Mary's Cafe

GREAT place to stop in the area. Best chicken fry in Texas, ice cold schooners of beer, fresh jalapenoes and other veg, peel and eat shrimp, legendary service from Mary and her impressive crew. Lots of travellers (N on 16 are some breathtaking vistas, not for the faint of heart). Great sweet tea, thick white, peppery gravy. Favorite destination for all walks of life. Kids welcome, hunters, TX on a plate.

Took a 4 mile detour off of I-20 to get a "famous" chicken fried steak. Personally I wasn't crazy about the steak, but the servings were generous and I could not finish all my food even though I ordered the small. It's not fancy but the service was great.

Make sure you bring the appetite and the time to eat here. Food is good but takes a long time to get to the table after ordering. Tip: The sides are just as big as the main dish. A half order here is STILL TWICE AS MUCH FOOD. Also order your fried pie when your food is served. It may be out when you're finished eating... or order it at the same time as food to be on the safe side. We waited just as long for one fried pie as our whole meal on a Sunday evening when it was not busy. Orders can be split for additional charge. Wait staff is friendly but you cup of water/ tea/ soda, etc. will sit empty if you don't get their attention.
The turnaround time on food was a turn off for me. Not a good place for small hungry children. The teenagers next to us were complaining about the wait... even the time spent on the phones was not good enough. So it just wasn't one or three tables that were slow.

Update: We tried the 2 lb Texas burger. It is really just a novelty as the bun is not sized to the patty and it was cooked beyond well-done. Very dry. Stick to the delicious pan-fried steak.

There are few places that serve a decent pan fried chicken fried steak. Most deep fry rather than pan fry. Pan-frying provides a much heartier flavor to the crust. Almost a char. Super friendly service and huge portions make this a great value. The fries and salad were a bit limp. Restroom needed to be cleaned.