Doo-Dah Diner: Is This The Best in Wichita?

Every so often readers, or better yet people who are extremely bored and somehow come across this blog, will send me suggestions on restaurants they would like me to try. There’s one restaurant that’s been recommended more so than any other in the past year. So on Saturday morning when a couple friends wanted to grab some breakfast, I made a special request for a change of itinerary to drive down Kellogg and check out Doo-Dah Diner.

Doo-Dah Diner has been open for about a year and a half and specializes in breakfast and lunch that’s cooked from scratch. They are located at 206 E Kellogg Drive just right off the Central Business District exit. They’re open Wednesday thru Friday 7 am to 2 pm and on Saturdays and Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm.

The moment we all arrived, the place was packed. There was a line out the door around 11 am on Saturday.

The wait from checking in to getting seated was about 30 minutes which wasn’t too bad as we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather. When we were seated, the one thing we all did notice was that the smell of the restaurant would stick to our clothes by the end of breakfast. The entire restaurant is open so you can see them cooking and preparing your food.

The menu is available on their website: http://www.doodahdiner.com. There were so many good options on there; we had to resort to asking the lady who I believed was the owner along with our server for popular items to try.  There was a big debate at our table to go with breakfast food or with lunch. The end result was to order a mix of items on the menu and just share as we go because as you all know, sharing is caring. We placed our order and they brought us a complimentary bowl of this lovely goodness called: Monkey Bread. I was the only person at our table who had never heard of Monkey Bread. The employees explained to me what it was, sounded pretty easy to make. I try to keep personal things off of my blog but for the past three decades, I have felt as if there has been something missing from my life. Saturday after trying the Monkey Bread, my life was then made complete. Jerry Maguire needed Renée Zellweger to complete him and all I needed was Monkey Bread. I contemplated cancelling my lunch order and just ordering three bowls of Monkey Bread but was voted down by the table.

Then it was time for breakfast/lunch:

I went with the Beefy Doo-Dad. (Menu Description: German style beef, cabbage & onion mix, surrounded by mashed potatoes with a crunchy crust, sitting in a sea of mushroom gravy drizzled in horseradish sauce, served with skillet green beans). It almost reminded me of a big bierock but better. I wasn’t sure about the horseradish sauce when I saw it but it really added some pizazz to the flavor. The taking a big spoonful of the crunchy toast making sure I got some beef, mashed potatoes and green beans into the same bite was delicious. This was one of the items suggested by our server as one of the more popular items of the day and I’m very glad I went with it. Each of my friends had bites and had similar feelings. If you stop by Doo-Dah for a lunch item, give this one a try. In addition to the Doo-Dad, I ordered a side of hash browns and jalapeño bacon. Both were excellent a la carte items that completed my meal and put me on the verge of passing out. For the record, everybody at the table also ordered a side of hash browns. Breakfast is never complete until hash browns come.

Another one of my friends really wanted some breakfast and at the recommendation of the owner went with the Banana Bread French Toast. (Menu Description: Gluten Free. Banana bread battered & topped with candied apples, pecans & apple butter). Just looking at the description alone, you knew it was going to be delicious. My friend went with a full order of it as she was planning on sharing it with the rest of the table. First few bites from everyone brought the close your eyes and smile look; absolutely delicious.  Now, we all weren’t sure if it was something you could eat just by itself for breakfast or lunch though. It’s pretty sweet (in flavor) and our recommendation is to order something else and have this as a side item to split with someone or have this as dessert (but DO order it).

My last friend had a recommendation to order the Triple D (Menu Description: Can’t decide? Half orders of our three most popular breakfast items: Banana Bread French Toast, Crispy Corned Beef Hash & Timi’s Benny) and planned on ordering that. But when our server came to the table, he called an audible and went with the Outside In Burger (Menu Description: 10oz fresh hand-partied beef stuffed with American cheese & jalapeño bacon on a pretzel bun). This came to the table’s dissatisfaction as the Triple D was highly recommended by both the owner and our server. The Outside In Burger’s patty was large and stuffed to the point, I was worried when he took a bite the American cheese was going to just squirt out everywhere. That was actually something I was rooting for to happen but was let down. This was the only of the three items I did not try but the final verdict on the burger was it was good: not great, not special, not horrible but just good. The general consensus was he should have ordered something else than the Outside In Burger. He finished his burger and was filled and satisfied but it wasn’t as “inspiring” of a meal so to speak as the previous two menu items we ordered.

The service was wonderful. There was a brief moment of silence at our table where I just said, “You know guys, the people here are just extremely nice.” This brought on the following comment by a friend that went, “I know, are we in a restaurant right now?” Everybody was so polite and nice; it wasn’t forced and felt genuine. That was one aspect that really stuck out.

The best word to describe the day was: Solid. From the food to the service, everything was just solid.

Doo-Dah Diner is a must try. I’m upset that it took me so long to get out there but with those hours they are open it just didn’t work with my schedule much of the time. When I got home, I seriously considered going to bed in the afternoon. The amount of food was just too much and too good for one man. Everyone else was very pleased with Doo-Dah and return visit will be put on the books soon. I’ve been to quite a few breakfast restaurants in Wichita and they are all about the same and aren’t unique in my book, Doo-Dah Diner has separated themselves from the crowd and I think just might be the best in Wichita. When I think of any restaurant that is a diner, this one is a cut above the rest.

Have you been? I would love to hear your thoughts.Happy Dining,
Eddy

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