Boxcar Grille

Nice family restaurant close to I-40 at Claremont. Salad bar was a bit pricey ($12, all you can eat) but had a great variety of fixings and everything seemed very fresh. Hot dogs and fries were good as well. Every meal starts with hot bread sticks. Service was good and both the bathrooms and dining area were clean.

My wife and I were looking for a place to eat at after church this past Sunday. We decided to try this restaurant. Lots of cars in the parking lot, which we took as a good sign. Upon entering inside, we had about a 15 minute wait to be seated - not bad considering the number of people in the restaurant. Upon being seated a very capable young server waited on us. Upon looking at the menu, I wasn't overly impressed with the number of entrees available for lunch. My wife ended up getting the salad bar and a baked potato and I got the chicken parmesan on rice. Our meals are brought to us in a timely manner. My wife enjoyed the salad bar and her potato. My meal was okay as far as taste. I don't think I would ever get that again though. Nothing really special about the meal. No bread was served at all. I have been to Boxcar Restaurants before for breakfast (however, this is the first time ever at the one in Claremont, NC) and enjoyed the meals. Not sure I'll be back for anything else other than breakfast if I'm going to a Boxcar restaurant.

I got the Buffalo tenders, paid $11.75. I got five tenders all about the same size as this, stupid small, literally the size of my thumb. This place is going down hill… when I picked my order up the tenders wasn’t rolled in buffalo, had to go back in and get them rolled, got my plate back to find my tenders cold from the cold sauce. They definitely don’t care about the quality for Togo orders… smh. Almost $12 for this? Insane. I’ll choose cookout next time any day.

Very well themed throughout with the railroad theme. Service was great, our server offered suggestions since it was our first visit. Food quality was on point for the price. I ordered off of the lunch menu and it was a lunch price and portion, which was great. Everyone gets breadsticks and butter as a starter, they were hot and crispy like they were straight from the fryer. My husband got the salad bar, he said it reminded him of Rax from back in the day. Great restaurant for your basic comfort foods.

Absolutely delicious, from the rolls to the food it was amazing will deffinitly be back for that good ol southern charm!

The margaritas and amaretto sours were good. My burger was very good, fries looked better than they tasted. Not cold but not fresh and hot, dry. Everyone enjoyed there choices for the most part. One of us had to wait way to long for gravy. Long time for to go cups and box . I think server had too many tables. She was very nice but I think needed more backup.

Excellent choice! Very friendly server, quick and accurate. Friendly-happy atmosphere. They brought some rolls and butter when I sat down and right away I knew I was in for a treat. How can rolls be that good? Crispy buttery mmmmm. I got fried pickles for an appetizer and while there were WAY too many 😂 they were some of the best I've had. And the Outlaw Burger and fried chips... Dann was that awesome. Just really good. 5 stars!

We had a really nice meal and the waitress was so friendly. I had the chopped steak meal with mushroom gravy, potatoes and corn. My wife had the mushroom Swiss burger and coke slaw. My meal was very good and plentiful. My wife’s burger was so big, she had to hold it with two hands and it was hard to take a bite! The coleslaw was very tasty ( I finished it for her). I looked at the salad bar and it looked fantastic. I wish I would have gotten their chili! It really looked good! With the flooring, I almost think it might have possibly been an actual station at one time. I would recommend this place any time you come through the area. It will be marked as one of my favorites. Did I mention the prices were reasonable?

Had lunch with the family here last weekend. Family friendly home cooking/diner style food. My 90 year old Mom really likes it. Menu has something for everyone on it. Reasonable prices, good table service. If you are willing to do a self-service salad bar in this era of Covid, then it looked pretty good. My only negative was that our entrees (ground steak, beef tips, mashed potatoes and gravy) were no longer hot by the time the food arrived at the table. So I docked them one star for that.

Great food. Great service Relaxed cool vibe. This is a mom and pop restaurant and they do a great job with the home cooking! We had a patty melt and my husband said it was the best ever with a thick hamburger and thick texas toast with the best grilled onions. Not greasy. I had the small ribeye and it was cooked perfectly and flavored so well. A hot baked potato and green beans and a trip to the salad bar which was fresh and filled with anything you could want on your salad. Even fresh strawberries and a homemade apple salad! We ordered extra side to try the pinto beans and mac and cheese Our waitress was quick and courteous. The restaurant looks like it was an old cracker barrel but they said it wasnt. The name of the place was "box car grille " and the salad bar looked like it was in front of an actual box car from the railroad! Lots of railroad memorabilia all over! Clean too. Great stop during out Thanksgiving travels of I-40 at Claremont NC

We stopped for dinner and were very pleased with the restaurant. The restaurant decor is very fitting for the area and the service was great. The food was good but the fried pickles were a little too salty. The rolls we were given were very good. The entrees were very good and the salad bar was huge with a great selection. Hard to believe that my wife and I ate for $23 with this much food in 2024.

