Lambert's Cafe

Welcome back!  We did something a bit different on a couple of fronts this week.  The awesome Dustyn Covert just returned from Japan and wanted to go to Lambert's, so that is where we went.  We are aware that it isn't exactly a local restaurant (they have three locations), but it is something that everyone from the area knows about and talks about.  We figured that was good enough.  They also don't take credit cards.  If you don't take credit cards then you are about as much of a mom and pop shop as you can be.  On to the blog!

Lambert's claim to fame is that it is just like sitting down at eating at a big family dinner.  The food is all you can eat.  There are "pass arounds" like fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, and black eyed peas that are served to you throughout the course of the meal as well as a crazy guy throwing hot rolls at everyone who is eating.  The atmosphere is what makes Lambert's great.  It's like Thanksgiving complete with your crazy uncle throwing food at everyone (or is that just at my house?).  One last thing to notice while you are there.  They always have a cute and bubbly girl handing out the awesome pass arounds like fried potatoes and sorghum for your rolls.  In contrast, they always have the most bored and pitiful looking person handing out the macaroni and tomatoes and the black eyed peas.  It's pretty funny.

There are a couple of things that you need to know about eating at Lambert's before you go.  First, as I mentioned before, they do not take credit cards.  So bring cash or a check.  There's an ATM at the gas station across the parking lot, but they seem to be keenly aware that Lambert's doesn't take cards and their fee proves it.  Second, they will not seat you until the whole group is there.  This can be a big deal.  We also found out that they can't seat more than about 10 people together.  Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

The menu is exactly what you would expect.  It is pretty much southern comfort food.  Everything from pork chops, chicken livers, ribs, catfish, and chicken fried steak is on the menu.  It is all pretty good and all you can eat.  More on Sarai and I's dishes below!

I'm going to break a rule and bring up that the service this time was an anomaly.  Usually the service is great but this time it took a while to get drinks refilled (establishing myself as a drinker really hurt me here) and the server seemed to think he was working at Dick's Last Resort.  He wasn't being outright mean, but he was trying to hard to be funny and sarcastic and it just came across like he was a jerk and didn't want to be there.  He did pull a really funny joke that involved an empty cup and accidentally spilling it on a friend of ours, but that was definitely his one shining moment.

Overall, Lambert's is a really fun place to take a large group of people.  The sheer volume of food they throw at you is pretty intimidating and the atmosphere is a lot of fun.  Thanks for putting up with us changing it up a little bit, but it's not really a food blog about the Ozarks without a post about Lambert's.  We would also like to thank everyone for following what we do and apologize for this post being a bit late!  You guys are awesome.

Overall Experience:  ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆  

Food:  ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   

Service:  ★    ★    ☆   ☆   ☆  

Atmosphere: ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆  

Justin's Impressions:

I love Lambert's.  I had the BBQ Pork Steak with some mashed potatoes and corn.  I also ate a ton of rolls and fried potatoes.  It is almost worth the money just to sit at Lambert's and eat the rolls.  The food itself is not the best food you've ever had.  It's definitely good, but not great.  That is made up for by the fact you can eat as much of it as you can handle.  This can lead to some awesome things in your group like the "Pork Chop Challenge," where several people order the pork chops and see who can eat the most.  I believe it was a tie this time.  However, there have been some epic battles in the past.

I wouldn't really recommend Lambert's as a place to just go with a couple of people.  Part of the charm of Lambert's is that it accommodates large groups very well and is a great atmosphere to have a bunch of people in.

 Sarai's Impressions: 

As much as I love Lambert's, there is always one thing that holds true. Although  it's a true testament to how great the place really is, they are ALWAYS super busy and you always have to wait. So keep that in mind if you were thinking about a quick dinner. This trip was no exception. I don't really mind waiting, especially when there is adequate seating in the waiting area.  

The service was (as Justin mentioned) a disaster. I felt like the guy didn't really care too much about refilling drinks etc. He was rude, but it was hard to tell if it was the sort of "rude" that you laugh at or the sort of "rude" that you get upset about. He rode that line all the way through the meal. I have only been to Lambert's a handful of times but it's never been this way with the service.

I thought the food was pretty good, as always. It's hard to beat all-you-can-eat. I had the pork chops (one fried, one grilled) with mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes (and yes, I know I got two kinds of potatoes) (well, three. I had a few fried ones too.) In any case, the food was good, Lambert's is great for large parties, and I will be making more trips there in the future.

Thanks for giving this a read! Next week, we are going where you want us to so keep your eyes on the blog for your chance to vote!We'll see you next week.