Short - we will go back. Pleasant atmosphere, nice waitstaff, good food & cold beer. Hallelujah. Long - stopped in on a random Wednesday - - they were packed! It's always a good sign when the parking lot is full in the middle of the week. Got a seat inside and waited. Then waited some more. The hostess seated a 14-top and we decided that we would leave if their orders went in first. BUT finally - a waitress. Friendly, though obviously harried by the unexpected mid-week bonanza. Drinks & food order in!! Margarita for me, Dos Equis for him, chili con queso, spicy chicken sandwich as shared plates. $22 marg was ABSOLUTELY worth it. Queso was SO good, with hefty chips made just right. Spice in the chicken - yes please. Did we wait, yes. Did we mind, NO. BEST PART - the people watching was PRIME. We could've passed another round & been entertained until closing but folks were waiting for tables and i was just buzzed enough on the ONE marg. Looking forward to tomorrow when we try a burger & cheesecake. read more

The Water Stop? More like a quick stop for water -- because that's about all we stayed for. As one of only a handful of larger restaurants in Marfa, we expected a much more welcoming experience, especially considering the prices geared toward tourists. Unfortunately, this establishment did not feel family friendly or kid friendly despite presenting itself that way. After waiting around 10 minutes just for someone in our party to grab menus, we were eventually served water and later had our orders taken. However, the overall attitude and repeated glares from the waitress/bartender, Gary Jean, made the experience uncomfortable and unwelcoming. Good service goes a long way, and basic kindness shouldn't feel like too much to ask. It became clear that receiving decent service was going to be more effort than it should have been, so we decided to leave before our food even arrived. To management: supporting your staff better may help improve the customer experience overall. A little hospitality can make a big difference. read more

Just off Highway 90 as you roll out of Marfa, The Water Stop is the kind of place that immediately sets the tone for something memorable. Housed in what feels like a former gas station or feed store, the building leans into its past while embracing a distinctly Marfa sense of style that is equal parts Texas chic and creative expression. The space blends indoor and outdoor dining with an eclectic mix of vintage tables, mismatched chairs, and quirky, artful décor. What might look like flea market finds to some feels, to others, like a carefully curated collection as if dining at an artist's home than a traditional restaurant. The hospitality matches the setting as warm, easygoing, and refreshingly unpretentious. From the moment we arrived through the end of our meal, the staff made everything feel effortless. At one point, when my daughter asked for another Mexican Coke, our server casually pointed her to the fridge to grab one herself, which is a small moment that perfectly captured the laid-back, trust-your-guests vibe of the place. The menu keeps things simple, focusing on classic American fare with a regional twist, and it absolutely delivers. At our table, we had the Hatch green chile and bacon burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and chicken tenders all served with flash-fried French fries. Every bite hit the mark. The chicken was tender, juicy, and full of flavor, while the burger was the standout as it tasted rich, got messy, and unapologetically juicy, dripping just enough onto the fries to make them even better. The fries themselves struck that perfect balance: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Even on a Tuesday evening, the place was buzzing. We had a short wait, but it hardly felt like one as there was plenty of space to sit outside or grab a drink while taking it all in. In many ways, The Water Stop feels like a reflection of Marfa itself: a thoughtful reinvention of something old into something vibrant, blending nostalgia, creativity, and comfort into a dining experience that's as unique as the town it calls home. read more

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Sadly the service was slow more like a water trickle - moving better up front, perhaps, but I wasn't the only patron who had to get up and find help when requiring service. Food has been consistently tasty during all visits - this time a Ginger Sesame Salad & chocolate cake (balance!) kept me satisfied. read more

The Water Stop - Elote! - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Food exceptional, service first class and indoor/outdoor (Dogs welcome on leash) dining. A great place to sit back and enjoy a cocktail and good company. read more

The Water Stop - Cheese burger and fries. - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Man... I've got to say, thank you for staying open later than the norm out here. We rolled into town from Fort Worth and learned real quick that most everything shuts down promptly at 9pm. Not this place. They keep it going until 10pm and we were grateful. We pulled up and immediately noticed the vibe. From the front, you can see the patio and straight into the main dining area. Music was on point and lively bar tunes that set the mood just right. We grabbed a spot outside on the patio and had an awesome dinner. I went with the spicy chicken sandwich. definitely hit the spot. The Old Fashioned was good too, though I'll say... too many ice cubes and it starts to throw things off a bit. Still, drinks, food, and atmosphere all came together for a really solid night. read more

