I loved the food. It was southern country cooking. The people are nice and food is great.

I've lived and worked around Eustace, Texas for years, and I know most folks in this community. That's why it bothers me to speak up, but what I've seen over at The Roost just doesn't sit right. From what I've experienced, it seems like the place hires people who are already having a hard time finding work elsewhere. There's one waitress who, as I understand it, lost a previous job at a vet clinic after some issues with missing medication. These days, she'll sometimes show up with her own mix of what she calls a Bloody Mary--heavy on the vodka--and while she might offer it around, she mostly drinks it herself during her shift. She's married to a local police officer, and I've even seen him there in uniform helping bus tables. Another waitress is a local girl--friendly enough--but not very sharp, and she ends just about everything with a nervous little laugh that wears on you after a while. In the kitchen, things are worse. One of the cooks reportedly brings in liquor in the mornings, keeps it in the cooler by the register, and drinks from it throughout the day while working. I've also noticed basic cleanliness and food safety don't seem to be taken seriously. Hair shows up in food more often than it should, and when it's pointed out, it's sometimes just picked out by hand and tossed aside, no handwashing after. I've never personally seen staff washing their hands the way they should, and gloves and hairnets don't seem to be used. Food handling practices raise a lot of concerns--things like cheese and ingredients sitting out for hours, reused bowls without washing, and no clear labeling or dating on food. The equipment doesn't seem to be working right either. Freezers and refrigerators aren't holding proper temperatures, and instead of fixing them, it looks like staff are working around it with ice or just using the equipment anyway. I've heard of meat and seafood being served even when it didn't seem fresh. There are also bigger issues. The building doesn't appear to meet basic accessibility standards for folks with disabilities--parking, entrances, and restrooms included. Plumbing problems have reportedly backed up into the café area, and instead of shutting down to clean properly, the same mop used in the dining area was used to deal with it. Altogether, it paints a picture of a place that may not be taking health, safety, or basic standards seriously. I care about this town and the people in it, and I believe folks deserve to know what they might be walking into. read more

The fried food at this place is amazing! Gotta try the onion rings! Don't bother trying to be "good" here. I ordered the grilled chicken and it was lacking juiciness and flavor. The other foods...very yummy! I went with other people and their dishes were scrumptious. read more

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One heck of a good place for breakfast! We were camping out at the state park nearby but got rained out for our usual campfire breakfast so we went to Eustace and found The Roost Cafe and boy are we glad we did. Enjoyed it so much we went back the next morning for a second round. The place is cute inside, I believe it was the old post office from the marquee outside. But everything inside was nice and clean and bright. Service was excellent as was our food. It's obviously a local's hangout as we saw lots of regulars coming in and being greeted like old friends. read more

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When the city boy comes to the country this is the place to come get ur morning fittles. They welcome you in just like you is at home. Western Omelet, hash browns and waffle all very scrumptious. All bring back fond memories of my ma ma cooking for me as a kid. A solid 5 stars!! And a big thanks to those who made my day brighter by stopping in. read more

Delicious food with great service and small town ambiance. We stop there when traveling from Frisco to Nacogdoches.

Food was great! Definitely homemade! Got the family dinner and it was more than enough food for a family. We'll be back for sure!

The best chicken fried steak around Cedar Creek lake! Great value for the price as well. Wait staff is attentive. Restaurant is always clean when we go in. read more

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Great place to get breakfast and lunch! Friendly staff and quality food conveniently located in Downtown Eustace

Good food and good service. They have great hamburgers and homemade desserts. All the locals eat there.

The food is delicious! Fast, friendly service. Onion rings were lightly battered, Sausage seasoned nice. We will be back!

Great food, great service, reasonable prices. Highly recommend. The daily lunch special is a great bargain - large meat serving with 3 sides. WOW! I had the CFS and it was NOT OVER BATTERED like every other place in east Texas. Had a nice tasty batter and was very tender. Another had a great salad. All meals were very good. read more

Great, delicious breakfast with portions that were far larger than I expected--in the best possible way. Everything came out hot, fresh, and clearly made with care. The service was genuinely friendly without feeling forced, and the staff checked in just enough to make sure everything was perfect. It's the kind of place where you feel comfortable settling in, enjoying your meal, and starting your day on the right note. I'm absolutely going back, and next time I'm bringing friends so they can enjoy it too. read more

