What a gem. We were driving through from Austin to Houston and tried out this mom-and-pop "Main Street" establishment. Ms. Dee, co-owner and chef, was also our waiter and hostess and took great care of us. We got the broiled chicken and the meatloaf, both of which were fresh and hot off the cafeteria line, which don't let that turn you off--this was delicious home cooking despite being technically on a cafeteria line. Don't sleep on the cornbread muffins which I could tell were made with real cornmeal and lard--YUM. An old-school gem we felt great about supporting! read more

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OH MY GOODNESS!! Wanted some southern food and this place hit the spot. My only regret is that we live in Austin!! It's cafeteria style eating and everything I saw I wanted!!! I settled for chicken and dumplings, corn and macaroni and cheese, all of it was so good! My wife had the chicken fried steak with yams and cabbage and I tried to eat hers too it was so darn good!!! We parked in the back and walked in through the rear entrance and it was just like walking into big mamas house. The food and service was excellent and you cannot leave without getting what I think are homemade desserts!! When we're in Giddings there is NO OTHER place we will go to get some southern cooking with a big ole' side of souther hospitality!! And the sweet tea... oooo-weeee lawd!!! Like it's supposed to be!!! read more

Giddings Downtown Restaurant - Chicken fried steak with cabbage, yams and a cornbread roll - New American Near Me - Giddings, Texas

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Loved the old cafe style, and the history in the building, the service was amazing and the food was impeccable

This is southern comfort food at its very best. We took a quick day trip from Austin to Giddings to do some business there and planned it around lunch time so we could try out a local restaurant. We were enthusiastically greeted when we walked in the door and were told that we could have a seat wherever you wanted and the young lady took our drink orders and asked us to just go ahead and go over to the buffet where we would be served. There were quite a few entree choices and side choices but the gist of it is that you get an entree with two sides and a roll or cornbread. All for under 10 bucks. I had the smothered steak with onions and it was absolutely delicious. The mashed potatoes and gravy were very good as well. The waitstaff were very attentive and kept checking up on us to see if we needed anything else. The restaurant was clean, bathrooms were clean, and all the staff that we interacted with were very friendly, helpful and seemed to actually like their job. Some past reviews might be a little too uppity because the food is true comfort food but it has a very good taste and the portions are very very decent for the amount you pay. You want to pay $30 for a plate of food that is cooked by a "chef" then go to the big city and throw your money away if you want to. The next time we're in Giddings we're definitely going to stop here again. read more

Giddings Downtown Restaurant - Smothered steak with onions, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a roll. Excellent. - New American Near Me - Giddings, Texas

We ate here today for the first time. We were the only customers in the restaurant. The owner was our server and she was rude and slow. The food was not good, and that is the best thing I can say about the experience. My father's meal was forgotten. The owner threw her own cook under the bus and said it was her fault. By the time his meal came out, my mother shared what was on her plate with him so he had something to eat. The owner then walked up and told them that splitting plates is not allowed. I told her they did that so he could have lunch. She again told us that it's not her fault nor her problem. We told her we refused to pay for his meal. She also called me a liar when I said three of us had salads that never came out. She repeatedly said we never asked for salads. Side note...salads come with every meal. She finally removed my father's uneaten meal from our bill before we left. We told her we will never return to the establishment and her response was, "Good!" Bottom line, if you want a decent meal and service worthy of paying for, I recommend finding another restaurant. read more

We were driving through town on our way to Houston and wanted a small town cafe for our lunch and stopped here. We were greeted and welcomed by 4 different employees. It is cafeteria style. So we had our food within just a few minutes. Everything was delicious! My husband had catfish, sweet potatoes and broccoli casserole. I had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. All delicious!! Place is clean and quaint. Try it next time you are driving through. Closes at 1:30pm. read more

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The food was good and plentiful. It's southern food at its best. Staff were very friendly. I would go back.

