Lambert's Café — Restaurant in Miner

I have a lot to say about this place. It's definitely a destination spot and shouldn't be missed, but they are missing the boat on their food. We will be traveling frequently between Missouri and Alabama and, therefore, we pass through Sikeston each time. Recently we decided to check this place out and made a return visit this past weekend and my review is based on both stops. If you have never been there, it is a MUST stop at least once. They are famous for their huge rolls, which are absolutely delicious and worth the stop for that alone; however, what made them famous is that they will throw the rolls to you from across the room. It's a lot of fun and if you miss the catch, please do not pick it up off the floor to eat it, ask for another (or wait for them to come out with a fresh batch). The food here is hit and miss and I think its sad. It's a shame because they have a captive audience. Some items are wonderful and others leave a lot to be desired. The fried chicken is good, I wouldn't call it great, but it's good. The meatloaf was nothing to write home about and neither was the chicken and dumplings. I ordered chicken and dumplings and received a bowl of nothing but dumplings, NO chicken except for one tiny piece about the size of the end of my finger. Seriously, that was it, just a bowl full of dumplings (maybe they needed to stir the pot)? The pork steak was okay but dry. I can't believe I am saying this, but their green beans weren't that good either. I didn't know that green beans couldn't taste good, but I do not care for theirs at all, maybe its the seasonings, I don't know, but I wouldn't eat them. I feel the same about their mashed potatoes. I love homemade lumpy mashed potatoes, but these were not edible as far as I was concerned. The grits were like eating cardboard. Dry and absolutely no flavor at all. No salt, no butter, nothing. They tasted like just grits and water. The applesauce tasted home-made but very bland as well, it tasted like apples and water. Since apples are so good, I didn't mind too much and finished them, but a dash of extra sweetness or cinnamon would have enhanced them. Much of their food either didn't seem to have seasonings or some maybe had too much or a bad combination. Now, if you read this far, the reward is their pass-arounds, they are a different story. The fried okra, fried potatoes and pasta with stewed tomatoes are excellent. I had the pass-arounds instead of the sides that come with my meal and those alone are worth a stop as far as I am concerned, but on our last trip, they never came around with the sourgum, which is yummy on the rolls? What is with that? The staff is friendly and the ambiance is just right for the location and type of restaurant. They do have a large game room for the kids and a little store where you can buy merchandise, mostly t-shirts and shot glasses, but they could be doing so much more. They could be selling packages of their roll mix, jars of applesauce (once improved), sourgum and other items that represent what their restaurant or the area. It was very small with limited stock. Lambert's, I know this has been working for you for years, maybe others don't care so much about the food and taste, but now that we've tried it, we probably won't...

What a treat. We haven’t been able to make a stop the last few years we’ve driven up to Michigan from Texas. It’s a place my parents discovered and insisted we all visit as they had had such a good time and memorable meals. So it was with a very special memory that we entered Lambert’s café, “Home of the Throwed Rolls!” AND “Pass Arounds” too!

Unless you’re so picky you can’t or won’t eat anything this is one place you will never leave hungry. Shortly after we were seated we saw rolls zipping overhead as other diners were catching them. They’re always super hot and ready to spread some margarine on or you can get some apple butter Or sorghum if you’d like.

Our waitress was Ashley and she was excellent. She came by and took her drink orders nearly immediately. I ordered an ice tea and hubby a water- I can’t imagine anyone requesting a refill since it comes in a ginormous mug, I’m honestly not sure how many ounces but at least 32 ounces if not more.

We hadn’t had time to turn our order in before there were people coming by with the pass arounds-The first one being some delicious fried okra which we readily tore off some paper toweling and had him put a scoop on so we could snack on it while we waited for our order. It was very good. All their food is cooked with care and attention to detail. I’ve really never tasted anything I didn’t like! I might as well let you know now that while we were dining the other pass arounds that came by and were offered were fried potatoes with onion, black-eyed peas, macaroni and tomatoes. Along with a continuous barrage of thrown rolls. They are huge and we find it impossible to consume more than one.

I ordered the fried chicken which consisted of three pieces of old fashion fried chicken. A leg, a wing, and a portion of a breast. It was good, it was crispy, it was not over battered. The sides I ordered or mashed potato and Cucumber and onion salad. The Hopster ordered a hamburger which is automatically a double patty and huge and he said it was cooked per perfectly. He really didn’t want any sides so since I wanted to try the turnip greens is I’ve never had any he went ahead and ordered that so I could taste them. I was a little surprised that my mashed potatoes didn’t taste quite as I expected. I am honestly not sure that they are still made from fresh potatoes. The cucumber and onion was fresh and delicious-and the turnup greens were so good I ate the whole little bowl of them. I would definitely order them again at least here at Lambert‘s café!!!!

I’ll leave a copy of our bill below so you can check the cost out for yourself. The menu is extensive so be prepared if you’ve never been to do some reading and determining what exactly you want to try first as I feel certain that after your first experience here you’re going to want to come back! We left our server a generous tip and hopefully will be back the next time we pass through Sikeston Missouri! We recommend you do...

IF YOU HAVE A SHELLFISH ALLERGY DON'T GET ANYTHING FRIED. Hope this helps someone else that has a shellfish allergy.

I called ahead to inform them that my daughter and I had a shrimp allergy and wanted to clarify what was cooked together. I was told that only the fried catfish shares the same oil as the fried shrimp. We get to the restaurant and I ask another waiter with the 'pass arounds' if the fried okra is fried separately from the shrimp he said yes. I asked my waiter if the fried okra was ok, he also said yes. I was told over and over again that it was ok to eat. Well, I ordered the frog legs that I was so excited to eat and they tasted delicious but after about the third one I started to not feel well. Face got flushed, started itching and throat felt funny 😳 and I knew I was having an allergic reaction because there was cross contamination. I stop eating at once and I go up to the cash register and ask a fifth and final person which happened to be a manager the same question. "Are the frog legs cooked in the same oil as the shrimp?" He says yes they share the same oil and there is a possibility of cross contamination. At this point I am very upset since I asked so many different people that worked there and was told it was ok to eat until it wasn't. What upset me is that the manager said I should have asked for a manager first. I informed him that I called ahead and was put on hold and believed that I had asked a manager. I have eaten at many restaurants and never had to ask a manager to confirm that people with food allergies will be taken care of. The menu even states the food allergies and frog legs do not show "SF" to signify the possibility of cross contamination with shellfish and neither does the fried chicken or Okra. The waiters were all very courteous and apologized and the food was delicious and the atmosphere was amazing but eating something that I was allergic to definitely ruined the experience. They didn't charge me for the frog legs and the manager sent someone to buy me some Benadryl for the 2 hour drive home but I was very upset that I didn't get the correct information until it was too late and ended up not getting to finish my dinner. Thank God I only had a mild reaction but I'm severely allergic to shellfish and it could have killed me. If we ever get a chance to go back I will not order ANYTHING FRIED!!! People that have shellfish or food allergies should still be able to enjoy eating out and everyone in the restaurant should be educated on cross contamination otherwise the workers should be trained to get the management and not make the customer feel like they did something wrong....