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    Underwood's Cafeteria

    3.8 (332 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque, American
    Open • 10:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Underwood's Cafeteria Photos

    UNDERWOOD'S CAFETERIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Underwood's Cafeteria

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    Reviews With Photos

    Homemade Peach cobbler with homemade whipped cream!
    Steven E.

    Went here on a whim. Best decision of the week by far!!! The staff was very friendly and helpful. I did the bbq sampler and it was super tasty! The rib was fall off the bone tender. The beefsteak could be but with a fork and was very good. Sides were fresh and hot. Speaking of hot... those hot rolls were amazing!!! I tried a little peach cobbler which was homemade and one of the servers came around and offered homemade whipped cream. OMG it was so yummy!!! The place is a cafeteria style and very clean. There is simple decor on the walls including a wall with a bunch of old rifles from back in the day which is cool. I'd definitely recommend this place (and in fact already have to the group I'm in town with right now). Thank you Underwood's for being here and making my day!

    Lena T.

    There wasn't much Yelp reviews, although Google had a good chunk. I will say after reading the mixed reviews I was very hesitant. But overall it was a pretty good meal and the cafeteria style made it very cozy and super casual. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Several times through the meal you had people walking by filling our drinks, offering us fresh homemade whipped cream and even passing out buns that just came out fresh from the oven. Now on to the food. The BBQ beef steak I was told was their most popular item aside the chicken fried steak. The beef steak was tender and flavorful but please don't expect anything besides an upgraded hospital cafeteria meal. The ribs were ok, definitely had better elsewhere but again I wasnt expecting omg this is amazing, it was overall like buffet quality. Now the catfish, that was something I was super skeptical at. But luckily I bit the bullet and ordered it. They were actually making a fresh batch so maybe that's the reason why it was extra yummy. The fish was flakey, moist, and perfectly cooked. It wasn't tough and after reheating it and eating it another day, it was still good. This was really a cool spot to have a family meal and it's pretty nostalgic for me as it reminds me of how on Wednesdays my mom would take us all out to have dinner at the local buffet in town because kids got to eat for free.

    Dining Room
    Richard Walton C.

    A quaint good old fashioned cafeteria with a a moving paddle wheel out front. One server takes your entree selection and puts it on a plate for you. Today there were six selections including St. Louis BBQ Ribs, Chicken Fried Steak, and Fried Chicken which they have every day. They have fish on Fridays and shrimp on Mondays. The rest of the food is buffet style meaning you serve yourself. I like it this way better because I don't eat large portions and I don't like to waste food. For desserts they offered three varieties of cobbler, peach, cherry and apple. I have never seen three kinds offered at once and cherry cobbler is very rare in restaurants. I went with the ribs, green beans, corn, and the cherry cobbler. All of the food tasted great. They have rover that will come by your table to pick up your tray and offer you home made whipped cream. I'm positive I'll be back soon. This is a nice surprise.

    Sliced beef and beans and potato salad.
    Cheryl W.

    Visited Underwood's in Brownwood Texas and it did not disappoint. It brought back the m memories of eating at Underwood's as a child. Still taste the same. It was well worth the trip. And the workers there were just great. And the restaurant was very nice. My family as well satisfied.

    Roasted chicken dinner plus sides. $16
    Joshua H.

    The best place to stop for home cooking goods in the whole city. Great value for the amount and quality of food you get. Super friendly staff work here also. Never leave here less than full.

    I think it's supposed to be brisket .I'm not sure I'm grossed out
    Jeremiah G.

    We always travel from Austin to lubbock for family. On the way we stop by here everytime to get the cobbler. This time coming back from lubbock we got the bbq sampler. We were really excited to try their bbq. We get to austin couple ours later and opened up the lid... so disappointed. I mean if this is brisket it's old old old. This is so sad and disgusting. I wish I can drive back to get a refund. I mean 70$ for the meal plus 2 cobblers

    All the fixins
    Meredith E.

    Underwood's Cafeteria is a true American treasure. Choose a meat and then load up with all the fixin's. Plop down into a booth and go to town. My favorite part of the dining experience were the vats of cobbler. Of course, I tried them all. Peach, cherry and apple were all delicious. Antique guns and historical art pieces lined the walls of the dining rooms. Underwood's is a must visit for all who visit Brownwood!

    My fried chicken dinner feast. This is not a Yelp photo. It's a cry for help.
    Ryan M.

