FATZ Cafe

We are back visiting in Asheville area and returned to Fatz for lunch.
Just as last summer, the food was very tasty. I have to eat strictly gluten free and they accommodate my dietary needs. I tried the shrimp and grits
without the gravy and it was very good. Service was prompt and waitress knowledgable regarding gluten free. The manager came to our table and discussed various gluten free menu options. My husband had ribs and calabash chicken, mashed red potatoes and collard greens which he said was very good.
The serving size was very ample and we felt was reasonably priced.

Gourmet it’s not, but they don’t pretend to be. This is one of those establishments that’s kind of a jack of all trades, master of none kind of thing. You can get salads, burgers, chicken, ribs, steak, all of that. None of it is going to knock your socks off and make you want to send a postcard home or anything, but it’s reliable food, and starts off with some fantastic bread.
Among the fast-​casual kind of places that you’re all thinking of, this one is probably my personal preference.

Amber was our server & such a delight! Nice, clean atmosphere with genuine service. Refreshing to enjoy a reasonably priced meal & 23 oz beer! Ask for Amber.

Could have been 4 stars. The food was good and the server was very attentive. The issue is the loud music. Just turn it down a notch. On a Friday @Lunch with a business associate it was hard to communicate. Also I am glad I changed into a long sleeve shirt before going to lunch. It was kind of a meat locker in there.

Bland dry chicken tenders, honey mustard was gross, and the ribs had hardly any sauce on them. This place is over priced for frozen food!

My meal wasn’t the greatest (grilled chicken), but the servers were absolutely the nicest people in the area. The server even bought us a desert as we were on our honeymoon!
If I went back, I’d order something different. My husband loved his ribs, as did I! A shame the closest Fatz is in Virginia.

I have ate at several Fatz locations throughout the area, but the difference at this location was the service. I got the steak and chicken combo, the chicken being outstanding as usual and the steak was pretty decent considering price. The service was fantastic even though the place was full. One of the great things about any Fatz is the rolls. Our server brought us four baskets of rolls, kept our drinks full throughout the dinner, and was extremely helpful on anything asked of her. Two managers also came by the table during the visit. There was an abundance of food on each plate served. We will definitely eat here again.

Yes, this is part of a southern chain, but I still feel compelled to post a review after the wonderful dinner and service we received tonight.
Their menu is large and the atmosphere is welcoming to couples or families. Everything we ordered tasted great.
Where this Fatz really went beyond was the service. Susan treated us like a member of the family. She was helpful and funny and took a few extra moments to chat with us throughout our dinner. When the manager stopped by to check on us, I mentioned that it was my wife’s birthday. Shortly after, we received a piece of cake on the house!
I love Fatz and this was the best experience with the so far.
TLDR: it’s a southern chain — but always a great meal and service!

Had a pleasant lunch at Fatz Café in Asheville today. We find Fatz everywhere to be friendly and comfortable, with excellent food and good service, and this location is no exception. Love their fresh hot rolls too!
Today I had the Pot Roast Pie, served in a hot skillet, and my wife had the classic cheeseburger (which is huge!). Both quite good.

Some good old america food that fresh and taste half rack of ribs is huge service is good and quick

Go to this restaurant. Excellent food, friendly staff, great service. Highly recommended.
What a find. I was on the road with my SO and it was past lunch time, so we jumped off the Interstate and randomly picked a place to eat. Based on the name, I was expecting this to be a fast food place (which was okay, since we wanted to get back on the road), but this was so much better.
Fatz turns out to be a nice sit-​down restaurant, not fancy-​pants, but pleasant and comfortable. We were warmly greeted by the hostess and immediately shown to a table. Our very friendly waitress showed up immediately with water and menus, asked if we needed anything, and left us to go over the menus. I’ve never been to Fatz before, but it looked like fried chicken was their specialty. When the waitress returned, I asked her what she would order if she’d never been here before. «This is your first time to any Fatz?» Yes. «In that case, let me bring you a sample of our Calabash Chicken.» She described how it was prepared and cooked and quickly returned with a sample and some hot mini-​cinnamon-​sugar-​dinner rolls. The chicken was great.
But since we were on the road, I didn’t pick the Calabash Chicken (although it was tempting). Instead, I tried a Citrus Grilled Chicken. Excellent. This sounds like hyperbole, but this was probably the best chicken I have had at any restaurant in recent memory. It was perfectly cooked, tender, just wonderful. My SO had a shrimp dish and was similarly impressed.
We dawdled our way through lunch, enjoying a break from the road. The waitress dropped by every once in a while to make sure we were well-​stocked with dinner rolls (Alas, I had too many, but I don’t regret a single one.) and that everything was alright. She asked how we’d found the place, and as we chatted, she pointed out that one of her co-​workers was originally from the town next to ours about 600 miles away. The co-​worker dropped by, we all had a nice chat and hit the road again, completely satisfied with how things had worked out.
Go to this restaurant.

