The remodel is a success with open views of the mountains. The dining areas are clean and well spaced. The meat and three along with the vegetable only options are welcomed changes to the family style only meal for those desiring smaller portions. In our experience, the food was served hot and was perfectly prepared. We chose white meat chicken and received two large breast that were excellent! The two catfish fillets and four slices of meat loaf were delicious. The vegetables were Lima beans, cabbage casserole, creamed corn, potatoes au gratin, slaw and a spring salad. All were served fresh with two biscuits and two corn muffins. The relish, apple butter and Sogrum-sage butter were delightful. We were blessed to have April for our server, and highly recommend her for your visit. She shared the history of the area and is proud of the changes and history of the Dillard House. Thank you for a great meal. The fried chicken is better than I remembered. Yes, the restaurant is open, and parts of the motel are being remodeled/updated and the new hotel is under construction. Don't let the remodeling deter you from the eating at the restaurant or enjoying your favorite drink from the bar. read more

Poor service, poor food quality. Not impressed at all. Ambience is nice, very spacious, newly built, restaurant. Friendly staff. Not very attentive at all. Say for 15 minutes before the manager had to obtain a server for our table. After the food was delivered, the server did not provide adequate service. I requested a water refill, which took an additional 15 minutes, because she continually forgot. Food quality wasn't the greatest. They served chicken, which consisted of 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks. Along with friend catfish filets, that had been way over salted. Both were very soggy. I ate half the thigh and quit. Veggies? Only vegetables were Lima beans, everything else considered vegetables, was a casserole. A table full of starches. Over rated and over priced. Sadly disappointed. If you want good southern food, go further south to Thomasville, GA. Go to O'Neals. You can fool some folks, but not someone that knows southern cooking. We won't return. read more

The new Temu version sucks. So incredibly devastated and disappointed!! You should probably change the name along with all the other changes because this is NOT the Dillard House. As a local, I have gone to the Dillard House my whole life and it has always been one of my most treasured spots but sadly it will never be the same again. I visited for the first time since bought out by some Atlanta conglomerate called Legacy Ventures and boy did they just take the character and soul completely out of this place to make a buck. All of my childhood memories and the charm of the south, replaced with some generic millennial grey design bullshit and shitty recipes. Was the old place fancy and swanky? Absolutely not, but here in the country we like our charm like grandma's tried and true biscuit recipe: Not pretty but dang does it taste good. Thank God they kept the family style menu, but boy was the food NOTHING to write home about. I can't say that anything tasted as good as it used to. It was all cold and overcooked and certainly not prepared by someone from the south that knows what they're doing. The cured salty country ham that made your mouth water...bland and uncured. Missing some of the best staples the menu offered. Completely ripped out the country store and gift shop. I didn't want to believe the other locals when they told me what had happened, but now that I've experienced it, I'm not sure I can continue to support this place. They have replaced the kids from Rabun Gap that always worked there with people who are clearly not familiar with the place nor how to show Southern hospitality. I always admired the fact that they gave jobs to kids to learn how to serve the community and make a little money. Every kid should have that experience for character growth. I thought for sure I'd be able to bring my children here one day to experience the same nostalgia that is seared into my mind and heart, but sadly that will never happen now. Can we PLEASE stop selling out our cherished local spots to people who clearly don't know anything about the area or care to honor it? Let's keep the country the country and you city folk can do whatever you want there. It's also very clear that nothing is being done to improve these conditions with the onslaught of negative reviews from lifelong customers online. You may fool new customers that don't know what they're missing, but the lack of traffic on a Sunday proves the point that you aren't making changes to "honor the past experience and care about the feedback." Word of mouth travels fast. read more

My last visit was before changing Owners. This weekend I visited and found really nice remodeled inside and out. A new option on the menu good for two people, to pick Meat and 3 for reduced price. Nice option, however one of the 3 is bread and the portion size of the meatloaf was a sliver or shaving. Very disappointed. The waiter did make up for it. Next time will go in up the road to Cupboard Cafe! read more

We've been going here for years. Seen many of the ups and downs on quality but I must say this upgraded dining room is fantastic. Let's face it, half of any dining experience is the atmosphere. If you're looking for good food and an incredible setting this place still has still has it! read more

