Restaurants in Hays

“I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. We went here for lunch after visiting the Sternberg Museum. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was fun. Staff friendly and attentitve. Make sure to fit this eatery into your schedule when you're in Hays. It is WONDERFUL!”

“It's a must go that place is the best.”

“i ate shrimp and lobster ravioli and my girlfriend tour of italy with a side of tiramisu. It was very delicious i highly suggest it and I’ll be back there with my friends as well! Also The server Lion was very kind and very amazing at his job Definitely you should try it out!!”

“bustling with life, they were busy, & were still able to seat tables adequately. my sevice was perfectly precise on her recommendation. The prime rib... prepared perfect & on point, & served without much of a wait. Impressive. strawberry cheesecake was indulgent & creamy. This is definitely one of the treasures of Hays, Ks. Well done. To My server Miss Ella, Thank you for the most perfect service of all dining establishments I have experienced in my 50 years. Great job! - Roy Coates Stratford, Ok.”

“Im writing this review as I sit in this adorable restaurant! Im here on a work trip and this restaurant makes me wish my trip was longer so I could come again. Sierra was our server and she literally rocks. The food was top tier and so was the service. I now love Hays because of Paisley Pear Bar!!! Love love love everything about this place.”

“The cookies 🤤 I had been told they were good so we ordered the chocolate chip, they were AMAZING! And the app makes it such a breeze to order! Thanks guys!”

“This is our stop round-trip between Illinois and Colorado every couple months. The menu of homemade comfort food at affordable prices is a gem of a place. Today I had a bowl of green bean dumpling soup and my husband had chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese on French bread, but there are other bread choices. See you on our way back to Illinois!”

“Gavin was so professional and pleasant. The food was delicious! Two had salads, I had the spicy chicken with sweet potato fries. If we only lived closer, this would be a regular stop!”

“This little diner seems to be one of the hot spots in town. While a bit further of a drive from I-70 then other options, it is worth it and honestly only a few minutes more. Pulling up you get an old diner drive-in feel and you can dine-in or drive-thru. We were given a warm welcome and the staff was eager to answer any questions, plus give suggestions. You can tell that the left window is the main spot to order at the counter....then find your seat on red and metal chairs or red booths. On the brown tabletops you will find ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper. It was super nice to have coloring books and crayons to help keep the littles entertained, with one of the staff making sure to point such out to us. The Mozzarella sticks were some of the best I have had in sometime, the burger patties - I believe - were hand-shaped, and the bacon for the BLT was nice and crispy. I so liked that the buns was toasted, but I would have preferred more tomatoes. The shakes were tasty, but two people would probably be fine sharing one....if they can agree on the flavor. This is one of those places we will remember for future passes through Hays.”

“Best Mexican in Hays! Fantastic service! I always get the California Burrito.”

“I have enjoyed my food every time I go. Kitchen stuff is always hot and fresh. Rolls and bowls have always been good quantity and quality. I would love to see lunch specials like Onigiri 🍙 one day.”

“Amazing food! Wow! Will definitely be back!”

“Great food and big servings at Melanie’s Kitchen! We met the Filipino owner, and Nadine was so kind. The staff were all nice and welcoming.
We’ll definitely come back here the next time we visit Hays, Kansas.”

“My daughter and I stopped here on the way to Colorado and we did not regret!! The food was so delicious and service was perfect!! Thank you again!! We will be back!!”

“Just passing through from Drnver.
This is the realest place you can visit. Awesome people, tons of fun enjoying the karaoke. Just a great place to be on a Friday night in Hays!”

“Katie was all about excellent customer service no matter what the weather was. Big smile, helpful attitude, and making this an excellent experience. Her whole team was wearing bulky equipment to protect them from the weather and they did not miss a beat. Now that is how you run a successful business with great employees.”

“Great coffee, relaxing vibes, and fantastic servers! Thank you!!”

“Cold Stone Creamery is owned by two of the most generous individuals you could ever meet. They consistently support our community by sponsoring local events, donating gift cards to fundraisers, and giving back in countless meaningful ways. In addition to their business, they also operate a nonprofit and frequently host event nights in their space at no cost. Instead of charging admission, they simply invite guests to donate whatever they feel comfortable giving.

Their kindness and generosity truly deserve the highest respect. They have also built a wonderful team at Cold Stone—efficient, welcoming, and respectful to everyone who walks through the door.

Kudos to them for bringing this establishment to our community and helping strengthen it. Their efforts contribute to a place where our youth can grow up proud to call home and return to raise their own families.”

