Came here on July 4th for the breakfast buffet. Friendly staff and clean restaurant. The warm apple slices on the buffet were delicious, not too sweet with a hint of cinnamon. Scrambled eggs were flavorful and hot. Peach cobbler was delicious! My husband ordered corned beef hash and since he can't eat eggs, staff replaced them with a huge pancake. They are also have a lunch buffet. Very accommodating, friendly and attentive staff. Will definitely be back when we're in town. read more

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My hubs & I stumbled across Ed Cousin Gary's on our way back to Columbus Ohio. Boy and I glad we did. The staff was so very friendly and sweet. We both had the breakfast buffet. The baked apples..ya'll...not over sweet or too much cinnamon nice and soft. Just perfect. And those buttery buttermilk biscuits...I wanted to stuff my pockets full of them when I left. So light and fluffy. They were amazing. Just like grandma used to make. Do yourself a favor and check this place out you'll be glad you did. read more

Cousin Gary's Family Restaurant - Clean Plate Club - American Near Me - Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

Excellent and home cooked, reasonable prices, friendly. We stop there each time we are in the area. Staff go out of their way to be helpful and food appears fresh. read more

We genuinely went to cousin Gary's and had an eye opening experience. My goat HP lowkey found himself. The hushpuppies lowkey tasted like onions, but what is a hush puppy? Like I know what it is but what is it. read more

DON'T DO IT!!! This is our third time and it just isn't worth it. This time the chicken on the buffet was raw, I told the waitress and she took it back with no remark, no "I'm sorry", nothing! The lettuce was brown, the tomatoes were mush. The vegetables were either with full of margarine or had no flavor, straight out of the can. The mashed potatoes were like concrete. Don't waste your money or time! read more

Awasome food great place to eat great breakfast and lunch and dinner highly recommended

I came here for breakfast with a friend. At 6:30 in the morning, there aren't many here, but the service was great. We sat and talked over coffee for over two hours and nobody complained. The coffee was what you'd expect. Actually, it was better than I expected. I drank mine black, and it was middle of the road. No weirdness or issues. I also had a country ham biscuit, which was really good. There was a breakfast buffet that looked okay. A good handful of people came in and ate it, and there were some take out orders as well. I'm not really a buffet person, or I'd try it. I'll come back for sure and take some pictures. read more

Cousin Gary's Family Restaurant - Interior - American Near Me - Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

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About Surry county and their ground steak sandwiches that they are famous for in our state magazine. I decided to drive the short distance to the neighboring county and eat at Cousin Gary's restaurant. My waitress Lindsey was super nice and very helpful as I told her what I was there for. I did get the ground steak sandwich with fries and corn nuggets and was very surprised. This sandwich was really really good, like a sloppy joe but without the sauce. As I was getting ready to leave I saw a sign that said best fried chicken in town and Lindsay confirmed that was true. I did order two pieces to go once I got home I ate one and it was really super good. If you are anywhere near Surry county and want to try the sandwich they're famous for definitely check out Cousin Gary's. I couldn't imagine a better place read more

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Ok food, not a place you want to work. Poor and unprofessional management. A very uncomfortable work environment. Just an Fyi do not eat the salad bar. When they have an early morning food delivery, the entire contents of the salad bar sits out in the hot kitchen for at least two hours before being back into the cooler. read more

The country breakfast bar was fab! Breakfast for everyone! What a menu. The atmosphere was warm and cozy down home. Service was friendly fast and then some. This little gem will warm your tum! read more

Delicious comfort food. I really enjoy their catfish, cabbage, ribs and chicken. And their cornbread muffins are just the way I like them!

Keep driving.... This place was the worst breakfast experience I've had in quite some time. I've never been anywhere with bad bacon but their bacon tasted like fish. Hash browns were burned. Toast was cold. Rough outing. read more

Decided to stop at Cousin Gary's for breakfast. We originally went going to stop here from the appearance, but are glad that we did we stopped. There is a buffet with southern home cooking food. We decided to order from the menu. The breakfast items were delicious. The service could've been improved. It did take awhile to get our food, and there wasn't a lot of people here. read more

Cousin Gary's Family Restaurant - Debbie's Breakfast Special - American Near Me - Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

Food was fresh and tasty. Personnel were knowledgeable and pleasant. Definitely a favorite of the locals. Hamburgers and fried chicken were popular. They also have a buffet with an ample selection of entrees and vegetables. read more

If I could give it 0 stars I would. I went there tonight after not going for two years. It was great then. Tonight I had to send back the disgusting steak and gravy and mashed potatoes it was the worse food I've ever had. Then I got the buffet and that was just as bad. It has really gone downhill. read more

The pancakes were not "light and fluffy". Plus, the egg shell did not help. Food was basic but at a very good price point. read more

Cousin Gary's Family Restaurant - Egg shell in pancakes. - American Near Me - Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

