Great service and great food. Huge portions. No wonder this place is legendary! We will definitely be back!

You know that Alan Jackson song, Gone Country? That's how I felt when I walked in, I haven't seen that many cowboy hats since my trip to Western Wear store. Hahhaa, jk I never seen a more friendly bunch though, everyone was chatting and welcoming us. It was a hoot (Am I doing it right?) Ok, enough about the friendly locals, how about the food. One suggestion, when they ask you what size you want your beer and Chicken Fried Steak? Say medium. I ordered large and I'm still eating them right now. Their CFS is a bit different from the CFS in San Antonio, it has less bread crumbs, but it is very tasty. Their burger which is the size of a coffee mug, and no, I didn't order large, it is very delicious. And the price? VERY affordable, my large CFS is about $17, that's a meal for 3. read more

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Great place, true home cooking. Huge portions. Super cold beer. Love it burgers are huge. Everything we have tried is awesome.

The service was terrible and we could not get our food so we left . They kept taking food to people who came in after us and ordered after us . One party that came in when we did was finished eating when we left . Also this jerk started smoking and our waitress took him a ash tray . That was the last straw . You can't get your food and have to smell that crap . So if you like piss poor service and want to smell cigarette smoke this is your place . Wallace Taylor Alvarado , Texas read more

So we stopped by the famous Mary's cafe on the way to DFW. The reviews had my mouth watering. I was excited to try the Best CFS in Texas. That is a huge title and made me hanger for it even more. The place is very casual. Seat yourself. The waitstaff was sufficient. No frills but cordial. The CFS was different as many other reviews have mentioned NOT the traditional Texas CFS. So I was not surprised when I didn't see the inch thick deep fried crispy batter of a traditional CFS. It was more of a schnitzel. It was crispy and not greasy at all. The flavor was good and unique as were the mashed potatoes and gravy. If you are looking for the traditional CFS don't go here. If you are willing to try something good but different I certainly recommend. The small was $11.50 which I guess is an ok price, it wasn't an awe factor when brought out so if you are looking for that go with the medium Or large. I think they have taken advantage of the publicity and created a quaint stop to talk about. Now they did have a sign that said there was a $2 charge to share plates. I was a little confused by it but I guess the bus boy got tired of washing so many dishes? Anyway give it a try if you are near. read more

Mary's Cafe - Double okra. - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

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Finally got to eat at the famous Mary's Cafe and found it to be highly overrated. My wife and I both had the Chicken Fried Steak & Enchilada Plate. I will say that we got enough food for five people. The fries were limp and the salad consisted of shredded lettuce with a few small pieces of tomatoes. The bowl of white gravy was okay and the bowl of red beans was tasty. The main plate was a decent size chicken fried steak that was strangely breaded. It was very thin but it was tender and tasted okay. The two cheese enchiladas that came with it were terrible. We had to use a knife to cut them and they were chewy like bubble gum and hard to swallow. We left those on our plates and took about half of our steaks with us. My cat liked the chopped up steak better than I did. Don't think we will stop here again. read more

This is the best meal you will ever eat! The chicken fried steak is worth me driving 2 1/2 hours a few times a year to eat here!!! My service has always been top notch everytime I have been. read more

After standing inside the front door, waiting to be seated for 15 minutes, asked the cashier for assistance and she left and went into the kitchen and did not return. Waited another 10 minutes, and then left. It was early Sunday evening so needless to say, won't be going back, ever. read more

Like most of the reviews .. the wait was just too long. We went after lunch rush hour and wait was still excessive. Some people got served first even though we've been sitting down for almost half hour waiting for someone to take our order. We are about to head out when the waitress finally decided to take our order. Food came little bit faster that the taking the order part . Food wise it was ok not worth waiting though! read more

Mary's was recommended on Top 10 list of Chicken Fried Steak on several sites. Took a little road trip to Strawn to check it out. You have a choice of 3 portions of CFS. My friend and I got small each. Still probably could have shared it. Also came with side, salad, bowl of gravy and Texas toast. I had hand cut fries with my lunch. The steak had great flavor but not crispy enough for my taste, salad was just shredded lettuce and tomatoes, Gravy and fries were great! Service was good and friendly. read more

I have heard hundreds of people talk about Mary's and their famous Chicken Fried Steak and I could not wait to try it. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed. The "steak" was thin and greasy. Not what I expected at all. The best part of the meal was the side salad and it was basically just lettuce. My husband ordered a burger and the meat was 3 or 4 inches thick. Wouldn't have been too bad if it had been seasoned but it was just a tasteless chunk of dry hamburger meat. He said it's definitely not anything he would ever order again. Now every time I hear someone refer to their CFS as the best in Texas, I cringe. I don't even know how they got that reputation. The staff was friendly but we won't be back. read more

