FATZ Cafe

I always have such great service at Fatz. If you don’t like the food you order, they will gladly replace it at no cost. Exceptional service!

Tourists from Florida who wanted a good sit-​down meal. The food was actually really good, the signature rolls though we’re a bit strange-​tasting, not in a bad way though. The only real demerit was its somewhat slow service. Besides that, we’d come back!

We’ve had better experiences here in the past. This time, not so much.
Our server was friendly and efficient, great personality. She took good care of us. Drink and bread refills were quick. The problems with our meal were not service related.
The first batch of bread was OK, just warm, not hot. Tasty but a little tough/​chewy. The second batch of bread was hot and melt-​in-​your-​mouth good. I don’t care for the sweetened margarine they serve with the little rolls.
Caesar salads were good but unremarkable. Dressing just a touch sweet for my taste, but definitely not bad. Shaved Parmesan is always a nice touch.
Cajun chicken pasta was OK. The chicken portion was not generous, and the garlic bread was not hot and was tough.
Kid’s burger was unremarkable.
Two of us had the Steakhouse Salmon. It was disappointing. My plate was especially sloppy, with part of the entrée falling off the plate (and maybe part of it did fall off). The grits were dry and stiff, the salmon was a generous portion but overcooked, dry, and not hot, the shrimp had a mushy texture that I didn’t care for, the Brussels sprouts were barely warm. The entrée was very under-​sauced, and the whole plate was very, very oversalted.
One in our party ordered soup as her meal… it arrived after I had finished my entrée. She said it was made from instant potatoes of some kind, wasn’t flavorful, and definitely did not live up to the name of «loaded» potato soup… the bacon and cheese were barely garnishes, certainly not main components of the soup. It was disappointing.
We were very interested in the bread pudding and the peanut butter pie, but our server told us they only had cheesecake, a cookie of some kind, and peach cobbler. She said the cobbler was $ 5.99, but the website advertises it for $ 4.69.
It was a disappointing meal. We’ve had much better experiences here in the past, so we hope this was just an off night for them.

Took my granddaughter today. We really enjoyed the food and the server, Jayme, was wonderful. It happened to be Veterans Day and elderly gentleman walked in wearing an Air Force hat. At the end of my meal I asked Jayme if I could pay for his meal without him knowing. She said absolutely but came back and told me that he was getting a veterans mail and was not going to be charged anyway. I thought this was wonderful that Fatz’s has this policy for our soldiers. I will definitely come back to this place to eat. I go to the Blue Ridge Parkway 4 or 5 times a year and I have ridden by this restaurant every time. Way to go, Fatz’s…

This was very good when they opened but as time passes so does the quality of both food and service. No longer worth the price. Now I am downgrading them even more because I had gotten a response that appeared there cared about the 2 star review and wanted to try to make up for it and were sending a guest certificate. That never happened either. Another fine example of the management and customer service.

Good food… especially for take out and catering. Not the most healthy (If you couldn’t tell from that name).

This was an exceptional experience, starting from the moment we walked in. We were greeted very warmly by everyone, I might add, and taken to our table promptly. Our server, Hillary first asked us if it was our first visit to Fatz. With this being said, she thoroughly went over the menu, and brought us, as a sample the Calabash chicken tenders, which is their main feature item. I ordered the peach tea, sweetened nicely, but had a wonderful flavor. Hillary brought out the tenders, marinated overnight in buttermilk and hand battered fresh each time. Absolutely to die for! I loved these, so light, fresh, and not over cooked. The manager on duty also came by, asking if it was our first time, and promptly said peach cobbler would be brought by after, as a special thank you for trying them out. She went on to explain it is a small chain restaurant, very southern roots based in the South. It is a practice that with first time guests, samples are given of the chicken tenders, as well as the peach cobbler, as a thank you. A wonderful thing that sets them apart! My husband got the country fried steak, with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. A Sunday special, with huge portions and all made fresh. This is not your typical chain restaurant, not by any means! The cole slaw was so good, and the country fried steak was seasoned and battered fresh. Cooked perfectly, with mashed potatoes also homemade, and sooo delish! I got the Keys Style Fish with rice and baked potato. The seasonings were perfect, a squeeze of lime was the final touch and just right. I liked it, for sure, but the Calabash Chicken tenders were still haunting me, and the itty bitty taste my hubz gave of his dinner was divine. Made me want to take his! I am not a fried food type of person, but those two dishes were fabulous, and hit the spot! I loved the sweet tea, and all was fabulous, but what made our experience so great wasn’t the food, it was Hillary and the Manager on Duty. Their warmth, and willingness to show us how great Fatz was, that was what made our experience so great! People forget, it is the guest experience that matters to the utmost! The peach cobbler was amazing, and yes so fresh, but it was the kindness and hospitality that will bring me back to this restaurant! We never waited for anything, the service was impeccable, and seeing the graciousness of the management with the other tables proved why this is a great place to come back to. I hope they continue with the great service, as it seems a signature as much as their Calabash Chicken.

