Great homemade food. We went on Friday night and they had an excellent seafood buffet. The atmosphere is great, lots of nice old pictures displayed. I definitely recommend this place! read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Wall of photos - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Our group went for lunch, as we heard from friends that the "The Whistling Donkey" was open and served updated Tex-Mex flair. We have visited on Friday nights for their rock solid seafood buffet, and also for breakfast. Their Chicken Fried Steak has been wonderful. So we weren't novices to Alma's food. We arrived glanced at the shops in the same building and entered. We were seated right away. We were given the Green Menu, and the $9.75 luncheon menu. Drinks were served, and chips and salsa presented. We asked for a medium queso as well. The queso was nice, hot and tasted great! The salsa lacked flavor, was watery, and was really a disappointment. We ordered luncheon specials, and an order for take out as well. The meals were brought out quickly, and were as anticipated. But again, the Mexican rice had no spice, was bland even for unseasoned rice. Adding salsa and salt did not cure it. The charro beans were piping hot, and better. However, they were again lacking seasoning, were watery, and did not inspire any smiles of enjoyment. Our friendly wait staff brought our check, and our to go order at the same time. We paid, and exited. For updated Tex-Mex flair, this was more fizzle and disappointment The wait staff was excellent, but the kitchen staff failed in almost every department. Not sure why the total failure occurred, but this is miserable Tex-Mex with no flair. read more

We used to live in Livingston and the Whistle Stop was always one of our favorite places for lunch. We moved out of town so we were so glad to be able to take the short trip to Livingston and stop at the Whistle Stop for lunch. The food and service did not disappoint us. Our waitress was very efficient and friendly. We ordered a Club Sandwich with sweet potato fries and a BLT with one trip to the salad bar. Both were tasty and we left them with clean plates. The coffee was hot and fresh and our waitress continued to refill them throughout the meal. Restaurant was clean as were the rest rooms. Vintage decor and pictures give the place an old fashioned appearance. We will certainly return when we can and highly recommend it when you are in town. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Club Sandwich and Sweet Potato Fries....looking great! - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

This is not our first trip to Whistlestop...our first trip was memorable for my husband, and so today......We stopped in here with the grandkids for a quick bite, as we were camping nearby. Breakfast buffet was mediocre at best, ruben sandwich was ok, but nothing special. Fried chicken salad was a chicken breast that had zero seasoning, just floured and fried, on a bed of warm chopped lettuce with a few wisps of carrots. Breakfast ordered ala cart, grand kid loved the pancakes, but scrambled eggs were watery, and bacon he ordered never arrived. Our food was dropped off along with the check, and a thank you, a refresh of drinks, or just checking back in with us never happened. It was like our server just disappeared. They have replaced the carpet and painted since our last visit, but it doesn't make up for the mediocre food. Not sure we'll make another visit. read more

This cafe has great food at affordable prices. I got the chicken fried steak and was quite pleased with my choice! Aside from the standard Southern diner menu - with pies I look forward to trying next time I visit - they also have a breakfast buffet, a seafood buffet, and a pizza buffet, depending on the time of day. Service was quick and friendly, and the decor is mostly mid- to late-20th century Americana. A convenient place to stop for a meal in Livingston, whether you're stopping for a while, or just passing through! read more

So surprised to find this wonderful restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious as well as creative. Wish I had time to sample more of Katie's dishes but just passing through read more

Food is bland. Nothing here is actually good. Breakfast is not palatable. Gravy looks & tastes like wallpaper paste. Service staff has bad attitude. Don't do it! read more

This was some of the best chicken fried chicken and fried mushrooms I've eaten. Perfectly seasoned and crispy! The restaurant is quaint and reminds me of visiting mamaws. The service was friendly and welcoming as if they had known us forever. Will def return again and again. Visit this little spot when passing thru Livingston Texas!! read more

Was passing through with my boyfriend and we wanted some local diner food. This place was in a convenient location in downtown Livingston and had plenty of parking. I ordered the chicken fried steak breakfast combo (it usually comes with country fried steak but she Substituted the chicken for me) with grits. The chicken fried steak was battered lightly but enough to have flavorful. It was moist on the inside as it should be. I devoured the entire piece of chicken. The grits were all right. Needed some butter and hot sauce added to it which was easy. Luckily the server already gave us hot sauce for the grits. My boyfriend ordered the Philly cheesesteak. It wasn't greasy, and the bread was good. The meat was decent, not gristly. The onion rings were also battered lightly which allowed us to enjoy the onions inside more (sometimes the batter overwhelms the food inside). I was able to taste one to confirm - yum! Service was great. Everyone was friendly and accommodating as we had multiple people come by our table to help. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Menu - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