For starters, it is the 4th of July so I thought maybe the staff would be a bit reduced. Drove 76 miles to Strawn for the much-touted food at Mary's Cafe. After a bit of a wait, maybe five minutes, we were told where to sit. After fifteen minutes or so another group seated at our communal table. Waitress comes up after a considerable wait and wanted to take the order of the couple seated after us. I piped up and offered to order. I guess that that was our second mistake. After another 20 minutes or so, the folks seated after received their order. Another 15 minutes and still no food. Ok, fine. We were about to leave and just pay for our soft drinks when our orders finally arrived, Husband received his chicken fried steak, salad and baked potato. Tubes of sour cream, fake bacon bits, sad looking grated cheese and little containers of margerine. Nothing to write home about but it looked edible. I had ordered a chicken salad. Well, it was indeed huge, but apparently the kitchen just didn't feel like chopping veggies today. A pile of limp, browned bagged lettuce, a quartered tomato, thickly sliced green pepper on top of the lettuce, finished with huge onion rings. Sorry, but I'm not doing the kitchen's work. Lettuce was limp, not fresh. Couldn't eat it. I asked for a to-go box as the 'salad' was otherwise impossible to begin to eat. Nasty. I just gave up. Husband said his steak was ok, not the best he's had. Waitress never returned to provide a refill of drinks or ask about our meal. Husband ate his meal, left half the baked potato as it was not done, and he, too refused to eat the salad that his meal came with. Brown lettuce is not particularly appetizing, Now, I am no miss-priss and realized that this was a little diner in a little town so my expectations were not all that high to begin with but boy, what a sad experience. We were wondering why so much food was left on the table nearby after the group left. It was probably as sad as what we ordered. With the pitiable service and unappetizing food, we will not be returning, Heck, the tee shirts they had for sale (and I was going to purchase one) looked better than the meal. The cashier did take the salad off our ticket, I'll give them that. And beware the flies. I've never eaten at a place with so many buzzing around inside. read more

Very very disappointing! Service was bad and food was worse! Will NEVER be back! It was recommended by others I know but it was a bad experience for myself and my wife! I've been in the food business in the past for several years and my own Grandmother own several restaurants. I know what good food and service should be and this was NOT it! read more

Always a good stop. On the way hone from the west Texas patch it's a must stop. Friendly service, & great food. Best part is no mask. That's a must if I'm going to spend my money there. We will be back next trip. read more

I've heard about Mary's for years and on our way back to DFW after a weekend in West Texas we decided to stop. It's a "seat yourself" kind of restaurant which meant it took the servers a minute to find us. They were quick on taking our order and getting it placed. We split the large CFS and bought a small pizza from the kid's menu for our son. Soon after arriving our son started fussing. We had been in the car all day and he had just woke from a nap. He was asking to eat and I guess our waitress heard because she became an absolute life saver and brought us freshly fried French fries and dropped them at the table for our toddler free of charge. The CFS was good and easily split between my husband and I. We really loved the potatoes but the best thing was the gravy. It was delicious. Our waitress offered to cut the salad that is offered with the meal and bring extra potatoes instead but we opted for the salad. Don't do that. Get the potatoes. They charge 2.00 for an extra plate. I was completely fine with that. The pizza was not worth it. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good either. Our toddler decided he would rather enjoy the CFS and FF. Our water glasses were never empty, which is a huge deal for my husband. All together, we enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. We did not encounter rude staff (just busy staff) or patrons. It was friendly and obviously the town attraction/hang out spot. The only thing that I really was confused about was the lack of booster seats or high chairs. We were never offered one and we couldn't find one in the two rooms we could see. To be fair, I didn't ask for one either. Bottom line, stop here if you're on I-20 and hungry but don't drive 2 hours just to eat here. read more

It was TERRIBLE and I brought an out of state houseguest. Since they insisted on treating I was,in the awkward position of not wanting. to complain about the bottom of the list of the last dozen CFS I have eaten. It wa health code violation in the toilet, verrry dangerous. Both men and women spew water on your backside. Ugggh. Crap service and dinnerware. 2 years ago was much better. Dunno but there are too many great CFS for that. Thurber NYHILL EVEN JONES CAFE in Mineral Wells. Gravy like glue. Behead the cook !!! Four top in PASSAGEWAY between dining rooms by wait station. Awfully embarrassing. read more

