I visit here from time to time on the way to college football games, taking the drive 5 or 6 miles north of I 20 because Mary's allegedly has "the best chicken fried steak in Texas." Ok, that's bullshit. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty good, but the best I've ever had? Nope, but my standards are high. Look, I've had a whole lot of CFS in my many years on this Earth. The CFS at Mary's compares much more favorably than most the crap you get out there. Most CFS in restaurants is usually deep fried, has too thick a crust, and is served with flavorless, white, school book paste looking gravy. Any real Texan (and that means you came from small town Texas people, not flippin' Plano) knows that authentic CFS is PAN FRIED, does not have a thick crust, and the roux for the gravy is allowed to brown somewhat before the milk is added to it (how much browning is left to the discretion of the cook, and is subject to debate). THAT is authentic chicken fried steak. At Mary's, the chicken fried steak is prepared authentically, so they get a lot of credit for that. The gravy is pretty good, but could be a bit darker. Make sure you know what size you're getting, because their "medium" is pretty big: it is more than enough for most people. The large order is the size of a throw rug, so don't order it unless you have a huge appetite. They have nice, big, cold beer schooners there, BTW, at great prices. Overall, I'd give the CFS at Mary's an 8 out of 10, which is pretty high in my book. The CFS is served on slices of Texas toast (to soak up the grease, of course) and comes with mashed potatoes or fries and a "salad." There are quotes around salad because it really isn't much of a salad...there are a few pieces of lettuce topped by a couple of lonely carrot strips in a bowl...I usually eat one piece of lettuce to not feel quite so guilty about eating so many other brown and white things. As another Yelp poster so amusingly put it, there are squeeze bottles of ranch dressing of varying "vintages" on the tables for your "salad"...I've never had the balls to try it. But don't take any of this the wrong way: Mary's is pretty darned tasty. I've never tried the burgers there, but they are HUGE and look great. As far as "ambience" goes, that's a word one won't readily associate with a visit to Mary's. Like many Texas small town diner-type restaurants, it's pretty dumpy. The tables and chairs are rickety, the towels they wipe the tables with (if they happen to) are hardly "antiseptic" and crumbs abound on the floor. The customers are loud, and don't be listening for Vivaldi, Led Zeppelin or Boosie BadAzz to be playing in the background, cuz that ain't happening: they have both kinds of music, Country and Western. But look, that's part of the deal, the binding social contract providing that a small town Texas diner is going to be a dump, but you won't bitch about it because they're going to serve you decent food. I think I read that somewhere. And, if you're wondering: the "best chicken fried steak in Texas"? Sadly, it doesn't exist any more...it was once found at the Bishop Street Grill in the Oak Cliff part of Dallas, Texas. The place closed a few years back, and of all things, has been replaced by a damned "Hunkys." Take me now, Lord. read more

On our way to Lubbock we stopped here lured in by the big sign on the free way. We had to wait a half an hour in a restaurant with barely any where to move while there were tables sitting open. Once we sat down our service was good but we were just lucky because the people right next to us sat down before us and didn't get their food until 15 min after us. My dad and I ordered the small chicken fried steak. It was tasty but mostly sub par and the mashed potatoes and salad were both just not that great. Overall interesting place ... wouldn't go again read more