I've eaten at Dillard House for almost 40 years. I don't know who is running this place now, but it absolutely breaks my heart to see how they're gutted this place. The food is HORRIBLE! They spent a bunch of money updating the place, and I guess they tried to church-up the food, but they removed all the southern flavor from the food. They don't serve biscuits anymore. There's a thing called "biscuits" on their menu, but it's a damned Cheddar Bay biscuit from Red Lobster, not a good, southern biscuit. Salad? Weird weeds and twigs fru-fru salad. No collard greens, no black-eyed peas, no biscuits, no cucumber salad. Nothing that you came to the Dillard House to eat in years past is served anymore. And the saddest thing - this was the only place on the planet that I'd eat coleslaw. Well, they managed to mess that up, too. We used to happily drive the 70+ miles and wait for an hour to eat here. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever come back. It's truly heartbreaking. read more

The Dillard House Restaurant - American Near Me - Dillard, Georgia

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Years ago I ate at The Dillard House while vacationing with family in the area. It was my first experience with family style dining and it was such a nice experience that I wanted to go back. This time round I was traveling solo but wanted to stop and see if it was as good as my memories. While the original spot for the restaurant is undergoing renovation, they have everything running seamlessly from the nearby conference or ballroom on the resort property. The service is great - friendly and quick server helped take care of me and the food is delicious. You are served fried chicken, fried pork and gravy, salad, coleslaw, black eyed peas, squash casserole, lyonnaise potatoes, creamed corn, biscuits, cornbread, and peach cobbler....i might be forgetting something but rest assure it is a great experience and I recommend it. read more

The Dillard House Restaurant - Lunch for a solo traveler - American Near Me - Dillard, Georgia

Ignore all the older reviews and ratings. Every facet of The Dillard House has been renovated. The facility, food and service was all wonderful. If you go you will go back 100% read more

I've been to the Dillard House for breakfast and lunch many times over many many years. Always loved it but the last 2 times were awful (2025 & 2026). Inattentive servers with snobbish attitudes and lousy food. It's a shame because the last 2 times we ate there we went way out of our way to specifically eat there. After the 1st bad experience we thought they would have improved at least a little but the 2nd time was worse. 2 vegetables - butternut squash and bad scolloped potatoes. I asked "do you have anything green? "Yeah. Coleslaw." So I ate some coleslaw. The fried chicken looked so bad I wouldn't eat it and the ham didn't look appetizing at all. Didn't eat that either- shoot I can get better ham than that at the deli meat section of the grocery store. I'm so sad that my favorite North GA restaurant has turned into this new place with new owners. There were only a few people eating there. That should have warned us. Lunches always had a full parking lot. Looks like people are voting with their feet (or car). I'll miss you my former favorite place! read more

This was our first visit to the Dillard House Restaurant. We almost didn't come because of construction, but the dining room was updated and open. Daniel was our server and walked us through the all you can eat vs. the single entree, meat and three. We were hungry, so we opted for the unlimited option. The food was prepared fresh and seasoned well, but not over seasoned. Cisco came by the table and gave us some background of DHR and how the choices rotate. We sensed the staff took ownership of providing a pleasant dining experience. read more

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What a great treat with beautiful views! Was heading home from a stay in NC and thought to stop at the Dillard House for a late lunch. The place was pristine. Food was served quickly and tasted wonderful. April was our server and we really liked her! read more

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It was my first time here and I would definitely come back again. The food was incredible, service was fast. The ambiance was very rustic and scenic. Our server Carla was friendly and quick. Would recommend! read more

Terrible service. Customer service not nice. Flys all over our food. Not happy ppl working here. Even emailed experience and no one responded. read more

The food was excellent. The service was not. The dining area is newly remodeled and is very nice. All of the food on the family style menu was delicious. Bowls of scalloped potatoes, creamed corn, broccoli casserole, crowder peas, salad, fried chicken, and stuffed peppers were delivered to our table. We chose not to get the corn muffins and cole slaw, but we did choose to have the country ham. Our waiter was inattentive. He was too busy visiting with some of the young waitresses and hostess. Thankfully, another person on the wait staff asked how everything was and had to tell our waiter that we were ready for dessert (bread pudding) and tea refills. We have eaten at the Dillard House several times before the renovation (and apparent new management/ownership) and have never had any issues. Wait staff and other employees need to be educated in how to meet the public and how to make customers feel welcomed. If you are in the hospitality business, there is never an excuse for not making customers feel valued. read more

