Lambert’s Cafe: Sikeston, Missouri, restaurant is home of ‘throwed rolls’

Remember sitting around the table and asking someone to pass you some food?

Well, the Lamberts in Missouri didn’t just pass the food, they throw it…as in “throwed rolls.”

Lambert’s Café is a major attraction in Sikeston, Missouri – just off of Interstate 15. It’s the original city location for the restaurant. The current location is the third in the café’s history in Sikeston. They outgrew the others.

Two other Lambert’s are located in Springfield, Missouri (in the Ozarks) and Foley, Alabama.

Earl and Agnes Lambert borrowed $1500 and opened the restaurant  in 1942.

Who knew it would grow to what it is today?

The food is delicious! It’s freshly made and the portions are huge. You can easily get two meals out of one.

I ordered meatloaf. It came with mashed potatoes and corn. Lisa had chicken and noodles, which came with green beans.

Not only do you get a heaping portion of food, you can “extras” for free.

Servers roam the floor, offering guests fried okra (yes, please), fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, black-eyed peas and apple butter.

My mom was from Arkansas. So, I know these foods. I’ve eaten these foods. I like all but the black-eyed peas (the food, not the band. The band is not terrible, overall).

And, yes, we had some of the “throwed rolls.”

They actually toss customer rolls when they want them. The throwers have good aim, as people rarely miss catching them. I always flashback to baseball days and having to catch a fly ball. I always freaked about dropping it. Same thought with catching a throwed roll.

How many rolls do they may make, you ask? They averaged 520 dozen rolls made daily last year, according to Lambert’s website, www/throwedrolls.com. That equals 2,246,400 individual rolls.

The place is always packed. Come for lunch? Be ready to stand in line. Come for dinner? Be prepared to stand in line.

We lucked out on our recent trip. We stopped by after a day in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We drove an extra 40 minutes south just to eat at this place. This is our third time visiting a Lambert’s. We ate at the Springfield location once.

We ended waiting only about 15 minutes. We were there at about 7:30 p.m. When we left about an hour later, the line had pretty much disappeared.

The restaurant doesn’t accept credit or debit cards. Strictly checks (even out of state) or cash. I got a Clark Griswold-freaked out look on my face when I realized that. We had not checks or cash with us. But, fortunately, they have ATMs located around the place.

The restaurant is decorated in old-fashioned style. Old-time washers and dryers sit around.

One long wall is plastered with license plates from all over the country.

It’s basically a museum inside a restaurant.

After stuffing ourselves with our meals and the “pass arounds,” we headed back to St. Louis. Lambert’s is almost centrally located between St. Louis, Memphis and Paducah, Kentucky.

If you have plans to drive along Interstate 15 in the boot region of southeast Missouri, make sure you have an empty stomach and make Lambert’s a must-stop attraction. Your tummy will thank you, and you’ll appreciate the quality of service and food, as well as the great experience.

Oh, yeah, don’t drop the “throwed roll.” People might laugh at you.

For more information on Lambert’s Cafe and its’ location, check out their website at http://www.throwedrolls.com/