This place is in the COUNTRY and when you walk in you are hit in the face with cigarette smoke. As a former smoker I would have loved this back then, but hate it now. You know what though I got over it REALLY quick with the first bite of the Chicken Fried Steak. Love the griddle top frying vs the deep fryer. This place is what Texas is all about. Hard working people, making great food for their community. read more

Like my grandmother used to cook. I could eat bigger than the small cfs. Gravy is wonderful. Well worth the 4 mile trip off I20. Great French fries. Very noisy during lunch run. I could eat there everyday because it is so good. read more

PLEASE READ!!! I literally downloaded this app because of this place. I've been waiting in my food for over an hour and there are people that got here ten minutes after we did that already have their food. Most likely reason that there are so many good reviews are due to locals that are biased read more

My boyfriend drove me hear last wk for my 1st time and the trip and food was just wonderful, he had the chicken fry and I opted 4 fried chicken.Boy you better come hungry cause it's plenty. would liked to have met Mary and thanked her personally, I don't know a lot about Texas much but I've met and fallen in love with the sweetest cowboy with eyes as pretty as your skies. read more

I ate at Mary's today and had a kids burger because my friend said that the burgers are huge thinking of getting a small burger and I ordered a side of fries too when the food arrived which I may add was very quick I was excited to see and what I saw was a huge burger and a mountain of fries my friend had ordered a chicken fried steak and it was huge! I was very surprised and the food was amazing! They give you what you want and you definitely get what you pay for! I will be eating there again and hope you will try it. I love the food and the place and the employees were great too! read more

First and Last rip, cold food is a bad way to welcome first time customer. Wait staff was very good, food sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

famous for chicken fried steak and rightfully so but my favorite is the tacos, they taste like i made them myself.Delicious.

This is the best place to eat !!!!! Chicken fried steak is the house specialty , but there is nothing bad at Mary's. It's hopping but the wait staff is friendly and attentive. I am a personal fan of the calf fries. If you haven't beef fit,s worth a special trip to Strawn!!! read more

A special trip to Strawn is worth it if Mary's is open. My sons and I enjoyed a great-tasting chicken fried steak there.

CFS is as good as expected...no issues with service Will make the effort to come back read more

I went for the first time recently. I'll be back, a lot. Chicken Fried Steak and mashed potatoes were great. I love large portions and I got that here. I can't wait to get back and try a burger. read more

Always been a huge fan of Mary's. However the last couple times I been there, the CFS seemed not as good. Could have just had a bad visit, they were busy and my food was cold. Will give it another try. read more

My family loves stopping at Mary's Cafe!! We are from Abilene and any time we go to Dallas, the last place we stop is Mary's. The people are nice and Mary is the sweetest lady! We have tried lots of different things and have loved everything we order. If your on I20 between Abilene and Dallas you MUST stop and eat at Mary's Cafe. read more

We have heard about how great the chicken fried steak is at Mary's so we finally decided to drive out for a late lunch yesterday. What a huge disappointment!! The only thing good was the portion sizes which are unbelievable large but the prices are also. Our steaks were overcooked in what tasted like very old grease, the "mashed" potatoes were dry, lumpy and had no seasoning, the baked potato was brown and looked like it had been reheated several times and the small salads was very watery!!!! The waitress was nice and the place was busy. I wish some of us had ordered something else but we all wanted to try "the best chicken fried steak" ! Sorry it sure wasn't worth the drive and we will not be going back!! read more

I ordered the sirloin and shrimp and it was DELICIOUS. Very tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. I highly recommend it!

If you are a CFS lover and have time, take the brief detour off I-20 and check it out...I was really glad I did.

Arrived before 11:30 on Sunday morning in order to beat the church crowd and still found Mary's busy. Cars were waiting for our parking space when we left. Ordered the "small" serving of fried chicken gizzards having learned from a prior visit that helping was going to be more than enough. The time I ordered a large serving, I took 2/3 home and made two more meals out of it. The friendly waitress reminded me that it would take a while since the cooks start from scratch. I ate all the crunchy, chewy gizzards with delight but left a lot of French fries as there was just too many. My companion had the CFS and loved it but was smart enough to order its small version as we are on a road trip with no where to store left overs. read more

