Walking into Annie’s Place, I got the homey feel of a family restaurant that has been around for awhile. The front of the menu explains that Jim and Lisa Haskell started Annie’s Place in 1986, to give Topeka a more personalized dining experience. That is what I got when I dined there.

The waitress was very nice and quick. Looking at the menu I noticed it has all the usual categories, appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees.  The salads were pretty much what you would find everywhere, including a chicken strip salad, and a chicken fiesta salad.  I did notice that they make their own homemade bun bowl for their soups, which is unusual, but it was a hot day and I was not feeling the soup.

I decided on a cheeseburger, but not just any burger—this one is called Annie’s Alouette Burger, and comes with an herb cream cheese slathered atop the medium-well burger.  It comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion on the side, and potato chips. You can pay a little more and get their Hot Air Fries, which are baked and come with no seasoning on them.

Diners can also get soup, salad or fruit with their meal. I wanted to try the Hot Air Fries, little wedges of fresh-cut potato which were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  The bun was homemade and grilled lightly so it gave the edges a slight crunch. The cream cheese melted and oozed all over my fingers, but it was okay because it tasted so good. I love cream cheese and if you do too—which I am sure many of you do—this is the burger for you.

Homemade pie is always a winner for me, and I think Annie’s Place knows how to do it right.  Although I was already full, I had to get some pie because Annie’s is known for their homemade bakery items.  When I ate the pie I forgot what I had eaten before the pie, it was if the pie was all I had. It was that good.

The crust was flaky and sugary, and the apples were baked to perfection, tender but not mushy. I opted out on the ice cream and caramel sauce which added turns it into the “Mile High Apple Pie” because I wanted to taste the pie and only the pie – good decision.  The ice cream and caramel would have been good, but the pie honestly doesn’t need it, but if you want it go ahead, it’s your slice, not mine.

Annie’s Place does online ordering at www.anniesplacetopeka.com and you can pick up a menu to take home if you stop in. There is also a menu on the website, so if you don’t have a menu just check that out. They offer a pie of the month, different every month. This month is Key Lime. Make sure you get there early because once they run out they are out, until tomorrow.