Yesterday’s at Willie’s Diner serves good food at good prices in Cleveland, Tennessee, in the former location of Jenkin’s Deli.
Buying new furniture is kind of a drag, y’all. I mean. I like the idea of getting new furniture, I just want it to magically appear in my living room without me having to sit on fifty different sofas, measure, figure out how everything will fit in my house, and figure out what to do with the old furniture.
You may be wondering what furniture shopping has to do with a restaurant post. Well, we ended up at Scott’s Furniture in Cleveland (which was a good call…it’s looking like we’ll be purchasing our furniture from them). Since we rarely get up there and therefore rarely get a chance to eat at the many Cleveland restaurants we need to try (I have a pretty detailed list), we decided to have lunch while we were up there.
We basically decided to eat at the first place on the list that we saw while driving, since we’re pretty unfamiliar with the Cleveland area. The first place we saw? Yesterday’s at Willie’s Diner. Yesterday’s at Willie’s is located in the former Jenkins Deli location on Mouse Creek Road (just past the intersection at Keith Street). Jenkins has moved to a new location (well, not so new…it’s been a while) on Spring Creek Boulevard…I need to visit there sometime to check out their new location.
It wasn’t very crowded, as we went after the typical “lunch” time. We were quickly seated by a friendly server. One look at the menu clued us in to the nature of the restaurant. The front of the menu states that Yesterday’s at Willie’s is owned by a couple with the last name Jenkins…so I am pretty sure that the establishment did not change ownership. There were a handful of appetizers, soups, salads, some barbecue entrees, several sandwiches, and a few entrees. The menu is not the same as Jenkins’ menu-it is somewhat more limited-but I did see some Jenkins favorites, such as the chicken salad and the deli burger.
And…that’s exactly what we ordered. Honestly, if I’d remembered that when we went to Jenkins that I ordered exactly the same thing, I would have gotten something different, but I didn’t think to check (and I was almost certain that I had ordered the burger last time). I got the half chicken salad sandwich with the fresh, house made potato chips. The chicken sandwich is a good portion with one slice of grilled Texas toast and a generous (but not outrageous) portion of chicken salad. The chicken salad is made with shredded chicken, which is how I like it. It has some herbs, celery, and plenty of garlic, and, while I would not say it is dripping with mayo, it’s definitely not dry. The chips are pretty much amazing…thick but not too thick, very crispy, and sprinkled with a perfect portion of seasoned salt.
And Philip, well, he got the burger. We can be a little predictable at times. He decided to order the burger with cheddar cheese and steak fries on the side (you can order any side that you like, with an additional charge for onion rings or a baked potato). The burger here is very good…a decent size (not too big, not too small) and cooked very well. The bun is griddled so that it’s warm with very crispy edges, just how I like it. It was served with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayo, and mustard, and had just the right amount of everything. It held together well. The steak fries were just standard frozen steak fries.
At $5.99 for my half sandwich and chips, $9.45 for Philip’s burger and fries (that includes an additional $.50 for the cheese), and two waters, our total was just under $17 pre-tip…not a bad price, I’d say. Our server, Rachel, was very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere here is pretty standard “tavern” atmosphere…dark wood, lots of pictures and signs hanging on the wall, and lots of graffiti where patrons have signed the walls over the years. We would definitely go back.
Yesterday’s at Willie’s Diner is located at 88 Mouse Creek Road NW, Cleveland, TN 37312. They are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed Sunday). You can call them at (423) 790-5346. They do not have a website, but you can like Yesterday’s at Willie’s on Facebook.
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