Merle's American Tavern 21900 Branic Drive, Peculiar, MO 64078

"Ate here for the first time today! How have I missed this place?There were so many things on the menu I had a hard time deciding what to order. The place was busy but the waitress took the time to help with her recommendations. I am a very picky ice tea person but I took a chance and it was delicious. We got our food in a timely manner and I was so happy with what I ordered. I can't wait to go back and take my kiddos!"

"Driving through on I-49 and the freeway signs only says Denny's and Sonics. I always prefer local to chains so we headed here. Glad we did. Good burgers and plenty of local beers."

"The pork sandwich was amazing, fresh, hot, tender, and with sweet potato fries. Lava cake for dessert, which is just a basic store bought lava cake but good. The service was attentive and friendly.. Will be back"

"We stopped in for dinner on Weds, it was not too busy! We had a great server greet us and take our drink order quickly. The service is almost always pretty good. I didn’t pay attention whe my my wife ordered her food and we it came out, we had basically ordered the same thing. We got the surf and turf but it is kinda red neck surf and turf. It has a steak cooked to order, catfish nuggets and a choice of side. She got tater tots and I got fries. They at least one other potato option. The food came out pretty timely and was good. There are lots of TV’s with random sports and even a monster truck show on this particular night. We had good, great service and a pleasant atmosphere. You should give it a try!"

"The chicken fried steak (Salisbury fried steak on their menu) was SO GOOD! Fresh and hot. When you cut into the crust it has a lovely crisp crunchy crust that's not too thick. My stepfather got the Cuban sandwich with these odd curly fries and loved it. Even the coffee, which was just a normal drip brew, was good and not butter at all. I've had a ton of dinner coffee and while it seems odd to make note of it, theirs has been some of the best. The staff was incredibly friendly. I did find the other people were a little too interested in me, but I'm black and in the middle of America. That happens. The wait staff though was beyond friendly and kind. The one when we told her we had never been was like "we try and make everyone feel welcome" and they honestly did make me feel quite welcome. I still felt very comfortable eating here with a few stares from overly interested pick-up truck drivers. Really recommend stopping here if you're travelling and don't want to bother with Kansas City traffic. You will definitely not go wrong with these tasty vittles"