This week I went to Ollie’s Restaurant, a family-friendly eatery at 89 S. Wyoming Ave. in Edwardsville, across the street from Planet Fitness in the Gateway Shopping Center.

The restaurant is older, but it’s a great place to go, both for its food and its sense of history. If you are from the NEPA area you will find the memorabilia and murals on the walls charming. They illustrate the history of the Wyoming Valley with nostalgia and warmth.

The restaurant’s slogan, “quality at a price you can afford,” definitely rings true.  I’ve eaten at Ollie’s several times, and the greatest thing about the restaurant is the variety. I can order anything from a simple grilled cheese and french fries to Pecan encrusted tilapia or calf’s liver with sautéed onions. The menu is huge.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert: it’s all there, all great examples of homestyle cooking. Ollie’s also caters and delivers, so you can have their food served wherever you are.

To have a good dinner here, I would recommend being able to pay a bill for about $25 for two people having full meals. There is also a salad bar that has amazing Duchess Cheese soup and fresh baked bread. Unlimited, of course.

For this trip, I ordered the penne pasta with alfredo sauce, and added the salad bar for a few dollars more. My friend ordered the Ollie burger with fries and the salad bar along with a piece of chocolate pie.

The pasta was delicious and al dente, just the way I like it. It wasn’t too buttery, and there was the perfect amount of sauce. A garnish of chopped parsley was added to the dish, but had no effect on the flavor. The alfredo sauce was a well-balanced mix of sweet and savory.

The Ollie burger was topped with bacon, melted cheese and barbecue sauce. It looked delicious. I had some of the french fries so I know that they were great and not too greasy. The salad was fresh and crispy, the bread was fresh and warm and the famous Duchess Cheese soup was hot and creamy.

You will run into all sorts of people at Ollie’s. Families, younger children, older folks and everyone in between can find something to love about Ollie’s. There wasn’t a single person I saw during my visit who didn’t look satisfied and happy at the end of their meals. What many people around me where raving about the most was the dessert choice. Apparently Ollie’s has absolutely amazing pie, which I will certainly have to try sometime.

The wait staff is attentive and pleasant. There was no rush to get people in and out, drinks were always refilled and the food was delicious. For college students, you may not be able to eat here every day, but when you are craving a good, home-cooked meal, go to Ollie’s.

4.5 stars out of 5