The food was good but the rest of the experience is wild. A server approaches you while you're in line to order at the register to see if you're dining in or not. If you say you're dining in, you're shown to your table, then told you still need to order at the register, which means you have to rejoin the line at the back. You then order at the front, where you're told food is brought to your table but you have to get your own drinks. You are then asked to tip for this service. They give you one of those restaurant buzzers so that the server can identify your table and bring you food. For the prices this place is charging, they should be giving restaurant service, not coffee shop service. read more

Ok...I'm going to explain this so YOU know how it works because I was uber confused when I walked in. It's counter service. There's no sign that says that its counter service or not that I saw...and if I didnt see it than 90% of the people that walk in probably dont. You order your food and they hand you a buzzer. Your drinks are left up at the bar to grab so make sure you keep an eye out. The orange juice was $5 for a large glass but I took that first sip and I could tell it was fresh squeezed. Good play. The eggs benedict was pretty good but barely warm when I got it. I like the set-up and they seemed to have a pretty good menu but this place was mediocre to me. I'd go back...but I wouldn't make a special trip. read more

Black Walnut Café - Eggs Benedict - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

Ordered the blackened salmon Caesar salad. The salad came on a dirty plate so I sent it back and they made me a new salad. Didn't expect the salmon to be cut up in small pieces. Would have preferred it whole. I couldn't tell the difference between the crouton and the salmon! The fish was good and salad was decent. Nothing spectacular or omg good. Saw other dishes come out and I was jealous. Rather have had the grilled cheese or ahi tuna salad (that fish came out whole). Would go back but not order the blackened salmon salad again. On a good note, had their yummy Dulce Gelato because of all the rave reviews, now that was delish!! They need to do a better job at cleaning their dishes as my friend also had a dirty plate too. Hear this is the same issue at the Sugar Land location. BWC, invest in a better dishwasher! read more

Black Walnut Café - Blackend Salmon Salad... can you guess which one's the salmon and which one's the crouton?? Neither could I. - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. BWC is one of those places where plates can range from okay to good. Some of the staple items I get are the Frenchy, Asian Salad, Lobster Tacos, or Breakfast Quesadilla. I've ventured off a few times wasn't that satisfied with my food. The service isn't ever too bad unless it's ridiculous packed. They give you a buzzer and it'll go off when your food is ready for pick up. If you're going during a busy time, and with a group of more than 2, I'd suggest some people find a table while the others order food. read more

Black Walnut Café - Lobster Tacos with Caesar - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

Management actually reached out shortly after I posted this. They apologized and offered a better experience next time. Well, we decided to order online this time instead of through DoorDash and we were super surprised. It was so easy and the wait was way less than when you go through doordash. Our food arrived promptly and we received a text it was at the door! Everything was delicious and my boyfriend got the steak and eggs this time and the portions were way bigger and everything overall was just so much better. So much props for taking a review and making the next time great. Will definitely be back! I can also recommend the steak and eggs again. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the steak was good size and held well through the short trip. I ordered the creamy tomato basil soup and it was hot and packed with some yummy bread. Thanks again for the great service. I removed the picture of the original review because I reordered and it looked nothing like the original I had received. Such a better experience the second time around! They're open to constructive criticism and their personal delivery service is fast, easy, and a lot better than DoorDash. read more

From the moment we stepped through the door we were wowed! Being greeted at the door and explained the process to having recommendations for what to get, the presentation, the flavor, but most importantly the people are top notch incredible!!! My husband and I haven't had a restaurant in a long time that we love coming back to and now we do with this place! We are new to Katy and this will be a regular for us. Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience today! read more

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Black Walnut has really improved their palette , presentation and service over the years. I have to admit , I don't get too experimental with my choices here but the few things I have tried , are definitely worth it! The pancakes are 3/5. I have yet to to eat pancakes in Houston that actually taste good The breakfast enchiladas are my absolute favorites 5/5! Very tasty The pastas are also good Salmon is tasty! Service is always wonderful read more

Good place to eat, food is delicious!!! There is usually a wait time since its busy but it's worth it read more