It was coming down like cats and dogs when we decided to pull off and found this little place. Recent reviews said they had a fantastic salad bar and they did - nice and fresh. Service was great and friendly and they worked right up until closing time. Got to give it to employees who are that friendly and work that well without trying to push you out the door. Kids enjoyed their chicken fried steaks and hotdogs. If you're in the area, a good place to stop

We dine at this location almost as much as our local Boxcar Grille due to frequent travel and timing. I can say it is quickly becoming our preferred location because of the quality of food & service. Our service here has always been friendly, quick & very accommodating. Staff are attentive and proactive. We rarely have to ask for anything because the staff does a great job upfront in offering extra napkins, condiments, etc. We have never left this restaurant dissatisfied with service or food. Food has always been cooked per request and quickly. Rarely have we waited more than 15 minutes for food. However we always order our steaks Rare to Medium Rare and given that takes less time. One of my favorite steaks cuts here is the Prime Rib-Buffalo Cut. Never disappoints! I can also say that the BLT is amazing! So much BACON! As far as ambiance or dining atmosphere goes, this is a family friendly Steak House. Depending on the night and the crowd, you will experience different levels of noise. This is not an intimate space nor is it attempting to be. Bring your date but expect lots of family discussions ranging in ages from 0-100. Personally, I love the casual, come as you are dining experience that is Boxcar Grille. And I cannot end this review without mentioning the killer wings that come in a few heat/spice levels. We always order the Mexican version & they are definitely finger licking good! So head on over to one of the Boxcar Grille locations and bring your Mama and them, too...it's sure to be an enjoyable event. PS they offer catering & occasionally have Live Music.

Well ordered a Buffalo wrap, it was good, but not great. Got a side of turnip greens and all they did was dump them out of a can and warmed them up. Then didn't try to season them the least bit. Why serve them if someone can't throw some bacon grease or other seasoning in there. Wife had their chicken salad sandwich which she said was okay and a bake potato. Will go back, just will not order what we ordered. And wait staff could have done better. She didn't have to tell me she was in the bathroom was the reason she hadn't been by. The place was somewhat busy and a lot of tables had not been cleaned, but eventually they got to them. Atmosphere was nice and inviting.

The food was cold, my steak was cooked but cold, so I guess they cooked mine but waited for the other food my group ordered. The service was somewhat fast, and the looks, just is a ton of train carts and train signs

Appetizer of fried mushrooms was special. Server was patient and helpful, there when we needed her. Prices were reasonable.

Unbelievably Fresh Salad Bar!! The rolls are fluffy, sweet pillows of air; and the sweet potato I had was filled with cinnamon and brown sugar. This family owned restaurant reminds me of a simpler time when food was just pure comfort! Rachel, our server, was so friendly and helpful. Glad we took the advice to stop in here as we travelled on the I 40!

Good Food with both Value and Service I've worked in Statesville for a number of years now and have dined for lunch a number of times at the Boxcar Grille. Unfortunately was never impressed because it was so inconsistent. Had always been curious about their sister restaurant about 15 miles west in Claremont so I gave it a try for lunch yesterday. Walked in and they were swamped but was seated very quickly. Got a bit worried because I was seated in the back and at the other restaurant, I was seated in the back one time and they forgot about me and ended up leaving 30 minutes later without even placing an order. Not the case here, Seated quickly and my server was either there or just a few feet away my whole visit. Menu had changed a bit with some new items added that looked good and they again, they have a fantastic salad bar that I almost went with. Ended up saving that for next time because I am a huge fan of the BLT, the ultimate sandwich. Ordered it with a standard order or Fries and 1/2 and 1/2 tea. The 1/2 and 1/2 tea was still too sweet. Hate to think what the sweetened tea tastes like. The BLT came out a few minutes later. 8 slices of Bacon piled high on a bed of crisp lettuce and tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. Bacon was extra crispy unfortunately because I like my bacon not quite that well done. Fries were pretty good but could have used another couple of seconds in the Fryer to give them a bit more of a crunch and browning. Motif is pure trains and a bit overdone but still nice. Restaurant is right off I-40 at Exit 135 on the Southside. Easy on and off coupled with good food and value make this a good possible spot for lunch or dinner for the traveler.

