Chicken House - Olpe, Kansas The Chicken House restaurant is a second generation family restaurant in the small town of Olpe, Kansas. The first restaurant at this location was the seven seat Cooper's Café which opened in 1934. The Coble family took over the then larger restaurant in 1958. It is the kind of place where diners converse across the dining room, most of the men wear hats, the napkins are in dispensers on the tables, and the French fries were (for a while) called Freedom Fries. The food at Chicken House is good, and unusually reasonable. Sandwiches start at $3.25 (grilled cheese or fried egg sandwiches), and most dinners are $12. For example meal consisting of 1/4 chicken (choice of light or dark meat), choice of potato, salad, and coffee or tea is $12. The salad is finely chopped iceberg lettuce, with shaved carrots & carrots, and your choice of dressing. The fried chicken, hand breaded onion rings and fresh cut fries are among the best items on the menu. Service is adequate and friendly. Open Monday through Saturday. When we first visited the Chicken House, they baked their own pies, but during our most recent visit, we learned that the cheesecake came from the Cheesecake Factory and the pies were from another outside source. The pecan pie we had during our most recent visit had a great filling, but the crust was so-so. The ribeye diner is the most expensive entree at $23 with choice of potato, salad and a warm roll. The one I tried was cooked exactly medium rare, as ordered. I was surprised that the Chicken House chicken fried steak sandwich is served on sliced bread, instead of a bun. The steak was tender and the light, soft breading tasted good. The fresh cut shoestring sized French fries were also good. Don't worry if the the parking lot looks full when you arrive, the three dining rooms at the Chicken House could seat nearly everyone living in Olpe at the same time. Olpe is a short drive south of Emporia, Kansas.
copyright 2006-2023 by Keith Stokes |
