Jubilee Cafe

The Jubilee Cafe is the kind of hometown diner where you seat yourself and pay on the way out. There is counter seating on stools where you can watch the kitchen, or you can sit in booths or tables. The tables are crowded pretty closely together, because the restaurant gets busy. As it got closer to noon during my visit, people began crowding in. I heard two other diners mention the Reuben; one specifically said "I've heard you have a good Reuben." So that was good to hear. There was a nice older lady who worked there who was going around to tables and giving napkins and refilling drinks in a very friendly manner.

Local farmers enjoy their lunchtime conversation at the Jubilee Cafe in Edwards, Illinois.

The day's special was the beef pot pie, but I ordered the Reuben. The Reuben is on the menu under Melts, but there is no description for it. The sandwich came to the table after fifteen minutes, and wasn't cut at all. Really, a good Reuben sandwich presentation needs to have the sandwich cut in some way, whether somewhat diagonally, or even straight across. The plate that the sandwich was served on was quite small, and barely fit the sandwich and chips, along with the condiment cup of Thousand Island dressing.

While the sandwich looked quite humble, the corned beef was very good. It was corned beef brisket that had been cooked just right, and had all of the nice sections that would separate nicely due to having been made until it was perfectly tender. This wasn't any kind of sliced deli meat—you knew this beef was from a real cow. I didn't taste any fat on the meat, either.

Detail of the corned beef brisket inside the Reuben sandwich at the Jubilee Cafe in Edwards, Illinois.

The cheese and sauerkraut played a nice supporting role but certainly didn't overpower the sandwich. The bread held up well and didn't get soggy—perhaps mostly because the Thousand Island dressing was served on the side. The dressing seemed quite average, and I ended up spreading it on the inside of my sandwich instead of trying to dip corners of the Reuben into the tiny cup.

This was a good Reuben for under $8, but it wasn't the type of Reuben that would take me out-of-the-way in my travels to find it. I think you'll like the corned beef. The restaurant also had one of those tall glass pie refrigerators by the door, so there's a little temptation there to stay for dessert.

Overall, the Reuben didn't disappoint, and I'd happily come back to the Jubilee Cafe.