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    Velma's Diner

    4.1 (21 reviews)
    Closed • 6:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Velma's Diner Photos

    VELMA'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Velma's Diner

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    Menu
    R A.

    Very good and so cheap! Just a solid, classic, no-frills country diner. My only gripe is the biscuits for the biscuits and gravy were kinda soft and appeared to be something similar to canned Pillsbury or something like that. Still good though, just not ideal. Service was great. Our waitress Alesha was very nice. Highly recommend. Very similar to Nila's in French Lick, which I would also recommend.

    Breakfast Menu
    Crissy R.

    This was a wonderful surprise to have found in Indiana. Velma's is definitely a prized hometown gem in Shoals. Located next to the train tracks, this is a must stop to eat. Keep in mind this is a cash only establishment, and breakfast is only served until 11. Prices are very inexpensive and there is a chalkboard that list the specials of the day. Sad we had just missed breakfast, I opted for a BLT with onion rings. Special of the day was bean soup and cornbread which looked tasty. I definitely enjoyed the local vibes and friendly staff. The experience of being in a small town diner is definitely Velma's! This place was great, if I lived closer I would frequent quite often. Definitely recommend if passing through or in the are visiting.

    Melissa B.

    Tony and I visited this diner by happy accident. When we are driving, I prefer to try diners and local eateries instead of the chains like Wendy's and McDonald's. We were going to try and find something closer to Mitchell. I couldn't find anything there that was not a chain, so I kept driving. In Shoals, we found this little gem. It's not much of a looker inside or out. Inside the interior was dark and dated, and crowded with oversize tables and too many chairs. I almost walked away based on that alone, but it was near 2pm and we were hungry. The waitress hollered across the room, Welcome and seat yourself, so we grabbed a table near the jukebox, again oversized!!! But, a nice added touch but glad it was not on since we were sitting on top of it. Tony literally had his back touching it. She came over immediately and brought menus and with a smile took our drink order. We both ordered tea, mine was unsweetened with lemon. I like to add my own sugar. We surfed the extensive diner menu and really had a hard time deciding. They had a sheet of today specials inside the menu adding additional choices for our struggle. We went in wanting Tenderloin sandwiches, but the choices were overwhelming. I really wanted a Red Hot Hotdog also, or the cheeseburger...but the specials were great too...The kicker here was the prices.....Very very very BUDGET FRIENDLY. I choose the Roast Beef Manhattan (open faced Roast Beef) and Tony went with the Chicken N' Dumplins, with Mac N' Cheese and Mashed Potatoes with gravy. Once our plates arrived, I had to give him half of my Roast Beef entree, and I took some of his Dumplins and Mac...OMG!!!! The Mac N'Cheese was this side of heaven...it was delicious...You can taste the VELVEETA...DELICIOUS!!! The mashed potatoes and gravy was very good. The Roast Beef was piled high, well cooked and delicious. The Dumplins were great too...The food was 5 star great...cleaned our plates and I thought Tony was going to lick his clean...Lol!! I put in a order to go, 2 tenderloin grilled sandwiches plain with grilled onions and mushrooms on the side...I wanted to take some goodness home for dinner..Everything including a Tea to Go was $30 tips and taxes, and that was a $5 tip for our smiling waitress, never got her name!!! We circled Shoals on our map, when in the area...WE ARE DEFINITELY STOPPING AGAIN AND I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TRY VELMA'S TOO!!!

    I am sitting almost exactly in the center of the restaurant. This gives you a little scale of the place, it's small, and decked out country.
    Colleen D.

    Delicious! We happened to be passing thru last Sunday and stopped for a late lunch. The food was homemade and amazing. I could have honestly eaten a bowl of the gravy!!! My husband had fried chicken wings and I had a dinner of all sides. The hush puppies were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with just a bit of peppers in there. The funny thing is, I have no pictures of the food. We were so hungry, we forgot to pause for them. Oh on more thing, best ice tea I have had in a long time. Really, it was perfect. I got half sweet and half unsweet. The server was the daughter of the cook and she was friendly and patient and helpful. I don't think this is a place you come for the ambiance. It seemed clean to me and just cute and country. I like the open kitchen too, it was fun to watch her work back there. I am not coordinated enough to cook for a crowd like that.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Another great meal at Velma's ! Get the catfish and great service. Old school vibes and good ole fashion home cooking!

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    11 months ago

    Great biscuits and gravy. Everything is good. Prices are very reasonable. I like the double cheeseburgers the most.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    My wife and I have been going here for years. My wife loves there Dutch oven and I love to catfish sandwiches.

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

    You pay too much for microwaved food, and at times horrible service. The cooks don't seem to care and the servers only care about tips.

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    9 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Velma's Diner

    “The kicker here was the prices.....Very very very BUDGET FRIENDLY.”

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    Cardinal Spirits - Espresso martini

    Cardinal Spirits

    4.5(247 reviews)
    36.5 mi
    •$$

    Brunch was fantastic! We sat outside on the covered patio and enjoyed our meals. The service was…read morevery friendly and when the food took awhile to come out they checked in on multiple occasions. The food was cooked to PERFECTION the eggs on the egg sandwich in particular were absolutely delicious. Can't wait to come back!!