My brother took to lunch here after meeting to use a notary equidistant from Houston, Conroe, and Nacogdoches. I had the Western omelot, toast, and hash browns. Originally, it was supposed to also have bacon, but it was explained the new menu was wrong, and there was now an additional $2.99 charge for bacon. The price was already on the high side for a small town cafe. Nothing special for a Western omelot, and deductions for high price and inaccurate menu. Service was also OK. read more

Thumbs Up: The waitstaff are nice and friendly. Thumbs Down: I wouldn't recommend sitting at the front windows. It feels like you're on display, and the wait for food in that section can be quite long. Thumbs Up: The food is consistently good, and I haven't had anything I didn't like. Thumbs Up: There's an antique or resale store next door that's connected to the restaurant, offering a nice additional option for browsing. read more

The absolute best breakfast buffet I have found. This isba great place with great people that really care about making a good impression. From the moment you walk in until you finish, you are treated like family. I can't find a single thing not to like about this place. The sausage on the buffet is the best I have ever had. The place looks like it could be stuck in the 90's but that is fine with me- the 90's was a great time! Don't miss this gem! read more

Our second stop here. Potato salad is amazing. I enjoy the staff and the people. Just good people.

A little disappointing. We expected a full-service buffet where you serve yourself. Sausage and bacon were really greasy. Eggs were dry. They do not have any real butter on the table. The biscuits were nice and fluffy and they were delicious with the gravy. I was hoping for some more options like fresh fruit, etc.. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - From the breakfast buffet - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

A cute little brunch spot in the heart of Livingston! We stopped in for breakfast and were promptly greeted by the sweet ladies serving there. We were told to sit anywhere we like, so naturally I chose a window seat right in the front of the restaurant. It was a beautiful day and a perfect spot to soak in the beauty of downtown Livingston. I ordered pancakes, bacon and sausage for our big kid, while Matt and I split the country fried steak with eggs, hash browns and toast. Everything was delicious, including our complimentary coffee refills. The restaurant is also attached to a nice little antique shop, which I would have loved to check out - but there was no way I was taking my little bull into that china shop! From what I could see they offered some unique pieces, and it would be worth a trip for anyone visiting without littles. If you're ever in Livingston, stop in and give them some business. They sure do deserve it! read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

I always stop in here usually for breakfast when I'm in the area. The waitress is really friendly and helpful. Food is always fresh and well prepared. It's fun to sit and look out the windows in the front if you can get that table. It's usually not too loud. A lot of locals come here. read more

Food is microwaved/frozen, specifically, eggs are powered, toast is burnt, orange juice is frozen, sausage patties are frozen, bacon is limp, biscuits are the best thing they have. I will never recommend this place or go back, it reeks of cigarette smoke and is filthy. I will never understand Livingston people's affinity with this place or el burrito, it is strange. read more

This was a great experience and a great meal today. Diana and I decided to explore the state park for future RV adventures and to check out Livingston. We visited 2 junk/antique stores, a snowcone trailer (really great) and had lunch. Some A-hole mask activist did a 1 star review the day Governor Abbott reasonably lifted the mask mandate and did so several other places in the area which hurt their ratings. We LOVED our food (patty melt and onion rings), the service was great and found the whole experience including speaking to the owner (a veteran Houston FD who lives locally) to be wonderful. Quality food, spotless dining room and bathrooms and friendly small town service made our day. Locally owned businesses deserve our support. Hard-working servers deserve big tips and positive feedback. Definitely will return! read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Polk County Courthouse across street. - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

I'm torn here so let's just get into it. My wife's soup and sandwich was in her words amazing. I had the cheese burger and here is my issue. Upcharged for cheese, not out of the ordinary, however, I don't want to pay $1.00 for a craft single tossed on the meat. The burger was a tad dry and over done. The onion rings were top notch. That was worth the $2.00 up charge. The staff was amazing and super friendly. Thanks for taking care of us. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Soup from the soup and Sandwich and Chips - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

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With so many fine eateries here in Livingston this one is not on my list. The waitstaff are always in too much if a hurry to be kind.

Great food and service!! The owners have made great updates and staying open into the evenings now.

