Great breakfast spot near the Muscle Shoals recording studio. Lovely, kind workers and great food.

Plate of food is good down home cooking. Very friendly people. Small town cafe. First time visit and will probably be back when in the area. read more

I really wanted this to be amazing because of the reviews. I think it depends on what you order. My salmon was a patty and I tried really hard to find the meat in there. Waitress told me everything was homemade,-- I specifically asked if the green beans were canned. She said absolutely not--- haha those were the most perfectly cut green beans I have ever seen, and they tasted as canned as they come. The desserts were bland. Hubby liked his grilled chicken. I kept looking at the meatloaf on another diner's plate, thinking it would have been a better choice. This might be Southern cooking by some standards but I think there is much better and more authentic out there. read more

Stopped by the Box Car Cafe this morning after an early Dr appointment. The food was awesome (eggs, bacon, grits, toast, coffee, OJ), as well as the service. Everyone was very friendly, and my breakfast was on the table within 10 minutes, which seemed very fast. The atmosphere reminded me of a cafe my Dad took me too in Huntsville when I was six. The place was pretty busy, but the staff were on top of everything. I highly recommend it for a nice, old-style southern breakfast. read more

The STAFF is amazing and the food is just GOOD . The country ham is as big as the plate it's served on.

Excellent Food, Excellent Service, and Excellent Ambiance! My sister and I ate breakfast together at the Boxcar Cafe in Downtown Sheffield which is across the street from Sheffield Utilities and not far from the railroad tracks either right after my 8:00 AM doctors appointment at Medical Associates Of The Shoals and even though we did not see a train it's possible and likely that we heard one go by while we were there and I had the chocolate gravy biscuits with bacon and bologna and coffee with 2 creamers added with the coffee and it was excellent and anytime we are up early going somewhere in the city of Sheffield that's the place we are going to go every time! If you're in the city of Sheffield or going to Sheffield and you want to eat breakfast somewhere in town I highly recommend you go to the Boxcar Cafe! It's one of the best restaurants in the city of Sheffield! read more

This place is a hidden gem. Very small and hospitable. Every time I come here, I get the vegetable omelette it's so good! Next time you are in Alabama check it out! read more

Box Car Cafe - Vegetable omelette, grits, and a biscuit! - American Near Me - Sheffield, Alabama

Great home town cooking servers who care and coffee that's hot, love the old fashioned decor covering all the walls really makes you put that phone down and just enjoy your breakfast, eggs cooked Just how i asked tenderloin was slightly dry but not enough to hurt the rating, recommend for a great easy start to the day :) read more

Awesome little home town restaurant. Great service, good food and prices are not bad at all.

We were a little hesitant at first to go in, but it was a good choice. I had bbq chicken, and it was fall of the bone. You get so much food I couldn't eat all of it. It was $20 for two full lunches. read more

Such lovely service. Everyone was very friendly. Food is delicious!!! I included a picture of the western omelette, sausage, egg and cheese biscuit w potatoes & grits and couldn't resist a good chocolate gravy biscuit. 10/10 read more

Box Car Cafe - Western Omelette - American Near Me - Sheffield, Alabama

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Ohhhhhhh, myyyyyy gooooodness! My husband and I, traveling through to home (Texas) were looking for a good place to eat. The name caught our attention, but the food took our hearts . The waitresses are beyond friendly and very attentive. I had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, black eyed peas, Mexican cornbread AND banana pudding, absolutely delicious!!!! My husband had barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, green beans, a yummy roll, AND Mississippi mud cake. All for $18. WHAAAT?? Yep! It's off the beaten track of the main thoroughfares but well the drive. Get here before 11:30, it gets really busy I hear. read more

First time try. No complaints, service, atmosphere, food was spot on. I had seen this " hole in the wall" place. We finally had breakfast there. We had omelets. Tasty and served in a very timely manner. read more

Box Car Cafe - Some decor - American Near Me - Sheffield, Alabama

Great Food. Great Service! Great Prices! Friendly Service. Small dining room. Daily plata lunch includes beverage and dessert. Breakfast served till 10. read more

Love this place when I can catch it open. It's a small little restaurant in spring park, good home-cooked food.

Order up. Your taters and chopped steak are ready. For those of you who grew up in the American South, this is Mom's kitchen. Except Mom ain't here. It's an unfriendly lady dripping her sweat into your gravy in the kitchen. Don't worry. They got a 96 on their health rating. Keep repeating that, as your eyes search the kitchen for any sign of hairnets, gloves, or hand soap. Still searching? Well, Mom never had any of that. Okay, Mom used hand soap. And she didn't have that hacking cough. Long and short of it? It's a great place to get home cooking. It is what it is. It's a hole in the wall corner shop, which hasn't been repainted, renovated, (or maybe even cleaned), since the mid 1970s. The waitresses are friendly. They're all family. Okay, maybe not the African-American girl. But she's my favorite, anyway. They're only open for lunch, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get there early, or the mac and cheese will be gone. They write their menu selections on a dry erase board every day. For the lunch plate you get a meat, three vegetables, roll or cornbread, and a dessert. Six bucks. Not bad. Usually some pork chops, chicken spaghetti, and steak fingers find their way onto the menu. Vegetables range between turnips, black eyed peas, and mashed potatoes. You might mistake the lunch crowd for a meeting of the Good Ole' Boy Club, but don't let that deter you. March right in and grab a seat. The waitresses are just as friendly whether you have a necktie or cutoffs on. Teeth not required. Now the worst. The sweet tea is too sweet. Consistently. I try not to wonder if my silverware has actually been washed. This place is a local landmark. It's southern home cooking without fanfare and flashy signs. It's a good deal, it's good food, and the people are friendly. You could do a lot worse for lunch in Sheffield. read more

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My favorite breakfast spot in the Shoals Delicious breakfasts and lunches at a reasonable price

Delicious food. Great atmosphere and wonderful waitress. Perfect hole in wall restaurant.