I really hate writing this review because of so many good ones We finally made the 100 plus mile drive to Strawn,Texas to Marys cafe and famous chicken fried steak. We arrived about 2:30 P.M. A decent crowd ,still plenty of room to set. We ordered unsweet tea and I had the large chicken fry steak and the wife got the medium. The waitress stayed on top of everything including refills of tea while we waited on our meal. She brings our plate out and I was really pleased how big it was,there are three large pieces of meat on mine and two on the wifes . She then comes with the baked Potato,salad,and gravy all very nice portions and looked pleasing. I noticed my steak looked a little burned in spots but thought nothing of it. After a few bites portions of the burned taste would surface not really bad just noticeable. As I started on the second piece I noticed a taste that was not normally a chicken fried steak taste. The more I ate the less I could stand the taste. I decided one more bite and then the neon light came on .The steak had the taste of liver in it and got stronger the more I ate of it. I finally could eat no more and pushed it away. Keep in mind there is still another big piece and over half of the second piece. The gravy was ok but had more of a bland flour tatse to it so that did not help matters The salad and baked potato and tea were fine. They have a fairly nice speech on each of their menues Spmething long the line of supporting the customers here to serve you you are here for us .Sometimes things do not go good.If you have a bad meal please tell us instead of telling friends .We will try to please but some people can't be I thought when the waitress comes back around I will say something. I told her my problem with the meal. With her prettiest smile she says I will tell Mary. She comes back and says when we cook liver we deep fry it and we don't the chickem fried steaks. End of discussion I go to pay and the cashier ask how was everything was it fine. I thought well,you ask. I said not really the steak had the taste of liver in it and the gravy had a flour taste. She frowns and says hum unusual I will tell Mary that will be 38.97. Not an offer to take anything off what can we do so you will come back kiss our backsides nothing. Let me inject that I never eat most of a meal and then complain and have any amount removed. I think that looks like you are trying to get a free meal or stiff the bill, I pay the total period . If I only eat a bite or two that is different. To not even be offfered any sort of a discount says the little speech is just that a little speech. I will say the amount of food is well within reason for price. I will say maybe it was an off day. Would I make the 100 plus mile trip again no I would not ,would I go out of my way no I wouldn't. The biggest reason is the speech on the menu ,if you do not mean it do not say it. I have seen alot of good reviews on this establishment but it left me really disappointed . If they had offered a discount I would have turned it down Made my review but would say they did what they could to make it right the wife had so much stuffings on her potato that she could not taste anything. I would bet hers was the same My wife says I should be a food taster as I can taste any change in a piece of meat Give it a try if in the area and see what you think Hopefully your experience will be better. It is asmaller steak but a cafe in my home town can hold its own with Marys ,just not as big Sorry for the long review but wanted to cover everything including the spe read more

Totally worth the trip out to Strawn for the giant chicken fried steak. They also have frog legs, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, and calf fries. Each evening they have a different all-you-can-eat special - fajitas, boiled shrimp, catfish, etc. They also have something called a "salad". read more

Ok first there was a wait which was fine considering that it's a small town and probably one of the only ones in town. So I sit down and first thing I notice is that it's VERY loud!!! I couldn't hear my parents talk to me at all. It was a 31 minute wait for our food (yes I timed it). As I was told it was the best chicken fried steak (it was even on the sign), so my parents got the steak and I tried a bite of theirs and I was waiting for that good mouth watering steak like I was told. Well if u think burnt, soggy, and greasy is good then u might wanna try this place out! It was horrible!!!! I didn't like it at all, I thought I could have cooked a better one than that and I'm not the best cook at all. Now what I got is what yelp reviews told me to try. Chicken fried steak was one of them but the other was pork chops. So I went with the pork chops and let me tell ya it was fatty and DRY!!!! The mashed potatoes were flaky and dry as well and the gravy was like eating pure grease!!! It made me feel horrible eatting what was on that plate. I felt sick as I was walking out of there and I still feel sick!! So this place deserves 1 star, actually if the rating was lower then that's were mary's cafe should be rank!! Never going there again!! So long strawn!!! read more

We have been here many times, it's a "right of passage" for many. Don't know what was in the air today but we waited 1 hour and 5 min for our food. We asked a couple of times and the server was less than helpful nor really cared enough to give us an actual answer. It wasn't busy. Why would you bring out orders that aren't complete? Bring the CFS but wait another 10 min to get the fries or potatoes? Really? The food has gone down in quality since our last few visits. Sorry Mary, but that was our last visit. No longer worth getting off 20 to stop in. read more

I don't get it. It's a decent place - not a great place. For middle of no where Texas I think they've put themselves on the map as a 2 star experience with 5 star prices. The CFS is probably the most popular and should be - it's not the Best in Texas but it is probably the best north of Interstate 20. It's definitely a lot of food and if I were in the area I would stop in again. read more

Sorry to say that I ate here on June 22. The waitress was so rude for absolutely no reason. Older woman with a horrible attitude. Ask for something and she says,"I'm not done waiting on you." Wow! The homemade mashed potatoes are horrible. The chicken fried steak was the worst I have ever had. We will never go back. Not worth the trip. read more

