Absolutely worst experience ever from Sheila the manager. She taunted our table of eight and moved a table away. Was rude and begin to take photos and video record our group. Very unsafe space for people of color after church. The management condones the rude behavior and treatment of customers. Will not be back. The food lacks seasoning and is an overpriced version of Luby's. read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Sheila, the manager, who took unwarranted photos of our group. - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place was not for us. Everything was cold and over priced. Roast beef was so tough the majority of it was inedible. Big disappointment.

1/10 food is given with the wrong utensils, I couldn't even cut my meat it was a s hard as a boot. The waitress people look at you in an ugly manner when they walk by, not to mention the absurd price of the food. $50 for a piece of garlic bread and a bit of beef. Don't waste your money go somewhere else. Ohh not to mention they give out no napkins you have to use a disgusting rag that comes with utensils. The cake feels old and chewy, nothing lite before.THE CAKE WAS OLD AND TASTED DISGUSTING!!!!!! read more

I am a big fan of the old school cafeteria style dining. Cleburne checks all the boxes for a well balanced meal with affordable prices.

Quality food. Pleasant surroundings. Promot service. Never had a bad meal in decades. Far above any cafeteria and superior to many dine in service restaurants. read more

This is a fantastic cafeteria! Clean and had ample seating. Great food! Vegetables are always fresh and delicious! There is always someone around to make sure you have what you need at your table. read more

The food is good; however, it's pricey. Considering the number of senior citizens, many of whom may be on fixed incomes, who dine at Cleburne's, lower priced combo options as opposed to the all a la-carte menu would be a welcome option. read more

I stopped for takeout turkey and dressing. I don't eat gravy so ask for extra cranberry. I was told there would be an extra charge. I added carrot salad. The turkey was dry and the carrot salad was taken from the top so it was dry also. My bill was $24.03 including $1.59 for containers. This I don't understand ... if you eat in you are offered refills on water, I'm guessing, and they pick up the dishes and wash them is that cost less than carry out containers. I politely told the cashier I would not be back ... she just looked at me. read more

My son and I had another great meal at Cleburne's tonight. The blackened salmon was cooked to perfection and the Greek salad was cold and crisp. My son had baked chicken and it was so tender that it was falling off the bone. The vegetables were fresh and not over seasoned. The ladies who work there are always friendly, helpful and polite. They also keep the restaurant spotless. The staff and the owners make everyone feel welcome. Family owned and operated, Cleburne's is the best restaurant in Houston. read more

The turkey was dry the dressing needed some seasoning the green beans were great the broccoli cheese rice with standard I didn't care for the pineapple cake so fortunately after I found a nice manager to exchange my cake I left and went home with the lemon cake that was fresh. Well it's the day after Thanksgiving and then fortunately I have some disparaging news because I was up all night vomiting because an hour after I got home from eating here I got sick in my stomach and I was sick in my stomach all night so I don't know what it was that I ate whether it was the dressing or the turkey that had a strange taste to him but I even coming into my good friend who wasn't able to come that there was just something that didn't taste right.... I honestly don't know which one it was but neither one of them digested so to be honest with you I will never ever go back to this cafeteria to eat again that was $28 literally down the toilet because I threw it all up never again will I go back I'm changing my score immediately read more

Yikes! Nursing home cuisine. Not only was the food unseasoned and bland ... it seems they made an extra effort to somehow remove its natural taste and introduced some sort of chemical taste. Whatever that taste was it translated across several side dishes. I have had Banquet frozen TV dinners that were better and even adding salt and pepper did not help. As for the service, the servers behind the glass did not seem very happy at all. Maybe they were forced to eat there too. :-/ I won't go into the gastro issues my wife and I both experienced afterward but you get the point. This is one of those places where the low star reviews were accurate. read more

Chicken and dumplings Tuesday! The peach cobbler was moist and delicious. This was my first time here and I am sad I didn't come sooner. This restaurant is cafeteria style with a nice dining area. It seems full most of the time and I can see why! Great portions and the food is so comforting. read more