Not to be negative but the past must have been better for The big sign on 441 advertising award winning food is misleading. The food was less than remarkable, the fried chicken batter was doughy and not at all crisp, all the sides were luke warm. I did speak to the manager about the chicken and they brought another barely better piece. The price is 25.00 a person. Highway robbery. They have major reconstruction going on and with all the large loud equipment you could barely drive in and out of the property. It was also very noisy. The room we stayed in was large and comfortable but the furniture and carpet was 1970's at best, the room had a very misty odor and for 250.00 a night we were disappointed. Too bad you can't afford to close the place down but I'm sure the corporation you sold to will not allow that and they don't care about the customer only the bottom line. Good luck! read more

We got here at 11:37am, 7 mins after they opened for lunch and there were customers already but not that many. We still had to wait to be seated, not sure why but the hostess' working looked confused and unhappy even my partner said something about it. We finally got seated after 10 or so minutes and were waiting for our server that never came, 4 more families got seated after us and was promptly served. At this point my partner was livid, we even saw the managers and hostess' talking about our table, not sure if they did not communicate to the servers on which table they're serving or what but I finally stood up and went to the hostess stand and asked if somebody's going to serve us or should we just leave since everybody else already got served. Now is it a race thing? since most of their patrons were not POC, just me. We'll never know! Although most of their servers were POC. The managers kept checking in on other tables except us which was so odd. The least they could do is come to our table and apologize for the wait and that somebody's going to be serving us soon. At least that's what I would do because I work in the restaurant service industry. But nobody did that, AT ALL. The only time a manager came was when we were eating and asked about our food. A server at the host's stand offered to be our server and help us which was very kind of him, we will commend him for that! He's probably the only person who knows what he's doing in the place. Thank you Lugo! You deserve a raise. Now, the food was actually good. We got a meat and three sides and it was $16 each since we don't really eat a lot and did not option for the buffet which was $28/person. It's good that they offer that option. By the time we were leaving it was already busy and this was a Sunday. They looked like they were properly staffed but unfortunately they only cater more for large parties. I noticed they pay more attention to them rather than small groups which I think was ridiculous. I know most reviews on here talk about the bad food but phenomenal service but we had a completely opposite experience. Mind you, this is our first impression of The Dillard House too since it's our first time and have heard good reviews. Finally visited when we were in the area while on our staycation. Would probably not come back because of the AWFUL service. read more

The Dillard House Restaurant - American Near Me - Dillard, Georgia

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This is a classic for me since I was a kid. It may not be quite what it once was but it still doesn't disappoint. Country, family style dinning at its best. The fried chicken is some of the best out there and I'm not easy to please when it comes to fried chicken! The okra and other veggies are also tasty and fresh! read more

I've been vacation in the North Georgia/North Carolina mountains for over 40 years and The Dillard House has been a part of many of those trips. But our visit in April 2026 will be our last. Our server was not very attentive, and they were not busy enough to warrant her inattentiveness. The food was subpar. We were there for lunch and the lack of vegetables was very disappointing. We had cabbage casserole (undercooked and seasoned), creamed corn (that was pretty good), coleslaw 9definitely had better at fast food places), and that was it. I can't believe that they didn't at least have some greens. The rolls, corn muffins, and fried chicken were good. But for the price we paid for our very large family it definitely wasn't worth it. The place is beautiful but they need to go back to their roots where their food is concerned. read more

The Dillard family has sold its restaurant that it owned 40+ years. It was delicious and people drove many miles to eat there. The new owners are renovating the restaurant and motel rooms extensively. The new chef lacks imagination in upgrading the menu plus they have dropped Dillard standards such apple butter. I visited the day after Thanksgiving and the "family style meal" was delivered cold. The turkey and the fried chicken were both dry (yesterday's leftovers?) but the sweet potato soufflé was delicious even served cold; the yeast rolls were so cold that butter didn't even melt!. I don't have to drive an hour and a half one way to be served cold food. The server was polite and apologetic. The ambiance was nothing special. My family has driven to this restaurant 40+ years but will not patronize the new owners' establishment anymore. The new owners should CHANGE THE RESTAURANT'S NAME because it is NOT the bygone era Dillard House past customers remember anymore. read more

