Guest Author - Beth Green

If you’re looking for good home-style cooking, and you’re in the Kansas City area, look no further than the Corner Café in Riverside. Riverside is a small suburb northwest of downtown Kansas City, on the edge of the Missouri River.

There’s always been a restaurant at the corner of 69 highway and Gateway Drive, but it was constantly changing ownership and names. Finally, in 1983, Ed and Kathi Rule opened the Corner Café at the location, and a local icon was born. When the café first opened, it was only open Monday through Friday, and served only breakfast and lunch.

The Rules knew nothing about the restaurant business, but they knew about good food. After many years of trial and error, they hit upon a successful business. Their little 40-seat café, with its counter and round tables, became the place to hang out and find out all the local gossip.

Word of mouth spread about the café and soon business was booming. The restaurant started being open on weekends, again only for breakfast and lunch. Soon, they started serving dinner. Business was so good that the café had to expand twice, doubling the seating capacity each time.

Further expansion and modernizations were needed, but the Rules wanted to make sure that the long-time customers weren’t alienated, while recognizing the need to attract new clientele.

The Corner Café as it is today, opened in 1994. There’s still a counter, surrounded by round tables, along with booths and tables with checkered tablecloths to accommodate their customers. The walls are decorated with old photographs, memorabilia, classic tin signs, and country décor.

The food is nothing short of wonderful. My boyfriend and I eat there at least once a week, and so far, we’ve had no complaints about anything we’ve eaten there. There are daily specials, but they go fast. These specials range from meatloaf and ham & beans, to a line-up of Mexican fare on Wednesdays, and Italian on Thursdays. Some of their everyday menu items include homemade chicken and dumplings, breaded tenderloin with cream gravy, and one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Among the side items available are homemade onion rings, which are light and flavorful; vegetables, a pretty amazing stuffing, and downright delicious French fries.

The Corner Café also features a bakery, with home-made cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, pies, cakes and cookies.

The Café even attracts some well-known faces. On a recent visit to Kansas City, President George W. Bush and his entourage stopped at the Corner Café for nourishment before leaving town.

The Corner Cafe hours are 5am -10pm Monday through Sunday. Breakfast is served all day, with the exception of a few items, such as their biscuits and gravy. Besides the original Riverside restaurant, there is also a location in Liberty Missouri.

If you’re ever in the Kansas City area, the Corner Café is well worth the stop. Don't count on finding too many low calorie foods here though.