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I had heard such wonderful things, so we came in on a rainy night very excited to dine in a purported legend. Dining for 2 people was $65, which we must all agree is extreme, even with inflation. Nevertheless, we sat for dinner to discover the lemon pepper cod was hard as a rock. We told the desk agent who eventually consulted the owner. The owner's solution was to offer half of the money on the entree back ($10) since part had been eaten. They also offered a gift card, but we are not from Houston. While those are certainly reasonable solutions, it definitely seemed petty and unnecessary since most of the food on the line this evening will be stored or thrown out. What's the big problem with making sure the $65 cafeteria meal is as good as it's price? Any other restaurant would have refunded the $20. Seriously, it's all too much for 2 people to pay $65 for hard fish. Refunding the money could have made me a believer, but not today. read more

Quick, cafeteria style restaurant. Great food selections. I started off with a spinach, artichoke salad drenched in oil and lemon. Delicious but a tad bit too oily for my tastebuds. For my entree I had the lemon baked Cod. Great garlic flavored and baked in butter. I enjoyed the flavor and baked to perfection. I also hD the baked squash. Decent but the breaded portion was a bit over cooked. The restaurant was decorated for the Christmas season. Nice touch . read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

I was disappointed in the behavior of I believe it was the kitchen manager yesterday. The only thing that I eat in this establishment is the baked chicken because of dietary reasons and it is delicious. We have been here numerous times . yesterday, the baked chicken was unusually dry, when we ordered it, there were only two in the pan on the line. I took one bite of the breast meat and realized I was not going to enjoy eating it. when I went to the line, the kitchen manager came out or the manager of the restaurant. I'm not not really sure but I told him that I wanted and a new baked chicken because it was dry. I noticed that they had six new ones in there. he said it was the same batch , and I said maybe this one is better. His reply was this. I'm going to summarize it because I don't know what Word for Word he basically said, because this was the same batch that it would taste the same and offered me something else to eat. I said no, I want the chicken he said, " I can't keep swapping out chicken to find one that you will find better." I was humiliated with that statement. I told him that was extremely rude and he said well I wasn't trying to be rude. I said I didn't say you were trying anything you either do or you don't so you your statement was rude , he did give me a new chicken brought it to the table and took it back the chicken and I will say it was better. The breast was moist. Maybe they keep the chicken in the back in a different type of environment then on the line. My son's chicken was also dry, but we didn't exchange it because he started with the dark meat. Meat he said it was unusually dry. I didn't deserve the behavior to be spoken that way as a pain customer because I wanted to exchange my chicken with another chicken and believe you me I would not have kept asking for a new chicken to find one that was moist. How insulting. I wish I got his name and he can't really call the restaurant because they don't really answer. It's always a recording. I'm going to text this into my phone and I don't feel like looking over it to see if my words are correct read more

This place is like walking back in time in a different era. Since there are not many lined cafeteria places any more. It's like a fancier or souped up Luby. It's very busy during lunch. This is during Covid. I wish ppl would give a bit more space waiting in line but it is what it is. It's October and it felt like thanksgiving and xmas inside. I could have sworn I heard xmas music. It was cute like going in a time warp. Food can be bland but it feels healthy and clean. You can add your own pepper or salt to your moderation. Wish they had fried fish like luby. they had the other types of fish w Mayo. I had turkey w stuffing. Tons of desserts to choose from. Everything is al la carte so no Luann. So don't ask for a deal. Maybe they have a senior citizen but I don't know cause I'm not one....yet. read more

Huge portions and always very good. I can make 3 meals off of one dinner. Prices are high but it is a lot of food. The veggie selections are always great. Service is great. Everyone is very nice and helpful. read more

I love this place. It is soooo easy to run the tab up so go with what u want sort of on your mind. The salmon croquettes are great. They have good cake as well. Nice service. Food is fresh read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Salmon croquet black eye peas salad etc - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cleburne's helps this sista get her Thanksgiving feast on year-round. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry, mashed taters, mac 'n' cheese, gravy, dinner rolls, steamed veggies - this is what I always get. There are so many other menu items I've always wanted to try - but I just get break away from my favorite holiday meal. I haven't ever had room for dessert, but one of these days I'm gonna get a "slice" of pie to-go. It might take me a few days to finish this monstrous serving, but I'm up for the challenge. Cash only. Portions are redonkulous. You will order more than you can finish. Lunch rush is insane with crazy long lines, but tables turn fast thanks to their speedy bussers. read more

