CYNTHIANA, Ky. (LEX 18) — Walking into Biancke's Restaurant feels like entering a museum as much as it does an eatery.
The walls are adorned with countless pieces of Cynthiana's history, with many class pictures from the high school dating back to 1914.
Decor that takes people through a time capsule of sorts as they enjoy their meal.
"I would describe it as just pure history when you walk in the door. We've been here since 1894. It's more of a staple of Cynthiana, and more people want to come here to just see and take in the atmosphere here," Biancke's general manager Savannah Hedges said.
"We have been here since the 30s in this building here. We have local pictures along the wall of just regulars that come in here."
An atmosphere that has been fostered and preserved for 130 years.
Nearly anyone who comes in to eat can tell you stories of essentially growing up in this restaurant.
Tracy Brown is one of them.
"I love Biancke's. My mother and I usually come once or twice a week. She always runs into some of her old classmates and friends she's made over the years, and so do I," Brown said.
Brown told the story of her mother coming to Biancke's almost every day as a young girl because her mother (Tracy's grandmother) preferred the restaurant's breakfast over what the school offered at the time.
Just one positive review of the homestyle food that has been perfected over more than a century.
"Our number one seller, oddly, is catfish. We have a Kentucky hot brown that's more of a Kentucky special. Home sliced roast beef, grilled with mashed potatoes and gravy, and it's really good," Hedges said.
"I get the smothered chicken. It's a grilled chicken breast with cheese, onions, and peppers. It's really, really good."
Fried green tomatoes and freshly baked pies are another pair of favorites by countless customers who walk into Biancke's daily.
"We have regulars that come in every day—even strangers. Everyone is just always so kind, and I think it's just the atmosphere that this place gives off, too. You walk in, and it kind of just feels like home," Biancke's server, Amy Craddock, said.
Craddock has worked at the restaurant for 30 years, attributing her connection with her coworkers and customers to why she's stayed so long.
"I've been here since I was 16. It just feels like home here. I love our customers. Our people. It's like family. We're all like family," Craddock said.
People like Tabitha Iles, who has worked alongside Craddock for about a decade.
Iles echoes the familial atmosphere in the restaurant while also appreciating the history the spot safeguards.
"People come and visit just for the memories of that 40 or 50 years later who haven't been here come back just to make them feel more at home because they get to reminisce with their families on the walls," Iles said.
"I think it's very important, and I think the history has a lot to do with that."
Biancke's has served generation after generation as Cynthiana has continued to grow into the community it is now.
Hedges is happy to be able to continue leading a foundational piece of town for years to come.
"I remember coming here when I was little. Multiple people that do come in here, and they're like, 'Oh, I came here when I was a little boy.' They're 60, 70 years old now," Hedges said.
"It's really neat to be able to still have that for people to come back to and circle back to the memories they had when they were a kid."
Biancke's is located at 102 South Main Street in downtown Cynthiana.
They are open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. except for Sunday when the hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you want to learn more about Biancke's, click here.