This Boxcar Grille is located just off of Interstate 40 at exit 135 in Claremont, NC. During our travel to Asheville, it was time for lunch, but wanted to try something that we don't find at home, so this place fit the bill. After getting off of the interstate, the building becomes fairly easy to spot with the blue color to the building. We came inside around 11:15 am on July 30, 2018. The place wasn't too busy yet, but was likely due to the early hour for lunch. However, the place was much busier by the time we were done and leaving. The first thing you'll notice when you come in is that the place has the theme of trains and train stations. The host/hostess counter to be seated is at the "Ticket" window. We were immediately seated and our server Daniel was at the table within seconds after we were seated. He took our drink orders and gave us some time to figure out what we wanted from the menu. Because the menu had a nice assortment of options, it took us longer than normal to decide, but Daniel was very patient and checked on us a few times until we were ready, even asking if we had any questions about the menu. In the meantime, he brought out fried yeast rolls with butter, which were so good. After taking our time looking over the menu, we decided to go with some items on the 2 for $20 menu. The 2 for $20 menu includes an appetizer and two entrees. For the appetizer, we went with the Cactus Petals. For the entrees, I went with the Trainwreck's Calabash Shrimp with macaroni and cheese as the side. My mom went with the Pot Roast entree with mashed potatoes and gravy as the side. Within a few minutes of ordering everything, the cactus petals came out with a ranch sauce for dipping. The cactus petals were quite good and they weren't greasy either like I've experienced in other places in the past. Well done on the appetizer. Daniel did quite well on timing as well. Once we were slowing down on the appetizer, a few minutes after that our entrees were coming to the table. The shrimp were essentially fried popcorn shrimp, but were so good and not greasy. It came with tartar and cocktail sauce, but I don't use tartar sauce so our server brought another cocktail sauce for me as well. The macaroni and cheese was great as well. My mom said the pot roast and mashed potatoes were quite good as well. Overall, we did have a great experience here. Service was on point, the food was good, and there were no other issues. There's quite the variety on the menu, so this place would be good for anyone. If your travels take you this way, be sure to check this place out. I'm glad I did.

Not very good. Not seasoned. Bread and grilled veggies are all prior frozen. Staff are friendly. Seems like common type of restaurant for the area.

Great to choose for catering for large events! Owners are wonderful people and make sure everything is great

Beef tips and chicken parmigiana for lunch. Food was quick and the salad bar looked super. Will stop back whenever in the area. I would say stop by for a bite. Service was superb.

this review has nothing to do with the food. The food was good but we have been going there for years and today when we ordered our tips and we were using a coupon from a local sports team. After we get the food and tips, and after using this coupon on many occasions a new manager says we cannot use it. we have never been told this before. I did not get the name of the manager but she finally came to our table and was rather rude and told us we could not use the coupon. she then said rather loud. I can charge you $14.99 and you can use the coupon. I told her with her attitude we would not be back and her response was she did not care if we did not come back. Not accepting the coupon is one thing but to tell 4 people she does not care if we don't come back. if I walk in and she is there I will walk back out and go to Burger King and get treated better.

I'm not a big fan of the fried rolls, as they're greasy, but they have the best catfish. Big pieces, and an amazing crunch that doesn't go away, even when eat the next day. Service is friendly.

I've been coming here several times and have enjoyed my food every time. Today I ordered flounder with mashed potatoes and slaw. And it's totally satisfying Seating is quick and service is great if you get there around 11:30 am

The food is not of good quality. Only reason this place is still in business is because p don't know what good food is. The salad bar is all you have going for you and the price is still a rip off. When you trade two sides that cost three bucks a piece for a salad that cost five bucks you shouldn't charge three extra dollars for the trade, another rip off. If you are starving it's a goo place to get something to survive. Rolls suck too.

Service is 5 stars. Of course with no internet they won't read this The difference between 2 and 5 stars. They have the best baked bread and real butter. No little plates. You must eat off a wet table. Decent blue cheese burger. No other than restaurant yellow mustard. Best home cooked fries. No malt vinegar. I actually said this 10 visits. The final straw. We get shrimp meal and catfish meal for my BIL. Hush puppies $2. That makes for me my final visit. They just don't care.