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Waterstop 5.0 star rating 1/10/2026 Look, Marfa's got its share of those arty, foo-foo spots where the portions are tiny, the prices are sky-high, and everything's drizzled with some weird essence that tastes like a hipster's dream. But Waterstop? Nah, this ain't that. This place is a straight-up, no-nonsense gem with real-deal food that's dang good and reliable every time you walk in. I rolled up for dinner after a long day exploring, and from the jump, the service was on point--friendly folks who actually care if your margarita and beer's cold and your order's right, not some performative act. Ordered the 8oz ribeye (juicy, perfectly cooked, with shrooms and leaks that slap) and the Cod filets which were loaded with flavor without any unnecessary frills. The kitchen here has balls-to-the-walls talent; you can tell they're pros slinging out hearty, satisfying plates that hit the spot, not trying to impress with Instagram-worthy nonsense. If you're in Marfa and want something solid that won't leave you hungry or broke, hit Waterstop. It's the kind of spot that reminds you why you love Texas eats--unpretentious, delicious, and served with heart. We'll be back! read more

The Water Stop - Cod and chips, and the tartar is next level! - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

This spot may not look like much from the outside but let me tell you it was excellent. From the service, to the drinks, and the food! I'm still thinking about my meal it was just delicious and honestly one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. I wish it was a meal I could repeat, but I was in town on weekend visit and I don't live near there. We were a large group of 8 but they were on it! Our waiter was excellent and attentive. read more

The Water Stop - Mushroom leek pasta - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

*** really good choice for a higher end dinner in Marfa, TX *** The food is excellent! It really was fresh, carefully-prepared menu items. Let's get this out of the way... Oof... The knocked off star is primarily because we didn't know if it was seat yourself or an employee with assist you. My daughters begged me to stay when I said I was walking out after multiple employees walked past us yet made eye contact with me. Please address this issue because an older couple came in after us. Did their little wandering around thing like old folks do. Confronted a nice man who seemed like he was in charge who quickly apologized and got staff to assist us after standing around for over 10 minutes. Inside reminds me of my brother and sister-in-law's house with dark green paint and accents of black and gold. A mix of all kinds of antiques. Greenery. Gold chandeliers. Some eclectic items. An assortment of artwork was displayed in the larger dining area. However, we sat outside. The patio was delightful with a cool breeze. Luckily we had jackets since none of the heaters were operating. Rotisserie chicken was rotating on the grill near us. Service was friendly and attentive once we finally were seated. I'm admittedly staunch on the service side of businesses, but perhaps more so with a restaurant such as this one. DRINKS: + Hot chamomile/lavender tea (they were out of green tea): $3.50 + Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle (my oldest loved it - so fresh, she said) $3.50 + Mystery Light cocktail $16 (I would definitely order it again.) + Cheese board $24 (this was my meal... loved it!) + Pasta Rossa (campanelle pasta in vodka sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella and basil pistachio pesto) $23 (my youngest ordered this... so delish. No meat, but pasta was cooked al dente. Amazing sauce!) + Classic burger meal $17 (the fries were so yummy... my daughter didn't give me a chance to try her burger LOL) + Two scoops of ice cream $13 (worth it... the girls allowed me to try their Cotton Candy and Peanut Butter Bailey's) Marfa, Texas, is a small town. Thus, restaurants seemingly run out of items here, so bear that in mind. Order a cocktail. Facilitate good conversation. Be merry. Forget the disappointments (for a while anyway... lol). Cards or cash accepted. Recommended for a casual or fancy dinner. RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 5 | Service: 3 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 4 read more

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Bohemian restaurant with outdoor seating and a fireplace as well as a resident cat. Well, neighborhood cat who likes to come by for a visit. Love that! The food is much higher-end than you'd expect and that was a welcomed surprise. It was all well-made and locally sourced. The tortilla soup was beyond perfection. Superb service with attention to detail. read more

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Y'all. PLEASE come eat. Posting a picture of the steak frites because we consistently order it (so amazing!!!) The drinks are delicious, go down well, and poured very nicely. We've ordered the Steak Frites, Queso, Paloma, fancy and regular margs, and the Marfa Lights drink. Everything deserves 50/5 stars. The atmosphere is wonderful, it can get a little chilly but the wonderful people working here keep a fire on, so it's nice and warm. We've had very good service so far, everyone is warm and inviting (very Texan tysm) and if extra things need to be ordered, like water, there is fast service. Thank you so much Water Stop People for always treating us amazing and being happy to get us fed. Kitchen closes at 9pm (something to keep in mind!) read more

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OMG! What an incredible addition to the menu! Soooooo good! And with little hints of goat cheese. Yum! read more

