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    Cafe Homestead

    4.8 (889 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

    Cafe Homestead Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE HOMESTEAD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Touristy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Homestead

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    Mixed vegetables
    Todd P.

    I had a horrible front-of-restaurant experience at Cafe Homestead. I came on a Friday evening by myself as I was on my way up to Fort Worth for the weekend. I was told there would be a 30 minute wait and a host took my number and said they would text me when a table is ready. The waiting area in the lobby was full with waiting families so I stepped outside the front door and sat on a bench just to the right of the door. 45 minutes passed and I was still waiting. So I went back to the lobby. The hosts were busy talking to other customers. But I stood there and made eye contact with the hosts who saw me earlier. I then sat down in the now available waiting area so that the hosts could easily see me. I waited another 20 minutes (now a total of about 65 minutes), still no text or communication from the hosts. The host desk was without other customers so I went up and asked about a table. The host seemed to not recognize me. She checked and said my reservation had been cancelled, that they must have taken down the wrong number. It seems no effort was made to check if I was anywhere around the lobby despite no response from phone communication, not even a step out the front door to try and locate this guest. I felt a total lack of hospitality. Hospitality I would think a highly-rated restaurant like this would pride itself on. Being there by myself as I was, attentive, caring hospitality would have been especially important to make my solo dining experience feel pleasant and satisfying. This initial experience unfortunately cast a shadow on my entire meal. I will say the food was still tasty despite the overall service experience letting me down. I had the seared trout over rice with mixed vegetables and key lime pie for dessert. I am sure the large majority of guest's experiences here are positive, but mine was very disappointing. If you're wanting good food and will be okay with a potentially poor service experience, you'll probably enjoy Cafe Homestead.

    Hamburger and sweet potato fries!
    Jo S.

    The food was very good! The server was very very friendly! The background music was lovely!

    Such a beautiful place
    Suzanne S.

    This is a Beautiful atmosphere and clean! Our server was very sweet and helpful! The food is absolutely delicious! We brought our out of town BFFs & we had a great experience!

    Kaylee N.

    The food was so delicious and fresh. We got the spinach dip, the quesadilla burger and the seared trout fillet and everything was so flavorful and cooked perfectly. Service was quick and attentive. The restaurant is beautiful.

    Hamburger bun with engraved name of restaurant
    Jose D.

    This restaurant recently rebuilt (2022) is absolutely stunning. It is reminiscent of a country style restaurant, with elegance! I ordered the chicken fried steak and my wife had the hamburger. Both were excellent! Our server Malachi, was excellent and attentive. Definitely worth the trip.

    Carrot Cake
    Amy N.

    This was our second time at Café Homestead, and it did not disappoint! The service was wonderful--everyone was so kind and welcoming. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, not too loud, which makes it great for larger groups or just a cozy meal. The food was fantastic with lots of menu options and hearty portions. I had the Brazos Salad this time, and it was so fruity and delicious! And whatever you do, don't miss out on the peach cobbler--it's absolutely amazing. Café Homestead is tucked away in such a cute little town with charming surroundings. It's definitely a spot worth coming back to again and again!

    Beau C.

    Soooo Good. Had the Poblano soup, wife had spicy chicken sandwich. Both well above average. Nice modern restaurant, great staff and servers, great food...yep four stars!

    Chicken Salad Sandwich with Homemade Potato Chips
    Darrel B.

    This was our first time to eat at Cafe Homestead. The staff is very helpful and attentive from the time you walk in the door. The ambiance is casual and the decor is country ( as in all the Heritage businesses). Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. We had a lot of questions as this was our first time to eat at the Cafe. I ordered the Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich and my wife ordered the Chicken Salad Sandwich. The spicy chicken was spicy but not extremely hot. I prefer having the spicy verses having the meat spiced so hot with peppers you can't enjoy it. I enjoyed this sandwich very much! The sandwich came with fries which were nice and crispy and seasoned very well, I loved them! The Chicken Salad Sandwich was very good. The pecans and other items in the salad were minced so small you couldn't taste them separately. My wife said it was very good but she would probably order something else next time. The side of this dish came with homemade potato chips. These were very good and I recommend them but I personally prefer the Fries over the chips. The bun on both sandwiches come with a homemade bun. These buns were very tasty and fresh. They also branded their logo on the buns while they were toasted on the griddle. This is a great restaurant and we will be coming back when we are in the area. There are many different items on the menu with a wide variety of choices and combinations.

    RED SALSA  AND GUACAMOLE WITH CHIPS
    Grace K.

    This is a must visit if you are going to Waco. This is my first time visiting since it was re-built and they have truly outdone themselves. The restaurant is modern with high ceilings, and very charmingly decorated. Our waiter was extremely friendly and upbeat. The chips with salsa and guacamole was absolutely spectacular. The chips were most likely freshly fried and the salsa was one of the best I've had. The guacamole was also excellent and well seasoned. The chicken fried steak was very well executed. The steak was flavored well, and the exterior was perfectly crunchy and tasty. The gravy tasted good and complemented the dish perfectly. The Santa Fe salad was only okay. The ingredients were super fresh but for some reason the end product was only okay. My diagnosis: A must visit restaurant in Waco for freshly made, scrumptious food.

