This little out in Mayo place serves great mama's southern cooking. Lots of selection on the buffet and the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. read more

It had been over a decade since I'd last visited the Mayo Café and I think it's fair to upgrade from two to three stars, but barely. I came by for dinner and it's clear they do a bigger business for lunch yet they did have their buffet out though it was well picked-over. I shudder to think some of it might have been out since lunch but probably not the case: probably just that I arrived around 6pm and the senior citizens got there at 5pm and snatched up most of it already. As Mr. Bruce remarked back in 2011, the whole place seems a bit dismal, grimy, and needs updating badly. The service however was super friendly and what you'd expect in a small town in the South, no complaints there at all. However the upgrade to three stars despite lingering misgivings is because what they did have out on the buffet was really good: good fried chicken this time around, good slowly-simmered greens, and absolutely excellent cornbread. Plus Watergate salad! You don't see that often anymore anywhere save maybe a church's dinner on the grounds! Watergate salad is a very mid-century Jell-o-based "salad" of, well, Jell-o and marshmallows mostly. You never see it in restaurants so I was delighted it made an appearance here. The potato salad also was really nice. So for that, three stars but they need to ensure plenty of food is set out (I scraped up the last of the greens in example) and the cleanliness and atmosphere does really need some help. read more

Quick service and fantastic hot food. We might have taken it to go but it didn't last very long in the car! Great place to stop to fuel yourself after an afternoon of scalloping. Would return again. read more

A friend took me here a few times. A nice diner with a choice to eat from menu or hot buffet. Food is good and the prices are affordable. The service is quick and friendly. They have barbecue chicken, fried chicken, Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, greens and corn also had shepherds pie yummy. They do have fish also which is from menu I haven't tried yet. read more

Great old fashioned restaurant nothing fancy just great old fashioned southern food have menu or buffet been going off and on for years family own I fixed my place and looked down and about to cry I looked like my Mama serving my supper and almost tasted like my momma's and it getting harder to find food like that I guess I'm a old North Florida boy but to me it's the best food I was born and raised on we never ate fast they always said a couple dollars more eat eat something healthy read more

We came through Mayo from Steinhatchee and saw this place on Yelp ... 4 stars out of 5. Pretty impressive for Mayo, FL! We were super excited to try the southern cooking that people talked about in the reviews. I was raised eating southern and soul food so I was super pumped. We all three decided to make plates from the buffet. Fried chicken, barbecue chicken, greens, Northern beans, corn, beef a Roni/mac & cheese with beef, cornbread, green beans, rice, salad bar. The chef here has a super heavy hand when it comes to salt. I love me some greens, but these were inedible they were so salty. The vegetables were literally all from McCann. Which was super disappointing. The beef a Roni was decent. Honestly the best thing about the whole Buffay was the fried chicken. It wasn't as salty. If I ever came back here literally I would order fried chicken with no sides. Hopefully, they can improve upon their quality because the concept was great. read more

See all

Great southern cooking, had a delicious burger and fries! Very friendly service, highly recommend!

Great buffet with some home style food. Fried, BBQ chicken, Mac N cheese with ground beef, etc. salad bar, banana pudding, other items. Only downside is this place is older and needs a very deep clean. Lots of locals. read more

This place is a staple in the area, because there really isn't anything else. If you want to eat at a dirty and very dated disgusting looking greasy spoon, then this is the place for you. I've been here three times. Gave it a go. Gave it a second chance. Was desperately hungry after a trip and felt despair at having to eat here, but we did. Every time it has been a disappointment. The buffet is small, very small. The buffet food is always cold. I can't stop looking at the filthy water stained ceilings and the tremendously worn floor. The part worst than the cold food is that the tables are ALWAYS VERY STICKY! And they come and try to wipe them with a filthy disgusting rag! The only good thing I can say about this place is that the staff are always very friendly and accommodating. It's unfortunate such good people have to work at such a tacky worn down extremely dated and dirty restaurant. I had a 4th chance to eat here once, and said H*LL NO, and I went to the gas station nearby and got some pb crackers and a cold pre-made ham & cheese sandwich instead. (Which was quite tasty actually!) Sorry, Mayo Cafe, but your place is horrendous! Clean it up. Give it a make-over, and get your waitstaff and kitchen crew some decent kitchen appliances, such as a buffet that will keep food warm! I think you had those orange-red overhead hanging heat lamps in use last time-- NOT ACCEPTABLE! Doesn't the FL Dept of Health inspect you guys? HOW in the H*LL do you even pass eventually? Truly, this place should be closed down due to simple sanitation failures. UCGHHK! read more