We live in Azle but we're visiting family in Lipan. After we left we left around 6:30 pm we decided to head more West to strawn because my wife had heard how great Mary's was. Got there and we're told 30-40 minute wait; almost no outdoor seating. Ended up waiting slightly more than an hour. Finally got seated with drinks, placed an order of 4 chicken fried steaks. At least an hour passed before we got our food. During that time we literally saw two tables get seated after us and leave before we got our food. It turns out those people knew to order food in advance and make a reservation. So basically new visitors to this place get screwed because you have to wait for a table, then when you finally do get a table there are current orders and preorders before your order. The result is waiting an hour for food. We didn't end up getting home until 11pm. This place is ok for a local joint since its the only place around but we'll definitely never be back. Oh, and when they did bring out the food they brought 3 out of 4 meals. Wait 5 minutes then brought out the 4th meal. They forgot my green beans and finally brought them out when all the food in my plate was gone so I refused. Service is very poor, disorganised, and poorly trained. read more

Fun place to come to located in what feels like the middle of nowhere. The Chicken Fried Steak and the Hamburger are eye poppers due to their size. They definitely don't skimp on portions and quantity size. It is a fun outing for anyone coming from the DFW area. Plenty of hills and pretty scenery especially if you go the back roads from Mineral Wells. read more

The chicken fried steak was good but could be excellent if was seasoned while cooking. The beer was so cold but service lacked. They had a motor cycle club in from Fort Worth and even though they knew was not prepared. We will go back hope they look at this and season their food while cooking. The fries were very good just not seasoned properly. read more

I am not sure what all the hype is about? Either people don't know what great food is, or it's true...in Texas just because it's "BIG" means good! It isn't bad, it is eatable. But subpar. The CFS, I make way better at home. Their idea of salad is "lettuce and a piece of tomato", and the potatoes are just ok. I don't get people talking how great. Don't drive out just to see what the hype is about, if you happen to pass and be starving yea maybe stop. read more

Went to Mary's on a Sunday for lunch. Ordered the small CFS (chicken fried steak). Staff was friendly, but not very attentive (given, they were busy). The restaurant itself was dirty with flies everywhere. Took about 45 minutes to get my order. The dish came room temperature. As far as being the best CFS in Texas, I disagree. It was good, and perhaps the biggest, but not the best. It lacked sufficient seasoning and was delivered soggy on the bottom. Would not go back, but it was an adventure just to go and check it out and say I've been. read more

Mary's Cafe - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

I should have known not to order seafood this far inland and outside of a metro-area. The fried oysters were horrific - one of the worst restaurant meals I've had in my life. My companion's enchiladas looked equally "meh" although I did not try them (I didn't know them that well enough). This appears to be the only local independent restaurant option in town so they offer all types of american fare and tex-mex food on their menu. They shouldn't. It appears that in trying to be good at everything they might be falling short on everything. If I am ever in the vicinity I will give it another shot to try and order something more suited to their main standards (chicken fried steak), but no way I'm making a special trip just to eat here. read more

Approx 1-1/2 hr drive from Fort Worth, but even my husband doesn't mind because he knows the great meal waiting at the end of the drive. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the chicken fried steak!! Like no other. Huge portions, always leftovers to take for lunch the next day. Their burgers are gigantic, in size & flavor. Just try to get your mouth around one!! We go at least once a month. Wish we lived closer!! read more

The only thing better than the Chicken Fried Steak is the gravy of which I had two bowls. Portions are huge and prices reasonable. The small CFS s half the medium and medium is half the large. You can cut the steak with a fork, fries are fresh made and mop gravy up with the Texas Toast. Hard to get to but worth the drive. read more

