The 40 Best Small-Town Cafes
We sent 39 people on a five-month odyssey to find the finest purveyors of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, burgers and fries, onion rings, pork chops, cornbread, fresh doughnuts, and hot apple pie. After 24,000 miles, a flotilla of to-go containers, and a forest of toothpicks, the results are in.
19 comments
November 8th, 2009 at 3:49pm
Kay Jones says:
Just 25 short miles from Abilene, one will find the Sirloin Cafe. This restaurant has been serving the folks of Texas for almost 50 years. The owner, a third generation restauranteur, serves home-made pies, rolls and numerous desserts that will make any Texan’s mouth water. The chicken-fried steaks, a signature entree, are served on the daily lunch buffet and can always be ordered from the menu. This friendly little restaurant is a full service eatery that will fill anyone’s hunger and bring a satisfied smile of pleasure! Come check out this unique little treasure in Anson, Texas.
August 19th, 2009 at 3:11pm
John says:
Northside in Mason, Texas has the best and various varieties also. It is housed in a old grocery store that opened in the 1920s and closed in 2002. Try it. Have a hard time finding it? -- ask anyone in town.
August 2nd, 2009 at 5:06am
louis says:
My pick is Tonys in Sealy. I’ve eaten at many of the restaurants noted and Tonys stands out for country cooking and service. Also voted Austin Co. Best for 7yrs running. Great breakfast!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:47pm
linda says:
I didn’t see any cafe’s listed for round rock. I own a small mom/pop cafe in round rock and few people know i am here because i am located behind a bar and in front of a Mini Storage. It is Ward’s Cafe that was Mom’s and has been located here for 25 years now. I have home cooked food and daily specials. I even have a website. But they never came and checked out my place.
What’s the deal, dude?????
July 5th, 2009 at 4:36pm
Doc says:
July 5th 2009
We took the 100 mile trip to McGregor and tried the coffee cup cafe.
From the time we walked in the door it was down hill.
We stood by the door for over 20 minutes wondering if we seated ourselves or if someone seated us. Finally a waitress came by and told us some one would get us shortly and another 10 minutes went by.
They were busy but plenty of empty tables so being full was not the problem.
After being seated and getting a menu we noticed there was a buffet,but if you wanted two kinds of meat it was 2.00 extra. It was not a buffet in the true sense as you only got one plate and no returns to get more. Wife did the buffet, and then finds out there is only one decent meat the other three were dried fish and chicken pieces.
I ordered the double chicken fried steak with baked Potato and salad. I kept waiting on the salad to arrive and then my meal showed up with a small half slice of tomato and a small piece of lettuce.
I ask if this was the salad and she says no you get it yourself up at the buffet station . Would have been nice if she had told me that at the start.
The chicken Fried steak was ok but not anything to brag about the gravy thin and bland.
The buffet was not anything to get excited about either,we saw several people leave food on their plate
We then were offered dessert which comes with the meal. The wife ask for ice cream as that and a blueberry clumped up cobbler was the choice.
The waitress then comes back and what do you know the ice cream machine broke after 5 people got theirs. She did tell us he either needs to fix it or buy a new one. We would never have thought of that
Just real disappointed in the meal, service and atmosphere
Do not let the crowd there fool you some folks do not know the difference in good food and service and ok food
June 26th, 2009 at 4:11pm
jim says:
Decided to take a road trip and eat at Joe’s Place in Fayetteville on your recommendation. I have to say that my wife and I agreed that it was pretty terrible. Greasy catfish, limp greasy fries, brown tasteless coleslaw. The feature dessert was peach cobbler which they were out of by noon on Sunday. We got the banana pudding instead which was tasty but really was like a banana mousse- not a pudding. The next time we’ll save some gas and go to Bever’s in Chapel Hill while not great, is very good and about 93 times better than Joe’s.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:24pm
Katey says:
I forgot to mention that Mom’s IS closed on SUNDAY! That’s true small town living to still observe the day of rest;)
April 30th, 2009 at 12:22pm
Katey says:
If you’re ever in North Texas stop in JUSTIN and try Mom’s Cafe! The best homemade food, reminds me of my grandma’s house after church on Sundays! She’s got fried pickles and fried jalapeno chips, S.O.S, the best breakfasts ever, fried catfish all kinds of foods at outrageously LOW prices...Look for Mom’s off hwy 156, behind old town, across for the P.O. and down the street from JUSTIN BOOTS:) Love my town! :) Also, try Chio’s Mexican (family owned also) about 1 mile south from Mom’s...
