Good grief this place has run downhill faster than a mudslide. Met a friend there for lunch and I'm glad I also decided to get a small salad because I couldn't eat the other food. The fried fish was thin, over cooked and hard. I mean I was pulling it trying to get a bite! I couldn't even eat the stuff, and wasn't even attempting to try a desert in fear of what that would be like. Run down on the inside but the service was okay. They really need to remodel, get a better menu and a new cook. Pic is what I got and didn't eat. I should have given my money back to my friend read more

McKay's Ranch House - Southern Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

This place is such a great find! They have buffet-style dining or you can order from the menu. As a rule, I've never cared much for buffets because most of the food is sub-par. McKay's is the exception!!! The food is fresh and all tastes homemade - even down to the mashed potatoes and gravy. I am amazed by how really good everything tasted. The folks working there are so nice and make you feel right at home. It will be worth your time to go to McKay's!!! read more

Food is exceptional!!! Service is exceptional!!! I live in Kilgore so this place is a real gem! read more

Costly but delicious; don't expect to spend a small amount and take home whatever is remaining on your plate, even if you only went to the salad station once. Overall, I'd still return even though it's a feast, knowing I can't handle buffets. read more

Needs updating! It's so dark and dingy inside I would hate to see it with full lighting on! Food isn't bad, but would hate to see a black light test!!! read more

I've never left a 1 star review before. At $19+ dollars for buffet lunch this place should be serving top notch food. I've eaten here years ago and it was amazing. Everything has gone down.. I would be leaving a 1 star rating if it were $5. The music was blaring, the lights were so dim I couldn't see much, and the steam table was just pitiful. The cabbage was ruined, overcooked inedible with some spice I've never tasted. The hush puppies were hard as a rock. The fish was edible, but that's it. Green beens resembled the cabbage, over cooked and over spiced. The salad bar was the only thing I found ok, and I thought the desert was going to save it but there was something in the cherry pie that was not supposed to be there, like wax paper or something. I am going to say, stay away. Save your money and choose anyplace else but this one. I'm sorry, it used to be a gem. read more

We visited this buffet for the first time yesterday. The interior of the restaurant was dark and dated but sometimes a 80's vibe is not a bad thing.. There were 3 bars: salad, hot food and desserts. The salad bar looked good but the flies buzzing around the food made me not want to eat any of it. The hot bar had meatloaf, fried chicken,mashed potatoes, gravy, Swedish meatballs,baked fish, green beans, okra and tomatoes, Mac and cheese and rolls. The food was good not great. The large rolls were the best thing I ate. The cornbread was hard and tasteless. This restaurant is known for its bread pudding. It was good but waitress advising us not to eat it if we were diabetic made me not want to try it. I did try the chocolate cake and it was hard and dried out. 30 bucks for two meals. Doubtful we will return. read more

McKays has been in Kilgore for a long long time. I have lived here for the last three years and just in the last month decided to try their restaurant. They have a basic menu of an entrée with three veggies, bread and a dessert for $17. Not too bad pricing for these days. The selections were pretty good but everything I got there except for the desert was so loaded with salt I ended up throwing 2/3 of it in the trash. I don't know why restaurants don't cook with minimal salt and let patrons add their own. Some people are on a salt restricted diet while others just prefer very little or none at all because they're trying to maintain their health. Unfortunately I won't be going back which is a shame because the choices for good food and Kilgore are severely limited. We have tons of fast food but not a lot of good food options. read more

Not as good as it used to be. We don't go very often anymore. Not sure if there has been a change in management but it lacks flavor and cleanliness. Restaurant could use updating to a lighter atmosphere that is more inviting. Outdated decor read more

Very good, home style Americana! Very clean, nice staff, They also have certified black angus steaks. I will be back. read more

It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. You get what you get, it's a cheaper, all you can eat buffet. For the price, it's solid. The bread pudding is a must. Wish I could give that one item a 5 star. read more

Loved the buffet. I am so stuffed I can barely move. The food was delicious and the wait staff were wonderfully sweet and helpful. Tonight was my first time but it won't be the last. read more

Disappointing. This used to be a darn good steak house. It is now just a buffet of fried meats and semi-warm veggies. The salad bar is okay at best. Only ice berg lettuce for greens. The cole slaw was good, the pea salad was decent. Not wanting fried meats, the other options were watered, luke warm fish filets and veggies. I opted for veggies and they too were luke warn. I saved a few bucks eating only the veggies. The locals come here, those that have come for years. At my age, we were the youngest people in the place. The building needs updating, the lights too. I'm wondering where this place will be in 10 years. I don't think I'll be back. Too many other options within 10 - 30 minutes of Kilgore to have this as suppa. Kilgore wants you to shop local. Time to step it up. read more

