Unless there is another restaurant hidden in the dessert somewhere, this is the only place within at least 25-30 miles of civilization. And, fortunately, it's pretty good! My father and I stayed for a few days at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge (a separate review), and the restaurant was just steps away from our cabin. We ate three dinners and a breakfast here with wonderful, friendly service in a quaint atmosphere. Breakfast: Dad and I had the "Texas size" pancake. It was more "Oklahoma size," despite that the manager said it would fill the plate (see photo). Still, it was a marvelous pancake, served with whipped butter and a small (2 TB) container of real maple syrup. Dad and I each needed one more container of syrup, which would have cost 75 cents, had the manager remembered to charge us. (He mentioned that after we already paid.) I totally recommend this pancake. Dinner: The Frito Pie here is wonderful. They use a ton of Fritos, which isn't really necessary, but this was still one of the best Frito pies I've experienced. -- The burger here is also a standout. I wasn't impressed with the fries, as they weren't really crispy and had very little flavor. -- Finally, the chicken fried steak was as tough as leather. I took two bites of it, along with a couple bites of corn and potatoes and pushed it to the side to finish my beer. The server offered to take it off the bill, but I felt guilty and declined. (He gave me an employee discount instead.) Bottom line: The manager here, at the time of my visit, had been in the position for about two months. He let me know that he's switching ingredients to include tallow (instead of seed oils), real maple syrup (opposed to syrup containing high fructose syrup) and other stuff that includes avocado oils instead of cottonseed/canola. I applaud him for those efforts., and I would eat here again in a heartbeat. read more

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Had a nice dinner here our first night with 5 star great service. Sure, you are a captive audience if you find yourself out in this area with limited choices BUT this joint has friendly and attentive service also no with a solid menu. My husband loved his steak which was cooked perfectly and my burger was tasty. The fries were delish, they cut them fresh . Pup friendly seating in the enclosed porch! Second night dining was okay, the gal was not as good as the seasonal guy from the night before and our food was a bit more "average" ... Frito Pie appetizer, salad w/chicken and chicken fried chicken. read more

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Friendly staff and great service. We stopped in at the cafe after a morning of climbing to the top of Christmas Mountain. The food wasn't the best. My wife ordered the fish and chips and they were too soggy with grease; mushy. We split a Cesar and it was dressed more like an Italian dressing. I had the BLT and it was great. The sweet potato fries were really good too. read more

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The best hamburger ever! Still thinking about it today lol. Great vibes and lovely people serving.

Always good even if you are in the middle of nowhere. My three friends enjoyed theirs too. The Chicken Fried Steak was a plate full.

Foods Good, server was sweet and attentive, We love the murals on the walls, the place is nice. And, we don't have to cook!

Not only the only restaurant within 30 miles, but the best restaurant in 30 miles. Enjoyed a scrumptious burger and chicken fried steak. Bad Rabbit you better work! read more

Unfortunately... I ate all of the food before I even thought to take a pic and my phone was super close to dead because there is no signal out that way. Anyhow.... The food was amazing. The beef somehow tasted beefier than anything I've ever tasted and the Texas Rodeo burger spice was just right. Fries were battered and went mmm with the in house ranch. My babe had the French dip and he loved it. That au jus wai and flavorful that I wanted to drink it. Onion rings were perfect. Dessert? Yep. Pineapple upside down was on the menu today Edited 6/25/25 Wow:.. my ADD really delayed this review. Sorry! read more

Casual restaurant attached to ranch lodge. We went for the Christmas dinner which was awesome. Service was great considering how many customers were relying on the restaurant for food that night. They played Christmas music and the dining room was comfortable and well decorated. The plate was $24 and included ham, turkey, gravy, squash casserole, scalloped potatoes, some sort of pecan / pumpkin stuffing, cranberry salad, dinner rolls and a side salad with dressing. We also ordered a bottle of wine. Good selection of wines all less than $40 a bottle. We got a blueberry crumb pie and chocolate cream pie which were DELICIOUS! read more

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Don't drive 16 miles down the horrible gravel road to get to restaurant. Had awful chicken fried steak, cold garlic mashed potatoes & corn straight out of can (no seasonings). Service was below average. Food was pricey for location, food not up to par as tasty & service so so! read more

Breakfast Burritos the size of sleeping bags! Ok, maybe not quite that large but it was a generous portion. They're on the far edge of town but the place is nice and cozy, and the food is very tasty! It was well worth the drive. read more

