Kernel Restaurant

What a great place to eat! Great food. Will be out #1 stop next time in the area. Save Room for the Pie!! Best Carmel Apple Pie in Minnesota!!

We have a K ways loved the pie at the Kernel, but it was AWFUL! We ordered strawberry Rhubarb but got regular rhubarb. That would have been fine but it was hard, uncooked rhubarb with barely any sugar or topping. You could not even stab it onto the fork! The waitress was sweet and apologized! My husband took Caramel Apple, and I got regular strawberry rhubarb the second time. The crust on mine was fry and thick with very little filling! My husband’s wasn’t much better! The cheeseburger soup and Cuban sandwlich were good! However, after we visited the bathroom, we both decided not to go back! The metal heat boards were rusty and very dirty! It isn’t the same place it used to be to be!

Lovely little restaurant. I have visited several times in the past, even as a young kid. It really feels like a home. The staff are friendly and the food came out hot and delicious. Their pies are fantastic. I had a ruben last time, and it was so good, the corned beef and their dressing was a gret pair up.

Fantastic food, prices are good.

I'll keep it short and sweet (not so much). Food was disgusting. My 4yr old ate his Mac n cheese my oldest ate his pancakes. My husband ordered a burger and it was burnt and basically a hockey puck. My daughter and I ordered Alfredo pasta was undercooked and chicken was raw. So if you like Kraft Mac n cheese pancakes and french fries this is your place. The waitress even said the pasta looked undercooked and that's why she doesn't get it there..... yup. And the booths were filthy and table was sticky. Just avoid this place.

A great place to eat! The service was really great and the people were friendly. Lots of choices to pick from on the menu. Some of the menu items are time specific, so for example, some breakfast items are not all day and end at 11:30. A really quaint place to grab a bite to eat if you are in town!

If you are looking for a place that feels like walking into Grandma and Grandpa's house having Sunday dinner and dessert this is the place you belong. The place is outdated but clean and the food is flavorful yet like grandma makes.

We usually live the Kernel but this visit was not very memorable. It was more important for our waitress to restock the condiments at the other tables and ours. They didn't give us silverware when they stayed us. We actually had to ask for it after she brought us our coleslaw and walked away. The oil or grease on our plates was over the top Anytime before this I would have given them 5 stars but I'm probably being generous today!

Hello I would love to give this place higher stars! I heard it was a locally owned business! I like that a lot. My breakfast was good. I would say if you want some basic farm coooking go here. Good but will not blow the socks off. The place inside and out could use some TLC. Fresh paint, weeding outside, ne upholstery would go along ways to make it more welcoming! Good luck and go for the food if so!

I've been coming to Kernel Breakfast for a few years now and I have to say it's one of my favorite spots in town. The service is great. I just happened to get lucky and get the same server every time named Sam. She is awesome! The place is very welcoming and friendly. Spacious and comfortable.

Whenever my wife and I are in Owatonna, the Kernel Restaurant is always on our list to stop by and have breakfast or lunch. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. The service is also exceptional. The soups, sandwiches, and hot meals are comforting. We highly recommend to our family and friends.

Went here a while back and my dishes were dirty and the food was nothing special. Service was fine but not amazing. It felt like any other low rent food joint. Not flashy and not working to impress.

The atmosphere was very quaint. Reminded me of an old diner which was a nice change. The food was amazing. My husband had the hot beef sandwich which he said reminded him of his childhood it was so good! My daughter had the French toast and the amount of toast she got was insane! But she devoured it and said it was so good she didn't even need the butter. I had the meat and cheese omelette and it was so good and the perfect amount of meat, cheese and egg. I also had the sourdough with it and it was so fresh and delicious. My family definitely recommend this place if you are passing through or visiting Owatonna like we are.