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I really like Black Walnut for their breakfast. Big portions and great price. It's still a chain so nothing like best restaurant ever, but things are good. I've had multiple burgers and salads. The salads are pretty pricey but that's everywhere now. The burgers come with two patty's which some people don't like but I thought it was pretty good. The only thing I don't like is basically all pastas or just a lot of their dishes in general come with Alfredo sauce, which don't get me wrong is delicious but not healthy. Overall though I would recommend Black Walnut. The desserts are also pretty good and they have gelato. read more

Black Walnut is the perfect date night locale! Derek the host was cordial and accommodating! Amber the bartender was very knowledgeable and wants dout experience to be A-1! What a great night! We will be back! read more

Black Walnut Café - New Orleans Pasta - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

I'll start this with the following: I love Black Walnut Cafe! It's the go-to place when I'm out with friends. But the Cinco Ranch one is very lacking. Food was underseasoned and tasteless, which is strange since Black Walnut always amazes me with flavor! But I suppose the cooks here are different. Desserts in the counter were old and dried out. That's such a shame - it's the best part! By all means, go to Black Walnut Cafe and try literally anything. Can't ever go wrong. Just maybe skip the Cinco location... read more

Black Walnut Café - Chicken taquitos - the sauce was a chipotle alfredo - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

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This place has a great atmosphere. It's comfortable and family friendly. The level of service has deteriorated from what it used to be though. No one was in front of me, but there was only one person working the expo counter and cashier. Although I stood for 5 minutes waiting to order, no one acknowledged me, even though 2 managers walked by, looked at the registers and never looked up. The dining room is packed with tables that makes it hard to walk through, and the quality of the food is bare. The Cobb salad lacked flavor and the chicken tenders lacked a quality presentation. read more

Black Walnut Café - Cobb Salad with Feta Cheese. - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

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WENT here with my family and it was awesome!!! The decor and very family oriented. The customer service great. The FOOD WAS GREAT. I had the smoked salmon Benedict and the mimosas were strong and great. read more

The food was excellent! I had the Mediterranean Chicken for lunch. The manager stopped by to see if we needed anything. Ate outside cuz it was a nice day and also the inside was very loud-couldn't really carry on a conversation. Big negative! The girl at the order counter said they DON'T ACCEPT CASH! What? When I responded that I only carry cash, she said I had to have the exact amount cuz she couldn't give me change. I have never heard of this. Are we becoming a cashless society? It's funny to think that a restaurant won't accept cash but servers always prefer cash tips. read more

I had the American burger, the meat was cooked well and it was very tasty. The portion was very filling. It will definitely satisfy you. My sister had the Alfredo pasta and the sauce was very nice and creamy. I will definitely come back and try their other dishes. However, there were lots of people and we had trouble finding a table. If you are super hungry and need food right away, I don't recommend going there, since u will have to wait for an available seat. read more

Black Walnut Café - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

The absolute best Bloody Mary I have ever had, ever !! They should sell their homemade Bloody Marty mix. Food is great, people are great. Just great all around. read more

Won't drone on too long here. Only eaten here twice and thus far it's been pretty good! It's one of those types of places you go eat when you just want some plain food that doesn't taste like fast food and not Luby's. The chicken beast with pico and mashed potatoes is pretty great! Pot roast and mashed potatoes are as well. I feel like these traditional style dishes (lack of culinary knowledge showing here cause dunno what else to call them) are where this establishment shines. The Tex-Mex items, while not bad still leave a little to be desired. But at the same time are you really expecting the Tex-Mex items here to really blow you away? Probably not. Sounds like I'm ripping them apart but I'm really not. The quesadillas are good. Just don't expect them to knock your socks off. Some items seem a little high on the price range portion wise when you compare them to others. Not outrageous by any stretch of the imagination. Overall a nice place to eat when you're wanting something fairly plain and bland. Will definitely continue to order from this establishment. read more

The staff and management at Black Walnut have always provided excellent service and quality. We have been customers of Black Walnut at the original location in the Woodlands years ago and now enjoy the restaurant here in Katy. The menu is varied and excellent and they work extremely hard to provide the best service. read more

First time here and the husband and I really enjoyed it. I had the fish tacos...one friend and one grilled. Both were delicious but I would go with grilled only next time. The green tea was yummy. Hubs got the chicken and waffles. He said the chicken could be seasoned a little more but otherwise he liked it. If you are a Dr. Pepper fan you will be sad to see they do not have it. Staff was friendly and the decor was great. read more