“I often get a smoothie with couple scoops of protein and Katie today was super friendly and helpful 👏🏼 come to think of it everytime I go there everyone is super friendly and always prompt service.”

“I was there on a busy night without a reservation. Wait was not long at all, staff was very attentive and even offered free dessert for my wait. To my surprise earlier a very nice gentleman had already paid for my dinner. Hays, KS has the nicest people. A big thank you to whomever paid for my meal!!!!”

“Real authentic Mexican food. Friendly service, push out orders in a timely fashion, food and taste are NEVER lacking! Call in orders quick and efficient in Spanish AND English! Salsas are flavor packed and with just the right amount of heat! Locally owned business, these owners should be extremely proud of this food truck!”

“went in there. waiter was so cute”

“I had a cake and sugar cookies made for my husbands 30th birthday. Absolutely loved them! They were so delicious! Great to work with! Definitely will be getting my future cakes from here! Thank you!”

“Made my pizza just how I wanted. They were quick, friendly, and accommodating. Love Papa Murphy's pizza. Makes for a quick and easy meal for my family after a long day, and we all enjoy it. Also it's reasonably priced, and convenient. Take it home and bake it when you are ready, and it doesn't taste like cardboard. I highly recommend this as your Pizza Night alternative.”

“Went with a few others. Was seated fast and given a server quick. With the amount of people there at the time I was worried it would take a long time to get our food but they were actually pretty fast for such a big order. Food was great. The bento boxes are pretty big. The sushi rolls were great and presented very professional. Drink cups were rather small but honestly didn't think much of it. Main thing I didn't like was that I was a little mislead because it says it's a hibachi grill but it's not like other hibachi grills where you sit around the grill and get a chef per group that interacts and cooks for you. Was still good though. Other than that we will definitely go back”

“Their food is usually pretty good. One complaint I do have is that I witnessed the cook touched my burger with his bare hands, no gloves. He placed it in the microwave and pulled it out with his bare hands. I find that unsanitary and unprofessional.”

“Good pricing, large taste portions, quick and friendly service. I did not see the bottom of my coffee cup ... nice!!!”

“Nice place. Haven’t been in this bar since the 80s. Don’t remember what it was called then, but it’s specialty then was it’s hot sausages and they still have them. Kinda cool.”

“Great place to watch sports, play pool or work remotely. Best food and drinks in Hays by far! Luke and his staff are on point and friendly every visit.”

“Always a great experience! Jocelyn is wonderful! Always remembers my family and me! Great environment! Great variety of food — boscoes and ranch are my FAV!!!”

“Pretty good food, I had a taco salad without dairy and it was good. Definitely recommend.”

“The best hamburgers and chicken in town, sooo good! Highly recommend trying if you haven’t already!”

“Hunt Brothers Pizza is a great pizza for anybody searching for really good tasting food the employees are always very respectful their Pizza is also never undercooked or overcooked it is always just right with a perfect amount of toppings”

“Taco Tuesday, tried the tacos and nachos they are fantastic”

“I love this place. Their tacos are absolutely delicious. Queso and chips and their wings were really good as well. this is my go to place when I need tacos though.”

“Love having choices! Cathy’s Bread never disappoints everything from the fresh, hearty breads to the sweet desserts is absolutely delicious. Thank you for bringing so much variety and flavor to our community!”

“Went and grabbed a quick bit to eat . Our waitress was a young girl name Alexis she was a amazing like she need to be on the floor al the time instead n the kitchen cause there not a lot of great help there since Daniel left. She was a great at her costumer service. KUDOS TO ALEXIS”

“I love going to IHOP in Hays, Kansas. In fact, I make sure to go at least once a week. It has now become my favorite IHOP restaurant because of Daniel. He always greets me and all the guests with great hospitality, respect and he is very attentive to details. He is very service-oriented and knowledgeable about the food they serve at this location even though he is a brand new server. More so, I’ve seen him serve in these capacity consistently among al his customers. Daniel rocks! IHOP should be grateful to have him around, and they better keep him. He works very hard and pay attention to each customer’s needs and orders. I’ve witnessed these whether the restaurant is full or not, and he remains consistent. He always gives a smile to the people he serves even though some of customers treat him poorly, taken advantaged of and feel entitled to do whatever they want in the restaurant. Thank you Daniel for your great service and for treating your customers with utmost respect, hospitality and charm!!!”