I want to clarify that my rating absolutely does not reflect the service I received from my waitress, Beth. She was what made the lack-luster experience kind of positive. She was super attentive, checked on everyone, personable, and knew her regulars by name. The ambiance gives me a country primitive vibe. I found it cozy and inviting until I started looking at things that weren't eye-level with me. The ceiling fans are caked with dust, the vents on the ceiling are littered with dust, and I couldn't figure out why they were keeping a dessert "display" in the Pepsi cooler. Now on to the food.... I didn't even make it 1 minute down the road and I found myself scrambling to get into Food Lion to use the restroom... I also haven't eaten all day so Cousin Gary's was the first meal. When you go into a restaurant that says it's a "family restaurant " you expect home cooking with lots of flavor. Everything was so bland. The cabbage was sweet, but other than that no flavor. The turnip greens were clearly straight from a can. I asked the waitress for some vinegar... the vinegar you usually put on turnip greens is malt... all they had was white. Anyway, they needed flavor so I added that and salt. That made them bearable to eat. The country fried steak was bland as well. The gravy was clearly not homemade either. It was bland and you could taste flour. Overall, the food was not good at all. The sweet tea was even overly sweet. It tasted like straight syrup. I had contemplated getting the buffet, but upon exiting I glanced at what was on the bar and it made me nauseas. Lol. Plus, they have a weird fan of some sorts that was once white sitting on top of the bar... that just struck me as unsanitary. They received a health score of 91 back in February according to their score sheet in the restaurant. Overall, the experience was not good. The food is horrible, and is guaranteed to give you a colon cleanse at the cheap price of $9. The waitress was incredible though, and you can tell she loves interacting with the public. The waitress gets a 10/10 while the food gets a -1/10. I'm definitely not feeling too well after eating here. read more

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Good old southern country comfort food with a buffet and menu option. Looking for a family restaurant, try them out.

Decided to stop here for a chage of pace from the norm. Was very good. Looks like a mom and pop diner, decor etc. People are super-friendly and food was delicious. Will definitely be back. read more

We were in Pilot Mountain any way, so we decided to give Cousin Gary's s shot.This is a breakfast/ country cooking buffet place that also happens to offer pork barbecue, which is the reason we stopped by. It is located in a worn looking strip shopping center, and there is nothing about the restaurant that elevates it above the rest of the center - kind of tired, and more than a little shabby. The buffet is rather small, with the usual items found on a small Southern city buffet. You also can order off the menu, and there is even a drive thru. Service is generally plodding and rather unfocused. We ordered a Cheeseburger, a Hot Dog, and of course, a Chopped BBQ Sandwich. The hot dog was pretty good, decent chili, and a good toasted bun. The Cheeseburger had so little cheese that it didn't really qualify as a "Cheese"burger. Size and taste were rather ordinary. The BBQ was almost asuredly a commercially procured item, with too much sauce, and too little flavor, and I doubt they even missed that small amount of slaw. Wouldn't order any item again, even the hot dog, 'cause we wont be back. The shopping center in which Gary's is located is right beside Aunt Bea's - a form of double jeopardy. read more

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Cousin Gary's is a decent little country restaurant, serving comfort food with a smile, I've eaten there many times, and it is our go to restaurant when we're in pilot read more

Breakfast bar is AMAZING!!! I stuff myself every time. Good home cookin. They have other items but I have only had the breakfast bar. Highly recommend read more

Good stick to ur ribs country food. I enjoyed the chicken and ribs. I would definitely recommend

Service is a little slow but they stay pretty busy. The buffet is always good and they have a great selection. Banana pudding is really good just needs real cool whip. We have had breakfast and lunch and will keep going back. read more

We stopped here while heading from SC to KY. It is a very small diner with a small buffet and a large menu. I didn't see anything I wanted on the buffet , so I ordered breakfast. My mom ordered buffet and my brother ordered country fried steak with potatoes. My bacon (as requested) was crisp and plentiful. My eggs were supposed to be over easy, one was and One was over medium . ( not a problem)! The pancakes were huge and delicious! My brother's food was standard diner fare, good not overwhelming! My mom said the fried chicken was very moist and good. She also loved the fried cabbage. She also said the peach cobbler was very good! Our lunch was $25 approximately including 3 drinks. Service was very good, but the restaurant was not busy on a Friday lunch. Unfortunately, I left my phone in the car and did not get pictures. read more

good selection of food - average quality - very basic salad - dessert - couple of soups - sweet tea - all for $10 - might eat here again but would not miss it if I didn't read more

Cousin Gary's Family Restaurant - Lunch Buffett - American Near Me - Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

I really hope this place has improved! I was there last year and said that I would never go back again. The food was not at all palatable. The food bars were very ill maintained. The food was not seasoned appropriately. There was one that had mashed potatoes in it that looked like they were crusty around the edges of the container. I feel very fortunate that I did not get food poisoning. read more

