Ralston Corner Cafe

The Ralston Corner Café, the heartbeat of Ralston. The dilapidated remnants of buildings in Ralston remind me of a glacier, crumbling, melting, receding into oblivion. I bet if you pulled up a lawn chair on the sidewalk and patiently waited and watched, eventually you would see a brick or two crumble from an old building facade and roll into the street. Buildings are losing the battle against time. Decaying roofs succumb to the endless pull of gravity and disappear behind the brick walls left standing. There are a couple of businesses trying to salvage what remains standing, and slow the town's decline. A task that is much smaller in scale than stopping global warming, but equally as challenging, possibly futile.The owners of Ralston Corner Café are doing their part. Breakfast starts early for these working folks. Doors open at 6 am. The lights in the café's kitchen have likely been on for a while though. When the doors open, locals fill the chairs and their bellies with a hearty country breakfast and then off to work. A few stragglers wander in later, to sip coffee and repeat the same stories that they told anyone who would listen last week. Not much new happens in this small town. Every day the lunch specials are posted early in the morning, tempting you back for lunch. The café closes at 2pm, so don't be late.Breakfast all day except for Friday. On Catfish Friday, 10am is the last call for breakfast. We missed the 10am deadline, so Burger Brunch for us. They were damn good burgers and fresh cut fries. I didn't miss the eggs and bacon at all. The discovery in Ralston, an excellent burger dive, (and café) in the beautiful ranch land and oil patch country of Pawnee County. This little café is a destination drive, perfect for bikers, car clubs, or folks that just enjoy a nice drive and a good meal. This is a family run business. The friendly energetic owner came by our table to greet us and talk a little about their café. The décor is small town rural, comfortable, cozy.The food is excellent. Oh, and there is a salad bar. At the end of the salad bar today was a tray of chocolate cake, brownies and strawberry cake. One of the daughters circulated this irresistible tray of goodies, offering anyone their choice. My wife couldn't pass up the chocolate brownie. Take a spin to Ralston. It is worth the trip. This is where the locals eat!

The food is outstanding, the service is ALWAYS great. The Philly Fries are addictive, and the burgers are insanely delicious. The restaurant is super clean and well taken care of. Definitely gonna come back.