We were at a wedding nearby and needed a quick sit down breakfast before leaving town - this was not the right choice. We were seated relatively quickly for a busy Sunday, and the waitress was timely and nice. However the food experience was absolutely awful. Starting with the fact that one of the people in our party never got their food. We had to go and make sure the order was cancelled before leaving so we wouldn't pay for it. For being there about an hour, the fact that they forgot a dish and it didn't come out the whole time was awful. The food itself was also abysmal. All we got were different variations of eggs and hashbrowns - and all were awful. Hash browns were soggy and flavorless (even when asked for well done) and the eggs were the blandest things I've ever had. My over-easy eggs were barely cooked and were a puddle of almost raw mush. I got the kernel special and the sausage on top looked comparable to spam. I really only ate some of the rye toast that came with the meal - but the other people in my party's toast was barely cooked or soaked in butter. Overall, definitely do not come for breakfast. Absolutely awful and stopping for food on the way home since nothing was fully eaten.

Good food and good prices! Very quick service on weekdays, especially in the morning and during the lunch hour. Attentive staff who will keep the coffee flowing. The menu is full of tasty midwestern classics... think split pea and ham soup and jello based pie options... lots of nostalgia available! They always have specials going... combos and free this and that if you buy one thing or another. One thing to watch out for is the entrance to the parking area via the motel is somewhat disintegrated with lots of potholes etc. so drive carefully :)

A pretty standard breakfast spot. Mediocre food for a fair price. We got 2 steak and egg breakfast and a single pancake with an orange juice and coffee for around $32. The service was great, very attentive server and got the food out quickly.

A wonderful family run restaurant!! Excellent tasting food, very personable wait staff, when looking for a "home-cooked" meal- this is the place to go!!

The service was quick & terrific. It's nice that coffee is included in the morning breakfast specials. An entire urn is brought to the table! I ordered the chicken fried steak recipe. The hash browns were perfectly crisp. The eggs and toast were good. I've had chicken fried steak many time in my life, and I've never had it served with a sausage gravy. I assume it was the same gravy that was served with the biscuits & gravy. The gravy was rather bland & not hot. The chicken fried steak itself was fine, but nothing special.

Had a wonderful experience at Kernel! We camp in southern Minnesota once a year and we strolled upon this place while finishing our errands. The food was great: I had the Chorizo breakfast option and my boyfriend had the country fried steak which he loved. For two meals & a pot of coffee we only paid $25! Our server, Sam, was also fantastic. We ended up coming back three days in a row! Will definitely be back next year.

I came here this morning for the first time with my niece. We were pleasantly surprised by everything. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the ambiance was very welcoming with plenty of natural light and calm, soothing music. We would definitely come back again!

Quaint little country diner located in town. Always very friendly and efficient service, and the best part, literally all of the food on the menu is delicious. The prices are very fair and I have never left here unhappy. Definitely a go to for a quick breakfast lunch or dinner.

The Kernel's menu is traditional American. They offer a fairly wide variety of options, including their daily specials. They have a very loyal base of customers, most being 60 years and above. The service is very good. You generally get your food without a long wait. The prices are reasonable. They are probably best known for their breakfast and their pie. Their omelets are good and they have a dish named Kernel Favorite which is very good. It's ham and cheese, or sausage and green peppers, on top of eggs and hash browns. A beverage is included with your breakfast. The rest of the menu is consistently good but in no way outstanding. On my most recent visit I had the Friday fish special. It's 2, 3, or 4 pieces of fried cod with dinner roll and two sides. The cod had a nice light batter. It was white and firm but needed a little salt. The French fries were adequate. My clam chowder was a little disappointing. It was more of a potato chowder with hints of clam. It's a good place to get a nice, reasonably priced meal but you won't remember it a few days later.

We were in the Owatonna area to shoot photos at a hunt test event and when we finished with the dogs we headed out to breakfast. Looked at the Yelp! App (of course!) and the Kernel Restaurant was number one for breakfast and we weren't disappointed. There is a senior menu in addition to the rest of the regular items. We order off a special recipe card sized menu, three items, three people, that worked out! The food was good, our server was fantastic. One tip, if you're ordering sausage, get the links over the patties. When we finished eating, a suggestion of baked fresh daily pies was made and we ended up taking home a slice of sour cream raisin for my husband. It pays to travel with a cooler! I would definitely stop in again if I'm in Owatonna.

