Location: Spencer
Top Restaurants in Spencer
Top Things to do in Spencer
Countries
Most Popular Restaurants in Spencer
Spencer is a town in Washington Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,217 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Owen County.
Things to do in Spencer
1. Hilltop Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 73 reviews
Reviewed By MaryDee1 - Zionsville
You will be served a nutritious and yummy country-style meal no matter what you order at the Hilltop. Appetizers that come with the meal include tomato juice, celery & carrots with dressing, pickled sliced beers, and hot rolls. All sides are served family style, such as mashed potatoes and green beans. Their fried chicken is good, as is the country ham steak which is not true Southern country ham, but still very good and plentiful. The desserts are also good. While nothing may have a huge wow factor, nothing disappoints either. If you walk away hungry, it's your fault. For it's location, it is likely the best meal to be had.
The view by the windows is attractive. Beware sometimes the oldies (real oldies) are played a bit loud. The only real issue is the restrooms are both quite small.
Visit some antique shops while you are in the area. There is also a huge orchid nursery nearby but it was closed on Saturday when we arrived.
2. Main Street Coffee
Overall Ratings
5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By Deb M - Bloomington, Indiana
We had heard that Main Street Coffee was a very nice experience with good food. We had breakfast this morning and were very pleased. The owners are fantastic and committed to providing great coffee and very nice experience. They are doing very well for a small town. If you are traveling through the area I highly recommend coffee, breakfast or lunch. We had waffles and they went to a lot of trouble to make it special and it was very good for only $4. We are looking forward to trying lunch soon.
3. Dairy Queen
Overall Ratings
2 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By psudino - Weehawken, New Jersey
Not sure if this place is still open. I drove past it and it looked closed, but not positive.
Anyways, it was a typical Dairy Queen. I didn't have the terrible service the other reviewers spoke about, but I didn't have fantastic service either.
The food was standard fast food and was what I wanted at the time while driving through Spencer.
4. El Ranchero Authentic Mexican Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By Sheila M - Spencer
Have been here many times with friend and family. Always friendly and food is excellent. Device is fast and food is always hot and delicious!! Would recommend to anyone!
5. Birdhouse Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By MBrown4059 - Russiaville, Indiana
DINNER & BREAKFAST: We stayed at the Canyon Inn and dined at the Birdhouse Restaurant our first night for convenience. We were pleasantly surprised with our meal. We were promptly greeted and seated on the indoor porch by our waitress, Lexi, who was quick to answer questions about our food selections. It was dark, so there was no chance of seeing any birds. I wish I could post our dinner photos because the food was absolutely delicious and well presented. I accidently left both my camera and cell phone in our room and I was too tired to return upstairs to retrieve them. I ordered the two grilled pork chops. They were lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection; moist and flavorful. The grill marks were defined on the meat. My side dishes included fresh steamed broccoli and fried okra. The broccoli was perfectly cooked and plentiful. The okra was okay; crunchy. My first try with fried okra, so I had no taste expectations. My husband ordered the fried catfish, fries and a side salad. Wow! The fish was EXCELLENT; lightly battered and two large portions. It was some of the best fish that we have ever tasted. (I snuck a bite of his fish). The fries were hot and crispy and the salad was fresh. The chef even whipped up a fresh batch of cocktail sauce for my husband at his request. A home cooked meal for two people for under $25. The next morning I ventured down alone for breakfast, so my husband could sleep in. Once again I was greeted by Lexi. She flashed a brilliant smile and showed me to a table out on the enclosed porch for a great view of the birds. I ordered the "Trailblazer" breakfast: four slices of French Toast, two eggs, bacon and potatoes. I ordered a side of toast with my eggs and a cup of hot tea. We were going hiking, so I wanted to make sure I had energy. My breakfast arrived and it looked like "a lot" of food. Sunny side up eggs combined with potatoes with a Southwest flair; with diced onions and red and green peppers. French Toast smothered in butter and maple syrup, accompanied by a hot cup of Darjeeling tea. I took my time and enjoyed watching all the plentiful birds and squirrels at the feeders. While I did not photograph a lot of the birds, I was treated to see bright red Cardinals, Bluejays, Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse, White-bellied Nuthatch, etc.. and several Gray squirrels jockeying for a position at the feeders. The dining area was mostly silent as everyone sat watching the birds and eating quietly. Lexi continued to check on my progress to ensure my meal was satisfactory and engaged in small talk with me. She was very genuine and enjoyed her job. Great food and great service. My breakfast was just over $10, but well worth it. Once again, large food portions cooked to perfection and a waitress with personality and a beautiful smile. My dining experience was pleasant and my bird's eye view of the woods and wildlife through the large glass panes made my meal extra special. Sometimes you just have to slow down to appreciate the best things in life. This reviewer gives The Birdhouse Restaurant and staff "two thumbs up." We will definitely dine here again when we visit McCormick's Creek State Park in the future.
