Cracker Barrel at 120 Cleghorn Blvd, Madison, AL 35758 has that great old country feel you expect. They open at 7:00 AM, which is perfect because I need to be at my training class nearby by 7:30 or 8:00 depending on the day. I always make it to class on time thanks to the staff's willingness to turn and burn with zero sacrifice on quality or care. They keep the coffee coming, and the food is consistently hot, delicious, and solid. Cracker Barrel doesn't always get 5-star reviews, but thanks to their extreme flexibility, agility, and the great care I receive, especially from Shannon!, most days it's excellent. Solid breakfast, rapid refills, everything hot and ready, and I'm at class on time, well-fed, and ready to focus. Highly recommend if you're in the area for business or training like myself. Homesick for Texas! read more

After looking at hunting gear, we stopped by Cracker Barrel, to get some lunch. I haven't been to the Athens location since the late 1980's or early 199'0's. My friend and I were ready to get a bite to eat after looking at hunting gear. It was 11:00 when we arrived to a 3/4 full restaurant. They have the original decor and setup. I recall reading people were upset about a redesign. Not this restaurant though. I walked in and felt the same as I did years ago looking at all the merchandise in the store. I ordered the chicken breasts with pinto beans, green beans and corn muffin. The chicken had a blackening seasoning that was delicious! The breasts were perfectly juicy and perfectly cooked. My sides were delicious! 5/5 Dave ordered meatloaf with mashed potatoes, gravy, turnip greens, and corn muffin. He loved his meal and declared everything delicious. The mashed potatoes were homemade and seasoned just right he said. 5/5 I will return to this Cracker Barrel again. The food is better than the one in town. This visit 5/5. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Grilled chicken with pinto beans and green beans. Yummy! - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

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Finally, this Cracker Barrel is back! The service was quick and very attentive, we were asked several times if we needed anything. The food was hot! All of it, fresh and hot and delicious. I am so glad to see this restaurant doing things right again as I had given them bad reviews for the last few years. Honestly folks, if you have been avoiding going, it is time to give them a try again. You won't be disappointed! read more

We came here for breakfast with my dad, and although it was clean and the staff was friendly, it took 38 minutes to get our food, despite not being full inside-way too long. My side dish was incorrect, but since it took so long, I didn't tell them and just let my husband and dad share it. My dad liked the chicken dumplings and biscuits and our food was fine too, but based upon the length of time it took, we would not return. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country offers a pretty solid breakfast. The service here was friendly and outgoing and like most Cracker Barrel Old County Stores (if not all), it has an interesting abd pleasant ambiance. Don't miss on the hash brown casserole. For me, that is a must. I also enjoy walking through the country store part and often have found something to purchase. I would definitely recommend a visit here. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

Well, the waiter, Jose was nice and attentive. The sides were cold and bland. The chicken fried steak was ordered by two of us and was inedible. I think it may have been microwaved because the breading wasn't crispy, the taste was off and both had gummy stuff that had to be spit out in it. The pancakes were rubbery and it was hard to cut them with the butter knife. The bacon was also undercooked. I also want to mention that the store part of the restaurant felt musty and humid. The workers in the store were nice and kept the area clean and straightened. I doubt that I will ever go back to this restaurant. read more

Nasty is an understatement. We didn't even get our food. Why you may ask! Good glad you did! The waitstaff had snot dripping from their nose and it dripped on the table and they just wiped the snot with their hand. Then continue to try to take our order. Nope! That is nasty! Nasty! Nasty!!!!!!!! I wish I could give negative stars. read more

When I first came to Madison, I did not know what to expect from the long time American restaurant chain. Walking through their front doors and into their lobby, you are met with really cute American classic decor with endless shelves of seasonal retail. There's literally something for everyone and you can tell how proud this restaurant brand has grown with every generation. It's adorable in there. Check it out! I frequent this location often. Everyone working is doing their best. Of course there are a few hiccups from time to time but nothing that they do not own and make up for with great service. Food is always delicious. Don't pass up the home style fried chicken! That is some of the best fried chicken I have ever had in my life. I come from California and I have had my fair share of fried chicken from every cuisine that offers it. Cracker Barrel's fried chicken for the price point is something you can't beat. After 5pm, service can be a little bit slower but I think people forget that dinner takes just a little longer to prepare than breakfast does. Overall, this location is a solid repeat restaurant that my husband and I look forward to visiting. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Homestyle fried chicken, Fried Okra and Turnip Greens - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

