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Olde Main Eatery – Restaurant Review

By Chrysa | 23 Comments

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Olde Main Eatery Elk River MN

I was a lucky kid in that even though we had lots of great home-cooked meals, we also got to eat at restaurants at least once a week.  (Which wasn't as common way back then!)  One of my dad's favorite things to order was a patty melt.  I never understood that and actually never even TRIED a patty melt until about ten years ago.  Boy, was I surprised to find out how much I love them!

So, that has been one of my go-to menu choices when visiting a cafe or other small town restaurant – it's a good judge of their overall quality!  Soooo – last week when I visited Olde Main Eatery in Elk River, Minnesota, with my Mom, that's what I ordered.  Elk River is the town where I went to high school, but Olde Main Eatery wasn't around back then.

Olde Main Eatery has a warm atmosphere with a hodgepodge of decor making it feel very welcoming.  Their menu is classic small-town cafe fair with sandwiches, salads, burgers and breakfast served all day.

Patty Melt Olde Main Eatery

As I mentioned, I ordered the Patty Melt, but made a few changes to it.  On the menu it specified marble rye and swiss and american cheeses.  I switched it up a bit and ordered it on white bread and skipped the swiss cheese, since I'm not a fan.  It was really good!  I especially liked how golden and crispy they made the bread.

My mom ordered the Spinach Salad and loved it.  She raved over the grilled chicken on the salad and I though her roll looked amazing.  I think this may be my choice next time as I'm sure I'll head back there again for another lunch with Mom.

Spinach Salad Olde Maine Eatery

We ate at Olde Main Eatery Restaurant using a Restaurant.com gift certificate. Have you used one before? They’re super easy to use. You just browse Restaurant.com for a restaurant to visit in the area you live or are visiting. Then you print out the certificate to present to your server at the restaurant. The super cool thing is that these certificates NEVER expire. They are also perfect for traveling because if you purchase a certificate for a restaurant but end up not getting a chance to use it on your trip, you can simply trade it in for a different restaurant!

https://thriftyjinxy.com/restaurant
Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. The company offers savings at thousands of restaurants nationwide with more than 50,000 gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings people together to relax, converse and enjoy well-prepared and served meals at affordable prices. To date, Restaurant.com customers have saved more than $1 billion through the gift certificate program.

 What is YOUR favorite thing to order in a small-town cafe?

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Filed Under: Restaurant, Review, Travel Tagged With: american food, classic cafe, Olde Main Eatery, restaurant review

About Chrysa

Chrysa is the founder and owner of ThriftyJinxy.com, a site dedicated to living a fabulous life on a frugal budget. Her approach is that by spending less on the boring everyday stuff, you can have more money to splurge on the things you REALLY want, whether it’s travel, fashion, electronics – you name it! Chrysa is married, has an 11-year-old nephew she dotes on, as well as three lovable cats and a big sweetie of a German Shepherd.

Comments

  1. Terry says

    June 22, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    Sounds like a great place to eat. Especially if they have no problem with you switching it up a little bit. I always like to order food my way.

    Reply
  2. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    June 22, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    I totally would have ordered something like patty melt, too! That’s usually my go-to meal.

    Reply
  3. Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? says

    June 22, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    Looks like a fun, laid-back place to eat. And, that pickle looks like it’s delicious.

    Reply
  4. Kiwi says

    June 22, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    It looks like I can eat that pickle through the screen,,,nom! I have used restaurant.com before and will be using it again in the future!

    Reply
  5. Debbie Denny says

    June 22, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Looks like such a nice place. I love patty melts.

    Reply
  6. Cori Westphal says

    June 22, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Wow! I’ve been a reader for a long time now and had no idea you were my neighbor! I live in Elk River and grew up in Big Lake! And Old Main Eatery is one of our favorite spots for breakfast!

    Small world! 🙂

    Reply
    • Chrysa says

      June 22, 2014 at 7:44 pm

      That’s so cool! Really IS a small world. I grew up in Zimmerman, but went to high school in Elk River (there wasn’t a high school in Zimmeramn back then).

      Reply
  7. Maria Oller says

    June 22, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    The place looks great and has that home feeling I love in restaurants and the patty melts are one of my favorites.

    Reply
  8. Kayla says

    June 22, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    I love small town restaurants. I always opt for a BLT! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Virginia @thatbaldchick says

    June 22, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    I love trying new restaurants with Restaurant.com vouchers! It’s such a nice way to try something different and save while doing it.

    Reply
  10. TerriAnn @ Cookies & Clogs says

    June 22, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    I try to order something that looks like a specialty. That salad does look yummy and the chicken was probably nice and juicy!

    Reply
  11. Carly Bellard says

    June 22, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    Sometimes all you need is a sandwich! I love going to casual dining spots with my family.

    Reply
  12. Krystal says

    June 23, 2014 at 6:27 am

    That salad looks great. I love delis, they have everything!

    Reply
  13. Rosey says

    June 23, 2014 at 8:32 am

    I didn’t know you could trade the certificates. That is an awesome feature to know about, thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
  14. teresa mccluskey says

    June 23, 2014 at 8:42 am

    I always go for the hamburger and fries! Yummy! or if its in the morning. Biscuits and gravy even better!!

    Reply
  15. Pam says

    June 23, 2014 at 11:42 am

    I live on the West Coast but fly into Minneapolis several times a year to visit family in Wisconsin. I love restaurants like this and will have to stop by and try it out.

    Reply
  16. Brandy says

    June 23, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    What a great view, this looks and sounds like a great place to eat a meal. I love learning about new places to eat out at, although I am in New Hampshire so won’t be able to experience it, I hope many others who see this will!

    Reply
  17. Family Travel Blogger says

    June 23, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Eating out is always atreat for the whole family 🙂 Those little diners can dish out some of the best down home cooking.

    Reply
  18. melinda says

    June 23, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    now i’m craving a salad with hard boiled egg. only those “dive” looking places serve real food like that

    Reply
  19. Christina S says

    June 23, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    This looks like a great little place. We love going to local restaurants (especially when we’re away).

    Reply
  20. Mary Edwards says

    June 23, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    I love small restaurants that have a homey feel to them. The Patty Melt looks delicious!

    Reply
  21. Jeanine @ sixtimemommy.com says

    June 23, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    Sounds lovely! The good looks really delicious too!

    Reply
  22. Alesha @ Full Time Mama says

    June 23, 2014 at 11:04 pm

    This looks like a great restaurant we’d all love. That Patty melt looks fantastic!!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Chrysa and I'm here to help you live a fabulous life on a frugal budget. By spending less on the boring stuff, you have more to SPLURGE on what you really love. Read More Questions? Email Me!

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