Keiser's Kitchen

A long-time staple of the Lowell community, we HAD to visit Keiser's Kitchen for our next blog post. Keiser's has been family-owned for 75 years, and as of this writing is the only real breakfast joint in town. We've eaten there many times, and were very excited to be able to review them.

QUICK LOOK

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Category: Diner

Overall Satisfaction: 8 out of 10

Price Rating: 9 out of 10

Service Type: Dine-in or takeout

Food Selection: Classic American "roadhouse" diner food, breakfast and lunch

Alcoholic Selection: Not available

Non-alcoholic Selection: Fountain drinks, "breakfast" drinks (orange juice, coffee, hot chocolate, etc)

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Keiser's is a well-known and loved establishment in Lowell. People from all walks of life can enter here and immediately feel at home. We visited on a busy Saturday morning, about 9:15am. Normally visitors need to seat themselves, although sometimes they have a "Please wait to be seated" sign up during the busiest hours. We found an open booth and were quickly attended to with menus and water. The wait to place our orders and get food was also very reasonable.

Caitlin's Meal:

Casey and I both got half hot chocolate, half coffee with whipped cream as our beverage. Casey gets this every time we come here, but this was a first for me. Usually Casey asks for a half cappuccino, half hot chocolate. However, because it had been so long since we'd been there, he did not make the distinction between the cappuccino and coffee. So the version we had was a tad more bland than I was hoping for, but delicious nonetheless.

If you are looking for a classic diner, look no further! Keiser's is as classic as it gets. They often have country fried steak as a special, pie by the slice, and plenty of hot coffee.

I could not help but get my favorite thing: "The Whole Package." This comes with your choice of French Toast, or Pancakes (I chose the cakes! And make 'em blues!), 2 eggs cooked however you like (I went for over easy this time), and your choice of meat (Sausage links all the way!). This came out hot and perfect.

The pancakes were fluffy and slightly sweet. They could hold syrup well and they were hardy enough to not fall to pieces when stabbing a bite with a fork. The blueberries, though they tasted as though they were frozen, added a delightful sweet and tart burst nestled in the fluffy cake. They were the true American classic.

The eggs and sausage were perfect as well. The eggs were perfectly over easy and fresh off the griddle. No cold rubber egg whites for me! The sausage links at Keiser's are somewhat of a mystery. Sometimes they are turkey (you can tell when they are slightly dry and less salty) and sometimes they are pork (not dry at all, quite salty). I like either kind, personally, and I received the pork at this visit. If it is a dietary concern, please be sure to ask your server.

Overall, I was quite pleased and had quite a bit of my pancakes left to bring home with me. I always bring nearly half my meal home from Keiser's. If you're out for a motorcycle ride or something, that may pose a problem. But I always consider this to be a plus because leftovers!

Casey's Meal:

My favorite breakfast at Keiser's is their "Waffles Deluxe," and I couldn't stop myself from getting it this time, along with an order of two eggs, bacon, and toast. They've got a good selection of bread options, and the toast is served already buttered with a couple jellies on the side. Eggs are cooked to order, and are unseasoned (salt and pepper are at least provided on every table). The bacon is nice and crispy (how I like it), but I expect it could be cooked to order as well.

The "Waffles Deluxe" consists of two large waffles smothered in pecans, a sort of strawberry/blueberry fruit syrup, and big dollops of whipped cream. I knew I'd ordered too much to eat in a sitting as soon as it all got to the table, but this meal is great as leftovers too. The pecans have an almost "candied" feel because of the fruit syrup, helping to make this a fantastically decadent breakfast meal.

For the breakfast after an evening of drinking heavy beers with friends, this meal was perfect. Nothing terribly special, but everything hits the mark and hits the spot!

Price Debate:

We spent more on this meal than we ever have before at Keiser's, but it was still pretty affordable. Honestly, there's really no debate between us about the pricing and quality of Keiser's. It's not high-end, but it doesn't pretend to be. We're always very pleased with the portions for what we pay, and although the food itself isn't too unique or especially "stand-out," we've never been even slightly disappointed by it. It's incredibly consistent and well-made each time.

Final Thoughts:

This is one of those restaurants that knows exactly what they are and how to do that well. It runs like a well-oiled machine. Each role knows exactly what they need to be doing; hosts, servers, bussers, dishwashers, etc. Their teamwork (and many years of experience) shines here. No matter who walked by, if they had a free hand and saw a dirty dish, they would bus it. This is just one of the details that makes Keiser's such a good experience every time.

If you're a "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" fan (like we are), you have an image of what a diner should be. Keiser's is exactly that. You won't find a Michelin Star restaurant, but you will find the crowd-pleasing classics made well, and for the right price.