Lambert's Cafe — Restaurant in Foley

We visited the Foley location on a rainy Monday at about 2pm. Our quoted wait was 45-60 minutes. They did have a lot of bench seating along the front of the building and even had fans so it wasn’t terrible once the crowd got small enough for us to be seated. The hostess said it is never less busy than that, but I have to wonder if that’s true.

The inside is large with three dining areas packed full of people. I rated the atmosphere low because of just the number of people packed in. The interior reminded me of an old (emphasis on old) Cracker Barrel but with twice as many people, and it was downright dirty with a lot of food on the floors. It is definitely on the low end of casual dining. Our server was good though, and we appreciated that they use very large mugs for drinks.

The food was OK. The meatloaf wasn’t very good (my husband said he gets better at work), but I thought the chicken and dumplings tasted OK. Our kids got a hamburger and a bbq pork chop. Both were satisfied but said they wouldn’t be excited to return. Of course the throwing of the rolls was fun, and I enjoyed some of the sides included with the meal such as the sliced potatoes with onion. The tomato and macaroni was just bad, but I liked the sweet potato with my meal.

My biggest complaint, and it’s a biggie, is that I suspect two of us got food poisoning. I was sick for two days beginning a few hours after our visit. My husband was violently ill beginning the next evening after our visit and stayed up vomiting for hours. This lunch was the only time the two of us ate some of the same food.

My concern is that food safety standards may be lower due to the large number of guests and employees. The servers take turns handing out the additional sides in the dining rooms, and they use one spoon and one bowl or pot to put it onto everyone’s plate after people have been eating off those plates. The guy throwing the rolls handled all of the bread, and I honestly don’t believe that all of those employees are adequately washing their hands before every time they handle food. They do it SO often that each side was offered 3-4 times during our meal.

It was an experience to say we’ve been, but the long wait, mediocre food, and questionable sanitation will probably prevent us from ever wanting to return. I am giving 3/5 stars based on the experience there and not taking off for the possibile food poisoning. Even though I strongly suspect we got it there, I can’t...

Heart broken! What happened Lambert’s??? I was so looking forward to our visit here. It’s been 2 years since I was last at this location in Foley. The food quality had dropped off a lot by then, but at least it was still fun, and the pass around were still good. The rolls were big and soft and the fried potatoes and the Mac and tomatoes were still good. Unfortunately the few good things are now out the window.

1. Service with a smile is gone. Nobody cares if you’re enjoying your visit.
2. The awesome rolls I’ve been dreaming of since the beginning of our road trip will remain a thing of fantasy. First rolls we got were so hard they cracked when pulled apart, and they had no flavor.
3. the next guy to come out with rolls took great delight in spinning the rolls in a spiral so fast they would fly apart before getting to the customer. How can you let this guy ruin so much food?
4. Over all food quality has gone down as much as the food prices have gone up. No meatloaf is worth $20.
5. Lazy workers. Lambert’s has lost the culture war. Almost none of the workers look like the people painted all over the building, and they refuse to announce what they are carrying in the pass around buckets, and they just walk like zombies unless you stop them and ask what they got in the pass around bucket. In the past, you would always know what they had long before they got to your table, because they would holler it out for all to hear. Sadly this will be our families last visit here. We’ll still visit the Sikeston location when we go back to visit family in Missouri. We have great memories of going to Lambert’s back when my dad was alive, because he was friends with Norm and Norm would always show us to a table right away, then continue to bring us special treats like hog jowls and fried shrimp & catfish. I didn’t realize those weren’t the normal pass arounds until years later. There was such incredible effort put into creating smiles on the customers faces back then. There was a players piano playing and lots of interaction with people. It was absolutely fantastic!! It was no wonder it was rated #1 place in America to “Pig-Out”. I really hope they can find the right people to fix the culture problem this once great establishment. Do it for Norm. He deserves it. And may he...

My wife and I were in Foley AL on vacation doing the ENTIRE tourist things and could not leave without going to Lamberts. We went on a Sunday night around 6:30 PM and waited just about one hour. The place was packed! The atmosphere is frenetic for sure, but in a good way having a really good vibe. Once seated we were asked/served our drinks in just minutes. The hot-roll-throwing dude was by our table right after the drinks (dude and roll pictured). The rolls are BIG and really good. They are the perfect doughy/done. There is butter (a lot) and honey on the table. I was FAMISHED when we sat down so the roll saved my life. Be careful and only eat one before your meal... you're welcome. Our waitress (Amanda) was so good. She was super cool and equally confident in answering my questions. I was torn between 3 different menu items. I told her this and she asked what I was looking for. I told her and without hesitation, she said to get the Ribeye and Shrimp. I did and it was FANTASTIC (pictured)! It was so good and extremely tender. The shrimps (fried) were hot and again, cooked perfectly and so, so good! I even ordered 10 shrimps to go... you know... for later on. My wife ordered the Chicken Livers and Gizzards. She only gets this every once in a while and only when highly recommended. They were to her liking and she could not stop saying how perfectly they were cooked (pictured). I can't eat livers but I can eat a gizzard, I did and it was indeed perfect. From the people who walk around and hand out the 'included' sides, we got the fried okra and black-eyed peas and both were tasty and perfectly cooked. Everyone has to go here at least once, you will not regret it. I've worked in restaurants in my earlier life on and off over a 20-year span and understand that sometimes things do not go your way at any restaurant and have read a lot of reviews from this Lambert's location. All I can say is that the odds are in your favor for having a positive experience here regarding service and...