Marvin’s Family Restaurant | Fayetteville, Tennessee

Last week my husband and I, along with some long time friends headed north to Fayetteville, Tennessee to go out to dinner at a landmark restaurant up there. Marvin’s Family Restaurant.

When I walked in the door, the first thing that caught my attention was the red & white checkered floor. Classic diner feel. The second thing I noticed was that the restaurant was much bigger than I thought it was.

We were immediately greeted by friendly staff and told to sit wherever we liked. We did a round of the restaurant, checking out the buffet and the atmosphere and settled on a booth.

The walls were lined with murals like this. I’ve seen local businesses with business cards on the wall of a restaurant before – but how creative is this?

So cute!

So after sitting down we decided on what to eat. I chose to go after their famous buffet with LOTS to choose from. This was my first plate. Roast Beef, corn, macaroni & cheese, boiled potatoes, sausage & kraut, and cornbread. When I went back up for seconds (it was a buffet after all) I had barbecued pork chops and a few other dishes I hadn’t yet tried.

Everything I tried was like home-style food your grandma might serve at her house. I liked everything I tried with one exception. I didn’t care for the cornbread. It was light and airy and soft, but it wasn’t sweet at all – actually tasted slightly savory. There’s nothing wrong with that as cornbread varieties are about as diverse as the taste buds that eat them. Of course then I had to go back and get bite-sized samplings of the desserts they were offering.

My husband decided to order off the menu rather than have the buffet. He ordered their 16 oz. rib eye steak. Take a look at this side of beef on a plate! His steak was cooked perfectly and he ate it with a locally famous “Harold’s Hogwash.”

All of that including our never-ending sweet tea made for a very filling, very satisfying supper. And frosting on the cake? It rang in at under $30!!!

While we were there, a group came straggling in to a big table – firemen, EMS, police officers. The restaurant was also full of “old-timers” which I LOVE to see. People who have probably been eating there since the doors first opened in 19-something.

What a great date night.

After dinner we followed the waitress’ rambling directions to a local grocery store where the hubby could get his hands on a bottle of the Howard’s Hogwash to take home.

And I promptly fell in love with the town.

I can’t wait to make a trip back up there and explore the many antique shops and cafes on “Main Avenue.”

For home-style food, you can’t beat Marvin’s Family Restaurant!