Great food, great service! Had breakfast and enjoyed the food very much, but the coffee was quite weak.

Bad food, bad service If you aren't a local regular, don't have high expectations on service. If you like greasy diner food that is most often served wrong, this is your utopian dream. Don't fall for the upcharged mac and cheese. It's a bowl of Kraft, and I'm not kidding. Their fish fry is a greasy mess, breakfast is hit and miss. Burgers are frozen patties, french fries can be good or bad, depends on if the grease was changed. On a positive note, their pie is great.

Drove into town for a sporting event on a snowy, windy October night. Having no experience with Owatonna cuisine, we drove around town before looking at the Yelp app. We headed toward a highly rated restaurant, but found the empty parking lot at 5 PM concerning. I had noticed the parking lot of this restaurant was packed. We looked at the reviews and decided on Kernals. It was a good choice. Willow, our waitress, provided good suggestions and was attentive throughout our visit. We mixed things up by getting the Cuban sandwich (coleslaw and baked potato) and an everything omelette. We were happy with the taste of our meals and the portion sizes were good. The coffee was hot and they served it with a large carafe on the side. Refills of the soda came without needing to be asked. The strawberry rhubarb muffin was served warm and quickly disappeared. The place was packed from the time we came in until the time we left. All employees seemed to be busy but cordial with customers. If we come back to Owatonna, there is a good chance of us returning to this restaurant.

I was excited to try out this restaurant because in this area it is hard to find places to eat that are Gluten friendly. We walked in just behind a senior couple, they were seated then us. We were given menus and told that our server would be with us shortly. We patiently waited for our server and waitress cleaned tables, looked at us and just walked by. The elderly couple that was seated just before us had received their drinks and were starting to order their food. We were ignored for approximately 5 minutes before walking out the door. I will never step foot in that place again. I'd give them 0 stars but you can't.

We came here on a busy Sunday afternoon and got seated right away. Service was a little slow but not bad. I ordered the special coconut shrimp dinner and got the bean and ham soup as one of my sides. OMG! It was by far the BEST bean and ham soup ever! My hubby had to order a cup too after tasting mine. My other side was sweet potato fries which were crispy and tasty. My shrimp was good. I got six jumbo shrimp. The entree also came with a thick slice of toasted garlic bread. All for only $10.99! My hubby opted for a breakfast platter and was pleased with his eggs, ham and hash browns. Our waitress was nice, and friendly too. Definitely recommend this place!

Went here on a Sunday around mid morning, bad idea, morning rush after church. Don't remember what we all ordered but was not impress. We waited a good 45 min for our food so did the other customers. By the time we got our food the eggs and the pancake were cold. At first glance upon arrival, this place is outdated and run down but because the tables were filling up quick we decided to give It a try. It also has this sour plastically smell to the place like mop water with a tinge of cleaning chemical mix in.

Its ok.. coffee comes with the meal which is great. Bacon was tough and chewy, eggs u can tell was fried with the bacon which 7yrs ago it would of been great but dnt do grease anymore, coffee is awsome and the creamer choices i love! Ooh and the home made biscuits so good. Atmosphere was very warm like a gmas house feels. Its a place that I'm sure by looking at the customers is a elderly senior hang out which makes me feel at home. Home made pies and sweets. It truly does need a face lift in dinning room to bring it up to 21st century, staff was very attentive and sweet, like gma love it! This is a very classic mom N pop restaraunt. Parking lot is huge but ..has crater size holes all over.**repaired the parking lot Location is perfect right on the highway.

How hard is it to mess up diner food? Breakfast is ok and decent price. Pies are great. Otherwise it's greasy, frozen canned or boxed. Burgers are dry and not seasoned. Worst was the fish fry. Came in a pool of grease and was mushy. Ordered the mac and cheese for a side, an upcharge of almost a dollar. It was kraft mac and cheese, not kidding at all. Service is mediocre, staff seems unenthusiastic.

