A central-Kansas institution: a single-menu, family-style fried-chicken dinner served exactly the same way since 1870. The original hotel restaurant operated in the tiny town of Brookville, an hour west; in 2000 the Magee family rebuilt the place on the western edge of Abilene, brought their cooks and their recipes, and continued without missing a beat.
The dinner is what it is: pan-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, sweetcorn, biscuits with strawberry preserves, ice cream. One price, no choices, all you can eat. It is not the most sophisticated food in Kansas but it is honest and consistently good, and three generations of Kansas families have grown up on it. Reservations strongly recommended in summer.