Steak House Cafeteria

Reviews

• Kiran T.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  A group of us came here for a late lunch after a great hiking. I ordered baked Chicken with rice & gravy, buttered carrots and green beans. Everything tasted good. Chicken was well baked. My meal costed below $10 and I should say it was reasonable and affordable. The general manager Nedal Mefleh asked me where our group came from and I said from Atlanta, GA. While we were having our food he came by and inquired about if everything was fine and took a picture of us and posted them on Facebook and directed us where to check on their site.
  
  Steak House Cafeteria is a long-standing American institution with fried chicken and other down-home dishes, plus daily specials. It is a Classic southern cooking served cafeteria-style. Even though the name indicates a steakhouse that's not really what they have going on here and I think that's important to point out. Ambiance and service was good and clean. Plenty of seating available. A friendly small town atmosphere. They have a separate lot for parking just besides the restaurant and it's free. Recommend it to anyone ever in the area.

• Jamarcus T.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  A group of us were almost done with hiking for the day, and there was word of this amazing Arabia fried chicken.  It's hard to pass up fried chicken after a hike, so we headed on into Walhalla for a late lunch!
  
  Steak House Cafeteria is cafeteria style, where you select your entree, and your sides if you desire, all of which are ala carte.  We got the following:
  
  beef stew ($3.95)
  Fried squash ($2.50)
  Brussel Sprouts ($1.95)
  Rice and gravy ($1.60)
  Corn ($1.60)
  Pork chop baked ($3.95)
  Cornbread muffin ($0.40)
  pear salad (didn't catch the price)
  
  So first up, I actually didn't want to try the beef stew at all.  I DID want the fried chicken, but I found out by staff that they fry all their fried goods in the same oil as their fish, and since I'm allergic to fish, the famous fried chicken was a big no go for me!
  
  The actual beef stew was tough, flavorless, and the rice and gravy was also not salted or seasoned with any flavor.  The gravy was more watery than gravy consistency.  I didn't finish this.
  
  The brussel sprouts I tried were mushy.  The corn I tried was the best thing on my plate, although these needed pepper and salt.  Still, again the best thing on my plate.
  
  My girlfriend ordered the pork chop, squash and pear salad.  The pork chop was also fairly dry, but it did have decent flavor.  I couldn't try the squash because it was fried in the same oil as the fish, and the pear salad was a couple of pear halves, with cherries, shredded cheddar cheese and mayonnaise.  Yep...mayo!  It wasn't bad flavor, but it was very unexpected.
  
  Service for us came quickly, and they were able to accommodate a large group.  Customer service was nice, and they happily took photos of our group to put on their facebook page.  Very nice people
  
  In terms of flavor, I likely would not come back here.  If you live here, it's likely a nice cafe style place for you to get a bite.  Maybe if we weren't so hungry I wouldn't have rated it the way that I did, but ultimately, I have had better cafeteria food.  
  
  Nice staff, ample parking and great location are all great things, but ultimately flavor is what I look for, and Steak House Cafeteria was lacking

• Richard R.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 22 May 2026

  Wonderful owner, but not so wonderful food.
  
  { THE SCENE }
  
  Our hiking group was pretty hungry after logging several miles traversing the local terrain as we visited several nearby waterfalls. Our restaurant of choice (King Taco) was unexpectedly closed for the day and Steak House Cafeteria, with their average 4-Star yelp rating, seemed like a reasonable alternative. So we converged on this place like hungry rats, as if the Pied Piper himself were tooting his flute and entrancing us to come!
  
  No parking was available in front, so we used a large gravel parking lot just east of the building. After a brief walk we entered the wrong door, totally missing the big ENTER HERE banner above the correct door! Instead we went to what looked like the correct entrance, which was the door just below the STEAK HOUSE CAFETERIA sign in big bold letters. We meandered our way to the correct side and fell in line to pick our meat and sides.
  
  The interior is indeed a throwback to the 80's, and reminded me very much of cafeterias from old sitcom TV shows! Seems it is getting more rare to see fluorescent lighting and the weird glow they cast. Florescent lights make me feel like I'm in a hospital emergency room. Still, the place seemed clean enough and had quite a few customers enjoying their meal.
  
