This Southern Diner Is A Gem: 1hr 17 min From Augusta

Ready for a great Southern Diner experience? I found one, and it’s a short 1hr 17 min country road ride from Augusta. There’s something special about a diner in a…

Tee Gentry

Updated Mar 25, 2024 7:06 PM EDT

This Southern Diner Is A Gem: 1hr 17 min From Augusta

Tee Gentry/BMG

Ready for a great Southern Diner experience? I found one, and it's a short 1hr 17 min country road ride from Augusta. There's something special about a diner in a small town, and this one did not disappoint. Cold Springs Cafe is located in Abbeville, SC, one of the prettiest small towns in the south.

Southern Diner

As I've said before, the food will usually be good if it's a diner with a gravel parking lot. It helps if you see a few work trucks in the parking lot, but this was a Saturday and there wasn't any. But I can promise you, during the week, it's full of them.

However, it was busy on this Saturday, and the two South Carolina Highway Patrol cars instantly told me this was a good spot for lunch. That's another indicator of a great diner; the cops and firemen who work in the area know the great places to eat.

I arrived early, and the weekend crowd was coming in. This place is small, with a large table in the middle of the diner and booths and other tables throughout the dining area. You order at the register, and they bring your food when it's ready. Y'all know I love a good hamburger, and that's what I ordered, but I was tempted to go southern when I saw the veggies and meats in front of me. Everything looked delicious.

Home Cooking

A typical daily lunch menu looks something like this at Cold Springs Cafe. Beef stew, fried chicken, fried fish, and chicken livers, with side dishes like Sweet potato soufflé, mac and cheese, fresh collards, mashed potatoes and gravy, rice and gravy, green beans, okra and tomatoes, apple fritters, slaw, and potato salad. Also, Homemade rolls and cornbread. Hungry yet?

My burger and fries were delicious. I ordered my usual cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, Dukes, of course. The burger and fries were excellent. I also love that their meat is sourced locally by Yon Family Farms and processed at 40 Meat Processing. Local is best, and you can taste the difference.

If you want some good southern cooking, with some serious southern hospitality, this is your place. Also, make sure to check out downtown Abbeville when you visit this great little diner.

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Tee GentryEditor

Tee has worked with KICKS 99 for over 24 years as Operations Manager and Program Director and is on-air each afternoon 3p-7p. When he’s not working, you’ll find him traveling the back roads, taking pictures, and searching for the next dive diner. Favorite place to visit? That’s easy. Folly Beach, SC. He’s usually there at least a few times a year. He lives in North Augusta and on Saturdays in the fall, you’ll find him cooking out and watching his Clemson Tigers. Tee likes to write about travel, Augusta local dive bars and diners and destinations in the Carolinas, as well as new business.