We stumbled upon Hometown Café quite by accident. We were traveling back home after visiting with family and a Google search for restaurants landed us in their parking lot. Now I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first. The café was empty and it was close to five o'clock in the afternoon. Late afternoon in the South is dinner time so I was thinking maybe we should eat some place else. But Big Daddy never backs down from a challenge so we picked out a table in the center of the room and ordered!
Hometown Café was basic and country. Everything about the place felt down home. The staff was pleasant and our waitress was friendly. Big Daddy asked a ton of questions about the menu. How were the pork chops? Did you get one or two? Were the potatoes real or out of a box? She was patient and pleasant and answered each one as if her tip was dependent on giving the right answer. It wasn't but her enthusiasm about the food was encouraging.
He went right for the fried chicken with string beans and mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. I ordered the catfish with collard greens and macaroni and cheese. We both asked for sweet tea. Right out the box the tea wasn't the best we've ever had. It wasn't fresh brewed and there wasn't nearly enough sugar sweetening it. It was just okay at best and didn't invite any refills.
The fried chicken was exceptionally generous. The exterior was nicely seasoned and crispy and the interior was tender and moist. It wasn't exceptional but it was very good and we both agreed that we would eat the chicken again. the string beans were nicely seasoned and not boiled to mush. They had just enough bite to be perfect. He enjoyed the mashed potatoes and gravy. I didn't taste them so I'll take his word that they were creamy and the gravy flavorful. 
The fried catfish was very good. It was seasoned well, cooked just so and left me licking my fingers. But there wasn't enough. The single fillet left you wanting more. I liked the macaroni and cheese and although it looked like it was out of a box, it tasted homemade. There was a hint of something I didn't recognize that flavored it in a good way but no one could tell me what the secret ingredient was. The collard greens were on point. Seasoned nicely and cooked to perfection. I'd go back just for the vegetables because both were done exceptionally well.
Their hidden gem was the dessert case. Individually sliced cakes and pies sit behind the counter for you to select from. We took two slices of the chocolate cake with chocolate icing to go and once home I regretted not getting a whole cake! Moist, just sweet enough with the creamiest icing! The dessert was definitely a highlight for me.
Would we go back? I don't see us making any special trips but if we ever find ourselves in the area we would definitely eat there again. Two thumbs up!
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