A Quirky Comfort-Food Stop in Mentone

A porch, tall shade trees and flowers set an unhurried tone before the meal even begins at this Mentone cafe. Guests give their names at the entrance, then have time to look around the grounds, step into the small shop near the door or simply settle into the slower rhythm of the mountain setting.

Inside, the mood is cheerfully hard to categorize: quaint, eclectic and a little country-hippie, with varied decorations and local art throughout the dining rooms. It is not a room designed to be taken in with one glance. The art and visual odds and ends give you plenty to study while deciding between tomato pie, shrimp and grits, a burger or a slice of cake.

The tomato pie is the dish that tends to put this cafe on a road-tripper's mental map. Available by the slice or as an entree, it has the familiar, easy appeal of pizza but arrives as a distinctly Southern version of the idea—more like a fancy tomato pie than a standard pie-shop slice.

It works nicely as a starter for the table or as the centerpiece of lunch. A tomato pie appetizer alongside chicken salad sandwiches, burgers and kettle-style chips makes a particularly relaxed way to eat here: a little shareable food in the middle, then everyone can go in their own direction.

The loaded mountain grits appetizer offers another opening move. Smoky and bacon-topped, it is a fitting lead-in to a menu that is comfortable mixing old-fashioned Southern plates with sandwiches, wraps and a few unexpected choices.

Shrimp and grits is another frequently ordered staple, sometimes served with Alabama sausage or finished with an added sausage topping. It is a heartier route through the menu than the tomato pie, and a good reminder that the kitchen does not treat grits as merely a side dish.

Burger fans have a clear option in the Canyon Burger, made with a blend of ground filet and ground sirloin. The menu also ranges through chicken salad sandwiches, hot ham and cheese with thick-cut ham, wraps, salads, soups and vegetable plates, so a mixed table does not have to negotiate its way toward one type of meal.

The chicken salad sandwich is notably substantial, while the chicken bacon ranch wrap is a fresh, filling choice when a handheld lunch sounds better than a composed entree. Creamy potato soup, smashed garlic potatoes and roasted root vegetables show up among the comforting supporting players.

There is room here for diners who do not eat meat, too. Clearly identified vegetarian and vegan dishes include a BBQ vegan portobello burger, while grilled fresh-caught salmon, blackened chicken and a vegetable sampler give the menu a few more lanes than a traditional small-town cafe list might suggest.

Dessert is not an afterthought at this stop. Hummingbird cake, carrot cake, custard pie and crepes give the case a proper Southern-sweets personality, with enough variety to make a second look worthwhile even after a sizable lunch.

The peanut butter pie is especially formidable: rich, dense and reminiscent of a buckeye candy in pie form. A full slice can easily become tomorrow's treat, and the cafe is a natural place to leave with a box when the meal has already gone further than planned.

For something to drink alongside all that, strawberry lemonade is a bright choice during warmer days. Hot chocolate appears in colder weather, a small seasonal comfort that suits the surrounding mountain landscape.

Local art fills the interior, turning the dining room into more than a backdrop for a plate of food. The collection adds color and personality without requiring a formal gallery visit; you can browse it in the ordinary pauses of a meal, from reading the menu to waiting on dessert.

A window seat changes the feel of the visit, especially when the trees and flowers are in view. Other tables sit deeper in the decorated rooms, where the mismatched visual energy makes each corner a little different from the next.

The interior has different floor materials and changes in level, a practical detail worth noting for anyone who finds uneven transitions difficult to navigate. A handicapped ramp leads from the parking area to the entrance, though the interior layout itself is more varied.

The porch is both a friendly front door and a useful pause point. On a busy day, it gives arriving guests a place to check in and then wander rather than stand in a tight indoor entryway.

Outside, shade trees and fragrant flowers lend the property a garden-like quality. When weather permits, guests may choose between indoor seating and time outdoors, and the grounds make waiting for a table considerably more pleasant than pacing beside a host stand.

Waits can vary. Some meals begin right away, while a busy Sunday lunch can bring a wait of around 30 minutes. The cafe can be popular enough at dinner that reservations are worth considering, while lunch reservations may not be available.

Near the entrance, a small shop adds another small diversion to the visit. Its assortment includes gifts, distinctive local items and accessories such as earrings, giving diners something more interesting to browse than a rack of generic souvenirs.

The merchandise is not the reason to come hungry, but it suits the cafe's layered personality. You might arrive for shrimp and grits and leave after admiring a painting, checking out a pair of earrings and deciding that peanut butter pie needs to ride home with you.

The cafe fits neatly into a Mentone getaway, but it also makes sense as a meal break on a longer route between Chattanooga, Atlanta and north Alabama. It has enough menu range for a family-style outing, enough atmosphere for a couples' lunch and enough ease for a solo traveler who wants more than a drive-through sandwich.

Parking is free in a gravel lot that is larger than it initially appears, though demand can make the available space feel tight at busy times. Restrooms are on site, and the porch, shop and outdoor grounds provide a few pleasant places to spend the extra minutes that a popular lunch stop sometimes requires.