Best chicken fried steak and gravy, homemade salsa and friendly service. Worth the drive, no matter where you're coming from! They do great takeout, so we had ourselves an Easter picnic in social isolation. They had Easter treats for the kids, and mine walked away with two whole Easter baskets. We've been fans for years, and we hope everyone supports this iconic Texas spot - they're doing their best to take care of all of us! read more

Mary's Cafe - Easter treats from Mary. At New Year's it's black-eyed peas. Sometimes it's cake for fun. Show Mary's Cafe some Texas-sized love! - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

As a family of 5, it is rare that we get everyone together to go on our usual outings. We have been working through the bucket list of Texas' must visit restaurants/cafes. We planned this dinner around my husband's birthday and made the 1 hour and 25 minute drive to Strawn to try out this local iconic cafe. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. We arrived between 8:15-8:30 pm on a Thursday evening. There were about 10 or so vehicles in the parking lot, but we were hopeful that we had missed the dinner rush. When we entered, people just stared at us, and we thought that we had entered the wrong door or something. We asked if we were to seat ourselves, and the nice young man said yes but showed us a table we could sit comfortably. We waited for about 5 minutes, which is very close to our rule that if we are not noticed within 7 minutes of arriving then we leave. However, traveling over an hour to eat specifically here for a bday celebration, we weren't leaving. After almost 10 minutes, we have a waitress who takes our drink orders. We get gigantic plastic cups with ice and canned sodas. Then, "poof", she's gone. Twelve more minutes pass, and we finally get her back to take our orders. We get appetizers, as it is now nearing 9 pm, and we are starving. We order our meals, too. Two trips to the bathroom, several games played on our phones, google searches about Strawn v Gordon football games, and another soda or three later, we get our appetizers....that was about 25 minutes. By 9:38 pm, we finally have our food. That is over an hour to take our order and bring it to us, while three other tables have been seated and served. We started to really feel like "outsiders" and that our business wasn't needed or very welcomed. The most attention that we got was as it was nearing 10 pm, so I figured that they wanted to close up shop....then we got the bill. I knew that it was going to be pricey just based on the menu pricing, but $1.75 per can of soda was ridiculous...we literally drank $12 worth of soda and didn't even know it was happening...I would suggest trying it, because the food isn't bad. It's just not the greatest in the world, and with the level of service and stink eyes that we got being there, I would never go back. In a small town, visitors are either welcomed with red carpets or treated like lepers....we were the lepers last night. I hate that my children felt out of place and unwelcomed, but we had a blast driving out there and home as a family and that's what matters in the end. I hope that other people that visit are not made to feel this way, and I hate leaving any type of negative review, but they really need to do a better job of treating the customers like they matter when we are spending $120 for dinner before tip....next time, we will just hit the hibachi place in our own home town! read more

Food was excellent but the service was horrible. The waitress took forever to take our order. Lost her ticket/order book. Didn't bring my fries with my order so I reminded her and still never received them until we got the ticket to leave and I reminded her AGAIN! While we were eating she never once came to check on us. Drinks remained empty because she never checked up on us. read more

Ok, be hungry, very hungry and expect leftovers at this great cafe, it's loud and the food is prepared fresh just for you , so expect a wait, but worth it' read more

Mary's Cafe - This is the small steak with enchiladas, fries and beans, Texas toast and salad - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

Nice humble place out in the middle of no where. The staff was friendly and attentive. The price was great. HUGE portions great chicken fried steaks. read more

The supposed Best Chicken Fried Steak, just took a turn for the worse. Not only did it look bad, the price has gone out the roof. I thought chicken fried steak was supposed to be a golden brown? Ours was a dark, almost black looking piece of who knows what? Priced higher here than most anywhere!!! read more

We've been eating at Mary's for about 30 years. The food is always great. We stopped by last weekend. Our order was taken promptly but it took an hour to get our food. It was very aggravating. When the waitress brought it to the table, she said Mary was cooking for the firefighters working the Dempsey fire. I am the kind of person who likes to have my expectations managed. If I had been told, up front, that they were feeding the firefighters first, then us, it would have make my wait much easier since we were under a time constraint that day. So maybe that is an option for the wait staff to tell people it will be a while before the food is ready. And as always the food was GREAT! read more

The restaurant relies on its past reputation. Service is average at best. Server acted like she was doing me a favor by waiting on us. The food is good, but not great. The helpings are large, but so are the prices. They still stay busy because the eating options in the area are very limited. They compete against the Smokestack, which is not good and a bar/restaurant nearby, which is not good. Their only real competition is New York Hill, which has them beat badly on quality and pricing. We only go to NY Hill and never even consider going to Mary's anymore. read more