Food tasted like it was just scrapings off the griddle only somehow extremely overcooked. Spoke to manager and owner and they just said that their food is great and if I didn't like it then I shouldn't come back read more

when it says bad cafe it literally is i waited 1 hour for some pickles and didn't get my burger and 3 miles of umpaved road

My husband and I enjoyed our meal here. He gave the burger very high marks. My chcken strips were pretty tasty. The handcut fries were perfect. The staff was friendly and the restaurant was clean and comfortable. It was worth the drive! read more

Amazing staff!! Very friendly and welcoming! They are also dog friendly. The back patio is nice to enjoy the weather. The food is good. Thank you for a great dinner!! read more

It's nothing special but you can get breakfast and dinner here in the middle of nowhere so if you're close you should have a bite to eat there. If you're not very close it might not be worth the drive. The building the cafe is in is quite neat though and there are nice murals painted in the walls inside. Sometimes there is live music! And that's why I put the fourth star in there. read more

Food is consistently delicious great prices considering logistics out here. Worth stopping by when you are in the big bend area. read more

Bad Rabbit Cafe - Bad rabbit main seating area next to the checkout counter - American Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Great food and love the wait staff! Had chicken fried chicken, French dip, burgers, chicken wrap, and grilled cheese.

Good breakfast at a fair price. Comes out quickly. Staff of one person managed quite a few tables and with good cheer. They have bigelow tea and free refills on coffee. Best place to eat in the area, considering you're right by Big Bend. read more

Great quality breakfast at a fair price. Nice friendly service. No problem at all when we asked to have separate checks for about 8 people.. We were just traveling through, but will be back if in the area again. Nice place. read more

First time visiting Big Bend and the area. The staff and food here are awesome. Nothing was bad. Darrell or Daryl was super friendly and made breakfast fun. Anyone who stays here or is passing through needs to eat here. read more

Thank heavens for this place. If you're staying at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge this is the place to eat. The food is okay, not great, but okay. The waitstaff are all courteous and friendly. The menu is adequate and the establishment is clean. If you sit outside the view is awesome. read more

I had my wedding reception here in April and I cant give enough praise! The planning process was a little challenging but we were persistent because we knew that this was the PERFECT place. The day turned out better than I could have ever expected. They were so accommodating and kind. Food was delicious and guests still talk about it! Thank you! read more

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Such a reliable place. We always here anytime we visit the area. Queso chips and salsa are great. I had the blt and it was perfect. Bacon was nice and crispy. Chicken quesadilla was excellent. I forgot what my mom had but she let the server and the cook know that it was the best since she has been coming here. Shaun was our server and he was fun and chatty and friendly. Make the drive. Such a cool place. read more

Food was ok. It has a pretty good variety. Service was good. Ambiance was exceptional. It definitely has a host of interesting people.

This local restaurant is atmospheric of its' local. But the food!!! It is awesome!! So so delicious!!! The staff is friendly and work hard to please. You won't regret stopping here. We loved it!! read more

We stayed at Terlingua Ranch and the only place to eat was the Bad Rabbit Cafe but no doubt it was on point. They had a very good variety of plates to choose from for dinner. Our friends had the chicken fried steak, the BBQ plate special, the patty melt, and the 1/4 lb cheeseburger. Everything was fresh and great tasting! They also were very reasonable in price compared to the Starlight Theater and a lot quicker. I highly recommend this cafe. The people were super nice too! read more

A little oasis in the desert. Fly in, stay at a cabin, eat all your meals and fly out. Food was good and reasonably priced. Few options though, maybe because it's spring break but we had two choices for breakfast. Not a problem though. Long drive on dirt and paved road from 118. I think most people fly in though and stay for a bit. Free WiFi at the cafe and great outdoor space. They have a deer fridge outside and a pool, just an extra tidbit. read more

Bad Rabbit Cafe - American Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

This was 1 of 2 restaurants in Terlingua recommended by our Airbnb host. The hostess was nice and friendly. There was plenty of outdoor seating but none of the employees were wearing masks. We had the ranch burger, shotgun BLT, chicken tenders, fries, fried green beans, and Texas toothpicks. Everything was delicious! There were also 3 dogs there and I would go back just for them lol read more

We enjoyed the Bad Rabbit Cafe. Friendly service , varied menu, and decent prices. Loved their ribs and pan fried trout. They should make the ambience even more Texan by having all employees dress up as cowboys and cowgiris. Play Texas swing in the background. Have a 5 pound steak contest $75 bucks but free if you eat it in 1 hour with fixins. And give a 10 percent discount to anyone who can name all Dallas Cowboy coaches in chronological order or do a perfect George W accent read more

