The Tomato Place

Boyfriend and I travelled from TX to Alabama and came across this little gem. We had a delightful time with delicious food. Quirky décor and the fruit stand added to the experience. Food was simple but was well made and tasty. We sat in the back room and it felt like a treehouse! Loved everything!

This was a definitely a treasure that we found unexpectedly on our road trip. The place was so quaint and comfy. The food was delicious and I did try just about everything including the catfish, shrimp po-​boy, smoked bbq burger, salmon, fried green tomatoes, cheese fries and the gumbo. What can I say… I have a big family and we like to share. You should make this a stop if your passing through Mississippi.

I always try to find a «Hole-​in-​the-​Wall» place to eat when I’m traveling about and this place fits the bill to a tee. This quaint little place started out as a vegetable stand and they added a small restaurant. I had a big old bowl of Gumbo that was very good and enjoyed talking to the old gentleman that was working that day.

My husband was a bit hesitant to venture into this place, but I had the advantage of reading the Unilocal reviews and was eager to try it. We are both SO glad we stopped here for lunch! The service was great and the food was tasty, fresh, and served quickly. It was fun to shop for fresh produce and pick up a loaf of bread. We will definitely return to try out more selections from their varied menu.

We absolutely loved this place after seeing Vicksburg, a find and gem and we wish it was closer to our homes! The sandwiches were fab, the smoothie good and the T-​shirts wonderful for gifts, etc. One of us had the fried green tomato sandwich, one a chicken sandwich and one a grilled cheese with tomatoes, of course. We avoided the fries but wanted them so much! go here for sure, even if it means a big detour! you only live once.

Super awesome place, awesome food, not what you expect from a veggie stand on the side of the road!

A truly unique place. The food is good and tasty, the service is ultra friendly. The real experience lies in the place itself– it’s like you’re eating in a farmer’s market, fun and funky. I’ve never been to a place like it and it is so Southern it makes me proud. Will stop back every chance I get.

A nice place to eat with a very interesting culture. Looks like a produce market on the side of the road and was confused where the door was but once we got inside I knew we made a great choice! I had the BLT club and would recommend to anyone! There’s also a whole freezer full of fruits and stuff to make smoothies. I didn’t get one but definitely will next time!
Ps. Order the homemade pork rinds with Mississippi Fever sauce then buy a bottle to take home!

Husband loves bread pudding. The Tomato Place has slices you can take home with you. That’s a good thing because you will not leave home hungry. We cleared out their cooler of bread pudding. 3 regular and 2 chocolate. Two words. …Oh My! When we heated these up they were spectacular. So much so my husband wants me to call them and get their recipe. I was surprised he actually let me partake in some bread pudding and didn’t keep it all for himself. Highly recommend!

Felt bad that we couldn’t stay and try the food here. We were really hungry and couldn’t find any restaurants with decent vegetarian offerings. We really had high hopes, but nothing jumped off the menu at us in the time it took for my claustrophobic flight mode to go into high gear. Spaces are way too tight, and it was rather dirty.

WORTH THE STOP! I was passing through while moving from AL to CA, and read about this place on the Roadtrippers App.
They have fresh local produce/​goodies — mostly tomatoes and peaches, though I’d guess that varies by season, as well as honey and BBQ/​hot sauces — smoothies and a small café. It made for a great roadside lunch stop +bathroom break.
They fill cups of fruit and juice and place them in a freezer for you to pull from. Pick your poison, and they blend it up into a smoothie for you right there on the spot. I had the Peaches ‘n’ Cream, and it was a perfect end-​of-​summer treat.
I also grabbed lunch and HIGHLY recommend the Fried Green Tomato BLT. I was full with the sandwich + smoothie and felt no need for sides, but they did offer fries and the like. My friend had a traditional BLT + fries and loved it.
I docked one star because, while 2 of the 3 ladies working were super nice, there was one who could deal with an attitude check and customer service training.

Absolutely delicious sandwiches, and very kind service. I had the grilled cheese (plus avocado and goat cheese) and my companion had the tuna melt, add pickles. Both were so good! Perfectly warm, melty, and toasted!
We stopped through on our way through town, but will definitely be back!

Funky, dirty, and interesting. Some good like the smoothies and fried tomatoes. But I would say a bit overpriced.
I also wanted to pick up a walking stick they had there for my mom, who collects them, but at $ 175 for a lacquered branch with a little tire rubber screwed on the bottom, no way!

This place is kind of funky but not in a good way. Kind of dirty inside. Very small.
Oh yes they make you pay for tap water/​$ 1. What is up with that. The catfish platter was just OK. I have had much better. They advertise that they grow their tomatoes year round, but when pressed they told me they got them from FL. Oh well they can’t all be good. Pass on this one if I was you.

Food sounded excellent but after twenty wasted minutes of driving around using Google maps and the address provided on Unilocal we never found the place. Instead, we were directed to a firehouse between Polk and National Street. I called and spoke with three separate employees all who continued to explain directions like «keep going all the way down the road» «it’s a right and around a curve» all the way? Around a curve? What does that even mean? I was clear as to what roads we were passing and gave large landmark buildings/​businesses I don’t know what else we could have done. DO NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FROM Unilocal. Hope you have better luck than we did.

We stopped here by accident and decided to check it out. It looked interesting considering it seemed to have a food side and an antique store. We went to the food side first and decided to eat breakfast there. We got a turkey sandwich, catfish po’boy and tuna sandwich. Upon the first bite I noticed the freshness of the ingredients. It was awesome to find such a unique place and by total accident! And to think we almost ate at a Waffle House

Beware– Charming appearances do not imply anything else.
Everyone knows that ordering a po-​boy is not the same as ordering a sandwich – two categories that are both offered at The Tomato Place.
HOWEVER…
The «po-boy’s» came out with regular slices of toast instead of French bread or any type of sub bread. They essentially gave us sandwiches.
If I wanted an ordinary sandwich, I wouldn’t have said PO-​BOY.
And then the fried yams came out…
5 pieces.
The rest were just regular fries (compensation, clearly).
Finally, when asking if there was any tap water (not bottled), the waiter brought out a cup of water and said she was just «giving it to me even though it’s typically charged». I was grateful… until the bill came out and there it was…$ for water.
And just to salt the wound further, the tasteless waiter had the audacity to peddle goods and samples to us while we were eating our frugally-​prepared, inaccurate meals.
And when we paid, the two waitresses overtly began a conversation about frequently not having enough change to order a burger at McDonald’s…ahem.leave us a fat tip.
Just…stop.

Excellent sandwiches! Jamaican burger
Was perfectly cooked
BLT was also good
A little to much mayo
But the flavor was great and the tomatoes were excellent!

Come hungry and prepare to be wowed by things that are different from traditional places you come across in the south.

Had my first visit to The Tomato Place yesterday. First off, no AC, but plenty of fans there. It was overcast, so that kept the heat down. This place is your typical ‘road side’ fruit stand place with the added feature of some good food.
We started with their sauce, Mississippi Fever on some pork skins. The sauce is excellent. We brought a bottle home! If you are in a hurry, this may not be the place for you. One cook I believe, but they do a great job. Just set aside some time to eat.
Started with an appetizer of fried green tomatos. They were cooked perfect and tasted great. I had the shrimp poboy– very solid. My wife had the tomato pie with a side of fried okra. I highly recommend this. Another family member had the BLT with vidalia onion. Both commented it was good.
Another good dish is the fried catfish. Either as a plate or a po-​boy. And my wife really liked the smoothie she had.
A neat place to stop on Hwy 61 when you have time.