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    Mel's Old Times Cafe

    4.5 (32 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Mel's Old Times Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    MEL'S OLD TIMES CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Mel's Old Times Cafe

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    Front of Restaurant
    Lynn C.

    The Spencer/Fall Creek Falls area does have a wide selection of restaurants but we tried Old Times Cafe this morning for breakfast. It was a very good country breakfast! We had eggs and bacon with biscuits and gravy. I also added some country ham. Very good meal and I would definitely eat there again. They do not accept cards but there's a bank with ATM close by.

    Catfish and Onion Rings
    Tim M.

    Great home town cafe experience. No joke, the best cat fish and slaw we've ever had. Burger was good and hush puppies were amazing. If you like country cooking you'll love this place. Don't be snooty about the building, it's old but very clean. We met Mike, the owner and he couldn't have been more personable. If you're traveling up/down HWY 111 or camping at Fall Creek Falls it's worth the trip. Yummy!!!

    Remnants of Bacon Cheeseburger w/ Fries.
    Eric H.

    There isn't a whole lot in Spencer, TN, but the Old Times Cafe is nice little diner to grab something to eat. The restaurant is very affordable and the owners are very nice and stopped to see how the food was. I got the bacon cheeseburger with fries and it was a good diner style burger. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the bacon cheeseburger before I ate it. I don't know if I'll ever be back to Spencer, but if I do I'll make sure to stop by Old Times Cafe.

    Fried catfish, slaw, and onion rings.
    Cloey B.

    This place is a hole in the wall with delicious comfort food. We had the fried catfish and it was great! The owner is very nice and has been in business for 24yrs. Definitely swing by if you are in or around Fall Creek Falls.

    Doug B.

    Outstanding cafe in Spencer! During our week at Fall Creek Falls, we had eaten in Pikeville, Crossville, Cookeville and Nashville. The Old Times Cafe is as good and better than other places we tried (we stayed away from chains). There's something for everybody, very well priced, friendly excellent service. We had the seafood buffet, outstanding! Lemon pepper grilled chicken, superb, and chili cheese dog with onion rings, a 10! Just like the good ol' days. Cash only. Highly recommend!!! We would love to try their breakfast.

    BBQ pulled pork sandwich with potato wedges ($7 -ish)

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

    Food is great!!! We really enjoyed the small diner & service was great too. Staff & owner were friendly & welcoming.

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    The burger with wedge taters was DELICIOUS! I hate that it's so far away from my home but don't miss it if you are in the area!

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    8 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    They had a grease fire and ate currently closed. Be sure to call before you drive to the restaurant.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food and service!! Each day is a different special. Chicken liver on Thursdays are my favorite. Not open on the weekends.

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Yummmy!! Good food after a long hike at Falls Creek Falls. Inexpensive too. Nothing fancy but full of really nice people!

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    5 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Placed a 2 go order & half the food was not given to us. Cheat!!! When we called multiple times, they would not answer the phone!

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    9 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Mel's Old Times Cafe

    Cumberland Biscuit Company - Beignets

    Cumberland Biscuit Company

    4.3(79 reviews)
    18.0 mi
    $$

    Best food I've had on this Tennessee trip! We drove about 35 minutes from our airbnb to eat here…read moreand it was SO WORTH IT! Quaint breakfast spot with very kind staff. The BEST scotch eggs I've ever had and served with a mustard aioli that just completes the dish. The Fred eggs Benedict was delicious. Thick piece of ham that was like cutting through butter. Paired with the cheddar grits, which were also amazing! If you're in the area and a foodie this place is a MUST! They also had chocolate gravy... yes that's correct... chocolate! We didn't try it but I'm sure it's great. Fun fact... there's a QR code in the front at the hostess stand and in the bathroom for 25% off your first meal if you sign up for texts! Make sure you tip good, this place is well worth it! We will definitely be back next time we are in town.