The only reason I came here was because they kept the old fashioned logo and theme. That being said, I got what I expected with Grandpa's Breakfast. The waitess was great, though the host that seated me wasn't friendly or maybe he was not awake yet. The food was good, but I ordered sunny side up and the eggs were a little runny. The country fried steak looked a bit overcooked but both tasted fine. My only complaints are the chairs seem hard on my posterior. But I am realizing that might just be me. Also I had to season everything more than I thought. Could be me again. I asked for and got Tabasco sauce. All in all good. Glad they kept their old fashioned look or I woukd not be dinning at them any more. read more

The hostess was really very nice and seated us near the fireplace, after we mentioned we were cold from outside. Our waitress was prompt and checked on us often. The food was excellent. It shocked me that this location didn't have 5/5 reviews! read more

How do I begin. Me and two other friends were in town for a convention over the weekend. Looked at several places to eat and decided on cracker barrel for it's variety of food. When I tell you it was the worst service and food I have had from a cracker barrel in my life. We walked in and the hostess seated us, we sat, and sat, and sat, other people came in and got seated had their order taken, got their food and we're leaving before anyone took our order. I finally got the attention of the manager I guess her name was Sara, she said she would get someone to wait on us, asked if she could get our drinks we ordered the Strawberry Peach Lemonade, finally got them and couldn't drink them, it was like drinking straight syrup, so finally got the attention of someone else and asked if we could get some water, finally got the water, it tasted like they got it out of the faucet, nasty. Waited a little bit longer before someone asked if we wanted rolls and cornbread, we said yes, got the rolls there was still dry flour on them. Another 25 minutes before anyone took our order, oh this was on a Friday night, March 27th, me and another friend ordered the Catfish, with fries, fried okra and I added the coleslaw with mines. Another 20-25 minutes passed before Sara came and said they were out of Catfish. My friend Changed hers to the roast beef, I chose the meatloaf, omg, bad mistake, it was terrible. Anyway I also asked to change my sides instead on French fries I got mashed potatoes. My other friend didn't change her sides. The waitress I think her name was April or Ava, we called her attention to the fact that my friend didn't get her fries, instead of her saying ok she would get them she let the "F" fly. We sat and tried to eat what was presented to us. Then it was time for the check, which was wrong. The sent in another waitress a perky young lady who came with a smile and asked how was our meal. The two of us told the truth and told her it was horrible. She said she would see what she could do to make it better. Anyways she took the drinks off our order. We told her we appreciated her for trying to make the situation better. She got the tip. I placed it her hands. She kept saying that she didn't do anything I told her at least you tried. I could go on. But I will quit. read more

We went on a Sunday afternoon after church. It was 46° outside and the restaurant was freezing. When we asked if they could turn on the heat, they said no we can't do that because the building is large and by the time it warms up, you will be gone anyway. They also said that the fireplace was not working. I wish that was the worst of it, but the service was bad from start to finish. Server was nice, but did not do a great job whether it was her fault or the kitchen . Had to wait for anyone to take our drink orders. Had to wait for our drinks. Had to wait for our food. They were out of strawberry jelly, which is a big part of the reason we go there. It was $85 after tip. Definitely not worth it. We like the food usually but probably won't be back after that. read more

You think a biscuit breakfast would actually come with biscuits? Guess not. It's literally two biscuits with choice of meat and choice of side but somehow didn't have the biscuits. Does anyone even check what's going out the door anymore? No way we are driving back to pick up 2 biscuits. This is not the first time this has happened. Do better. read more