Our family has loved visiting The Dillard House for many years. It has always been a beautiful, welcoming place with a warm, family-style atmosphere. Unfortunately, during our most recent visit, we were left very disappointed by changes that have clearly taken place since the restaurant was taken over by a larger company. One of the biggest changes--and the most surprising--is that customers are no longer permitted to take home any leftovers from the family-style meal. Instead of offering a reasonable policy or explaining this upfront, the food is simply i assume thrown away. It felt wasteful and unnecessary, especially when a simple guideline such as allowing one plate of meats or a couple bowls of sides per table would have been a fair compromise. A clear explanation at the beginning of the meal would also have helped manage expectations. Sadly, this new approach doesn't reflect the tradition and hospitality The Dillard House was once known for. It's disappointing to see a place with such a rich family history move in a direction that feels more corporate and less connected to its guests. Because of this experience, and the lack of flexibility or communication around such a significant change, we will not be returning--despite how beautiful the surroundings remain. We truly hope the heart of this beloved establishment can someday return, but for now, we must say goodbye to a place we once cherished. read more

Have been coming to the Dillard House for breakfast for many years and this was the last visit. This was our first time since renovations were complete in the original building, we ate many times in the temporary location. The renovations look nice, but unfortunately they have cut food quality significantly. Not sure what kind of sausage they served, but it was horrible and inedible. Potatoes are cut so large they are raw in the middle and over seasoned. Pancakes were replaced with dry bland French toast. Pork tenderloin had an off putting smell with zero flavor. Not sure what was going on there. country ham had no flavor and was nearly colorless. The best things served was bacon and cinnamon rolls. Very disappointing. read more

Not worth the $30 per person price! We have eaten there before and the delicious food brought us back again. I wish we had gone to a different restaurant. We left feeling disappointed in the food quality and frustrated with the price. The green salad was delicious, and the lima beans and potatoes were cooked perfectly, but the rest of the food was just so so. The first plate of chicken was cold, but the second serving was warm. I was really disappointed in the dessert. It was a tiny piece of strawberry short cake about 2 inches square. Other tables got a small dollop of whip cream, but we were too frustrated by that point to ask for it. We will not be going back again. read more

We went for the Easter lunch and egg hunt. This time I thought the food was very good. I enjoyed everything that was served to us. However, the staff barely spoke English and they were very slow. The lack of understanding English was aggravating trying to ask for butter, extra napkins, etc. The egg hunt was nicely done and the bunny was available and interacted with the children. I plan to go back for the opening after the remodeling. read more

The restaurant and property themselves are absolutely beautiful, however, we went as a group of 4 for breakfast this am and the food to put it bluntly is just terrible. I don't understand how a place that is so beautiful can't produces a quality tasting breakfast. They need to reconsider their recipes and cooking team! I don't know whoever makes their sausage recipe and who thinks that is good sausage they must have something wrong with them. It doesn't even taste like sausage. It's terrible very bland. Everything lukewarm terrible . Food was bot good at all! My recommendation if you would like to go check it out as to get something somewhere else to eat before you go. Honestly, you can get a better breakfast at McDonald's and that's facts. read more

We have had four generations of family eat here, sometimes traveling from far away. The wait staff was as good as ever. It's no longer the Dillard House as we have come to know as we always looked forward to eating there. As restaurants go, when acquired by corporate interests, things change. The first is usually recipes and cooking methods are changed for convenience and cost cutting. The food we had even though it was named the same was not the same, did not present itself well and did not taste the same as their traditional recipes. I won't take the time to individually characterize each dish but none of it favored what we had come to know and love except the country ham that is served only by special request. Ironically, they still sell their cookbook in the gift shop but their current recipes and tastes no longer reflect what we had come to love. With their total renovation of the property, it looks like they are more attuned to passing tourists or short stay tourists. They can probably fill their motel and restaurant but its not the same. Long time loyal customers and local customers will do what they always do when the food changes and no longer tastes the same. They eat someplace else. read more