Bring cash or you will find yourself walking to a nearby bank to use the ATM. (True story - happened to me today.) Cheap lunch and pretty tasty food. The server taking our order claimed their burgers were hand made patties and not frozen. I'm pretty sure she lied - Ok - maybe she didn't lie and she just misunderstood the question. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. I ordered the chicken/dressing plate lunch with mashed potatoes/gravy, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. It came also with a choice of bread and dessert. I opted for a roll and some homemade banana pudding. I'm a sucker for homemade banana pudding. The chicken/dressing was yummy - not dry and suffocating like lots of restauraunt's dressing can be. The dressing was topped with gravy (aka cream of chicken soup) which I initially found to be odd but as I am finding out to be a normitave addition. I guess I've just been spoiled to mom's giblet gravy while growing up. The cranberry sauce that was on the side was a decent size portion - it wasn't sliced as I generally see and the can imprint was still on the sauce. - Another oddity to me - Damn it mom for spoiling me as you did! Mashed potatoes/gravy were awesome! As close to mom's as I am going to get and the green beans and mac/cheese were your typical green beans and mac/cheese. :) The roll was a nice addition to the meal, as was the small portion of banana pudding, which was absolutely excellent if I may say so myself. :D It's a good thing I skipped breakfast this morning - It was a massive amount of food! My husband ordered a burger. He is somewhat of a burger conniseur (sp??) Not the absolute best burger we have tasted but far far far from the worst. The fries were your typical crinkle cut (they also have tator tots - which I prefer) but their ranch is homemade, which scores major points in my book! The hubby enjoyed the sweet tea, said it was some of the best - which is saying a lot. He's rather picky. It's a hole-in-the-wall cluttered as hell little diner/cafe - whatever you want to call it. Service was good, staff was friendly, and the food is not bad. Kinda reminds you of what momma used to cook when you were growing up. We'll be back.....with cash next time. read more

Well, first of all let me say that the previous person to comment has apparently not eaten at The Boxcar Cafe more than once. I do see that this person is from Florence-glad you could make the long drive over. The Boxcar Cafe has been in business for 3 years, going on 4 this October. It would seem that they must be doing something right to stay in business this long which is a record in Sheffield and continuously receive a health department rating of 96 and above. I have eaten at this establishment many times and have never had a complaint. It's as close as you get to eating "at a friends" house. Although the building is old (what building in Sheffield is not old?), the owner makes it work with what she has. There is only so much that you can do with a building of that size which is used for a restaurant. The food is made from scratch every day which is more than alot of large chain restaurants can say. Not to mention the variety and price are the best around. The owner and employees are all very nice and welcoming and the service is great. As for the hand soap and gloves-they do exist as I have seen them in use. Hairnets? You must have had a bad " school cafeteria" experience. I cant recall the last restaurant locally or across the USA that I have eaten at in the last 10 years where hairnets have been worn. The comment about the lady sweating in the gravy? I think that was uncalled for. I know that she trys her best to keep it cool and comfortable in the dining area for the customers. The kitchen on the other hand during the summer months does get hot-that happens everywhere. It seems strange that out of the hundreds of people that eat at the Boxcar, you are the only one to complain. It's funny that as often as I eat there, the tables can't be cleaned fast enough for the line of customers coming thru the door. Oh, by the way, thanks for the pics of the place. Now everyone will know where to go. Breakfast is also being served now-wonderful food as well. I am sure the previous poster would like to check that out and post their thoughts on the morning cook and waitress??? As for me- see you at the Boxcar! read more

Unremarkable exterior, warm cozy interior, friendly staff and great food! I recommend breakfast open at 5am serve till 10. If you don't stop here you missin out! Don't take bank cards so bring cash! read more

This is by far my favorite place to eat! The atmosphere is so friendly and the food is wonderful. The people that work here really make you feel welcome and really make you feel apart of the family. Even fellow customers become your friends after awhile. The service is great and the prices are very reasonable. The hardest part is sometimes finding a table because they have become so busy. Word is getting out about this little Cafe and it's no wonder, it's fantastic. The ambiance of the small little building really gives it some extra charm. I'm a little surprised by the first comment that was left and I have to agree with M B, they obviously haven't eaten there much. The owner is one of the sweetest, kindest people I have ever met and the people working there are always nice. I eat there several times a week and have never seen anything unsanitary or unclean. When it's really busy, it's not unlikely to come in and see a messy table waiting to be cleaned but it doesn't take them long to fix that. It's just a matter of when you walk in. They are constantly walking around cleaning and washing dishes in the back and keep things looking nice and presentable. I absolutely love the Box Car and I have introduced so many people to it. I'm so glad that we have a restaurant with high quality food and service right here locally. Those people have become my friends and I take offense when harsh comments are said about them. You all should go visit the Box Car for yourselves and see what a great place it is! I'll probably be there with you! read more

the food is so good just wish they had a bigger place and was open longer hours otherwise no complaints

omg amazing haha I would eat here every day I love it so good and a good price love it