Really good food. Big portions & great customer service! Outdoor and indoor sitting area. read more

On Thanksgiving Day; my husband spent 3 hours in line and paid 100.00 for a meal that was horrible " we throw our 100/ food away"...... 1. Turkey- the turkey was sooooooo dry with no season! You have to have season on the turkey!!! 2. Chicken - my chicken was extremely dry and over cooked with no season! 3. Green beans- our green beans was so crunchy I think they forgot to cook the green beans. 4. Dressing- the dressing!! WHERE WAS THE FLAVOR and the season and my onions was crunchyI used a 1/2 of a can of cranberry sauce to help the dressing!!! 5. Ham- the ham was the only thing that was decent! 6. Dinner Roll no comment 7. Mac & cheese it needs help 8. Peach cobbler‍‍‍‍ tooooo much nutmeg how can you get that wrong!!!!!! ( my mouth was full of nutmeg where was the cinnamon ‍‍‍.. Just horrible 9. Lemon Cake- The best thing out of my meal!! I can't never take that away! Their cakes are so delicious and huge serving!! I would come back only for the cakes!! Maybe they need to consider turning this restaurant to a bakery. Cause the dessert is outstanding beside the peach cobbler!!! My opinion is they need to evaluate their cooks and need to hire someone that can bring flavor and season back into their kitchen! Sad to say we will never return for a meal but only for the dessert!!! read more

Horrible cafeteria food. Salad is brown and not at all fresh. The ladies on the cart to refill drinks are very nice. I would not go back because when I asked for the manager to let them know about the horrible salad no one came to my table. read more

Seriously? Everyone loves this place? Why why why? Even my own father loves this place. Am I just too young? I've been here several times and every time it is bad. Today we decided on an early Easter dinner (5pm). We're not religious so we just dropped in for dinner. My father loves this place, so he decided we'd go here. Because he loves it, I gave it another chance. The people are friendly and the service is fine. The restaurant is clean and there was plenty parking. The food: in one word: Yuck. The fried Haddock was dry and disgusting. The blackened Salmon was cold and way inconsistent. One person who had it said it wasn't spicy, the other said it was too spicy. The Jello was rubbery in some parts and melted in others. The mashed potatoes were ok in flavor, but cold. My husband's apple cobbler type thing came on a plate but should have been in a bowl. It was absolutely coated in cinnamon and not in a good way. The cake I had was good. It was lemon cake with white icing. The portion sizes are really really big, but it doesn't matter if everything is dry, flavorless, and just plain gross. I left tons of food behind and went home full of cake for my dinner. If you can find something decent to eat here, I guess it would be ok. I won't be back. read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Visited for dinner yesterday around 7pm with my BF. He got the chicken fried steak (which is his favorite food), mac and cheese, and corn. I got the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and spinach casserole. The chicken fried steak is HUGE, you can't even see the plate. We both really enjoyed our food and will definitely be back! read more

The food is decent however I ordered the fried haddock and kept finding bones in my meal. Every couple of bites I would come across a bone and I can not enjoy a meal like that, so I tried to hurry up and snarf down the rest of my creamer spinach, Mac and cheese and dart. I was in the area and just wanted to try something new after picking up a couple of items for my friend. The food is cafeteria style so there is a lot of motion in the restaurant, constant in and out clinking of trays folks moving around with water carts and just all around busy. The deviled eggs were not good at all. read more

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Food looks great and taste good... Cornbread was on the cold side and servings are huge. Restaurant is very clean and new. But overall food is not too different from the competition. read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Fried fish square something, spinish, navy beans, corn bread - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