Amazing lunch special with a meat and two sides, plus roll/corn bread. Employees were so nice, and the food was delicious. Meatloaf was great, all the sides were yummy!! Homemade taste at a great price!! read more

Traveling thru we had high hopes for this restaurant but were disappointed. The chicken fried steak was eatable but not good. The mashed potatoes and green beans were the highlights. The cornbread was so cold you couldn't butter it. The building clean and the service was ok. Next time I will go back to Santa fe steakhouse. read more

Excellent home-cooked food. Everything is homemade made from scratch everything is delicious desserts everything in the best food on the planet read more

Picture this: driving home on Easter Sunday from a vacation to the coast. The road is dotted with fast food options and people taking pictures on the side of the road in the bluebonnets but nothing is open in the way of esible non-fast food. We kept holding out in hopes to find a good food sanctuary to eat. Our hopes weren't too high but, then we hit Giddings and saw an open sign in an old storefront window! We decided to be adventurous and entered through the back parking lot of this restaurant! We walked through a hallway then finally entered the restaurant to be invited by a welcoming and smiling staff who weren't the least bit angry about working on Easter Sunday! It was quite the opposite actually, they seemed happy to be able to serve people Easter lunch/dinner. The decor is a little older and minimal in this old store front. The place makes you wonder as to the past and how many businesses and people have passed through here. Our server was pleasant and explained to us how to go through the buffet and our options. We went up to the buffet and you first go to the salad buffet with a tray. I was a little sad at the sparse offerings on the toppings portion but my salad was great none the less. I then came up to choose my meat and of course I chose the fried chicken. Who wouldn't choose that in this down home cooking style restaurant? Then you get to choose your sides and I picked the mashed potatoes with white gravy and brussel sprouts. You then can grab a dinner roll and your butter which I did. Their bathrooms were also very clean as was the restaurant! There was nothing old and wilted on this buffet! We watches as the staff greeted other tables with a friendly disposition and in the way that lets you know they take the time to know their locals who are regulars! We went back to our table to eat because here eventhough it is a buffet you don't pay until the end. As we started to eat our server came by to check on us and with half full mouths we confirmed how pleased we were. Again, classy, I know lol! I wiped my plate clean. The chicken was warm, melt in your mouth buttery. It was everything you would expect from down home cooking. The brussle sprouts were perfect and the mashed potatoes still had lumps in them. The texture of the potatoes with lumps smothered in the white gravy made me want to lick the residue off of my plate. The roll was warm and was just a regular roll but I was glad to be able to grab my own butter off the buffet so I could take 2!!! After we finished the server was prompt with our check and we walked to the counter to pay. As we left I was so glad they were open, cheerful even working a holiday and that their food was to die for. I hope to pass through this town again if only just to dine here again. Many places claim to have down home southern cooking but this place delivers on their claim! Thanks for making my Easter dinner great! I am sure they made a lot of other people's Easter great too! read more

Giddings Downtown Restaurant - Fried chicken, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes with white gravy and dinner roll! - New American Near Me - Giddings, Texas

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The sign up top says "Monzi's" which was it's former name, but the sign in the window says Giddings Downtown Restaurant. Call it what you want, I'll call it a great place to eat. Although we could have ordered from the menu, the selections on the $7.95 buffet were numerous and varied enough we went that route. Selections included CFS, chopped steak with sauteed onions, salmon croquettes, baked fish, chicken and dumplings and my personal favorite: meatloaf. Hubby had CFS which Will, our server, said was one of his favorites. The other thing he said they did best was a good old-fashioned cheeseburger. Believe I'll be trying that the next time I stop in! Portions were generous and service was great. If you are looking for fancy, schmancy keep driving either direction on 290 to Austin or Houston. But if you are looking to fill your tummy with good and hearty food, this is the spot for you. read more

Food was good. Staff did great job. Will go back if we travel through this area again

Not a great lunch. We were excited based off the reviews. Should have known when we were the only patrons in the place that it was not going to be good. The quality of food was poor and almost inedible. Keep driving or find another place to eat in Giddings. read more

Don't trust their posted hours. They are posted that they close at 3. Got there at 1:45 and were told they close at 2. Apparently they can't read a clock. read more