We ate at Mary's about a week ago on the way back home from Lubbock, and I somehow neglected to write a review. That was an oversight, because the place is definitely deserving. I read many of the reviews before we arrived, so I was concerned about making the stop. We had seen the place on some of the TV shows and my in-laws said they had eaten there, and I did want to try it. The reviews made me wary because of complaints about service and that the chicken fried steak didn't live up to the reputation all of the TV segments gave it. First off, let me say that the service wasn't that bad. The place was packed, and loud. We had a very large party, so we called ahead and had a table ready when we arrived. Our waitress stayed busy and did have some trouble keeping up with drinks, but I've had worse. Especially given that this place cooks the food when it's ordered, not ahead of time. The building was loud with all the bikers eating, and we had to park around the corner. This isn't a place for a "quiet dinner," so if that's what you want you should keep driving. I had no problems with the crowd, the noise, or the building. Speaking of the drinks, sodas are sold by the can, which makes them a little pricey and a little more of a pain to refill. This was a complaint some other reviews mentioned. The tea was good and I went that route myself. Now, the chicken fried steak. You will either love it or hate it. One review I read mentioned that it was cooked the way it was when he was a kid-- pan fried instead of deep fried. That is a fair point. If you want a thick crusted CFS that has been deep fried, stick with a place like Babe's, which is good, but not the same. I, on the other hand, grew up eating chicken fried steak that had a thin crust fried in an old cast iron skillet, and the CFS at Mary's is the closest you can come to that anymore. My wife and I split the medium, she got a baked potato and I had the french fries. The big bowl of cream gravy was served on the side. The meat comes on top of two pieces of toast to soak up any grease. The meat I had was tender, was juicy, and was not at all tough. I thought it was fantastic. The gravy was also really good, not made from a mix like most fast food places. The french fries were homemade and well cooked as well. This place is so good, at least to me, because it reminds me of how my mom and my grandma cooked food like this when I was a kid, and it was well worth any wait. The down side, I tried the mashed potatoes and was not at all impressed. When it comes to mashed potatoes, I'm a bit of a purist for potatoes, cream, and butter. I'm not a fan of skin on potatoes (don't be lazy, peel the things) and I don't care for additions such as stock or ranch. They were the only downside of an otherwise good meal for me. I would recommend Mary's to anyone, and will gladly make a stop next time I'm in the area. read more

Read the mixed reviews but here's my take . . . We went on a Sunday afternoon, arriving about 4 pm. Mary's Cafe was doing a strong business but we were able to seat ourselves in the back room immediately. We were quickly greeted and our ice tea order taken (no sweet tea). The waitress was back shortly to get our food order. We ordered fried green tomatoes and hush puppies for appetizers. My wife thought the tomatoes were good and I enjoyed the hush puppies although they were slightly over fried. We both ordered the chicken fried steak (CFS) - a small portion for her and a medium for me. Well, as you increase from a small to medium or large serving, the sides are increased as well. When our steaks were brought out, I saw the size of the serving and immediately asked for a "to go" container and put half of my dinner in the container (I just finished the last of my leftovers . . . provided me with dinner for too more nights). People either love or hate the CFS. I loved it! Cooked very much like my mom cooked it although my mom used a little vinegar for extra zing. The mashed potatoes were lumpy mashed (I like 'em that way!) and a bit dry but the ample serving of white gravy took care of the dryness. The dinner was rounded out with a simple salad . . . basically shredded lettuce and some tomatoes. Ranch dressing came in a squeeze bottle on the table. Bottom line . . . I enjoyed the food and it made for a nice drive on a beautiful afternoon. The ambience was no frills but the food was plentiful and service was very good. We will be back if traveling west of the DFW Metroplex! read more

Excellent every time with great customer service. On the occasions that you have to await for a table it is always well worth it!

Let me start by saying our waitress was rude and if u ask "what appetizer is better", "she asks how long do u want to wait" this must be the only place in Texas that don't have sweet tea, if u want a soda it's out of a can, really I can have that at home, my wife ordered a grilled cheese and frys, when she got her food the grilled cheese looked like it got soaked in oil, how can u mess up a grilled cheese lol, she asked for them to take it back and that she was just going to eat the frys and if she could have some bbq sauce so we had to ask two other people and ten minutes later to finely get it and when we did our waitress just looked at her, i had the chicken fried steak and it was good but the service and the drinks is enough for me not to go back, face it you can have the best food in the world but if your staff sucks who's going to want to go there. read more

First time at Mary's Cafe and it won't be the last. My husband and I had lunch there today and it was hoppin! The young man that found us a table was really nice, as was our waitress. The menu has a huge variety. We both ordered Mexican plates. Loved the tacos and enchiladas, beans and rice so so. Chips and hot sauce good! Our waitress let my husband sub his beans and rice for fries and coleslaw ...the fries were great. The town of Strawn is Lucky to have Mary's Cafe!! read more

G Good food, good service. Even though they were very busy, we were promptly waited on. We have eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. CFS is the primary offering, but the BBQ is quite good, and the hamburger is HUGE. Funny to watch a someone order one and watch their reaction when they bring it out. Get the small CFS unless you have a massive appetite. read more

