When I am traveling, I love to find places that are not just about food, but about the experience…read more The Hatter Cafe is one. Picture a place that transports you into Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. That tables are all themed according to different characters. The waitress dressed like Alice. A small store - the Rabbit Hole - where you can shop while you wait. This shop has all sorts of merchandise that is Wonderland themed (as well as some huge, excellent cake cookies). Welcome to the Hatter Cafe. This is one of two spots you see recommended for Mentone, Alabama, which is on my route from Nashville to Rome, Georgia. The drive up to the place takes up up a road with some beautiful scenery. You pass through the town of Mentone and the Hatter Cafe is on the right. This is also a bed & breakfast for those wishing to visit nearby Desoto State Park, and its falls, or Cloudlands, which is a bit further. I have included pix of the BnB. Only 2 rooms, but each has a hot tub. The menu is limited and focused, although there are ample choices for even the choosiest of guests. Not surpringly, they have an ample selection of teas (and coffee for the non-tea lover). We sat at the Humpty Dumpty table and decided on the Ribeye with both Mushroom Gravy (mine) and Peppercorn Sauce (hers). Meal starts with a salad made from local produce, which was clear from the freshness of the tomatoes. Off to a great start. Then the steak. The sauces are on the side, so you can opt in or out (in other words, don't be afraid to order one). Of the two sauces, I thought I would like the mushroom gravy more, but the peppercorn was phenomenal. Veggies also local and prepared to perfection. This is one I would gladly return to in the future and may even book a room the next time. Thanks to the staff for allowing us to preview the rooms.

Took a trip up to try the Hatter after having it on my bookmark list for years. I was excited as a…read morecoworker had been recently and enjoyed it. The drive through the Mentone area is always beautiful and there's lots of cool studios and artsy things to do in the surrounding area. I will say they absolutely delivered on the Alice in Wonderland theme. It's wall-to-wall memorabilia, decorations, and cute ideas that allude to the classic story. If you're an Alice fan...definitely check it out. I wouldn't mind a few more Cheshire cats, though. :) Service was okay, honestly a bit disheveled and didn't seem in the best mood. We arrived early for lunch around 11:15. They initially sat our party of 3 at a table with chairs for 8-10. My mom even asked if they were sure they wanted to put us there and they affirmed the decision. They seemed confused that we were there and unsure what to do with us, even though I don't think anyone else who came in after us had a reservation or anything. Anyway, about 5 minutes later a giant party rolled up and they wound up moving us anyway. Fortunately we hadn't gotten drinks or anything yet. Due to the large size of some of the furniture pieces, navigation around the restaurant can be a little challenging. Also, the chair I sat in at table 2.0 had a sort of musty smell that I didn't love, lol. Minor nitpicks but it does sort of add up. Anyway, we placed our orders for food. They have a nice menu for teas and I'm sure it would be fun to have a tea party here, but it was too hot for me to partake. My mom got the biscuit BLT, my dad had a turkey wrap, and I got the chicken and biscuits, which is a bit like a chicken pot pie without bottom crust. For sides, my parents got the baked potato salad and crunchy pea salad, and I got the southern hot corn casserole. The sides were definitely the high point. The pea salad was crisp and refreshing and the baked potato salad was creamy and flavorful. My corn casserole wasn't terribly spicy but had a nice blend of flavors and textures, though it was perhaps slightly overcooked (the cheese on top was approaching crispy). They also didn't initially bring it out with my meal, but got it quickly after I asked for it. The entrees, however, fell flat. Mine was probably the most successful but it was ultimately pretty bland and there wasn't a whole lot of chicken in the meal -- mostly biscuits and gravy/filling. My mom's bacon in her BLT was very badly overcooked (even for someone who likes crispier bacon) and the biscuits were pretty crumbly. And my dad's turkey wrap was super underwhelming, about like what you'd buy pre-prepared from the deli section at Target or something. I sound like I'm coming across harsh and I wouldn't say we had a bad time, just the food didn't really meet our hopes/expectations. Definitely delivered on theme and decor. I think it's worth a try if you're a huge Alice in Wonderland fan or just enjoy whimsy in your life. The menu is creative and breakfast offerings sound good; perhaps it just wasn't quite our day that day. I'm glad I got the chance to try it out though.

Great service, ample parking Neice facilities inside. Don't…read moreorder the side salad. It's less than a handful. The pizza is made with a refrigerated crust like you would buy at Kroger's Look over the menu they do have some great choices other than those It's a great little hideaway give it a try

I absolutely love this cafe. I have been coming here for years. The food and service are amazing. I…read morewould absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for some delicious food and a friendly atmosphere.

So looking for a treat to tide us over until we were able to get seated for lunch, we found…read moreourselves at the Village Ice Cream Shoppe. Quite a few people seemed to have the same idea as us. Wait was a few minutes at the walk up counter, but the gentleman running the place was very nice and sociable as he was fixing/taking orders. My gf had a scoop of ice cream in a cone (she thought it was amazing), one of her sons had a root beer float which he seemed to enjoy. Her other son had a shake and I had one as well. Neither of us were impressed because they had way too much milk and very little ice cream. The Butterfinger Crunch, had virtually no butterfinger flavoring. He said his was the same way. So, I would recommend for the scoops in a cone or the root beer float, but not for the shake.

Cutest little ice cream shop with blue bell ice cream. Very generous portions and great prices. He…read morealso has a large variety of sodas which was nice as well as food options.

Fun menu with lots of creative coffee flavors. Great place to hang out with your hot drink and a…read morebook.

Awesome locally run coffee shop. Family owned, easy parking, lots of home baked goods. Terrific…read moreseating. A must stop in this great local city.

The boba tea was great and staff were both super friendly! Will gladly go again. I have never seen…read moreor heard of blueberry popping pearls but decided to try it in my strawberry milk tea , it was delicious !

They have the best fried catfish in the world. My only regret is I've been on a diet, so I don't…read morefrequent this establishment as much anymore. However, they have great food. Everything I've tried there is amazing and in my opinion it's the biggest hidden gem in the area as far as restaurants go. You're missing out if you haven't tried it yet.

Weird looks upon walking in. I assume due to my Hispanic girlfriend. Waited 35 minutes for an okay…read moreburger, okay okra, shit country fried steak (if you want to call it that) and shit onion rings. Never again.

Everything on the menu is great. I have been there many times for lunch and dinner. The service is…read morewonderful with a fun atmosphere.

Food was very good. Service was ok but our waitress seemed distracted at times. The decor is…read moreinteresting and eclectic. There was live music about to start which was interesting because the dining areas are quit small.

We stopped by Scooter's for some beverages and popped in here on a whim. The donuts are super…read morefresh and light. We got the donut holes for the kids ($1.79 for a dozen is a super deal too!) and I got a maple bar for myself. My husband got a cinnamon sugar twist donut and he said it was good too. The lady serving the donuts was really nice and we were in and out of there quickly. It seemed like a good place to drop in and pick up donuts after grabbing our beverages a little down the street. Delicious!

Really tasty, with a great selection to please most everyone! Some filled options, traditional…read moreglazed, and some with fun toppings (bacon, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, etc.). Reminds me of after-church donuts as a kid.