First of all this is Pilot Mountain. There are not that many places to eat here. I skipped my first 2 choices and came here for the buffet. I was hungry. Cousin Gary's is located in an older shopping center. Plenty of parking outside. Pretty plane from the outside. Inside the place has an older family restaurant feel from maybe 3 decades ago. They have a full menu and a buffet. Breakfast is served all day and sometimes they do breakfast for dinner. That's just cool. I had the lunch buffet. It cost $9 with a drink. That is a great price. You can't even get fast food for that price. So I have no idea why anybody says these prices are high? Compared to what? The buffet was smaller than some but still had plenty of choices. Full salad bar. Meats were fried fish. Fried chicken and meatballs. The only thing that I thought was a little off were the meatballs. The meat was finely ground and very lean. The fish was great. Nice light batter and not greasy. Fried chicken was anything but dry. It was super juicy and I could tell that this was cooked up fresh the old fashioned way. It was good. Sides lacked any salt but that's easy enough to fix. They all tasted great. The cooked cabbage was the best I've had in many many years. It was so good with a spicy sweet kick. You will not find it's equal. Service was fast and very friendly. I'd gladly return here any day. read more

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We were at this restaurant on Thursday the 13 th of August. We have been here many times and also recommended it. NEVER again. The food was terrible and made both of us sick. But the sad part of our visit was the customer service which has never been that great but this time it was non existent. Our waitress greeted us with what do you want to drink. Not hello not good morning. She came back once and ask if we wanted more coffee. I ordered sausage gravy and biscuits. When it came there was no sausage nor was it sausage gray. We told our waitress and she just laughed and said "oh" and walked away. When my husband went up to pay the older lady looked at his ticket and told him the total. He paid and she never ask how our food was or even thanked us for coming in. Just handed him his receipt and walked away. read more

Lmao. Go see for yourself. Just stop by and see how this place looks! Don't eat the food ! Lmao terrible

Enjoyed the breakfast buffet. I believe it's available every morning. Amazing biscuits! Good variety of breakfast options. Nice staff.

the food leaves a lot to be desired! the meat is tough and the vegetables are straight out of a can and the banana pudding consists of old bananas and vanilla pudding without wafers. and the prices are high. read more

Very good buffet breakfast and for 10.00 I can't beat it , it's a hole in the wall with amazing food . It's right off of HWY 52 in pilot mtn . HIGHLY Recommend read more

It's a little hole in the wall that's really worth visiting they have the best crabcake catfish and fried chicken on the Buffet. The waitress was awesome. I would recommend this place. read more

All right this ain't my type of place but every member of my family loves it so what can I do? When we all get together (once, maybe twice/yr) if noone prepares breakfast we all meet here. This used to be Pizza Den when I was in high school which meant at least once a week I was here with the baseball, tennis, basketball team. Now it's a down home countryfied place to come get filled, fat, and into the hospital. Cousin Gary doesn't cater to the vegetarian unless you want grits and home fries. Tons of bacon, sausage, pork chops, and country ham await your visit. Three inch thick biscuits and pancakes round out your starch requirements. O and the eggs, melt in your mouth scrambles. Combine all this with the sweetest tea (cali youre missing out) youve ever tasted and three alarm second hand smoke and you got Cousin Garys. Ive been waiting for them to go smoke free but five miles from the 2nd largest tobacco manufacturer leaves me to believe that it ain't gonna happen. Awesome food, awesome people, and smoke. Well if you dont die from the cholesterol you damn sure will from lung cancer. read more

Owners Sister treats customers and workers like crap, and could care less how the food is "made"

Stopped in for a late lunch with my wife. I ordered the buffet and my wife ordered the shrimp. Our server was super nice and friendly which made us feel right at home. Buffet had lasagna, pork tenderloin, fried chicken and all the traditional sides. I ate way more than I should have, LOL. If we are ever back in the area, we will definitely be back. Service was excellent. July 2017. read more

This place is the bomb! Real Southern Food at great prices! Get the corn nuggets! This was our first visit. We will make sure to stop every time we pass through the area. read more

Even though your drink is included with your buffet, the price is too high. They do not have a good variety of vegetables or meats. Maybe 3 vegetables, four meats and then salad. The mashed potatoes had no salt and the sweet tea definitely wasn't sweet. The sanitation rate was a 94. Not good. Service wasn't that great either. Oh yeah $9.50 for buffet with small selection and tasteless food. read more

Stopped by after walking around the pinnacle. Opted to order rather than the buffet which had a lot of fried food on it. The burgers were huge and delicious. It was crazy busy for an after noon Sunday crowd but the waitstaff was excellent. They took our order quickly. Refills on drinks were prompt. My husband said if we came back this way he was going to get the buffet. read more