Well, to begin..... I can't believe they actually throw away food that you pay for!!! Family style? Hardly! I was raised in a family where you weren't allowed to throw away perfectly acceptable food. I have always loved this place and hadn't been in years. I won't be going back and I won't be recommending them. I was just shocked at the leftovers being trashed. We couldn't take them home with us, although we paid for them! Dang!!! read more

And then corporate copy's and paste the same comeback. Truly this is not the place you are familiar with, the food photos are showing you what they did make this is what you get now.i do have the cookbook if you have lost the recipes. read more

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The last time I was at the @dillardhousegeorgia, it was about 20 years ago, early aughts or so, and they had just won a few awards for their food. We went at dinner and it was amazing. All you can eat family-style down-home Southern cooking with all the fixings and only your appetite to tell you when to stop. Fast forward to this morning and we were in the area, so we decided to hit it up for the breakfast version of that. To say it was a disappointment would be a disservice to disappointments. I'm not for sure what happened in the last 20 years or so, but it's like they weren't even trying. I get that it's all-you-can-eat served family style, so I'm sure the food is just sitting in steam trays in the kitchen, but wow, it was bad. Everything was room temperature. Nothing was hot. The sausage was so salty as to be inedible, the bacon was cold and flaccid, and the grits were minutes away from becoming spackle. The only thing I could eat were the scrambled eggs. This spread of food you see here isn't much better than the breakfast you'd get at a mid-tier hotel chain. I get that things change over two decades, but The Dillard House is an institution in NE GA and this Tallulah Gorge-level of a drop off in quality should not be what passes as acceptable. So what do you get for the admission price of $20/person and $3.50/drink? Well, you do get a beautiful vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains and quantity over quality when it comes to food. But honestly, I don't know how much quantity of this poor quality food you'd want. read more

They are in the middle of a major remodel of the dining area and have moved the dining to a windowless room in another building. I would wait until the remodeled area of the original dining room is finished They reduced the items on the menu The service was good read more

Closed for repairs. Nothing but bad reviews on every aspect of the dillard house. Was as really looking forward to having our anniversary diner here. The new owner apparently is not concerned about the outstanding reviews of the Dillard House. Bad staff. Cold food. Tiny portions. Not a place would l would erver want to eat at. read more

was there october 2025 terrible food ..... had been there a few times in the past and was looking forward to another great meal. may have been the worst food i have ever had. will not be going back. read more

No price on the menu nor one on the menu board as you walk in. We asked the waitress the price and she didn't know but had to leave and ask. It was only when we left that we saw an 8x10 framed price on the wall that is barely noticeable. We were already seated with ice tea and felt like we had to stay. With tax and tip it was over $30 each, but the kicker is that even though you for paid for it, you can't take your leftovers home! They would rather trash it than give it to you! And people are going hungry! What a rip off! We are elderly and could not eat half of the food they brought. Never again! Fool me once . . . read more

Lunch with family and friends. Was disappointed that renovations are not finished in the main building. Had a super family style meal in the conference room. The food was perfect. There were a couple stalks in the collard greens but it didn't affect the taste. All 15 dishes brought to us were perfect temperature and very delicious. So happy to see John Dillard Jr. He will be around frequently to oversee the dining and to keep the heritage alive. Very smart move for the new company! I always look for ways to improve but couldn't think of one. read more

Lost its Glory. Nice facade, but the inside looks like it's from the 70's, carpeting was not only outdated but filthy, they serve a fixed menu, family style of fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Please deep clean this restaurant. Food was dry, old and poor quality. Salty and greasy. You have been warned. read more

The Dillard House Restaurant - Nice views of the mountains - American Near Me - Dillard, Georgia

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Traveling up from Canton GA. to Highlands NC. I came across this wonderful hotel/restaurant called the Dillard house located just about on the GA/NC border. What a wonderful find! The buffet was an amazing and delicious array of what seemed like never ending classic Southern food. I would challenge you to name a dish they didn't have. Lol All this and a gorgeous view of North Georgia Mountains while seated in a historic charming space makes this a must stop if you're ever in the area. The menu might change slightly during different seasonal veggies but there will be many to sample, believe me. Tomato and cucumber salad, warm bread, butternut squash casserole, cream corn, mashed potato's with Red Eye gravy, green beans, fried okra, meatloaf, fried chicken, coleslaw and sweet potato soufflé. Just get the wheel barrel and roll me outta here! Lol. Everyone was better than the last. The Dillard House is family owned and operated since 1917. Over a 100 years! I need to get back here soon as there are many other accommodations and amenities to check out. Hotels, stables, petting zoo, chalets, cabins and a spa! Just a wonderful experience. Thank you Dillard House. read more

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Family style dinning- good home style food! Service is always with a smile! Window seating comes with Mountain View's!

