This is a great place to go if you're feeling a very laid back vibe. The employees are very respectful and the food is always right. I know due to COVID-19 the employees are still wearing their masks, but it would be great to see a smiling face when I walk in. Other than that, Cotton Patch is one of my favorite restaurants in town. read more

Boyfriend had CFS & I had chicken spaghetti, off the lunch menu. $7 & comes with one side. Very small CFS & a small scoop of potatoes. Bowl of spaghetti with rubbery cubes of chicken & a very small bowl of green beans. All lukewarm & bland. Service was slow, never got a tea refill or a check back on the food. The chicken was so rubbery in texture I couldn't eat it. I had to stand at the bar a couple minutes to get my waitress's attention, so I could pay. Bad service with school lunch food is a no go, for me. Clean with a full menu, but I wouldn't choose to return. read more

This is the 2nd Cotton Patch Cafe I've been to, and it is the best one, hands down! The food is so much better than the one in Tyler. That being said, the part that shines the most is the wait staff with Angela Napps as the shining star! Angela's attentiveness and sparkling personality really makes our visit to this busy cafe (lunchtime) an enjoyable treat. She is very professional, efficient and always one step ahead, asking if you need anything before you ask...and with a kind heart and smile. All of her recommendations have been on target for what I might want to sample for lunch...she knows the menu and all the choices to make the meal the best. My favorites: chicken fried chicken, strawberry salad, quesadilla, brisket, hamburger. Thank you Angela and Cotton Patch Athens...it's worth the drive from Tyler! read more

Been here a lot of times and its getting worse. There are 10-15 servers working each shift and they still leave food sitting in the window? Food was room temperature...it should've never been served, but we had already waited a long time. I know it's a chain restaurant, but each one should care about their performance. At this point, I would say it's time to either make it as good as it can be or give us something else in its place. read more

The fried mushrooms were amazing! My husband had the chicken fried steak and cleaned his plate, the only reason I gave 4 stars out of 5 is that I had the chicken fried tenders and I thought they were just "meh" not bad just not great. But admittedly, that may just be my personal taste. I would go back for the mushrooms alone. read more

We were just in the Athens location of Cotton Patch and waited an hour to be told our appetizer was unavailable then another 30 minutes and our meal was still not ready. We didn't have 3 hours for a meal so we requested our meal be take out. We just got home and BOTH our orders are wrong!!! Not only was the restaurant slow but the place was packed!! Not a one table empty!! I thought 50% capacity was required unless min were obtained from DHHS to which only 75 % capacity is allowed! COVID violations along with a wrong order after an hour and a half waiting ! I am furious!!! I posted pictures of the crowd on their facebook page. UPDATE: Cotton Patch has deleted my post twice so here are the pics of overcrowding. read more

See all

Manager is not worth a darn. My good was wrong and they fixed it. Or did they! Nope. They served me a raw chicken fried steak. Manager never came and talked to us. My sons burger wasn't good either. The food and service had gone downhill. Needs a new manager. read more

This place is excellent!!! Our food was exceptional, with everything tasting very fresh and hot! A very friendly atmosphere and staff. Our waitress was adorable and on the ball! Most definitely recommended and we will be returning. My husband ate chicken fried chicken with spicy jalapeño gravy, mashed potatoes and mac n cheese while I ate grilled salmon with baked potato and Caesar salad. DELICIOUS read more

Do to setting restrictions it was a small way at which time the manager Jamie was very rude to two Catholic priest wanting a table also She was very Unprofessional dinner we had the meatloaf it was good the garlic mashed potatoes were good The service was fantastic Stephanie D Really made us feel welcome made the suggestions and made the entire meal good because she was so personable we had the new chicken fried bacon as an appetizer it was fantastic read more

We have been eating at cotton patch for 26 years starting in Cedar-hill Texas and then Athens Texas. Last night Athens restaurant was so cold that we had to leave. Bad management read more

Lots of changes following the pandemic. Food is more like TV dinners, often cold or lower quality than previously. Example, we have always loved the meatloaf, but, now there is no tomato sauce, rather ketchup squirted on top of the cold meatloaf. We're going to stay away for a while and see if they can correct the current situation. read more

Angela Napp was the most helpful waitress ever. We had a table of at least 20 people and she was running all over to make sure that we had the best service possible. I honestly don't think I've ever seen someone work so hard. She was absolutely the best and deserves a lot of recognition for her hard work. I will definitely be coming back to this restaurant whenever I'm in town again. read more

I ordered the Patch Punch, a dinner salad, Fresh Broccoli and 6oz. Sirloin Steak. It was lovely. Everything came perfectly prepared and our server, while busy, was attentive just the right amount. (We were there around noon on a Sunday.) Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

See all

Found a hair fried into the batter of my chicken fried steak finger basket! The service was quick and courteous but can't do hair!