Since we walked in the door, Fatz was warm and welcoming. The host was polite and prompt in directing us to a comfy couch to wait for our table.
As soon as our server Ashton caught wind that it was our first visit she quickly got us a sample of their «calabash» chicken. Calabash evidently means perfectly fried, which is a high compliment coming from a southerner.
Lunch was hearty portions of pot roast and more of that delicious Calabash chicken. Ashton our server, brought us a free peach cobbler after we had finished our meals.
We give Fatz five stars because from the moment we walked in to when we waddled out we were comfortable and well tended.

Went for dinner last night. Arrived and the hostess asked if we would like a booth in the bar, no objection at all. Plenty of customers but not busy. Sat at a booth in the bar and the bar tender must have been waiting all the tables in the bar section even though other wait staff were mingling around. Took our drink order, one water and one beer, then came back and took our food order. Brought our drinks and salads and our dinner was delivered by a manager a few minutes later. That was it, no offer for more drinks, no checking to see if we needed anything… nothing. Saw the waitress/​bar tender come back in and take her jacket off and overheard her say something about going out to smoke. After about 10 minutes walked by our table and saw we were out of water and drinks and finally brought more water by but no offer for another beer. Overheard her at the bar again complaining to someone about no one watching her tables. In short, the food was good but the service was horrible.

Went for dinner with the crew here for the first time and it was awesome! The sweet rolls were killer! I can’t remember what our appetizer was but it was deep fried and had little food in it (it was a roll up thing) but I got the endless ribs and they came out fast, hot and extremely tasty! Was a little dark inside but there was no wait and the server was friendly, recommended!

Great food. Prices were good and the Tuesday specials were priced reasonably attractive with good selections. My family went fir their signature fried chicken with honey mustard sauce and were happy. I had the spinach chicken salad– delicious but I got the raspberry vingerette dressing and not the hot bacon dressing. Couldn’t imagine that on salad but– it was good regardless. You can’t go wrong.

The sweet butter and the rolls were great. Yummy. The floors in the dinning room are could have used a broom and dust pan. The bathrooms were average at best. You can always tell a restaurant décor from the restrooms. The service was ok, our waitress was nice but she brought me out cold ribs and I asked for butter for my broccoli and didn’t get it for a while. Trying to get her attention was a choir also and I waited about 10 minutes for it. The food… lets see the good rather great was the steak and fish sandwich. The ribs were not good, the Farm burger was probably the worse burger I have ever had that added a egg on it. It was tasteless.
Décor — 2 of 5
Service — 3 of 5
Food — 3 of 5

One thing I will say, the «Calabash» chicken (really, it’s fried chicken tenders, bearing no resemblance to Calabash shrimp) is pretty tasty. I still don’t like the chain atmosphere, but the food is good if you are passing through. Also, last time I was there, it had a local beer on tap from Howard Brewing in downtown Lenoir.

One of the few restaurants in Lenoir that you don’t «drive around to the window» While I have found some menu items to be hit or miss, overall it is decent food. The service is always great and the dining area clean. It’s one of our regular dining spots.

Great food, good prices and great service. Definate come back place.

We decided to give FATZ a try for dinner since it was rated recommended on Trip Advisor and at the time was listed as #1 in Lenoir on Unilocal!The restaurant was busy but not crowded. We were seated quickly. The staff and service was truly excellent. We found them to be both friendly and attentive. When we asked about the salad dressings our waitress rattled off over a dozen options with some really interesting flavors we hadn’t heard of before. She later came back with three she forgot to mention. The dinner rolls were delicious and our waitress didn’t hesitate when we asked for more. The food was good, and similar to what you’d expect at similar types of chain restaurants. We enjoyed the Salmon Salad, the Chicken pot pie, the Parmesan chicken pasta and the grilled Pork chops. Prices were reasonable from $ 8 to $ 14 for most meals, so it made for an affordable family dinner out.

Fats is by far my favorite restaurant in Lenoir. The steak is even better then Sagebrush’s. The chicken is also great but I’ve noticed the size of the pieces shrinking lately.

I was excited to try «Fatz» after i heard about their «Lite» menu. I came here for lunch with coworkers and this place was packed!
Service was good and appetizers were decent. However, I was disappointed with my salad. I ordered spinach salad and they gave a bit of spinach leaves with a bit of tomato, egg, onions and dressing. I was disappointed that they could mess up a simple spinach salad so easily.
If you have option, go somewhere else.

Our meal at Fatz was great. First-​time visit for us and the breading on the calabash popcorn shrimp was spot-​on. The portions were enormous. The peach cobbler was very, very good.
Carrie was a great hostess and we enjoyed meeting her. David, our UNC-​trained, Japanese studies waiter took care of us very well and people will enjoy his service.
A great experience this evening. We’ll be back in two years when we return to the United States.

I could not have had a better experience. I was driving through Lenoir on my way home from the Bristol races and stopped by because I love Fatz and cant get it in Atlanta. Had to get the Calabash chicken, ribs, the new appetizers and of course the rolls. Everything came out perfect, on time, and tasted absolutely delicious. To top it off, the service was exceptional and all the staff were so friendly, attentive, and made the dining experience what is should be every time. Will definitely be back in August!!!