Best food in town comfort food we had the max and cheese country fried steak and boiled cabbage! Just perfect read more

I haven't had a meal like this since middle school, fortunately.. I got the country style steak (was expecting country fried but just low quality soggy meat swimming in gravy), mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and green beans that appeared to be canned. The building was large and unmarked, no signs outside or anything, had an old school cafeteria vibe. read more

J & S Cafeteria - Country steak, mashed, green beans and garlic bread - Comfort Food Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

It is a typical cafeteria setting. They optimize for all the seating they can get in the area. The food is exactly what you expect, good and consistent. The service is pleasant on the line and in the dining room. The dining room staff can get overwhelmed when it is extremely busy. The prices, variety and portions are good. I know I am going to a cafeteria and J & S checks all the boxes. read more

I went here for the very first time last weekend! I was honestly surprised by how good it was and how nice the wonderful ladies that served the very generous portions of food were! I had always thought it was for older people lol! Boy have I been missing out! I went through the line thinking oh I can't get this or that because it's going to be a fortune! But nooooo! 4 of us ate for $60 and we had a whole table full of food and 2 desserts with 4 drinks too! I particularly loved the broccoli salad, the 7 layered salad and the spaghetti! That sauce is very tasty with chunks of tomatoes, ground beef, onions and green peppers!!! I also thought it was a nice touch that people walk around and asked if we needed anything and cleared the tables! It is a cafeteria with tables of people just chatting and eating! I would definitely come back! read more

Whatever you do, don't get the white meat fried chicken. The vegetables are very good, but whoever fried that chicken needs to be run off. You don't fry chicken by time, you fry it by internal temp. I literally held that poor breast and wing in my hand and apologized to the chicken pieces for the way they were fried after giving their life. I had to dip every bite of chicken either in hot sauce or my green bean juice to reconstitute it with moisture before sticking it in my mouth. Might as well be eating some napkins it was so dry. How does someone fry chicken every day and get it wrong?? I can't believe it. read more

Wow! I miss the one at Airport road that closed down but this one is actually better. Now that my wife has past away it will be hard for me to travel to River Ridge Mall area but it would be worth it. I honestly have never been disappointed with the taste of their food. Only open for lunch would be my only negative! read more

Just good ole country cooking. Nice selections and generous servings. Feels like a great home cooked meal! Economically priced! read more

Love the J&S and have come here for 30 years. Good Southern cooking served hot and ready. Friendly staff and open and tasteful atmosphere.

Great food. We had baked spaghetti and country style steak both were amazing. Veggies were very good. Rolls wonderful as always. Everyone enjoyed their favorite dessert cheese cake, pecan pie. And chocolate pie. Service was excellent above and beyond! read more

Food was cold, not bad tasting but not exceptional either. My daughter had chicken tenders and she said they were good. The sweet potato soufflé was quite good but the turkey , gravy & stuffing I had were just ok.. The ambience was more like a hospital and lacked charm. read more

Excellent meal each and every time. Love the liver & onions on Saturdays. Each day is different. The same staff has been there for a long time! You can still get a big salad, and there are many items to choose from meats and veggies and a nice dining area. read more

We arrived in Asheville late this evening and we were staying at the Ramada Inn. We drove right by the restaurant on our way to the hotel and it had 4 stars so we checked in and decided to try it. It reminded us of our Morrison's Cafeteria from our home town. The food choices were endless but we finally decided on smothered steak, mashed potatoes and collards for me, roast beef, broccoli casserole and green beans for my husband. We got a slice of lemon meringue pie to split. I loved everything on my plate. The collards tasted great but didn't taste greasy or bitter at all. My husband said the broccoli casserole was just ok but he really enjoyed the roast beef and green beans. For both of us the food was very plentiful and neither of us could eat it all. We did, however, eat the piece of pie. It wasn't as good as mine but it was still good, with real meringue. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and the friendly service. read more

J & S Cafeteria - Smothered steak, real mashed potatoes and collards. - Comfort Food Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Most every time I go it's good .. some days better than others .... As Piccadilly cafeteria was my favorite growing up , the roast beef , green beans and mashed potatoes and gravy ( has to be a certain gravy ) is the closest I've found I can find ... it's not the best food , but the nostalgia with it makes it amazing every time for me read more

