9 Old-School Cafeterias That Still Exist Across America

When most of us think of cafeterias, we think of meals we eat when there's no other option: These include school lunches, or for those of us working for big companies, quick refueling stops in the employee cafeteria. But from the 1920s through 1960s, diners flocked to cafeteria-style restaurants simply because they liked them. Seeing your food and knowing something of its quality before ordering it was a big draw, as were the quick service and affordable price points — the self-serve model meant less waiting and no need for tipping. And since most cafeterias offered a wide variety of choices, they were low-stress and convenient options for families and picky eaters.

Unfortunately, old-school cafeterias, and their menus of hearty, familiar favorites, have become an endangered species. By the 1960s, fast-food restaurants took their place as go-to spots for quick, affordable meals. But if you miss the sensation of pushing a tray down a line while surveying steamy pans loaded with old-school home-style dishes, here are a few holdouts still worth a visit.

If the word cafeteria brings to mind a dreary atmosphere of plastic chairs and dented linoleum, Mehlman's Cafeteria will come as a welcome surprise –- the interior of this Ohio Valley favorite, with its floral wallpaper and homey décor, looks more like a cozy family dining room than an industrial eating space. You'll feel like you're visiting a favorite grandmother's house — if not your own, then that grandmother of a good friend who always has an extra seat at her table. 

The food also exudes grandmotherly vibes. The menu features old-school comfort food such as beef stew with dumplings, cabbage rolls, and raisin pies. This is a direct reflection of the restaurant's roots: The Mehlman family started its culinary journey on its farm in West Virginia, where family members made German dishes to sell at a local market along with produce from the farm. They settled into their current location in 1966, and while they expanded the menu, they continue to use the original recipes created by the restaurant's founder and family matriarch, Mary Mehlman. "We make everything fresh every day," Mehlman's grandson and current president Jay Mehlman told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "from rolls to pie shells and meringue."

(740) 695-1000

51800 National Rd E, St Clairsville, OH 43950

A vintage cafeteria with a Cuban accent, Morro Castle has been a South Florida favorite since 1966. Don't expect it to look anything like a castle though. Rather, you'll drive up to what looks like a mid-century coffee shop with big picture windows and bold white-and-turquoise stripes. The interior isn't exactly palatial either — basic booths for seating and linoleum floors.

Diners, however, haven't flocked to Morro Castle for 60 years to take in the décor. Rather, they come for great Cuban food at affordable prices. The menu features Cuban classics such as perfectly pressed sandwiches, steaks, rice and beans, and plantains, along with breakfast items. The restaurant's homemade churros are a favorite dessert item you're unlikely to find of most other old-school cafeterias. But like any classic cafeteria, it's a place where locals go to get a taste of home. "The service was always older Cuban ladies who knew you by name or they know your family," a Yelp reviewer wrote. "One of the places I can bring my kids to have them immersed into their Cuban culture because of the atmosphere. Feel like home." And with its long hours (8 a.m. to midnight), you'll find something to suit your appetite at any time of day.

morrocastlerestaurant.com

1201 West 44th Place, Hialeah, Florida 33012

(305) 556-4252

Founded in 1941 and operated by the Mikelis family since 1952, the Cleburne Cafeteria wasn't even supposed to remain a cafeteria. When Nick and Pat Mikelis purchased the business, Greek immigrant Nick Mikelis had never even eaten in a cafeteria, so he planned to convert the restaurant into a barbecue. But the Cleburne Cafeteria's regulars wanted no part of this change, and the Mikelises realized they'd have to get up to speed on cafeteria specialties ... and fast.

They proved to be quick studies, and the cafeteria continued to build a loyal clientele. At the time of this publishing, their son George runs the business, and it succeeds by sticking to the classics : If you're in Houston and in the mood for old-school favorites such as stuffed bell peppers, chicken and dumplings, and chicken-fried steak, this is your place. The owners procure their produce from local farmers' markets and have a baker on staff to make pies and cakes from scratch, so you can expect your food to be fresh. And if you get the feeling that a lot of the other diners seem to know each other, you're not imagining it: The management estimates around 70% of their customers are regulars.

cleburnecafeteria.com

3606 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005

(713) 667-2386

This century-old Los Angeles institution has all the old-timey atmosphere you can ask for: Sawdust on the floors, ancient booths with well-worn tables, and gruff-but-efficient counter staff who seem to have been around almost as long as the restaurant itself. It's also one of two L.A. restaurants that claim to be the birthplace of the French Dip sandwich, a hearty, messy concoction of hot roast meat stuffed into a French roll dipped in meat broth. Legend has it that a long-ago server accidentally dropped a roll into a vat of meat juices while making a sandwich, and the hungry customer insisted on taking it rather than wait for a fresh roll. Other diners, hearing him rave about his sandwich, requested the same preparation –- and a culinary icon was born.

And unless you come for breakfast, when you'll get a standard assortment of eggs and pancakes, French dip sandwiches will be your main option here. You can choose from a variety of meats: Besides the traditional beef, you can enjoy roast pork, lamb, pastrami, turkey or ham, and you can choose how much juice you want on your bun (single dipped, double dipped, or wet). Grab a tray, tell the counter guy how you want your sandwich, then take it to your seat and enjoy the vintage vibes.

philippes.com

1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 628-3781

Cafeteria-style restaurants have disappeared in many parts of the country, but a disproportionate number of the survivors are located in the South. This could be because the traditional Southern meat-and-threes meal — a meaty main dish accompanied by a choice of three side dishes — lends itself easily to cafeteria-style service.

