K’s Cafe is a small, locally owned and operated restaurant on 111 South Main Street in Minier, IL. They serve a variety of different kinds of foods, including but not limited to, walleye, pork chops, tenderloins, burgers, and fried chicken.  To write this article, my family and I went to K’s Cafe to try out the food for ourselves. Their Friday night specials were butterfly pork chop, walleye, catfish, or spaghetti meals. We decided on three pork chop and one chicken strip dinner. They all came with a choice of potato and one side. My dad opted to forgo his sides and went for a one-trip salad bar instead for only an extra $1. To say the least, we all enjoyed our food immensely and were surprised with how everything was homemade and fresh! The salad bar was plentifully stocked. The portions were quite large and very fairly priced.

Owner, Kathleen Cremeens, opened the doors to the public in May 2017. Cremeens grew up in the area and what inspired her to go into the restaurant business was her grandparent’s restaurant, the Crabtree Pool Hall, that existed in Minier in the 1970’s. She has six loyal employees including waitress, Candi Berry, who visited and shared her experiences with us about working there. Berry has been working at K’s Cafe since its opening. She informed us that all of the food is amazing and they have several regular customers. Without hesitation, she said the most popular item ordered was the pork tenderloin. Cremeens spoke to us about the difficult challenges that K’s cafe has had to endure during the COVID pandemic. She says, “It is hard to provide high-quality ingredients and homemade food with rising food costs and shortages, but that is a priority in this restaurant, so we make a way.” 

K’s Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner five days a week with an array of homemade cookies, pies, and baked goods, too. They offer daily specials with a soup and a vegetable of the day. They accept dine-in, carry-out, and catering orders. They do ask for catering and large orders to be placed in advance, though. The contact number is 309-392-1362 and they have a Facebook page that shows a 5-star rating for the restaurant.