Clanton's Cafe

Clanton's is a classic diner on Route 66 in Vinita, Oklahoma. We stopped in while we were in Vinita checking out local antique shops and thrift stores. The service was top notch. Our waitress was friendly and always there to refill drinks and make sure we had what we needed. The food was very good! Came out quickly and tasted great! I had the hot hamburger with their hand cut fries and brown gravy. My husband enjoyed the chicken fried steak sandwich with white gravy on the side. Both orders were tasty, and generous enough we took about half of them home for later. The prices are good, as well. We spent about $22 for the two of us (drank water, which is always a savings) and were completely satisfied with our meal.

Excellent food, place was packed at 3:00 pm. I had the calf fries (testicles) and hand cut fries and they were phenomenal. Great service and prices.

Food was great, waitress was attentive and nice, atmosphere was cozy. Well worth our stop! Cute little town with beautiful murals.

Been eating at Clanton’s for years. Never disappoints. The chicken fried steak and fried pickles were outstanding. Service was great. DONT forget desert!

Such an awesome place! Great food, everyone was super friendly and fast service, and the decor was amazing. Everyone needs to stop by and experience Clanton's Cafe.

Stopped in on our way across country per reviews. Staff was extremely friendly. Service and food were great! I had half my meal gone before I thought to take pic.

Stopped by on a road trip and found this gem. Food was terrific, staff very attentive. Atmosphere took me back to the 50's - 60's with a more modern twist. Absolutely loved all the nostalgic pictures on walls. If we are ever back in the area, will drive out of the way to have a meal here. You can't go wrong.

I didn’t get to eat, I was on a time crunch at lunch time and stopped in to place a to go order.. they gave me a heads up on a time frame(which was extremely acceptable due to how busy this place was!) and I was unable to wait the time they said so I was going to head out.. they tried to offer me a couple of faster food items and were so polite! I will definitely be trying again when I have more time just because of the 2 people I encountered. A male with a Mohawk and a female with the bottom of her hair shaved with the longest braid ever! Keep up the positive vibes guys! I’ll be back!

This place is amazing !!!!! The loaded baked potato with pot roast inside of it was "The bomb" My favorite by far!!!!!

This place is the Beez Knees When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by almost every member of staff! That's huge! The atmosphere was cozy, comfortable, and welcoming! The coffee was some of the best coffee I have ever had in a cafe setting! Wow! Our food was hands down some of the best breakfast we have eaten in a while! Being the foodies we are, we have searched for a breakfast nook that would suffice our tastes, as we do travel around and abroad often. We have finally found our new favorite breakfast nook! So super grateful and happy to have this place so close to our home! Highly recommended!

Stopped for lunch on our way to OKC. Had seen it on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives several years back. Food was good, we had the country fried steak sandwich and burgers. Nothing fancy, but a good meal. The restaurant was clean, and the staff friendly. The Decor is dated, but for 90 year old restaurant along Route 66 I sort of expected that. I will definitely stop on my next trip through for a good meal.

Cool lil' country cafe off Rt 66 in Vinita. Super sweet ladies serving some great homemade lunch specials. I had an open faced roast beef sammich. Tender and tasty. Brown gravy did not come from a package! Nice friendly, family restaurant. Will most def be back!

I always like trying these old places...this place started 1930 or so...and still going. The food however, certainly could be much better. It is edible...sure. But is it memorable at all....the multiple tiles I've been here....no...not at all. The place will be busy as all get out...sure. But unfortunately, this place is relying on its lore of the past....rather than strengthening its reputation....thru a great dining experience.

The breaded fried beef steak probably didn't originate in the south, but it was damn sure perfected there. It became a diner staple, an All-American Route 66 Meal and the Official State Meal of Oklahoma! No brown gravy with onions, nope we don't do that here. Cream gravy. To have the perfect meal, do it right, mashed potatoes, fried okra and a dinner roll. Order yours just like that. Clanton's does a pretty decent job. That is the meal my wife and I had today, along with a small side salad. Something really struck me today. Served with the salad was a small pack of Lances Captain's Wafers. I haven't seen them for many years. A true sign of authentic diner food. Clanton's is a comfortable classic old diner. The service is excellent! If you are reading this review, you are likely not from Oklahoma. Oklahomans are born with an innate ability to locate the best chicken fried steak in the area without having to read someone's opinion posted on a website ran by a bunch of Californians. I won't call Clanton's Chicken Fry the best in Oklahoma, but possibly one of the most well-known. The Clanton's restaurant has been in business at their current location since approximately 1948. If you are traveling west on Route 66 this is a great place to start your Oklahoma Chicken Fried steak tour. As you travel, ask the local's which restaurant they recommend. Take the advice, don't argue with them, even if you think that you had something better up the road. You won't change their mind. Enjoy your trip on 66, and the Okie cultural immersion. Speaking of which....If you don't want to look like a tourist in Oklahoma, you always leave a restaurant with a toothpick in your mouth (a.k.a. Okie Toothbrush). Even if all you had was a cup of coffee.