All I can say is that the portions are REDONKULOUS! So be sure to come here with an appetite and some sweat pants. Cleburne Cafeteria is very reminiscent of Luby's or Picadilly's. It's comfort cafeteria-style food with southern friendliness. I do admit the french maid attire is a tad bit tacky, but it goes along with the old-fashioned feel of the cafeteria. We went here during the lunch rush and although the line was long, we went through it pretty quickly. I was pretty satisfied with my country fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and mac & cheese....mmMMM mmMM *drooling* And don't even get me started on desserts--I think I will have to make a separate visit just to try the one of the many dessert selections, which seems like a meal in itself. Remember this joint is CASH ONLY! read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, wheat dinner roll = delish lunch - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

I had the chopped beef with the cheese on top and the dejuer drippings with greens and a type of Greek salad. The name escapes me right now. Was delicious. My wife had the turkey and dressing which she brought home half and we ate for a meal the next day absolutely great experience. I have not eaten there in years and an absolutely met up to expectations. I write this 4 1/2 stars.4 1/2 read more

I've loved this place ever since I tried it four years ago. For this place you need to ask yourself two questions: one. Do you like Lubys and two. Do you like Lubys. If both are thumbs up: well you are going to a very nice clean Lubys. The selection is great and the mashed potatoes are delicious. The brown gravy the roll, this fried fish, I love it all. Very home style- I suggest you check it out. Downside: cash only, pricer than your regular Lubys read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and the best fried fish - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Portions are huge so come hungry! There's tons of choices for entrees, side dishes, and desserts. The food, service, and restaurant overall was great! This place definitely beats Luby's. Inside of the restaurant was spacious and very clean. I know the restaurant got burnt down but it's made a great comeback. read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Chicken Fried Chicken & Mashed Potatoes - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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It's a cafeteria. One of the only ones I'm aware of in the Houston area. Just good comfort food! With an offering of steak and seafood cooked to order. It's not for everyone. But suits me just fine. Pricey but the portions are hefty. read more

There's so many options, I was so overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in a good way. Think of this please as a elevated Lubys. Every day there's different items on the menu. I went with my family on a Sunday afternoon. While the line was super long it moves pretty fast. Honestly it gave us some time to look at the menu to decide where we want it. Once you actually get to the area to order your food, be prepared. I honestly wish I would've checked out the menu online before I came, because sometimes what's on the board doesn't match what they actually have for that day since the have a revolving menu. I ended up getting the turkey dinner with stuffing, brown gravy, cranberry sauce, and steamed broccoli. It was ok. The turkey was moist and tender but I did not really care for the stuffing. I had the famous pink cake, and it definitely lived up to its name. It was so good, moist, HUGE PORTION. Honestly, I would just come back for the desserts. They have so many options! The others in my group tried the grilled fish and the ham (with cherry compote?), which they both enjoyed.It can get a bit pricey since everything is à la carte. For my group of three we each got a main entrée and two sides and one of us got a drink, two desserts it ran us about $100. When you look at the amount of food we got though, it makes sense. The lake means seem a little crazy inside because it's so busy, you can definitely tell that their team runs like a well oiled machine. Parking was decent when I came, I was able to find a spot in the back. read more

It is definitely a upscale version of a Luby's. However, the food is more cuisine and bigger portions definitely worth the money. It was pretty packed around lunch time. I got the cucumber salad, roast beef, green beans, and spinach casserole. The cucumber salad was very refreshing but I could only take a few bites because it definitely had a lot of vinegar in it. The roast beef was perfect with the natural gravy not dry at all. I had to take home half because the portion was so big. The spinach casserole was recommended and it was worth it I am very happy the server told me to pick that as a side. The green beans were kind of a let down nothing special and no seasoning or flavor. read more

