Sanders Cafe – Corbin, KY | Review & What to Eat

While the food is standard-issue KFC, the place is fascinating to students of culinary culture, for this is where Harlan Sanders first served what was then really delicious chicken. As much a museum as a restaurant, it is worth a visit, if not a meal.

OK, so a chain restaurant usually is not true Roadfood! But Sanders Cafe is an exception. It is so neat to see where one man’s dream all began. Completely restored into not only a restaurant, but also a museum, it is literally living history. An addition was built in 1990 that allowed for a big lobby and a new kitchen/service counter. This also allowed the original part to remain completely intact, as the dining room and museum; so it is like eating in an era gone by. You look one way and see the recreated kitchen. You look the other way and see a recreated motel room from the defunct Sander’s Court. And of course, the dining room itself is the same as it was 50 years ago.

What should I eat at Sanders Cafe?

As for the food, the chicken is good as usual. We would say it even tastes better in the historic ambiance! The new chicken bowls are a great way to eat the Colonel’s classic; as far as we know, everyone can get them at their local KFC. The best thing is that Sanders Cafe is only 5 minutes off of I-75; it sits on I-75’s predecessor, US-25, about halfway between Lexington and Knoxville. If you are traveling I-75, this is worth a visit!