America's Best Old-School Cafeterias

Does the word "cafeteria" make you think of lunch ladies, sloppy joes, and stinky kids? Think again. 

Cafeteria-style restaurants remain an under-the-radar staple for many diners, especially in the South. The common themes: often family owned, been around for decades, and feature the kinds of meals you thought only your mom could make — for cheap. 

If you're looking for a down-home, casual, and quick dining experience, these are some of the best "hole-in-the-wall" cafeterias across the country.

Houston

Cleburne Cafeteria is run pretty much the exact same way it was when it opened in 1941. The Mickelis family continues to keep the experience homey and casual, with the walls covered in artwork from its founder, Nick Mickelis. Comfort food specialities include chicken and dumplings, pot pie, fried chicken, and an array of pies for dessert. 

St. Paul, Minnesota

Cafe Latte has been owned by the Quinn family since 1984. Known for its fresh-baked desserts and breads, Cafe Latte features numerous soups and sandwich options to grab daily; a pizza and wine bar is the perfect scene for meeting up with friends. 

Birmingham, Alabama

Pete and Teddy Hontzas are second-generation owners who took over the business from their father, who started the restaurant in 1957. Niki's West prides itself on its old-fashioned Southern food at affordable prices. Some offerings include fried tilapia, fried pork chops, and peach cobbler.

St. Clairsville, Ohio

Mehlman Cafeteria has a fascinating history, with many generations of Mehlmans involved in the operations. The family originally had a booth in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia, where they sold dishes made back on their farm. In 1961, Mary Mehlman Dietrich opened an eatery at the local YWCA offering cooked take-out dishes. Mary, her son, and daughter-in-law opened a cafeteria at the Catholic Women’s League before buying a former hotel and moving the cafeteria there, where it remains.

Chicago

Valois dates back to 1921, started by French-Canadian William Valois. Valois has since had locations under three different owners, but has remained in the same family since 1971. The menu includes everything from classic breakfasts to hamburger steak with onions, and homemade rice pudding.  

Minneapolis 

Kramarczuk's has offered cafeteria-style food with an Eastern European flair since the 1940s. House-made specialities include cabbage rolls, pierogi and hand-made Kramarczuk sausages.

Chicago

Manny's has been serving authentic Jewish deli delights since 1942. Locals in need of a "knosh" come for daily specials that include noodle kugel, whitefish, and tongue and mushrooms.

Tucker, Georgia

Head over to this Southern cafeteria where everything is made onsite, and has been since 1955. Today, Matthews is run by the son-in-law and grandson of original owners Louise and Bill, and the homemade menu remains the same. Go for meatloaf, salisbury steak, and fried chicken livers.

San Antonio

This true hole-in-the-wall cafeteria has a "friendly, family home-like atmosphere," according to Yelp reviewers. Some of the tasty Texas menu items include homemade tortillas and a country sausage in gravy taco.

San Francisco

Tommy's Joynt calls itself the original counter service restaurant with first come first served seating and fast eats. They carve their meat on site, and the vibe is casual— if you need to grab a fork, get it yourself.

Atlanta

This cafeteria-style experience in fine dining boasts chefs and cooks who have been with the restaurant over 52 years.  Go for the Magnolia plate, which offers an entrée, two garden-fresh vegetables, home-baked bread, and a drink.

College Park, Georgia

As it says on the site, "You won't leave hungry when you eat a Big Daddy's dish of soul food!" Big Daddy's prides itself on serving up soul food that they say is as good as anything mom would make. Atlanta native Marcus Sabir started the restaurant after years of working in the food service and restaurant industry in various roles. With Big Daddy's, Sabir's goal is to celebrate African-American heritage through art, good music, and of course delicious food. 

Nashville

Swett's restaurant has been serving Southern food cafeteria-style for over 60 years, by three generations of the same family. With its location in the heart of Nashville, the crowd ranges from politicians to celebrities to students. A typical meal includes a meat such as pigs feet, country fried steak, or fried chicken, and two veggies. Of course no meal is complete without the fried cornbread, sweet potato pie or chess pie.

Brownwood, Texas

This Texas barbecue joint's claim to fame is as the home of the "original world famous Bar-B-Q-Beef Steak."  Underwood's has been operating since the 1930's when a butcher named M.E. Underwood began selling barbecue door to door. The business grew to a small roadside shack in the 1940s, eventually becoming a chain of cafeteria-style barbecues that have since closed as family members retired. The Brownwood location, however, continues to this day. Meats range from St. Louis style ribs to chicken-fried steak and German sausage. 

San Leandro, Redwood City in California

Since 1954, Harry's Hofbrau has been known for their roasted turkey — they claim to be one of the leading volume buyers of turkeys in the open commodity markets. Harry's is a hybrid cafeteria/buffet/carvery with different selections for each day of the week. All baked desserts are made in-house.

Atlanta

This soul-food joint was opened in 1993, one of the newer ones on this list, but is already well known for its homestyle cooking. Q-Time's classic dishes include baked dark chicken, fried fish, and oxtails, with peach cobbler for dessert.

Atlanta

The Beautiful Restaurant's name is inspired by religious scripture, as the goal is to serve food with love. In business since 1979, The Beautiful offers classic homestyle southern food like oxtails, fried catfish, and homemade fried peach and apple pie.

Los Angeles

Located in downtown L.A. since 1908, Phillipe the Original claims to be the inventor of the original French dip sandwich. Made of either roast beef, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, pastrami or — phew — ham, and served on a baked French roll, the sandwich was a happy accident.

In 1918, owner Philippe Mathieu was making a sandwich for a policeman when he accidentally dropped a french roll into a pan filled with hot juices from the oven. The policeman took the sandwich anyway. The next day, the policeman returned with friends, requesting more dipped sandwiches. Today, the sandwich is still the specialty here.

Montezuma, Georgia

This cafeteria-style restaurant in the Peach State features home-cooked country style meals. Reviewers on TripAdvisor praise the selections like fried chicken, squash, turnips, and a huge array of pies. Go hungry, as the servings are plentiful.

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