Lange’s Cafe

We have been to Langes for over 20 years, but in the last year they have really taken a dive. We got terrible ribs last year and did not return until 2 weeks ago. Four of us went for what we felt was to be a new experience for our 2 friends. The pluses: Appetizer platter, malts and pies.
The negatives: chicken alfredo, reuben sandwich, hot beef plate and veggie burger (all the main courses).

Passing through Pipestone at lunch time so I stopped at the much acclaimed Langes. The lunch special was «pizza hot dish». I asked the waitress what that meant and was told its like lasagne. What the hell, I like lasagne so I ordered the special. It came with an iceberg lettuce salad with some oil and vinegar. Then two huge dinner rolls came out. The entrée followed with mashed potatoes and gravy! Holy crap! it was more food than I usually eat in an entire day!
The «pizza hot dish» was kinda like lasagne though with way over cooked pasta, slightly seasoned hamburger, and a huge glop of awful cheese on top. I tried my best to scrape the cheese off and ate about half of what remained. It was way more food than I needed, and not very good either. I would suggest Langes concentrate on quality, not quantity, but judging by the waistline of the clientele, my view may be in the minority.

If I find myself on death row in the future I already know what my last meal will be. Lange’s Country Fried Steak & Eggs; with the eggs over easy, hash browns, toast, and topped off with bacon gravy is my all-​time favorite breakfast. Get a slice of pie or a caramel roll to go and you can die happy too.

Traditional diner food with a few local variations. Sandwiches and breakfast meals are the best. Clearly a place the locals love and patronize. Seems to be consistently busy. Servers were very friendly and the service was great.

The menu had a wide variety of choices, including breakfast all day. The special was fish fry with a side of mashed potatoes with melted butter and a choice of coleslaw or macaroni salad. The fish was a breaded filet that was likely pre-​packaged. The potatoes were drenched in butter sauce that was displeasing to the palate. The chicken Caesar salad and bacon soup were good. The sour cream raisin pie was perhaps the sweetest pie I’ve ever eaten, more so for me than pecan pie, but less so than pure maple candy. The service was good, the restaurant was packed with locals. Overall, I’m ranking my experience at an ‘okay’.

We ate only dessert: raisin sour cream pie and apple tart with caramel and ice cream. They were quite good, and the other desserts on display also appeared tasty. However there must be 80 grams of sugar in each of these desserts! They are cloyingly sweet and undoubtedly not very healthy. Not surprisingly there were tons of obesity on display in this restaurant. The ice cream is homemade and very good. These are a good value also: $ 4.69 for the tart and $ 3.50 for the pie. I was able to at least look at some of the meals others had chosen and I can’t say they looked outstanding. The hash browns looked like the frozen kind you can get anywhere and some of the prices for breakfast are not cheap: $ 7 for eggs and bacon for example. The small rack of ribs was smothered in sauce and cost $ 10. But hey, it beats the heck out of the anywhere-​america-​Sysco-​truck-​chains you see in every single US town.
We would go back and try one of the specials they have each night like the all-​you-​can-​eat fish and chips on Friday. But the stellar ratings and reviews? We feel Lange’s may be a little overrated; pretty good but not exceptional. The service was just fine.

I heard so much good things about this place so I decided to give it a try. I had the breakfast Country Fried Steak with the bacon gravy. While their portion size was a good amount, I was not too impressed with the dish. My steak was slightly undercooked and the batter was not crispy. The gravy was different than I’m used to but it was good. I do like the small town diner feel and the staff was friendly.

Service was very good. Food was good but not exceptional. Pleasant authentic café atmosphere. We’d likely stop again if passing through.

Food is fine for adults, normal greasy spoon fare. But the kids meal left my 5 year old in tears as they delivered his 2oz. Burger that was obviously cut in half. «Where’s the rest of my burger?» He kept saying. My daughters burger was literally a burger cut in half, bun and everything. And also burned. Oh, and a $ 1.49 up charge for the small slice of processed cheese. There have to be better options in pipestone…

Just passing through with the family and dropped by Lange’s for breakfast. Absolutely A+. Never was my coffee cup empty and our waitress was super freindly and happy. Local retired gentleman playing dice talking crops, weather and sports.
What a great place to visit. Will definitely plan on stopping by again. Don’t miss out!

You ever home sick.. This place will cure the blues with the amazing selection of home made pies!

