Our Tuesday brunch at Sunken Gardens: Dude. Delicious is not enough to describe the food and drink. Here's how it works. It's a buffet style of delicacies but they charge by the pound. It was $7.99/lb. Put what you want on your plate. There's so much to choose from. You can have it to stay or there's to-go containers. There's cold and hot options and plenty of entrees. Dessert is limited to cobblers. I highly recommend the sweet and spicy beef, the catfish, and the jalapeño-cheese beefsteak. Same goes for the tuna salad, crab salad, and zucchini salad. The pasta salad I could give or take because it was al dente. Wife had the meatloaf and it was gooood. Same goes for the chicken strips. The sides were all freshly made (macaroni, rice, etc), and we weren't disappointed with any of it. The rolls were also good but not sweet or anything. They were basic, but that was a good thing because I didn't want anything competing with the food flavors. We also got some cobblers (one pecan and one blackberry, but there were others). I prefer crispy cobbler and this one was doughy and dense. Some like it that way though. I will say that the flavor was good and refreshing, despite being dense. Despite having indulged ourselves at the neighboring Friday's the night before (see previous review), we woke up famished. Having no food available at Shinerville Coffeehouse (see review because they were so nice and even pointed us here), we wound up eating at the Garden. It turned out to be a great experience. At $8 a pound plus $2 for drinks and a tip, we paid around $40, but our plates were laden from side to side. We greedily ate all of it. I forgot about the mozzarella spinach. Get that. Drink options were typical sodas and four ice teas, or (free?) fruit-infused water from a cistern. The teas were also in cisterns. There were four options: a red unsweetened eucalyptus tea that I liked, unsweetened, sweetened, and peach. We got the peach. There's only to-go cups and refills are free, so you're welcome to take some for the road. The atmosphere: Inside it was cool and crisp. The noise level was moderately low and they had good music. Blackbird was playing at one point. Being that it was such a nice day, we opted to eat on the covered wrap around porch that overlooked the Spoetzl Brewery. Btw (in terms of distance) with a good driver and the wind at my back, I could hit the brewery with a golf ball from the parking lot of this place. The restrooms were unisex, as you'd expect for a small establishment like this, and very clean. The people: Staff were excellent, accommodating and knowledgeable. The manager took the time to speak to me for a bit in between rushes, but a wave of people came in so I didn't hold her up. Back on the porch, a young male staff member engaged us in some more conversation and we spoke a bit about Texas history. He is very, very proud of our state and our history - both eager to share and learn. On our way out I met a cook named Mike (easy for me to remember). He was tossing a box with a cool dragon graphic and let me keep it. He also let me fill our carrying-sized igloo with ice. Mike is ex-military like me and it was fun swapping "war stories." He started cooking when he was in the military and is a native Shiner (I gotta figure out what they call the denizens of Shiner). The patrons were also very nice and easily exchanged pleasantries and held doors for one another, which is one of the coolest parts about being a Texan - but is especially so in Shiner. Friendly and unintrusive is the best I can describe. We left full and satisfied in many ways. The pictures are of some cool views I saw. One is their electrical boxes outside, which are painted uniquely, despite being outside of clear view. Just another example of the grooviness that's the prevalent, unspoken expectation of the township. It really speaks to the spirit of the town. We also took pictures of our food before we devoured it. read more

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We stopped at Sunken Gardens for lunch on our way to Goliad State Park and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is cafeteria-style, with everything priced at $8.99 per pound, which we didn't expect but ended up working great for our family since everyone could choose exactly what they wanted. The food tasted homemade, and the salad bar was especially impressive with lots of fresh options. The chicken tenders were a big hit with the kids, and we couldn't resist trying the cherry cobbler for dessert, which was delicious. If you're passing through Shiner and looking for a casual, satisfying meal, this is a great stop. read more