    Cumberland Biscuit has always been my go to breakfast place for visiting family and friends. While…read morethe service remains great and the restaurant is always clean with a friendly atmosphere, my meals during the last 3 visits have been disappointing. First visit, I asked if my waffle could be served later because I like it hot and fresh. I was told that's fine, but when they brought it out it was cold. Server offered to make it fresh and that was great. It was obviously warmed in a microwave and was floppy like a pancake when she reserved my waffle. Second visit I decided pancakes may be a better option, but when they brought them out they were hard and rubbery. This time I mentioned the previous incident and was told to specify making them fresh upon request, otherwise they remain under the warmer which makes them hard and rubbery while still warm. Makes sense. This most recent visit with family, two of us ordered the biscuits and gravy. The gravy was so watery it soaked into the biscuit making it soggy. The usually very tasty home fries were simply cooked potatoes with no seasoning (they've always been very flavorful) and the over medium eggs had runny whites. The coffee had a burnt taste which is not the norm. It's usually hot, fresh and tastes better than the average cafe coffee. The recent inconsistency in the quality of the food is really disappointing. Willing to give it another try in the future, but definitely taking a break for a spell.

    Photos
    Cumberland Biscuit Company
    Cumberland Biscuit Company - Scotch Eggs

    Scotch Eggs

    Cumberland Biscuit Company

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    Screen Door Kitchen - Fried Chicken Sandwich

    Screen Door Kitchen

    4.3(150 reviews)
    30.3 mi
    $$

    This place is an absolute treat. Set in a former turn of the century Catholic boarding school, we…read morewere surrounded by amateur art on the walls which most were for sale. We were there for lunch but I think it would lend itself to quite the romantic setting at night. My partner and I both sampled hamburgers which were excellent. I didn't read the description well and ordered the "screen door" so I was totally unprepared for the monstrosity set down in front of me. Held together by a steak knife, only the handle was visible. The 6 oz patty had a massive amount of onion rings on top with arugula, shaved lettuce, red onion and tomato rounding out the display. It was all served on a fresh and delicious brioche bun. My only failing was I missed that it was served with stone ground mustard. I don't care for it and should have requested another condiment but I ate it and didn't regret it. My partner's smash burger was very tasty and served with similar accompaniments minus the onions rings. Therefore, his burger was only about 4" tall instead of the 8" monster I tackled and I really regret we didn't get pictures! We both chose not to order fries but sampled some of the other sides offered. I chose coleslaw and I have to say I didn't eat much of it. There were some spices in it that just didn't set right with me although I know a lot of folks would be very pleased with it. The other side on the table was their take on Mac and cheese. I would order this all day, any day and twice on Sunday! It was made with large elbows which tasted as if they were boiled in chicken broth then shredded chicken was added to the mix. We also ordered a piece of pie each although after that meal, most of those went into a to-go box. The peanut butter pie had a graham cracker crust with a layer of melted chocolate then a peanut butter mixture piled about 4-5 inches high on top of that. It was very peanutty and huge so I probably should have just ordered that as my lunch. I would like to see a layer of chocolate to downplay the overwhelming peanut butter but then again, I'm a sucker for chocolate and peanut butter together. The other pie was a chocolate pecan which was okay but that's one pie that should be served warm to bring all the flavors forward. Otherwise, it was just another pecan pie variation that one can get at several restaurants. Our waiter was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the site and the food served and gave some excellent recommendations. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with him. Would I go back? You betcha! There's a lot of menu yet to discover and I have friends in Bledsoe county that I will ensure know about this place.

    Late lunch with friends. Had meat loaf, fried shrimp, cat fish and chicken livers. All very good…read more Service was also very good. Make you feel so welcome. Comfy atmosphere will definitely be back. .

    Photos
    Screen Door Kitchen
    Screen Door Kitchen - Arugula and butternut squash salad

    Arugula and butternut squash salad

    Screen Door Kitchen

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    Mel's Old Times Cafe - diners - Updated May 2026

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