FATZ Cafe

Stopped for lunch. First time for either of us. Pleasantly surprised with how good our choices were for lunch. I think the Spinach & Bacon salad (I added citrus grilled chicken) had the best blend of flavored that I’ve ever enjoyed in a salad.
My husband had the JP’s Pot Roast Pie. He described as ‘comfort food’ after driving thru the mountains in fog and rain. He said «it has everything I love in one pot»!
I recommend this restaurant, service, quality of food to anyone. Especially enjoyed Melissa as our wait person!

Had Melissa as our server… amazing service from her!!! So if you come here ask for her!!!

While looking for a place to eat after an evening and a morning plying the one-​armed bandits at Harrah’s in Cherokee, Katie talked me into Fatz with glowing descriptions of chicken delights. The chix tenders were very nice, not too breaded or greasy, just blah-​y. The honey-​mustard sauce supplied with them overwhelmed them, tastewise. Our collards were tender and flavored with smoky ham notes and a touch of vinegar. Unfortunately, they were a smidge too sweet. The rolls that arrived in a basket were yeasty, doughy, and apparently sprayed, before baking, with a very nuanced sugar syrup. Very good when paired with the whipped butter! We tried their cream cheese grits, which arrived covered with grated sharp cheddar. They were certainly creamy, but there needed to be simmered a while more to achieve perfect smoothness. The sharp cheese was a jarring note, and would have worked better if melted over the top of the serving. Coleslaw was fine, though not chopped fine enough after grating to suit me. My baked potato was perfect, huge, and I ate it, skin and all. Service was prompt and timed well.

No, no, no, no no! Food is mediocre at best and is full of preservatives/​msg. The couple times I have eaten here I have been sick from the preservatives. Bad news, glorified junk food:(

Stopped here while driving through the area on our way back from TN. We split the chicken tender entrée and it was very good, and plenty of food. The complimentary bread was also nice, as well as the side salad. Everything was fresh and served promptly. The service was exceptional! I think our server was Candice, she was very friendly, attentive and professional. I believe the manager was on duty and she was running a very efficient restaurant (I mean this is a great way — all of her staff seemed happy and working quickly and together). If I lived here I would be back often. We noticed many servers talked to customers like they were regulars and it was very refreshing, I can see why people come back often.

I had the Calabash Chicken lunch special with fries it was great. The service was amazing. I would definitely recommend it. I would go back.

We have eaten at Fatz approximately a half dozen tomes. The menu choices are varied and most pretty good. I would say it is a notch or two above fast food. Service is ok. Make sure not to go when there is a show or concert at the Smokey Mountain Performing Arts Censtr. Service is very slow then.

I really wanted to give more stars, but could not do it. The waitress was so pleasant and did her best to serve everyone in her area, which also consisted of the bar. So, this had her tending bar AND taking phone to-​go orders. The food was mediocre and I was really concerned that each time we asked about an item, our waitress informed us the would have to «heat up» a part of the meal or menu item.
Well, the food came — it was cold. How could that be when I was just told things needed to be heated up?
I was hungry and tired so it would have to do.
My sweet tooth dictated a dessert to go was in order. Bread pudding should be good, here in the South. Ugh, another disappointment.
Listen, I have Southern roots and know that this is not good Southern fare, for anywhere.
This kind of service and level of food would never survive in a metropolitan area like where I’m from. Good luck to y’all, but next time I will patronize a mom and pop establishment or a crummy fast food chain.

Amazing food, almost always get great service. Calabash chicken, chicken pot pie, among other options make this place so great. Great place for family outings, parties, and whatever you want to go out for.

I have been Fatz Café before and it was always a great experience. I took my fiancé with me this time around and she absolutely loved it. The food is always great. Big menu with lots to choose from. Especially for picky eaters. The service is nice as well, our server was very nice, friendly & attentive. The pricing is also very good. Was around $ 50 dollars for a dinner of 5.
Overall we highly recommend Fatz Café for anyone looking for some traditional good food at some good prices.
Food: *****
Service: *****
Atmosphere: ****
Pricing: $

Delicious. We stopped here after a day of jeep riding and hiking. They made us feel welcome and kept our water and iced tea full. The food was very good and the portions were very large. We shared a platter with shrimp, chicken, salad, and fries. Everything was well prepared. The place was very clean. Not fast food — about $ 10.99 a meal was average cost. everyone in our group was pleased with the food they ordered.

Service and food were great.
Food — I ordered the fried green tomatoes and their world famous Calabash Ck. The fried green tomatoes were very yummy. Batter was just right, sauce had good flavor, and cheddar grits were a plus. The Calabash Ck was delicious. Just the right amount of batter fried to perfect crispness, chicken was very tender and moist. Best tenders I’ve had. I got sweet potatoes fries as my side item, which was good.
Service — waiter was very friendly and accommodating. Also very attentive. Management also checked on us.
Overall, it’s a good place to eat.

They are an the ball tonight from seating to our server Ben
Ben keeps the drinks filled and has good product knowledge I will be back

Horrible service food mediocre waitress forgot my salad got salad after my meal my girlfriend’s popcorn scrimp was awesome mixed reviews don’t come thirsty the tea was good but only refilled 2 times and that was before my food came after that it was Togo

We stopped on our way to the Blue Ridge mountains for the Memorial Day weekend and again on our way home 4 days later. Need I say more?
Great basic food, best kids menu I have seen (included a choice of salmon which is a favorite). I had a steak which was surprisingly good.
Splurge on the diet and try the bread rolls with honey butter — they are worth it!

The food is good, the restaurant is clean, the staff needs a bit of work.

Driving through North Carolina, and we decided to stop. This was my first time at a Fatz, and I loved it! Great service here (Mary was our waitress) and a staff that is excited about people that have never been here before. All of the food was great, but the bread and rib sauce was the best part! Prices were extremely reasonable!

The food was good and there were some unique offerings. They had grits cakes that were really good and the warm poppy seed rolls melted in your mouth. I had the lite sirloin and it was tasty. The place was packed but it was worth the wait. The servers were friendly and efficient.

While on the first day of our road trip, which we’d pledged not to eat at a chain restaurant the entire month, we found out that there wasn’t much else opened in Franklin, NC at 8pm on an off-​season Thursday night.
I had the ‘World Famous’ calabash chicken. It was good chicken but nothing special. I got cheese grits as my side and they were super sweet and seemed very liquidy.
Not a bad place to eat if its your only option.

Good atmosphere, decent food and reasonably priced.
Had the chicken and ribs with loaded baked potato. All good.
Friends had the prime rib which had to be sent back cause it was sooo rare.
Burger was good.
Food came out as we were eating our salads. Sangria wasn’t very good.
Waiter wasn’t very attentive and it was later in the evening so not busy.
Would go again if passing through.