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  • Mother in Law House

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Mother in Law House
Mother in Law House

Mother in Law House Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://www.motherinlawhouse.com
  • Email: bob@motherinlawhouse.com
  • Phone: (636) 946-9444
  • Hours of Operation:

    Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:00am - 2:30pm;
    Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 9:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: American, French, Comfort Food
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Smoking Area (patio only), View, Wine
  • Private Party Facilities: Our banquet room seats up to 80 people and is available for all manner of events.
  • Private Party Contact: Donna (636) 946-9444

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Tompkins
  • Parking: Public Lot
  • Parking Details: Some street parking is available at the front of the restaurant, with a large public lot in the rear.
A word from Mother in Law House
Fine Dining in a Casual atmosphere with friendly service. Enjoy your meal in our Victorian dining room or our river-view patio. The entrées at the Mother-in-Law House are prepared to order and made from the best ingredients. The owner, Donna Hafer, has been pleasing guest here since 1981.
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Service
Diner Reviews
  • "For homestyle 5 star meals nothings beats Donna's cooking."
    Dined on 2/28/2014
  • "I've said this before about a a couple of restaurants, but here is one that rises to really quaint in all senses of the word. Old, established, comfort food oriented, homey, gosh you name it: this little place is an original gem. The owner, Donna patrols the dining room with hot blueberry muffins, and HUGE slices of Coconut cream pie. They have a signature rice dish-interesting but not killer-and the usual potatoes, and veg. Yes there's a salad bar with old world (think of your German relatives) relishes and creamy poppy seed dressing. They have very traditional entrees, salmon, beef, pork, done in traditional ways. This place is on the smaller side so I'd suggest a reservation, and I'd also suggest that you check it out."
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "This is a very historic home pre-civil war and for the last thirty years a local restaurant. If you are look for something other national change restaurant, warm and charming. The food was excellent four stars for our group. Tellie"
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "Terrific food - Great portions - Wonderful service - Treated as though we were part of the family - My wife had the cranberry pork special and I had the Filet Mignon, both were excellent - The Coconut Cream Pie rounded out the perfect meal."
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "This place is great for dinner with your significant other."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "I was disappointed in the entrees. I had a strip steak that was tough. My wife had the special "primed rib, and it was a very thin cut, which resulted in being over cooked. It was Valentines, so I was hoping for a more special setting. The venue is very old, the hostess (I believe she may be the owner) was very nice, but our server wasn't very efficient. I liked the salad bar items, but don't really like having to serve myself. Would suggest they ask you what you would like from the salad bar."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "Went here for the first time for Valentines day and was very impressed! I did not feel that they were over priced for something special. The atmosphere, food, and the kindness of the owner made it feel like home! Well worth anothe trip!!"
    Dined on 2/12/2014
  • "I asked my wife where she'd like to eat for Valentine's day and Mother in Law House was her first choice. It had been a while since we'd eaten there but true to form the food was Great and the service was Outstanding. Thanks for a great time!"
    Dined on 2/13/2014
  • "The food, wait staff and ambiance were all excellent. It is refreshing to have lunch without a TV blaring and intruding upon conversations. The owner, Donna Hafer, makes it a point to greet her guests and is genuinely warm and caring. The members of our group all loved our dining experience and are returning next month."
    Dined on 2/13/2014
  • "The Mother in Law House is located in pre 1800 house which reportedly has a ghost (the Mother in Law ?) who occasionally has been seen. The dining experience is very "homestyle" with the owner, Donna, coming by your table to serve vegetables and side dishes. The dining room is very small and intimate. The food is delicious as is the wine. It is all very romantic!"
    Dined on 2/8/2014
  • "Food quality ranged from fair to very good. The service, hospitality and charm more than made up for it though! We felt as if we had been invited into someone's home the way the owners treated us, amazingly friendly!"
    Dined on 1/25/2014
  • "This is the first restaurant I have ever been too where you can talk to the owner and get served by her! Her rice, carrots and especially the muffins are to die for!! Every item on the menu I have tried is delicious! Their salad bar has many great dishes."
    Dined on 1/16/2014
  • "I rathered enjoyed the atmosphere that I was being taken care by the staff from the owner down. I always enjoy when members of thestaff take time to check on you and talk about the history of the rrestaurant. Plus the food was very good."
    Dined on 12/27/2013
  • "One of our party found a bit of plastic in her onion soup ..... The rest of our group enjoyed the salad bar, warm muffins, the hamburger and chicken cor don bleu! Would definitely return in spite of the soup issue ...."
    Dined on 12/18/2013
  • "This is my favorite place to go during Christmas. The staff (although always extremely busy) is gracious and addresses your needs immediately. I love the charm of the owner, greeting you at your table and providing you one of her homemade muffins. She makes you feel at home and no matter what stress your day may have brought she seems to be able to set a calming atmosphere with just a muffin and her smile. I have been here many times and no matter what I order the food tastes like a homemade meal and is always very good. I have never been disappointed. What else could you want with the great ambiance of the charming Mother In Law house, wonderful food, great service and the genuine welcome each person gets from the owner."
    Dined on 12/18/2013
  • "Great service.. Friendly atmosphere... Feel like you've come home for a dinner at Mom's."
