Watermill Restaurant
804 Mammoth Cave Rd, Cave City, KY, 42127
Watermill Restaurant Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Cave City for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Cave City for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Cave City for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
804 Mammoth Cave Rd
Cave City, KY, 42127 - Phone (270) 773-3186
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Mike Z.
I had the buffet which contained turkey, catfish and meatloaf, beans, peas and potatoes and some other vegetables. After taking my first bite, I'm not sure if they use candles under the buffet trays or blocks of ice. The food was cold. I could imagine it being tasty if it was hot, but I never had the opportunity to eat any hot food. The entire place smelled like cigarette smoke and even though there was a non smoking section, we could not escape it. On the plus side, the waitress was super friendly and looked after us very well and is the only reason I gave it 2 stars
(2)Anita Y.
The best catfish. Tender and not fishy. The rest of the buffet was OK, not great. It's standard southern food: greenbeans and ham hocks, mac n cheese, chili, cornbread. The peach cobbler was worth seconds. $7 including a drink on Tuesdays With that 7 bucks you aren't paying for ambiance, good thing too, cause there isn't any.
(3)Ms G.
My husband and I needed a place to eat a quick dinner before getting back to Mammoth Cave, and saw this on the side of the road. From the outside, it looks pretty bad, and inside was not that much better. Surprisingly, it was crowded. They had a large buffet which seemed to be what most people ordered, but we ordered off the menu. The food was okay, I had the BBQ pork and my husband had a veggie omelet, but the service was a bit slow. The waitress was very nice, but was taking care of all the tables herself. If we had the time, I would have driven around more and found a nicer place. It wasn't horrible, but not too great.
(2)Chrystal M.
We stopped here on our way to Nashville and was pleasantly surprised. Had a huge, FANTASTIC buffet! Good selection of southern favorites (at least this Northerner got to try) and delicious, yet to boot. Our waitress was so friendly, made you feel right at home. A plus side is that it is within walking distance of a couple of big souvenir/flea market type shops to check out.
(4)Charity D.
Recently went for a mini vac to Cave City and this place really held up to it's reputation! I chose the lunch buffet and hubs chose a sausage cheese omelet with a side of hashbrowns. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned with plenty of variety and volume, and fresh! All cooked veggies are cooked country style and right- what I had was fresh fried corn, Mac n Maters, pinto beans, green beans, mash taters, gravy, butter beans, baked chicken, catfish, stuffed pepper, and some aaaaazing peach cobbler from scratch that was buttery, yet crispy top, gooey inside and piping HoT! And good homemade manner puddin and really good cornbread. Place might be old but it was immaculately clean. Salad bar was loaded with goods. Hubs omelet came out underdone but came back again great. Would go back in a heartbeat!
(5)L F.
We walked in and were hit in the face with the smell of smoke...we aren't used to smoking in restaurants. Luckily they had a nonsmoking section in the back but the buffet is in the smoking section. We ordered the 2 chicken strips and fries for our son. It was a huge portion. The buffet had a salad bar with lots of options. On the buffet the pulled pork was the best! Green beans were pretty good to. There really wasn't anything amazing just good. Waitress was very nice and the meal was really cheap.
(3)John K.
Wow, some of the reviewers before me are really harsh on this place. This is exactly the kind of place I was looking for while down in Kentucky visiting the Mammoth Cave area. I had really wanted to find a place that served good down home southern cooking and this was it! They have a really good selection of food and their price can't be beat. All you can eat for $8.95. Let me first say that the exterior and interior of the place is older looking which may be the reason that some people felt it was unclean. I truly didn't feel that the place was dirty at all. I enjoyed everything I ate here. I especially loved the fried chicken, cat fish, and the green beans. They even had peach cobbler for dessert which was awesome. When you eat here you feel like you're at the dinner table of the south. If you're in the area and looking for some good local food I would definitely recommend this place. Another tip I would like to include is that Chaser's Kentucky Chocolates right down the street from this restaurant sells really good Kentucky Bourbon Balls.
(4)Greg C.
Seriously the best fried catfish I have ever had, cornmeal breading, lightly fried, these weren't just nuggets, they were full fillets. The "greasy beans" as my mom would have called them were also great and not greasy. The best of all, we fed six adults and mess o' kids for less than I've spent a bar in NYC for my wife and I. Seriously if you are driving in any direction on I-65 within and hour of your dinner time, grip the steering wheel tight, drive straight through your hunger and take this exit. Oh, and it is a dry county so plan on sticking with the sweet tea the South is so well known for.
(4)Abbey R.
Great country buffet for a quick lunch driving through. The atmosphere is simple, the food is great and you get service with a southern smile. Linda was a doll and was attentive to everyone around. Definitely give this place a shot!
(5)Jen S.
