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Matera Grill and Catering

4.2 (17 reviews)

Services - Matera Grill and Catering

Bartending services

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Brisket Burnt End Mac & Cheese
Shawn M.

Atmosphere: Located in a new(er) building on Oak and S 1st which had been housing a brewery until recently. Big open space with lots of room between tables so you won't feel crowded. 1 Star Service: Our waiter was great. Very attentive and with a big smile. We never ran out of drinks and our food came out in a timely manner. It was hot as well. All of the staff was friendly. 2 Stars Food: It was really good. We had a smorgasbord of items including the following: Giant Pretzel, Chips and Salsa, Fried Pickles, Sirloin, Brisket Burnt Ends Mac & Cheese, Cajun Combo, and Blackened Pasta. We shared around the table. Let's start with appetizers. The so-so first; The Chips and Salsa were a bit of a let down. Nothing unique at all. Salsa was more like a mild chopped tomato chutney. The chips were just your typical store bought style corn tortilla chips. It was fine, but nothing to write home about. Now for the other two. The pretzel is huge. It's doughy on the inside and crisp on the outside with lots of salt. It comes with a beer cheese dip. We devoured it. Very tasty. The fried pickles were the absolute BOMB! It's a good sized portion and the flavor was outstanding. Not only do you get the great dill taste in the pickle, but the breading seemed to possibly have some dill in it as well. It was perfectly fried. Possibly the best thing we had all night. Sirloin was wood fired (mesquite, I believe) and cooked perfectly medium rare. Great flavor and the accompanying mashed potatoes were perfect. The brisket burnt ends were quite good too. I somewhat consider myself a brisket aficionado so I'll give you my honest opinion. They tasted great and were paired nicely with a good quality mac & cheese. My only critique is that with burnt ends that should be crispy (thus the moniker "burnt") and like a piece of bbq candy. They are typically twice smoked to allow for this. This dish was more like a Brisket Mac & Cheese (minus the burnt end part.) like I said, still great, just not what I was expecting. Would I order it again? Absolutely! Just keep in mind it is more like mac & cheese topped with brisket. The Cajun combo was quite the eye catcher. Big luscious charbroiled oysters, and good sized shrimp. The catfish fillets were more like a couple of small nuggets though (see picture) rather than actual filets. Which to me was surprising considering it's typically a cheap fish. I digress, they were still very good. The fries were nice and crispy shoestring style, and the hush puppies are jalapeño cornbread style (my fave!) The oysters were briny and plump as expected. Finally on to the Blackened Pasta. It had nice big chunks of grilled chicken along with fettuccine noodles in a cream sauce (think Alfredo) and was topped with a blackening seasoning, which had a nice quick. I could definitely have used a significantly increased amount of garlic in the sauce but that may just be a personal preference. It was quite delectable and I did finish off almost the entire plate. 1.5 Stars Overall: Will definitely add this place to my list of "must return and try something new" restaurants. We all actually had a hard time choosing dishes because everything sounded so good. I may have been a little nit picky ("burnt ends" and garlic), but overall it was a great supper. Nothing was bad (although the salsa was disappointingly bland) and almost everything was "very good." Highly recommend. 4.5 Stars.

Huge pretzel with beer cheese sauce
Christi S.

We have been curious about this place for a while and are glad we finally stopped in! Since we weren't super hungry we got several appetizers to share for lunch and everything by we had was great. The atmosphere is clean and bright, and our waiter was on top of things! We also lined shopping at the little market under the building after we ate.

Cajun Pasta

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

I liked the hand battered onion rings. Service is friendly but very slow and I think this place is closing.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

This place is absolutely amazing! The owner and staff were absolutely wonderful! The food is phenomenal! Can't wait to come back!

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3 years ago

Best food ever!! great place and amazing drinks!!! We cont come through there without going in!!!

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3 years ago

It's a great spot! Love the atmosphere. Miss the old Sockdollager, but Matera has good food and friendly staff.

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3 years ago

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Ask the Community - Matera Grill and Catering

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Okay, on a whim, we stopped by after a Firefighter pension conference. The place is clean, relaxed,…read moreand the people are friendly. We ordered the buffalo chicken fries and the bratwurst. We also had the Wayfinder beer and a double express (yes, I had both). The fries were perfectly balanced with a touch of heat and a hint of blue cheese flavor. With the Wayfinder Pilsner, it was AMAZING! The bratwurst was traditional in its meat, with sweetness added to the onions. Mustard was mild but added the right amount of flavor. Altogether, I would eat here once a week if I lived in the community. Delicious and highly recommended!

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Vagabond Pizza

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Last night, Vagabond had an amazing win that they weren't even aware of…read more We're friends with a couple who just had their second baby yesterday. The husband is stationed out of Dyess. Neither one of them really knows anything really about what is uniquely available to eat in Abilene. My wife and I were on our way to the hospital after picking up their kid from daycare when we were asked to pick up some dinner. We had offered to get them anything in town to eat while at the hospital. Given how they were new to town, their regular from Dominoes was requested. It was at this point I suggested Vagabond, telling the couple how for years it's been the best. The wife saw the menu and was impressed, eager to try it out. (We ordered 1 Lucia, 1 Carnivore, 2 Crawfish Hand Pies) The order was placed online, right as we left our driveway, I received a text confirming the order, which was followed up 15-20mins later by another one stating it was ready for pickup. It felt fast. As I walked in, I saw the traditional sights: the owner at the front welcoming everyone in, a filled up room with various parties enjoy their food and conversations, a staff working hard and yet ready to serve. I was told by the owner to go up to the bar where my order was waiting for me. I was in and out so quickly that I could feel the warm air coming off the pizza as I took it outside to my car. My one regret was not telling the owner on my way out how this meal would be the first meal for a mom who just gave birth. When I got to the hospital, the food was still warm. When both the mother and father had their first bite of the Lucia, they both had that 'wow' reaction to how amazing the taste was. Everything ordered honestly received a 'wow.' It was perfect. I have had Vagabond ever since they were out of a food trailer. Since then, it has been the place I always bring people to, particularly if they are visiting from out of town. It was the place where my wife and I brought our kid for his first restaurant meal. The consistent experience of it all is simply the best. I don't review places often, but last night was special. Never a bad thing to say thank you to a group of people who unknowingly wowed a father and mother in a hospital room. Thank you.

I was first a little disappointed, receiving an 8 ounce soda for $3 with no refills. But that was…read moreshortly followed by some of the best bread Ive had, plus the Lucia pizza I ordered. Environment was pleasant and the staff was wonderful. The service was really quick, and the way they're set up you can see a good portion of their process. I really wish I coulda gotten their Blackberry Cobbler, that looked awesome. Please switch the 8 oz sodas for 16 oz's at least, but beyond that zero complaints. As an update, the pizzas we got, we had as leftovers, and were just as great from the fridge.

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Matera Grill and Catering - seafood - Updated July 2026

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