    Dined on 12/13/2013
  • "One of my only complaints is that I wish the overall portions were larger for the price. The bowl of soup I received (vegetable beef) was highly delicious, but I feel it was more of a "cup" sized portion rather than a bowl. An exception is the coconut cream pie slices. They come in moderately large slices and are fantastic. The dining area is exceedingly lovely and gives one a very old fashioned nostalgia. The waitstaff is impressively attentive and polite. The main hostess makes you feel very welcomed and expresses sincerity when making sure you are comfortable- she even asked if the room temperature was too our liking. If I want to take a dear friend or family member to dinner again I will return."
    Dined on 10/24/2013
  • "We were very disappointed with this restaurant. We especially made the trip to dine here. The food was very poor and not what we expected from the descriptions in the menu. The server was incredibly inept, as if he had never waited tables before. We are not fussy eaters, and rarely complain about any food served to us, but we will not dine here again nor recommend it to anyone."
    Dined on 9/25/2013
  • "The owner came to each table with food samples and told a little story about where the recipes came from. She is a delight!"
    Dined on 9/26/2013
  • "We had a group of 6 people, we sat on the patio and it was very charming. The waitress was friendly, accommodating and gave great service. I had the seafood salad and it was excellent! Its one of those things that i will crave and have to make the trip back out to St. Charles for. Thanks for a great visit!"
    Dined on 9/4/2013
  • "The house is old but it sure smelled musty inside the restaurant. They have a 'salad bar' but the only things on it were iceberg lettuce and a bunch of mixed bean and pea types of cold salads, sauerkraut, fruit cocktail and whipped mousse dessert. Menu was small and portions were not generous. Wine selection by glass was very small. Everyone was very nice but the food was mostly fried."
    Dined on 8/30/2013
  • "Reunion with old friends here was lovely. Food and service were first rate, lovely setting, view of river, just all round A+. One of our group, still a smoker, was delighted to discover that smoking was allowed outside on the lower deck (nearest the river). Stay awhile and you'll enjoy one of the house's amazing berried muffins (shared free in the afternoons). You'll find a perfect reflection of the delightful atmosphere and flavors of St. Charles here."
    Dined on 8/20/2013
  • "We had a group of 10 on a Saturday evening, and they handled us very efficiently. Food was very good."
    Dined on 8/11/2013
  • "Warm service with personal touch! Home made Blueberry muffins and salads were outstanding."
    Dined on 8/9/2013
  • "We enjoyed this restaurant. We will plan to return. We ate outside and the hostess was anxious to move the people out quickly."
    Dined on 7/28/2013
  • "The shrimp scampi was very, very bad. It tasted like strong vinegar instead of garlic and butter. Salad bar skimpy for the high price. The service was o.k. But not the food."
    Dined on 7/19/2013
  • "The food was good, served in a quaint setting (older historic home). Be sure to save room for the coconut cream pie (even if you don't like coconut). Hard to find pie like this anymore -- flaky crust and definitely homemade!"
    Dined on 6/23/2013
  • "The soup was fabulous. The burgers were juicy and delicious. The chicken salad was wonderful. I do have to point out that they were short-staffed during our visit. We were seated for 30 minutes before our order was taken. It is a charming dining destination and we will be back again."
    Dined on 5/18/2013
  • "We had a 1:00 reservation for May 18, 2013. Was taking my friend there for her birthday. Had heard it was a very nice place, so we decided to try it out. Had asked on the reservation to be seated outside, if possible. There were 3 empty tables outside, so we were seated at one of them and given menus by the host. About 5 minutes after we were seated, the other two empty tables next to ours, filled up. The waitress walked by our table a number of times, completely ignoring us. She continued to take the drink orders, bring drinks, and then take the food orders of the other two tables...and still ignored our table. Never even greeted us or said she would be with us shortly...just kept passing us over. We got up after 15 minutes and left."
    Dined on 5/18/2013
  • "I absolutely adore this restaurant. We treated my parents and godparents for "Mother's Day" Saturday dinner, and we couldn't be happier. They have delicious menu items - great chicken dishes, and a great prime rib. Our entire family loved their meals. And it's great to see Donna - she'll always bring your muffin and your carrots!"
    Dined on 5/11/2013
  • "Always a pleasant experience. Staff makes you feel like you're at home. Nothing fancy about the food, but it is simple, consistent and very good. The service really makes a difference."
    Dined on 3/31/2013
  • "Excellent and attentive service. The staff were warm and friendly."
    Dined on 3/30/2013
  • "The food was excellent. The Victorian decor was fun and romantic. The service was only ok. We had a waitress who was so overworked. She did tell us that they were short staffed. She did the best she could, but had way to many tables to be very attentive. And no one to bus tables at all. The food was good enough that I would give the place a second chance. I hope we were just there on a really bad night."
    Dined on 3/15/2013
  • "My service itself was awful. We sat for 15 minutes or more waiting for a water refill or the check. The salmon was dry and looked as though mustard had been just slopped on top. We were charged for just splitting the meal, which is absurd for the prices of the entrees. The owner was the best part with her carrots and muffins. I used to love this place for their celery seed dressing. Now, I'm never returning which is disappointing because I was really looking forward to this dinner. Honestly, I think the issue was they could have used one more server, but that's no excuse for $20+ salmon being dry as a bone."
    Dined on 3/13/2013
  • "I enjoyed my visit. The staff was friendly and they even sang happy birthday to me. The food was great. I had the soup and sandwich, both were good."
    Dined on 3/9/2013
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • St. Louis Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Great for Lunch
  • West County Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Service
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Romantic
Learn more ›