Carlile’s Restaurant

Service is good, the food is overcooked as if it’s been cooked all day. No seasoning and way over priced! Almost as if you picked off of a buffet. Never taste fresh cooked! I’ve tried 3 times. No more!

We had heard this place was great from family and the internet. The service sucked the food was horrendous and it was an overall bad experience. Don’t eat here

I’m visiting the area and went to Carlile’s on the strength of these reviews. I unfortunately had a different experience.
I went at the end of the lunch rush, around 12:40. It took 10 minutes for a waitress to come over, even though the restaurant was all but empty. I ordered the recommended tomato pie and said I’d probably do the hot buffet.
While I waited for the tomato pie, I went up to look at the buffet. It was pretty scary. The food had been sitting out for quite a while already; for example, the creamed corn was almost gone and had a skin on the top. I decided to eat my appetizer and let them freshen the buffet.
I sat down and ate the tomato pie, which is really just a deep dish pizza. The flavor was good, but the center was ice cold. I was unable to tell the waitress about it because she was engaged in a long conversation with a man at another table.
After about 20 minutes, I went back up to the buffet. It had not been touched. All of the food was clearly overcooked and dried out. The skin was still on the creamed corn. I decided to pass.
I didn’t even get offered a refill on my soda.
Overall, this was very much a miss.

First let me say that the restaurant moved to Hwy 72 just west of Walmart on the other side of the road. It’s not on Willow St.
The restaurant is attractive and large with lots of nice outdoor seating, too. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant, an attractive woman who told us to try their award-​winning tomato pie. I wish I could have because it sounded delicious, but since it contains bacon, I had to say no. (I’m Jewish.)
However, we did eat some yummy food from the buffet (just $ 10 apiece). The salad bar side was very appetizing. I was impressed when I tasted the croutons; I could tell they had just been made, and they were seasoned to perfection. There were homemade salads (macaroni salad, etc.) besides the usual lettuce plus toppings, but since they weren’t labeled, I wasn’t quite sure what some were, and because of my dietary restrictions, I decided to skip them — except the cold pea salad, and that was sooo good! I was also missing honey mustard dressing, but I made do.
Then over to the hot food. I had meatloaf (tasty and juicy), okra (what you’d expect), mashed potatoes (these were a standout and belong on a fancy Thanksgiving table — somebody in the back is slaving away, peeling tons of potatoes for this), and the lightest yeast roll imaginable. My significant other had beef tips (loved them), black-​eyed peas (the way his mother used to make them), and a cornbread muffin (no sugar added — this was real Southern cornbread).
By the time we were ready for the peach cobbler, we really didn’t have room, but we each had a couple of bites. It was ok, just maybe needed a touch more allspice and a flakier crust.
It was a wonderful dining experience, and we will be back. It was just like my grandmother’s cooking, and I dearly miss it.

I got the buffet and it was phenominal. Great homemade cooking. The fried green tomatoes and chicken corn chowder were out of this world. In my opinion one of the best places in North Alabama to get homemade country food.

We were driving from ATL to Huntsville, Alabama after flying in from California. We decided to stop in as we didn’t want to eat at a chain restaurant. The food was really good, and the service was great, even though we arrived about 30 minutes before closing and were the last patrons there. We will definitely stop in if we’re ever in the Scottsboro area again.

We were in town for a fishing tournament and stopped in for dinner. The service was good. The waiter was knowledgeable although he admitted he had not tried much of the menu. For appetizers we ordered the fried green tomatoes and white ghost wings. The white BBQ sauce was not what I would called BBQ sauce however was fantastic. I ordered the gulf shrimp and my husband ordered the chip steak. Both we cooked and seasoned well. I would absolutely return to Carliles If we are ever in the scottsboro area again. Good food, good atmosphere

If you like real home-​style cooking served by an extremely friendly staff, Carlile’s is for you.
Not a huge fan of the Buffett — no grilled choices (too much fried). But, the menu choices are very good.

I’ve only been here once and if my coworker had not gotten the tomato pie to try there wouldn’t be any stars. Keep in mind though I’ve only tried the lunch buffet. It was sort of pricey for the low quality of food that was available. I should have ordered from the menu.
BUT the tomato pie, which is a part of the Top 100 dishes to try in Alabama, is wonderful! It was $ 5 for a small individual serving but it was delicious. Because I won’t likely be going back I did snap a photo of the recipe hanging at the front and make it myself now. Everyone has loved it and I have to give Carlile’s all of the credit.
The reason it’s on my Top 100 Dishes to Try list:
Tomato Pie, hands down
List:
The BEST tomato pie I’ve ever had (in a restaurant).