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December 2023 by Sarah L.
Eckert's is the go to place for a fall experience. Not only is the cider amazing but be sure to take the tractor wagon ride to pick fresh delicious Fuji apples & the plumpest pumpkin in the field! After our picking, we went to the Country Restaurant to enjoy lunch. You can't beat a fresh homemade meal!
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December 2023 by Danielle J.
We came for the Breakfast with Santa event. We made the 8:30 reservation so it was not crowded at all. Very few families were here when we arrived. It was perfect for an individual visit from Santa and Mrs Claus. They walk to your table, chat and take a picture. This is perfect for shy kids or kids who can't wait in line. Kids can color or eat while they wait for Santa. The food was set. The only complaint I have is that the kids plate did not have a biscuit. Many kids will eat the biscuit but not the eggs, bacon and hash browns. Biscuits are cheap to make so let the kids have a biscuit. When we left around 9:30 it was crowded so plan to go early if your child would benefit from a quieter atmosphere.
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December 2023 by AT M.
I love the country store and farm, which is why this gets 4 stars. However, the restaurant food SUCKED. Service wasn't great, and the only thing on my plate that I enjoyed was the friend okra. Which is very disappointing since I ordered fried chicken and that was what they were known for. It's a cute little farm house vibe. I'll be back for the farms and country store but definitely not the restaurant.
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November 2023 by Angela C.
This review is specifically for the custard shop attached to the store. The service was very friendly, but they were not very keen to help us understand the menu a little more. The overall ambiance of the place was very nice, since you are surrounded by the new cider venue and various outdoor games. However, the lackluster custard and sticky, dirty tables made the whole experience short of 5 stars. We ordered the vanilla custard with pecans. The portion was huge, which made it quite worth the price. But the taste of the custard was lacking--too much sugar and not enough custard taste. So we weren't able to finish our order. I will still go back for another visit in the future for another flavor and hopefully to add a star or two to my next review.
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November 2023 by Christine J
Cold food and no service. Not what we expected. Asked for food to be heated. Waitress was gone 15 minutes and came back with cold food. Then we never saw her again until we asked another server for our bill. There were only 3 other tables.Please needs management to pay attention.
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November 2023 by Aswathy K.
Had a great time here the other weekend! Love that they allow dogs so we were able to bring ours. The weather was great. We will have to plan to go earlier next year because this time there were no apples to pick from the trees and we had to get it from the bins but they were still delicious. I love the ciders and treats they have. Of course the apple cider donuts were fantastic but also the frozen custard! May have to try the restaurant next time.
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October 2023 by Stacie W.
I love going to Eckert's Farm and Country Store!!! It is always a treat and soo enjoyable. I love the tractor rides out into the fields, just an FYI....they are now priced at $7. I love picking their fresh variety of fruits and standing in the field eating off some of my finds. The views from the field are picturesque and beautiful! I love coming back from the fields, hopping off of the tractor ride and stopping at the fun areas, playing around taking silly pics. Then right from there you pay for your haul and head into the country store which has some of everything. I love the sweets, especially the open hand pies, the pickled vegetables and lets not forget that hot-n-fresh right out the fryer fried chicken. Another tip, skip the restaurant and get your fried chicken from the deli in the country store. My mom loves the cookies in the country store. They sell my favorite pickle brand "Wiggles". Those are the BEST pickles............EVER!!! Wickedly Delicious Pickles. The meat selections in the deli are not to be missed and you're also able to purchase their cider that is sold next door in the cider shed. Be sure to stop in at the custard stand, my sister insist that Eckert's makes the best quality frozen custard. There is soo much fun to be had by all at Eckert's. It doesn't matter your age, when you come here, everyone is a kid at heart. There are camel rides out towards the field at the very end of the parking lot. There is plenty of parking. We had family day recently and were able to make it for the hybrid apples to pick. When I tell you, sweet and delicious, an apple you've never tasted before. The quality and service at Eckert's restaurant isn't anything like it use to be. I honestly do not recommend eating at the restaurant. It's either they're out of items, over priced for the quality and definitely the taste.....what happened. They use to have really good food........again....don't bother wasting your time and money. You would far way better just purchasing items from out of the country store. We had the 4-piece chicken dinner, chicken fried steak and an appetizer with the cider flight, The skin on the chicken was phenomenal, perfectly seasoned and crisp, golden brown and delicious. The inside of the chicken lacked that same flavor. The brown gravy was good, request a side of brown gravy if you order the chicken fried steak because it comes with white gravy on it. I love that Eckert's caters to you year round, so they offer fun and excitement throughout every season.