The place was a little dark for the lunch time. It is a buffet that you pay by the weight of your plate. Salad bar was good. Choice of entrees was not great. The chicken tenders were fried very hard and dry. The pork tenderloin was overcooked and dry. All the entrees were covered by some kind of sauce. Nothing for a diabetic to eat. read more

In the shadow of the city's eponymous brewery (really Spoetzl Brewery but most wouldn't know to which I refer), sits a small diner that offers stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that is sure to quell the hunger of a hardworking brewer on their well earned lunch break. In a style that you don't see as often as their once was, they offer home cooking by the pound. Today there was catfish, chicken tenders, hamburger steak 3 ways, turkey, and lasagna, and probably a few I missed. Their sides collection will take you back to your favorite church pot luck with the breadth of variety. They also had a very fresh salad bar with the best options you can ask for in before you indulge in the fried goodies. I caught them right before close so I was offered a discount take it to go. Al fresco dining was fine by me so I got to enjoy my weighty meal whilst looking at one of my favorite Texas institutions and sat amongst the ruins of the Sunken Garden. read more

Sunken Gardens - Imagine the polka music that once pumped out of what I imagine was the bandstand. - American Near Me - Shiner, Texas

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Since new ownership, sunken gardens is trying out staying open on W,T& F evenings. OMG-well worth driving there as my hubby had the best CFS! You had to order it but it was excellent. Our friend ordered a cheeseburger, she said it was delicious. The other hubby & I ate off the buffet and no complaints at all!!! Fresh home cooked food. Would go back-give them a try !! read more

Yummy comfort food, nice staff l, would recommend especially for lunch! Pick and choose off of buffet, so all got exactly what they like.

The absolute cutest little down home cooking restaurant. We were going to the Shiner brewery and distillery but didn't just want the BBQ they served so we went here instead. I loved the concept of paying by weight of the amount of food because then you could get as much or as little of any of the foods that you wanted. A few items were on the saltier side, and the chicken tenders were slightly dry, but honestly the nostalgia of the type of food just took me back to when my grandma would cook for me. read more

Looking for a quick lunch prior to visiting the Shiner brewery. The buffet looked so good. Service was fantastic and everyone was so cheerful. I tasted the Mac & cheese, friend chicken, catfish and pea salad along with Caesar salad. It was all so good. I do wish they had real plates and silverware, but it was a minor nuisance. Took pie to go and haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it! read more

A friend from Weimar and I met for lunch at Sunken Garden. Having never been here, I didn't know what to expect. Several different sources quoted various closing times. Some stated 1:30 p.m., another quoted 5 p.m., while the sign on the door claimed a closing time of 3 p.m. We were in and out for lunch well-before any of those times. The bill is derived by weight: $8.99 per pound for adults, and a different price for kids. Trying to stay on my diet, I stuck with the meats on the buffet line. The food was very good and exceeded my expectations. Everything is self-service, including bussing our own tables. There wasn't any staff or server hovering over our table, which allowed for an uninterrupted time of fellowship. The ambiance is extremely casual as I was in shorts and a pullover collared shirt. This was a good enough experience to want to come back in the future if I'm every in the area again. read more

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Food was very good. Country style comfort food. Chicken tenders and fried catfish were excellent. German chocolate cake was excellent also. read more

We asked a local for a good place to eat. He recommended Sunken Gardens. Sunken Gardens is home cooked food. You choose your plate, then your food and pay for it by weight. The choices range from salads and salad bar items with house made dressings to fried chicken and catfish to chopped beef patties. You can easily go gluten free, low carb, or meat and potatoes with a dinner roll. They have home baked cakes and pies. The german chocolate cake was almost as good as mom's! Mom is always the best cook! You can taste that a box mix was nowhere near when this cake was made! read more

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This is a nice place, a favorite spot of the locals. Comfortable and roomy seating inside and out. This is a self service buffet, but it is NOT all you can eat. You fill your plate and then you pay by weight. I'm personally not a fan of that. The food is very tasty and there was a decent variety of choices. I won't choose to come by myself again but I would go with others. read more