Highly disappointed after hearing all the hype about this place. The portions are huge, true enough, but they need to be to compensate for the prices. I had the hamburger steak, which you have an extra wait time for it and also for baked potatoes. Which is noted on the menu and in the restrooms (I know, right?? ). But it's a little discouraging when you see plates and plates of food being brought out to tables who arrived way after you did. All in all, we waited about 35-40 minutes for our food. I did notice when someone ordered the chicken fried steak and fries, they got their food literally in about 5 minutes. (One person arrived about 10 minutes after we did, ordered CFS and fries- got his food, ate and left while we still waited for ours) My hamburger steak was HUGE!! Possibly close to a pound, smothered with the best onions I've ever tasted. The onions were the only tasty thing I had. The iced tea tasted instant and not the best. The mashed potatoes were a dry mash with some sort of herb in them...maybe?? Some sort of tiny green specs in them, they were a brownish color which I'm assuming from being mashed with the skins on. Anyways, I added salt, pepper and butter to them and they still tasted, not good. The brown gravy was terrible and the white gravy tasted flour-y. My husband had the chicken fried steak. He said it was tasty. It isn't the typical CFS you're use to, it didn't have the thicker coating on it, more like a regular flour coating. His baked potato was huge and very good. We wanted to try a dessert, maybe the chocolate pie or coconut cream ($4 per slice) but I was afraid I would be disappointed with it also :(. Sadly, I'm not sure it'd be worth the 5 mile drive from I-20, it sure wasn't worth the 2 hour road trip drive we took. So much hype for a huge disappointment. read more

We (11) went on a Saturday at 2:00 p.m. It was very crowded and we did not have a reservation. We did have to wait but only about 45 minutes. Once seated the wait staff was a little overwhelmed so there was a long wait for drink orders. When the food came out we had to keep asking for things such as salad dressing, ketchup, gravy, potato fixings, etc. However, the chicken fried steak is at the top of my list of best chicken fried steak in Texas. The fries are good and so are the baked potatoes. This time next year we will call ahead. Oh, by the way, even the medium size chicken fried steak is almost to big to eat. read more

My husband is obsessed with chicken fried steak, so we drove all the way to Strawn Texas in order to try it out. Lets just say that in his eyes, it was worth the almost 2 hour drive to get there. The diner isn't the fanciest place in the world- with the tables being a bit like large card tables and the decor is neon lights of american beers, but that adds to it's charm. Usually places like this don't have to put so much effort into making their food delicious- it's the one of the few places in town in strawn, so they could quite honestly do mediocre food and get away with it. However they do what so few diners do best, make food that tastes like your favorite southern aunt makes when you come into town whose obsessed with making anything you taste the best you ever tasted. They do simple and they do it perfectly. read more

This is a must stop if you are in the area. The chicken fried steak is so good, we like to order a large and take the rest home to make chicken fried steak sandwiches with. One of the favorites of my boyfriends hunting buddies is the chicken gizzards...they order extra and eat them cold later! Be prepared to wait during hunting season. read more

My wife and I were working in Eastland, Tx and so relied on Yelp for a dinner recommendation - Settled in on Mary's, esp with all the comments about the Chicken Fried Steak being the best in Texas....We located the restaurant without a problem due much to the huge amount of cars that surrounded the restaurant - so our expectations were high as we stepped into the main dinning room. We were seated immediately and greeted warmly by the waitress, who was also kind enough to answer our questions about how long Mary's has been in existence and the like.... The decor is plain at best in the main dinning areas - really no frills at all...and it was clear that there were those all around us who have made Mary's a frequent place to be... We ordered the small CFS and of course the mashed potatoes and cream gravy. As for the CFS being the best in Texas, well, it fell far below our expectation, but was probably the most tender CFS we have ever had....it literately would melt in your mouth and cutting it with a fork was as easy as it gets....but was only made somewhat tasteful by the mashed potatoes and gravy, but by itself really lacked taste.... Over all, it was worth the drive just for the experience but I think there is far better CFS elsewhere to be found in Texas. read more

Don't order CFS much but this was good! Thin breading, fork tender & my small portion was large enough for 2 meals. I wanted a baked potato but she suggested mashed. Should have gotten the baked as I was taking my CFS & Potato home. Ate the good portion salad & toast. Husband had steak sandwich which was great. A big, thick steak cooked right placed on their large hamburger bun. It was smothered with sautéed onions & big mushroom pieces. May have been the best onions & mushrooms I've had outside of a fine dining establishment! Fries order was huge, however they were undercooked a bit. Loved the waitress. Very personable and took good care of us. Worst part was the smell of stale cigarettes and the (drunk?) guy cussing at the table near us but not surprised. If we come through Strawn again, we will stop & eat again. read more