I heard about this place a few years ago, and I was finally in the area with a chance to try their famous chicken fried steak. I read some of the reviews and they seemed to be mostly one extreme or the other. Well, the truth, as is usually the case, is probably somewhere closer to the middle. Came in on a Friday around 1:30 and had to wait just a few minutes for a table. Service was slow, but friendly. The CFS was definitely good, but not quite the life changing experience it is made out to be. Ordered the small, and that was enough even for a big appetite. The steak was tender, seasoned nicely with a thin but crisp crust. The gravy was nothing special, but it was heavy on the black pepper just like it is supposed to be. The mashed potatoes were the only true let down. Much too lumpy, only luke warm, and under seasoned with very little flavor. The plate comes with a chopped "salad", served with a store bought dressing, but that's pretty much what I expected. I didn't try anything else, but from what I saw around me they do appear to make properly cooked hand cut French fries. Most of the other entrees I saw, especially the burger, didn't look too impressive. They do have a few draft beers available and the prices are reasonable. Overall an o.k. experience, and I would eat here again when in the area, but not worthy of a long road trip or the designation of "best CFS in Texas". read more

Mary's Cafe - Small CFS and a large Shiner bock. - American Near Me - Strawn, Texas

We visited here before and got horrible service. We thought well maybe they were just having an off day. Today we decided to give it another try. We walked in and we're seated within 5 minutes, not bad we thought. An hour later we were still waiting for our food with empty drinks. We've heard the food is great but if you never get it , its really hard to tell. We watched people being served that arrived after us and that was the deciding factor for us to leave hungry for the second time. We surmise that once your famous, your service can suck. At least that seems to be the policy at Mary's cafe and sitting room. read more

We have always gone out of our way to eat at Mary's, but NOT any more. Not sure whats happened, but it's not the same food we use to get there. We were there a few months ago for my birthday and had the hamburger, it arrived in about 10 min's? That should have told us something, (since they take a long time to cook) but I ate it anyway, it tasted like it had been cooked the day before and then re heated. Was back there again last weekend on 7-3-15 we had the chicken fried chicken tenders and it's now frozen pre battered that you can get anywhere not the, hand battered like it had always been in the past. And not to mention, we had to wait on our fires and then they came out COLD. read more

I've eaten at Mary's SEVERAL times and had a wonderful experience each time. The food is delicious and well worth the price. I've never had a rude waitress as suggested in some of the reviews and the establishment has never been filthy either. It is down home southern cooking and a true country atmosphere. I will continue to go back time and time again. read more

BE AWARE - This place is an ALL SMOKING restautant, yes, I said ALL SMOKING RESTAURANT! NO ESCAPE FROM THE SMOKERS!!!! ABSOLUTELY NO NON-SMOKING rooms!! I am recovering from a slight chest cold so when we overheard the lady next to us ask for an ashtray, I was thinking oh my, now I am really going to have a hard time breathing! Sure enough, she lit up and I immediately started coughing like crazy! When we asked the waitress if we could more to a non-smoking room, she said there isn't one. WHAT? Mary must be a smoker and a bitter one at that! Are we trying to prove a point, Mary? We had to sit there the entire time while she lit cigarette after cigarette! Now, don't get me wrong - I believe we all have choice but come on, offer a place for those who choose NOT to smoke! Really a pretty simple concept! The food was good. We had the CFS with baked potatoe - the potatoe was the best I have ever had - it was piping hot until the end of my meal. The salad was really wet and wasn't anything to write home about - a little lettuce and a few chopped tomatoes. Gravy was really good. Green beans were the BOMB! Service was EXCELLENT! COUGHING the entire meal and taking in someone else's cigarette smoke - ABSOLUTELY SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, doesn't matter how good the food is, I won't be going back - ESPECIALLY with my asthmatic son WHO LOVE CFS! We'll just go elsewhere - SOME PLACE that offers a nice area for NON-SMOKERS~! Smokers have right, and so do non-smokers - offer a place for both! read more

Ok so here's the deal... Sometimes we drive down to Mary's. And yes they've got an excellent chicken fry, MOST OF THE TIME. I go with my friends sometimes and sometimes we just run down on a Sunday afternoon. The service is ok most of the time. But here's my main complaint. A lot of times, the CFS is kind of well, old. If you go after the lunch run you can just tell you're getting one off a big ol' left over stack of em and they've cooled off a little and the grease is soaked in till the batter gets a little gelatinous... And I feel for 'em, I really do. People bitch if their food takes to long and they bitch (like me) if it isn't hot and fresh. What's a Chicken Fry Superstar to do? I'd say by the millions of people who go in there day to day and the bills they're raking in very little. As long as the green keeps flowing into the joint why change things? The nuts (calf fries) are dynamite an the beer is usually cold. So I can piss up a rope, right? Have a nice day! read more

This is one of those fabulous "hole-in-the-wall" cafes you love to run across! The chicken fried steak is fantastic, as are the fries and mashed potatoes. I'm certain the other items on the menu are fabulous as well, but the chicken fried steak is so good I just can't make myself order anything else. We love to stop here every time we are in the area! read more

Terrible and slow service. A lot of wasted food that was unnecessary and under staffed for waitresses.