Great food amazing staff. Always ALWAYS super friendly service and nice menu choices.

The service was fantastic. The onion rings were the best I've ever had. Every time we have been here the food and service have been excellent. read more

This restaurant has great food great service great people. From the chicken fried steak or the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy are outstanding. The trailblazer with the cheese and mushrooms and gravy has excellent flavor. The rolls and the cornbread I must have. the turkey club with a cup of potato soup really rounds off day Had a round of chicken fried bacon with gravy it's too good to pass up. I like to start off with homemade queso and salsa or some bacon cheese fries. I've eaten in several and haven't found a bad one yet, a great place to eat. read more

My wife and I had a great lunch. The prices were very reasonable and the waitress Angela did a wonderful job. Cute and efficient. We will definitely be back. Had chicken fired steak and chocolate cake for dessert. read more

After patronizing The Cotton Patch Cafe in Athens every day for over a month our party experienced an ordeal that prevents our return. We waited for an hour for our meal. The waiter had to be found each time we needed assistance. We were grossly overcharged for our meal. $53 for (4) $6 lunches with water. When brought to the attention of the establishment it took over 15 minutes for them to correct the error and did not offer any documentation of the credit to my card, only an additional $35 charge (still overbilled). After insisting on a receipt for the voiding of the initial charge the Manager said that was not possible and demanded we leave and not return. Absolutely not a problem! To worsen matters, the surrounding staff cheered the Managers unprofessional actions. Sad day for the reputation of The Cotton Patch. read more

Glad to have a Cotton Patch closer to home. This one has some improvements needed. Waitress can't keep a glass filled. Very inattentive. You wait and wait for her return. Food was good. Broccoli casserole was much smaller and not as good as usual. Hopefully will shape up before next visit. read more

Cotton Patch Cafe - Charli turns 31 - American Near Me - Athens, Texas

See all

Food is great service is decent just wish they didn't have to wear their mask, makes employees difficult to understand. Mask Mandage was lifted Awhile ago i just don't see why they still have to work in them read more

Every time I'm in the mood for chicken and dumplings we have to go to Cotton Patch in Athens Texas. Always greeted with a smile and someone that is happy that you stopped by read more

One word: delicious! Doesn't do it justice, but it is really the best. Highly recommend. Plus, wait staff is great!

We frequently get to go orders fro Cotton Patch. Lately the food quality has not been good. The lettuce brown and watery, grilled chicken tough, even rolls not good. read more

Great place, nice food, good staff, etc. But I think me and others would be happier if the staff weren't wearing masks

We love Cotton Patch, it's a go to spot for comfort food and a good value for the dollar. Tonight we experienced one of our lowest valued visits, we arrive at 8:40 pm, they close at 10:00. When we walked in, party of four, we weren't immediately greeted but the hostess soon came out of the restroom and appeared to be cleaning up. The dining area was at about 20% of capacity and several servers appeared to be busy cleaning, sweeping up and the kitchen crew appeared to be in clean up mode as well. We ordered drinks, received our drinks, no straws but were told that we would get them with the silverware packs that they were short of at the moment because they had been so busy. Server comes back to take the order, still no straws or silverware, brings rolls back with silverware packs. No napkins. Normal to a little longer than wait time for food, asked for napkins, brings three, dig into the anticipated warm food but its not. Barely lukewarm, like showing up at Moms late for Sunday dinner at 2:30. One person ordered a salad, never got it. Had to go ask for napkins again and for ketchup and ranch, brings over and apologizes. Recognized that the salad was missing, promises to grab it. We finished up, full but not exactly happy, server comes over and asks is everything okay, "not really and heres why....". Manager comes over, full explanation, offers to comp meal, not necessary, but he'll discount it, get the bill and it's full price. This review isn't to steer anyone away, it's a good place to eat, this review is to help one of our favorite places recognize an issue. You're open until Ten, don't start putting employees into shut down mode until your customers are done. Everyone makes mistakes, but this was a rough one, managers follow through on your commitments to customers, you apologized and committed to compensate for the mistakes but then you failed to finish strong. read more

Really enjoyed everything about this place:. the location was clean, the servers attentive, the food very tasty, and the drinks well prepared. read more

