Panhandle Café & Market — Restaurant in Ponce de Leon

If I could give this place TEN stars, I would!! The food, the service, and the menu were all amazing! The owner is an absolute rock star! He not only smokes meat and fish on site (the smell is amazing!), but he makes a wonderful variety of dishes from it all. We were passing through on our way back home to Alabama from a weekend on PCB and stumbled across their quaint little eatery. We were hungry, decided to stop in and check them out, and SO glad we did. Hubby said his smash burgers & fries were delish! Biscuits and sausage gravy are homemade and apparently popular, as they were sold out before we got there, so go early! They also offer fresh baked muffins and cinnamon rolls, fresh/local whole milk, and pint tubs of specialty flavors of ice cream! They have a wide variety of coffee options and the one I got was wonderful. For those of you who are familiar with Lion's mane mushroom tincture or interested in learning about the amazing benefits they offer for memory issues and other health challenges, you need to talk to him! He is a wealth of knowledge and makes it all from organic mushrooms. I actually spoke to another customer who was there, who told me she and her husband have been taking it for some time. She said it has been life changing for them. Their memory and energy levels greatly improved in a matter of only 2 weeks, and they have been taking it ever since! This place truly is a treasure to visit. We highly recommend it. You'll be so glad you did! 💕💕 Update to add: Their Smoked Yellow Fin Tuna dip...

First off this place has great food! The site gives the feel of a home made cooking when you drive up. The entry door is closet to the road on the west front corner. Bathroom is aged like the building but both look very well cared for and very clean. You will order from the counter and they will bring it to you at the table.Seating is a little scarce inside with lack of table space during busy times. They just started up so expansion will surely happen if they keep cooking like they are now. Service can be a little slow as customers both times we were here just keep rolling in. They only have one person out front and one in the back. The owner is there too but focusing on the smoker as it should be. Parking lot needs a little grading and don’t let the sign fool you like it did me. There’s more than fresh veggies in here. Staff is super nice and go out of their way to help and that is a breath of fresh air. They also have a coffee bar as well so that is a wonderful addition to the place. We have had 9 entrees and each was fabulous. I’m not a big fan of dill potato salad so that is a pass for me but the Mac & cheese is delish’. If I were to do a start up cafe this is exactly what I would do! Great job team POC, well keep coming back...

What a gem of a place hidden in a hole in the wall! We needed a quick breakfast stop off I-10 as we began our twelve hour car ride back to North Carolina. This was exactly that and so much more. In the car now. We devoured our Conecuh croissants. I type this as we sip on our coffees (Ponce de Latte!) and try to make the tuna dip (brilliant recipe—dense texture, smoked flavor) last a little longer into our journey:

Veteran owned. Unique, curated, local finds: goat milk and flavored goat cheeses, local dairy including ice cream(!), wild soda flavors like strawberry basil or butter beer, and lion’s mane and elderberry healing blends. Hans knows his makers personally and will tell you more about them as he makes your (also local) coffee.

A full menu for breakfast and lunch is ideal for takeaway, as in our case, but there is ample seating should you want to stay awhile. A tricky triangle golf tee game is at every booth. Remember those? It’s an invitation to settle in.

This place was a welcome surprise and an oasis away from Chick-fil-a or Waffle House. Two thumbs up, tip my hat, highest...