On a business trip and we decided to give this place a try. Who can say no to Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes w/gravy and corn! Started with onion rings - amazing and I highly recommend! They were crispy with that old fashioned crunch to them. It's a reminder of my childhood when I used to stop at a seasonal hamburger place!

Average food. Nothing about cheeseburger was unique or great. Fries weee limp and greasy. Chicken fried steak was bland. PIE was amazing!! Coconut cream. YUM service was fine.

We had a big family trip of 14 of us headed to Branson and we saw this on Dinners, Drive-ins and Dives and knew we had to stop! All the food was excellent! They handled our large party with grace and ease and our server, Jessica was amazing!! Highly recommend! If a restaurant has been open for 80 years, there is a reason.

Absolute disappointment. Do not recommend unless you are a local. That is the impression we got. We were very excited to eat here on our way through Vinita since this was a historic place. We shouldn't have wasted our time. Sat there for an hour and kept watching other tables get their food all around us. They ordered similar entrees as us and even had larger groups. At one point, we heard the kitchen staff say they were out of baked potatoes (my son ordered one) and watched the last one be delivered to a table that was seated a good 30 min after us. When we asked our waitress about our food she immediately got defensive and hatefully said they are working on it and walked off. We stopped her asked if they were going to have the baked potato we ordered and she said no and what is she supposed to do about it. We asked to speak to the manager to let him know our experience and that we were leaving. We offered to pay for our drinks and salads that came with our meals. He was polite, declined the offer, and apologized. Once again, extremely disappointed. Do not recommend at all.

After asking the turnpike attendant where's a good spot to eat we were told this is the place. The three of us ate and not very pleased with anything other than the calf fries. The famous chicken fried steak was just ok not much flavor. The place is wore out and dirty, maybe if the food was better I would have overlooked the worn out establishment.

Great food reasonably priced good service it's a great place to eat. Chicken fried steak I would give7 stars

Pretty decent food for the middle of nowhere, ambiance is a little loud, but that's expected in an old style diner. Service was great though, very responsive and polite. Food was served fairly quickly too.

Omgosh the cheeseburger, fries with white gravy and chocolate pie are amazing! The service was great and friendly!

Ok so we like visiting Diners Drive Ins and Dives on our road trips so we stopped here for lunch. Mom should have gotten the chicken fried steak since that's what they're famous for. Turns out that's what she wanted for dinner so she decided to get a BLT. I can't do gluten so I basically got a stuffed baked potato. . Fast courteous service, but the food we did order was unremarkable. It's kinda a crime but my mom said there was too much bacon on her Sandy- how is that a thing? My potato... well mom and her lack of filter she said, "looks disgusting". It wasn't very appealing. I wasn't going to complain because hey, at least I wasn't ordering a sandwich with no bread. I appreciated the offer.

Delicious atmosphere great, real food with wonderful service. Highly recommend. Stop in for a clean home cooking and pie.

My husband has been here a few times and insisted I go, I was not disappointed! Just like the other reviews, doesn't look like much from the outside. I am guilty of driving by places like that a lot. We beat the lunch rush so there were plenty of seats available. My husband ordered the BLT with onion rings, it was a perfect portion for lunch. I tried one of the onion rings- amazing! They were crispy and the flavoring in the breading was spot on. I like being able to bite into an onion ring and not pull the entire onion out on that first bite. These were perfect. I ordered the hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes- covered in gravy. Let's start with that roast beef... Imagine going to your grandmothers house for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. It was cooked perfect, the beef flavor was not overpowered by seasonings, you can cut it with a fork! It was so juicy, I've not ever had any roast beef sandwich like this before. Don't get me wrong, I've had them before but this one was hands down the best! The mashed potatoes were instant, but I've said it before: you add love to those and it doesn't even matter! My plate was cleaned! I can't remember the last time I ate out and cleaned my plate. This is a definite must if you're traveling through or you're looking for a wonderful home style meal. We ordered a lemon meringue and coconut cream pie to-go. They were amazing!!! Thank you for the wonderful lunch and I had the pie for dinner! Definitely will be back.

