Carolina Cafe

Great dinner spot. Thursday steak and shrimp special is awesome. The killer shrimp are amazing!!! You must get them! To top it off, we had the best waitress. She was so nice and perfectly attentive without being overbearing. Will definitely come back!

Food was great and the staff was very friendly. Will definitely be back when in Gaffney.

It doesn’t get any better than the Charleston Trio. Get you Grouper fried, crab cakes and a shrimp. Comes with two sides… only $ 14. My go-​to plate every time!

I would give this place 5 stars for food quality, but the restaurant is let down slightly by its tiny dining room. Wait time can be horrendous.
Everything I saw and tasted was EXCELLENT. I’ve eaten in countless steakhouses across much of America, and this place prepared the single best Filet Mignon I can remember, though it’s not a steakhouse.
Do yourself a favor and and try this place!

This was our second time here and it was just as great as the first. The food is absolutely excellent. The steaks are cooked perfectly and the salmon is mouthwatering! With that said here is a word of advice… IF YOU ARE GOING IN A PARTY OF 4 OR MORE BE PREPARED TO WAIT A WHILE. They do not take reservations and you can do call ahead for seating but you are still going to wait. Especially during prime hours 5−9ish. Both time we went we had 6+ and there seems to be only one section for group seating. Therefore you are waiting at the mercy of the party or parties before you. It’s been worth the wait for us so we weren’t upset at all just hella hungry. The wait staff is very good at what they do. Almost overly so because it seems she was asking to refill or get us something every 20 seconds. Mildly annoying but still ok. I love his place so far and we plan to definitely go back. Let me say it again couples or parties of three usually wait no longer than 30 mins 4 or more YOU WILL WAIT REGARDLESS OF CALL AHEAD SEATING. It is worth the wait though. Come hungry and patient and you will leave full and satisfied.

Y’all have a great place here!
This is the type of local restaurant I look for to try and stay away from the food chains when traveling. If you want good eats you go where the locals go.
Some colleagues and I decided to go here based on the Unilocal reviews and we were glad we did. It is out of the way and tucked along a country road, but the parking lot was packed… Which is always a good sign. We had a group of 5 and waited a reasonable 15 minutes for a table. The atmosphere is very warm and not what you would expect at a café. They also had a bar, and that’s a huge plus to have some suds with a great home cooked meal.
While there we were greeted by Samantha, who was polite, helpful, and very attentive. She did a great job and made the experience all that much better. All of us ordered the ribs and a few got the combo platter with bacon wrapped shrimp. The food was very tasty and even our Brazilian colleagues thought the ribs were great. For those of you that don’t know… Brazilians like their meat. So if they say it’s good, you can pretty much go with it. Another point to note is that we received way more food than anticipated for the price. You definitely get your money’s worth here.
Overall this is a great place to go for good home cookin’ and at a reasonable price. I know that any of us will be back the next time we are in the area.

Boy do I love this place! This is my first check-​in here but I have been here many times and I’m never disappointed. I know some people do not like to eat early but if you are not here by 5;00 you will wait a little while, any day of the week. We arrived at 4;30 Saturday and received one of the last tables without waiting. The tables in the dining room are a little close so I prefer the booths in the bar area because they are a bit more private feeling. we started with drinks, my wife ordering the lemon shot which is served in a martini glass with sugar on the rim, watch out! It doesn’t taste like any alcohol, but it is delicious. I got a mixed drink that was a tad week and served in a tall thin glass rather than a rock glass. My daughter got a Blue
Motorcycle that is a Long Island Iced Tea with blue curacao
We all ordered main courses that came with either house or cesaer salad. Talk about fresh, crisp lettuce and veggies! It beats any menu salad anywhere. The main courses were Salmon on cedar plank, the ribeye, the killer shrimp and I had the Charleston Grouper, blackened, and has a crab cake and 4 shrimp. It comes in a house made cream sauce. Everything is cooked perfectly. The amount of food you get, and the fair prices just cannot be beat. Carolina Café is worth the drive from anywhere
,(for us Forest City)
And a must have is the Apple Dumpling with vanilla ice cream. Be prepared to share!

This amazing, almost hidden gem of restaurant is definitely worth the drive! Both times we’ve visited we’ve had very short wait times for a table, 15 minutes max. The menu is typical southern cuisine but that’s where the typical ends and the extraordinary begins. Once the food arrives it’s abundantly obvious someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing and takes pride in their food. We both ordered the Killer Combo, the ribs were so tender and flavorful, truly blissful with each bite. The bacon wrapped shrimp were «killer». From the salad to the sides and finally dessert, every bite was a delight. Seriously one of the best meals I’ve had anywhere in the Upstate.
On a personal note, I’m happy this restaurant isn’t so accommodating to large parties. How many times have I received poor service and treated like an afterthought because my server was trying to take care of a large party. Good for Carolina Café caring enough about the rest of their customers not to subject them to the chaos of large groups.