Giddings Downtown Restaurant is just like going to grandmas house. They have a large buffet line with chicken fried steak, fried catfish, liver and onions, fried pork chops and occasionally roast or meatloaf. The vegetable selection is large and tasty. The beautiful historic building has a wonderful story as a former mercantile with a cistern still in the building. There is a private meeting space available that seats up to 80 people. They are open for lunch daily and at night on Friday and Saturday. They do have a menu. read more

Giddings is magical. You will not find a place more true to southern cooking than this lovely junction between Houston and Austin. If you want delicious, no frills, true southern style cooking, with down south hospitality and sweet smiles and conversations with the waitstaff and owner, you must stop at Giddings. On a drive back from Austin to Houston, I stopped by on a Saturday evening and ordered a plate of grilled shrimp with a side of green beans and mustard greens. The plate also came with jalapeno hush puppies and roasted cherry tomatoes and onions. The shrimp was tender, succulent and grilled with just the perfect amount of cajun seasonings. I used the hush puppies to sop up the bits of seasoning and butter from the shrimp - DELICIOUS. The tiny bit of bitterness of the mustard greens was tempered with diced bits of savory bacon. And the roasted cherry tomatoes and onions were cooked just right and so tasty - they were the favorite part of my dish and I had seconds. For the quality and amount, this dish could have easily cost $20 at a "fancy" place. I won't even mention the price cause it's worth much more. Though my waitress was quite busy flitting from kitchen to table and the next, she was darling, smiling and helpful and made sure my glass of tea was full. The owner Dee sat and talked with me for as long as she could until it started getting very busy - at which point she politely excused herself to run with the staff. I loved the cohesiveness of this place. Not once did I feel like a customer. The quality of the meals speak for themselves. And the atmosphere is genuinely inviting and sweet - I truly thought I was part of the family here. Is there a way to clone restaurants? Not a franchise, but a real clone, with the same staff, same owner, same warmth and love??? We need THIS Giddings in Houston. I love you all, Abby read more

Giddings Downtown Restaurant - 9 piece grilled shrimp w/green beans, jalapeno hush puppies, tomatoes, onions and mustard greens - New American Near Me - Giddings, Texas

The place appears to be CLOSED for GOOD. Hours of operation are marked out. 2/19/22 at 4:00 PM.

This is the place to go for real southern home cooking! They serve cafeteria style - main dish, 2 veggies and a bread. Everything our group had was delicious - turkey and stuffing, catfish, smothered steak, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas, squash, yams, cornbread. Will definitely stop here again the next time we drive through town! read more

Great home cooked food, great service, sweet caring people behind the buffet line and the cashier. You need to make this a place to stop in Giddings. read more

I drive to Austin from Houston often and have always wanted to stop here. From the moment we walked in we got attitude from the waitress. The place had a funky smell. We read some bad reviews regarding the bad service but still wanted to give it a chance. We were the only ones there. There were 4 of us and the lady only took the drink order for 2 of us and walked away. She came back with the drinks and asked if we were ready. She never gave us menus so I asked her if she could give us some menus and she said "you need a menu". Um yes ma'am, how else are we supposed to know what they serve? She took a few steps, turned back, and with an attitude said "well we have a catfish special are you sure you want menus". She finally brought the menus and stood there while we decided what to order. She didn't know the menu at all. We had to point out what we wanted on the menu and show it to her. The food didn't take long to come out and it did look good but we never got to eat it. One of us ordered an appetizer (mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce) and a meal (sandwich with fries). She brought the sandwich and mozzarella sticks on one plate without fries and sauce. We told the waitress that the meal came with fries and she gave us an attitude about it. We had to show her on the menu where it said it came with fries. Then we asked why it was all on one plate and there was no sauce. She said "well do you want it on a separate plate" but with such an attitude that we decided to leave. No one should be treated this way. We tried to give it a chance even after the initial attitude and ugly looks but enough is enough. We ended up going across the street to Reba's and it was delicious. read more

