The Dinner Bell Restaurant Menu

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  • Juli F.

    Years ago food was not the sole focus of dining. People got together to socialize while eating. The Dinner Bell in McComb Mississippi transports the guest back to a by gone lifestyle. It's in an OLD house. It has a set menu. It is open on Tuesday through Sunday for lunch. They will open for dinner if you make reservations.They have a website that gives directions, shows the menu, and the price for lunch. The food is on a giant Lazy Susan built on the table .They seat you and ask what you're drinking. You have 3 choices Iced water, Iced Tea, and Iced Sweet Tea. Lemon slices ,sweet and low sugar substitute, salt pepper, hot sauce are on the Lazy Susan. Since it is essentially an "all you care to eat buffet " with the refill pitchers on the table there's not much interaction with the staff.They are very nice. They bring the food out straight from the kitchen so it's hot. If you let them know nicely that your table is out of an item they will promptly get more if it's still available. It reminds me of those great communal suppers at church , and at my Grandparents. You sit at a large round table that seats 20. If you get there near the end of the lunch rush they will take chairs out of the table to give more elbow room. The thing that made this a great lunch for myself and family was the communal dinning with complete strangers and the act of polite conversation, that usually starts with "would you spin the Fried Chicken in my direction please"and then followed by " where are you from?" that makes it such a fun experience. Seated at our table there were fellow travelers, one was a guy who wrote for the T. V. show Futurama, a Minister and his family, and some locals. You get the chance to engage in conversation with new and interesting people. There were a few negatives. I drove there from Baton Rouge today for the first time. There was road construction and where I needed to turn to get there was not allowed by the road crew. I called the restaurant. The owner Mr.Buddy Davis not only gave me directions but stayed on the line to make sure I did not get lost! t's in an OLD house. It has old fashioned doorknobs on the doors and could really use some "sprucing up" with a couple of gallons of paint. It is clean but it's dingy with the repetitive use that comes from a lot if people. The food is old fashioned Southern food. That is quite a change from what most of us are used to now.Yes it's Southern Country food and it's good...but not Great. Most of the meat dishes are fried. The Fried Chicken is good...not great. I'm pretty sure there's real butter in everything except the Coleslaw, Potato Salad, and dessert. The food is heavy. The squash, yams, and the sweet potato casserole has too much sugar in it. There was so much sugar in the sauted onions and squash they tasted like candy. The rolls were like something out of the bread isle at the grocery store. The cornbread had so much flour it was white. It was also very dry. Since it's a set menu you are limited to what they're serving that day. It's buffet all you care to eat so if you get there at the end of the lunch run and they're out of something why it's too bad because they close in an hour and cook's not starting a new batch. I've had better Southern Country food at restaurants like Cracker Barrel or the Blackeyed Pea but not as much fun. Would I make a special trip and drive 2 hours to eat there? NO. If I was in McComb on a Tuesday - Sunday at lunchtime would I go back? Yes. Is it worth checking out if you're anywhere near? YES.

    (3)
  • Christopher W.

    Terrible food, horrible experience. Avoid at ALL COSTS!

    (1)
  • Bob J.

    To reply to "ES"! Not from the South I take it! The food at The Dinner Bell is as good as any I have eaten at other buffets. It is what a lot of us Southerners grew up eating. Your review seems to imply that this is not a good "dining experience"! Seems you are in the distinct minority.

    (4)
  • Nate A.

    Great home cooked, authentic southern food! It's a great experience with amazing service and a must try no matter how far you have to travel!

    (5)
  • Stephan S.

    They have the best home cooked food! Fried eggplant and fried chicken are my two favorites. The staff and owners are so friendly. Only open for lunch!!

    (5)
  • Kirstin A.

    Love coming home and coming to eat here!! Great food!! Sweet people!! Definitely a southern place!!

    (5)
  • Mandy A.

    Food was pretty bad... The only good things were the fried chicken and chicken and dumplings. The food I'd give one star. The only reason I added two more was the friendly people who worked there. Our host, waitress, and the owner were all super sweet. I wouldn't visit again unless the food improves.

    (3)
  • Alexander W.

    While visiting the area and family we decided to try this place ... The thought of a large family meal where there is no cooking needed while everyone gathers around one big table was enticing, but the food left everyone wanting to leave and go home to cook. The cost is average for a buffet type of meal, but drive an extra few miles and go to Golden Corral if you are seeking buffet style food in the area (will taste better too). There was a long hair in one of the "fresh" dishes of food, we complained and not even a discount was offered or an apology. The food was served flavor-less and mildly warm (as if sitting under a heat lamp) I don't see a return

    (2)
  • Avery G.

    I have only been there once; and it was delicious. My daughter and I stopped to eat there, on the way to Jackson, MS. We were sitting with a group of older people and some younger children ages 9 - 15. The older people and younger children were putting their fingers in the plates of food, when it was their turn to get their helping. A few picked up a piece of Chicken, with their hands, and decide that was not the piece they wanted. . Also, some of the kids where playing with the table. Either they would stop it from turning at all; or they were spinning it real fast; when it was not their turn to get food. So, next time I go; it will be with a group of people that I know.

    (3)
  • Ethan R.

