Shelly's in the Gateway - Macon

Shelly's in The Gateway is a perfect stop for lunch.

For lunch I decide to try this place out. The food was delicious! However, I felt like the staff needed better organization and communication.

The Gateway cafe is a nice quiet spot it's slowly getting back to business as usual, there are new personnel serving, so patients is a plus, and there's always call in. We know that some restrictions have been lifted, Please USE COMMON SENSE. KEEP Your Social Distance if nothing else.

Despite the sogginess, the chicken salad itself was delicious, although I would have preferred it on toasted bread instead. There definitely needs to be a better way to package the soup to prevent the bags from getting soaked. This was my second visit to Gateway Cafe, and I ordered the chicken salad sandwich again. I love chicken salad and was initially disappointed they didn’t have croissants available, but the sweet Hawaiian bread they used was a pleasant surprise. I could easily eat that every day for lunch! In fact, I would say their chicken salad is even better than Chicken Salad Chick’s! I really love this little spot! I just wish it was closer to my workplace and that they had later hours. But whenever I find myself downtown and they’re open, I’ll definitely be stopping by!

I decided to visit this restaurant because they offered a salad bar option, which has become quite rare since COVID, and I’m so glad I did! They provide a card to fill out your salad preferences, and the staff prepares it for you, which is a clever solution that keeps the salad bar experience alive. I’m quite particular about chicken salad, and I have to say... Gateway Cafe might serve the best chicken salad I’ve ever tasted—it was incredible. They also had three soups available, and I tried the lobster bisque, which was fantastic! The staff was very friendly, and the interior was clean and inviting. I will definitely return for more chicken salad and to try whatever soup they have next.