Claudia Sanders Dinner House

Great adventure into old fashion cooking! Chicken dumplings very good, roll awesome and other veggies! Chicken was good but not the best I've eaten throughout my travels of course my grandmother had the best!!!! I will go back and take friends!!

I was in town and decided to swing by this restaurant before I headed to SDF. Upon arriving, the parking lot was so busy because of Mother's Day, so I thought I would have to wait for ever to get seated. Surprisingly I got seated within 15 minutes around 1pm so that was a great start.

Then it went down hill. The food is just mediocre, and the fried chicken (which is the main dish) was soggy and bland. This isn't a KFC, but I was expecting KFC crispy fried chickens. Heck, I was expecting them to be even better than KFC because it's a proper sit down restaurant and the cost to eat here.

When I received the check, I realized they charged me 18% gratuity for a large party when there's only two of us. I get that it could be because of Mother's Day and it's higher volume they're dealing with, but the waitress never mentioned it so it came as a surprise.

For what we paid, this place is not worth it. You're getting Golden Coral standard food and paying way more. If this is the only happening thing in town, oooof I feel bad for these people.

So much potential but I think it is being missed here. After seeing this place on a couple of food blogs I had to add it to my list to try.

We went on Sunday which only offers the buffet so keep that into consideration. The only thing that stuck out was the chicken (which still needed a little help) and the rolls.

The sides were awful - the Mac was water and cheese. The prime rib and roast that were cut to serve was dry and tasteless.

Our waitress was sweeter than ever but I don't see myself coming back (especially on a Sunday).

This is a HARSH review and I usually leave really good reviews when it's Earned and I'm sorry, this just didn't earn it today. Maybe others will have a better experience. The ONLY Saving Grace of our visit today was the Lady that works at the Hostess Stand and sat us at our Table. She was very professional and helpful. The worse part was the person working the Counter where you pay, was dressed in work-out clothes and slouched over in a chair, she was very young and NOT Professional at all. I would have been fired on the spot when I was her age and working Cashier Jobs. This younger generation just doesn't care about Image and about learning that "this Job" is supposed to prepare them for the NEXT Job and a better job! (***TO BE FAIR - I know that the Owners have had some health issues and they have had to trust their business to someone else and I'm SURE that it's DIFFICULT and I feel badly for them and whomever is trying to keep this place floating, sadly, it's sinking.)
So here goes: They force everyone to sit crammed into the ONE room where the buffet is set up at and it's CROWDED. Sad to say that there are NEVER any Chicken Legs on the Sunday Buffet. The Chicken that is there on Sundays is always very dry and chewy. (NO option for Chicken tenders)
Never, not even ONE TIME during our visit today did anyone come to the Carving station to carve the Roast Beef or the pork loin I think it was, not sure. NOT ONE TIME was anyone there. There were at least 10 different PAYING Customers that stood there and looked at it and looked around hoping that someone would come over to Carve the Meat. Although the food that I did eat was good, for $100.00 PLUS TIP, for four, people and you can't get any chicken legs and you can't get anyone to carve the Meat at the Meat station is just Absurd. You have to ASK for Soup, which used to be near the Salad area and you are NOT allowed to take your ONE piece of dessert with you. You CAN'T order off the regular menu you have to get the Buffet. They used to leave the desserts on a Dessert Table and there used to be a large variety of them. What used to be a really Top Notch place to have a nice Meal has really gone down hill. Even the Soap in the bathroom is nasty and I couldn't get it rinsed off my hands. If this had been a CHEAP meal thats one thing but I repeat, we spent $100.00 (PLUS TIP - for someone to bring our drinks), of our hard earned money here today. Sad to say that what was once a Family Tradition on Sundays has gone by the wayside like so many other things. I hope they can turn things around here or at least sell this Business to someone that will LOVE IT and make it SHINE like it used to in the Past. They've even taken away the "Service at your table" dining and replaced it with this Buffet thing. I guess it's because like everywhere else, no one wants to work and they are short staffed.