It's not the same. Food is disappointing. Seemed warmed over. Still haven't mastered making biscuits like they used to. Mashed potatoes appeared to be made from a mix. Real mash potatoes are imperfect, a little lump here or there. No so with these. Gravy was a mix. Biscuits were too uniform in appearance and texture. Real meat and three looks and tastes homemade. This tasted pre-made, pre-mixed, and calculated for profit margin. Cracker Barrel has sold its "Country soul" for "Corporate perfection" at the expense of great food and service. The "old' Cracker Barrel experience is no more. read more

We met family here for a Thanksgiving early afternoon meal and it was actually good! We had turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed spuds and green beans. Everyone enjoyed it and despite being a holiday, the staff were on top of their game and provided noteworthy service. The country store part provides a nice respite if the holiday conversation gets awkward. The restrooms are always clean, too! Thanks Cracker Barrel for providing a nice Thanksgiving meal that we did not have to prepare or clean up after! read more

The service was so and so. The were busy. The food came out amazing. They had the fireplace running when I went. Kept the place warm. As always the store front was nice with plenty of stuff to buy on the way in or the way out. For such a busy restaurant the place was almost silent. Which was great. read more

Went to Cracker Barrel today with my wife. She had fried catfish that was thin , greasy and tasted like fried crust.I had turkey and dressing and it was awful , tasted like muscilage and the turnip greens were overcooked and and didn't taste like turnip greens.We also was disappointed with our waitress who wasn't helpful and rarely seen. She delivered corn bread and biscuits and the corn bread was burnt and she said she would bring us fresh corn bread and never did. We have decided not to have Cracker Barrel as a place to eat .We have dined with Cracker Barrel since it opened inMemphis years ago when we lived there and we have seen their quality of food get worse in the last couple of years.Sadley we won't go back, yesterday was the last straw. read more

The wait to be acknowledged after quickly being seated was very long, the wait for her to take our order was long, to get our drinks and food took a long time. When dropping off our food she asked if I wanted biscuits or cornbread, she didn't bother to ask my husband. Our sweet tea was not sweet and we are Yankees. She offered to get someone to comp our food since we hardly ate and my husband was so disgusted he said not to bother. His food was grossly undercooked. I had asked for a Coke since the tea was so bad and I never received it. 4 years ago we loved this place- now not so much read more

Good food and great service. Reliable comfort food with new twists on the menu including cocktails use the app for bonuses. Usual CB ambiance here. read more

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There was so much going on in the restaurant that I don't even know how to process. There was no host when we arrived, but once they came we were sat. Every worker seemed so panicked and I thought there were so many customers but the place was almost dead. The food was okay, it seemed a bit off. I ordered the country fried steak and they forgot my gravy. At least the service was fast. Every worker just seemed out of sorts and I don't really know why. I also think I got a stomach bug from here. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Workers were stressed but the place was empty? - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

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Early do I give 1 star, it was that bad. Parking lot was not full nor inside toke awhile to get seating I guess due to lack of staff, because I seen more coming in. Waitress kinda rough around edge's attitude but okay with kinda reminded me when I travel to east part of USA. Food was little slow but don't mind if hot and fresh. But it was not hash browns was cold. Sausage Pattie's was pink so we didn't eat them scared they was raw. We stopped do to travel but it was so bad I don't know if I could stop at any Cracker Barrel anywhere also I didn't even want to pay for food . read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Inside - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

Had an excellent breakfast, take out. The meal was prepared just right. Got my money's worth. Excellent food and excellent service.

