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    Southside Cafe

    4.5 (80 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Southside Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    SOUTHSIDE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Southside Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos - Southside Cafe

    Bacon Cheeseburger with Tator Tots.
    Adam H.

    Solid three star place! They get an extra one for the free entertainment. More on that in a bit... My Mom lives near here. For some reason I had this place bookmarked and didn't remember it. C found it on Yelp and suggested it for lunch after a visit with Mom. Arrived at like 2:20 on a Saturday and it's packed... Like, almost completely full! Good sign. It's homey/country/redneck/slapped together with duct tape and epoxy looking inside. My kind of place! Seat yourself, choose a table out in the middle no one was at, and got the run down by our pre-server. If you don't know, that's the person that could wait on you but won't because of some dumb arbitrary system they have in place. I digress... We get our bevs, pre-server reminds us again she is not the one and leaves. Real server shows and we order. Had the crispy hot wings for an app. Five wings for $5.99. They are undoubtably the Foster Farms wings from the freezer section. That's ok though, I like them. I post about them from Costco. C ordered Sloppy Joes. Server says they out, so she orders a bacon cheeseburger with tots instead. I ordered Catfish with a baker, white beans, and hush puppies. Now C warned me that the catfish looked "too white".... I didn't pick up on this meaning like "honky white", instead of undercooked or lightly battered. She explained this later in the car. I understood then, and she was dead on! Food was meh all around . All factory formed and breaded proteins. Catfish was overcooked to the point to being dry and stringy inside. Cold beans. Cold hushes. Old ass potato. I tried C's tator tots, cold too. Here is why they get four.... The following seems to be a thing here, as I have read the same comment now, multiple times, in others reviews. Right after we ordered, some stranger walks up, looks at us, pulls out a chair, sits down, and asks if she can eat with us. What do you say but yes???!!! She gets her BLT in 5 mins. Ours takes like 25.... I swear this place sets this up! We sit and watch her eat while she spits bits of food at us while sharing the last decade or so of her life. The next 40 minutes are wild. Her name was Gail. I know more about Gail than I ever wanted to know about anyone outside of my family now. She didn't stop talking the entire time. I won't bore you with all of the details of Gail's life. She can do that if you come. She said she used to come there every day but had to slow down because of her "sugar". You should totally ask if Gail is there, I swear you will feel so much better about your situation if you break bread with her. My wife zoned out completely and left me all alone to deal with Gail on my own. Empathy is not my strongest attribute. I pulled it off though. We wanted pie, but C was unnerved by the verbal assault that was occurring, she paid for the table and headed outside. People are strange creatures man.... Sometimes I swear this is just a simulation. Checked this one off the list. If I am ever bored and in need of a strangers companionship, you'll find me here I suppose. '25 - 2/111

    Patty melt with Cajun fries!  Excellent!!!
    Benene B.

    For a local, small cafe, this is a true gem! The patty melt was terrific!! Meat was medium and still juicy! Hubby got mushroom Swiss burger and enjoyed it with tater tots. Service was prompt and friendly even though it was just before closing time! Ambiance was friendly local diner cafe vibe! Clean and pleasant! We would definitely go again!!!

    Philly
    Lisa W.

    Great food and service. Busy place but worth the wait. Diner style atmosphere with friendly and helpful staff.

    Fried catfish, hush puppies, turnip greens and French fries (not pictured coleslaw)
    Tamara L.

    This really was a great find!!!! The service was absolutely wonderful and the food was amazing. You have to try the catfish!! The meal is enormous. There are so many sides and it is served hot and fresh. Don't forget to try one of their countless desserts. We had the key lime pie and coconut cake. Would have taken pictures of the desserts but they didn't last long. While we were eating lots of folks came in for to go orders. This is definitely a spot local folks go to. We will be back when we pass back through!!

    Strawberry French Toast
    SK H.

    Wow, what a fantastic gem hidden in Paris TN. I say hidden, but I bet every local in Paris knows about this cafe. Food is fresh and fabulous! Our waitress Nicole was extremely friendly and attentive. Great experience, both food, service and overall atmosphere.

    Catfish dinner with white beans, onion rings and hush puppies . BLT on sourdough with crinkle cut fries
    Jacquie L.