Decent selection of buffet supply home style food. The salad bar leaves a little to be desired but it's adequate. The waitresses are seen & not heard. Your glass will never be half full & plates won't pile up on your table. If you still have room after lunch or dinner you MUST have their bread pudding! It's insanely delicious! read more

McKay's Ranch House - The most amazing bread pudding! - Southern Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Nice Southern Cookin' buffet with great variety. Good mashed potatoes. Some of the other vegetables could be a little fresher in the evening. Outstanding fried catfish fillets at both lunch and dinner on Friday -- the best in East Texas with both tartar sauce and remoulad sauce available. Unbelieveable bread pudding thanks to the fabulous sauce. Good chicken fried steak, chicken tenders, and chopped sirloin. Really good gravies (cream and brown). Fair salad bar but does have some variety salads along with the standard "salad in a sack" chemically treated lettuce mix. Heard through the grapevine that the steaks are below standard. Wonderful service from long-time waitresses. Owner is often visible at the register -- a nice touch. Old style cafe decor. Scored a 4 but really a 3-1/2 star rating. read more

The food is good. The owner leaves a lot to be desired. If we could not eat all our meal we could take it home not anymore. He sits st register like a vulcher. That is the reason I will not go back there. read more

Limited selection but good value for the money. Salad bar was more than adequate, entree selections were generous portions and I did my best to try everything but fell short. I did not have room for dessert. You won't leave hungry. read more

ate here a few weeks ago. it is buffet style. everything is home made and southern cooking style, you know, meat loaf (which was excellent), chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, etc. They had some dessert that was called something like bread banana pudding and it had this sugar cream sauce. it was AMAZING! if you're ever driving through east texas, have a try at this joint. read more

It is a quick and easy place to eat. The buffet had a decent selection, and there is plenty of seating. Great for a quick lunch or dinner.

Just okay. Home cooked food. They have the best bread pudding iv ever had. The buffet is limited and they serve the same food everyday.

We attend church in Kilgore and decided to give this place a try since we were looking for something quick to eat after service. I want to start by saying that the service was good and the establishment was well maintained. For a restaurant of its size the buffet set up was rather small and the selections were limited. The chicken fried steak was delicious, but the green beans tasted like they came straight from the can. My children had the chicken strips and complained about the dryness of the meat. A friend told me that I should try the bread pudding. I did and in my opinion it was way too sweet. Judging by the number of people that were dining on this particular day, this restaurant meets the needs of someone that is looking for a quick meal without having to settle for fast food. The cost to feed a family of 4 for the quality of food that was offered was disappointing. My tab was $59.10 plus tip. I pay about this much for Golden Corral which offers a greater selection and quality entrees. We ate at Johnny Ozarks last week and was highly impressed. I believe from now own we will drive to Longview for future buffet meals. read more

I was not very happy with our first recent trip to eat ! The buffet was limited .. Well the cashier was rude and she didn't even know what we had or how many drinks we had , so basically we payed for 4 drinks when my husband had water .... Each time I walked past the cashier she gave me funny looks . We felt very out of Place seeing a customer clearly didn't like our interracial relationship or our children and made it very clear .. To top it all off we payed 44$ for basically nothing ... Very overpriced and we won't be back ... read more

I love.. loved this place. The food is wonderful a little pricey for such a small buffet but the taste of the food kind of makes up for it. The older lady's are wonderful and understanding. I came in with my two year old, one yr old nephew, and sister in law. Since small ones tend to make a mess, I was constantly cleaning up after him. My child makes a mess, I clean up after my kid. Can't really help when a baby drops food. Like I said, I pick up after him. An old man, who I later found out was the owner, come up to us shouting, "what is this?! This is ridiculous!" I thought he was playing around with the boys so I smiled and pointed at my son. Then he points at me, "no you!" I asked, "are you serious right now?" He said yes and I replied to him, "I've been picking up after him this whole time. I just moved the high chair." Then, he just storms off. My sister in law and I were left in disbelief of what just happened. Talking to the waitress who just came on her shift, I asked if that was the owner which was established it was and asked for something to use other than their cloth napkins. Instead of doing HER job, you know what she gets paid to do, she hands me the broom and dust pan. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

Passing through Kilgore today at lunch time, we were looking for a place to eat that wasn't a 'chain' restaurant. Happened across McKay's Ranch House by mere chance. There were tons of cars there, so we decided to give it a try. We were there for the Sunday buffet. The food choices were great and it was all so good! The people were friendly and we'll definitely stop by & eat there again. I'd highly recommend it especially if you're in the mood for southern style cooking. read more

Friday evening my girlfriend and I stoped in for dinner. Excelent food and service! Everything was fresh and hot. The bread pudding will keep you comming back. read more