Wonderful food! Huge portions and Good staff. Definitely worth the drive. Very nice place. We will return with friends. read more

Masks? If you are concerned at all about Corona. Don't go to Mary's. NO one wears a mask of any kind. NO one sits apart, as close as 12 inches. Please Beware Palo Pinto needs to address this. Hot Spot for sure to catch virus read more

Before starting this review, I looked up "arduous" in the dictionary to make sure I would be using it correctly. Instead of finding "involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring," I saw a picture of one of the dining rooms in Mary's Cafe. That was how I knew I was on the right track with my word choice. Which is a shame because this could be a good place if the service was slightly faster than "glacial." Six of us journeyed out here on a Sunday because we had heard tales of glory regarding Mary's and their marquee proudly announcing "Home of the World Famous Chicken Fried Steak." International acclaim is fantastic, and if this chicken fried steak truly was globally recognized for providing an experience that would make the poets weep, we wanted to have a similar opportunity to have our collective minds blown. That we did, though not in the ways we were anticipating. When we arrived in the dirt lot behind the building, we marveled at how busy Mary's was. Additional parking across the street was parked solid, and it was clear this was the nexus of activity in town. The place is a lengthy building with two dining rooms bookending an entrance room that house a merchandise table, a cashier desk, a couple tables, and a crane game that is almost assuredly there to test whatever shred of patience you may still have in your possession when all is said and done. The outside is pretty inviting, with a few benches and what looks like a hitching bar to sit upon. Locals and tourists alike were all out here, creating a welcoming atmosphere for first-timers and regulars alike. A hostess would periodically emerge from the entrance and call the names of parties when it was time to be seated. When our group was called, she told us to grab the first table to the right when we walk in. It was not the most personable welcome to Mary's, but we found the table easily as it was the only one open in the packed dining room illuminated by various neon beer signs and a TV set tuned to the football game. For as packed as the dining room was, though, not once did it get loud. We were able to talk with one another and wonder what was taking our food so long without needing to repeat ourselves as we discovered the "trick" to enjoying a visit at Mary's. You see, the locals know to call in their order before arriving. Then, after they are seated, they do not have to endure the 80-minute wait for food after ordering. I'm not exaggerating, by the way: we witnessed a group of seven arrive after us, eat and leave before we were done. And we were not the only table to experience this phenomenon in our dining room. At about the 70-minute mark, a guy in our party asked our waitress what was taking so long and she replied that a fryer had gone out. If that was the case, why would you not tell that to your customers ahead of time instead of making them inquire about the perpetual state of limbo their food is in? Adding more absurdity to the equation was when she returned later to say "they're putting your food together now." That's a deceivingly confusing phrase to use when referring to edible deliverables; it made me wonder if the food was like a low-budget Lego set that needed to be constructed, only the directions were eaten by the cow that was presently being cooked. Nonetheless, food did appear: a side order of green beans and a community-sized bowl of gravy. For about 10 minutes, we all endured a staring contest with these plates, waiting for the rest to arrive. Essentially, we endured a Sisyphean ordeal where the waitress would appear in the doorway with another dish, dashing our hopes as it would inevitably be delivered elsewhere as our almost Pavlovian responses became rites of passage in our attempts to eat lunch. When all was said and done, four of us eventually got food before the remaining twosome got theirs 10 minutes later. The only redeeming factors of this whole ordeal were the prices and the food, itself. Pricing is very fair, and the food, once it arrives seemingly by Pony Express, is universally delicious. It's not life-changing, and nowhere near the best you'll have, but it is tasty. The chicken fried steak is good, the chicken fried chicken is actually better, and the side dishes (plus gravy) are worth chomping down on. Add in 24-oz. beers and you have a place that will not destroy your wallet as you destroy your diet. Really, the service model here is the biggest fault. Why did our waitress have no one helping her? (It was not fair that she had to bear the brunt of dissatisfaction from our dining room by herself.) Why were we not told our food may arrive in 1 to 5 business days? And did the fryer really go out? A quick glance at another Yelp review reflects a similar incident, making me do my best Sherlock Holmes and question if this is simply the go-to excuse if people start asking questions. So while "World Famous" may be on the marquee, "arduous" was a more accurate description for our visit. read more

no rating. The food was horrible. Got the chicken fried and enchiladas. The chicken fried steak was not good. The mashed potatoes looked grey and the gravy was not good. The enchiladas looked like it was over microwaved and burnt looking. The cafe looks dirty and the floor filthy. Never again. read more

We stopped in on our way back to Dallas from Abilene. I'm sad to say that the restaurant did not live up to the hype. The food was fine, but it wasn't anything to go out of the way for. The portions are ridiculously huge (not a bad thing), and the cream gravy is homemade-just like my grandmother used to make. The French fries are fresh cut & delicious. read more