One of the better restaurants in Athens. The building is really nice and always very clean. Food is delicious. If you like chocolate, you HAVE to try to Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake for desert. read more

A slight mix up on the order was handled extremely well by Matthew the manager and our apparently rather new waitress. Matthew took care of us and turned what could have been a disaster to a learning opportunity. I noticed our waitress and all the others were smiling, happy and genuinely interested in Serving! What a concept... And Matthew, excellent job! read more

Best restaurant in Athens. Service was amazing, food was really tasty. They have fresh baked soft rolls!! We started with the fried green tomato appetizer...it came with 8 on the plate! They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside...well done! Then the entree, We had the Surf n Turf Angus(comes with salad and sides) and the 9oz Sirloin with 4 shrimp on a rice pilaf. I also ordered the 1.99 cornbread, served in a cast iron skillet with honey and butter all over the top ( does it get any butter? I mean better?) Yes!!! Because inside of this cornbread is Jalapeños, corn, and cheese. Amazing...warning it's very sweet so...diabetics need to skip this. The steaks were seasoned liberally with course ground salt and pepper, and garlic. Both steaks cooked perfect with no gristle. The shrimp was deveined and spiced similarly as the steak.....Waitress was very accommodating and kind. This is a causal dress restaurant, the decor is rustic and well appointed with plenty of room for a large party! We were offered desert, but was to full to try any..eat at this restaurant, you will LOVE it! read more

Our waiter was extremely attentive and conversational, so that was really amazing. I ordered the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese on the side; the chicken was great but I could tell the sides had been reheated since they weren't very warm when placed on the table. My group happened to go on Veteran's day, so the hassle was to be expected. Overall, it's a very nice place and decently priced. read more

Waitress great. Food looked good except made the mistake of sending back the bloody ribeye. Blood oozing out on plate. Had asked for it cooked medium. Sent it back and 2 minutes later brought back to me on same bloody plate. Did not wish to send it back again. Saved half for my dogs. Right after I left I started getting sick which lasted all afternoon and evening. Some time over night my dogs too had diarrhea all over my living room floor. Think the cook who was asked to cook the steak longer got pissed and probably put something on it. Learned never to ask the cook to cook the food right again. Sure won't go back. read more

Decent chain food. Normal service expectations as you would have with any mid scale casual dining chain. Not a lot to wowed about, but the food is consistent. read more

Not bad for what it was. Table service restaurant similar to an Applebee's. Had a great salad BBQ chicken. And the queso and chips were good. Cobb salad also good. Margaritas awful. Bad, pre made mix. Poor beer selection. Friendly staff. Reasonably priced. read more

The Best Country Fried Steak anywhere one the U.S. I love the cotton patch and look forward to eating here every time I get back to Athens. We take all of our company from out of state to eat here. read more

It was very noisy & super busy the time I came. At my table, we were put in an almost-forgotten area. We couldn't have much of a conversation, either. There were some vegetarian-friendly options for me, but I think they first brought me a platter with meat, before they took it back & exchanged it for the meatless version I originally ordered. It may have also taken a while to get our check or any drink refills. read more

This is my first time at this location and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the food here. The only thing fresh was the rolls and the potatoes. I got the chicken fried chicken. Having been in the restaurant business previously myself, I know what fresh food tastes and looks like. This chicken was very obviously frozen. It was like some kind of processed chicken. It was comes, but it tasted like a microwave dinner piece of chicken. It was awful. I'll know next time to ask what's freshly made here. The service was very good. The place looked clean, except for the hair on my side plate. I might come back again and give it one more try with a different entrée. Mainly because of the service and the really good rolls. Just avoid the fried chicken. read more

Well I came here on all you can eat catfish day. I ordered that and my son went for the Mac n cheese. I sat close to a friend of mine that was about done eating. After 45 minutes and still no food, at 2 pm by the way, I asked why the couple that were sitting where my friend was sitting, when I arrived, had already been served their food and halfway finished it. I was told that somethings take longer to prepare. The last time I fried catfish and shrimp it took all of 3-4 minutes to fry it up. Bad service doesn't bode well. read more

Cotton Patch is your typically chain eatery. Food was ok, but they did have a pretty good menu to choose from. Staff were helpful and patient with our large group. It was my grandfathers birthday and when the staff sang to him, I have never seen so many participants. Great location and a positive atmosphere. read more

They have good food at a fair price. The wait staff here is very inattentive. There nothing more frustrating than needing your waiter and not seeing them come around for a long time. I hate going there because of that. read more