After the loss of Lone Star and the decision by the owners not to rebuild the old family eatery, the community of Channahon has been in need of an affordable, but delicious option to meet up with friends on a weekday morning for a classic cup of joe or to grab a hearty bite to eat after church on Sunday.

The new Mugz Diner, located on Eames Street in Channahon, only a couple blocks down from South Campus, boasts breakfast all day, large portions of home-cooked meals, and perfectly pleasant service. They are open from Tuesday thru Sunday, from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.

At Mugz you will find dishes for under $10 and enough food to fill you up from the time you wake up until the bell rings for lunch. Grab an omelet or skillet prepared just the way you like it, a stack of pancakes or waffles with fruit and whipped cream, or even classic buttermilk biscuits topped with a mountain of gravy. You’ll find breakfast fare from opening until closing and sandwiches galore along with fresh soups and salads for lunchtime.

Upon walking in, you’ll be greeted by a friendly faces behind the counter and a sneak peek into the kitchen. There is limited seating, only about five booths — though they can fit at least six people — as well as counter service seats. The menu is one-sided, but provides more than enough options for kids and adults alike.

A majority of the meal options are served with a side of hashbrowns and two slices of toast, with the exception of the waffles, crepes, and French toast. Meat choices include ham, sausage links, and bacon, along with plenty of classic veggie and cheese fillings for make-your-own omelets and skillets.

My dad and I decided on what to order after catching a look at the menu online and once you arrive, along with a staff recommendation to assist myself. I went with the Belgium waffle ($5.95) served with a mound of whipped butter. Our server voiced that her usual fallback is the crepe meal ($5.75) sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. She also revealed that if I were to have gone with the pancake breakfast ($7.75) served with three buttermilk pancakes, your choice of meat, hashbrowns, and toast, I would have ended up taking half of it home.

My dad built a 3-egg omelet with pepper jack cheese, green peppers, and Italian sausage ($6.95) with hash browns and buttered wheat toast. He also had a big glass of orange juice ($2.05), which was the same size as a typical Pepsi drinking glass and well worth the money.

Our food was ready within 15 minutes of ordering, which was relatively decent timing considering there were only about three other couples and a few people at the counter when we first arrived. The food was clearly fresh and the plates were warm to the touch. In fact, my dad’s was overflowing off the sides with all that came with his meal. To my slight disappointment, however, the waffle was not as thick as you would typically see coming from an industrial-sized restaurant waffle iron.

Though not as large as expected, the waffle managed to be fluffy and perfectly cooked, with a nice crust. It came with a more than enough whipped butter and the maple syrup was on our table, ready to be poured. The best part of a waffle is clearly the divots meant to hold pools of melted butter and syrup, so that aspect was seemingly absent as the waffle iron utilized did not yield a substantial enough product. All in all, the waffle was worth it, but I think next time I would be better off going for a lighter bread with the crepes and add side of eggs (2 for $1.50) or meat ($2-$2.75).

The omelet was a rather different story. It came out looking chock-full, and that it was. There were a large amount of sausage and green pepper pieces, with a gooey layer of pepper jack cheese coating the insides. However, the eggs were not as dense and voluminous as would have been expected, which we believe was attributed to the use of liquid egg product instead of being cracked fresh from the shell. The toast was sliced thick with a pat of butter on top and the hash browns were perfectly crispy.

The lunch menu is just as small as the breakfast one, but still offers a variety of  customizable options and familiar sandwiches all at $10.95 and under. Sides range from multiple uses of potatoes to southern style mac and cheese, coleslaw, and casseroles. My dad said if he comes back he would be eager to sample the chicken sandwich ($7.95) with garlic butter and sweet peppers.

Going the classic pancakes and eggs route seems to be the way to go at Mugz to get the best bang for your buck, or if you prefer a completely savory breakfast, the omelets and skillets are both worth the trip. With a condensed menu and a small space off of Route 6, Channahon and Minooka now have a new four-star breakfast spot to hit if you are interested in a sit-down meal with a home-cooked price.