We stopped in after checking into our cabin. We had two of the ranch burgers and they were tasty. Sweet tea was perfect and refills kept coming. We hit the starlight in town and def talked about how this place beat that in quality and price ! We enjoyed it so much we are going to hit it on the way out for breakfast read more

Bad Rabbit is bad alright...BAD. Came here for breakfast and find out they don't have a menu to order from. They just inform you of what they're serving for the day. Today's choice was scrambled eggs, bacon and a pancake. The eggs were stale, stiff and tasteless. They reminded me of school cafeteria eggs from back in the day. The bacon was good. It's hard to mess up bacon. The pancake was a tasteless Bisquick pancake...just yuck. They also have a table of cold items you can help yourself to. Think La Quinta Inn continental breakfast...packaged Danishes and muffins and mini boxes of cereal. Maybe their lunches and dinners are better. I'll never know though because I won't be back. I hate to be so harsh because the staff was friendly but this was seriously the worst breakfast ever. And it was $25 with tip for two people. read more

Bad Rabbit Cafe - American Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

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I'm giving this place 2 stars because the food was okay. The service, however, was terrible. We were the only ones in the restaurant (aside from a table of people playing cards). We ordered our food, thinking "this won't take long." Wrong. After we ordered, we heard them get a large take out order. They made all of their food ahead of ours. That's not fair. Not fair at all. We should have left. However, we had 2 kids with us, and the distance to another restaurant was lengthy, and we didn't know what would be faster. It ended up taking over an hour to get our food. Totally unacceptable, and no apology either. read more

If you're staying out in Terlingua Ranch, this is a great "close by" option, given that everything in this area takes a drive. The Cafe is the restaurant in the Ranch Lodge and pool area. Good, simple food prepared and served by friendly folks. We had burgers and chicken fried steak, and it was all tasty. Not fancy by any means, but a welcome respite after a day on trails. read more

Fun restaurant nestled in The Terlingua Ranch Lodge. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is the social hub for those living on the ranch. During peak season, there is live music on the weekends. Visitors mix with locals and by the end of the night, everyone is friends. Meals can be served at the restaurant or take out and enjoy eating on the huge stone patio. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is friendly and casual. The food is good and there is beer and wine for the adu read more

This place is off the beaten path but definitely worth the drive. My wife got the burger and I got the grilled chicken sandwich both were delicious. The fries are hand cut and fantastic. The staff was very nice and helpful. read more

If you find yourself on the outskirts of Big Bend National Park, twenty miles from the middle of nowhere down an endless dirt road, hungry and longing for some comfort after days of rugged camping, look to the Bad Rabbit and look no more. Their Ultimate Breakfast Wrap is out of this world (basically a breakfast burrito roughly the size of your forearm), and sipping your morning coffee while taking in the 360° view of mountains hits the spot like no other. They had other smaller items on the menu, like French toast plates and sausage and egg biscuits if you don't necessarily want a "Big Bend-Sized Breakfast". Didn't get a chance to try the lunch and dinner menu. The waitress was cheerful, and the cook was super fast and seemed to be a cool dude, and you could tell from the quality of the food that he enjoyed being there. Can't say enough good things about this place, and will be back any time I'm in the area. read more

Bad Rabbit Cafe - Outside the cafe - American Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Best meal I had while visiting Terlingua/Big Bend area. Highly recommend the Skillets & the cheesecake. Super friendly servers. Worth the drive! read more

Stayed here in the RV park section while visiting Big Bend and Terlingua. The cafe is great! I mean seriously in the middle of nowhere. Sixteen miles of paved road off the main road, then another 3 on gravel road. Well worth the ride. Everything we had was great. Meals were generous portions, tasted great, served hot. Service was efficient and cheerful. Could've eaten in the camper but enjoyed supporting the ranch. So-onion rings were good. The chicken strips were large and tasty. The burger (hot w/jalapeño bacon) was great. Fries were great. Had an omelette that was fluffy/thick and awesome. The fish & chips were also very good. The kitchen knows what they're doing and does it well! I will be trying more before we leave, but there's only so much I can eat. So, I can add that the hand cut ribeye is great at 10 ounces with several shrimp! Perfectly cooked. The French Toast was good and the biscuits and gravy also very good. Service was great every single meal. read more

Bad Rabbit Cafe - The hand cut 10oz ribeye. - American Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

First of all..... they made the best fries I think I've ever had. The bacon cheeseburger was fantastic and the chicken strips my wife got were amazing as well. The people here are the friendliest. You definitely get the nice hometown rustic feel at this place. Highly recommended! read more