Gift Horse the
209 W Laurel Ave, Foley, AL, 36535
Gift Horse the Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Foley for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Foley for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Foley for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
209 W Laurel Ave
Foley, AL, 36535 - Phone (251) 943-3663
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Brunch
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Jana Y.
This place is just beautiful. And the food is delicious. Salad bar has every type of salad you could ask for , also great deviled eggs. Main courses change daily today was baked, fried chicken,two types of beef, one was a bit tough,fried cauliflower, fried shrimp, apple and cheese casserole,praline sweet potatoes and I hate sweet potatoes but these were delicious. Many other items I can't remember and their fried bisquits. Also seafood gumbo and the best crawfish gumbo loaded with crawfish. It was 16.95 pp on weekdays it is 12.95. The building itself has quite a history. There is brochure on your table you can keep to let you know all the changes that have gone on. This will certainly be on our list of favorite restaurants. Customer service is very good , waiter was very friendly. You do pay in the gift shop and the clerk taking the money today was very rattled and a bit rude. He needs to calm down and be able to answer questions without a surly look.
(5)David T.
This place continues to amaze me. Every visit the food is always excellent. Even on Thanksgiving day, late in the afternoon, the buffet was full and food fresh. Service is also excellent Have made 5 trips to The Gift Horse and will return. Everyone needs to go see the inside decor and enjoy a good meal.
(5)Tina M.
Most of the food was not warm. Fried chicken needs some seasoning. Dessert was not very good. Overall fair food. The atmosphere is nice.
(3)Anna J.
This place is a nightmare. The food needs to be overhauled. The carpet needs to be cleaned. The restrooms updated. Someone needs to give this place some tlc.
(1)Frank S.
Very disappointed although the food was good it was not kept hot enough on the buffet. Very expensive for a meal I did not enjoy and nobody seemed to care. We will not go back to this place.
(3)Stacey E.
For the crowded tourist mess that is Gulf Shores and Foley, this was a nice surprise. We were the only customers at one point and still had a good experience with this southern buffet. It is a BEAUTIFUL old building and our waitress was so great. Enjoyed our meal. And by the way, our intention was to go to Lambert's for southern food (we were tired of seafood), but there was a line of about 50 people waiting in line to get in. I refuse to do that on vacation. This was great!
(3)Lisa B.
Buffet only, with lots of southern favorites. Most of the dishes were good, but the fried chicken lacked flavor and was greasy.
(3)Denise L.
A couple of months ago, my husband and I went there for a late lunch/dinner on a Friday. Beautiful decor, interesting history of the building, and we had a very pleasant and enthusiastic server. Unfortunately, about 1 am that very night, I became ill and without describing iall the gory details, had no doubt whatsoever that it was food poisoning. I was absolutely miserable until late Sunday. I became concerned that I might even have to go to the ER if I could not recover on my own. BTW, I am a health care professional,do not have a weak stomach, and can tolerate (and love) spicy foods. My husband was lucky in that he did not sample the same items that I did. We have tried to figure out which items were the culprits; the beef or the cajun relish? Won't be able to recommend this place at all.
(1)Ernest W.