Got there around 7pm and had a 30 minute wait. When we were called 28 minutes later, we were surprised to see 3/4 of the tables were empty. 10 minutes after being seated, our server had walked by our table only to wait on nearby tables. She apologized for the delay and took our orders. She asked if we wanted biscuits and we opted for Coke Zeros and those biscuits. 10 minutes later our drinks were delivered. She apparently doesn't respond to "thank you" as we said it every time she brought us anything. 30 minutes later our food arrived. When it was set down, again no reply from our thank yous. The hash brown casserole was way over salted and we suggested she tell the cook to lighten up on the salt and nothing was said as a response. When we asked for the bill again no your welcome response was given. What has happened to manners? It was apparent that the reason so many tables were empty is because they don't have enough staff to properly handle those tables. The staff that took our name to put us on the waiting list, were bussing the tables after it's payteons were done with their meal. At no time did any of the managers (we saw 2} come around to any table to check on their dining experience. Maybe thats because they knew they wouldn't get good reviews, and when it was time to pay, when I was asked how my dinner was, my reply was, " it's not the old Cracker Barrel" and nothing was asked of me as she simply ignored my comment. A chain that was once a very highly regarded establishment has really depreciated a lot. The wait was awful, service less than expected, and our dining experience was disappointing. Our overall time for dinner was 90 minutes with the wait. It's not the old reliable Cracker Barrel it once was. read more

It's taken us 45 minutes to get our water and order taken. One server is handling the restaurant and bussing. So far no food. It's been an hour. About ready to leave. read more

I would like to take this opportunity to share a wonderful experience I had at one of your locations in Madison, AL (CBO217). First, the food was without par; cooked right, served right and perfectly seasoned. The other part of this wonderful experience was out server Mr. Lyric U. Lyric was on the top of his game. He sensed what we needed even before we asked. He was helpful, without being pushy and he came through with every request without fail. This young man has a very bright future ahead of him if he stays in the customer service business line. Amazing, he is a natural. I relayed this info to the cashier on checkout, but am not sure if it will be passed on down to him. As such, I come to you and request he be formally recognized. If I still had a business I would try and pouch him from you, he's that good. A strong prospect for managerial positions. I am not related to him, nor have I ever meet him before but I was so impressed by his service skills that I had to let you know. Thank you. read more

We ordered fried chicken and a hash brown and steak scramble bowl. We waited over an hour for the server to tell us they are out of chicken and could offer us something boneless (?). My husband then asked for a double burger. My scramble bowl was overcooked and tasted like it sat in grease on the counter for an hour. The hash browns were cold, hard and chewy. Then the server brings my husband a single burger. He asks to make sure he isn't charged for a double and the server then says "we don't sell doubles. I just took your order because I knew you were hungry waiting so long. read more

Twice I have ordered a pick up order & both times something was left out. I've had to drive back up there both times & pick up what was left out. Neither time I have been offered anything for my inconvenience! I mean throw in some extra cornbread or something because by the time I get home MY food is cold... at least I would have warm cornbread. read more

Food was excellent, waitress excellent, men's room was a mess. I mentioned this to three staff, an hour later still a mess. Having patrons track through urine and take it to the dining area is gross. read more

I looked back through my reviews and I had given this Cracker Barrel negative reviews on three previous occasions. Not much has changed. Our service was good this time but the food, not so much. My wife had pancakes and sausage and I had Grandma's French Toast, eggs, and sausage. My wife's pancakes looked and tasted like they had been microwaved and they were luke warm. Her sausage was supposed to be well done. It was nowhere near that and was really greasy. My eggs and sausage were good, well done and hot. The French Toast was so cold, it would not melt the butter that was placed on top. EVERY time we've eaten at this CB in the last three years we said it was our last time. EVERY TIME! That's a shame as when I moved to Huntsville in 2015, I used to eat at this CB routinely and it was good. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, CRACKER BARREL?!!!! We're done with this CB and we mean it this time. 17 Feb 25 Update - Copied my Yelp Review and sent to Crackerbarrel.com. They are sending me a, "digital comp," in 2-3 days. 24 Feb 25 Update - CB did send me a digital comp, ONE. I had to remind them, we had TWO meals at their restaurant and they sent me another digital comp. read more

I've been to quite a few Cracker Barrel's and this one wasn't very good. The service was spot on, hence the two stars but the food was underwhelming. The eggs had no flavor so i has to drown it in salt and pepper and the loaded hash browns i paid extra for tasted like cheddar cheese, don't spend the extra money on them not worth it. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Menu - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

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Food was meh, not fresh do not recommend the broccoli and cheese casserole! Awful garbage. Okra was stale like a week old the waitress was nice and tried to accommodate us as much as possible otherwise a poor representation of what this establishment used to be about. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Broccoli casserole - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

Took the kids there for dinner and was pleasantly surprised with both the food, cleanliness and the service. Sloan was an excellent and attentive server and made sure we were well taken care of quickly and with a smile. read more

Service is terrible. Tell you 15-20 minutes when you come in but it takes a lot longer.