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I hate to say it cause I was so pumped to try this place based on what I'd heard. We drove from our deer lease near Llano all the way up here. The quality of the meat was mediocre, the crust wasn't much and the gravy was completely bland. Even the sides kinda sucked. I live a locally owned place and hate to leave this review but dangit, blahhh all the way around, at best. read more

The best chicken fried steak you can find and sirloin that will keep you wanting more. Hearty helpings, i had enough mashed potatoes to feed a family of 4 just for me! Its a family tradition to stop by everytime we're in town. read more

The service and food was amazing! We had a range of food items...fried pickles, blooming onion, the Downtown special, cheese enchiladas, chicken fried steak, fried chicken and kids pizza. It was all delicious!! We had a party of 7 and the waiter was great at being attentive to our needs! read more

Nothing extraordinary here. Had chicken fried steak. Average at best, steak was cold but gravy which took 5 min more to get to table was hot

wow! and not in a good way... ordered a child's hamburger and fries + tea. when I checked out the cashier said I owed $29.79!!! ridiculous!! what a rip off. hamburger was smaller than a jr. burger at Whataburger and not nearly as good. very disappointed after all the hype I heard about this cafe. will not be returning. read more

The day I left the hospital my husband and I decided we would stop at Mary's and share one of their famous chicken fried steaks. They have small, medium and large. we chose a medium and it was so big, even after cutting off a quarter of it for myself, there was still so much for my husband to eat! I can't believe he said,"I can't eat this all." because he's a big eater! I had a quarter of the baked potato , the salad and my 1/4 worth of the cchicken fried; and my husband had the 3/4chicken fried, the 3/4 of the baked potato, and green beans. I have to say I was not crazy about the food. it was ok , but it was not great. But! Mary's Café is the happening place around the Strawn/Gorman area. It was continuous customers arriving every 5 to 10 minutes. if if they only had an area for a band; and some beers flowing! what a fun Saturday night that would've been! As soon as we left there I asked my husband to stop at the convenient store so I could buy a snack. I was starved. The waitress that we had was not very nice to us and she only checked on us one time. Our busboy was friendlier and more helpful! We were not happy with Customer Service. I do like the atmosphere, and maybe if were out that way we will try the Mexican food at Mary's. I've heard that's really good. read more

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Do not leave Strawn until you've experienced Mary's Cafe!! The interior has hometown cafe written all over it, and it adds to friendly, laid back atmosphere! The staff is so courteous and in constant motion preparing meals, refilling drinks, or just checking up on you! The menu is vast; from appetizers, Mexican cuisine, to seafood, then a plethora of southern favorites and finally desserts! Beer on draft? Yessir!! Shiner and a few more flavors, served in a frosty glass; a hearty 16 ounce pour! Ordered was pork chop dinner (large), the quail kabob dinner, and beans & cornbread. Each dinner offered a small house salad, toast, and your choice of potato (French fries, baked potato, or mashed). All food was served hot and freshly cooked, and oh boy what it delicious!! We left with plenty of leftovers, so arrive hungry!! I just cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this dining experience!! Whenever I'm in Strawn, this will be the meal for me and my family!! read more

Mary's Cafe - Large Pork chop dinner (4 chops, salad, large mashed potatoes, cream gravy), plus beans & cornbread, plus quail kabobs, beans, & salad) - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

I now understand why the reviews of this place were so mixed. The prices are definitely inflated, the product you receive does not warrant the price you pay. My husband and son both had the small chicken fried steak which was so tender he cut it with the fork and the gravy was actually made from scratch and very good. I had a cheeseburger and fries and that was hands down the worst burger I have ever eaten drowning it in mayo and ketchup couldn't cover the rancid taste. read more

Took my wife to have dinner - that was the good part of the trip. Waited 1 hour and 25 minutes and still was not served. We gave up and went to smoke stack. I don't mind waiting - the staff could at least give you a little more information. No apology No reason Not the way to serve customers in Texas. read more

Gravy is amazing the rest is just okay not worth the drive or the time to wait for your mediocre food. But if they were closer I'd buy that gravy every week it's amazing. read more

Pretty much the worst chicken fried steak I've ever had. Service was friendly but poor. Over an hour waiting for food. 20 minutes standing in line to pay and it really wasn't busy when we arrived. A 6 year old took my drink order incorrectly but I shook that off and just drank it. It was the chicken fried steak sopping with grease served in a pool of old grease that got me. Mashed potatoes were good tho.......... read more