Neighbor's Cafe, 104 SE 3rd St, Lee's Summit Mo

My dad came to visit my family in Lee’s Summit from Pennsylvania last year when my youngest daughter was born. While we enjoyed his company and the help with the new baby, the one thing that pops out about his stay is Neighbor’s Cafe. My dad is the kind of guy who likes to drink some coffee, read the paper and chat with all who will listen. During his stay, he found the perfect Spot in Lee’s Summit for that. Located downtown on 3rd Street, Neighbor’s is the quintessential small town diner. The perfect place for a good, hearty breakfast, a cup of coffee and some great conversation. Oh, and FREE CINNAMON ROLLS!

Neighbor’s motto is to “Treat all our guests like ‘Neighbors’” and you can feel that when you walk in. A full friendly staff (some who have worked at the restaurant for nearly 30 years!) welcome you with a smile. Even the seating is neighborly. Sure, they have booths and four tops, but if you don’t mind, you can share a long table with other patrons. Not only does this help get people seated as quickly as possible (there’s a wait on the weekend), but it gives you the opportunity to meet someone new.

One of the coolest things about Neighbor’s Cafe is the decor. In the near dining room (Neighbor’s occupies what was 2 spaces) the walls are covered with autographed photos of Kansas City sports figures. But while seeing a pic of Tony Gonzalez is pretty cool, nothing compares to what lines the walls of the far dining room. Original, framed newspapers touting some of the most important headlines of the last century. Its like a history lesson with your biscuits and gravy. They have front pages declaring everything from the attack on Pearl Harbor to man’s first space travel, even 9/11. Most importantly, they have pictures of local Service Members who have served our Country and those who have died in its service.

Of course, the food is spectacular. I’ve had chicken fried steak and a breakfast burrito before, but when I go to Neighbor’s its because I want biscuits and gravy. The biscuits are dense and the sausage gravy is creamy. Just the right combination for a perfect B&G. Add hash browns, two eggs over-medium and 3 strips of bacon for $6.99 and you have the best breakfast in town. You only need the 1/4 order of B&G because you already had a FREE CINNAMON ROLL (!!!!) with your coffee as you sat down. In order to keep up, Neighbor’s has 2 dedicated bakers to keep up with the 18,000 homemade cinnamon rolls, 9,000 biscuits and 7,000 dinner rolls every week, not to mention the over 60 varieties of 100% made from scratch pies.

Neighbor’s Cafe is the reason I started writing Lee’s Summit Spots (Twitter / Facebook). A place like this is a gem in our community. It took an out of towner to point it out to me, so I want to make sure everyone in Lee’s Summit knows about the wonderful places our community has to offer. Leave a comment and let us know some of your favorite Lee’s Summit Spots.