I wasn't too impressed with the buffet. It only had grits, biscuits, gravy, ham, bacon sausage, eggs, fried potatoes and French toast sticks... I would have expected to see toast and pancakes at a breakfast buffet. The food I did try was mediocre at best.
(3)R B.
This place isn't dirty at all! I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about. The breakfast buffet includes eggs, grits, various meats, potatoes, biscuits, gravy, French toast, cinnamon apples, and more I'm sure. It was the greasy, filling breakfast I was looking for. Complaining that a diner like The Watermill has a smoking section when you are in a state that allows public indoor smoking (and are you really surprised this is true of Kentucky? Tobacco country, hello!) is like blaming an outdoor park for rain. It's like docking stars because you forgot you were in a different time zone and showed up to your cave tour an hour early.
(4)Laura M.
Ugh so good! Ugh because you will leave stuffed, but soooo good! We went for the dinner buffet after a canoe trip and ate (in no particular order) all of the following: green beans, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, stuffing, salad, mac and cheese, fried catfish, ham, turkey, banana trifle, and some sort of fruit crisp. The catfish was AMAZING: not too heavy, nicely seasoned, tender and flaky. It was so delicious that we went back for breakfast the next morning: home fries, biscuits, eggs, cinnamon apples, grits, bacon, smoked ham, homemade sausage patties, cereal, and some really hit-the-spot coffee. Service is incredibly friendly, so come hungry to get a good deal. There is a smoking section, but there's also a non-smoking section clear at the other end of the building for those who don't want smokers around.
(4)Raul I.
1. Delicious sausage patties 2. Crunchy tater tots mmmm 3. Good patty melt Place is your basic diner. Big with lots of tables and friendly service They have a buffet option that serves ham and turkey along with several sides and a salad. We didn't try that but it looked like a popular option. I had the eggs and sausage with French toast. They were good enough. My only complaint was that the French toast was served very soggy. Didn't like that My friends had other options. I taste their tater tots which were awesome and the patty melt was pretty good too. Overall the food was good, a little greasy, but fills your stomach and at descent prices.
(3)Pam M.
The waitress said the catfish was their special so I ordered it off the menu. I am sure it came from the buffet. It was dry and not tasty at all. I was very disappointed. Won't go there again.
(2)J S.
Great local, non chain restaurant. I really like going to places my hometown doesn't have, so this place was great. Small buffet, but good food. The fish was great! I kept saying to my husband all weekend how much I enjoyed their fish. I wish this place was where I lived!
(4)Tammy W.
This place looks very touristy but the steak was great. We only had the salad bar but the buffet looked good. I will come back any day for the awesome food!
(4)Melissa E.
I'm not the most critical reviewer, but I have to say that I would never, ever visit this restaurant again. The food was cheap and fast, but the restaurant was not very clean and my husband observed workers refilling the salad bar with their bare hands. I wish he would have told me this before my two kids and I ate those cucumbers and tomatoes. All three of us were ill after eating here, and I'm not sure whether it was food poisoning or just too much greasy food. We had the fried catfish, which was breaded so heavily that I had to ask my husband what it was--I couldn't tell. The warm vegetables were cooked within an inch of their lives and tasteless. The servers were very personable, and I felt bad for them, having to work at a place like this.
(1)Rick J.
We were in town visiting Mammoth Cave and one of the locals said we should give this place a try. The decor is dated and gave off a truck stop feel. If you can get past the looks the food is pretty good. You can order from the menu but it seemed like most people ordered the buffet bar. Everyone in my party decided on the buffet bar. The fried catfish, peach cobbler, and banana pudding was absolutely amazing!! They also served from the bar lasagna, hush puppies, green beans, pinto beans, cream corn, cornbread, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad. The price was about average and kids under 12 eat from the bar for $4.99. The service, however, was somewhat lacking. Seemed like the same server was waiting on half the tables.
(3)Kelcie G.
Coming from Chicago, we were looking for a good southern breakfast while on our stay in Mammoth Cave. This definitely fixed our craving! Good portions, nice people, and great home cooked southern food. The only negative is smoking inside the restaurant but I realize not all places are the same and we could deal with it for a meal. Would go back and would recommend.
(4)Brian S.
Was in town for the weekend and saw the reviews for this place and its cheap Thursday buffet. It was good, but nothing spectacular. I was hoping for some southern type cooking. For being in Kentucky and reading other reviews I was really looking forward to the fried chicken. I was very disappointed with what they had. Most of the stuff looked like it was just pre-packaged. The fish wasn't bad, but had way too much corn meal breading. Maybe that's just the way its done in these parts. If you're just wanting a cheap, fill you up meal, then this is the place. I didn't look at the actual menu, so the other food might be great.
(2)Jonni L.