If you're old enough to recall the S&W cafeterias, or maybe more recently Morrison's, you'll know exactly what to expect at J&S. It's a buffet line that offers -- or so it seems -- the exact food staples we ate 10 years ago, or 20, or a lot more. There's the fried chicken, of course, and chopped steak with exactly one pickle on the top, baked spaghetti, slices of roast beef, strawberry shortcake, green beans... and on and on. The thing is we like that. And J&S does a good job in food prep and serving. It's servers usually manage a smile, and a nice welcome to guests, who look to be almost the same people we've seen in every cafeteria we've ever eaten in. Anyhow, if you're ok with all that, you'll feel right at home here. For us, it's feel good food in an atmosphere we remember from almost childhood. read more

Quality and quantity of food is not the same as before Covid! Servers and waitress's are not as enthusiastic or do as good of job either. The serving bar and tables aren't as clean. Maybe it's because they are not paid as much previously even though the price of lunch has gone up 60% or so. I still may recommend j&s but not as easily as before Covid. Friendly faces and joyful attitudes are lacking. In short, previous owners just did a much better job on everything. read more

We've been here off and on throughout the years, and each time was worse than the last. When we first started vacationing in Asheville, we quickly added this restaurant to the "Go-to" lunch list. The food was good, and menu was varied. Prices were very reasonable. Recent visits, however, have led us to believe otherwise. We dinned-in around 2p.m, and proceeded past the numerous employees sitting around in the dining room, to the cafeteria line. The food looked absolutely horrible. The possibility of any of it being fresh was slim to none. The meat (not intended to be comical) was being kept warm for so long, it looked like someone put it on the roof, forgot about it, and then remembering it, brought it back down, and put it on hot plate where it rested. I felt as if I was playing Russian roulette with the proteins. After playing around with an argument of, " which of these items are not going to give me food poisoning" I ended up getting breaded pork and a couple of sides. The food was so mediocre, we began suggesting that everything we were eating came from a TV dinner (although not proven). We will stay clear of this restaurant next time around, and suggest you do likewise. read more

Never disappointed when eating here! Very friendly staff, great food! Home style good down to earth food! Love the variety of foods to choose from! read more

**i chose 3 stars but it's showing 4 and I can't get it to change. WTF?! Very mediocre but priced (mostly) accordingly. All items are served a la carte, which means that an 'entree' of roast beef is about 5oz for almost $6. If you want mashed potatoes and green beans with that (or any other 2 sides), it's going to be an extra $4. Don't get me wrong, $10 for a beef dinner isn't bad, but this is a cafeteria. The beans are canned and the beef has been sitting in the open air on a hot plate for a long time. It's dry, it's over cooked. The g beans are turning into water. The mashed potatoes are gummy. You could get a fresh burger plate or meatloaf elsewhere for $7-10. You could get an actual steak w fresh sides for $11-14. The biggest upside is that you have total mix & match control. Where else can you buy entrees a la cart? And honestly, if you happen to show up when items have been freshly changed, it's BOSS for the price. read more

Have eaten at J&S in Asheville many times with no adverse affects. However ate there this past Wednesday after shopping and having nothing to eat all day. Ate their last piece of Chicken Cordon Blue. I don't know if it was left over from the previous day or not. Next day I became very sick throwing up, diarrhea, and so dizzy I could not function or even make it to my doctor's office. I had food poisoning. Three days later after feeling better I called the manager to report the food poisoning. That was the only food I had eaten so I knew where the food poisoning came from. read more

Going here is like stepping back in time. I have been going here since I was a little girl and it hasn't changed a bit - including the menu! It is well-kept, clean, and what you would expect from a cafeteria. The people who work there are attentive. I love going in the mornings for breakfast - especially the eggs made to order! I only recently discovered ordering on the app. I do that for dinner sometimes to pick up on the way home from work and it is super handy. I wouldn't recommend this as a "go to" destination, especially if you're touristing it, but it is a good place to grab a decent bite. read more

I go to Black Mountain at least once a year and when I do I have to go to J&S each time I go. I have never been disappointed in my food here. One thing I always get is the 7 layer salad. It has lettuce, mayo, peas, cheese, eggs, bacon bits, and corn. It is creamy with some texture to it with the boiled egg chunks, and crunch from the lettuce. I also love the southern fried steak. It is covered in brown gravy and I get it sitting on a mountain of mashed potatoes. I finally discovered their chicken fingers on my last trip. These things are huge! They have a beer batter or tempura type breading on them. They are great dipped in the gravy. All of the sides I have had have been really tasty. They range from baked carrots to fresh broccoli. J&S has introduced an all you can eat special. I have not ordered it as I can never finish the portion I get on a regular plate. read more

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Great food, fresh and hot! Ive eaten here a few times and love the chicken and green beans. Service is great if you want something special.