I came here often as a boy with my grandfather and dad. Getting older my friends, and now my family. I have never been so embarrassed in my life. After raving about memories and good times I left with a horrible feeling in my stomach (may have been the chicken fry) and apologized to everyone for the meal. I'm not sure if the cook changed or what but this place is far from it a former glory. Which I hate, but can't deny. read more

I heard the rave from associates and read some reviews so on a trip from Dallas to Abilene I decided to try this restaurant for lunch. When I walked in a lady shouted above the loud noise that there was plenty of room over there, pointing to the left. I walked in the room and found a seat at the opposite end of a long table from a couple whom I did not know. After about 15 minutes a waitress in a rush slapped down a pad and asked "What you want to drink!" When I replied "Sweet tea." She said as she turned to rush off "Unsweet!" The drink arrived about 5 minutes later. Another 10 minutes and the waitress appeared again and took the other couple's order and then mine. My meal arrived within a couple of minutes. I ordered the medium chicken fried steak, what they are famous for. It was huge, cold but huge. Loaded with black pepper and very tender. Thankfully the large bowl of gravy that came with it was hot and helped warm the steak. As far as flavor all I could taste with the gravy, steak, or mashed potatoes was the pepper. I requested Ranch dressing with my salad. It was a cheap bottled ranch that tasted more like vinegar than ranch. Never saw the waitress again. Probably never will as I have no intention of returning. read more

Nothing fancy and nothing special either. I think it's overrated. Chicken fried steak taste like it was cooked on truck stop parking lot in the Texas heat. Frustrating to order anything as the waitresses can't hear nothing and don't understand anything beside inbred. Restaurant and terrible seating and tables have no space for your food. read more

The portions are large but food is just average, last time there tried Enchilada dinner, nothing special, since there are known for CF Steak. read more

The small chicken fried steak is huge. The meduim is huger. The large is hugiest. Fantastic light batter w a great gravy on the side. The burgers have what appears to be a 1 1/2" thick meat patty. Cold beer. Average pies and well meaning but spotty service, along with an odd interior layout, but a fun place to eat. read more

We drove a little over a hour to try this highly recommended chicken fried steak. We arrived mid lunch service on a Saturday so there was a wait. We waited 30 minutes to get seated. In the day of covid 19 amazingly enough not one of the employees were wearing masks as it is mandated in other areas. Not many patrons were wearing masks either. Once we were seated in the air conditioned patio, the young lady took our orders. We didn't understand the wait when we walked in as there were several empty dirty tables with dishes left. 30 minutes after being seated we noticed a lady start going to all the empty tables grabbing just the silverware. After a while I got up to the bathroom and passed a sink that had a soapy bucket with the silverware in it. Completely gross. We waited a hour for our food to get to our table. The chicken fried steak was tasty as we were told. The mashed potatoes weren't mashed at all, very lumpy and unappetizing. The gravy lacked flavor. The salad was shredded lettuce which we found odd. We got the medium cfs to share. The young lady brought us an extra plate that we didn't ask for. Needless to say service was poor. When we went to pay the lady at the counter was irritated and rude to my boyfriend, tried to overcharge us with someone else's bill. After he questioned what we were being charged for then states it was $2.50 for the extra plate. We never saw that fee on the menu. Why charge for an extra plate when all the plates were dirty still left on tables which we noticed for the two hours our whole experience ended up being. Totally disappointed to say the least. Will never return. read more

Unfortunately, our experience at Mary's did not match the hype. Since Mary's claims to be known for the chicken fried steak, I ordered the small with mashed potatoes and salad. The chicken fried steak was nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. In fact, I would avoid it if you go. A member of our party ordered frog legs and was sick the next morning...of course... that could have simply been the frog legs. (I wouldn't eat them - not just at Mary's - but anywhere!) Others in our party stated the same - that their food was mediocre and they don't plan on coming back. The worst was the flies...flies, flies, flies everywhere. We sat outside thinking it would be better than sitting with the smoker's inside. Unfortunately, no such luck. We won't be back. Sorry, Mary's. read more