    GREEN CHILI BRISKET QUESADILLA
    Kylie F.

    This place unfortunately did not do it for me. While it is super cute inside, I don't think the high price reflected the quality of my food. We started with the corn fritters. They were good! Just a pretty small portion for the price. The sauce was a little spicy but doable. The lemonade was pretty watered down and not sweet. I had high expectations for the wagyu chicken fried steak but I was unfortunately let down. The gravy and actual breading were delicious but my steak was dry and incredibly tough. The mashed potatoes were also pretty bland. Because of this I would guess that the chicken fried chicken is probably a bit better. The rest of my family also agreed that they meals were more on the bland side and nothing impressive. Our food also took forever to come out, almost an hour which felt weird because we saw everyone else around us order, get their food, and eat well before ours came out. Not bad but your money is probably better spent elsewhere.

    QUESADILLA BURGER (with half of the tortilla chips and salsa already eaten)

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    16 days ago

    Everything about our meal was fantastic and our waitress was exceptional! We left very satisfied and will definitely be returning.

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    1 month ago

    Food and service excellent as always. I look forward to going back again. Our server was new but did and revenant job.

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    28 days ago

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    2 months ago

    eh, its ok, considering the fact that homestead is... interesting, jk its great, fries are yummy

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    3 months ago

    Such an amazing place!! The food is delicious and the staff were perfect!! We will definitely be back!

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    Food was fresh and excellent. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable on food menu and gave us great advice on what to order.

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    Page 1 of 23

    Ask the Community - Cafe Homestead

    Is there a kids menu?

    I don't recall seeing a kids menu. My kids ate from their regular menu with no issue. It was very tasty!

    What are the vegan options?

    There are.

    Is there outdoor seating?

    No outdoor seating. There are some picnic tables outside. But they do not serve outdoors

    Do you need a reservation?

    No, they will put you on the waiting list when you arrive. A reservation is highly recommended of course, except on busy Saturdays when they won't even take reservations at all! What's with that?

    Is there a dog friendly patio?

    Yes. Small, but reasonably shady. I'm sure that your canine friend will be welcome to stay there during your visit.

    Do you offer family thanksgiving prep meals to go?

    Yes!

    Do you close for Thanksgiving?

    Yes, we’re closed Thursday-Sun for Thanksgiving

    View All 8 Questions

    Junction Cafe and Hookah Lounge

    Junction Cafe and Hookah Lounge

    4.0(6 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Just a roadside heat lamp food joint. Reading the signs for the business I thought there was a full…read moremenu kitchen.

    I have passed this place at least a hundred times always intending to stop but not quite making it…read morehowever tonight is the night I find myself at the infamous Cowboys Truck stop and the Junction Cafe. First and foremost these are some of the friendliest people that I have ever encountered. As I approach from the outside ruck parking area I must confess it does look a sketchy there is no one here no one moving around but as I get closer I realize there are a few people in the store area. The cafe itself is almost like a building within another building it's walled off with large windows and a brick facade. Entering through its door I immediately notice that the place is very clean and even smells clean. I ring the bell on the counter and a gentleman comes out advises that I should sit anywhere so I did, the menu is presented and my drink order taken. As I look over the menu he returns with my tea and asks me to bear with him he is all alone tonight as his server didn't come in to work. He is pulling double duty as Cook and Server but assured me I will be well taken care of. I ask for some chips salsa and guacamole and he asked what level of spice I would like in my guacamole. I assured him I could take the heat so whatever he brings out will be fine by me. The salsa is sort of a brownish color and what I have often heard referred to as a dinner salsa. Body you ask yes it has body it thick but smooth the heat level is very nice and all of the ingredients are almost puréed it goes down smoothly. The guacamole was made freshly for me it's great I'm so impressed already with the attention to detail the guacamole has tomatoes onions and peppers both sweet green and jalapeños the vegetables are cut in decent sized pieces so that they are actually identifiable and not lost in the mix as I so often encounter. The chips are just that chips but they are plentiful. I order the combo fajitas consisting of chicken and beef being as I'm not really sure what I want. It doesn't take my host long to bring the food and bring it he did I actually asked for a half portion and was quickly glad that I didn't go for the full one. The sizzling skillet of meat is brought the table and immediately I am just overwhelmed with the aromas of the grilled meat and vegetables the seasonings are good and not over powering allowing for the meat to speak for itself. I am also brought a side plate of pico, sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced avocado as well as a bowl of rice and another of beans. The rice is the standard Spanish style but the beans are on a whole other level. Had me thinking I should have just gotten a double order of them and been just as happy. Everything presented is excellent I'm very happy and grinning it's been a while since I've had this level of cooking and I am really impressed. Let's face it, I'm in a truck stop in nowhere Texas enjoying food that is way above what one would associate with standard truck stop fare. This is way to much food for me there's no way I will come close to finishing it but I will not leave it behind into the box it goes. As I bring this to an end I would just like to urge you to give them a serious chance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

    Photos
    Junction Cafe and Hookah Lounge - The side accompanying dishes.

    The side accompanying dishes.

    Junction Cafe and Hookah Lounge - Lunch and dinner options.

    Lunch and dinner options.

    Junction Cafe and Hookah Lounge

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    Cafe Homestead - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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