This is possibly the first Cracker Barrel I ever visited. My first time here was about the year 1996. Since then, I have visited probably 50 different Cracker Barrel's. Anyway, I was passing through today (2018) and it pretty much looks the same as it did 22 years ago. The service was great just like it was long ago. I have probably eaten here maybe 10 times or so. That tells you a lot about customer service. The food is always tastes great. It's southern home cooking just like your mama used to make. The only reason they are getting 4 stars instead of 5 is because my waiter let me run out of sweet tea for about 3 minutes or so. A little bit of personal history: My girl friend at that time in 1996 told me about this place and got me hooked on eating at Cracker Barrel's. I am glad she talked me into taking the drive from Decatur to this spot. Menu items ordered: Fried Catfish, okra, mashed potatoes and brown gravy with biscuits and of course sweet tea. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Fried Catfish, Okra, and mashed potatoes with brown gravy and sweet tea - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

Worst cracker barrel I have ever been to1st person in the store one morning recently. Left after 45 minutes and no food. Previous times I have been the biscuits were burned and one looked like a dough ball. Service and kitchen are in need of serious management change. I would suggest that the person responding to my review about this Cracker Barrel to send quality control to see for themselves erase me providing any more. read more

Stopped here for breakfast with the family, it's was kind of early so there was no wait to be seated. The waitress (Mari C) was very friendly and came over right away to take our orders and answer any questions. It only took about seven minutes for our food to start arriving. I had the Blueberry pancakes with bacon and it was very good, had to ask for a little more syrup, but it was good. Everyone else also enjoyed the meals, and of course the price was very reasonable. It was well worth the stop. read more

I haven't been to a Cracker Barrel in 20 years and I was pretty excited to sit down and try some of their classic country cooking when I recently visited Alabama. I was seated quickly in the empty dining room and my drink order taken immediately. I decided to have the country fried steak and they give you THREE SIDES plus bread. I decided to get the green beans, mac n cheese, and pinto beans. I was stoked! Oh boy, was I underwhelmed. All of my sides were luke warm, the country fried steak patty was obviously frozen before it was served, and the food was actually flavorless. Not a single spice to be seen or tasted. NOT EVEN SALT. The service was nice and the place was really clean and cozy, but wow was the food really disappointing. They shouldn't need to serve frozen CFS patties and a little salt and pepper goes a long way. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Country Fried Steak - Southern Near Me - Madison, Alabama

This is the first time we decided to come in Covid. During Covid, we had cold food, service was terrible. I know that they were short hand. I understand that. Today we decided to give another chance. Our waitress took a very long time to get our order. When we sat down, we were one of the first in the section. Everyone around received there food, except our table. When we finally got out food, we only got a partial order. Our original waitress was left early, we were left sitting here. So I can safely say we will not come back again anytime soon. Go to Sunny Street Cafe, in all the years we have been going there we have never, never had bad service. read more

Normally Cracker Barrel is on point but the night I question they were short staffed in the kitchen or something cause they were not. The service was decent, the food took forever was cold when we received it. The ambiance was ok. read more

We had a great experience at this location! No wait on a Friday evening. We got the sweetest waitress. I believe her name was Jayley. She seemed to truly enjoy her job and want to be there (which is hard to come by these days). She talked us into trying the barrel bites. We got the beignet bites and fried pickles. The fried pickles were not very good, but the beignet bites were excellent! My grilled catfish was very good, and my husband's home style chicken was very good. Next time we go to this location, I hope we get Jayley again, because she did such a great job! read more