  -
  
  { THE FOOD }
  
  Many of the reviews spoke highly of the "ARABIAN CHICKEN", which was the main influence to our group wanting to dine here. Although it was cooked nicely, it wasn't very flavorful... just salty. 11 herbs and spices it was not, but that's my fault for associating "Arabian" with spices. Overall I'd say the chicken is just average (3 stars).
  
  Now for the bad news. The sides and the beef stew were very underwhelming to put it kindly. I had rice & gravy as well as corn for my sides. My wife ordered brussel sprouts, carrots and a small salad. Others at our table had the mac n' cheese, green beans and beef stew and the one universal word most of us used to describe the food was 'bland'. The baked apple slices and carrots were the better of the sides.
  
  Plenty of desserts were on hand, but after tasting our main meal, most of us did not bother to try them.
  
  * * * FOOD ALLERGY ALERT * * *
  One member of our group is highly allergic to fish. While he initially wanted to order the chicken, he discovered the chicken is cooked in the same grease as the fish.
  
  -
  
  { FINAL THOUGHTS }
  
  The owner came over to greet us and ask if he could take our picture for his Facebook page. Honestly, he was so nice and so excited to have us that the general group consensus after leaving the restaurant was "maybe we shouldn't review this place".
  
  Typically I would skip writing an unfavorable review, especially if the staff is wonderfully friendly. However, so many reviews rave over the food that I feel the need to share my experience.
  
  So far I've eaten at three different restaurants in Walhalla. While the food at SHC may be enjoyable for the locals it was far below expectation coming from a city like Atlanta, known for its southern cuisine. I normally don't compare a small town restaurant experience to a big city, but this is still the South! You can just about find delicious southern food anywhere, just not here.
  
  TIP:  The chicken fingers are better than the chicken breasts.
  
  2019/41

• María O.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 22 May 2026

  I was very excited to come to this restaurant after a long day of hiking in South Carolina and I was kinda disappointed.
  
  I came in with a big group of friends from Atlanta and the owner was very excited about it, even took group pictures of us. He was very nice.
  
  This is a buffet type of restaurant. I was very excited when they said "FRIED CHICKEN" but the chicken wasn't flavorful, neither the sides. The rice was good but the "beef stew" they put on top ruined it. The cheesecake was very bland. Definitely not how I like my cheesecake.
  
  Overall the staff was very nice and the restaurant very clean. I just didn't like the food.
  
  ESPAÑOL
  
  Estaba muy emocionada de venir a este restaurante después de un largo día de caminata en Carolina del Sur y me decepcionó un poco.
  
  Entré con un gran grupo de amigos de Atlanta y el propietario estaba muy emocionado, incluso nos tomaron fotos en grupo. El era muy simpatico.
  
  Este es un tipo de restaurante tipo buffet. Estaba muy emocionada cuando dijeron "POLLO FRITO", pero el pollo no estaba sabroso, ni los sides. El arroz era bueno, pero el "estofado de carne" que pusieron encima lo arruinó. El pastel de queso era muy suave. Definitivamente no es como me gusta mi tarta de queso.
  
  En general, el personal era muy agradable y el restaurante muy limpio. Simplemente no me gusto la comida.

• Erica G.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  After hiking the surrounding parks the entirety of a Saturday morning and afternoon, my friends and I stopped into Steak House Cafeteria. The receipt says we paid at 2:39 on 3/2/19. That being said, I understand we came in after the typical lunch crowd. The fried chicken was what I had my eyes on. There were several side dishes offered but I figured, I'll choose the green beans. I did not care for the green beans because I found them to be very oily. Again, we came in after the typical crowd, so maybe the flavor was off for that reason. However, the fried chicken was delicious. It could have had more flavor in the batter, but I really enjoyed the crunch. I wish I would have just gotten 5 pieces of fried chicken. While we were walking out we noticed a story of the owners history which intrigued us, I also liked seeing that.
  
  TL;DR 2 stars for the fried chicken & people who work here