I am from out of town and wanted to experience South Carolina cuisine. This was a great place to have that dinner. I had the Killer Combo: a skewer of grilled bacon wrapped killer shrimp, a ½ rack of ribs, and sweet potato.
The shrimp was grilled perfectly and was very tasty. The ribs were just a little on the dry side, but the meat was still falling off the bone. The sweet potato was probably the best I have ever had!
This is obviously a very popular place to eat. Thursday night and finding a parking place was a challenge. There was a waiting list but the wait was minimal.
Joan H was my waitress and she was very helpful in recommending a good meal. She was knowledgeable about the kitchen process and everything on the menu. The service was very good with lots of support staff working the tables. The food was slow to arrive but I can see why with all the food being processed.
I definitely recommend this place for a good South Carolina dinner experience.

My fiancée and I went here for the first time this weekend. After reading the reviews and the menu descriptions, we were so anxious to taste the food. After waiting for an hour, the waitress comes to take our drink order;, after 10 minutes of waiting I had to ask her for our drinks. I ordered the medallions, which came out warm not hot, they were not cooked to medium (as requested) more like well, they were tough, and my sweet potato did not even come with butter or cinnamon. Also they brought my steak without my a knife to cut it with, had to use a butter knife. One of the waitress’ said she’d bring me a steak knife and I never saw her again. Must have been smoke break time. Needless to say, very disappointing experience. The extra napkins they gave us looked like they had blood on them! Disgusting! Children were banging their cups on the table/​parents not doing anything, just throwing back the beer and cocktails. Food was I guess fine, but we would not run to Carolina Café or ever wait in the line. I don’t see what all the raving reviews were about. Hare and the Hound and Smokehouse in Landrum have Carolina Café beat by a mile.

We live very close to this amazing restaurant…2 minutes in fact. It is definitely one of the best places to eat in Gaffney, Chesnee, Blacksburg and I even know people who travel from Spartanburg to eat there. The food is amazing and the service is warm, friendly and professional… and yes because of this there is often a wait… but well worth it. We try to go early to miss the crowds and love Wednesdays when the Carolina Medallions (filet smothered with mushrooms, onions and a couple of grilled shrimp… it comes covered with cheese but i pass on the cheese) is on special for $ 9.99. We never miss an opportunity to get the Apple Dumplings for dessert… they are amazing!!! They have steak, ribs, seafood… and wonderful chicken tenders. Salads and homemade dressing… thousand island is my fave. They also have great desserts… one I’ve mentioned… but have more like cheese cake, peanut butter pie, and sometimes they have Krispy Kreme bread pudding… yummy!!! As you can tell I am a fan… its a great place that we all (me, hubby, teenage and preteen daughters) can agree on… and that’s no easy task… lol. I have to say… we have never been disappointed… and that says a lot considering how often we eat there.

I agree with the people who say there is a long wait for parties of 6 or more. If you don’t want to wait 2 hours for your large party, get there at 3:15 or 3:30. (They open at 4PM). I’ve tried to get a table for 6 and have had to wait 2 hours. No fun! They have one room for parties that holds 4 or 5 tables. My recommendation: go somewhere else for the family birthday. Friday and Saturday are quite busy here also, usually a 30 minute wait for just my wife and me. We have been going to this restaurant for over 6 years, way back when they were located in Chesnee, SC and they had just 4 waitresses.
That being said, if you want some of the best food you’ll ever put in your mouth, you need to take the time to go during the week, Tuesday –Thursday or get there when they open on Friday or Saturday.
Killer Combo — awesome, awesome, awesome, Ribs and Killer Shrimp, (skewered shrimp, wrapped in bacon, slathered in Sonny’s Bar-​B-​Q sauce and grilled to perfection)
All steaks from their 8 oz Hamburger steak, Rib-​eyes, Tips, 20 oz Porterhouse or Fillet have the best flavor and are cooked exactly as you ordered.
Seafood– fried flounder, fried shrimp, stuffed shrimp, Cedar Plank Salmon, Charleston Grouper, crab cakes, etc. All very, very good!
My favorite is Charleston Grouper, which I usually get blackened. It comes with a crab cake and 4 grilled shrimp with a Cajun Cream sauce, ask for extra! My wife gets the Cedar Plank Salmon. The flavor the cedar plank gives it is like no other salmon I have ever had. You gotta try both!
CC has about 5 chicken dishes from plain old chicken, chicken strips, Aloha Chicken, etc. All I named are great.
Don’t forget about the burgers!!! 5 different kinds. A very generous hunk of meat fixed like you like it! My fav? The Battleground Burger — meat, bacon, Sonny’s BBQ sauce and grated cheddar cheese on a toasted bun… That’s it! That’s all you need!
Appetizers — outlaw chicken, chicken quesadilla, plus about 5 others, if ya got room, try the outlaw chicken.
Usually have 2 soups. I’ve tried the Black Bean Chili and like it. Strong on the chili powder though. Ask for a sample!
The salads are always so fresh tasting. They come with real bacon crumbles and grated cheddar cheese. Are the dressings home made??? Very good wherever they come from.
Their sides are: baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, fries, cheese grits, etc.
I’m not thrilled with their slaw, haven’t tried it in a long time. You be the judge on that.
Reasonably priced, $ 15 -$ 30 for me and my wife, unless we get some ribs to go!
Hours: 4PM — 10PM Tuesday — Saturday. (Call to confirm that)
Closed Sunday and Monday
Bill & Tammy Approved!