Food: not a buffet person, but for the 1st time in my life, got the buffet--best (southern) catfish I've ever had; sides, yummy, like Gramma's; Decor: not much to speak of--hasn't been updated since 1967 but what in the Mammoth Cave area has? Service: exactly what I expected: slow moving, local hometown service. Sweet, but not necessarily efficient. This ain't the big city folks-for $8 you can feed an army on good home cooking. Get over yourselves!
(3)Ashley M.
To put it simply--if you're looking for a super high-end establishment with brand new everything, don't bother. BUT...if you're wanting yourself and/or your family to experience a REAL Southern meal, this is YOUR place!! I was raised by an older Southern couple in Florida who lived next door to me growing up, and this place reminded me of that childhood. No lie--their sweet tea ISNT from a fountain dispenser, it's delicious! And the cat fish and hush puppies were to die for! Not to mention banana pudding and peach cobbler for dessert. I'm only 120 lbs and usually a VERY healthy eater, but I got the buffet and had three plates full--so good! You'll never get this experience in a city, so you might as well give it a try while you're there. I promise you won't regret it! The waitress was very sweet, too, and kept checking up on us, even with two buffet orders. They put up signs in the hallway it seems, so we didn't have the problem of getting lost. And as for the smokey smell, I have asthma and it didn't bother me. It's very faint. If anything, it's comparable to an old bowling alley. But definitely no where near as bad as a bar. After the 4-hour hike through Mammoth Cave, we were starving, and so happy to find this place, rather than drive farther for a chain restaurant. Now back to Atlanta...I'll be back one day, Cave City!
(5)Dustin M. R.
For our first dinner in the Cave City area, we went to the Watermill Restaurant. On entering the building, we found ourselves in a wide hallway and were not immediately sure which way to go to get to the restaurant. Opting for the first door on the left, we went in to the restaurant proper and waited to be seated. Having never been to the establishment before, there was some confusion on our part as customers waiting to pay their bill were standing in the same area as customers waiting to be seated, so it took a few minutes for us to be shown to a table. As we are a party of five, the first table we were taken to was a looong ten or twelve person table, so we asked if we could move to a window table instead. The waitress arrived shortly thereafter, and straight to business, asked if we were there for the buffet (we were) and then took our drink orders. Décor in the restaurant was pretty basic, and made me think of truck-stop chic circa 1975, however the view from our window seats was nice. The buffet had a large selection of home-style southern cooking, so everyone was able to find plenty to eat. We sampled most everything available, and all five of us liked the various items on the buffet, however nothing screamed out "this is fantastic!" to us. Our kids got to try deep-fried okra for the first time, however they did not enjoy it nearly as much as I did! One frustration for us was that because our waitress had multiple tables, it took some time to get refills on our drinks. As an example, when a fly landed in my wife's soda, we found it faster to just walk over ourselves to the drinks area, rather than wait for the waitress to come by again. Overall I would rate the Watermill Restaurant as being Good, and would return.
(3)Rainy L.
Our first dinner on our cross country road trip. Food is delicious! Stuff is friendly! Price is super reasonable! Dinner buffet is 8.99 a person. Super full and satisfy!
(4)Lloyd B.
We read the reviews and decided to give it a try even with only 3 out of 5 stars. We are rating this restaurant lower due to the smoking section being up front when you walk through the door and then having to go through the buffet service in the same area. The young waitress, could not even make the effort to put the coffee cups in front of those who ordered it and then add to this when the cashier asked how everything was and I replied with we could not eat and received no response after paying for the beverages we did not even drink it gets a well deserved 1 star as I don't believe I could have left 0.
(1)Alice B.
I think the previous reviewer Marc gave an accurate review. The Watermill was so abominable that words cannot even describe it. We were in a hurry to get to Mammoth Cave for a scheduled tour and some guy in our hotel RECOMMENDED this hellhole. I don't know what that freak was smoking because this place is nasty. From the moment you walk in, it is like a scene in a horror movie. It is filthy and smelly and a bunch of sketchy looking people are sitting around smoking and the waitress has the dirtiest shirt you have ever seen in your life--it was like the devil threw up on her. I swear we only ended up sitting down and eating there because we were in shock---SHOCK, I tell you--and were just sort of thinking, "This can't be as bad as it seems. Right?" We were there for breakfast and were served powdered eggs (which we did not eat) and crunchy pancakes (which were choked down). What the hell? Eggs at the grocery store there are $1 a dozen. You can't give me a real egg? And what would make a pancake go crunch like that? I try not to think about it. As I am typing this I have come close a couple of times to dry heaving, just remembering the experience. Please, please, please don't ever go here.
(1)Robert P.
