Restaurant Review: The Cottage Restaurant in Cottage Grove

Located in the small town of Cottage Grove, Oregon this restaurant has been a landmark for years, but the last few of them have proved to show hardship with the negative reviews stacking up.

While, in its heyday it may have been a beautiful place and ideal for summer dining with its outdoor setting and inside lounge, especially located just down the road from the I-5 on/off ramps, but now it is showing signs of wear and no commitment to upkeep.

With its location on the outskirts of town, though, it is proven to be too out of the way for the locals, especially when there are many favorites right in town.

As far as the food, I honestly can't tell you what the best and worst thing is on the menu because I haven't like anything that I have ordered there yet. They offer American cuisine in the traditional fashion of hamburgers and steak dinners.

One customer reports that the Taylor Burger is a fine choice, while the baked potatoes are inedible. I usually order a sandwich and have been dissatisfied with the produce, as well as the meat quality.

The service was good, it was pretty quiet when I was in there, so we got the attention that we needed. The atmosphere is casual and a little odd, with tables spread around haphazardly and no clear route in which to walk.

While, it is family-friendly, meaning you wouldn't care if your child was acting terrible in this restaurant, I don't think I would let any children touch anything. The place is not in the best of appearances and the cleanliness is obviously not held in high regard by the management.

One customer, Aubree Carter, mother of three and local travel agent, had this to say, "...this one is very, very dirty. It needs to be checked out by the health department...I will no longer be eating there after (the) things I have seen and heard there."

While the prices are mid-range, around $8 for a hamburger plate and $12 for a dinner, you have to ask yourself how much you are willing to pay for piece of mind that your food isn't going to come back to bite you, literally.

However, you will have plenty of time to weight your options as it has taken well over 30 minutes for me to get my food on every occasion that I have braved to eat there. And, ladies, I would highly recommend using the parking lot and a leaf before using the facilities at this place. Sorry, fella's, I can't give you proper advice, I wasn't about the venture that far in.

So, moral of the story is, if when you want in the door to a place and get that creepy-crawly feeling running down your back, turn around and head out. By the way, it might be a good idea to ban the person who chose this place from picking the next one.