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September 2023 by Micki E.
If you love flights of various drinks and foods, you will love the Eckert's restaurant! I've had Easter themed drink flights and Halloween themed flights of yummy boozy beverages . They have mimosa flights and bloody Mary flights as well. On the food side of things, I've had a French toast flight and a biscuits and gravy flight. They have boozy brunch on Saturdays and Sunday. Make a reservation online to avoid a long wait time to be seated! And if you can't get a seat at the restaurant or need to kill time before you are seated ..... there are endless amounts of things to check out at Eckert's!You can head over to the cider shed. They have their own food menu over there as well. Or you can walk around the country store which has tons of adorableness and Yumminess to purchase.
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August 2023 by S6640ZMsteves
Our primary purpose was to pick Apples, but rain stopped that plan. Were able to locate Apples, Peaches, and Tomatoes, so the trip was worth it.
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August 2023 by Phyllis W.
This is the Farmer's Market to beat all markets! You can get everything here and stop for lunch or a sweet treats to boot! I was floored but all the amazing products -- from pies, veggies, meat, to souvenirs and home goods. There's even a huge wine section with a variety of sweet wines!!!I I chose the local peach wine!There's 2 different dining experiences -- The Cider Shed and a full service sit down restaurant/pie shop! There's also plenty of outside dining and congregational spaces. It looked like they might even have live entertainment sometimes -- there's a big stage in the biggest outdoor area!According to local family members, you can pick apples in the orchards in the fall and every fresh product is made from resources grown on the adjacent farm! If you're into "farm to table" fresh, this is as good as it gets!The staff are all very friendly and eager to help you have a great experience. People smiled and talked about themselves as if they were old friends and neighbors. Best of all, nobody harassed me about my service dog. One parent stopped to give her young son a wonderful explanation of why he couldn't pet the dogs that are vested. I stood still so she could teach her young son this life skill. When she finished, I thanked her for being a fabulous parent! The young boy waved goodbye -- walking away with his loving mom and a new understanding about a special kind of dog. No tears. No yelling. No threats that dog might bite (which he's trained to not do). No awkward refusal from a stranger! Fabulous job, Mom!If you have a quiet day to spare, check out Eckert's Farmstand/Restaurants. We went on a Friday to avoid the Saturday crowds per the advice of local family members. Take a big enough vehicle and enjoy!!!
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June 2023 by Greg J.
Somehow I'd missed that Eckert's is a destination for excursions from all around. We live about an hour and a half away in Salem and lots of people make the trip to Belleville just to go to Eckert's.We got there after 1 and it was pretty empty (and very cold inside I guess a/c had been cranked up for lunch rush). The menu said fried chicken was their specialty so that's what I ordered. For once, ordering the specialty was the right call. The chicken was really great. I love fried chicken and order it often and I'd say this is among the best I've had in So. IL. Not greasy and well seasoned. The mashed potatoes were apparently made there and were also very good as was the white gravy. The green beans were good, but were cold due to room temp. By the time I got to them. I'd definitely return to have this meal again.We did walk through the country store. They had some interesting things for sure, but we didn't buy anything this time.
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June 2023 by Bobby King
So many really poor condition of plants!Very disappointing.
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May 2023 by Toni Baldwin-Dufour
Nice selection of small annuals, annual baskets and some perennials. Cute gift shop.
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May 2023 by Dawn Stedelin
I was in heaven! I can't wait to get back.!!!
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May 2023 by Mariah H.
This place is a great day trip option. From the Restaurant to the Cider Shed to the Country Store there is enough to keep you entertained for hours! Snag photos on the tractor before entering the Country Store for some fresh goods. We got the watermelon twists to suffice our sweet tooth. Then stopped by the Cider Shed to sample the Peach Cider and buy the Margarita Flight. To end the day we went to the Restaurant for the Pretzel Bites, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes. We're stuffed