The cheeseburger was the best I have had in years. It was juicy and had all the fixings. I will be making this my new road stop on I35.

We eat here from time to time and it's a great place to stop and eat, American cuisine with some extras, great homemade pies as well, the waitress and waiters are always polite and helpful, they seem to care about repeat business, you can dress down or dress up, they'll still make you some great food and treat you better than family

If you're looking to settle down after a hard day at work or a long drive, there's nothing better than some good comfort food to ease your soul and rest your mind. Clayton's café is the place to be. It's not much on the outside, but the flavor is big on the inside. I had the chicken fried steak over toast with a side of mashed potatoes with white gravy, the portion was just the right size, I left full but not overstuffed and the prices were perfect. The staff is very accommodating and helpful with every aspect of your meal. This is definitely a go to place if you're looking to settle down after a long day of whatever.

Excellent food and service. Route 66 place, nicely decorated. Easy to find in a small town.

Stopped for breakfast on the way back home, and we were pleased with the quality of the meals; eggs, hash browns, biscuits, and apparantly fresh ground sausage . Great cordial service, keeping the coffee coming. Enjoyed the community atmosphere of obvious regulars coming in and out. Just friendly folks.....recommended.

The food is very good expelly the porkchop. I also like the lemon pie they don't skimp on the topping. And the waiters are very nice.

A nice traditional home town breakfast place. Unforeseen circumstances brought me to this place. It's nice to get away from the city and sit down somewhere and have an affordable American breakfast. The service was welcoming and great. We got our food quickly and it's exactly what we asked for. There's not much to complain about, only thing is one of the locals mocked my mask lol. I'm not taking it off until the count is zero.

Not sure what has happened to this place. Had chicken fried steak, not even close to a few years back when I stopped in. Steak had no or little coating on it, it was super thin, dry meat and way over cooked pitiful.

Good non-chain food. I would describe it as a home-style local diner. Catfish is incredible. Chicken and dressing with dressing gravy is soooo yummy. Chicken fried steak AND chicken fried chicken... you just can't go wrong with either (and the chicken strips with a side of gravy is just another alternative to the CFC steak) Pot roast... mmmmmm. And if you want a fantastic burger... Clanton's has them. And if you still have room after your delicious meal... the pies, oh the pies, ARE TO DIE FOR! And on top of all the good stuff to fill your tummy... the service is top notch. You'll fill warm and welcome in this long time (many many decades) family owned diner. And all this on the Route 66 trail to boot!

Road tripping across Rt 66 and stopped at this cafe for lunch. I've seen this cafe on a food network/travel channel show and wanted to stop ever since. In the town on Vanita, OK, it's almost right off the interstate and easy to get to, with plenty of parking. I had a uhaul box truck and car trailer and had no issue parking. The service was excellent and the food was great as well. Had the country fried steak with mashed potatoes and homemade green beans. Tried the calf fries for the first time ever. Didn't know what to expect, but let me tell you.. regardless of what they actually are, they are delicious. Light crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth inside. If you are looking for something new to try, calf fries are a must. I may not ever get to Clantons Cafe ever again, but I'm so glad I stopped. Everything was delicious! Thank you

Starting with the positive. We found a spot to sit quickly and the server was very friendly She recommended the chicken fried steak, which 2 in our party tried. They said it was nothing special, but the brown gravy helped but the white not so much. I had a salad with fried chicken on top. I expected the lettuce to be iceberg and it was so nothing special there. The fried chicken, although plentiful, was bland. All in all, decent food, nothing special, definitely not worth the Triple D hype. We won't be back.

Wait staff was kind of rude. Food took longer to arrive than it should have. Lots of people who came in after us were served and gone before ours arrived. Not impressed.

Very underwhelmed by this restaurant. Food was mediocre at best service was average. Pricy also for Vinita OK. Lamb fries were over cooked small bites very crunchy batter okra was the opposite even though I ordered it extra crispy aka well done. Pie coconut cream, was bland no real pop of flavor. Disappointed in the stop. Not sure what all the fuss was about with this spot!

4.5 :} The customer service was great. It had a few flys here and there, but what can you do about b open door. Everyone enjoyed their food. My fried mushrooms needed a bit of seasoning but came out hot, mozzarella sticks were yummy, the fried beans were interesting. I tried the soup it was delicious soup with a small cup. I ordered roast beef and mash potatoes it was okay just needed a tad bit seasoning for my taste. The gravy was yummy My husband ordered the specialty and said it was fine. I also ordered the Chocolate fudge cake with caramel cheesecake with whip cream, it was delicious. I'd recommend you come try it.

