If you are looking for a lot of food at a reasonable price while traveling old Route 66 through Bloomington, Illinois, Shannon’s Five Star will fill the bill. Located where the Five Star Truck Stop used to be, it is a diner / coffee shop serving three square meals a day Monday through Saturday and breakfast on Sunday until noon.
Daily specials range from meat loaf on Monday to walleye on Friday, and the regular lunch and dinner menu includes steaks and fried chicken, hamburgers and Italian beef, and all sorts of fried sides: cheese balls, onion rings, French fries, mushrooms, and chicken strips.
Breakfast is the meal we enjoyed, especially a huge and hearty hash brown potato plate that includes thin-sliced ham (or sausage or bacon) laced among the spuds along with grilled onions, melted cheese, and sausage gravy … plus eggs, if desired. It is not technically a Springfield horseshoe, but it has all the sledgehammer authority of one. Insatiable appetites also will want to know about the breakfast skillet: another ginormous meal of fried potatoes, onions, and peppers topped with ham, bacon, and sausage (all three), eggs, and sausage gravy.
Shannon’s is a large, friendly place with speedy service that includes coffee refills throughout the meal. While we wouldn’t take a day’s detour to eat here, we will return when ravening for big breakfast in Bloomington.
Sunday | 6am - 12pm |
Monday | 6am - 8pm |
Tuesday | 6am - 8pm |
Wednesday | 6am - 8pm |
Thursday | 6am - 8pm |
Friday | 6am - 8pm |
Saturday | 6am - 8pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
-
Cozy Dog
Southern View, IllinoisDipped in batter and deep-fried when ordered, the Cozy Dog has vivid crunch and succulence. It’s an Illinois Route 66 landmark.
-
Charlie Parker’s
Springfield, IllinoisCharlie Parker’s is an out-of-the-way Quonset hut diner specializing in huge pancakes and the Springfield, Illinois, signature dish, the horseshoe.
-
Joe Rogers Original Recipe Chili Parlor
Springfield, IllinoisThe hot-oil chili that is a specialty of Springfield, Illinois, comes in six degrees of heat at Joe Rogers, from MILD to FIREBRAND. The latter is ferocious.
-
D’Arcy’s Pint
Springfield, IllinoisD’Arcy’s Pint is a family-friendly pub specializing in the unique horseshoe sandwich — a huge kitchen-sink meal unique to downstate Illinois.
-
Sunrise Cafe
Springfield, IllinoisIn this Springfield diner, burgers are crisp-edge yummy. Breakfast is served all day. Sunrise dinner specials are fried chicken Tuesday and walleye Friday.
-
Green Gables
Hudson, IllinoisGreen Gables is a middle-of-nowhere tavern / grocery store / restaurant serving central Illinois’ scrumptious smashed crispyburgers.