Several years ago I laid to rest my more than half century quest for the perfect CFS. Mary's Cafe in Strawn Texas simply cannot be topped. It's perfection. I also like that Mary's is reminiscent of old Texas diners with nothing gentrified. I smiled when I saw people who drove over 100 miles to Mary's. I fly from Molokai with a visit to Mary's as a prime objective. read more

I almost didn't come here because of the bad reviews. It was clean the food was great service was wonderful. I can't remember the last time I got real crazy anywhere. Oh my goodness the potatoes have lumps. Well that's because it's actually real mashed potatoes. My husband and I both got the small chicken fried steaks and it was more than enough. And that gravy! did I mention the gravy? Chicken fried steak was cooked perfectly. Guys at the table next to us got the bacon cheeseburgers and they were as big as my head read more

I have heard so much about this place from coworkers and decided to give it a try when I was stuck here for a few hours (I work for the RR and we were making a train meet). I ordered a medium CFS to go and walked over and picked it up. The waitress was very friendly and I only had to wait a few minutes to get it. I got a tea to go and she was nice enough to add the sugar to it for me since they dont have sweet tea. The CFS had a great flavor to it and was very tender. The gravy was homemade and tasted great. I hate getting CFS's and getting that nasty pasty powdered gravy with it. The mashed potatoes were very good and were also homemade. I gave it a 4 stars instead of 5 based on the price ($15 for medium CFS) and the fact the waitress forgot my ranch for my salad. I will def eat here again if I am stuck here and may drive out there sometime since it is only 45min away from home. read more

The food was ok if you have plenty of time to wait on it. I think our server should have had the courtesy to tell us that our food was going to take 45 minutes. We would at least have had a heads up and we could have ordered an appetizer to hold us over until the food came out. The lady at the table next to is lit a cigarette inside the restaurant and then walked outside. I don't know if the restaurant is smoking or nonsmoking. However, I am allergic to cigarette smoke and it would have been nice if they would have offered us a place to seat where smoking is not allowed read more

I stopped by Mary's while doing a road trip in my old MG. I read some reviews about the Chicken Fried Steak and but have been reluctant to go to Mary's because of the reviews that said there was a lot of cigarette smoke. But took my chances and was not disappointed with the food. The Chicken Fried Steak was very good. The steak was thin with a light crust. I got the large order and I have never seen so much Chicken Fried Steak in my life! I would rate it as some of the best Chicken Fried Steak I have eaten. Most of the restaurants that are famous for Chicken Fried Steak give you a big lump of crust and if you are lucky you may have a few bites of steak. This was not the case at Mary's. I was forced to get a doggie bag because of such a large portion left. The mashed potatoes were excellent as well. I will go back and take my family. By the way I didn't notice any cigarette smoke. After reading some of the other reviews about how bad the smoking was I called Mary's this evening to ask if there was a no smoking area. Thinking maybe I has just been seated in the non-smoking section.They told me it was a smoking restaurant and they had no special no smoking room. I guess I went when the smokers were not there. read more

We eat out all over the world, and Mary's is one of our favorite dinning spots. Everything we've tried on the menu is good, but I usually get the same thing, Mary's Chicken Fried Steak. Mary's gravy, both the brown and the cream, are the best anywhere. It's a good thing that we don't live close. I would gain way too much weight from being a steady customer. read more

Order a chicken fried steak small and fries. This place is as good as it gets. Worth driving across the country for much less the county. MMMMM good read more

Great food, friendly staff and one of the best places to eat in Texas. But you better bring a good appetite because even the smallest portions are more than I can finish eating. read more

Rated best chicken fried steak by voters. I have to agree. Real mashed potatoes! Great gravy. I will definitely be back not the least bit overrated. In my 63 years I have eaten chicken fried steak about a 1,000 times. Nothing gets close to Mary's. Even my own mother's read more

The best you'll ever have! More food than you can eat, always quality chicken fried steak, hamburgers, or even fried chicken livers. This is a must if you are ever in the area! read more

If you can get past the lack of ambiance, long wait time, and mediocre service (we waited over 20 minutes for our ticket for instance), then the food is really good! I had the chicken fried chicken. The gravy reminded me of how grandma used to make it. The mashed potatoes were delicious. Generous portions too. Wish they had more wait staff for a Friday evening though. Our poor waitress was stretched thin. read more