This is the hidden gem of Kentucky! Col would be proud of his wife's legacy here in Shelbyville. To start off they bring out this all you can eat bread (yummy). My wife went with the boneless chicken meal that come with two sides Mac N Cheese and mashed potatoes no gravy for her. I choose the
Claudia's two piece white meat dinner my sides were mashed potatoes and gravy, and Mac n cheese. This is Military friendly location.

Easter buffet today on 3/31/2024 was $29.99 for adults. Our group of 8 was satisfied and so happy not having to cook! The place was packed. The food was good. The service was great, although busy juggling quite a crowd at times. We did not feel rushed and sat for a couple of hours enjoying salad bar, main entree and multitude of choices for sides, and then dessert. Beautiful drive to the venue with bright green spring pastures and horses in the fields and only a 30-minute drive to the Louisville metro area.

Had to try this restaurant after hearing so much about it over the years. It was worth the 44 mile trip. Plenty of good food for an excellent price. More than we could eat in one sitting. Brought dinner home.

We decided to order off the ala carte menu.
Mike ordered a fried chicken breast, a pound of chicken livers with gravy, collard greens & a loaded baked potato. He said his breast was moist & very tasty. The livers were cooked perfectly & a lb. was too much. I had one liver; it was good. Had to ask for the white gravy. Collard greens were good & potato never came to the table.

I ordered a fried chicken breast. I picked the skin off, & it still had a delicious taste. I ordered Harvard beets, stewed tomatoes & biscuits. Take me back, down home cooking. Yes! If you want honey for your biscuits, it's an extra charge.

They also have sweet yeast rolls that come to the table.

There are many dining rooms in the building. And there is a salad bar.
Our server was very friendly, but she did forget two items.

The prices are great for the amount of food you get. All you can eat buffet on Sunday. Make a reservation. They also have Family Style Meals too.

Give it a try, if you haven't been there.

First things first... Service was awesome! We tried the garlic parm wings, roast beef, and fish sandwich with sides. The wings were great! My husband said the fish sandwich was good. The green beans tasted canned with some bacon tossed in, but still needed some salt for flavor. The roast beef was more like a beef stew, with very little beef in it. The macaroni and cheese had zero flavor and was kind of like a kraft deluxe situation. The bread... Oh the bread! Delicious! Cornbread was good as well! My husband enjoyed the salad bar as well. The sides were lackluster. My mistake was going to a chicken spot and ordering roast beef.

For a historical-ish meal, if you're near Louisville, you gotta try Claudia Sanders's Dinner House. A beautifully renovated dining hall, but I didn't have time so I got take out, and it was still worth it. The fried chicken was tasty and perfectly cooked, the green beans had some tartness, and the potatoes were real mashed potatoes and not flakes. The yeast rolls could be a meal in themselves. But for me the real star was the Harvard Beets - I'd never had beets like this before and they were sweet, earthy and tender. So stop in and experience a little history with a really tasty and filling meal!

Made a very scenic trip to Claudia Sanders, passing many horse farms....beautiful drive. A great place to go for lunch or dinner, Claudia Sanders is thriving! Buffet only on Sundays. On other days, delicious salad bar to include soups and desserts can be your entrée or an add-on to even a sandwich, for $3.99.
We love everything about Claudia Sanders food. From the most awesome grilled cheese I've eaten, to a full-blown dinner with tons of sides, they have a vast array of choices. This is a perfect place to take an out-of-town guest. Just as an example, I ordered their grilled cheese with soup. I chose chicken and dumplings as my soup. I also added the salad bar. since I was in love with a salad bar, I ate that as my entrée and took home, my grilled cheese and chicken and dumplings, plus she packaged up dessert... A huge scoop of bread pudding! Talk about a bargain... All of this for under $10. and the nicest, sweetest, efficient server.... People, it is definitely worth the drive!
All decorated up for Christmas outside and inside, a beautiful fireplace, don't pass this holiday chance up!