Lambert’s Cafe: Throwed Rolls Near Springfield, Missouri

Since I was a kid, I’ve heard stories about the restaurant where they throw rolls at you. “Home of the throwed rolls,” they’d declare. I never visited the restaurant as a kid, in large part because my family never passed through that way.

That restaurant, Lambert’s Cafe, was established in 1942 down in Sikeston, Missouri, off of Interstate 55. Since then, Lambert’s has opened two other locations: one in Foley, Alabama, and one just outside of Springfield, Missouri. As an adult, I decided it was time to check this place out … and a trip down to Branson made for the perfect opportunity.

Getting There

Lambert’s Cafe (Google Maps link) is located in Ozark, a town just south of Springfield. If you’re coming from St. Louis, take I-44 West to Springfield, then pick up U.S. 65 South until you reach the Missouri J/Missouri CC Exit. Make a left at the exit, head through the diamond overpass, and Lambert’s will be on your right. It’s about 220 miles (roughly 3 1/2 hours) from St. Louis to Lambert’s.

Notably, Lambert’s is also about 30 miles (approximately 30 minutes) north of Branson, right down U.S. 65.

Parking

There is a lot of parking at Lambert’s. You’ll see spaces in front of the restaurant, on the left (north) side of the building, and on the right (south) of the building. On the right (south) side you’ll also see a road headed down behind a retaining wall where you can find still more parking, including a gravel lot that is good for oversized vehicles. If all else fails, there is more parking still behind the building in front of Ole Norm’s Trading Post. It seems to us that the spaces in front and to the right fill up first. All spaces are free.

Costs and Considerations

Lambert’s is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

When you first arrive, you’ll notice a sign-in station just outside the front door. Check in there first, giving your name and the number in your party. The worker will tell you the approximate wait time.

Lambert’s is busy. There’s no getting around it. There are times the restaurant is merely busy, and times it is crazy busy. We went on a Monday around 2 p.m. and our wait was about 25 minutes, which was good in our view. During peak times, like noon or on weekends, it can get much busier than that. It’s important to bring a little patience to your visit.

Lambert’s publishes a menu but does not list prices, either on its website or outside the restaurant. In 2025, our entrees ran from $17-$22 depending on the meal. Our drinks were $3-4. The restaurant offers a 3% discount for people who pay in cash. In mid-2025, our family of four paid about $110 — four entrees + two orders of iced tea — with tip using a credit card.

Things to Do

Waiting is a part of eating at Lambert’s Cafe. Fortunately, while you wait, you do have some options, and those options all have a PA to let you know when your party is ready.

One, you can wait on the porch outside the entrance. There is a lot of seating there, although that seating can easily fill up.

Two, you can explore the gift shop next to the restaurant entrance. That gift shop isn’t large, but it does have plenty of Lambert’s stuff to peruse and buy. There are also restrooms there for roosters (men) and hens (women) should you need them.

Three, you can check out Ole Norm’s Trading Post behind the restaurant. Ole Norm’s is a relatively recent addition, having just opened in March of 2025. It’s a much larger gift shop than the one in the restaurant — including many of the same souvenirs — and also has a selection of other goods. The store is also the place to check in at if you are staying in the adjacent RV Park. We found Ole Norm’s to be noticeably quiet compared to the restaurant and gift shop, making this a nice place to hang out for a spell.

And again, when your party is called it’s piped over the PA even at the trading post, so you know to head back.

Once your name is called, you’ll file into a hallway and wait a bit longer. A server will then escort you to your seat, either at a table or at a booth.

As is typical at a sit-down place, a server will come around asking you about drinks and then, after delivering the drinks, will ask you about your meal order. One small wrinkle here is that the drink cups are … different than what you typically see in a restaurant. (And yes, you can buy ones just like them in the gift shop.)

What is unique about Lambert’s Cafe is that it uses a combination of entrees with sides along with family-style foods they call “Pass-Arounds.” Before and after ordering your drinks and entree, you’ll have additional servers coming around offering foods in large containers that you can also have spooned out on your plate or, in some cases, on a napkin. The Pass-Arounds are optional but we highly encourage you to at least try them, as they don’t cost anything extra.

They are:

• Fried okra. These are often served before anything else, and they are usually set on napkins. We’re not huge okra fans, but these were fine.
• Macaroni and tomatoes. Our least favorite, on account of the high amount of sugar added. Your mileage may vary.
• Potatoes and onions. Our family liked these a lot.
• Blackeyed peas. Although listed on the website, we did not see any being served during our visit.
• Rolls. These are outstanding, in our view.
• Sorghum molasses and apple butter. Made to be put on the rolls, these are both worth trying.

The rolls deserve special attention. Throughout the day, workers will come around with bowls of rolls. If you hold your hands out, the workers will toss them to you. (If that bothers you, you can also approach the workers to get your roll by way of a handoff instead of a pass.) The throwed rolls are quite the spectacle, and workers will often lead chants about rolls in the midst of the meal, too.

All of that would seem like plenty of food by itself, but there’s still the matter of the entree. There are a number of meals available on the menu, many of them Southern-style dishes. Most come with two sides, while a few come with one side. (Salads do not come with a side.) Sides include things like mashed potatoes, pears, coleslaw, cucumber and onions, cold chunky applesauce, and so on.

To top it off, you may spot a worker coming around selling giant $5 cinnamon rolls.

Our Thoughts

Our suspicion going to Lambert’s was that we were going to be dealing with a lot of food.

We dealt with … a lot of food. The entree portions are large enough by themselves. Add in the Pass-Arounds, and you’re likely to emerge stuffed. We benefited from eating later in the lunch hour, and we didn’t need much more to eat that day.

That said, we think we understand the hype. Lambert’s Cafe is an experience, from the decor, to the whole Pass-Around business, to the iconic throwed rolls. Also, all of us liked our meals — the four of us got fried chicken, fried catfish, Caesar salad, and a cheeseburger — and, while we didn’t love all the Pass-Arounds, we really liked a few of them.

And the wait? It helps going into things if you know there is going to be one. We did appreciate how the restaurant offers some things to do, including the new trading post in the back. Still, if waits bother you we’d say aim to visit during an off-peak day and hour if you can, as that will help.

Overall, we really enjoyed Lambert’s. And while we’re not sure our waistlines or blood pressure can handle a lot of visits here, we think it’s worth a drop by if you happen to be in the area.