Ladybird Diner
| Address: | 721 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA |
| Phone: | +1 785-856-5239 |
| Site: | ladybirddiner.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 7AM–3PM 7AM–3PM 7AM–3PM 7AM–3PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
C.
C.T. Sorrentino
"Ladybird", by the way, is the British term for what we know as a "ladybug", the cute little red dome shaped things, and member of the beetle family, with black dots that will crawl up your finger and onto your hand, tagging along until they get bored and fly away to find another unsuspecting human being or facsimile thereof. Anyway, Ladybird Diner is a busy place and got great reviews from respected colleagues, but was underwhelming in my eyes. I somehow expected more and have yet to find a great breakfast place (or lunch and dinner for that matter) in LFK. Big sigh. We stopped by about a month ago on a Sunday around 1pm and they were packed with a 15-20 minute wait, so we went up the street and ate. My spouse had a medical procedure and had not eaten for 33 hours, and I fasted along with her for moral support. So by the time we arrived at 9:30 this morning, we were FAMISHED, STARVING, HUNGRY AS A HORSE if you catch my drift. My wife loves their pancakes and hashbrowns, but went for a couple of doughnuts (and one to take home for tomorrow - $2.09/ea) and a side of hashbrowns ($2.49). She was happy as a lark, indulging her sweet tooth and getting a massive sugar and carb rush all for just $6.67. Such a deal! I, on the other hand, went the more traditional route. I rarely eat a big breakfast, opting instead for a cup or two of joe and some wheat bread with natural peanut butter and sliced bananas. However, 4-6 times a year a get a hankerin for a full-on breakfast with eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and biscuits and gravy (B&G), so that was what I did. I ordered the Diner Breakfast ($9.99) and a half order of B&G ($5.49). The Diner was decent, nothing special, coming with wheat toast, and the eggs were cooked over-medium as I had asked. The three slices of bacon were lukewarm and petrified, obviously pre-cooked and sitting in a warming tray or nuked because they were difficult to cut with a knife and very chewy if you know what I mean. The hashbrowns were somewhat sparse, but crispy and savory just the way I like them. The biscuits and gravy were another story altogether. A buttermilk biscuit and a ladle of country gravy cost no more than a $1 max to produce, so I have difficulty understanding a 549% markup. Ladybird is not the only culprit, all the breakfast places on Mass Street do it as do many others around the nation. $2.99, even $3.49, would be a fair price for a single biscuit and gravy for a $2 to $2.50 profit on less than a bucks worth of flour and fat. Enough about price. The order of B&G looked appetizing enough, but there was an odd taste to the gravy I could not quite put my finger on. Did they add honey mustard to the gravy? It sure tasted like it, so I asked to cook as I came back from the loo and was told that it was not honey mustard, but nutmeg. I was wrong, but the taste of the gravy was even wronger (look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls). Why cant I get some good ol fashioned overpriced biscuits and gravy on Mass Street? This place adds nutmeg, another tops it with watery green chili sauce ... give me a damn biscuit and some freakin normal salty and peppery country gravy for cryin out loud! Sorry, the country gravy has me talkin like a country boy, so let me digress yall. The service was "OK", not bad, but not very good. Maybe they were shorthanded because I only saw two servers running around to the 15 or so tables, but I sat and waited for a coffee refill for a good 10 minutes while our server ran back and forth avoiding eye contact the entire time. I know servers somehow expect that they deserve a 20% tip nowadays (there I go again, dammit!) no matter how well they perform, but I put myself through college waiting tables and am a bit picky when it comes to service. This young lady got a 15% tip, generous in my eyes, but I am sure she cursed me as we walked out the door. CombatCritic Gives Ladybird Diner 6 Bombs Out Of 10 With Deductions For Exotic and Overpriced B&G, Cold and Chewy Bacon, And So-So Service... More Bombs Are Better!
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Belinda Holmes
Wait staff --I wish I could give them a ten! They were all wonderful! Kitchen -- hmm. Since I was dining solo, I was seated in the back by the kitchen where restaurants tend to put families with young children and singles. The kitchen is open, and while I understand the need for them to shout "Hot food!" when an order is up, one of the cooks kept screeching, clucking very loudly like a chicken, etc. Of course they have to shout loudly when an order is ready because the music, while a nice, eclectic mix, was WAY too loud. I dont know how people could converse in a normal tone of voice in there. Food was generally good, but I ordered crisp bacon and it arrived with uncooked fat on two of the three pieces. I asked the waitress if it was possible to get crispy bacon and they replaced it, but two out of three of the pieces were completely burnt. So there, demanding customer! The toast arrived stone cold and unbuttered, and there was no butter on the table (the waitress said there should have been and brought some immediately when I asked). I will try this place again, maybe not on a Saturday morning when its so busy, and hope the annoying cook isnt there.
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Rebekah LeBarron
The atmosphere is wonderful, service is great and I was excited to be there. Then my order came. The appearance was good ( biscuit and gravy, hash browns and and egg.) The gravy was blan with black pepper overload. Gravy is not difficult and very important part of biscuit and gravy. The gravy should leave with a memory that the next time anyone says biscuit and gravy the first thing you think is the lady Bird has the most delicious gravy. And hopefully they also say biscuits in there too. They have a fresh pies and doughnuts that look wonderful. I will try it again someday because I believe everything in Is a work in progress and they have allot going for them! :)
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DeAmbra Bond
This spot on Mass St. is phenomenal. Walking in, the staff is friendly and welcoming. The decor/ set up of the dinner is lovely. I split the fried chicken sandwich on a sweet potato bun and the baja tacos with a friend. Both were mind-blowlingly good (hands down, best fish tacos Ive ever ate & thats sayin something because I travel and try fish tacos just about everywhere I go). We both had a Moscow mule (delicious!!) and topped the meal off with a piece of coconut cream pie. Holy cow, their pie is out of this world!!! Our waiter was fantastic, timely, and knew his trade&menu well. I highly recommended this spot to all! Go check it out.
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Emily Schloerb
The Ladybird Diner is a kid-friendly diner that has great Austin-style food options. I ordered a burger that was the special; it was smeared with apple butter and topped with bacon and an egg. They have several homemade pies on display as well as raised donuts. I ordered the duchess pie (blackberry and sour cream) at the recommendation of my waitress and was pleasantly surprised. This is one of my favorites in Lawrence as far as comfort food goes! It is a fun, quirky atmosphere!
