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| The coffee comes in nice big mugs |
Exterior: 4/5
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| Very unassuming - in fact if you don't know it's there you're going to miss it |
You wouldn't expect to stumble upon Missy's. It's in a professional strip mall on the South Side of town that's surrounded by an established residential area. It's a really nicely-kept little complex with attractive buildings. For better or for worse, Missy's doesn't jump out a ton from that overall vibe. They're doing little things like posting their specials out where folks driving down Alto Road can see them. Honestly, though, I've driven by this place oodles of times and had no idea it was there. That said, it was actually kind of fun to sniff it out - you feel like it's a secret restaurant and you're part of a special club because you know about it. The calm atmosphere of the surrounding area was really enjoyable.
Ambience: 4/5
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| Diner-style counter |
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| Interior seating |
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| I do like a bathroom with options |
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| My husband, who adores Burger Time, was sold on Missy's immediately after seeing this |
My rating for Ambience is a compromise between the 5/5 I would give it for my experience dining outside and the 3/5 I would give the interior. We adored eating outside in the fresh air under the tall trees that border the adjoining neighborhood. The inside is fine - it looked clean and comfortable. There's just not much pizzazz to it. Now, there is one thing that jazzes things up. The old-school arcade machines add great personality to the place, and there was a line to play them while we were there. I should note here that neither the unremarkable decor nor the surprising location are doing anything to hurt Missy's business. The place was PACKED while we were there at lunchtime on a Saturday - another reason we enjoyed the opportunity to eat outside.
Variety: 5/5
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| Spinach Tacos |
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| Stuffed French Toast |
Missy's knows their "family restaurant" genre and they stick to it. They meet all your sweet and savory breakfast expectations as well as having some sandwiches and salads and things. Now, within those customary categories, the menu gets expansive. They have lots of options for each kind of thing, and some of those options are nicely creative. Even if you just narrow yourself down to breakfasty food you'll find yourself torn between all the different breakfast sandwich, pancake, waffle, skillet, etc. options. Honestly I couldn't choose and I just went with the Spinach Tacos because my kid kept pointing to the picture. (They ended up being wonderful.) I was really hung up on a menu item that said it was new: Carrot Cake Pancakes. That's... that's such an amazing idea. I'll get it next time.
Quality: 5/5
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| Po-tay-toes |
We didn't have a single thing here that wasn't great. My husband was rapturous about his stuffed French toast. I loved my Spinach Tacos, served with salsa and sour cream on the side so you can decide your own spice level. What really bowled me away were the potatoes I got as a side: Holy Everything that was wonderful seasoning. And since there weren't really any swing-and-a-misses here, we'll have to try more of their consistently great-quality dishes!
Kid-Friendly: 5/5
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| Kids' Piggy Pancake |
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| Kids' Mac and cheese with French fries |
Eating outside was a huge advantage for dining with kids as well as being pretty and relaxing. 1YO kept dumping her fries on the ground, and I didn't feel like I had to duck down immediately and pick up each one. 5YO found a slide whistle in my purse (long story) and kept making noise with it, and although I'm sure the other two tables of people weren't thrilled it was much better that he did that outside. There was another family sitting at the next table (the kind with serene, perfectly-behaved children and adults who wear nice clothes on the weekends) and it didn't seem like their first time there, so this place must have a good reputation among the kiddo set. Even better, I took bites of both of my kids' meals and they were stellar quality, too, which is great because it's so easy for a restaurant to half-ass the kids' menu.
Would Eat Again?: Green Light
I'm tempted to not publish this post, because if Missy's gets more crowded then I might not be able to go back and try the Carrot Cake Pancakes so easily. But since it's so, so good, Missy's deserves any exposure I can give it. If they dump a little money into some bigger exterior signage and maybe a little kitsch on the walls, I think this will be a downright famous dining destination in town. Even now it has thriving business, amazing food, and a fun, attentive waitstaff. Heck yeah Missy's!
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