    If you consider "southern food" to be bland fried chicken and tepid canned vegetables, this is your place! Okay, I'll try to refrain from too much sarcasm. But the effervescent reviews on here bewilder and enrage me. Let me just describe this for you. I walked into the holding pen after a group of about 30 old folks, all waiting for the start of lunch. Fitting, it turns out, because the entire place smells like the institutional cafeteria of a nursing home. This did not bode well. We were seated at a giant, but incomprehensibly cramped table laden with bowls of side dishes. As I say, most of it looked canned. I think particularly of the flavorless lima beans and green beans, floating limply in water. It's corn season around these parts, but all you will find at the Dinner Bell is the soggy, furiously boiled once-frozen things that have no taste. Maybe you'd think it'd be better with butter. I did. But instead of butter (a staple of southern cooking), all you will find are the little disposable tubs of "whipped spread" (artificially flavored vegetable oil). You can add some salt if the ridiculous table wheel is anywhere near you at the time you need it (rest assured, it won't be). The fried chicken was crisp, I'll give them that. But, in keeping with the theme, it was as if it were prepared for a convalescent who isn't allowed spice or salt. I am not exaggerating when I say that nearly any fast food fried chicken place would be better. Even Church's. But I fear the fried chicken was the highlight. There were some greasy sausages. Fried eggplant that was mostly breading around goo. Dried cornbread-like muffins. Etc. It was incredible how fast we all left. Then entire table was done in about 10 minutes. People gorged themselves on bottomless boxed mashed potatoes and were outta there. We left these heaping bowls of bad food on the table for the next seating. And that's where you really start to wonder. Now this dreary food which has been poked at and left to cool even further will be served to the next group? No warmers, no covers, just big heaping bowls of food, rapidly assuming the temperature most conducive to growing the colonies of bacteria left by those greedily pawing at it. If you know anything about southern food, don't go to this place. It is an offense to the idea of food--southern or otherwise.

    (1)
  • Annica J.

    Great down home food and great experience. The best friend chicken and fried eggplant. Ever. They have the coolest round tables with a lazy susan.

    (5)
  • Justin J.

    Lemme set the record straight. If I only had one day left to live on planet Earth I would drop whatever I was doing and book a flight that got me closest to the front door of The Dinner Bell in McComb, Mississippi. If I landed in Baton Rouge, I would steal a car to get to the Dinner Bell. I would hitchike from New Orleans, catch a ride with a trucker in Jackson. I would crawl to the front door and with my dying breath I would say, "Pass the fried chicken please...and yes I would love some more fried eggplant...and a bit more okra...may as well have just one more catfish filet. Spin that beautiful, giant Lazy Susan just one more time, for old times sake, and don't stop until the sweet potatoes are in front of me...or the corn casserole, which ever comes first." I truly believe one would have to be a bit insane to think Cracker Barrel is better than The Dinner Bell. What The Dinner Bell represents, food aside, makes it 1000 times better than Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel may have some long forgotten, dusty roots as an original country store that cooked up original recipe dishes, but there is only ONE Dinner Bell, only one place located in McComb where you sit 17-18 to a table, side by side with perfect strangers while a small army of expert cooks emerge from the kitchen to serve bowl after bowl of mouthwatering Southern cooking. Anybody can follow the bag-on recipes of a Cracker Barrel or Blackeyed Pea or wherever, but you can't just learn how to cook like they do at The Dinner Bell. I could master the cooking at Cracker Barrel in two weeks, but I could never truly master the kind of cooking that takes soul and heart and history and depth. Of course its fried, of course its loaded with real butter...it better be loaded with real butter!! I don't go there for the salad!! I go there for the entire experience and I always, always leave happy. The place better have wear and tear and look old because it is old!! Don't spruce it up, don't paint it. Cracker Barrels are fake!! They're not real, they're mirages of restaurants easily packed up and torn down, like carnival tents. Would I drive out of my way, say 15 hours out of my way, to go to The Dinner Bell for lunch? Yes, because I have and I would do it again. If you believe in the soul-restoring power of Southern food, God bless my Arkansas born, Louisiana raised grandmother, you should believe in The Dinner Bell...and I live in Chicago.

    (5)
  • Josh C.

    Wonderful example of great souther cooking and hospitality.

    (4)
  • Joe W.

    A great experience. Gives you a feel for the South. Staff extremely helpful and friendly. Round tables. Food moves on large circle in middle so you don't have to get up. It was $12 for lunch on Thursday. You could eat at much as you wanted. All the great Southern classics were there but my favorite was the fried chicken and sweet potatoes. The choices on the table included pork chops, fried eggplant, lots of different vegetables, dumplings , iced tea, sweet tea, and amazing deserts. The peace cobbler was outstanding as was the banana pudding. Everything included for just $12. Tremendous value for the price. Great experience. Not like a regular buffet since you didn't have to get up and walk around to get the food. It came to you on a large circular table. The staff at the Mississippi welcome center as we entered Mississippi from the South suggested the place......they were right. A great place to eat. Not far from I-55.

    (4)
  • Lesley D.

    First of all, as a long time patron of The Dinner Bell, I would like to clear up a few things. This restaurant does not serve steaks as another poster stated in their review. That review was obviously posted about the incorrect restaurant. Second of all, any person that believes the vegetables at The Dinner Bell to be "canned" must not be a fan of vegetables because this restaurant definitely does not use canned and it is evidenced in their flavor and texture. The food served at this restaurant is home style southern cooking at its best. The fried chicken is some of the best in the area and the fried eggplant is widely sought after by people across several nearby states. The dining experience at The Dinner Bell is one that will not be experienced anywhere around. The food is served on huge lazy Susan's and you are seated at a round table that holds 15-18 people. Be prepared to wait for a seat because this is one of the most unique and delicious dining experiences to be had in south Mississippi. You don't believe me? Just watch for the charter buses to pull up in the parking lot that have made a trip from another area just to visit the restaurant. Give this place a try. You WILL NOT be disappointed. Just remember to save room for the numerous dishes to choose from.

    (5)

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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 : Lunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : No
    Caters : No

The Dinner Bell Restaurant

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