Dined @ Pope's in the early 90's. Was thrilled to see they are still there! Had a great server and all the classic charm made it cozy as ever. Took a "first timer" friend and she enjoyed it tremendously! The fried chicken livers, green beans, cinnamon apples, fried green tomatoes, onion rings, and fried okra were outstanding Can't wait to go back. It's worth the beautiful 35 minute drive read more

Pope's is a common enough looking little old dinner with average service in the Shelbyville town square. The food however is anything but common. I would make the hour and a half drive from home just to eat at Pope's Cafe. We have done road trips and thousands of miles around America. This is some of the best food we have found. Completely unexpected. We will be back. read more

Stopped in after discovering this place while driving around the square. A nice local cafe and the waitress that morning was very nice and friendly. I ordered the open face roast beef and gravy. It was fantastic had okra and mashed potatoes for sides and they did not disappoint. On tge way out I had to try the homemade pies. So I had a piece of coconut cream and coconut meringue pie. Both were great. Gonna try the others next time. If you're looking for simple good homestyle cooking this is a great place. read more

Staff were nice food was average dont get the pay more for soda when u order a burger but anyways was in town with my fiance because he had work there bingo night but I would say clean the place up some and use some seasoning! read more

Pope's Cafe - Burger and fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

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Our waitress Crystal genuinely cares about her job. She was super friendly, and attentive, rolling silverware, pouring tea, and taking orders, She stayed on top of everything. It's a small quaint diner. The food was so good. I got the BLT and it was one of the best BLT on sourdough bread I've ever had in my life. A great little place to eat. read more

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Friend an I went for lunch. It took 45 minutes to get a grilled chicken sandwich on sourdough and a chicken salad sandwich on sourdough. After 35 minutes we were told they were out of chicken salad and had to make it. When the sandwiches finally arrived they were served on a small plastic basket with nothing ...no lettuce tomato mayo or pickle slice. We were told their sandwiches come with nothing on them! I have eaten out a lot in my life and at least a pickle accompanies a sandwich. The waitress should have told us. Too much for a bare naked sandwich. Won't go back. read more

The food for this place was very nice! I honestly am very childish of food like chicken tenders but theirs was very great to me, tasted very astonishing, and love their sweet teas, and as for the service, it was great, the employees are honestly very sweet and calm and I personally like these types of restaurants with these employees, as for the atmosphere or ambiance, it was very pleasant, love how it looks welcoming and country and nostalgic. :D I would definitely come Back here if I get the chance to go with my buds next time. read more

This cozy place has occupied the square in Shelbyville since 1945. The menu is fairly simple and this place is basically a Meat & Three, so I opted for the Country Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, white gravy, and carrots. Overall the meal was solid, the chicken tender and the breading had good flavor, potatoes were just OK, and the carrots were very good. The cornbread is good but would have been much better warm. Service was good and while I did not get any pie, they did look tasty. read more

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Well I want to start up that I've tried Popes Cafe three times so far n I'm not impressed with the service that I got on 2 of those occasions.I went for breakfast during the week n food was good n service was excellent so I wanted to try the evening meal.Salad bar look awful n some thing was almost empty n I asked the young blonde hair waitress if she wud refill them n she told me to hold on but never refilled them,sum of the items had other food mixed in with them. Just nasty looking!!!They had 2 waitresses but they were on their phones standing at the cash register n i had to get their attention to get refilled on drinks!Never once come and asked if we needed anything and don't get me started on floor cause it looked like it hadn't been mopped in awhile it was filthy read more

Popped into Pope's on a trip to Shelbyville. Great food, great ambiance and great service. Will be returning.

First timer, just passing thru. Food & service was excellent. If Pope's was in my hometown in Texas it would be packed every morning at 6am. There's some construction going on above and to the side with scaffolding across the front. Pope's Cafe is OPEN, don't hesitate to walk in and relax. Coffee was pretty good - poured out of a classic Bun SS decanter with 1/2 & 1/2 on the table.. Pepper is fine ground and the biscuits are great. The only thing that could be better is if they forgot the hi-tech waitress iPad and just 'write it down'. Lol Some of us are looking for old school experiences and Popes is 96% there. You should go and let me know what you think! read more

Pope's Cafe - All cut up & ready to eat. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

I absolutely love this place! The food was really good, as was the coffee. The service was fast enough, though it took about 20 for the food. The ambiance was good as well, I love the old diner look. read more

Hamburgers, okra, cream pies and service were all good! Homemade food with a smile, worth a stop. Super quaint, old dining room tables and chairs. read more

Food was excellent. Outside is a little rough as it is being remodeled. Inside bright and has lots of antiques to check out which are also available for purchase. Seemed to be only one waitress in the place that was handling to-to orders and normal waitressing duties. Very friendly. Some in my party were hangry and feel it was too slow read more

Pope's Cafe - Slab of country ham, 3 eggs(one broke, sad panda), biscuit and gravy. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

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I drove an hour to try this historic small cafe in Shelbyville to try their bacon cheeseburger. The atmosphere was quaint and definitely had the small town square feel. I was greeted by a wonderful hostess and she added her own warmth and friendliness you would hope to see in a place like this. The cheeseburger was a tad well done for my liking, but it was large and held its own with all the fixings. Fresh tomatoe, lettuce, pickles, onions and mayonnaise on a soft brioche style bun. There were three choices of fries offered, crinkle, straight cut, and steak fries. They have several homemade pies ready for you to enjoy. I chose the banana cream meringue pie that was said to be the owner's family recipe. It was full of flavor and definitely a solid experience. I would say it's worth the visit. I left satisfied and happy with the meal. read more