April 4th, 2009 at 9:59am
Jeff says:
As usual, your team blew off the Panhandle as if it weren’t a real part of the state.
Texas Highways got it right however, last month when they mentioned Leonard’s Cafe in Floydada as a place worthy of driving out of your way to stop in and try. It’s been around since the depression owned by the same family and using the same recipes for daily specials like breaded pork chops, meatload and their special - a "from scratch" hand breaded chicken fried steak.
Wish I could say I expected more from you guys, but unlike the rest of your coverage, you typically drop the ball on Lubbock and everything north thereof.
Jeff Matsler
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:24am
Chris says:
I’ve been all over this state, Hill Country Cubbard is the best Chicken Fried Steak anywhere. Though I have not tried all 40, I’ve been to at least half of them!
February 9th, 2009 at 6:01pm
Barbara says:
My husband and I toured the Hill Country this past week and decided to take your article on the Best Cafes. We were able to eat at three of them: Peabody’s in Golthwaite, Cypress Creek Inn Restaurant in Comfort and The Yumm Factory in Lampasas. The Yumm Factory was the only one that lived up to its recommendation. It was excellent! The chicken fried steak at Peabody’s was ho-hum and they did not have coconut pie - or, rather, they had it, it just "wasn’t ready to be served yet". This was about 12:30. Cypress Creek had a good baked pork chop but yet another ho-hum chicken fried steak. The people who worked in all three of these cafes were very friendly and helpful, so that was good.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:04pm
JACQUE says:
I was in Marlin over the weekend and had the best Chicken Fried Steak at Sister’s Cafe!!Then ate a wonderful breakfast there Sunday morning .Sister’s is awesome the food and people are great.I plan to visit again very soon.It is well worth the drive!!! 5 stars.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:51pm
Ray says:
I lived in Wichita Falls, then Odessa after graduating from OU in ’59 and worked in the office and in the field as a new PE with Tenneco. I also worked summers in West Texas in Big Lake and Pampa on a jackknife shothole rig while a student in Bartlesville, OK, high school and in Wheeler as a roughneck while in college, all for Phillips. I love Texas and Texans, especially West Texas, and ate at most of the small town cafes in and around Odessa especially. The story of the 40 Best Small Town Cafes was really fun to read and remember my times in the great State Republic of Texas. I can’t help feeling like a Texan as well as an Oklahoman. I love the people from Texas just like my fellow Oklahomans. We are far more alike than different, the OU-UT game weekend included. Just our 2 states would make a great nation by themselves. My best hope is that you Texans will keep Texas Texas and not buy into the Yankee liberal p.c., b.s., etc. like we haven’t up here.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:54pm
Kristy says:
I love feature articles like these. I am a Harley rider, and our local HOG chapter has rides out to these mom-and-pop local cafes all the time. It would be nice to see the whole list of all 350+ cafes that were reviewed for this article. Is that possible ?? "Ride to eat, eat to ride".
December 7th, 2008 at 1:03pm
Johnny Madrid says:
How could you leave out Mac & Ernie's in Tarpley! Where else can you get a gourmet meal while sitting at a picnic table next to a one pump fillng station.
December 5th, 2008 at 9:35am
Bob S. says:
I'll second the Picket House in Woodville. I am sure at some point they've been written up in TM. Luckily I live only 12 miles from it and get to enjoy their skillet fried chicken at least once a month, usually at lunch on Sunday ... a very busy time!
December 5th, 2008 at 9:24am
Curtis says:
I loved your cover story, even though I need to stay on a diet. I mapped the locations on my web site, so I will have them available when I plan my own personal "cafe tour" or happen to be traveling near one of these sites. My map is at http://wirelessmessaging.com/texas_cafes.html
On returning to Dallas from Austin last week, I took the back roads with my GPS unit, during the day, and enjoyed every minute of it, having dinner in a home cooking cafe on the Waxahachie town square.
Curtis Rock
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:48pm
Paul Farmer says:
Where is the Bluebonnet cafe in Marble Falls, Texas? It is easily one of the most famous cafes in Texas if not the US.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:09pm
Crawford says:
If you ever do a roundup on country cooking, visit the Pickett House in Woodville. It's not a cafe, but bring a big group because the food is served family style.
My dad likes stopping at Johnny Reb's on the drive between Austin and Northeast Texas but it creeps me out. Thanks for the recommendation of the Texan in Hutto.
