Mary's Cafe

Stopped in here late during my travels and decided to give this place a whirl. There is plenty of parking, and it's a wait to be seated kind of place, and you pay at the counter upon leaving. I was greeted by a super friendly staff upon walking in and was told to pick my spot of choice. My waitress came promptly and listened to my cry about not being able to find a hotel, as I was passing on Westward. She explained why that was a well, so I appreciated that. She recommended their world famous chicken fried steak, I got French fries and pinto beans as sides with a bowl of white gravy. This meal was OUTSTANDING, the chicken fried steak was huge, and it was the small version. The fries were hot, the pinto beans had a rich flavor, and the country fried steaks flavor was wonderful. The gravy tasted homemade, and those beans were like grandma's beans on Sunday. This place will not disappoint, 2 thumbs up!! If you're in the area, it's worth the drive up from the interstate. It's really not too far either. Stop in and give them a shot!

I have heard a lot about this place so we finally had a chance to try it on our way back home from the Texas Hill Country. It may have been an off day, but my wife and I are not impressed. First off, they are expensive. Granted, you get large portions but mostly everyone I saw was unable to finish their own meal. Lots was wasted and some took leftovers home. My chicken fry was just okay. It honestly was a little mushy/soggy. It was like they pre-made it then stored it in a cooler for a while so the breading would not get crispy at all. Next, I would not have served wilted and old looking lettuce. It is hard to see in the photo but the lettuce was old looking an getting dark. Service was average at best and the atmosphere was just an old restaurant that could use some upgrades or at least a good cleaning.

If you're hungry, this is the place to grab a bite. Huge portions, but they are not cheap either. One order of fries could have fed four people, but it was also $8.00 for one order. The steak sandwich was good and tasted like I cooked it at home. The grilled chicken was good, too. It's a small town diner with big portions. It isn't downtown Ft Worth or Dallas, but if you're hungry, it's worth a stop.

The portions are Texas sized. The chicken fried steak is excellent! Loved the fried okra! The gravy out of this world! The waitress was very friendly it’s a busy place! Try this place!

HHUUUGGGGEEEE sizes. You get what you pay for!! And it's sooo good! I got the burger. It was so juicy and delicious. Staff was awesome. Fried peach pie was "small" but oh my! So good! A must visit! Such a legit place.Food: 5/5

This hole in the wall is a gem. Their chicken fried steak is very good as advertised go with small or medium, large is way too big. We had poppers which are made in house and have options of being stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar, or crab. Their fries are great. Most things on menu are $10-20, but all the portions are huge, so well worth it. Their side salads are the only thing skimpy, but I don't think people go here for this. The wife's quail kabobs were actually jalapeños stuff with quail and wrapped with bacon, delicious! Her baked potato was the size of a small football. If you get beer they have ice cold shiner on tap, but don't waste your time w/ small, get the large. It does take awhile to get food, but good things take time. It's almost always busy so if you have a big party it may take a bit to seat you, fyi. Parking: Plenty but may be in gravel or across the street

You will not go away hungry! Sorry nice folks, both staff and other customers. Down home atmosphere and cooking.Food: 5/5

Definitely worth it if your in the area, but all the hype had our expectations super high, and having committed to driving 4.5 hrs round trip for the chicken fried steak, it didn’t blow us away. I’ve had better at random dive bars and at grandmas. Don’t get me wrong, it was good!! But, it isn’t worth a multi hour drive when there are just as good CFSs, or even better, all over the state. It was HUGE, but it also 4 separate steaks on one plate, which we weren’t expecting. The price is unbeatable for what you get, $28 for a plate full of CFS, bowl of gravywhich was awesome & delicious, side salad, toast, and either a baked potato, mashed potatoes, or fries. The baked potato is the best way to go. It was cooked perfect and comes with everything you need to load it up. The mashed potatoes were great, but the baked potato was perfect. The chicken strips were also plate filling, but they are done in a fish fry style instead of the typically chicken strips. You have the same options as sides as the CFS. The 3 chicken strips was $15. They also have an option for 6 chicken strips, but I can’t recall the price. Service was quick and friendly and everything came out super quick, especially for it being packed. Definitely seems like they have their rhythm down. Overall, definitely a great stop, and we’ll be back if we’re in the area, but I wouldn’t tell someone it was worth driving super far out of their way for it.

It was OK. We heard the hype but my husband and I agree it was ok. The CFS was soggy and greasy, the fries were WAYY over done and had fake bacon bits, the cheese tasted weird, my blackened chicken was salty, and imo so were the mashed potatoes. For as much as we paid it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t a fan of hearing the waitresses complaining towards each other either. Will we be back? Nah.

We searched for the last few years for the perfect Chicken Fried Steak in Texas. Found it! Hard working staff. Had to wait a little, but worth it! Steak tender! Not over-battered! Real cream gravy! Not too much salt or pepper! Love the ground steak too!Food: 5/5