Location is pretty far away from anything, but worth it. Great ribs, salads, shrimp, about everything is great. My only problems with them are A) always a wait, and B) don’t take reservations or have a website. Otherwise great place.

NO complaints here. Great food, better than average service and a neat and tidy building out on Thickety Mountain. We were seated immediately and brought our iced tea and coffee. Both were above average. Our rib eye meal started with a very large garden salad with home made dressing. Ours was blue cheese and it was among the best I’ve ever eaten with huge chunks of cheese. The steaks were done as ordered and didn’t need any A-​1. The ‘sides’ were baked potato, baked sweet potato, broccoli and cheese grits. The décor is ‘modern lodge’ with a lot of varnished wood. The restaurant is primarily a steak and seafood house rather than a café, but they also offer some pastas, soups, salad and barbecue. The deserts looked good but we didn’t try them, too full. If I had any suggestion for improvement it would be to put rolls or some other bread on the table instead of saltine crackers. Prices ran $ 10 to $ 23 for the 20 oz T bone, «big Chief». Tuesday is rib eye night; an 8 oz steak, large salad and a side for $ 9.99. This was my first time here and I’ll be back for sure.

They will lie to you. we had a large group for a birthday party, we called the café on Thursday to make reservations. we were informed that they do not take reservations, but if we would call about a half hour before we arrived they would have a table ready. fast forward to Saturday evening at 5:30, we made the call that we were 30 minutes away. when we arrived we were told that the wait was an hour and a half. we told the greeter we had called ahead and should have a table ready. we were told that they do not do call ahead seating. we asked when they changed that policy, and we were told today. we were not happy with the way we were treated. no one seemed to care about our situation either. my advice is to avoid dishonest people and their businesses. we called Kelly’s down the road in Blacksburg, and they were happy to seat us on such a short notice. we were put in a private room and served promptly. the food was fantastic, everyone in our group was very happy with Kelly’s.

The only reason crapolina café got one star is because you can not give NO stars

We find ourselves in Gaffney a few times a year to have our RV serviced at Freightliner. We took advice from locals and had dinner at Carolina Café. Definitely try the Killer Shrimp & the ribs! Wow were they ever good! I’m a huge fan of shrimp and grits and these are right up there with some of the best I’ve ever had and you can’t beat the price ($ 9.99)!
Portions are big so we came away with lots of leftovers. The salad that comes with the meal is almost a meal by itself. If you’re ever near Gaffney, SC be sure to stop by this local favorite — you won’t be disappointed.

We were visiting nearby Chesnee for a wedding, and Carolina Café was suggested as THE place to go and get some great ribs. More of a steakhouse than a café, the place is big, but still crowded enough for a waiting list on a Saturday night.
Our server was polite and professional. The other couple we were with are from the area, and knew just what they wanted. Three of the four of us ordered ribs, while the rebel went for shrimp and grits. I have eaten ribs in many well and lesser-​known spots throughout the country, and can say that Carolina Café’s version can most certainly hold their own. Moist, tender, fall-​off-​the-​bone meat seasoned with a tangy, robust sauce. The slaw on the side was just the way I like it: sans mayo.
Prices were very reasonable, and portions were generous. It was great to find such high-​quality food in a small area of South Carolina without much else to draw people to the area (though it’s some lovely, scenic country). The rest of the menu was dominated by steaks, burgers and other American fare with a Southern twist. Grits as a side are highly recommended!