SUMMATION: Elegant, historic, interesting, enjoyable, and pleasant. Some spectacular salad, hot food, and desert bars items, but some ordinary. NAME: Gift Horse Restaurant MY RATING: Very, Very Good (4.5/5) TELEPHONE: (251) 943-food (3663), (800) FoleyAL (365-3925) FAX: 251-943-6300 WEB PAGE: gifthorserestaurant.com (would not open), www.facebook,com/gifthorse HOURS OF OPERATION: 11 am-4:30 pm lunch, 4:30-9 pm dinner every day, and 11 am-4 pm Monday-Saturday high tea OWNER: Jackie O. McLeod [1] PUBLICITY: Don Lambert LOCALITY: 209 W. Laurel Avenue, Foley, Alabama 36535 DÉCOR: Old South elegance, wood furniture, cloth napkins and tablecloths, but the effect was ruined by a paper cover on top of the tablecloth, paintings and other tasteful decorations. Ceiling and walls of beaded pine are original, but the wood floors are not. The stained glass windows and brass chandeliers also add to the effect. CUISINE: Traditional southern buffet along a 28 foot long ~1840 mahogany table WAITSTAFF: Very animated, interactive, funny, entertaining, and efficient. Somewhat slow at cleared plates and we had to ask for more tea. BREAD: Their fried biscuits were very good, but their famous blueberry muffins were a terrible disappointment. SALAD: Their salad bar was excellent. Their small deviled eggs were excellent, but they ran out, shortly after I took too many, and did not refill. They had cherry tomatoes; pealed, but not seeded, cucumber slices; fried dill pickle slices; shrimp salad in an oddly, thick, white sauce; various lettuces; carrot and pecan slaw; and many other items. FRUIT: Cut honeydew mellow and cantaloupe were okay, but not completely ripe. ENTRÉE: The waiter called the lightly battered fried fish pieces "White Fish," but they were Basa [A] and very good. There was a good variety of meat dishes. The beef tips and rice, fried chicken, and ham were good, but not great. SIDES: Apple Cheese Casserole [2], cheese grits, macaroni and cheese, country green beans were good, but not great. Their praline sweet potatoes were marvelous, but they were more of a desert. DESERT: Only okay coconut pie, chocolate pie, and velvet cake; very good apple pie, brownie, bread pudding, and maple sugar bar; and many other kinds of cookies and cakes. Fortunately, portions were small, so several may be sampled (or in my case, many). CLEANESS: Restaurant is good, but bathroom needs work. BATHROOM: Separate sex, small rooms with a big stall with a wooden door. However, toilet leaks and wets your pants legs. The grout between the floor tiles is black. COST COMPARISON: A bit more expensive than most, but also has greater and better variety. With a coupon, it is economical. RECOMMENDATIONS: CUSTOMER: (I) Be careful to find everything in their great variety of buffet dishes. (II) If you see something you really want on the desert table, take it immediately, because the deserts are taken, not replaced, and new ones are added. Also, check back later for different deserts. MERCHANT: (I) You have attempted to repair the leak in the men's toilet as evidenced by the black patching material round its base. This embarrassment must be properly repaired. (II) Something unfortunate has befallen your blueberry muffins. I hear from others they were once wonderful. You must resurrect this famous item. (III) The grout between the tiles in your bathroom floors requires bleaching. MADE IN THE USA: Their fried fish was a shark catfish from Viet Nam [A]. AWARDS: 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die (2012-2015, Apple Cheese Casserole [2], Alabama Department of Tourism); Alabama's Historic Restaurants (2004, Martin); Landmark Restaurant REVIEWS: rated Good, 3.6/5, 144 reviews [3] HISTORY: The building was constructed in 1912 for the Foley Progressive Club (Town not established until 1915), sold to the American Legion Post 99 in 1937, used as a USO Club during WWII, then held a series of hardware stores, was a skating rink in the 1950s, Jackie and Kenneth McLeod purchased the building in 1984. The building was renovated the same year and stained glass windows, grand chandeliers, and art by the woman commissioned to create the art for the Queen Mary, were added. FOOTNOTES: [1] Jackie O. McLeod (74) graduated from high school possibly in Foley, Alabama, and enrolled in the School of Home Economics, Auburn University, but apparently did not graduate. She married Dr. Kenneth McLeod, when she was a dietician at Marshall Fields and Co. in Chicago, IL. They returned to Foley and started a small catering service. In 1984, they purchased and renovated the building and opened the Gift Horse Restaurant. See her book citations below. [2] Despite the fame of this dish, the apples were overcooked. [3] Good, 3.6/5, 52 reviews (Tripadvisor); Good, 3.4/5, 16 reviews (Yelp); Very Good, 4/5, 15 reviews (YellowBot); Good, 3.4/5, 14 reviews (MenuPix); Good, 7.3/10, 13 reviews (UrbanSpoon); Good, 3.4/5, 16 reviews (Yahoo); Ver
(4)Charles B.
The most charming little restaurant in downtown Foley! We had a very yummy lunch.
(5)Stella H.
Great food and wonderful character. Good service! Will come back.
(4)Olga R.