Black Walnut Café - Fish tacos minus pico. One grilled and one fried...grilled was better. Salad was fresh...I asked for no tomatoes. - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

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Delicious meal. I had the salmon pasta and hubby had the chicken fried wagu. So full of flavor and satisfying. The staff, esp Mason, went the extra distance. We will be back even if it's a little drive from our area. read more

Black Walnut Café - Smoked Salmon Pasta - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

Really nice place, definitely will be back for breakfast or brunch! This is a really nice place and I really like the inviting concept. The staff was really nice and helpful. I had the bacon jam burger and I have to admit I was a little skeptical when they asked how I wanted my burger cooked. I ordered the burger medium and it was cooked to absolute perfection. All in all it was a pretty good burger, I will definitely try something different next time. read more

I realize that everywhere is doing their best right now during COVID, but this place seemed to be putting little to no effort into the customer experience from the moment we walked in the door. The hostess was not the least bit personable and had very poor communication skills. She told us we would be seated outside on the patio next as the open table in view was about to be seated with another party and that it would be about 15 minutes. That sounded good to us so we decided to wait. We waited 40 minutes total outside with our infant. I decided to go back to the hostess and ask about the status of our table as I could see another table on the patio that had just been cleared, bussed, and empty for over 10 minutes. I asked her about how much longer we would be waiting and all she offered was "you're next" - no clarification on timing or if that was the table we were about to be seated at. About 5 minutes later another party was seated at the empty table and we had waited over double our given time, so I went in to tell the hostess we could be taken off the list as we were going elsewhere. She got very defensive and told me that we were next again and I pointed out that we were told that before then they seated another party. She then said, "they were first." It was all still very unclear. Regardless of the situation, her communication was poor. The worst part of the experience: As we were walking out to our car, she ran out to shout that a table was leaving if we wanted to wait (which we found was a nice gesture). We decided to walk back towards the restaurant and follow her to the hostess stand to wait for the table to be cleaned when another employee proceeded to ask her what was wrong (making it clear she was making a face about dealing with us) and she openly stated, "nothing, she got mad about waiting". We were surprised that this hostess found it appropriate to complain about a customer being upset in front of them (and that other employees were allowing that behavior to happen right in front of them as well). We then waited another 5 min by the bussed table waiting for someone to wipe it down or greet us, but nobody ever did. We left. We decided to take our business elsewhere and I am glad we did because Sweet Paris Crêperie and Café was welcoming, fast, delicious, and a better experience overall. Funny, we ran into another couple who had also been waiting at Black Walnut Cafe and decided to go elsewhere. Just goes to show they really need to work on the customer service at this place. We won't be back to Black Walnut. read more

To the one who made a comment. Funny I sit at the bar all the time and it's full service. As stated in my review. And I see all time service to the tables as drinks and other stuff. May not be full service as at bar, but there is service. read more

This is my favorite location! Sat at the bar multiple times just for the AMAZING drinks made by "Stephanie"! She makes the best margaritas and I mean I've had quite a few from many different places, but she's the absolute best at margaritas! Like this lady needs a raise!!!! Food is always good. I'd definitely recommend and be back! read more

Efficient staff. Great layout for large groups. Chicken and waffles is delicious. Their comfort food really hits the spot. Also great for breakfast :) read more

Nays: EXTREMELY disappointed with our self-service $100 meal Entrees were bland: Fiesta jalapeño chicken pasta, Bank No. 19 pasta and steak Desserts were stale and dry, worse than boxed cake, even though they said it's popular: strawberry cake and coconut cheesecake Yays: The manager and the bartender were nice, which gave them 2 stars instead of 1 read more

The service was amazing! The older male manager was super helpful and made sure we enjoyed our meal. All of my friends agreed it was the best service we've received in awhile. The food was great also. Love the sausage and pancakes! read more

Honestly my favorite place right now!!! I come all the time, the food is AMAZING and service is superior. Everyone should know about this place and if you haven't been you need to go! read more

Black Walnut Café - humus appetizer - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

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Delicious everything was exquisite, the servers were so kind. It's little expensive though, but the ambience is good

The food is always just okay, nothing special on the menu. I always get something different, can't seem to find anything I love. The staff has always been nice. read more

Always a great place for breakfast. I enjoy their French toast and omelettes. You can special order each meal to your preference. Coffee is always ready and hot. read more

