9 Mom & Pop Restaurants In Texas That Serve Home Cooked Meals To Die For (2024)

Blue Bonnet Cafe, in the hill country, is known all over Texas for having some of the best home cookin' and southern hospitality around. From classic country breakfasts of eggs, bacon, sausage, and buttery biscuits to some of the crispiest, most tender chicken fried steak you'll ever eat for lunch or dinner, Blue Bonnet will fulfill your taste buds' wildest dreams and then some. And let's not forget about the most decadent pie that will ever pass your lips. Dessert is definitely what this cafe is known for above anything else.

If you skipped the chicken fried steak at Blue Bonnet in favor of a huge slice of pie, here's your chance to redeem yourself. Mary's Cafe has arguably the best chicken fried steak in Texas. It's huge, cooked just right, and the cream gravy comes in a huge bowl on the side so you can dollop (or smother) it on to your liking. Take a road trip out to Strawn and get ready to enjoy one of the most delicious home-cooked meals in Texas.

San Antonio is filled with Mexican restaurants for obvious reasons, and although we love some good queso and enchiladas, it's nice to have options for when the hankering for a home-cooked, southern meal strikes. DeWese's Tip Top Cafe has been serving up just that since 1938, so you can be sure that they put heart and soul into their cooking.

We've never been to a restaurant that gives us as much of a warm and fuzzy feeling inside as this one. You're seated at long tables with other customers and served family-style platters of fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, greens, rolls, and the most delectable peach cobbler you'll ever taste. Rest assured you'll never walk out of here hungry, but you might leave with a few new friends and many cherished memories. Pickett House is an experience!

Dine inside an eclectic 1930s gas station at Hilltop Cafe. This Fredericksburg restaurant is known for its scrumptious seafood gumbo, southern fried shrimp, and fried Mississippi catfish. Stop by on a Sunday morning for some of the most incredible brunch you've ever had! In addition to their finger-licking-good fare, this beloved eatery hosts some of the best live bands around.

Poor Richard's Cafe is the oldest restaurant in Plano and definitely one of the best. It's only open for breakfast and lunch, but that's okay - everyone knows breakfast is the best meal of the day anyway. At least a southern, down-home country breakfast certainly is. The menu is so huge that we won't even attempt to list all the items, but just know that everything you could ever want, from eggs benedict and home fries to french toast and fluffy pancakes to Texas-sized chicken fried steak, you can find at Poor Richard's.

This one was actually a reader recommendation. We can pretend we'd rather eat salad, but everyone knows brown food is the best food. Lumberyard Cafe is easily the best place on 80 for a good ol' southern meal complete with impeccable service and prices that just can't be beat.

The J And P Bar And Grill is another reader favorite, and we definitely understand why. There isn't one bad item on the menu here - not to mention the atmosphere is fun and the service will have you feeling like you're at grandma's for Sunday supper. Definitely a must-try, y'all.

It doesn't get more "mom and pop" than a general store. Not every general store has full, hot, home-cooked meals, though, so this one is extra special. Folks say they serve the best ribeye in Texas. Leona General Store is a trip through time for you and your tastebuds alike.