“Good 'Que for the price and better than you would expect to find off a highway. The staff was super friendly and the portions were bigger than I expected. The sides were a bit lacking, but the star of the show- the meat- was very well prepared.”

“Delicious pizza and excellent service!! Stopped here last night all the way from Virginia while on the way to Denver. It was amazing!”

“While I do like Arby's shrinkflation has really hit in their value menu. Over $3 per sandwich and it wasn't even worth it. I asked which offered the most sandwiches and they didn't even tell me about the four for $10 deal on classic roast beef. My fries were the tail end of the batch as they were all overcooked small and crispy. While the flavor was excellent they still were not premium crop. For over $50 meal I would have expected much better. I think it's going to be a long while before we hit up an Arby's ever again.”

“Drive trough only but there wasn't much space when there was the ability to dine in. I wish there was a walk up window for to go also but otherwise it's great food and great prices. The new selection of teas and smoothies is a nice addition as well as the generous portions for the bowl options. I wish the chicken skewers wearing appetizer as well as having a beef skewer option but all together it's nice to order and have all the modifications ( extra spice level and noodles instead of rice ) met with no problems. Would recommend as a great get n go option for food.”

“The steamer I had was amazing! I asked for whipped cream on it after I got it, but it came out like liquid. The lady working there was really nice and remade the whole thing for me!”

“Just tried a bierock from Cerv's for the first time. Now I want another one. I highly recommend their bierocks and of course had a snoball to go with it. Thanks Cerv's!”

“Drive thru order. Came at night (dark out), and the outside lights were not on, making it look like they were closed. We mentioned it when we got to the window and was blown off as if we were bothering them. We got our order and asked another question, and when answering, the girl (short blonde hair) acted like we were the last people on earth that she wanted to talk to. Our order was correct, and it was tasty, but the service needs some help.”

“Like many others I have been coming here since the 1970s. That used to bottle their sauce and sell it. it’s the best. They also used to have shaved ice.”

“The food had gotten to where I didt find it that great, and I stopped giving after being a frequent customer. I decided to give them another try a couple of months ago and the burger and home cut fries were delicious. The burger was seasoned well and the home c cut fries were crunchy on the outside and there was no fryer oil. On the post these fries were often soggy with cooking oil and that is partly why I quit going. I went again just recently and again had a cheeseburger, home cut fries, and s side of fried mushroom. The mushrooms were nicely fried, light batter and no cooking oil mess. The food was great. I spoke with the cook and praised him for the great food. He told me that he was able to make some changes in the kitchen and it really shows. It was obvious to me that the cook is passionate about turning out high quality, flavorful food. I now recommend Sip n Spin, the food is even better than it was at its best. The interior leaves a little to be desired and it could use an update as could the booths. The atmosphere was fine for a lunch crowd.”

“Usual experience at a subway. We stopped in to get some foot long churros. They were tasty, and my kids were thrilled. The service was excellent. Clean bathrooms too. All in all, a good place to stop.”

“we are now serving breakfast come see us guys”

“This Jimmy John’s has it together!! We ordered online and our sandwiches were ready when we arrived. They also had a person cleaning the tables, mopping the floor and taking out the trash—something I’ve never seen before at a Jimmy John’s!! We go a lot in Wichita and always wonder why they can’t get their act together. Thank you, Hays, KS for delivering!”

“Wife and I had the KC Strip Steak, man was it good! Sat in the bar area on a high top, got great service, not long for food wait. Would go again when in the area.”

“I don’t know why more people don’t come here. Everything I’ve had is fantastic and it’s a nice local business. McDonald’s is always packed and this place is often empty. It boggles my mind.”

“Very good service. Friendly atmosphere.”

“Walked in after a long drive and ready to eat. The young guy who was cleaning the lobby, washed his hands and quickly handed me my drink and got my order put together. The food was great, the store was clean and the service was excellent!”

“horrible food greasy trash. I contacted them after spending over $ 45 dollars on food . told them about my order. they said you can have one free small ice-cream. ! o wow thanks guys thats so lame .”

“February 1, 2025 Ashley, Bronco, and I woke up early, finished packing up the Jeep and headed out to Wichita, Kansas. First stop was Loves Travel Stop in Burlington Colorado for Bronco to run around the dog park, our second stop was Taco Shop for lunch in Hays, Kansas! Then made it to The Keeper of the Plains Riverwalk in Wichita Kansas and called it a day!

Stopped for lunch on our drive to Florida”

“Excellent food and friendly service!! I highly recommend!”