Windmill Cafe

Driving through Ottawa and decided to stop at Windmill Café for breakfast based on the positive reviews. First, it is a very old building and while clean it’s not updated. For any eaters who prefer a «clean» place note: this is a «dive». Second, food was decent, had chicken fried steak. Was a little surprised by the portions – I’m used to getting a huge order of food when out, but this was just enough to fill. Biggest complaint, the wait. About 40 minutes after ordering we got our food.

Awesome breakfast spot! Great, friendly atmosphere and our server was very attentive and helpful. I had the special, biscuits and gravy with eggs and hash browns for 5.99. So delicious! We also got the chicken fried chicken to go and it was amazing. Coffee was very good. My first choice for breakfast in Ottawa.

If you are reading this it probably means you are high-​tailing it southbound out of Lawrence KS and you’re hungry. Exit now! I know that limits this review pretty much to storm chasers and fans on the losing end of a basketball game at KU, but Windmill Café really, really deserves some recognition.
You may have read this is where the locals eat, and its true, but when I hear locals I don’t know why but I automatically think of snowboarders and surfers… «the locals» in Ottowa means a lot of retired farmers, whom I love, by the way. Totally off topic, I know, just sayin’… don’t kick in the door and walk in yelling «Whatup brahs?!» like I did.
On paper, the breakfast menu looks like what you can get at IHOP or Waffle House, but to say they are even similar would be a disservice. All the everything is fresh here. Hot biscuits, country gravy, hearty pancakes, real potatoes and not American cheese. Add this with a little pride in cooking and you’ve got a dynamite product that most roadside diners and chain restaurants can’t hang with, dude.
Windmill Café has to be the pride of this small town. It is the type of eatery that has the potential to put Ottowa, KS on the map. Yup. That good.
Not a criticism, but you probably aren’t going to «pop in here and grab a quick something.» Things move a little slower in here, if you hadn’t guessed by my beaming description of the locals, whom I love, but I almost guarantee there’s just one lady in the kitchen and she is moving as fast as she can. There were 4 hungry gents in my party and our food didn’t come out all at the same time but it all came out exactly when it was ready, and it was piping hot and made with love, and uh-​mazing, yo.
Not a single party had a single complaint about a single thing. I realize now that I write this that is a pretty rare thing. We got lucky, finding this place off highway 59/​I-​35/​hwy50, and I’ll be back, either next tornado season or next basketball season.