Good breakfast, great service , hearty portions - nothing fancy just good food. The stars of the menu are lunch and dinner - maybe on our next trip through the area! Too early for dessert but the pies looked fantastic!!

Had a party of seven and it took about 15 minutes to get seated. Calf fries were really good! Only downside was thieves stole helmets and jackets off our motorcycles in the parking lot.

On the Summer Through America tour: We were passing through Vinita OK on our way to Tulsa on some errands and decided to stop for lunch, based on the reviews (see, Yelp, you DO contribute to society!). It's a small place and all you see from a distance is the EAT sign. But it's all you need. Shelly took great care of us. Their sweet tea is homemade and the perfect strength. I ordered the chicken fried chicken sandwich with a side of onion rings and the hubs got the chicken fried steak (dinner for lunch, anyone? Kidding aside, the woman across from us got the pot roast). The sandwich was huge and I could only eat half. The onion rings were breaded rather than battered (not my fave) but they were GREAT. The chicken was tender, flavorful and came out HOT! Himself's CFS was exceptional. I don't know what they did to it but believe the 60 million other reviewers that tell you it's great. Just the right portion size too. Was offered pie at the end but we just couldn't. The couple next to us ordered pie first and the waitress announced its arrival with, "Appetizers here!" Then they ordered their lunch. I wanted to make friends with them. A great place on RT 66, not to be missed if you're on your way to or from, and especially if you live in the area. We stuck out like two sore thumbs so the cashier engaged us. Definitely a locals place. The handful of boys that came in already had their school haircuts. Too cute. Total slice of Americana, something I think many of us are craving right now.

My mom graduated to heaven. Mom's cooking compared to here....Mom might have been fired lol . The pot roast is amazing, chicken dressing meal amazing. Drove back 38 miles to eat here again, you WON'T be dissapointed. I love my moms cooking, however Clanton's is soo amazing yum!!

Gave Clanton's Cafe another try. But sadly it's the last. Both of us had the chicken and dressing. Chicken must have been the bottom of the pan for it was dry, tough and very short amount. Dressing was very very dry and salty. Gravy was salty, too. Corn and green beans both were frozen and tasteless. Rolls were good. Service was very good. ITS TIME TO EITHER CHANGE THE BOOTH SEATS OR PUT PADDING IN SEATS! Seats fall to the floor! Big holes underneath. Getting old!

This was my second visit to clanton's! I had the pot roast this time with baked potato, green beans, French fries. All of it was so good! The pot roast is melt in your mouth tender with a delicious belly warming gravy! The French fries were delicious! I love this place! The ambience for a small town diner can't be beat!

I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED! Finally got to eat here after hearing all things good about the place but the food was just ok n not made to order AND SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE! NOT A SMILE OR A THANK YOU! JUST "here's your order" got it to go and didn't even get our drinks. Customer lost!

Went to lunch here with a good friend of mine yesterday so I can try out their famous Chicken fried steak. The steak was lightly breaded but the best part of the meal was the green beans and black eyed peas side dish. Mashed potatoes came with white gravy. I asked for my gravy to be on the side that way the mashed potatoes and steak was not smothered. Afterwards had the apple cobbler with ice cream. Yeast roll came with the mealThe staff was efficient and friendly

I'll always come here for chicken fried chicken and their pie. Delicious! Tried the home style pot roast recently and it was just as good!

I've said it before... there are places that continue to exists simply because of a name made for themselves some time in the past. Clanton's fits that description perfectly. At least based on my one (and probably only) visit. We'd planned on taking The Kid to Silver Dollar City over fall break, so we headed up on a Sunday. I'd already learned that Clanton's is closed on Sundays, so I dialed back my plans and decided we'd stop in on Monday, coming back home. After a veritable food desert in Branson, I was feverishly looking forward to Clanton's Fried Chicken. (Notice the all caps there? That's how it had been hyped on "Diners Drive-ins and Dives" and numerous other Interweb articles. So imagine my utter disappointment when our server told us they no longer serve the bone-in chicken. Just a grilled or chicken fried chicken breast. I think I hurt her feelings a little bit because I was literally unable to hold in my letdown. Like most other places, Clanton's is on a pared down pandemic menu with limited options. Figuring to at least get a meal I could rate evenly, I opted for the Chicken Fried Steak. The Wife had Chicken and Dressing, and The Kid went with Grilled Chicken Breast and fries. All came with a rather small and anemic side salad, which we ate prettily rapidly. The food arrived pretty quickly. The Wife's chicken and dressing looked and tasted quite good. The chicken was a little dry, but overall a decent effort. The Kid's grilled chicken had a lot of potential, and just fell short. Overly dry and possessing an odd flavor that made me think of teriyaki marinade. This could have off the charts with a little overnight brine or dry brine for a few hours, and a quick grill. As it was, neither The Kid nor I had much of an interest in it. As for my CFS, I've had worse, but not by much. Pounded so thin it only had one side, it just wasn't good. Bland breading, little to no seasoning, and not much meat to speak of. I daresay Clanton's didn't make any kind of name for themselves serving stuff like this. Overall, what had been a very anticipated visit turned into anything but. I'm sure there's a dedicated group of locals who will keep Clanton's afloat simply out of some sort of hometown loyalty. But for anyone bopping up or down I-40, there's better grub to be had within an hour either side of Vinita, so keep that hammer down and keep on keepin' on.

