Colonial Cafe in St. Charles Illinois - A Review

Out in the far west suburbs of Chicago there is a seven store ice cream parlor/café chain known as Colonial Café. One of the pioneer restaurants within this chain is located on route 64 in east St. Charles. I have fond memories from my childhood of getting into our gas guzzling Chevy Caprice with my family and heading west to St. Charles for dinner and most importantly, ice cream. Not much has changed with the business except the fact that they have expanded out to other locations including a second store in St. Charles on route 38 just east of Randall Road. I have visited this location in west St. Charles numerous times with my family since it is fairly close to my home and the café boasts several specials throughout the year.

Colonial Café West St. Charles - Atmosphere

Colonial is a no frills come as you are dining establishment that is known more for the ice cream theme over being a dinner hub. The founders of Colonial worked in the diary delivery business back in the early 1900's thus the ice cream theme has remained a focal point of the company. The store even sports a giant cow statue for kids to pose next to for pictures. The lobby wall in the store sports a hundred or so snap shots of kids having their photo taken next to the lovely cow statue.

The dining room is quite bustling with plenty of seating which includes an atrium section towards the front of the restaurant. We usually prefer a seat in this section as the main dining room seems rather dark and dreary being windowless in several spots. I also feel the atrium is a little quieter away from the kitchen noise.

Colonial Café West St. Charles - Food

A visit to Colonial definitely requires a dessert order. The ice cream is not the best of the suburbs and probably considered average in my opinion. The value or thrill behind the dessert is what they do with their ice cream. The menu has some creative sundaes, shakes, and malts that seem to kick the ice cream into a higher standard. The marquee dessert on the menu is known as the Colonial "Kitchen Sink" which involves six scoops of ice cream, bananas, three toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and of course a cherry on top. This concoction is served in a bowl replica of a kitchen sink. Completion of this dessert will earn you a red bumper sticker stating you "ate the kitchen sink".

The food menu is okay and nothing to write home about. The tastiest items seem to be from the breakfast menu which I occasionally will order during lunch or dinner. Most breakfast items are served all day so if you are in the mood for an omelet during prime time, this is your place to go. The lunch and dinner items are average at best with your average fare of club sandwiches, cobb salads, and roasted meats such as turkey dinner or meat loaf. I have ordered these items and they seem a disappointment when you are accustomed to these meals made my mom.

Colonial Café West St. Charles - Price

I would consider the prices average. The real value in Colonial is by taking advantage of the mailer coupons and advertised specials on the marquee board outside the store. For example, during the past summer, the Colonial store offered up fifty cent ice cream cones during one month and then offered one dollar sundaes the next month. The other significant deal is kids eat free on Mondays after 4 pm.

Colonial Café West St. Charles - Recommendation I do recommend a visit to Colonial, especially if you have children. The children's menu is vast and fair priced. Mom's and Dad's are best off ordering a club sandwich, Panini, or even some breakfast regardless of the time of day. Make sure to leave room for dessert, perhaps even the "kitchen sink"