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Historic building-old dance hall Buffet style Home cooking Lots of vegetables and salads Lunch steak, fried catfish, chicken, etc Across from shiner brewery In shiner Texas Get off truck packed ih10 and take us 90 to Houston read more

Great fresh chow! Great people and very friendly and the service is fantastic Love the pies and I'd go just to have pie or cake. read more

Looked for a place to eat after our Shiner tour at Spoetzl Brewery, and found the BEST homestyle buffet we've had in a long time- And it's just down the street! You pay by the pound, by weighing your plate at the end of the buffet line. I loved the chicken and dumplings soup, and my husband's favorite was the fried catfish! We had full plates, soups, and a dessert with water cups and it was a little over $30 for both of us- seemed steep until I realized how much food that actually was! Beats a dinner price for the same amount of food, elsewhere! Also- We still had some sample shiner tokens, so this was a great spot right down the road to come back to the brewery for a few more samples! read more

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I checked out Sunken Gardens for lunch after getting a pretty good buzz at Spoetzl Brewery. Shiner's brewery was as a blast, but since they don't have food, we were looking for a late lunch. Sunken Gardens is a minute or two away but make sure you get there before they close at 3 p.m. Sunken Gardens is a historic site which used to be a dance hall back in the day when German settlers moved to the area. A historical marker mentions the property's history. They have a parking lot so you're good there. Sunken Gardens offers cafeteria-style Southern cooking. Grab a tray and pick out what you'd like. From there, like Whole Foods, the price you pay is based on the weight of your plate. I got a nice variety including catfish, grilled chicken spaghetti, oven-roasted potatoes, pork, fish, and cornbread. Everything was pretty good with the roasted potatoes, surprisingly enough, being my favorite. They were so crispy! Plus, a sweet tea to wash everything down. Service was friendly and they let us stay a little past closing time. Sunken Gardens is a casual spot and makes for a solid, quick lunch. read more

Catfish was good and the banana pudding was delicious as well. Staff is very friendly. It is all buffet but they keep it fresh and hot.

What a Fantastic gem in the beautiful countryside of Shiner, TX! If you enjoy and appreciate southern comfort food, you'd better stop for lunch some day...I went there based on a recommendation and was so glad I did. Fresh, delicious, great variety and plentiful. Loved their Ice-tea as well! I would absolutely return... read more

Love the choices & teas For the early bird lunchers. Good deserts and great personnel. read more

This is the best restaurant in a 40mi radius of this town. A true hidden gem. Even though I live far away, I became a regular here. Everything very fresh, tasty, a lot of different options, friendly staff and great atmosphere. A must visit if you are around this area or passing through here during a road trip. read more

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This was a wonderful choice for our lunch on our road trip. Everything on the buffet was wonderful, and my husband especially liked the fresh greens. read more

Had catfish, black eyed peas broccoli salad and macaroni and cheese! Ate it all! Nice cool place!

This spot is awesome. Food is buffet, not all you can eat though. Your charge is based on weight of food on the plate. The food is homemade and delicious. If you want to eat low carb, there is something for you too. The building and indoor seating does not fit the quality of the food. If they were going for charming, they missed the mark. read more

Love love love this place! Good lunch food, beautiful ambiance, and very simple process to get your food. I go here all the time and suggest out of town folks give it a try! read more

A little jewel in the big town of Shiner TX. Only open 11-3 but they knock it out of the park during those 4 hours. FRESH wholesome cooking with a great assortment of fresh salads. Staff is friendly, dine in or take out, its buffet with a twist. Make up your plate and it's then weighed for the cost. VERY reasonable for the quality of food you receive. Haven't tried any deserts but they looked delish! We will be back. read more

Healthy food and friendly folks. Great town to stop, have good food and drive down a block and drink some cold Shiner Beer and take a tour

A great place for a healthy (or not, if you choose) lunch! The food is excellent, using excellent ingredients. Even some organic stuff! Pay by the pound, but the price is reasonable. Fill up if you want, or go for something lighter. I highly recommend the fried fish. And the peach tea alone is worth a repeat trip! read more

