Cotton Exchange Cafe

I settled in to a window seat looking out at the gorgeous Hill County Courthouse, pleasantly surprised by the cloth napkins and intrigued by the pictures from local history adorning the walls.

I ordered the sausage starter and the chicken fried steak. I was a bit taken aback by the starter when it appeared, as it looked like a breakfast dish, with two split-lengthwise links laid on top of a cornmeal pancake with dabs of a syrup-looking sauce. But the pancake and sauce were savory and tasty enough, and the sausage, while not possessing the chorizo consistency I was hoping for, was fine.

The chicken fried steak was absolutely gargantuan (I ended up taking half of it home, an extreme rarity for me) and generously thick, a welcome relief from those where the breading overwhelms the meat. The texture of the meat was great, but the breading became chewy and fell off the meat too easily. The true star for me was the gravy, which was gloriously thick and creamy and chock-full of sausage bits. I chose two sides; the mashed potatoes were a worthy accompaniment to the steak, while the steamed broccoli was... steamed broccoli.

Overall, perfectly acceptable if you're passing through town and want a good small-town restaurant experience, but not particularly memorable.

Nice atmosphere, clean, and good service, but the farm-to-table is a little misleading. We ordered the chicken fried steak and it was obvious it was cooked from a pre-made frozen item. Even the eggs did not seem to come from a local free-range farm--yolks were pale yellow, did not stand up and anemic in taste. Apparently, the hamburger meat is from a local farm. So enjoy the restaurant, just be aware of what it really is...nothing special.

I saw this on Tx Country Reporter. I was not disappointed. The food was all it was said to be and the portions were more than enough. The restaurant it self was clean and attractive. I will go back.

Cotton Exchange Cafe is clean, friendly, and courteous. It is responsible with great atmosphere, reasonable prices, generous portions of delicious food.
Farm to table, grass fed beef and gluten free options. This place is the whole package!
The atmosphere and quality of food make the prices well worth it. Actually I feel the food may be under priced. You pay 6 bucks for a processed meat hamburger and frozen fries at the average fast food place. For a few dollars more you can have a real quality hamburger with hand cut fries. I can't imagine what you would pay for this in the city.
I can not say enough about the atmosphere. There are old pictures of the Hillsboro Court House Square with shots of the Cotton Exchange in its Glory days. The tables are nicely set up and covered with butcher paper. Oh, did I mention the Mason Jar glasses?

Not knowing what time they closed, I came a full 15 minutes after they closed. They still had customers so they urged me to stay and eat, so I did. Most places if I come 15 minutes before they close I get the stink eye and begrudging service.
I will definitely be back and bring friends. I may even bring some of my city friends and show them how it's done.

04052019 update
The chicken fried steak is something that legends are made of. The sausage gravy just blew my mind! The baked potato was cooked to perfection and ginormous. When you get quality, non processed food you can't eat as much of it and it stays with you all day.

Well worth the few mile detour off I 35. Wife had the chicken wrap, daughter had a burger and I got the chicken salad sandwich. Before we devoured our food we each got a taste of the other's. Exceptional food and excellent service. Top it off with a fried pie if you have the room.