Cleburne Cafeteria - Roast Beef, Cucumber Salad, Fresh Green Beans, Spinach Casserole. - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Absolutely HORRIBLE SERVICE LET ME EXPLAIN I am genuinely hurt. My father asked to refund stinky broccoli. And this lady I do not have her name told him they would not refund him and she did not care if we came back. She said he could trade it for something else my dad continued to ask for his money back and when he went back into the line to exchange it she came behind him and told her entire staff not to give him anything. My father came back our table and told us what happened when a manager of some sort came RECORDING US and telling us we were not getting our money back FOR BROCCOLI. My sister began recording the situation and that's when the manager started hiding his face fast forward after much arguing we were refunded. We began leaving the restaurant when my sister called (was in a different vehicle) that the police were here and has stopped her. Cleburne horrible staff had lied to the police and said someone was getting jumped!!! BLATANTLY LIED TO THE POLICE!!! My sister explained the scenario and the police were on our side We are now not able to go back to Cleburne's because of the staff who lied on our name . Do not spend your hard earned money on this place !!! I've also observed an elderly lady asking for a child's plate (most likely because she could not eat a full one) the staff rudely said no and the old lady began to cry. This place is horrible. Money hungry people who do not care about you or your family THE LADY THAT STARTED IT ALL DID NOT GIVE US HER NAME!! She ran away when we opened are phones and began recording. This is a picture of the individual who needs to be fired IMMEDIATELY We found out the man who could've solved the problem but instead shoved a camera into our faces and rudely told us we would not get our money back for food WE NEVER ATE was non other than the OWNER this entire restaurant is corrupt read more

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For a cafeteria style restaurant, this place can't be beat. So much food! My partner and I always share a dish. The yeasty rolls are delicious. We always get the turkey dinner. And the desserts are amazing. It's busy on the holidays, but it's worth it! Coconut cream pie! read more

On this last visit I got the baked chicken and it was so moist and fresh! This is definitely a favorite of mine! The staff was extremely nice, making sure my tea and water was refilled as soon as they saw it getting low. I went in there around 5pm and there was a pretty good dinner crowd, so I was appreciative of the attentiveness of the staff. The manager was extremely nice, walked around to make sure things were going well. We ended the evening with a slice of cheesecake (which was the first time I've tried it there) and it was delicious. The cheesecake at the Cleburne Cafeteria is definitely a sleeper pick and did not disappoint. I can't wait to go back! :) :) read more

Food is amazing! The service is always awesome. Great history the place has as well. Fresh fried shrimp every Friday

We're glad to live nearby. When you want a family type meal but don't feel like cooking, Cleburne is your place. Turkey and dressing, chicken fried steak, baked chicken, pea salad, Mac and cheese, mustard/collard greens, baked squash, white coconut cake, lemon torte, egg custard, etc. etc. It's taken a few years to get back in their groove since reopening (and we still miss lots of that staff), but the food is getting better each time we visit. read more

!! WARNING !! This place does not REFUND so make sure that the food "LOOKS" like it is cooked correctly as you are going through the line. This is my first Yelp review entitled Food Standards Complaints and Cognitive Dissonance. Today, I left this establishment feeling as if I did something wrong. Why should I feel guilty for returning food based on quality? Why would the management peer or gawk at me for returning dry, cold, food? Why would an establishment not want to refund $16.00 off of a $70.00 bill? Whatever happened to customer service? Who knows ... Firstly, I would like management at this establishment to know how much nerve it takes to return an item that is not cooked properly. There are lot of customers that will not complain and they just eat cold ovecooked food. Honestly, it takes a lot to complain but someone has to be the OUTLIER. Secondly, then to be gawked, peered and LOUD talked by management in front of customers, "We don't do refunds!  ... I can give you a gift card." This was so embarrassing to me. The fact that the female manager felt comfortable raising her voice at me, was concerning. Unconscious bias is very hard to prove but I felt something was a little off. Thirdly, when you pay $16 dollars for 2 pieces of fried catfish and 2 hush puppies, the food should be superb. Why would management get upset with me because the food was dry, old, and overcooked? I'm the outlier. Fourthly, if you are going to charge $20 dollars for baked Cod, at least make sure that the fish is warm and not overcooked. It is very easy to overcook Cod. With that, two of our entrees were old and overcooked, I chose to eat the $20 baked Cod and not complain. I just wanted my elderly aunt to be happy with her fried fish for lunch. Lastly and most importantly, although your restaurant offered 3 desserts instead of the refund, gawking and peering at me while I picked out my desserts further escalates does the issue. Performative kindness doesn't cost a thing. #CustomerServiceMatters read more

The food was good and the service was good but I will say they are expensive . So be ready to shell out at least $75-85.00 for three people.