Cheryl’s Café, a longtime lunchtime favorite in Spanish Fort, has added roughly 600 square feet of new dining space on the south side of its building, giving the popular restaurant much-needed room for the crowds that pack in most weekdays around noon.
The café sits atop the hill where the Causeway rises into Highway 31, a location that has made it a convenient stop for diners commuting between the Eastern Shore and downtown Mobile. Regulars from Daphne, Fairhope, Stapleton and Loxley have long made the short drive for the restaurant’s lunch specials, and the new addition is meant to ease the wait for a table during peak hours.
The expansion includes a bright, open room with large windows for natural light and its own air conditioning, giving the restaurant additional seating separate from its original dining area. Owners said the goal was to accommodate more guests without changing the character of the restaurant or the pace of service that has built its reputation.
Behind the scenes, the kitchen is also getting attention. Cheryl’s son, Mitch, has run the kitchen for years, turning out favorites such as Parmesan-encrusted pork chops and a rotating lineup of fresh vegetable sides from what staff describe as a surprisingly small cooking setup. Kitchen renovations are underway to give the crew more room to work as the restaurant grows.
On the dessert side, Cheryl’s is rolling out homemade ice cream in time for summer, adding a new option alongside the restaurant’s well-known Dream Pie, a dessert that has developed a following of its own among regulars. The vegetable side dish selection also remains a highlight of the menu, with a rotating list deep enough that regulars say narrowing it down to just one or two choices is the hardest part of ordering.
Despite the growth, the restaurant’s owners say they intend to keep the same neighborhood feel that built its regular clientele of local professionals, families and business owners from across Baldwin County. Cheryl’s Café is located at 6580 Spanish Fort Blvd.