Midland Inn, Carbondale

The Midland Inn in Carbondale, Il is a hidden treasure that sits on Old Route 13 just south/southwest of Carbondale.  It offers a variety of delicious food at a fair price.  If you are willing to make that short drive to this beacon of light that is kind of in the middle of no where, you won't be disappointed.  As I have said before, I rate the places I visit in three categories:  Atmosphere, Service, and Food.

Atmosphere:  I would consider the Midland Inn as a tavern.  They offer a full service bar, a pool table, and an outdoor patio.  There are no fancy bells and whistles.  The decor will not knock your socks off.  It is exactly what you would expect from a tavern type restaurant.  They also offer entertainment on the weekends and/or holidays. 

Service:  99 percent of the time I have had excellent service at the Midland Inn.  The servers are always fast, friendly, and efficient.  Now, with every restaurant you will have the occaisional server that either lacks experince or willingness to do a good job.  This unfortunately was the experience that I had there tonite.  She greeted and waited on us quickly in the beginning, but as soon as our food was delivered, we no longer existed.  But, as I said, this was the first and so far only time this has happened there.  I will not elaborate any further, because I don't think that it is fair to the business when 99 percent of my visits have been positive. 

Food:  The Midland Inn offers a nice variety of food.  They have wonderful appetizers, salads, sandwiches, steaks, pizza, and Mexican.  I would have to say that my favorite thing on their menu by far is their Fajitas!!!  They offer chicken or steak fajitas.  No matter which one you order, the meat is always flavorful, tender, and juicy.  It is sauteed with a mix of onions and green peppers.  The fajitas are served with a side of rice and refried beans.  The rice and beans are also among my favorites.  They are always fresh and packed full of flavor, not to mention topped with melted cheese!  Yummo!  You can't forget the fixins for the fajitas either...you get a side plate with lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and queso that you can pile full on the hot and fresh tortillas they give you. 

The Midland Inn also offers nightly dinner specials.  You won't be disappointed in their prices or their food.