I live about a three hour drive from Pipestone, Minnesota but the temptation to head there to dine on the breakfasts at Lange’s Café comes to me on a daily basis.
Their quality and quantity of food is matched by their attentive and friendly wait staff.

We used to stop here when I was kid in the ’60’s on the way to Fargo. This a great local diner with their own bakery. Everything made fresh. The gravy of biscuits and gravy fame was like silk, with large chunks of thick bacon. They are also famous for lovingly serving great cuts of beef. Can’t miss with Lange’s when you want simple comfort/​love food.

This is the ultimate local hang-​out of Q-​tips, «Good morning boys». Loved the atmosphere. People playing dice games called Horses at various tables (must be the retired thing to do), people coming and going for bakery take-​out, people reading newspapers at the retro bar stools, and an occasional whiff of Copenhagen on hoarse-​voiced men. The place was humming but not annoyingly loud. I can’t say there were many, if any, tourists here this morning. In fact, I must’ve stuck out as a tourist because an old man asked where I was from and if I’d be interested «in going behind the barn»! What an old fart! Now for the food. It was good. The service was excellent. The bakery shelf yummy. Gluten-​free options available on menu but GF bakery items not an option.

Holy Mother of All Things Baked! The World Famous Sour Cream Raisin Pie is to DIE for! Topped with massive pile of meringue, the filling is sweet, but tangy, and the crust… oh the crust… tender perfection.
I had the roast beef and mashed potatoes. The roast is melting tender and the mashed potatoes are real. Homemade rolls with real butter.
Hubby had the bacon cheeseburger made with homemade bun. He let me have a bite and it was fantastic. He also had a cinnamon roll for desert and loved that.
We bought two caramel rolls to take with us and will have them with coffee tomorrow morning.
Service was fantastic. Our waitress was great.
I can see that this will be a nice motorcycle destination for us in the future.
P. S. Breakfast served all day

I don’t get to Pipestone often. My family is originally from the Pipestone/​Ruthton area and a birthday celebration fortunately brought me back to the area recently. My mother and I had the PLEASURE of enjoying lunch at Lange’s Café — here’s my review!
First off, I have to mention that my mother, age 73, worked at Lange’s when she was in high school in the 50’s. She worked for the brothers who were the original owners of this restaurant. Now one of the son’s owns and runs it and I must say is doing a fabulous job.
From the outside this place looks rather nondescript but classic, has a feel of the old days but is in no way run down. My mother tells me the counter bar stools are original but it appears the counter itself has been replaced. The tile on the back wall is also original (she is pretty sure:) This lends to a very nice, classy 50’s feel. There are enough additions and updates that the place is pleasant, clean, smells good and isn’t an old, run down greasy spoon!
FOOD: We both ordered the daily special which was meatballs and gravy. Good ol’ comfort food! I can honestly say I was less than enthusiastic about my selection but oh man was I dead wrong. This was a lovely and DELICIOUS home made large meatballs in a homemade gravy with a huge lump of REAL mashed potatoes. I was ah-​mazed. Served with warm multigrain bread which I used to clean my plate. This meal was truly lip smacking good. All for only $ 6.99.
Seriously — if you are in the Pipestone area this place is a must stop. Well worth the drive off the highway for a good old fashioned home cooked –like meal.
I cannot recommend Lange’s more highly. I will definitely be back!

Blue Ribbon Chicken Strips– I don’t usually eat chicken because I have unpleasant reactions to it, but sometimes I get a craving. These are the best chicken strips I’ve ever had in my life! The waiter said they would be and I told him he was right. These are totally worth any unpleasant reaction I might have!

The food is great. We had burgers this time for lunch and were very pleased. The fries were fresh and the home made buns wonderful.

Best Denver Omelet I have ever had! We stopped in on our way home after spending 6 days in Split Rock Creek State Park, which is 8 mi. south of Pipestone. What a gem of a park! They say campers don’t eat out, not true. We make a point of going to small towns just to find restaurants like this one when staying in our state parks. Planning on going back to Split Rock Creek SP and Lange’s Café, can’t wait to try their other menu items! Loved the décor and the staff was wonderful!

This is by far the best road food I have ever eaten at in the US. It is also conveniently located near the Pipestone National Monument.
We ordered:
1) The sour cream raisin pie — very tasty and very sweet
2) The raisin and walnut chicken — amazingly good and unique. It’s basically cripsy fried chicken, served over a bed of wild rice and then smothered in a sauce made with raisins and almonds.
3) Steak bits — good