Kenyon’s Place Restaurant & Lounge

Walked in the door and first thing I saw was a litter box… A LITTER BOX! Isn’t there some kind of a health code for this? Instantly lost my appetite.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kenyon’s! We are recent transplants to the area but even while we were part timers out here we loved Kenyon’s for it’s huge, warm fritters that are served with every meal. We sometimes order more. When our friends visit, Kenyon’s is the first restaurant they want to visit. My husband’s favorite cocktail is a rusty nail and the bartender at Kenyon’s makes an excellent one! The décor reminds me of Grandma’s house, very inviting and comforting. Bill (Mr Kenyon) walks around «schmoozing» with the customers and makes you feel like your a guest in his home. Many of the items on the menu are comfort foods and that’s another reason we love to eat here.

We had our Christmas Work party here and I was impressed. The food was good and the environment was inviting and friendly. Had a great time. I got the cod /​baked tater/broccoli.The fish was cooked perfect and very good. Others got prime rib which looked excellent and a variety of other foods. Bar was fairly quick for the amount of people that Saturday night.

Growing up in the area I’ve never understood the following of this place. I think for most it’s become more like comfort place than a place that calls their taste buds. There’s a few «safe» choices on the menu but most of the options end up being tasteless. I often hear people order the chicken and spaghetti. The chicken is stomach turning and the spaghetti is a far cry (the wrong direction) from even a jar of Ragu. For the small town of Lacon and the quality that ends up on the table the prices are outrageous.
Reading the previous reviews I’m shocked about how many people give the fritters a thumbs up. They are dry and another tasteless item served at this restaurant. They need to drive south a bit on 26 to the Midway Duck Inn (warm, fluffy, moist, yummmmm) and re-​think their statements on the fritters.
Almost always you’re dining surrounding by a much older crowd. There’s nothing wrong with that — but I question how many more years this place has before their customer base isn’t around to keep their doors open.
On the positive side though the service normally is very friendly and attentive. And, although outdated, the place is always clean. And I can see where the classier bar Kenyon’s offers is an asset to Lacon.

Very friendly and inviting restaurant. The menu is varied offering many Central Illinois favorites: catfish, tenderloin sandwich, frog legs. The owner showed to our table and was genuinely grateful for us coming to his restaurant for dinner. The corn fritters are fabulous. I would highly recommend this small, independent business.

On a small town rating scale, this is probably a 4 star restaurant. However, the food definitely doesn’t meet this standard for bigger cities. The corn fritters are good, but not the best that I’ve had. The fried chicken is average to good for similar restaurants. The mashed potatoes were decent, but the gravy made them heavier on the calorie side that I’d prefer. The spaghetti and tortellini were both disappointments — The sauce was fairly bland and both the noodles were under cooked. The service was great — very small town (i.e. friendly).

Awesome restaurant. Keep up the good wrk Annita & Bill!

This is a great restaurant. Very welcoming staff. The owners make you feel like you come in every week. They have great salmon. My favorite is the country fried chicken. They have delicious fresh cut steaks. They also have an awesome bartender that can make whatever you need… I recommend the Brandy Alexander! I come here as often as I can and recommend it to everyone.

Not overly fancy, but excellent fritters that come with most meals. Clean and family friendly.

If you want a good, old fashioned home cooked meal, you have come to the right place. Kenyon’s is worth the drive from Peoria, or anywhere within 50 miles, just for the warm corn fritters alone. My favorites are the Filets and the Chicken with Tortellini. Bill and his staff will make you feel welcome every time.