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Best burger I've had in a long time! We can't wait to return and try some of the other dishes. Fantastic service and experience overall! read more

Pope's Cafe - Bacon cheeseburger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

What a great place. Food was great and the service was amazing!! Great local flavor and the pies and desserts are incredible!! read more

Pope's Cafe - a variety of pies and pies - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

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Their burgers are the best around! Definitely worth the money! They are huge, juicy and so so good! We will definitely be back! Also the coconut pie was really good! read more

Pope's Cafe - Burger! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

This place is an absolute diamond in the rough! Just getting ready to move to Shelbyville and already know where my wife and I will be going for breakfast at least once a week. The atmosphere reminds me of the old diners that I grew up with, the waitress absolutely one of the most friendliest women I've ever dealt with, outside of my wife, the food, outstanding! Don't pass up an opportunity to have a wonderful breakfast at Pope's. read more

New owners and food is great. Expanded the Cafe size. Added a salad bar. Clean and fast service.

Wonderful! We were warmly greeted when we walked into Pope's Cafe today. Miss Brenda took our orders and we enjoyed sitting at the counter sipping Mason jars full of ice cold water, coke and sweet tea. Our group ordered Smokey burgers, a club sandwich, a BLT and an open face roast beef sandwich. All were delicious and served quickly. Well worth the stop before our Jack Daniel's Distillery tour. read more

Google maps was a little misleading, but after circling the square we easily located the mom & pops. First the service...exceptional! The staff was friendly and attentive. Every question was answered with a smile ! The food was bursting with flavor. The open faced roast beef and bacon burger were finger licking good. read more

Pope's Cafe - Bacon burger, open faced roast beef and Brussel sprouts - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

Had the slaw burger and was excellent! Will definitely eat there again when we are in town.

The main ingredient of any review should be honesty. Right? That being said, I am sad to update my previous "raving" reviews of Popes Cafe. I've thought 2 days about doing it, and I honestly feel it's warranted. My last 3 meals there have been disgusting. I have no idea what has changed. And it's not just one item, it seems to be randomly across the board. Wrong orders. Cold food. Greasy food. Soggy fries. Tough meat. Vegetables that have cooked so long they look and taste like mush. New Owners? New cook in the kitchen? No idea. But after 1/2 a Century of enjoying the "nostalgia", I think I'm done. read more

Great Mr. Pig Burger. Good service and friendly people. Coming back soon with my wife. read more

Pope's Cafe - a plate with a sandwich and french fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

Home town folks , very good food food plus delicious desserts.The atmosphere is like your eating at home talking with your family.Very clean plus very friendly read more

The ambiance was quaint and the staff friendly. The food was somewhat overpriced and not great quality. The grilled chicken breast was about 1/4 pound and the turnip greens were out of a can. The crinkle fries were mushy and maybe even stale. We had to hunt someone down to pay our bill read more

Lots and lots of history here. Like stepping back in time. Simply delicious food served the same way for almost a century. An experience worth enjoying. read more

This is an awesome small town meat & 3 that serves awesome food. I had their country fried steak with white gravy, mashed potatoes with white gravy (some like brown only on taters, which they had) then green beans. To help clean my plate they served me two hoe cakes( cornbread pancakes for folks who do not know). Washed it all down with freshly made sweet tea. Service was was a awesome smile and spot on. If your looking for that small town eatery, this is one for sure to go visit. Shelbyville area is great. In fact they are the home of the walking horse competition. read more

The storefront is inviting and the coffee...perfect! Our server was very attentive and sweet. But stay away from the $9 breakfast...it was flavorless and way, way overcooked. The country ham couldn't be chewed...it was more like Jerky. Scrambled eggs with a tsp of cheese (an extra $3) were hard and cold...the cheese never melted. Leaving this review on a good note...the coffee was perfect! read more

Great food. We had the 1/2 pound burger and open face roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. Mashed potatoes were homemade, and the Brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts were so good. Great service!! read more

If you're into unhealthy fried everything, this is your place, but hurry, they close at 2pm

The best meat and three place in town. The owners sold their former restaurant in Murfreesboro and thankfully took over this restaurant after it had been closed for a bit. There is a rotating menu that changes daily along with a broad selection of side dishes. Everything just has that homemade deliciousness that is uncommon these days. The service is old-fashioned, meaning down-home, nice and friendly. read more

Pope's Cafe - Pot roast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Shelbyville, Tennessee

Not as good as it was in the past. But it's nothing personal to the new owners. Haven't had for a while so maybe things have changed.

Good little diner. Much better than giving my money to these crummy fast food joints.

Just a basic little diner on the square. We had an omelette with home fries and eggs over easy with ham, grits and toast. Service was good and place was reasonably clean. If you want down home quaint, this is it. read more

Step back in time and have one of the best burgers you've had in a long time. Charming place with several tables and a lunch counter. Staff is outstanding. This place is a favorite of the locals and for those out of towners in the know. read more

Went there for lunch and got the big pig burger( think tgats what it was called), and ordered a cuban to go. Both sandwiches were great and our server was friendly and kept our drinks filled. I will definately go there again when visiting my kids in Shelbyville. read more

Best burgers in town !!! They also have a great breakfasts. They have omelets and other great breakfast item you must try !! read more

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Good burgers and nice people can't wait to see the changes that are coming