James Grill & Cafe

Edible but I won’t be back. Ok so I live nearby and this place actually used to be a pharmacy with a lunch counter deli. We used to come here quite a lot for their breakfast plates or occasionally a cheeseburger and fries or a lunch special but since change in ownership the few times I came I remembered why I don’t come to this place anymore. Maybe their breakfast are still worth a visit but today since Randazzos (thanks Unilocal!) is closed on Mondays I tried this place again for lunch and ordered a lunch special. (See pic) I asked the waitress if the mashed potatoes were from a box and found out they are so I tried the hamburger steak (meat tasted as expected & not too bad with added grilled onions) with (uh huh instant) rice and (I’m a big gravy fan but not this bland burger meat oil flavored) brown gravy & (plain tasting straight from a can) corn as the side choices. It came with a small square each of sweet corn bread (eh!) and (tasty) red velvet cake. I know what can you expect from a little greasy spoon breakfast and lunch counter. It’s not Louie’s quality that’s for sure! (But that’s way over by LSU!). Oh well. With a cold drink (not including tip) this bland lunch only set me back $ 9.50 but it wasn’t WORTH IT. So I’m thinking next time I want similar fare I’ll go to Big Mikes for lunch on a Monday. Yup. Suffice it to say I definitely won’t be back (I now have my OWN review here as a reminder!!!) as there are plenty of more fulfilling options in the Denham Springs /​Walker area and since I’m a local (& recently discovered a THREE YEAR OLD local hidden gem with the help of the Unilocalers) so I plan to start writing some food reviews (both near & far) to help others navigate their own restaurant options. This lunch was a 1 star in my opinion but I’ll give 2 because I think their breakfast probably isn’t so bad Unless they are serving instant grits now too (bleh). That wasn’t the case in the former glory days.

Great down home cooking! Pork chop Thursday (fried or smothered) along with veggies. Low prices for the great lunch. They also have great breakfast.