The Water Stop - Mushroom Leek Pasta - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Great food and service! This was our first stop when we arrived in Marfa. We ate outdoors so flies were a small issue but not big nuisance. The outdoor patio is shaded and nice. Drinks were cold and tasty after a long drive. The food was also delicious! The fries and aoli were a great appetizer. The summer salad and the grains bowl were also fresh and yummy. read more

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Solid food and service. We started with cocktails--an excellent Margarita and a draft IPA--followed by our mains. My wife enjoyed her Caesar salad with chicken; my green chili cheeseburger was fire! read more

The Water Stop - Caesar with chicken - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

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Very cool place with delicious food! My Greek salad didn't have any lettuce, but I didn't even miss it with all of the delicious and well sliced veggies. I'd ask for a little less dressing next time. I tried the French dip and the bread was perfectly crunchy to stand up to the au jus; the beef was so incredibly tender that I was kindof sad I didn't order that for myself. I loved the old building that had a little chilly breeze running through all the cracks but the heater was doing a great job of keeping it warm enough. The whole place felt like Austin, including great music on the playlist, cool waitstaff, and high prices. Definitely a nice place to stop when you're deep in the heart of Texas. read more

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Very nice little place with excellent food and a great staff. Very personable & mellow!

Delicious classic cheeseburger, perfect fries and great service! Loved the outside patio seating area and tables with some spacing for privacy! read more

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The food would've been GREAT had they cooked them how we asked which was medium and medium well. Both came out well done making them a bit tough. At $30 some and $50 some you should get them as requested. All of the sides had amazing flavor including the carrots! read more

The Water Stop - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

A cute funky place downgraded one star due to their advertised specialty of grilled chicken was not done at 5:30. They open at 5 so it should be stated in advertising not to order chicken until 6. We came especially for that special. Not wanting to wait, i ordered the chili pepper hamburger which was very good and hubby not finding anything he wanted ordered the queso and chips. The service was excellent and apologies were given but still left us wanting. read more

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All is amazing. Food. Ambiance. Servers. All great!! Great detail in all the decor. Ate at the bar. And had a great time.

The food at the water stop was tasty. No complaints about my huge salad with grilled chicken. The biscuits were delicious as well. The burrata was ok. Overall a pleasant stop in Marfa. read more

The Water Stop - Winter Green Salad with chicken! $25 - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Little slow on the service, but the food and drinks were enjoyable. This is a small town restaurant with a simple menu that hits the mark. read more

The Water Stop - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

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Poor lil' Marfa. So desperate for a go-to restaurant that this place actually does business. I waited for 2 hours (yes dumb but it's Marfa) for my meal, while the alcoholic/drunk owner stumbled around saying hi to people. I chalked it all up to the Marfa effect until I realized how much time I wasted in this awful excuse for a business. Clueless bartender Terrible owner Please try your hardest to find another restaurant in this lil' town. P.S. DQ stays open until 10. read more

My friend and I ordered burgers and drinks. Everything was delicious and the service was great! We enjoyed having dinner together in such a unique and eclectic space. read more

The Water Stop - Desert Flower Cocktail - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Nice restaurant with outdoor seating to enjoy the outdoors of Marfa. While restaurants are limited in this town this is probably one of the best! I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich and it hit the spot after a long morning of strolling around the town. The bun was soft and fluffy which went well with the crunchy crispy chickens. A fair warning the jalapeño is very spicy! The French fries could have used a bit more time in the fryer to crisp them up a bit more. read more

The Water Stop - Spicy chicken sandwich - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

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Being honest can be hard.... We LOVED the grain bowls BUT....... My husband added the beef, it was soooo bad and I could not eat the small piece he asked me to try. He will not send food back and he ate it covered in their unagi sauce. Maybe we were the unlucky ones who got the last of the last meat order.... The place is ADORABLE, the waiter was kind and the bartender made me a really nice gin drink. It wouldn't keep us from going back for the grain bowl again but he'll have the chicken added please! read more

The Water Stop was delicious. We had five burgers, one Greek salad, ice cream and the most to die for cheese cake. Everyone's burger was cooked to order, they were huge and the fries were skinny, yet meaty (not potato shrapnel). Cody took great care of us! read more

There are not that many restaurant options in Marfa but the Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich from the Water Stop is one of the best Fried Chicken Sandwich I've ever had. The tender chicken, perfectly seasoned, creates a delightful balance of spice, when paired with its jalapeno, it's spicy but just at a good balance with the meat. The antique decor and the use of firewood add a charm touch of your dining experience. read more