We were headed to Waseca for the day and was looking for a place to eat. The building and decor are certainly older but the service was good and the food was really good so that is really all that matters to me. I would highly recommend stopping here to eat.

Very busy place. Our waitress was terrific. Food and coffee weren't anything to write home about. Oh, well.

Easy to find off the highway and definitely has a local feel. The staff was very friendly and the menu was huge. Hubby had the clam chowder and thought it had a good taste even though it had too many potatoes. I had the mushroom burger and thought it was a good diner burger. I regretted not trying the sweet potato fries because the waffle fries were just ok. Hubby had the hot beef plate and thought it was good. It was a great Midwest diner.

Not from Minnesota, entirely unfamiliar with what was good around here, and decided to eat at this place. Service was good, got seated & within 10 minutes our order was taken. Arrived around noon, so lunch hours made it a bit busy. Our food was served to us in 20 minutes. Could have been a bit hotter, but it tasted pretty good. In & out within an hour. The staff were very good about wearing their masks properly (covering nose & mouth) and taking some great covid precautions. My boyfriend had their rib special & I had breakfast biscuits and gravy with an orange juice. Our total was only $24 for the both of us. Great prices, very clean, 10/10 I will come here again if I am in town.

Great home town restaurant. Had a great breakfast. Does it rate 5 stars in the city... Probably not.... But it does rate 5 for a hometown diner. If you just want a good meal, you'll find it here. Located in an old County Kitchen ( some may remember these)...with a small town ambiance. The wait staff is friendly and welcoming. They have some fantastic looking cinnamon rolls, however I didn't try one. If you're passing thru Owatonna, it's worth a stop.

Stopped in with my friend this morning.... Mmmmm, just as I remember!! Had a juicy chicken sammich and onion rings!! Our server even offered up some ranch dressing.....appreciated! She was attentive and friendly. Thanks, Kernel!

Nice family restaurant with friendly knowledgeable staff. The food was plentiful and delicious. We asked lots of questions about the menu items. When the staff suggests sausage links over patties, believe them! We will certainly stop in again.

My family wanted to eat somewhere on way home from Mankato. We took Highway 14 to 35W and I searched on yelp. We didn't want fast food. They had a lot of Sunday specials on the board. I chose shrimp po boy on ciabatta bread. This was too messy and dense. It should have been on a soft hoagie or flatbread as I left most bread. Husband had soup and they brought him a huge bread basket full of crackers. Kinda strange but ate some before meal. Husband had beef with mashed potatoes and son had California Burger without onions and waffle fries. My po boy also came with a potato choice and coleslaw. Asked what American fries were and they are sliced up fried potatoes and I chose them. Potato and waffle fry portions were small. Waitress didn't ask if we wanted dessert. Missed upsell opportunity. The pineapple upside down cake sounded good. Used yelp check in to save $300 on a $25 purchase. Obviously a typo and got $3.00 off. Support local business.

We had such high hopes! The service was quite good, but our vegetables were frozen peas, carrot and corn mix, not at all fresh and the macaroni and cheese side was literally Kraft Macaroni and Cheese from the box!!!! What happened to homemade? I could have stayed home and microwaved it all myself. So disappointing.

I stopped here with my parents and grandmother in the middle of a very long road trip. It was very easy to find off of the highway. The service was very good (they did honor the $3 off Yelp deal) and the menu is giant. It was a bit overwhelming! I ordered the seafood platter and was very full and satisfied afterwards, as was everyone in our party. I wish we would have saved room for the homemade pie; it looked epic. The bathrooms could use a really deep clean, but overall this place is great!

Good Traditional breakfast/lunch. Good price, big portions, busy place. You pay at the door, it's a good idea until you have a rush of people leaving, with separate checks- waited 15 minutes in line to pay after sitting ordering and eating taking just about 25 minutes.

