A small country diner situated in what appears to be a renovated gas station built circa 1945. This restaurant is about three miles off highway 10 south of Hickory, on one’s way toward Shelby NC. It was located out in the middle of the country and the drive was beautiful. One memorable funny moment was passing a sign that proclaimed«Tri County Coon Club.» It doesn’t get much more country than that.(lol) I love small country diners(drive-ins and dives.) It was what I grew up with and I feel at home in these surroundings. I also understand that such restaurants have limits and the chefs /cooks are not Michelin trained culinary experts. Bottom line: stick with what they are good at providing and one will not be disappointed. What is Cat Square Family Restaurant good at one may ask? Burgers. Big thick, substantial, well made, beefy burgers… that easily rival Five Guys for half the price. My entire meal, which consisted of a B-I-G double chili cheeseburger, onion rings, and a Pepsi cost a grand total of $ 7.98. (Country diners typically do breakfasts well. I’ll find out about this some other time. They open at 6 a.m.) The burger? Simply Fan-tastic. ALL of the diners inside the restaurant ordered the burger, which should give one a clue what to get here. That is, except for one, solitary senior citizen who was taking advantage of the Thursday daily special which consisted of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and drink for $ 6.99. She seemed very satisfied with her meal. Notes and Comments The place was so indistinguishable and rough looking on the outside that I drove past the restaurant on my initial pass. When I circled back around… I almost drove away. I had to check the building address marker to make sure that I was at the right place. The paint was peeling away from the building’s exterior which looks like it’s best days were around 1960. Don’t let that influence your decision to eat here. Put on your big boy /girl pants and go inside and grab a table. Overall I found the restaurant to be careworn, but clean at a 96.5% sanitation rating. All of the black tables were spotless and TWO people cleaned the tables thoroughly after diners left. The friendly, totally bald, front of the house, was a middle aged man named Keith. He was delightful. Keith knew all of the customers, which I didn’t find surprising, and he interacted with everyone, including the small children, in a kind hearted manner. He recommended Ranch dressing for my onion rings, something that I had never tried, and it was delicious. He brought me a half glass of pellet iced soda refill well before it was needed. BTW, Keith warned me that said onion rings were scorching hot, and straight out of the fryer. The were basically grocery store type rings, but they were well done, so I didn’t have any problems. Try them with the ranch dressing! Service? Exemplary. The«chef» /cook? A young man who easily weighed three hundred pounds+. Never trust a skinny cook! Why? Big people love to eat, and they know what tastes good. This dude made one MEAN, bad-ass, burger — which I was just barely able to finish. I don’t think that I could have eaten one more bite. Wait time to receive food from time of ordering? Eighteen minutes. The burger? Again… simply delicious, and well worth the trip out into the country. Prices? Extremely reasonable. Will I return? You betcha. Check out the other photos for the menu and the prices which all are still current. Unilocal yet again provided me with a solid lead for a place that I would NEVER have found otherwise. Thanks for turning me on to one the best burgers that I have ever enjoyed!
Johnny M.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Hickory, NC
I am surprised. This little diner has very good food. In fact I’ve found my new favorite southern comfort food dive. I had the double cheese burger, Carolina style with onion rings. Big, juicy and fresh, but the homemade chili won first place. If you like chili on your burger or hotdog this place is a must. Hats off to the cook, he/she could market that stuff. Onion rings were whole, not minced and fresh out of the fryer. Well I have returned to Cat Square Diner, twice since the above review and guess what… I still feel the same. I ordered the combo catfish and calabash shrimp with hush puppies, squash, coleslaw. Excellent! Fresh and hot out of the cooker and a man size portion(actually had to box some of it). The service is just as good as the food. Be sure to show your appreciation for these fine folks if you get the chance to dine at Cat Square Dinner! Since the above glowing reviews, I ordered take out here twice, and not so good . Had the seafood platter on first try. Smaller portion than dine in and food was cold. Give me some slaw ya’ll !! Second call in order they got it completely wrong. Ordered my fiancé her standard POBOY sandwich. Dummy me didn’t check the contents of order until I made it home. Not sure what I was given, but ham, chili, onion with tomato… yuk! When I called to provide feedback, the teenage youngster who took my order, all she could say is «sorry». No offer to «bring it back and we will make it right» or «give us your name and next time you’re here, it’s on us». Just …“sorry”. Well, I’m sorry, that I will not be back as I plan to go elsewhere.
Michael B.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Roanoke, VA
Lots going on at this resturant. Broad menu and very reasonable. Large portions set this resturant apart from others. If your out in this neck of the woods then take the time to stop by. I think you will be pleased.