The catfish was three tiny pieces and was over battered and too hard! Totally disappointed and they did nothing, but say I'm so sorry. Seemed others was as disappointed as I was. At Brookshires on Friday, they have 5 pieces of catfish for $5. If they just cooked it, it can be delicious . It's much better than this place. I don't care for cornmeal batter. Sure would be nice to find someone using beer batter instead of myself. read more

We love going to The Roost for breakfast! It's a quaint little place in Eustace. They make me a special egg white omelette loaded with veggies that is delicious! We have also been for lunch and I've tried their burger and fries which was very good. Highly recommend! Would like to go for dinner sometime to try their meatloaf. read more

Tasty comfort food and friendly team. I tried the chicken plate, rooster fries and highly recommend read more

The Roost Cafe - Chicken plate with Mac and cheese and mash potatoes - Diners Near Me - Eustace, Texas

Breakfast is greasy and they serve Margarine instead of butter. Limited menu. Kitchen looks disgusting.

Had too try the lunch here cause the breakfast was so good. The service was great and very respectful. Still loving the small town feel here in will be back for the breakfast for sure but very disappointed in the lunch the chick n fried steak is big but it was very tough and not enough gravy come on folks we love our gravy on our chicken fried steaks also the fries just did not have that good crisp I love fresh taters but they need to be a bit crispier. My son loved the chicken sandwich, my wife said the hamburger steak was a bit dry, I had to try it and it was. So my assessment is breakfast is on point and I'm not a fan of the lunch side. So for breakfast is a 4 star review and lunch I give it 3. read more

The Roost Cafe - Menu - Diners Near Me - Eustace, Texas

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Wow!! This food was delicious!! And even though the place was pretty full, the service was wonderful and the food came out quickly. Everything was fresh and so yummy! read more

The Roost Cafe - All the pies are homemade. - Diners Near Me - Eustace, Texas

My husband and I stopped in here on a Friday late afternoon. I had been wanting to try it out, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The server was very friendly and made sure that we had everything we wanted or needed. I got the catfish which was on special for around $10. That included my tea. Great price!! My husband got the hamburger steak and it looked very tasty. We will definitely be back! read more

Mediocre American cafe food at best. Waitresses are really nice and attentive, but the food was largely unimpressive.

An unwelcoming place. There are many places to eat, this isn't one of them. The claim no one saw or heard us come in, is wrong. The female rolling silverware, as well as the older man sitting there with her both looked up, never acknowledged, said welcome or even go away. read more

Mediocre at best. The portions are small, the eggs greasy. Service was stellar, the place was very clean.

Eustace Texas is not much of town so it's fortunate to have this hometown local restaurant. Tends to be a little crowded and somewhat loud but it's local flavor with very good service . Priced very reasonably with fine quality food. I had French toast and scrambled eggs with sausage which was quite good . I did not have to add cream to the coffee so it must have been good. My son had scrambled eggs with hash browned potatoes, bacon and biscuits which he said were delicious. I enjoyed the local atmosphere and as my son says they might have the best breakfast around these parts of East Texas . read more

A-maze-ing! I was in town for a 5-week course and ate at The Roost Cafe more than a few times. The food is consistently great and the staff is very attentive but not overly. My favorite part was seeing the locals enjoy dining amongst friends and neighbors. Everyone was happy and the atmosphere of the cafe & the friendly staff set the tone. Definitely recommend!! read more

To say that we were disappointed would be an understatement. Having been there previously, when it was called Sue's Roost, we were glad to hear it had reopened. Three of us came in at lunchtime on a Saturday, and they were not busy. My wife had the special, which was chicken and wild rice casserole. Hmmm. Not impressed. The taste was a bit on the bland side, and there were big pieces of onion throughout the dish. Poorly executed. Mom had the BLT. The bacon was on the chewy side and not crispy at all. Additionally, there was not much bacon on it either. It was just plain jane like what you would make in your own kitchen if you were in a hurry and didn't have much time to grab something to eat. Did I mention they weren't busy? I had ordered the chicken fried steak with fries and a house salad. Normally, one would assume that the salad would come out prior to the meal, but alas, mine came after I had gotten my CFS. The salad was quite good, but the shame of it was that the salad was the best part of the meal. The french fries had been made sometime that day, but not any time soon after I ordered them. They were cold and limp. The chicken fried steak was almost as bad. The flavor was okay, but not very hot. Perhaps the problem was with our server. She seemed more interested in chatting with the customers in the back she seemed to know, rather than in delivering our meals while they were still hot. I very seldom write a very low review, and take no pleasure in doing so. All three of us expected so much more than what we received. The one positive is that the decor is very nice, and well updated. read more