Fried fish, eggplant parmigiana, chicken tender, Mac & cheese, Turkey & dressing, stewed okra, pea salad, peach cobbler. Had a little bit of a lot of things. Tasted a little of my wife's roast beef gravy and potatoes. All very good. read more

Loaded up on my veggies today! Love this place! Super fresh salad fixings. Friendly staff and friendly owners. Great location in historic German building. It's a must go! read more

Sunken Gardens - American Near Me - Shiner, Texas

As said in another review: "mediocre at best and for the price you pay"

Delicious! Even the kids ate second helpings of the veggies. The people were friendly and the food was amazing.

Stopped in on our way to Fredericksburg, sanitizing station as well as gloves when you enter. Buffet style food and everything that we tried was great. Several options to choose from as well as dessert is available. read more

Delicious!!! Clean, organic food choices that taste wonderful! You can choose to eat healthy or choose to eat fried catfish or chicken fried steak... You get to control your portions too! LOVE LOVE LOVE this place and so happy it is a food option near the brewery now! You make your plate and weigh it by the pound. The atmosphere is clean and enjoyable with a covered patio option and plenty of seats for a large family or tour. Can not say enough wonderful things about this place!!! Posting pictures to show examples of food. They have so many more options and our plates do not show their selection or do the food choices justice. They have many organic food options too which is soooooo nice! read more

Sunken Gardens - Clean, mostly organic and delicious! Control your own portions...weigh by the pound. Amazing choices and wonderful food!! - American Near Me - Shiner, Texas

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Following a tour of Spoetzl Brewery (historic brewery for Shiner beer), we looked on Yelp and Google for a local spot to eat lunch. Based on the description and good reviews, we chose Sunken Gardens. Great choice! They offer a lunch buffet with food priced by weight. Both my husband and I agreed that every item was fresh and flavorful. The building itself has historical significance, as it was a dance platform opened in 1936. It appeared that many locals eat here, as the crowd was steady and people were greeted by name. Check it out if you're in the area! read more

WOW we were passing through Shiner on our way to San Antonio and asked a business we were at where a good place to eat was and they informed about this place. At first we didn't know what to think about the name but they informed us that it was a great place to eat so we went and ate a late lunch. We served ourselves and the food was whatever our portions wanted to be. It was weighed and our group was blown away at how good the food was. They had a Hibiscus tea that set the meal over the edge. The only thing I didn't get was desert because I was watching the calories. They had great selection of music playing while we ate and they apologized to us because their buffet had been cleaned out since it was the end of the day. Next trip to San Antonio we will make our way through Shiner just to eat here !!! read more

I was very happy with the buffet offerings at this small town establishment. It's basic American-style food which the name of the establishment doesn't give an inkling to and idontknow where the "sunken garden" might be located. The last time I went the buffet had chopped steak, fried fish, baked chicken, fried chicken tenders and a few other entree choices that offered a good variety. The salad bar options are pretty awesome and again, variety of choices. You just walk in, grab a plate, load it up from the self-serve cafeteria-style line, then weigh your plate and pay (price is per pound). They offer in-door and out-door seating. read more

Great home cooking. Great service and value! If you have a limited lunch time this is the fastest place to eat your meal and go!

There aren't a lot of good food spots in Shiner but this one is pretty decent. They have a cafeteria style but it's a cute boutique style restaurant. You pay per plate by weight. There is a decent salad bar, lots of heavier home style cooking selections, their desserts are fabulous. The staff is friendly. Great place to spend time with friends! read more

Excellent simple food. Buffet where you pay by the pound and he food was good and the price was better.

We love to travel to new places and try different places. We were so excited to try Sunken Gardens with all the rave reviews and we were super disappointed. A cafeteria like buffet that you pay by the lb. All of our food was mediocre at best and for the price you pay, definitely not our cup of tea. read more