We had such a friendly waiter!! Nika did an excellent job and I couldn't get over how happy all of the employees seemed to be and how they seemed to really enjoy their jobs! It made quite an impression on me. This is a wonderful local diner. It's not fancy, but it's clean and comfortable. Hubby ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and he thought it was really good - perfect diner food! He noted that the meat was really tender for chicken fried steak. I missed my opportunity for diner food and ordered a southwest salad, knowing that the homemade pie sign was in my eyesight during our entire meal! The salad was a solid choice and it made my pie decision easier. Hubby and I shared a coconut cream pie and it was delicious. Our waiter mentioned quite a few homemade desserts and I hope we have the opportunity to stop by again during our travels to try more of the menu.

This place isn't bad but I certainly wouldn't say it's good. The salad dressings are house made but that was the best thing I had. I ordered the chicken and dressing and it wasn't worth eating, so I didn't. The quality seemed fine but the dressing was celery heavy for my taste and the chicken came out shredded on top of it which made me question how fresh it was. The green beans were fine but completely unseasoned. The rolls were also fine but they serve them with fake butter which is always such a bummer at "classic" establishments. Friendly service but just not worth it for me. My partner thoroughly enjoyed his chicken fried steak and calf fries, so it's not all bad!

This was such a great stop on our road trip to the Grand Canyon. We love stopping at Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives recommendations and it lived up to the hype! The chicken was so good.

Was closed. Didn't look like it has been open for awhile. Disappointed. Was looking forward to this restaurant since it had good reviews.

Pretty good food, home cooking. Their breakfast is very good. I love their homemade pies, cheese burgers and chicken fried steak!

Vinita, Oklahoma --- "Clanton's Cafe" is a Vinita iconic eatery & a "Run-A-Way Bill" Favorite ... Whether driving Historic US Route 66 or Historic "Ocean-to-Ocean" Route 60, "Clanton's Cafe" is a MUST stop! Having eaten here at least 3 times in my travels (that I remember anyway), I can say the food is tasty-riffic & plentiful, for a great price (only place in the USA that has a 65¢ bottomless cup of coffee) ... The atmosphere is comfortable with booth seating (no counter-seating though ) ... Opens at 6am for those early-bird breakfast eaters ... Service is super too ... Server Janet, always has me "leaving wanting more!" "Run-A-Way Bill" was here! #RunAwayBill #DUSA2017 #USroute60RunAwayBill #USroute60 #HistoricRoute60 #Route66RunAwayBill #HistoricRoute66 #Route66 12.13.17

Right on Route 66, this is must stop. Food was diner food. We had the BLT and catfish sandwich with home fries and onion rings. Onion rings and BLT was amazing. Catfish could use some work. The ambiance was great. Real diner feel and the place was packed. Should of gotten the chicken fried steak.

I'd like to give 4.5 but always best to err on the positive side. I ordered the Pot Roast and my wife had the CFS. Everything on my plate was excellent. My poor wife had the worst green beans and the gravy tasted like a mix. The overall experience was nice. Pies were very tasty. If you're through there down Route 66, it is one of the better places.

Solid greasy spoon joint with lots of history. Standard breakfast fare with friendly and easy service. I was surprised by the steak and eggs plate. Usually at other place you get a somewhat nondescript slab of meat, under seasoned, grilled well or slightly burnt and plated with your eggs and tater choice. Clanton's version is a well seasoned, 1" thick mini masterpiece of bovine deliciousness accompanied by perfect scrambled eggs and a heap of potatoes of your choice. There's plenty of diners along the old Route 66, this should be a stop for sure.