Great buttermilk basted chicken and many other great dishes. Weds. 7÷29÷15 Ashville area location, approx 3:30 coming through from Ky. Our waitress was awesome. Very helpful with menu. Drinks always full. Helped with N.C. info as we are visiting several colleges. Will checl n out other locations as we travel !

Three visits to Fatz in the last 6 months and none have been great.
On each occasion there was something wrong with at least one of our meals, whether undercooked/​overcooked, item not as described on the menu, poor quality/​fatty meat. When asked about our meal we were honest about our concerns but not bitchy or demanding of anything. Management offered a replacement or free dessert but we never accepted.
The service was friendly on our latest visit but very, very slow as our server liked to chat at length with her customers about silly things like her children, her recent weight loss or why she doesn’t eat dinner rolls. She told us about her latest pregnancy before ever taking our drink order.
We live close by but really don’t think we will be back. Strike three.

Five stars for service, my server was fantastic!
I haven’t ate at an Applebees style chain in ages, but my daughter was screaming from hunger when I picked her up after work and Fatz was the first place that I saw.
Decent draught selection, I got a White Zombie. They bring you free chicken if you’ve never been, and some poppy seed rolls. I got the same free chicken as an entrée because the server told me it was the quickest thing. Everything was mediocre, drenched in salt, sugar and fat, as chain food typically is. My kid has never had this experience before and gobbled it up.
Today we both had horrendous diarrhea. Horrendous. Its the only thing that we both ate that day so it must have been the cause. Lesson learned. No matter how hungry your kid is, always avoid these places.

We are new here in town. Found this place on Unilocal, believed the reviews… And they were right! This place is totally awesome.
5 people ate here, all five got different entries, all entries were GREAT!
Great experience, all around.

I rarely, if ever rate a 4, but the food and servers are top rate. Great tasting food, menu selection is slightly limited but the servers and hostesses were friendly and intelligent, if it werent for the slightly less than immaculate property and bathrooms, hard to see tvs (from the dining area) and hidden away in a less than scenic location, a 5 would be in order! This place is a winner!

Great atmosphere wonderful service! Delicious food great place to bring the family!

Service was amazing first and foremost we were visiting from out of town. We were provided samples of their Calabash Chicken which is nothing short of awesome. My husband was given beer samples of the local brewers beer.
The portions are outta control. The food is just amazing. All the veggies were fresh and very good.
The staff checked on us often and were very friendly.

My understanding is that this is a regional chain and it certainly had that chain feel. Menu offerings are your typical burgers, salads, meat entrees, soups, appetizers. Similar to Chilis but without the southwest theme.
Our server was pretty good. He gave me good direction with the menu and recommended a side dish. He was personable and tended to us throughout our meal.
The food quality was fine. I ordered a steak and though it was not tender, it was cooked properly and seasoned well.
Overall not a bad dining experience.

⁵⁰⁄₅₀ on my review here.
Service very mediocre. Food portion and price very good.
We had a party of 17, called ahead at 1pm for a 7pm reservation, we were told no problem and even to come earlier if we were ready.
Arrived at 6:45pm, told we were too early and table wouldn’t be ready for 30 – 45 min.
Finally at 7:20 two separate tables were ready, booths with not enough room so three of us ended up sitting even more separated. Worst group seating ever!
Had two different serves, one was ok, the other obviously needed a new job, I saw her rolling her eyes multiple times.
Food was good, portion size was good, price was good.
I wouldn’t return with a group ever again, would return again with only one or two others.