    On a recent cross country road trip we decided to stop in Paris TN. We weren't super hungry and the hotel suggested Southside Cafe for a light bite. Upon arrival it was clear that this was a very local joint as the servers seemed to know almost everyone by name and separate parties shared tables because it was so crowded. Despite not being local, we were treated like family in this restaurant that felt like sitting in grandmas very large dining room. My husband had the catfish dinner which was quite large and tasty . I had a BLT and the bacon was cooked crispy just like I like it. We shared some crinkle cut fries and onion rings also cooked to perfection. The plates that were being served all looked amazing . The table next to us got the "small" salad that looked delicious and was big enough for two meals . We couldn't resist a fresh slice of pie and had trouble deciding but ultimately went with Butterfinger . We were not sorry. It was a heavy mousse and every bite had contained a bite of candy. It was absolutely amazing and the perfect end to a great meal .

    Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tennessee
    David B.

    Great food. Great service. The menu has everything! If you're nearby you should definitely go.

    Chuck wagon on toast
    Dustin H.

    Okay, thankfully a last minute change* brought us back here for breakfast on a Monday after trying them out for lunch the prior Friday. Since breakfast was the winner that pushed them up to 4 stars, I'll review that first. It was packed when we arrived, just like the time before, but we found a seat and our server greeted us momentarily. She warned us it'd be a bit before our food got there due to the large number of orders already in, but we had our plates within 15 minutes and they were more than worth the wait. I opted for the large breakfast bowl (she warned me how large it was, but I was up for the challenge as it was to be my main meal of the day before hitting the road): two large biscuits buried under a mountain of gravy, peppers, onions, homefries, shredded cheese, and two over easy eggs. I chose fried chicken as my protein topper (you could also pick bacon, sausage, spam, etc.)---it was delicious. Fresh fried chicken in chunks with lots of flavor. Eggs perfectly cooked. My wife got the pecan bacon maple pancakes and I had a few bites of those as well--soft, fluffy, HUGE pancakes with chopped crisp bacon and pecans on top and a good syrup. Really impressive. Hot coffee was in order and frequently refilled. Our server was terrific, we had her both times and she was always friendly, helpful, and quick. My previous review would have been a 3--which for me just means a solid, good place that meets expectations without exceeding. For our Friday lunch I had a plate lunch of meatloaf with mashed potatoes/gravy, carrots, and mac n cheese. My wife had a chuckwagon on "TN" toast with tater tots. My slice of meatloaf was..skimpy (our server even commented that it looked much smaller than usual) but tasty enough. Mashed potatoes tasted like a box mix but I can't swear by that. Everything was solid, good, fairly priced, but not great; though my wife's chuck wagon was really good, per her assessment and my one bite. They have an extensive dessert menu and I opted for caramel cake and she had the reece's cake. My caramel pie ALMOST boosted my initial rating to a 4 as it was one of the best pieces of that dish I've had. I ordered a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it thinking I'd need it to cut some of the richness of the pie, but I didn't need to as this pie was sweet and delicious without being too rich (a rarity for caramel pie in my experience). My wife thought the cake was solid if a touch dry (likely just due to the fridge). Some observations if you're from out of town--we noticed on both of our trips here that it is indeed a busy place that seems to fill up around any mealtime. It's seat yourself. We noticed many people at tables have folks approach them and ask to sit there, which seems common practice here. Some teens even asked my wife to sit at our table while I was in the restroom but were gone to a newly free table by the time I got back. Pretty friendly and laid-back, but if you are visiting or passing through it might be a new one for you! There's a 3% charge on any credit/debit transaction so maybe bring cash. Prices are fair. The menu is HUGE. I'd love to try the hotdogs or hamburgers in the future if I'm back this way. *We were headed to try another nearby diner with good reviews for breakfast, only to discover they had recently closed down, so we navigated back here for another meal.

    Paris, TN

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    Photo of Dean B.
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    21 days ago

    Great food and very good service. I would recommend them. The new place is really nice.

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    5 days ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Goodness this place has some good food! Can't go wrong with their daily specials (meat and 3). The desserts are also wonderful.

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food! Friendly service! We love everything they offer. Eat here and you will think you are eating at Grandma's house!

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    The service was great, the food was terrible. Don't bother unless you really like burnt and salty.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The food was delicious. Service was excellent no issues or complaints. Great little diner.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great, always, all meals!! We have eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant or to go, ALWAYS DELICIOUS!! Friendly staff!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Service was wonderful and the food was delicious!! Everything was very clean and it was decorated cute. Lots of choices on the menu!

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    2 years ago

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    Southside Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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