Came here for their famous best fish fry in Owatonna and they were out of fish! What a bummer. Had to order a steak instead. Not what we wanted.

Hadn't been in town in over 6 years. Stopped in for breakfast, still has the great old timer hangout vibe. Good food, and server was very good especially considering she was the only one serving about 10 tables!

Alright guilty, I'm the kind of person that sincerely enjoys going to a greasy spoon restaurant. And honestly, this is totally the place for you if you are like me. The service is always impeccable. I have had the same woman every time we have gone here, and she is so fantastic. The food here is second to none when you are talking diner food. Recently Amy Klobuchar even ordered pastries from here to have at her monthly MN meeting. We've had sandwiches, salads, cheese curds (I strongly recommend these), steak, etc. The food on this menu is cooked to perfection! This place will win no awards with it's decor (nor cleanliness of the bathroom if I'm honest), but hands down, besides Olivias, this is the ONLY family restaurant in town worth eating at.

Yummy breakfast!!! Not the fanciest place but who cares if the food is perfect!!! Had the breakfast croissant sandwich!!!

It use to be a place for a nice dinner - but today the food was not eatable - the hamburger tasted like it was precooked froze and microwave tasted like a vending machine burger - then the appetizer mozzarella sticks tasted like an off brand from walmart complete with the microwaved marinara sauce - my daughter had the cod - she said it tasted of a ll breading and it was a saw paper shrimp consitancy - she had a side of american fries - she couldn't cut them - she even sawed it with a steak knife she couldn't get passed cutting it and she hurt her tooth biting it - the fresh fruit was the only redeeming quality of the meal :/ Not good and a place to avoid if you are coming to owatonna unless you are right on funds it's cheap - but with the price the quality is the same - cheap

Stopped in here on my way to Minneapolis and was really glad I did! The food was fantastic as was the service? Obviously there's a reason that they have been around for over 50 years. It's not visible from the highway but it's close. If you're traveling and are looking for some great diner type food, this is the place!!

We had cheeseburgers from the Senior menu. They were Ok, but nothing above average. The fries were a little under-cooked. The frustrating thing was that even the smallest substitution was not allowed. I asked for cheddar cheese, rather than American, and it was a no-go. Not even a small up-charge, just "can't do that with the 1/4 lb burger on the Senior Menu". We asked about a couple other items too, same response. The waitress seemed embarrassed by it, but said it was management policy.

Loved it from day one! You are a true cook to order restaurant. Why can't the other big names catch on.

We came here for breakfast and it was good. It wasn't superb but not bad. I did like that they use real eggs in their scrambled eggs. Service was also friendly and quick. I wish I would have tried their deserts because they looked homemade and tasty. The restroom was gross though. It smelled and was not too clean.

Just visiting from out of state. Not overly impressed with the food or desserts. Three people in our group. The fried cod was a big fish stick &the mac'n cheese was plain Kraft out of the box (definitely not worth the extra .99 to choose it as a side.) Most side items were a form of potato... No real vegetables. Seriously, no real vegetables. Coconut pie, apple pie & vanilla milk shake we're lacking in flavor. Steak was tough.

I've eaten at the kernel since I was nine, and I can say that the food is amazing. The traditional style of the food and restaurant gives you a nostalgic bliss. If you ever go there you have to try the strawberry milkshake!

They are a typical American dine in. The place is falling apart and the decor won't win any prices. Bathroom is disgusting as well. Food is not great or bad, just randomly ok. People who come here are either older than 50 or younger than 12.

Great food at a great price what more can I say! The service is excellent and listening to the "Locals" conversations is interesting!

Seriously one of the best breakfasts ever. Eggs and bacon good exactly like I asked and the cinnamon roll was soft and sweet and delish!!

Great selection of options to choose from on their menu. Their fish basket with waffle fries was very tasty and everything being served looked delicious. They are also known for their pies as they have many choices to pick from.