If you have never eaten at Cafe Pig, you are missing some of the best barbecue Peachtree City has to offer. Quite frankly, there is nothing like it. One visit is all it will take, and you will never forget the restaurant, the staff, the food, or the pigs.
The first thing you will notice about Cafe Pig is the building itself. Tucked away on Huddleston Road, the restaurant is one of the oldest farmhouses in Fayette County, complete with uneven floors of southern pine and windows with lace curtains. The booths made from old bed headboards and footboards, giving the entire place a homey, comfortable feel.
"We decorated the restaurant with memorabilia from our youth, things we remembered seeing when we went to our grandmother's house," owner Dale Kratchen explained. One element hard to miss is the ever-expanding pig collection that covers much of the restaurant. Kratchen said customers bring in additions every week, and they are always welcome.
The next thing you will notice on your visit to Cafe Pig is the staff. A true family owned and operated business, Dale and Beverly Kratchen have been running the restaurant since opening it in December 1997.
"Beverly sends a great deal of time meeting and greeting people who become not only customers but part of the family," Kratchen said of his wife, and warns that you might not get out the door without a goodbye hug. "You just don't find that at most restaurants, where they want you in and out and on your way so someone else can have your table."
In addition to the husband-and-wife team, two of their four daughters work at the restaurant, and as soon as some of the 14 grandchildren get a little older, Kratchen expects they will also join the family at Cafe Pig.
Now you have arrived at the highlight of your visit, the food. Let's face it, this is the real reason you have come to Cafe Pig.
"We serve southern barbecue, which translates into slow cooked pork smoked for 18 hours, cracklin' cornbread, homemade Brunswick stew, cole slaw, baked beans, turnip greens, sweet potato casserole, and the menu goes on," Kratchen explained.
Indeed, the menu is extensive, affordably priced, and undeniably delicious. Every meal should include a taste of Dale's Famous Smoked Wings, served with a variety of dipping sauces. The chopped barbecue plates start at just $6.95 and come with a choice of two side items and cornbread. Another savory item is the stuffed baked potato, a huge Idaho potato, split, buttered and stuffed with your choice pork, chicken or beef, and topped with sour cream, grated cheddar and monterey cheeses, all starting at just $5.95.
Owner Kratchen said the baby back ribs are his favorite. "They are a true thing of beauty," he raved. "They are dry rubbed with our secret rub and slow cooked on the pit for four to four and a half hours. The meat just melts in your mouth."
Cafe Pig offers catering services, from graduations parties to wedding receptions and any occasion in between. Every year at Thanksgiving, the restaurant smokes ham and turkeys, and now have so many orders each year they have to work hard to meet the demand.
If you are still not completely convinced about Cafe Pig, here is one final claim to fame. The restaurant was selected this past May as one of the best restaurants in the entire South by Southern Living magazine. Just a little food for thought.
Cafe Pig is located at 118 Huddleston Road in Peachtree City. Lunch hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5-9 p.m. Call 770-486-9898 for more information.