Haven't been to a good cafeteria in a while and this one got all the check marks for me. Good food, good service and good price. It always takes me back to when I was a kid and my grandmother would take us. I love seeing all the choices and being able to pick anything I want. The only change is grandma isn't here anymore and now desert is first! read more

J & S Cafeteria - Comfort Food Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This Place just plain gets it! good ! GREAT! Food at a affordable prices! Comfort food served here!!!! And I LOVE IT! Great Breakfast! lunch and dinner! There are several locations in the Asheville area! so be sure to stop on by for a great family meal! Leave satisfied! and without breaking the bank! Food here is excellent!! Not your fancy place where you get more hype and garnish than food! YUM! read more

Alas! The day of the cafeteria in America is just about ended. All J&S locations have closed. I always looked forward to eating with them. They had very good food. RIP.................. read more

No nonsense cafeteria in south-east Asheville. Serves all the traditional cafeteria fare and has great table service.

I had a low blood sugar situation and came into the cafeteria. I was behind a very old and slow man. I had to eat something so I ate the jello that I got when I started in line. There was a hard skin on the jello a quarter of an inch thick and I showed it to the manager. She would not refund my money because she said that I already ate it. If I found this at the table it would be the same thing. I called corporate. I am expecting a call from the general manager and if I do not hear from the corporate manager I will splatter this story everywhere. Do not let someone with a sugar problem go unnoticed. read more

Let me say we have only been for breakfast, but for less than $15 we have enjoyed it. There are no fancy dishes here but what they have they do well. At the front they ask you if you want eggs and if so how you want them cooked, so right away you get what you want! The bacon is crisp the tots are yummy and the fruit is fresh! Stay away from the hash browns and the biscuits. They will also make French toast and pancakes fresh for you. read more

If you go to a cafeteria you have to know from the outset that the food might not be fresh cooked. The smell of old oil permeates the air and the food. This was a breakfast visit. Eggs were cooked to order, which helped. Portion sizes vary significantly from person to person. I commented on that to the manager and he was somewhat snarky in his response. The whole wheat toast was horrible, not even like bread. Oh well it was an experiment. read more

O.k., nothing special. They have really cut back on portions though, especially Country Style Steak, which happens to be our favorite. All the food used to be good. Not as much anymore. They gave us 1 small piece of CCS but they didn't lower the price one dime. Everybody in the restaurant business knows that if you have to make a change, you go up on price not scrimp on portions!!! They'll be closed down before they know it!! read more

Best place in Asheville to eat! The country style steak is so good, the fried fish, homemade tartar sauce! I could go on and on. Only place I have found German Chocolate pie! Omgggg read more

The food is always bland, lacking bold, hearty flavor. The pie crust on my pie tasted like bleach and made my mouth feel funny. Tea tasted like the brewer had not been cleaned. To beat it all, two supervisors were helping clear a large table beside me and my mother. They discussed allegations from employees that they were having "relations" in "the back room". Totally ruined Mother's Day lunch for both me and my mother. Found out the Buncombe County Health Department had nailed them for leaving filthy dishes laying around in the kitchen a while back ago. I will NEVER eat there again. read more

Food was great, staff friendly, and place clean! Would return, also very inexpensive and lots of choices.

Nicest people and great food. Haven't been to a cafeteria since college but not sure why. Loved this place. Amazing amazing amazing. From PA and MI. read more

Good food and good value. Friendly folks and atmosphere. We enjoyed on every visit to Asheville.

They give you a lot of food and are friendly. The place is clean. It is also filled with old people. You can get what you want here for the most part. read more

The best cafeteria chain in the world. Great home cooking and cheap.

Reliable and cost effective. Tastes fine, just not awe inspiring. Some items are too salty, and it is easy to eat too much that isn't good for you. But it also has plenty of salads and veggies to choose from. read more

Something has happened to J&S in Ashville. The quality of the food has really gone down hill in the last months. My husband and I would go there one to two times a week but due to poor food quality and the I don't care attitude of some of the staff we will no longer be there. read more

Rice was rubbery and what wasn't rubbery was hard as a rock. Fried Steak tasted like grease. Broccoli was a combination undercooked and overcooked pieces. Cornbread had been sitting out too long. Even the cheese cake had been sitting out too long. Will not go back. read more