A Quick Bite to Eat at Canteen Lunch

 I told the hubby I know where we are stopping for lunch in Ottumwa and when I told him Canteen Lunch, he was like that was the place Ryzer was talking about. If Ryzer said it's good, it must be.

Canteen Lunch is literally a brick building in an alley. It is not much and there is limited seating inside. The menu is pretty limited -- loose meat sandwiches, chips, and pie. They literally cook the meat in a giant vat in the middle of the lunch counter. The waitresses take your order from behind the counter and they make your sandwich and drinks pretty quickly.

What is a loose meat sandwich? It's cooked ground beef on a bun with melted cheese brushed across the top with your usual burger fixings. Think sloppy joes without the sauce. Since I love eating ground beef after it's been cooked before adding it to the dish, this was perfect for me. And it was delicious.

This is definitely a hole in the wall type of place that is you definitely need to try if you ever find yourself in Ottumwa. The pie is really good or so I've been told. 

Another Hole in the Wall Lunch Stop

When traveling we try to eat at places we can't eat at home whether it is a chain (Bob Evans) or a local joint. Browsing Trip Adviser, I found a little diner in downtown Kansas City, not too far from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum called Town Topic Inc Sandwich Shops. It served breakfast and burgers.

Town Topic is a small diner with about a dozen or so stools. It reminds me of Mickey's Dining Car without being in a train car. You order at the counter if dining in or at the register if to go. We got lucky and snagged a couple of stools as people were leaving. It is pretty much standing room only during lunch time.

The burgers were really good and the shakes were fabulous. I would have loved to try them for breakfast some time.

It's just a hole in the wall but those usually have the best food. If you're in Kansas City and have an itch for some greasy diner food, check out Town Topic.