The Water Stop - Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Rude staff. Just because it's a busy Tuesday night is no reason to be a jerk to guests. Marfa has plenty of good restaurants go to any of them but pass this place by. read more

An funky cool oasis with an admirably compact menu that is very well executed. The kind of thing one doesn't expect along the highway in the Texas badlands. Burrata? Yup. You want one of those. They have some wines stocked up in there, too. Bathroom was pleasant and clean. Service was prompt and helpful. Bookmark. read more

The Water Stop - a row of wine bottles on a shelf - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

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Nice relaxed atmosphere. Seemed like a lot of locals who knew one another. Great food. Had steak done perfectly. Roasted carrots were delicious-could have made a meal out of them. read more

The Water Stop - Roasted carrots with pumpkin seeds. - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

Delicious green Chile burger and super kind staff. The ice cream is from Austin and it is delicious too! read more

The Water Stop - Green Chile burger - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

The food was AWESOME. The rotisserie chicken and grilled carrots were comparable to high end Dallas restaurants. The Cadillac margarita was very good, great friendly bartender. The service however was awful. I think our waiter was maybe new, but he disappeared for like 45 minutes, said he was busy when we tried to order ice cream after dinner, then disappeared again, to the point my family had to leave and I was stuck waiting to pay. Oh I also didn't get a fork and never got one when I asked for it after my food came. Had to share a fork with my toddler. If the service had been good I would've rated full stars because the food was so incredible. Hopefully they can work on that! read more

I appreciate it was a rough night for the crew, but I had an objectively terrible experience. Steak frites came out north of well done (ordered medium rare). Fries were oil-soaked and soggy. Thinnest amount of sauce. It would be nice to have salsa to dip the rest of my queso chips in as I waited over an hour for my food. Again, I get it was a rough night and my server did the best she/they could. IDK if the 10% local discount was for the service or because the server recognized me (I'm a local) but it was nice gesture. read more

Great food, cocktails and staff!!! Beautiful outside patio was dog friendly Loved our time there! read more

Slow service, hour and a half wait for food. Servers unfriendly no check backs for drinks, not sure what is locally sourced when you only have 3 things on the menu read more

FOOD WAS AMAZIG!!! Burger is a must have if you're debating about anything there different and so good. Service was spotty I was quite sure who our waiter was but our food was out quick and we were there for long. The restaurant is comfy and cozy and just screams we have good food. Definitely a must try. read more

Pretty darn delicious: We ate outside with our dog & were welcomed immediately. Ambiance is Marfa'esque with indoor decor. The food was delicious: I had the Grain Bowl which has an Asian taste- every morsel was devoured. My boys had the Jelly Burger, the Vodka pasta, and the French onion dip soup. Not a bite left on any plates. I don't have any pictures, but I wanted to rave about it online. read more

Cute and hip place. We were able to park right up front. Multiple spaces right around the restaurant. Walking in - it reminded me of an old hole the wall bar with some antique decor and just dim and random painted walls. The waitress was super friendly. We were able to sit wherever we wanted so we chose a table that was in the front part of restaurant. There was a second side as well. I got the pasta. It was be very good and very filling. There was some good music quietly playing. Suddenly there was heavy rap coming from the kitchen which I thought was a bit odd. Lol. Definitely a unique place but the food is delicious! read more

The Water Stop - American Near Me - Marfa, Texas

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During my recent visit to Marfa my friend and I were in need of a late lunch spot and The Water Stop fit the bill. Despite being winter, the desert temperatures made it a nice day so we sat out on a table outside. For our lunch, my friend and I opted to go with a half rotisserie chicken, the spicy chicken sandwich, and an extra order of fries on the side. While the the spicy chicken sandwich was quite tasty (although not spicy at all), the rotisserie chicken was a big miss for me unfortunately. The chicken was dry, lacked flavor, and despite being served with a tahini sauce and limes and pickled onions still couldn't save it. Of everything the fries were actually my favorite item we tasted and the spicy mayo that the side of order of fries comes served with was very tasty....it actually was the only thing that made the rotisserie chicken a bit better. In addition to the food that was a bit of a miss, we had a major issues with flies buzzing all around our food and our waitress was often a bit lacking in action. I did, however, step inside at one point and immediately fell in love with the boho vibe of the interior. (if you're rocking a cute outfit it'll make for some very cute pictures). All in all, the Water Stop doesn't make the top of my Marfa dining list...but given the weird hours of some of the other restaurants in town during daytime hours during the week, if you have to dine at the Water Stop it won't be a terrible experience...but maybe avoid the rotisserie chicken. :) read more

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