I ordered the american burger medium well, no pickles, and fries without salt. Needless to say, the burger was overcooked, fries were cold and had salt. There was something in the glass of water. They do a n OK job for breakfast and brunch, but stay far away from dinner. read more

Ok so don't order the Salmon was like trying to eat a salt lick. Horrible and Pesto squash so incredibly greasy! And this is why you NEVER leave a tip before you get your food. So offensive they want tip when you order. The artichoke spinach dip good. I'm done felt like throwing money in the trash read more

Black Walnut Café - Pesto squash w salmon - Cafes Near Me - Katy, Texas

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Super bummed. My family and I use to love coming for breakfast on Sundays. Every time we have come recently more and more of our favorites have been taken off the menu. I LOVED their breakfast enchiladas, lobster taco's, fajita steak omelet, philly cheesesteak omelet, and one of the pasta's (can't remember the name). ALL of these items are gone now. The things that are left to pick from on the menu have been bland and lacking in flavor. I don't see us visiting again unless we hear some favorites are back. I understand with COVID adjustments have to be made but taking so many good options off the menu just ends up losing business. read more

We love Black Walnut Cafe and hope they continue to due well despite the hordes of new restaurants coming through to the Katy area. Have enjoyed every meal here due to the variety on the menu. There are choices here for everyone- the health conscious, the non to health conscious, vegetarians, kids, etc. My all time favorite item here was the cuban sandwich- which is no longer on the menu. The staff were willing to make it for me even though it's no longer a featured item. After eating here possibly 10 + times by now, the only item I've been underwhelmed with was the wheat pancakes-- they're denser than I prefer and just not my thing. That said, everything else has been outstanding! Order at the counter, pick up your items when they buzzer goes off kind of place- the atmosphere is sit down but the turnaround time is faster as you don't have to wait to be waited on. read more

The food is good I will say. It can get crowded at lunch. It has a lot of menu options. Staff is friendly.

Today was our first trip to this cafe and man, what a great experience. Gluten free breakfast options were plentiful and the food and sweet tea was on point! Hubby and I found our new favorite breakfast restaurant. We can't wait to try their other menus! Total bonus is their gelato - they even had dairy free options! read more

Overpriced for a self service restaurant in my opinion. Servings were smaller than I expected. I ordered the potato bacon soup. The menu description sounds like traditional potato soup along with cheese, bacon and onion on top. Instead it seemed to be blended together...it tasted like a greasy, bacon, cheese & cream based soup with a few potatoes chunks in it. I didn't have but a few bites because it was just too much grease and fat for me. I suppose some people might really enjoy this. Also, the strawberry cake was stale. The frosting was homemade, which I can appreciate, but I usually don't eat much of the frosting. read more

I don't know how I haven't review BWC before this. Maybe Yelp ate my homework/review. :) As a casual dining spot, Black Walnut checks off a lot of boxes. There are great salads, good breakfast food, and some downright gold star winners. Gold Star Winners - CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST; it's buttery, rich, creamy, and perfectly crisp on the edges without being soggy in the middle. Real (not fake) maple syrup is offered (far too rare here in Houston area) and the fresh OJ is perfect. - BWC SIRLOIN STEAK SALAD; want a salad that's a meal and then some? This just might be the dish for you, and it is SOOOOO the dish for me. Love every. single. thing. about it! - GRILLED CHICKEN CROISSANT; sometimes it's the simple things that get you excited. A handmade croissant? Count me in ~ and everything from the peppered bacon to the cayenne ranch (which we get on the side) adds to a really flavorful, quality dish you can order over & over again without getting bored. read more

Placed order at 10:45am on Mother's Day. Waited outside Black Walnut Cafe until 12pm, nearly an hour past the time my order was supposed to be ready, only to have the hostess finally tell me that it would be another hour until I received my family's food. I left in frustration without my order as did many others. Why did their management staff keep accepting on-line orders and provide pick up times that they couldn't even come close to fulfilling? It was disorganized confusion outside the restaurant with 15 people standing around and another 12 cars lined up, all trying to figure out when they would receive their orders. I still haven't received a refund. Tried calling the restaurant multiple times but they are not accepting calls. This was one of our favorite places to go for breakfast and lunch. We most likely will not be back. read more