On a recent visit to Mammoth Cave, I decided to stop at the Watermill with my daughter for breakfast and again later for lunch. Having been there myself some 25 years ago when I was her age, I was not disappointed. Although the decor has not changed, thankfully neither has the delicious food. Nothing could have been more satisfying than the delicious and flaky biscuits with obviously homemade gravy and hot diner coffee. And trust me, I can make some southern gravy! My daughter had pancakes and sausage for a excellent value of under $4. They were NOT crunchy but, according to her, buttery and delicious and were devoured within 5 minutes. While waiting for our breakfast to arrive, we were able to look over the menu, and after our tour of the cave when asked what she wanted for lunch, we returned to the Watermill. My daughter ordered the small catfish dinner with fried okra in place of the potato choice, and I ordered the fried chicken dinner with a baked potato and trip to the salad bar. The salad bar was not much to speak of, just a general ok, but everything did seem fresh and crunchy. The fried chicken and potato were both piping hot, even after adding butter and sour cream. The catfish and hush puppies had an awesome cornmeal breading and were fried to perfection. The catfish was literally melt in your mouth and also piping hot. Even the Texas toast was buttery and amazing! But I have to say the fried okra may have been the best thing ordered, not slimy nor oily but hot, crunchy, and delicious. Don't be scared off by the smoking, YOU CAN'T SMELL IT. Service was very good on both visits. Put aside the ambiance factor and sit down to enjoy some good southern food.
(5)Marc B.
I'm not sure why this restaurant is even open. It's so awful I almost feel like I'm picking on them by leaving a review. If it weren't for the people I went here with I would have turned around and walked back out. I'm not even sure where to begin other than a general warning. The restaurant is dirty. The food looks/tastes terrible. I'm sorry, I'm just at a loss for words here.
(1)Connie G.
This was a great, fast dinner, and the catfish is yummy.....the pot roast was tender, and the peach cobbler was so good....the pinto beans and cornbread was tasty too... This is southern cooking homemade and tasty.....we enjoyed it.....the buffet is the way to go....we got drink, entree and dessert $8.95 a person on Thursday night..
(4)Mike R.
Yuck! We walked in and they were smoking at the tables, it looked about 60 years old and they had a disgusting looking buffet...we left.
(1)Devon P.
Great local buffet! Such a low price for all you can eat. And the space is huge, plenty of tables that can be moved around to accommodate a large group. The salad bar was lovely, the catfish was good, ham was ok. My son now thinks fried okra are little baby hushpuppies! Bahahaha! My husband added on a steak, which was the only very poor item; it was pounded very thin, overcooked, and flavorless. Stick to the buffet! Great location, on your way out of Mammoth Caves, before a few little motels off the interstate. Would definitely go back to this country kitchen.
(4)Bobbie C.
Great food!! I think they put sugar in everything! I give it a 3 star because the decor, and we are from Ohio and there is no smoking here. We didn't realize we sat in the smoking section!
(3)Yuri H.
Very friendly staff. Nice local restaurant with pretty classic southern, home-made food. The steak was ginormous. Very generous servings and service. Pretty modest but very homey feel.
(3)Krista G.
This restaurant is the epitome of depression. I'm from a small town in Kentucky and am no stranger to smoke-laden, hole-in-the-wall joints. I wouldn't return to this place for a free meal if given the opportunity. We visited on a Sunday and had the breakfast buffet. A buffet of garbage. This was seriously the most disgusting meal I've ever had - I regretting passing up the Cracker Barrel nearby. Hell, I would have enjoyed McDonald's over this inedible foul garbage, and I don't like McDonald's. The eggs had water standing in the pan - not sure if they were even real eggs. The biscuits were okay, likely frozen. The sausage was so repulsive I had to spit it out. Gravy, bland and watery. French toast sticks, hard and also likely frozen. Seriously, folks. Do yourself a favor and run to a gas station and get a Honey Bun or something before wasting your money and time at this decrepit "restaurant". I can't imagine feeding this food to my dog.
(1)Terri L.
Better than the Cracker Barrel! We're were looking for a place for a family to go to dinner, so we decided to pull in and check the place out. We had eaten at Cracker Barrel tge night before, wbhich was mediocre at best. We wanted to try somerhing that wasnt a chain so we decided to give this place a try. We were very pleasantly surprised. We went for a Sunday buffet. There were lima beans, pinto beans, green beans, brussel sprouts, delicious home made corn bread, mashed potatoes, sweet corn ,catfish, fried chicken, pot roast with carrots and potatoes. They had a very fresh salad bar. The service was excellent, the place is not fancy, but the food was great. It was a very, very pleasant surprise, because the building is not at all fancy on the outside and we were a little worried about what the quality would be like on the inside. The place was very basic nothing fancy here almost like a little cafeteria, but it was clean, the staff was friendly, food was hot and fresh, and the banana pudding is homemade and to die for. We highly recommend this place.
(5)James S.
Don't be scared off by the looks. Kinda dirty and rough looking but stop and eat anyway. Very good buffet with all homemade dishes. The peach cobbler was awesome. I only wish they used a better ice cream instead of the little cups.
(4)