If you remember eating at the Dillard House & how delicious the food was then you will be extremely disappointed with it now. New owner & very bad food. instead, spend your $ on Swanson's freezer meals. Not convinced our waitress understood what we were asking for which was peach cobbler without any icecream. Instead we had something apple with a teaspoon of cream. We were there for more than 2 hours mostly waiting on our check. People were coming & going but we just kept waiting for the check. Our bad. My husband never complains but said he would never go back. Even the couple at next table said they would never come back but instead visit the Smith House in Dahlonega. We both agree. read more

Used to wait in line for 30 minutes to eat at this place. Ate there several months ago and the food was TERRIBLE!!! All of the food was cold where they plated it too soon and let it sit in the kitchen!! We paid for our beverage and left without eating. New owners better get this turned around or they will be out of business. So sad!! We used to drive 2 hours from Asheville to eat here. read more

The Dillard House is a North Georgia institution having been established in 1917 by Carrie Ann Dillard. The food here is served family style in a huge dining room with a lovely view of the mountains. They serve lunch and dinner Monday through Sunday and add a breakfast service Friday through Sunday from 8:00 to 10:30. I have been to lunch and dinner before but on this day we were having breakfast. By we I mean a party of 17. We had been camping all week and decided to take a break from campfire cooking. We were there promptly at 8:00 am. The website had asked for reservations to be made for parties of 15+ but we just decided to break in to 2 groups. The hostess seated us at two long tables next to each other. We needn't have worried because there were too many other diners at the point. The server soon came by to get our drink orders, soon after the food began to arrive. First there were two baskets of baked goods: warm cinnamon rolls in one and biscuits and mini blueberry muffins in the other. The cinnamon rolls were very good but the biscuits were outstanding! The kids really liked the muffins. After that they brought out grits, home fries, pancakes, a big bowl of scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, sausage patties and a plate of bacon and fried pork tenderloin. They told us that we could request more of anything we'd like. Our table consisted of three ladies and four kids and we ended up only getting another bowl of grits. Our other party had three teenaged boys and the rest of our menfolk. They got three servings of everything! They did offer styrofoam to go containers for the items we had left. All of the food was good. I was disappointed they no longer served country ham at breakfast. I liked the fact that the service was very attentive, they serve real butter, and the coffee was hot. On the downside, the drinks were either $3.95 or $4.95 each and the syrup was in a plastic squeeze bottle (I know nitpicking). The gratuity is added automatically and was 18% for our party of 7 and 20% for the other table of ten. The cost of the meal was $21.95 for adults, $14.95 for young adults (ages 12-16), and $11.95 for children (ages 4-11). Children 3 and under eat free. My total bill for two adults and a 7 year old was $83! My daughter pointed out that eating here was an "experience" and while that's true, it was an expensive experience. Afterwards we took the kids to the "petting zoo" which only had a long horned steer and two goats. They were also able to pet some horses. I recently read that the restaurant had been sold in February of 2024 to Atlanta based Legacy Ventures and I don't know if our experience reflected the new management or not. read more

Beautiful venue... beautiful views. Old cafeteria style seating with a family vibe. A bit of all the food available is brought to the table. That was cool. The servers were attentive. Fried chicken, pork ribs, creamed corn, black eyed peas, collards, squash, fried okra, corn bread and rolls. Apple cobbler for desert. Great concept... but the food was unappetizing and didn't taste fresh. I would not come back to eat here.... but there is a petting zoo and stable on premises. (It's raining so we won't be able to check them out.) Unfortunately I highly do not recommend. read more

The Dillard House Restaurant - American Near Me - Dillard, Georgia

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