We love Boxcar, down to earth people, great food, good prices. Always excellent baked potato here! Had to go to Greensboro & went to a high dollar restaurant, got a twice or thwice baked Potato, could not believe it! I wanted to throw it all out ($50 dinner) and drive back to Boxcar for a decent dinner! Get the beef tips with grilled veggies and a baked potato, on tuesday nights that is on special, I (think) $8.95.

I liked this place. Near I-40. Also in a place where you might not easily find places to eat when traveling. A local joint with 2 locations. I had a great trout dish, solid salad bar with good fluffy Waldorf salad. Nice looking sides. Especially baked sweet potato. Huge portions. Chicken fingers are for kids..right? Adults order these. I usually hate them but tried my friends. Yummmmmmmmmm! Great, moist with awesome batter. I would try the tips next or the ribs. Has a campy train depot decor with a saloon type bar. The racing channel was on. Great for kids too. I'll come back when hungry between Winston Salem and Asheville.

There is nothing special about this place. You hear a lot of locals talk about it. The price isn't bad, but the food is just simply ok. The service can be inconsistent. The food is inconsistent as well. One time will be great, the next just fair at best.

Was ok but service was slow Food was good Emma was good at reception and remembering

We stoped in while we were in the area. We walked in and had to wait just a little bit to be seated. They sat us in a booth. Our waitress came up to tell us the specials and get our drink order. We asked for recommendations and the BLT was said to be piled high with bacon and a favorite. So we ordered that and I added a trip to the salad bar. The salad bar was well stocked with lots of options to choose from. Overall a good experience with friendly staff.

Everything was great! Large portions, delivered quickly and waitress was attentive and professional. Excellent place for brunch! Cute decor and friendly staff as well.

Great food! The salad bar alone was worth the trip! Their fried bread was the consistency of donuts but without the sweet flavor, so good with butter! Service was great! Staff members are sweet, friendly, and attentive. Would definitely eat here again!

Friendly staff. Salad bar is always fun. Steak fajitas insanely delicious. Black and bleu burger cooked nice and med rare.

We stopped here on our way home from Gatlinburg... it's now a favorite on my maps!!! Amazing salad bar, steak tips were cooked perfect, medium rare as we asked and the bread sticks were a little piece of Heaven!! All of the staff were friendly and efficient! Do Not Pass this place up!!

Good food, fresh salad bar and the best around!! Friendly staff and again the best salad bar!

Nice, clean country type menu. Excellent salad bar. Food was reasonably priced and tasty. No complaints. Recommend.

Love this place. My only complaint is that I do not use salt in my food and I don't like a lot of salty foods. Seems like everything from the fried mushrooms, Blue Ridge Rooster to the grilled veggies are so salty I cannot enjoy them as I used too!

The staff is always very friendly. Out of 9 years going to eat the wonderful salad bar I've had one bad waitress. Grest daily specials. Tea is great and the food is excellent for the money. Best salad bar around the county.

Giving a three star because the main entree was really good. When I first walked in, my ankle was hurt really bad by their door. This could be a safety hazard for anyone, especially small children. They had a sharp object protruding and I told the wait staff and they apologized. Everything was taken care of in a timely manor but when I opened one of my biscuits I received as an appetizer I found a hair in it. Food was great otherwise however waitress was slow about refills. I would like to give them a second chance

We stopped here on our way from and then again on our way to the RDU airport. The mac and cheese that my daughter ordered seemed like it was made fresh from scratch rather than boxed mac and cheese like most restaurants. I ordered a BLT that did not skimp on the bacon like most places do. In fact, it had more bacon than even this bacon enthusiast could handle so I had to take some out just so I could fit the sandwich into my mouth for a bite. The only thing I didn't care for was the bread and butter offered. The bread seemed to have been deep fried and was really greasy, which was unexpected and not particularly appreciated. Everything else was good though including service. We liked it enough the first time to make a return trip on our way back to the airport so it's definitely worth a shot.

Wonderful staff, I was greeted immediately and was taken care of so quickly, and the food was absolutely delicious. Kourtney was my server and she was top notch, I'll definitely be back!

Very negative experience with Boxcar. Places a to go order while coming back from a trip. Called in the order ~20-25 minutes before coming through Claremont Upon arriving I paid for the order. After waiting another 20 minutes I asked about the order. In total it took over an hour from the time the order was placed to receive only 3 of the 4 meals I ordered (she dropped it from the kitchen). At that point I just left. Boxcar didn't even to offer to Comp the meal!!!