    I didn't grow up in the 1950s, but I've flipped through enough of my grandmother's vintage cookbooks to glean a thing or two about what food was like back then. In the 50s, perpetually grinning, petticoat-clad white women would prepare lavish home-cooked meals consisting of various fruits, vegetables, and meats enveloped in aspic. Seasonings were used sparingly, everything was coated and/or fried in "Spry," and the only milk variety was "homo." Ok, that's a gross, semi-facetious exaggeration, but food definitely wasn't adventurous back then. The American palate has since evolved, but despite our collective penchant for fresh, colorful foods and spicy ethnic cuisines, we're all suckers for old-school fare that harkens back to the halcyon days of yore, a taste of 1950s Americana. That's what I hoped to experience during a recent stop at Underwood's Cafeteria in Brownwood, Texas. Underwood's Cafeteria is conceptually similar to Luby's and Furr's, but barbecued meats and fried chicken are front and center at Underwood's. Also, unlike its competitors, *everything* is included with your choice of protein. It's an enticing premise, especially for starving, road-weary folks like my father and me. When the matronly lady behind the glass informed me that the sides and desserts were endless, I crammed a lot of everything onto my tray like a hobo at a soup kitchen. You've probably noticed my two-star designation and wondered what I disliked about the experience, but I'll get to that later. First, I'll focus on the good (actually great): "Mama Underwood's Famous Fried Chicken." The three huge pieces of fried chicken were crispy, tender, well-seasoned, and juicy throughout. If you were to blindfold me, I would probably tell you they came from Earl Abel's in San Antonio, which would be a compliment. I gnawed every morsel of meat and breading off all three pieces and left craving more. The yeasty dinner rolls were also excellent, especially when lathered in butter and honey. Were I to rate Underwood's on the quality of its fried chicken alone, then this would be a laudatory five-star review, but protein is only part of the equation. Sides are equally important, and that's where Underwood's faltered. The green beans tasted like they came from a can, the carrots were previously frozen, and the mashed potatoes were pasty and chalky. The much-lauded cherry cobbler was a mess of cloyingly sweet glow-in-the-dark cherry pie filling and mushy crust topped with a scoop of Cool Whip. The mostly octogenarian crowd seemed to love the sides, so maybe Underwood's caters to bland, low-sodium diets. Maybe this was what food was like in days of yore. Maybe I'm just a spoiled, nitpicky bastard who's grown accustomed to fresh, locally sourced produce and desserts topped with "Chantilly" cream. Regardless, I found most of the sides and the dessert nearly inedible. I'm not sure I would recommend Underwood's, but if you load up on the fried chicken and possibly the other proteins, then maybe you will enjoy yourself. Perhaps you're really old and like bland vegetables out of a can. In that case, this is the place for you, dear friend. If you ask nicely, maybe the kitchen will coat your fried chicken and barbecued sausage links in aspic. That would be swell!

    Peach Cobbler

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    2 months ago

    Very tasty and you get a lot of food for not that much. Kids really liked it and that's a hard mark to hit because they're picky.

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    1 year ago

    Honestly delicious, big portions and cozy dining room. Felt very taken care of and a great meal on our road trip!

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    We got takeout. The bbq is hard to beat! We will be back. The staff was both friendly and nice.

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Super tasty ribs, Cole slaw and mashed potatoes! Convenient drive through. The only negative was that I got no napkin or plastic ware.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Lovely experience, the ladies on the counters were very nice. Introduced us to the menu, very southern style food. Tasty and fulfilling

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Very good food! Everyone was nice and helpful. It has a nostalgic feel. Will return next time I'm passing through.

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    1 year ago

    The food was absolutely amazing I couldn't get enough and this place had such an amazing vibe

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Underwood's Cafeteria

    What are the beverages options here?

    They have fountain drinks, tea & water available.

    What is the kids meal like? 3 generations of my family have been coming here, and now I'm bringing the 4th generation (my 20 month old) for the first time. Do I get a choice of meat and sides for my little one still or is it a set plate?

    They have several choices for kids.

    View All 3 Questions

    Section Hand Steakhouse - Sirloin for 1 ------1 1/4 pounds

    Section Hand Steakhouse

    3.5(100 reviews)
    3.7 mi
    •$$

    I recently visited Brownwood and had to stop by Section Hand Steakhouse. I visited once before…read morealmost 10 years ago and I remembered having a fantastic experience. Lemme tell ya... they still got it!! Everything I tried was delicious. We loved it so much we visited twice in the same weekend. The steakhouse is known for their salad bar and their unique croutons, both all you can eat. The croutons are something I've only ever had there. They're crispy and so flavorful and so different from your normal square crouton. You have to try them. While we were there we had steak, chicken fried steak, baked potatoes, jalapeño poppers... you seriously can't go wrong. The jalapeno poppers were a new menu item but they might have been my favorite(other than the croutons). The ribeyes were on special when we visited and they were great, good size, great flavor, and cooked perfectly. Honestly every dish we ordered was fantastic and now I'm looking for an excuse to head out to Brownwood again! As much as I enjoyed the food, the staff was even better. They were so nice and helpful, and they made great suggestions for us to try. The restaurant was very clean and there were plenty of spaces to sit for parties of various sizes. Thank you all for a fantastic dining experience.

    Our first time here. Hubby had the fish and shrimp. He said shrimp was excellent, they were sweet…read moreand fried so crispy, the fish was ok and he loved the hush puppies. We both enjoyed the salad bar. I ordered the Scrimps, suposed to be steak and shrimp but there was no shrimp hidden under the burnt onions and peppers. Our waiter did a great job considering he had a ton of tables!!!! To top it off we split a piece of French silk pie, my favorite!!! It was superb!!!! Crust flaky, chocolate light as a feather. The prices were reasonable.

    Photos
    Section Hand Steakhouse - Dining area on one side of the restaurant

    Dining area on one side of the restaurant

    Section Hand Steakhouse - Chicken Fried Steak

    Chicken Fried Steak

    Section Hand Steakhouse - Chicken fried steak special.

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    Chicken fried steak special.

    Underwood's Cafeteria - bbq - Updated September 2026

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