Finley's Cafe — Restaurant in Lavonia

Sorry no pictures , I forgot my phone at home. I will update with photos next time I visit . I kept it basic , with a chili dog fries and a Diet Coke . The price was fair and the service was next to immediate, and friendly . The fries were a couple of degrees below lukewarm, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they are frozen Checker’s fries from Dollar General . May have been better if they were hot , but as it is they were uninspiring . Next time I’ll try them with some chili and cheese . The Diet Coke was in a can , and about the same temperature as the fries . They did give me a cup of ice though . This sounds less than stellar I know , but let us consider the chili dog . The chili dog was hot and the bun soft and fresh , sounds basic I know , but I can’t tell you how often I’m served stale or soggy buns at other establishments . The wiener is a red link , and with a nice crisp snap , not mushy . The chili is tasty , and plentiful enough to be satisfying yet not so much as to be messy . It has a great consistency that keeps it on the hot dog , not on the plate , all over your fingers or the front of your shirt . The chili dog alone is enough to bring me back. You may think it seems like a simple thing , making a good chili dog . I assure you that it is not . There are far more bad chili dogs being served than good ones in eateries across the area … this is one of the good ones . Dining is outdoors under a metal carport type shelter , and a busy road runs right past it providing ample opportunity to people watch . Just the right atmosphere to gobble down a good chili dog

Next time I’ll try the burger , and update with pictures . Worth a visit .

EDIT: Went back today 9/11/2025 and ordered a chili-cheese burger , chili dog and fries . I’m still not particularly enamored of fries , although they were hot and fresh , just not my jam . However , if you like a huge , tasty , homemade style burger this is the spot for you . Served piping hot and really meaty , this is a serious contender for the best burger in the area . For me though the star of the show is still the chili dog , not fancy , not pretentious , just delicious - as a chili dog should be .

Check it...

It's not often that you see hot dogs and hamburgers being sold on the side of the street and the little bitty box car. You eat on concrete picnic tables. At first I did not want to stop by because it was a very hot day. But then as we slowly drove past I saw overhead fans. I also noticed how clean it looked. Wow was I glad that we stopped and ate here. I was with my two grandsons ages 3 and 5, and I thought that this meal was going to be miserable due to the heat outside and their lack of a nap. But the opposite was true! They had a blast watching all the cars go past. They even got to see a fire truck and another large truck stopping at the light period for two little boys who love cars this was the best lunch place we could have stopped at. The food was so fresh tasting. My hamburger was a real ground beef hamburger not something that have been pressed together and frozen. I had homemade slaw on top of my fresh hamburger. Which was served on a toasted sesame seed bun. The boys love their hot dogs so much did each one asked for another one. I was so impressed because these are too little very picky eaters. Would I recommend this place to someone else? You bet. I would and I would also say no matter what you ordered I bet it would be...

EDIT 11/4/2023 Someone that knows the manager and apparently lives in the house with them contacted my 15 year old daughter (who also left a review on trip adviser ) and accused them of never being at the restaurant, and just seeking attention. She also claimed my daughter was being laughed at by those in the "house". Odd that the adults wouldnt receive a message like this but the child would. Went back to ask them to STOP texting my child and was immediately ask to leave because the supervisor didnt want to hear any of it. I was banned from the property which was odd since i never had any intention of going back until they started sending a minor messages on trip adviser. I guess trying to bully children is easier than just doing your job in the first place.

Garbage service, garbage people.

Bad customer service, dead fly in tea. They did give a refund but manager showed on scene with the worst attitude and acted like a fly in the drinks was no big deal. They gave our meal to someone else so they wanted us to remake the entire order so they could re make it after waiting about 40...