6. Chambers Smorgasboard
Overall Ratings
4 based on 73 reviews
Reviewed By mandy8943 - Bloomington, IN
Chambers Smorgasboard is an excellent place to eat. They have wonderful home cooked dishes and a great fresh salad bar. Their desserts are out of this world. They have homemade apple butter for the homemade bread, rolls and fried biscuits they serve. They have a great room upstairs for larger parties and can even rent the space to you for other events like baby showers and such. Also, they have a wonderful catering service that is very reasonable in price. They will deliver and set up your food buffet style and provides all the table service for your event. I would highly recommend for lunch, dinner, when hosting an event and for catering your event.
7. Hickory Room
Overall Ratings
4 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Daniel_CC9564SW - Bloomington, Indiana
The Hickory Room is the only place to eat in McCormick's Creek State Park. It is essentially a hotel dining room with a buffet. The food is ok, my wife enjoyed her tenderloin, but the buffet was mostly tasteless. The food tends to cater to the large senior population who visit, and is quite bland. The vegetables in the buffet were old and dried out, but the fried chicken and rolls were fresh and decent.
Staff was friendly, and the prices were reasonable. Given that they have a captive audience, they could abuse that by being much more expensive. Don't expect fancy food, this is very middle of the road, middle America, hearty comfort food. It just needs flavor and to be more consistent.
8. Jit's Thai Bistro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By sandwichbound - Bloomington, Indiana
I have lived and traveled throughout Asia and Thai cuisine has always been one of my favorites. As an Owen County resident for less than 10 years, I was used to driving to Bloomington to get my Thai "fix". When Jit's opened last Fall (Oct 2015), that all changed. I now go to Jit's every week!
While the menu only has a few appetizers, 4-5 entrees (the Beef & Basil or Chicken & Basil are great options) and a couple of deserts (the Elephant ear, fried banana's and Coconut Ice Cream (home made) are delicious), the food is always very good to great and the prices are very reasonable.
The other great thing is that Jit is not afraid of making her dishes truly "Thai" spicy!! She has a 1-5 rating and anyone who likes spicy food (with flavor), will love Jit's!!
She will also do no spice for certain dishes, so you can just have great flavor, without any "heat." (both the Pad Thai and the Pad Ki Mao are great options)
9. McDonald's
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By psudino - Weehawken, New Jersey
This McDonald's is a perfect example of a chain restaurant that does everything correctly. The food is as expected, tasty, and the service is as expected, good. The location is convenient, right on the main thoroughfare of Spencer. The prices are appropriate for the food you are getting. For me, I go to McDonald's for the Mighty Kids because the amount of food is nice and the apple slices are my favorite side. A nice place to stop if you want a quick and tasty meal.
10. Wendy's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By bethwalden3 - Bloomington, Indiana
Was aggrivated the other day when I asked two employees if the chicken in the wrap was real chicken breast or just chopped up, pressed chicken. They assured me that it was a real breast cut in half. These people don't know the difference between chopped pressed chicken parts flavored with "chicken" and a real chicken breast! I was really grossed out by that. Dining room needs some real cleaning. Just an average Wendy's.