If your hungry and dont care about the dirty atmophere then this place is for you. The prices are outrageous. The food is gross. The service is awful. The only decent person is the young lady Ayla. The rest will ignore you. Best place to go is Mayo subs or Crickets Deli. read more

Great southern cooking & good prices. We eat here every time we're in the area. Bon appetite

A quaint restaurant in a cool little town. Although it isn' posh, both the food and the service are terrific! I love their grilled chicken sandwich (or a cheeseburger!) and fries. Always hot and fresh. read more

There might be a little dust on the bottle, but don't let it fool you about what's inside

This was delicious. We were exploring nearby springs and needed a place for lunch. All my friends loved what they ordered: delicious burgers, curly fries, milkshakes, and a yummy buffet (the beef-a-roni was simply divine). A quintessential, fun diner vibe. read more

restaurant is dirty and the food is gross. can't believe they charged so much. We ordered the Buffett, cold food and overcooked.

If you like southern cooking then this place is good. They have a buffet every day if the week, Friday is fish night and Wednesday has great pasta on the buffet. The reason it gets 4 stars and not 5 is the service is a little slow, the amount of choices on the buffet are limited, and it is a little expensive for a family. We average around $60 when we eat here on Sundays. Ms Cindy is great!! read more

The food and service was all excellent!!! We made multiple trips!!! Everything on the menu was good and the sweet tea was delicious!!!

Well this is a place I normally would not stop at but our favourite mayo haunt was closed and we were hungry. A little messy, tables a little sticky, deer head with fly traps on the antlers...i kid you not, see pic . But if you can get past all of that and grew up in a small little town like me you might be surprised. Food was pretty good. Buffet looked tasty although we ordered off menu. I would not drive to eat here but I would go back. read more

See all

This place is so good and they truly work their hardest to make it the best experience! Homecookin done right!! Make sure you ask for a milkshake they put anything in it!!! read more

I was going into mayo for a dive trip at peacock springs and this was the top rated In the town so here I am. I will start this immediately with this advice. Just go to live oak to eat. The waitress we had was rude and pretty much threw our food on the table. We didn't receive a single drink refill during the entire visit. 2 of us ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich and the other 2 had tenders. I'm not big on spicy food but this had almost no flavor. I ate half of my sandwich and took the rest to go. The curly fries were the best part of the meal. I really expected more out of this place. read more

Went there twice second time they wouldn't wait on me and left with out any service after 15 minutes. First trip was better but the food was all carbs and greasy meat with no veggies. The place is mediocre at best and seems to dislike new people. Will not be going back. read more

I don't like Mac-n-Cheese particularly. I want to move to Mayo, Florida so I can eat the Mayo Cafe's Mac-n-Cheese. A meat-n-three buffet that fulfilled my Southern soul's need for greens and peas on New Year's Day. And taught me to crave Mac-n-Cheese. Beef so tender, it could be cut with a fork. Fried chicken fit to take to a family reunion. Mashed potatoes that had been peeled and boiled that morning. If it's on your way, stop and eat. If it's not on your way, change your route. read more

We had the buffet the food was about average the salad bar was lacking. I wouldn't make a special trip to come here. A little pricey for what you get. read more

Mayo Cafe - Southern Near Me - Mayo, Florida

This is the kind of restaurant we look for when we travel. A diamond in the rough. Walked in the place and there was a buffet with all my husband's favorites. Fried chicken was wonderful, as was the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and beans with ham. Probably should stick with the buffet. My cheese omelet was so-so. Service was excellent and the staff was very nice. read more

The food here is great! We love spending the weekend on the Suwannee river and this is the perfect place to enjoy dinner afterwards. Prices are great for the buffet. I'm rating 4 stars though because once the food was gone, which was very quickly for the size of our party, nothing was replenished. We asked for more macaroni and was told there was none, a few minutes later they put out some that they found- but it was ice cold. Gross. read more