Cute downtown cafe. Very busy Saturday morning, but service was still really good. Food was outsanding. I had the chicken and waffles and my daughter had the Breakfast Burger and it was a lot of food. We may just split the breakfast burger next time :-) read more

Fresh home cooked farm to table ... the charm of this restaurant is only outshined by the friendly smile when you walk in! Server were sweet, helpful and polite- wish we found this place soon! read more

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Service is just ok, food is plentiful just not that good in my opinion (especially for the price)... I've been there many times, and the preparation is always hit or miss, sometimes it's great, but most of the time it's really not... the times that it's great or rare. I think I have spent my last dollar there. read more

Although the atmosphere was charming and homey, the food was incredibly lacking. The Ultimate Reuben turned out to be more of an Ultimate Disaster. Nothing but the rye bread even resembled a Reuben. Instead of corned beef, the sandwich was full of Philly cheesesteak meat. To top it all off, an immediate stomach ache came from eating it. The Philly cheesesteak that I ordered was not terrible if you prefer to eat your sandwich with extra grease...and a few long hairs. The only redeeming qualities were the delicious fries and the kind staff. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - The Reuben...supposedly - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Another great meal at this local favorite of ours. The onion rings are fresh and the best! Lisa, our waitress, is awesome, awesome! We love it here! read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Great Restaurant! - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

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Yay! Fun spot we stumbled across while taking care of business. We were so happy to find this place! Yummy! We started with the fried green tomatoes, they were served piping hot with plenty of ranch! Finally a place that understands a Texans love of ranch and serves a Texas sized ranch!! Loved them, so tasty and even more fun to have fried green tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe, since Fried Green Tomatoes was a favorite movie of mine for so many years, so many years ago! It smelled so good when we walked in, all the nostalgia of cafes from growing up with great food came flooding in. The atmosphere helps with the nostalgia too, just felt so cozy and comforting. I had a really hard time deciding between breakfast, since it's served till 2pm, or lunch. I finally opted for lunch and had a chicken salad sandwich on croissant with ruffle type chips, so tasty, and hit the spot! One son had the breakfast tacos and hash browns and the other son had the French toast. Even the ice tea was good, Texas sized glasses (thank you, we're thirsty and it's hot out there!) with enough tea and it was brewed good! We all really liked our meals and will certainly stop here again when this way! There is a collection of shops that share the entrance area and we had to stop through to browse, found really fun things at great prices and left with a few early Christmas presents for family! read more

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Second time at the cafe. We stop on the way home (San Antonio) from Rayburn. My kids ate the fried fish and hamburger. I had the breakfast buffet. It's was delicious. Also, the waitresses and buffet lady are so sweet. read more

I'm rating this a 4 because I love how small businesses like this run. I think it's great to have an old cafe with history in this town. The place is nice and cute, especially with the little shop next door. I will say this though, they could work a little more on their "buffet breakfast". I would say just take it off the menu and get everything freshly made. It was like eating a hotel breakfast. It wasn't bad, I ate it all and was full, just wish it had character and charm like the rest of the place did. Everything was kept "warm" on trays. read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Buffet breakfast Scrambled eggs Sausage Gravy/patties Biscuits and gravy - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

I was dropping my Grandson off at camp and drove by, went in and got one of the best Hamburgers I have had in years! Vegetables were fresh, the burger was juicy and tasted like beef! Anytime I am in the area I will stop again! read more

This place was awesome! Very country kitchen kinda place. Bring your appetite and prepare to leave satisfied. A bunch of folks had the unlimited buffet, and I've no idea how they ate multiple plates of food. Having knowledge that I can't accomplish such a feat I had the corned beef hash and eggs. This was not grocery store canned stuff. This was seasoned and pulled corn beef with nice chunks of potato and veg. Very yummy! I'm not from around that part of town but I'd be a regular if I were. read more

This place was convenient as we traveled through the area all while giving a local feel.

Best place for breakfast, service is always fast and friendly. I love the country feel in this restaurant. Your home town kitchen. Billie read more

The restaurant setting is original and nearly the same as I remember it as a kid. But the food they make is terrible and taste synthetic. Food is caked with vegetable oils and the butter is fake. If you're looking to be heathy stay away till they make some changes. The service is ok but not the best. Would be nice if they used these reviews as improvements and not as a personal matter. Best of luck. read more

The food looked good. The waitress staff was chaotic and we had to wait over thirty minutes for the food. We had an appointment and had to leave before we got our food. read more

WARNING- They fry everything in PEANUT OIL! Not a bad thing UNLESS you have a peanut allergy. Food is great as it was BC (before COVID19). They have buffet service now as well. Coffee some of the best restaurant coffee. Both regular and unleaded. Biscuits home made not from a can! read more

Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe - Crawfish Etoufee - Burgers Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Whenever it breakfast time in Livingston Texas this is my spot. The buffet on the weekends is just what the chef ordered. The food is always fresh and the people are friendly. You can even stop and shop on the way out. Support local!!! Thank you read more

Very disappointed in the seafood buffet. The food was not what I expected. The only thing that was good was the boiled shrimp. The price was very overpriced for what you got - $28.99 per person. Their breakfast is great, but I won't be back for the seafood buffet. read more

Usually come in for breakfast. The food is pretty good, prices are decent. Staff is always friendly.

What a cute homey place. Great food especially the Fried Green Tomatoes. Delicious pie too. And wait staff very prompt with good service