    We have enjoyed time at Cardinal Spirits twice recently. The first visit was fantastic (and…read moreprompted us to make reservations for Mother's Day for the second visit). The second visit was okay. First, the best parts: the cocktails were delicious and I loved trying a few of the different spirits when our server brought us samples to try. Also, the patio atmosphere was lovely as the weather was perfect for both visits. The bingo was also a lot of fun! Overall, the food was good, but on our second visit the service was incredibly slow. Our server told us that the kitchen was running behind, but our friends were at the table next to us (with a different server) and they ordered when we did and had finished eating before our food even arrived - and I had to go find someone to inquire about it as our server never returned after dropping off drinks. She did apologize and take an item off the bill and hand us a few drink coupons which was appreciated, but the experience had put a damper on our enthusiasm (especially after we told the rest of our party how awesome the place was). Will I go back? Yes, but maybe with tempered expectations.

    Photos
    Cardinal Spirits
    Cardinal Spirits - Tomato soup and grilled cheese

    Tomato soup and grilled cheese

    Cardinal Spirits - Bloody Mary

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    Bloody Mary

    Schwartz Family Restaurant

    Schwartz Family Restaurant

    4.1(95 reviews)
    27.2 mi
    •$

    This is the more authentic Amish restaurant of the two in the area (Stoll's in Loogootee is the…read moreother one). That gives you a very obvious option if you want Amish style food. While this one does offer a buffet option, they don't have enough options to really make that worthwhile. The other place is the buffet place. This is the cafeteria place, but it's not as expensive, and the food is just as good. And you get plenty of it in the meal. I'm a big eater, and I'm always satisfied by the plate lunch. Outside of the building, you can see the farm where a lot of their food is grown. I've been here probably a dozen times, and each time was a treat, with fresh food from their local gardens and farms. Unlike Stoll's, they grow their own foods. Like I said, it's authentic Amish. The cafeteria style tables make for a more pleasant and comfortable atmosphere than Stoll's. Surprisingly, the restrooms here are cleaner than Stoll's, where the restrooms are often out of order. This is a much more pleasant experience at Schwartz's. The servers are very nice and helpful. There is a small area for their Amish store of honey, fresh vegetables, and other delights. Where they excel is their pies. While their competitor uses cheap packet pies, Schwartz's has homemade pies, all fresh. I highly recommend the blueberry cream pie and the peach pie. A nice view of the rural surroundings, even if it is on the highway, but so is the other Amish place. The atmosphere is very nice. There is a lot of good feeling in the air. Sometimes, there are folk style musicians in the adjoining room, if you go for that. This is a customer friendly place, and they care about what they do and about the people they serve.

    The food was great. The Help was nice. The place was clean. Bathroom was clean . I paid for the…read morebuffet and one trip was all I could hold. I drove there just to check it out . But too far away to eat there often. I recommend this place.

    Photos
    Schwartz Family Restaurant - The steam line

    The steam line

    Schwartz Family Restaurant - Home style buffet. Corn, baked chicken, bbq chicken, chicken quiche, broccoli and cauliflower in cheese sauce and coconut cream pie

    Home style buffet. Corn, baked chicken, bbq chicken, chicken quiche, broccoli and cauliflower in cheese sauce and coconut cream pie

    Schwartz Family Restaurant - Front entrance

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    Front entrance

    Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant

    Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant

    3.9(70 reviews)
    8.0 mi
    •$$

    This is listed as Amish, but it isn't as authentic as the one in Eckerty. However, it is a great…read morediner. They have a buffet, although you are allowed to order off of a menu. The buffet is the obvious choice, though. The buffet itself is extraordinary. On Friday, you can usually have frog legs, and that is a treat. There is also a vry good shrimp and rice dish usaully there, and fried fish, along with other entrees. I've usually seen about four different vegetable sides, but the green beans have meat in them, so if you want meaty veggies, you're in luck. There is usually corn and some greens. There are plenty of sides to choose from. The salad bar is very good. A lot of options. Caesar dressing isn't one of the four or five available ones in the containers, but they do have Caesar and other dressings in packets. The desserts are not that great, although they do have some very good soft serve ice cream. The blueberry pie is that mush in a packet. Here is where you can tell it isn't really authentic Amish, but it is still a very good restaurant. The service is good and friendly. They dress Amish, but it is more Americanized than real Amish places. I do recommend it. It's pretty expensive, but worth the price. You are treated to a good view of the lake, if they let you have a window table, but those are often taken. The other tables sit out in the open, and I never feel comfortable that way, but if that doesn't bother you, you'll be fine. There are expensive store items to buy, too. I never tried them. things like soap, candles, the usual restaurant store items. It's almost always very crowded. Often, there is a long line. The food is very good, and it is a popular place. Restrooms are dirty and sometimes out of order, which is why I don't give this five stars. I hope that they address this some day.

    We were in Logootee yesterday and decided to try Stoll's. If you didn't know it's an Amish buffet…read more They do have breakfast but we were there for lunch. Service was friendly and polite. The views of the West Boggs Lake were nice. Water was very green but beautiful. Food was delicious Fried Chicken, Roast Beef, Tenderloin, Mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, stuffing, noodles, carrots, homemade bread/rolls and if you're into it they had chicken livers/ gizzards. The salad bar had a solid fresh selection of items. The desserts were tasty as well. Ice Cream and Pies. We got Pecan and Peanut Butter pies and they were fantastic. So good we forgot to take pictures. A nice place to stop by if you're passing through or visiting the Boggs camp ground. Could have been a 5 with more options but that is really the only drawback. Go visit for yourself!!

    Photos
    Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant - Dining area

    Dining area

    Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant - Buffet Plate

    Buffet Plate

    Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant

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    Velma's Diner - diners - Updated October 2026

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