Arnold's Country Kitchen in Nashville is a case in point. Its rotating daily menu features a handful of mains along with a choice of sides. Arnold's popular roast beef is on offer every day; other mains can include chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, country-fried steak, and fried shrimp. Sides can include Southern classics such as fried apples, turnip greens, or fried green tomatoes. And whoever makes Arnold's made-from-scratch desserts has a soft spot for chocolate — besides seasonal fruit pies and classic banana pudding, you have a choice of several chocolate pies, including chocolate chess pie, chocolate pie with meringue pie, and hot pepper chocolate pie. Arnold's takes these homey favorites seriously, and it shows – it's a recipient of the James Beard Foundation's American Classics Award.

arnoldscountrykitchen.com

605 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 256-4455

The early 20^th century was the golden age of cafeteria-style restaurants. Long-forgotten cafeteria chains such as Child's, with 120 restaurants across the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard, were household names, and regional chains such as Clifton's in the Los Angeles area continued to adapt and thrive through the 2000s. K&W, a regional chain with eleven cafeteria-style restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia, is a rare survivor from this era.

Founded in 1937, K&W still features Southern dishes that would have been familiar to guests on its opening day — classics including fried fish, chicken and dumplings, fried okra, and sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows. Many of its customers come from an earlier era as well. "It tends to have a pretty elderly crowd, and every single time I've been there it's been with my grandparents," a Redditor noted. This, however, is a demographic that knows what the classics are supposed to taste like — and this is an advantage for diners of all ages. "I love K&W," another Redditor said. "Get some baked spaghetti or fried chicken or even liver and onions, put some fried okra with that, apply Texas Pete, it's the best. Plus, since it's an older crowd, it's quiet." K&W won't change your life, but it's good at what it does: It provides hearty portions of old favorites at affordable prices.

kwcafeterias.com

1609 Hershberger Rd NW, Roanoke, VA 24012

(540) 563-4977

Despite its name, décor, and extensive beer menu, Harry's Hofbrau isn't a traditional German restaurant. Rather, it's a throwback to a fading Northern California dining tradition: In the years following World War II, eateries calling themselves hofbraus thrived in the San Francisco Bay area and surrounding regions. They were essentially cafeterias with full bars and carving stations loaded with meat, and were favorite spots for hungry carnivores in search of an affordable meal and a stiff drink. While some believe these eateries were named and loosely modeled after German hofbraus – taverns that served free carved meat to patrons to keep them relatively sober — few if any Bay Area hofbraus focus on German cuisine.

Harry's Hofbrau continues this tradition. Its signature touch is its focus on turkey – the restaurant roasts and serves more than 1,000,000 pounds of fresh turkey a year. Its carving stations also feature roast beef, ham, corned beef, chicken, and pork. You can also choose from a range of sides and a rotating assortment of soups, along with classic cafeteria desserts including chocolate cream pie and Jell-o. (And, of course, you can wash everything down with craft beer.) The only culinary nods to the German theme are the red cabbage and German potato salad hidden among the side dishes.

14900 E 14th St, San Leandro, CA 94578

San Leandro: (510) 357-1707

1909 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063

Redwood City: (650) 366-3733

The last surviving outpost of what once was a chain of 30 cafeteria-style barbecue restaurants, Underwood's Bar-B-Q continues to be a family-run operation. It got its start during the Great Depression, when butcher M.E. Underwood began selling his homemade barbecue door to door for extra income. He later moved his barbecue enterprise to a roadside shack, and with the help of his son and other relatives, built it into a successful chain of restaurants.

He wouldn't have succeeded, however, if his barbecue wasn't worth eating. The signature dish at Underwood's is its barbecue beef steak, a preparation unique to Underwood's. "You won't ever see beef that looks like that," Leo Underwood told Texas Bucket List. "[It's] from a shoulder cut, very lean, very tender — it's our number one seller, outsells everything else three to one here." But if you're not in the mood for steak, you have plenty of other options, including St. Louis-style ribs, spicy and mild smoked sausage, and barbecued and fried chicken. Diners can help themselves to unlimited sides, but insiders know to save room for the restaurant's famous rolls — a special light turns on whenever a fresh batch comes out of the oven.

underwoodsbbq.com

402 W Commerce St, Brownwood, TX 76801

(325) 646-1776

Founded in 1942, Manny's has always focused on deli classics, including fresh bagels and giant corned beef and pastrami sandwiches. Like many other old-school cafeterias, it's proudly family-owned and operated, and is now under the management of the fourth generation of the Raskin family. Besides its super-stuffed sandwiches, Manny's offers a rotating and surprisingly diverse menu of entrees, which include everything from stuffed cabbage to oxtails to spaghetti and meatballs and even chop suey. And with the wide assortment of salads and sides also on offer, the menu seems to have something for everyone.

But Manny's fans keep coming back for the quality of the food, not just the quantity. Their sandwiches, brisket, potato pancakes, and matzo ball soup are not only local favorites, but so reputed and sought after that the restaurant ships them nationally. But even though you can enjoy a big Manny's sandwich anywhere in the United States (for a price), a trip to the Chicago mothership may be worth it for the atmosphere. "If you're into old-school deli vibes and a bit of Chicago history, give this place a try and soak in the nostalgia," a Yelp reviewer wrote.

mannysdeli.com

1141 S Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60607

(312) 939-2855