Very good! Great staff and a warm friendly atmosphere. Will be returning soon. Love it

Thank God there's a Burger King next door! I arrived at 12:28pm and the place was quite empty (first red flag.) I waited around for a few minutes (2nd red flag) until the hostess arrived to seat me. I was seated and waited exactly 5 minutes. No one came to the table (3rd & final red flag) at all. I got up and left, hungrier than when I arrived and with no experience of the taste of the food. It was evident these folks did not want my money, and I definitely wasn't going to give them any more of my time. I went to the BK next door where I was served by the friendly and attentive there a delicious flame-broiled double whopper.

We use the primarily for catering. They do a very good job and the staff especially good. I highly recommend them at the Claremont location

Salad bar looked great. Party of six. They stuck a table on the end of a booth. Making us 2 feet from another table and stuck out in the aisle. Highly uncomfortable. Waitress was unfriendly. Food was great.

Good salad bar with a variety of choices, a decent chicken salad made it a great lunch meal for 8.00. They do homemade soups and the one today was chicken noodle, this a good choice and she let us sample it and the chilli. Chilli has a kick. Sweet tea is okay. Service was good and friendly. Local spot with a train theme right off the main road.

I came while passing though to South Carolina with my family. My wife and I both got the catfish special. For 7.99,the two large fillets with salt and pepper breading and seasoned fries and hush puppies was a great deal. For that price I expected average taste, but it was some of the best catfish I've had. I hate hush puppies normally, but even they were pretty good. Tracy, our waitress, and her manager were very friendly and talked to us for a bit. They were patient and accommodating with our 3 year old even when she started into a tantrum. All in all, if we are nearby again, I will make an excuse to come back.

Came here for dinner kinda last minute. Really great service. The bar served draft beer for $2.25. Good and cold!

Hit or miss with main entrees and service; but they have one of the best salad bars around. When their cooks and waitstaff are on top of it, food and service are great. The salad bar never disappoints with its variety of toppings and sides. Family friendly.

It's Cracker Barrel's special needs little brother. This place is quite possibly one of the worst meals I had in 2012, and the biggest let down that I've experienced with Yelp. We searched "BBQ" for a while yesterday while working in the Morganton/Durham area and this place kept coming up as the best spot to try and with great reviews. What a mistake. Service is amazing here just as you would expect in a small country town, but it can't surpass the awful food. The Country Fried Steak tasted like it came straight from a frozen box into the deep fryer. The Gravy on it was out of can, no doubt. Macaroni and cheese consists of overcooked noodles tossed in canned style easy cheese. "Pork Medallions" are actually just two very small cuts of pork loin with Heinz 57 "Famous sauce." The only edible thing was the wings, which consisted of more generic sauces and spice and nothing original. If you are going to be a Country Cooking Kitchen... get a grandma and steal her recipes. Don't turn a can over and read the recipe on the back.

Boxcar Grill has the best food cooked fresh the way you like it. Servers and whole staff very friendly and the Bar is excellent. You can order your drinks at the tables or you can set at the bar and eat drink there, the staff is very accommodating. I had a picture of my food but lost it. They are also masked up and very very clean during this time of Covid, it's always clean but they are really going the extra mile. Not that expensive if you want a good meal and a few drinks, I fed 5 adults, 4 of us with drinks from bar for around $128.00 plus we tipped the server and Bar Tender $30 and we had plenty of food to bring home. We eat there often.

This place is always packed (especially on Sundays), which is a good sign. My family is also a huge fan. Since I was the "out of towner" they took me, once again, to the restaurant. Since I've been there before, this latest trip pointed out several glaring things: 1. Their "fried" rolls - are different. And it is NOT for the better. 2. They don't have enough waiters/waitresses for high traffic times. These poor people were severely overworked. Which is why there were several order mistakes in our latest visit. The waitress was super apologetic (and I praise her for that; she accepted responsibility immediately), but she had too many tables, especially too many tables with 6 or more. 3. Their waiting area is far TOO small. As for the food, it seems to be hit or miss. The salad bar has never disappointed. The hamburgers are not the best. My kid loves their pasta dish with Alfredo and veggies. While in the past I would have given them at least four stars, I can't do that after the last visit.

If I could give this place 1 star I would. Ordered the Jesse James 2 burger, which comes with TWO PATTIES. Did not receive what I ordered. The burger came with only 1 patty. The cook and people getting the to go orders ready should do their job and make sure the orders are correct. Pathetic.

Cool setting as a train depot, great service, deep fried oreos sound interesting. Menu is very extensive. Loved my Chix sandwich and the salad bar was well stocked. The wife and I got our first tasted of them when they catered a wine tasting event. Food was awesome