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    Velma's Diner

    4.1 (21 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Velma's Diner Photos

    VELMA'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Menu
    R A.

    Very good and so cheap! Just a solid, classic, no-frills country diner. My only gripe is the biscuits for the biscuits and gravy were kinda soft and appeared to be something similar to canned Pillsbury or something like that. Still good though, just not ideal. Service was great. Our waitress Alesha was very nice. Highly recommend. Very similar to Nila's in French Lick, which I would also recommend.

    Breakfast Menu
    Crissy R.

    This was a wonderful surprise to have found in Indiana. Velma's is definitely a prized hometown gem in Shoals. Located next to the train tracks, this is a must stop to eat. Keep in mind this is a cash only establishment, and breakfast is only served until 11. Prices are very inexpensive and there is a chalkboard that list the specials of the day. Sad we had just missed breakfast, I opted for a BLT with onion rings. Special of the day was bean soup and cornbread which looked tasty. I definitely enjoyed the local vibes and friendly staff. The experience of being in a small town diner is definitely Velma's! This place was great, if I lived closer I would frequent quite often. Definitely recommend if passing through or in the are visiting.

    Melissa B.

    Tony and I visited this diner by happy accident. When we are driving, I prefer to try diners and local eateries instead of the chains like Wendy's and McDonald's. We were going to try and find something closer to Mitchell. I couldn't find anything there that was not a chain, so I kept driving. In Shoals, we found this little gem. It's not much of a looker inside or out. Inside the interior was dark and dated, and crowded with oversize tables and too many chairs. I almost walked away based on that alone, but it was near 2pm and we were hungry. The waitress hollered across the room, Welcome and seat yourself, so we grabbed a table near the jukebox, again oversized!!! But, a nice added touch but glad it was not on since we were sitting on top of it. Tony literally had his back touching it. She came over immediately and brought menus and with a smile took our drink order. We both ordered tea, mine was unsweetened with lemon. I like to add my own sugar. We surfed the extensive diner menu and really had a hard time deciding. They had a sheet of today specials inside the menu adding additional choices for our struggle. We went in wanting Tenderloin sandwiches, but the choices were overwhelming. I really wanted a Red Hot Hotdog also, or the cheeseburger...but the specials were great too...The kicker here was the prices.....Very very very BUDGET FRIENDLY. I choose the Roast Beef Manhattan (open faced Roast Beef) and Tony went with the Chicken N' Dumplins, with Mac N' Cheese and Mashed Potatoes with gravy. Once our plates arrived, I had to give him half of my Roast Beef entree, and I took some of his Dumplins and Mac...OMG!!!! The Mac N'Cheese was this side of heaven...it was delicious...You can taste the VELVEETA...DELICIOUS!!! The mashed potatoes and gravy was very good. The Roast Beef was piled high, well cooked and delicious. The Dumplins were great too...The food was 5 star great...cleaned our plates and I thought Tony was going to lick his clean...Lol!! I put in a order to go, 2 tenderloin grilled sandwiches plain with grilled onions and mushrooms on the side...I wanted to take some goodness home for dinner..Everything including a Tea to Go was $30 tips and taxes, and that was a $5 tip for our smiling waitress, never got her name!!! We circled Shoals on our map, when in the area...WE ARE DEFINITELY STOPPING AGAIN AND I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TRY VELMA'S TOO!!!

    I am sitting almost exactly in the center of the restaurant. This gives you a little scale of the place, it's small, and decked out country.
    Colleen D.

    Delicious! We happened to be passing thru last Sunday and stopped for a late lunch. The food was homemade and amazing. I could have honestly eaten a bowl of the gravy!!! My husband had fried chicken wings and I had a dinner of all sides. The hush puppies were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with just a bit of peppers in there. The funny thing is, I have no pictures of the food. We were so hungry, we forgot to pause for them. Oh on more thing, best ice tea I have had in a long time. Really, it was perfect. I got half sweet and half unsweet. The server was the daughter of the cook and she was friendly and patient and helpful. I don't think this is a place you come for the ambiance. It seemed clean to me and just cute and country. I like the open kitchen too, it was fun to watch her work back there. I am not coordinated enough to cook for a crowd like that.

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    1 year ago

    Another great meal at Velma's ! Get the catfish and great service. Old school vibes and good ole fashion home cooking!

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Great biscuits and gravy. Everything is good. Prices are very reasonable. I like the double cheeseburgers the most.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    My wife and I have been going here for years. My wife loves there Dutch oven and I love to catfish sandwiches.

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

    You pay too much for microwaved food, and at times horrible service. The cooks don't seem to care and the servers only care about tips.

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    9 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Velma's Diner

    The kicker here was the prices.....Very very very BUDGET FRIENDLY.

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    Gasthof Amish Village

    Gasthof Amish Village

    3.9(87 reviews)
    13.5 mi
    $$

    We enjoyed the buffet so much on a Monday that we went back on Friday as they add several styles of…read moreshrimp on Fridays. Food is home cooked fresh every day and it was obvious. We had Lori on Monday who brought our drinks and refills. On Friday we had Darcy doing the honors. Both were very friendly and efficient! Very family friendly and the deserts were so good that we had to make a trip to their bakery to pick up a couple delicious pies.

    Gasthof Amish Village, Montgomery IL. June, 2026. My husband and I were traveling along US-50, and…read morewe reached this buffet-style restaurant for lunch. Having grown up in PA, I'm very familiar with "Pennsylvania Dutch" or Amish and Mennonite cooking. I would characterize this style of cooking as hearty, simple, and high-calorie comfort food. The buffet included three main sections. The first included two soups (chicken noodle and vegetable), salad bar items, prepared salads (such as coleslaws and broccoli salad), and some gelatin molds. The second station was hot items (meats, gravies, vegetables). Finally, there was a dessert station with an assortment of cobblers, cookies, cupcakes, soft serve ice cream, and more. I noticed other patrons with homemade white bread but I somehow missed it on the buffet. Overall, there was a good selection of items available. I most enjoyed the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, and berry and peach cobblers. The biggest misses were the chicken noodle soup (which didn't seem to contain any chicken pieces, was only lukewarm, and very over-salted) and the chocolate ice cream, which was runny. My husband and I found the food to be generally bland. (Granted, Amish food isn't known to have a spicy profile). In addition, they didn't offer some foods and desserts that I generally associate with Amish cooking -- pickled eggs, Harvard beets, macaroni and cheese, cinnamon apples. shoo fly pie, apple dumplings, fry pies, Whoopie pies, etc. (Admittedly, the traditional Amish foods in the Midwest may differ from those in Pennsylvania). The restaurant had a lot of seating and was clean, and had a cute gift shop that you passed through on the way in and out. Our server was sufficiently attentive. Parking was free and plentiful. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet was $16.99 per person; drinks not included.

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    Gasthof Amish Village - Dining area

    Dining area

    Gasthof Amish Village - June, 2026.

    June, 2026.

    Gasthof Amish Village - Hot bar

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    Velma's Diner - diners - Updated July 2026

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