Do you need some comfort? I mean with food???? The Gift Horse is the place to go. Good ole' southern cooking. It is buffet style. So go back as often as you like. There is staple southern foods to pick from like fried chicken and biscuits, but there are choices like shrimp grits, apple and cheese casserole, and candied pecan yams. Plus they have a traditional dessert table as well. The only part of the buffet that was lacking some assortment was the salad bar. It was very basic. The service was exceptional and attentive. They have a gift shop with various cards and knick-knacks to browse through.
(4)Ronnie B.
Great place when looking to get away from the tourist areas in gulf shores and orange beach for a quiet dinner. Food is well prepared with lots of choices and the tables are set with a little more class than you will find in the area. servers and cooks are very well dressed and they are very polite. I would recommended this for not just the food but for the setting as well. SOMETHING DIFFERENT! VERY RELAXING PLACE TO DINE!
(5)Greg R.
This is a very popular historic restaurant in Downtown Foley. My first complaint with this restaurant is the pricing. I guess the owners are Christians and to encourage church attendance they offer buy one get one free buffets if you bring a church bulletin with you. The business is also very generous giving out buy one get one free coupons. These programs are so popular , the owners felt the need to price the buffet for about twice what it's worth. So if you are the unfortunate soul who comes in without a church bulletin or coupon you're going to pay $17-$21 for a very basic buffet. Basic buffet meaning Southern style: fried chicken, roast beef, a fried fish type. They are famous for their Apple and cheese casserole dish. And the dish is quite good. The food is fine/average, the downtown area is kind of cool, the interior atmosphere is kind of different/unique. I think it is worth a try but just make sure you bring to church bulletin! And make sure you bring somebody; not sure how one person can eat two buffets.
(3)Karen B.
Excellent old southern dinner with actual linens and napkins.. People need to lay off that they are Christians, so what? They have the same rights as everyone else. They give out buy one get one cards as well for people who do not have church bulletins( good for next visit) If that bothers you, don't go there. I find the atmosphere wonderful and inviting and friendly...And a far far cry from the fast food joints of today. Service is always excellent and prompt. The food is southern food and most people LOVE the fried biscuits! Love the chandeliers and woodwork and yes even the beautiful nativity scenes at Christmas!
(4)Jake B.
I suspected we might be in trouble when I realized every patron in the place appeared to be over 65. Now, admittedly we showed up for lunch at 2pm on a weekday, so that might not be a fair assessment. But the food was old-fashioned southern in the not-so-charming sense of overcooked, over-sweetened, over salted. Basically something you could only enjoy if it stirred memories of old times. It's rare that I find myself at a buffet where I can't find anything to over-indulge on. That wasn't a problem here. And the fried biscuits were just nasty. On the up side, the table service was excellent and the staff very friendly, with the exception of the cashier, who was too busy on the phone to be bothered with paying customers. Only thing I can't speak to is the fried Twinkie. Too much potential downside to try that one.
(2)Anthony R.
I agree with the previous posts. The owners are definitely Christian and have no issue shoving their views down your throat. Between the multiple nativity scenes and the religious Christmas hymns blaring, please give me a break. I am sure these folks have taken restaurant management tips from the Chick-Fil-A play book. The buffet is worth $8.99 max. I noticed silicon bags on the salad bar to keep the items cold. I have never seen so many watery, mayonnaise-based salads. The fried catfish looked like Mrs. Paul's fish sticks. The crawfish bisque had so much garlic powder. And the "Apple Cheese' dish ... Let's be clear what this crap is ... A cholesterol filled casserole with some apples thrown into it for nutritional value. 20 minutes after I was done ... Thank goodness for the bathrooms at the factory outlets.
(1)Melissa E.
I'm so surprised no one has written a review for this restaurant and gift shop. It is a little off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. When we were in the area a few years ago a friend had recommended it. We enjoyed it so much when we went back to the area this year, we went there our first night. The atmosphere is interesting - beautiful inside with stained glass windows and lots of wood. The buffet is full of delicious items - don't miss the apples and cheese dish! The night we were there the hostess/server was very busy working basically by herself, but since it is a buffet that wasn't really an issue. However, she felt bad about it and did not charge us for the drinks. I appreciated that! This is one restaurant you don't need to miss if you are looking for a southern cooked meal, buffet style. It is a welcome change from all the seafood restaurants and fast food restaurants!
(5)