Dotson's Restaurant

01/29/12

Dotson's-what a disappointment

by KB73 at Citysearch

We went to Dotson's for my mom's birthday - Sunday at lunch time. It's been 5-6 years since my last visit but I remember it being a pretty good place. We were a party of 5 and there was no wait but it took 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us and take us to a table. Then, once we were seated it was another 20 minutes before anyone took our drink orders - our waitress was really nice and very frazzled, not sure what was going on but it seemed that she was making the best out of a bad situation. Now, onto the food - three of us ordered breakfast and our grits were cold, and my eggs were cold as well. No hint of warmth. My cousin had the fried chicken with his breakfast and said it was hot and very good. My son had a hamburger and baked beans that he thought were good, and my mom enjoyed her country fried steak. She also had sweet potato casserole that she loved - I had a bite and it was delicious. It didn't seem that anything other than the fried chicken and sweet potato casserole were actually "homemade". So - not all bad on the food but overall a disappointment. Our waitress very kindly brought us more grits, but the second batch was only slightly warmer than the first. However, the worst part of all was when we went up front to pay and the cashier treated us very rudely when we tried to pay with a debit card. Apparently they only take cash/checks. How archaic! Fortunately, my mom had cash with her, but I was thoroughly embarrassed by how rude the cashier was. Cold eggs and grits, rude staff - I won't be back. Please, please if you have friends/family in town and want to take them to a local place - don't choose Dotson's. Loveless Cafe, Millers Grocery, Pancake Pantry, Puckett's are all much better choices!

09/07/11

Tasty food, good price

by Dack at Citysearch

Went to Dotson's a couple weekends ago for breakfast and it was very good. The place isn't much to look at from the outside, and the inside has a simple, down-home feel to it.

We found a table and were served quickly. The service was friendly and our waitress made sure that we got re-fills on coffee before we even had to ask.

I had a breakfast platter of eggs, bacon, and biscuits with country gravy which were all quite good. One of my friends got the breakfast with a fried chicken breast. He thought it was really good and he is a big fried chicken fan.

For as much food as you get the price is really quite small. I think the breakfast platter and coffee that I got came out to a total of $6.50.

For good, simple, country food in a relaxed, friendly environment, you can't do a whole lot better that Dotson's.

10/21/10

Rating

by Themarine1968 at Citysearch

I have heard this was a good place to eat..... but after reading so many bad reviews I won't try it.

08/16/10

it isn't what it use to be

by pamhen at Citysearch

Over the years as I traveled through the area and this was a place I would always go but in the last year the quality of food has gone down. Have they sold to new owners? The first couple of times I passed it off because we all have bad days. But this last time was not only a disappointment but confusing. I don't know what you would have to do to make food that bad. The cornbread was burned and microwaved within an inch of its life. Needless to say it was hard as a brick and cold to boot. The chicken was cold and greasy and if I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't have believed it but the waitress put it in the microwave which over cooked it and made gave it a rubber texture.

Burned, cold and greasy. I left hungry and went to eat somewhere else.

By the way I have never written a bad review because I have been in the business and understand how hard it is but nobody should leave a restaurant hungy!!!

02/27/10

Dotson's- Where Quality Exceeds Reputation

by bgjff at Citysearch

I have been to Dotson's about a dozen times, always at lunch during my work week. It is always the same, and occassionally the owner will come by, humbly bragging (if that is possibe) about the care that goes into the food at his restaurant. Let me tell you, this place is the real deal.

I have had fried chicken, meatloaf, and pork chops at this place. The fried chicken is absolutely amazing - the crust falls apart in your mouth. The owner has told me on more than one occasion how he washes his chicken twice before frying it. The meatloaf is hearty, but too heavy like many meatloaves I have eaten. Pork chops? To die for!

The sweet potato casserole has a creamy and light texture. The owner tells me he orders real sweet potatoes year-round to make this delectable dish- none of that canned stuff for him, thank you very much. I do not like sweet potato casserole, but I love it at Dotson's. And if you leave without trying the mashed potatoes with gravy and the creamed corn, you have committed a crime against your taste buds. The only thing I am not sure about is whether or not they have a child's menu- I will need to find out about that.

The wait staff is friendly, and they do say "honey" and "sweetie" at times, but it is real, and not a marketing ploy. I have read some reviews compaining that they had to stand around for ten minutes only to seat themselves. That may be so, but the people here expect their guest to make themselves at home. Just ask someone to help you if you aren't seated, and they will take care of you.

• Pros: Authentic Southern Cuisine, Amazing Pies
• Cons: None, unless unpretentious country style is a con