ever plan on visiting the track to play? You NOW can place your bets here… without all of the crowds… or lines?
I’m a fan! And will be back for more!!!

Yesterday I took my father to the café for breakfast at the Quarter Chute Café before a day of racing. It was our first trip there and we were both pleased and well fed. They serve breakfast all day and the prices and serving sizes are very reasonable. We both went for the Daily Double; two big pancakes, two meats (we choose the links) and two eggs. The price per plate I think was 4.85.
Our only regret is that we got to the café after 11am so we didn’t get to watch the horses go by the café windows (the track closes for workouts after 11am). The décor isn’t fancy (plastic chairs and plastic picnic table cloths) but don’t let that discourage you because the food is good.
After eating we walked around the place and viewed the horse racing memorabilia displayed on the walls and in cases. We also met Sally who was a very warm and welcoming person. They have betting windows and tvs to watch the races so you don’t even have to leave the café to play the ponies.
My father loved his Fathers day breakfast and wants to go back to the Quarter Chute Café next time we go to the EMD track. *The food is cheaper in the café than at the track so we plan to eat at the café then head for the track next time.
Menu can be found at their website

This place is a gem. I am not sure I have met a nicer woman than owner Sally and for a small café it really puts out great food. I am not sure I have a favorite meal here but the Mexican food is always good and the Country Fried Steak & Eggs with country gravy is delicious. You also must try a piece of Joe’s famous chicken. Im not sure he is going to put Colonel Sanders out of business but its very crunchy and tastey.
Many mornings one of the winning trainers or owners will buy coffee for everyone. If you every thought you wanted to see horse racing, this is where you should do it. As they put it, you can come and watch the horses train and get to know the jockeys, trainers, owners and everyone else that puts on the «Sport of King’s». It’s no charge to get in and you can go right into the backside of the track and watch the horses train or race.