Satisfactory food but WAY TOO MUCH! They need to serve half as much for the same price. It is very loud and they get orders confused!

I'm not sure why their chicken fry is world famous. We arrived at 11 am, when you would think everything would be fresh, but all we got were leftovers. The mashed potatoes were dry and brown. The salad was wilted. The chicken fry was very thin and tough to chew. The frys were fresh and gravy wasn't bad. I gave it 1 star because the staff was very nice. As for me, if I want leftovers I'll eat at home. read more

A bit of a wait for food at high peak time, but well worth it. I must comment though on the wait staff, not just mine, they were all very attentive and never still. Service you won't find in the city typically. Will definitely be back anytime we are within 50 miles and hungry. This place was recommended to me for years, now I regret waiting so long to try it. While my original thought before the meal arrived was that it was just another fried food restaurant, I was very suprised and pleased with the unique approach to the chicken fried steak. Especially liked the hamburger steak, one of my favorite dishes, not easy to find a great one like this. Everything was so good we turned it into family style so everyone could try everything. read more

Fantastic 'country' cooking. Chicken Fried Steak is all it claimed to be! Cream gravy excellent. Took the Hamburger Steak to go. Brown gravy was fantastic. Well worth the trip!! read more

Went here because we heard so many good things about the food. First thing we noticed was the place kinda looked run down but didn't see any bugs so thats fine. Noticed a sign that stated there will be a $2 charge for extra plate OR sharing??? How do you charge extra for people sharing, the food there isn't cheap priced. No sweet tea at a small cafe in Texas and $1.75 for each can drink. Water was free We ordered the jalapeño poppers with chicken for a appetizer, then me and my son ordered the small CFS(chicken fried steak) and my wife ordered the cheese burger. The poppers tasted "funny" like they we almost spoiled. Then we got our entrees. Well we must be the most picky people in the state about our CFS, heard so many good things about theirs. Ours was almost wafer thin it had been beat so much, the breading was soggy. The meat was tender but almost had no flavor. The mashed potatoes tasted ok. My wife's burger was huge and looked beautiful but had no flavor and was extremely dry. We were very disappointed read more

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

I was told this was one of the best chicken fried steaks in Texas...rode with some friends from Fort Worth for a girls day lunch....hands down one of the most over priced greasiest underseasoned pieces of meat I've ever paid for! The mashed potatoes were dry and over seasoned and the gravy had pools of grease on top. Definitely wasn't worth the drive!! read more

Drove from Haslet to Mary's after seeing it on FortWorth Magazine Bucket List. Very disappointing! Not sure if it was in Saginaw that I would make the drive. We had their two famous meals: cheeseburger and chicken fried steak. Both were only 3 star quality. The quantity was 5 star, but that's not why I would make the drive. Prices were pretty high also. p.s. absolutely nothing to see in the city of Strawn read more

Mary's is a small town cafe so do not expect 5 star chef prepared meals. Not going to happen. But, as far as a small town cafe is concerned, Mary's is as good as it gets. Chicken fried steak is plate sized so sides are served separately, the Mexican food is actually quite good for Tex Mex and the service is hectic but accommodating. There is always a crowd there but when you are good and the only game in town, you should expect that. So, we eat there as we travel up to our lake house at Possum Kingdom and always enjoy the food. read more

Been meaning to try this place for a long time now & finally did. Arrived before the lunch rush about 11:20. Ordered coffee, tea, and the chicken fried steak. The Good News: easily one of the most perfect chicken fried steaks I've ever eaten - great portion, good meat cut, no gristle, breaded perfectly, fantastic cream gravy, and just the right balance between tender and chewy; excellent. The Bad News - guess they were unaware of the Coronavirus pandemic - re-used plastic menus (ours obviously hadn't been cleaned, let alone sanitized), and the salt/pepper/sugar dispensers still on the tables. No problem, handled them with napkins, but the woman at the table next to us (6 feet away? Don't think so) kept coughing and sneezed into her hand 3 times, all the while handling the salt shaker. That wasn't the restaurant fault, but putting us all together was their choice, all tables filled, no 50% distancing. I have mixed feelings about that, but was uneasy about the cleanliness. That said, although the chicken fry was great, the mashed potatoes were thick and heavy (gave the steak a 10, the potatoes a 2). Salad was ok. Got our coffee and tea, asked twice for creamer/milk and refill for both when they ran out, waitress said OK and never came back. They were full up and busy, but gee, asked twice. Like I said, the steak was great - but that was about it. At least the one cup of coffee was good. All in all, came away a little disappointed. Hope I don't catch anything from the sneezy lady! read more