We stopped for breakfast. While we were there they were setting up the lunch buffet. It looked very good. I wish we had waited for lunch. Service was friendly and fast. The place needed a facelift and a good scrubbing. read more

The food is good, the people are nice, the service is prompt. Biggest problem is it does not seat a whole lot of people so there is usually a wait on Sundays at lunch time. The buffet is pretty limited, so order off the menu. It is a little over priced but so is everything else in Mayo. read more

Another good buffet to visit after a day of cave diving. Has the usual suspects on the buffet. As with other buffets in the area, the dining room is festooned with hunting trophies. The service is as expected and the prices are reasonable. Remember, it is "All You Can Eat" not "Eat All You Can"! You're heart will thank you later. read more

If you like good ole country food you don't need to go pass Mayo Cafe for sometime old south country eats. We put this one on our top ten southern food places. $ Sincerely neighbors and keen folks need to put th this on your list to try Sincerely, Hal read more

Just an average southern style buffet. The whole place needs to be updated and thoroughly cleaned. Table tops are sticky, not from being dirty just that they were put in the restaurant back in 1960 and well after 50 years the surface of the table has just worn out. Unless you can't find anything else open in town then I'd say keep driving on to the next town where you might find a better meal. read more

Small unassuming hometown roadside cafe. I was traveling in an rv and wanted a quick lunch so pulled in. Not much to look at but I was warmly greeted by staff. I explained I just wanted a something to go and she said I could order off the menu or fill a to go container from the buffet. So upon inspection I said that buffet will do nicely. Wow. Salad to desert with many options. I loved their bar-b-q chicken. Slathered in a sweet sauce and fork tender. Their Lima beans Cooke with ham altho a bit overdone was not salty and very tasty. And I had green beans and corn and a pasta dish and a slice of cornbread. Plus banana and chocolate pudding. All for $9.57! It's a busy place. read more

Off the chart! Don't judge a place by how it looks or it's location. Had Thanksgiving Lunch there today and it was the best turkey I've ever had anywhere! Looking forward to the trip home to try it again! Thanks, read more

Best fried chicken I ever had anywhere!!! Basic southern food otherwise, not much atmosphere, but best place near mayo to eat.

We happen to be in the area so we found this little gem on Google maps. We stopped in on a Saturday evening while thy were serving takeout buffet which included a salad. They had a salbury steak, fried chicken, fried shrimp and a fish option. Had all the expected southern side options including a delicious yam dish. Staff was friendly but busy as I think there were only a couple of workers. It is a place focused on the food, not the decor, please stop by and say hi and the Jeremy sent you. They won't know who that is, but it'll make you look important, lol. read more

Not very impressive, even for a hole in the wall diner. Had a blonde haired tattoo covered server named Heather who was more into texting and talking on her cell phone than dealing with taking orders, bringing a check or being even slightly server like read more

The buffet was amazing!! So many southern style options to choose from. Word to the wise: it's either you eat here or Subway and then ride another 20 miles or so before you find something else. We were on a cycling trip when we saw this place, and we are so glad we stopped in. The people working there were also super friendly! read more

Good service and phenomenal food (personally recommend the bacon burger). Very simple, low-priced, small place with a small town feel.

Had lunch this afternoon - the Southern cooking buffet : Man was it good !!! If you like candied yams, black eyed peas, fried chicken, cornbread, mac and cheese, meat loaf , etc. , this is for you. I'll be back ! read more

Oh. My. Goodness! And goodness it is. The Sunday buffet was so yummy...crispy tender fried chicken, fall off the bone ribs, the best cabbage with ham, and so much more. It is a terrific deal for all the food you can eat, with the nicest staff. This cafe is a great example of roadside culinary goodness! read more

It's very good food a local businesses very supportive lots of fine people go here. The service is kind and fast and unlike the previous reviews there is FRIED CHICKEN!!! The best in Mayo. They have very good food and lots of sides the salad bar is fresh and a good southern feel. They higher local students mostly to work so it teaches them good work ethic and they do a find job. I like their food and while your hear order you a burger. read more