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Very good breakfast place. Fast service, friendly staff and reasonable prices. Establishment is quite charming with its tiled ceiling--used to be Athens post office. read more

The Roost Cafe - Chicken fried steak, eggs toast, hash browns - Diners Near Me - Eustace, Texas

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I have eaten here 3 times now, and I felt like I could write a review. The location is in an area that used to be (still is?) the town square. There is a cute little park in the middle of the area. The restaurant is in the old Post Office, which you can see high on the wall above the entrance. The ceiling of the restaurant has the old style tin paneling, which I am guessing comes from the original post office. Now for the food. I have tried 2 of the dishes. My favorite is the pan fried chicken, which is currently the special only on Mondays. Perfectly seasoned and comes with 3 sides. I can honestly only finish the chicken plus 2 sides, so that's all I get. Mashed potatoes with gravy are awesome. The kitchen selects only available locally grown veggies for their sides, so this will vary depending upon the season when you come. Excellent home cooked food, great prices, supports the local farmers and gardeners, quiet location in historic part of a small Texas town. I highly recommend. read more

10/10 recommend this place. Such a cute location and great service! I got the western omelet with hashbrowns and biscuits and all of it was outstanding. I almost ordered a side of hashbrowns to go. They were that good. My boyfriend said that the biscuits and gravy was the best he's had! read more

The Roost Cafe - the front of the building - Diners Near Me - Eustace, Texas

Amazing food, great service and very friendly staff!! Highly recommend their chicken fried steak breakfast plate!!!

Food and service are outstanding. The Rebel Rooster and veggie omelettes were delicious and Carli was the best! Highly recommend The Roost in Eustace when you're looking for good, down home food in the Piney Woods of East Texas read more

Great home cooked meal. We had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. We finished with the sawdust pie and it did not disappoint either. Everything was freshly made and tasted wonderful. We will definitely be back. read more

The chicken fried steak was really good, the onion rings are perfect. The baked potatoes are kinda smallish and the salad is just iceberg lettuce with cheese on top, the salad dressing was good. Service was small town friendly and reasonably fast. Open seating at lunch with all but one table clean and ready to go. If my chicken fried steak didn't have a tough spot in it 5 stars, but it did. read more

This was once a favorite place to stop in for breakfast or lunch. A few weeks ago we can in and we're told of a staffing issue and to expect a 20 minute wait for our order. That became over an hour. We came in again today and our order took over 1 1/2 hours with no explanation other than "the grill is broken." Food remains above average but be prepared for a long wait if you choose to dine here. read more

Fabulous! Steak fingers, gravy and homemade fresh cut French fries are just like my Grandma use to make them! Highly recommend this place!

Great local place! The service was good and friendly a little due to a rush but all in all a good place. I had the Eggs Benedict it was good along with French toast. The Fried chicken and chicken fried steak seem to be the favorite in the restaurant. Next time I will order that. Look if you are at Cedar Creek Lake and want a nice late breakfast or lunch. Come over to Eustace and enjoy a good local place. read more

From the outside you wouldn't think much of this place, but when you walk in you are pleasantly surprised. The service was exceptional and the food came out hot and delicious. read more

There is a quaint little place here in Eustis Tex i tried for lunch. Although small portions the food was fresh , and good. really need to pay attention and sweep more often for my taste. Good service though. Try it out. Open dinning area. read more

Stopped by while driving through Eustace and decided to try it out. We ordered the Rebel Rooster Omelet and The Bulldog. It was my first time having chicken fried steak and needless to say it tasted like heaven! The biscuits were super fluffy and the gravy was too die for, highly recommend it if you want a hearty breakfast. The omelet was also really good made with fresh ingredients and real eggs. It came with a biscuit and hash browns which were cooked to crispy perfection. Definitely recommend stopping by for some delicious breakfast! read more

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Fantastic, friendly service. Pet friendly outdoor tables, and the food was delicious. If we're in the area again I'll definitely be back.