I was sure hoping for better when I walked into this place. I love the location, on 290 West , before you hit the tracks, in the old brick bank building. Parking out back. For starters, watch your step! The carpet is bunched up and as I walked , I felt like something was grabbing at my feet. My husband and I dined here last night, Friday. For all you can eat catfish, there sure weren't very many people there, only five tables. We were seated by a tall perhaps high school boy, hereafter known as Tall Boy. Another older couple came in and they were seated far away from us. Two ladies with five children came in. The hostess seated them right next to us, I was hoping that they would have been seated in one of the MANY other tables further away from other diners, where the children wouldn't bother anyone if they started screaming. I thanked my lucky stars they were well behaved. We ordered a plate of onion rings. They arrived in a basket, within minutes ,fresh and hot. I asked Tall Boy for a plate. The plate came out and it didn't look clean. Had greasy fingerprints in the center of it.. Tall Boy also kept taking our refuse (straw wrappers, etc.) by reaching in front of us, it was a little disruptive but he is young and learning. But he bugged me for some reason. He HAD to have been the owner's son as he wasn't a very "with it" waiter. Okay, back to the onion rings. They looked delicious but were very greasy. Flavor was just okay, almost bland. I asked Tall Boy for extra napkins with which to sop up grease from onion rings, he walked by me later, stopped, pointed at me and said, "You asked me for something....what was it?". With only five tables occupied in the whole place, he surely wasn't overwhelmed. Well, maybe he was! So I order a grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. My daughter ordered the catfish, my husband the CFS (for you non-Texans out there, that's Chicken Fried Steak). My husband ate all his, said it was good. Same with my daughter. They both got the salad bar and it looked plentiful. Cucumbers, red onion. grape tomatoes, and surely the best home made croutons I have ever eaten. I can't comment on their meals but they both ate everything, but visually speaking, the catfish did look good but I have never seen catfish "strips" before. I thought for sure I would see filets. CFS looked greasy but Husband ate it all. That's no surprise though. He did pepper the heck out of the gravy and even I suggested to him that he needed to salt his gravy. My meal was okay. The grilled cheese was one slice of plastic wrapped cheese in Texas Toast. REALLY???? The corn looked like it had seen better days but was actually tasty. The green beans were run of the mill, nothing special but not terrible. The mashed potatoes came out with NO gravy which I thought was strange, so I asked for some on the side, which Tall Boy brought immediately. The cream gravy itself was VERY bland. I rarely salt my food and this stuff was begging for it. I could have sworn that what passed for gravy was actually something similar to what I use at home to thicken my own gravy. I ordered a piece of coconut pie (I thought I was getting coconut cream but alas...). It tasted pretty old and was very, very sweet. The funniest thing that happened was when we were seated, I asked the Tall Boy about Monzi's, which closed and the Giddings Restaurant took over its space. I LOVED Monzi's. Great elegant food, wonderful place. The Tall Boy said that people in town thought it was too fancy and they had to dress up "like me" (said he as he plucked at his polo shirt!!!). Now that's just sad, and shame on Giddings for letting that wonderful gem of a diner slip away. Anyway, bottom line: the place is fine if you are really hungry which I was. You will get your belly full for a good price. At least it's better than a sandwich from a gas station. read more

Very good food. This place is full of warm and friendly folks. It's a perfect stop if you are traveling on 290. The chicken fried steak is one of the best I have had in a while. Sweet potatoes, cabbage, mashed tatters and green beans where also a hot for these tired travelers. We will be back. read more

Great food served cafeteria style. Had chicken fried steak with white gravy. A real treat.

Very nice location near downtown. The carpet smelled dirty and the decor was dated which you may expect in the town of Giddings. Service was prompt and very friendly. Cafeteria style lunch with many choices to choose from. I chose chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. Everything was tasty just like grandma used to make. I had to add salt to my taste. The tea was great on a hot day and the waitress kept my glass full. I had bread pudding for desert. It tasted like French toast mushed up in a bowl. Not a bad example of a classic bread pudding but I can't help but long for a bourbon sauce to enhance the flavor. Overall a very good experience. The carpet needs to be cleaned or replaced, but don't let that turn you away. read more

This place exceeded my expectations. Every time I pass through Giddings on the way to and from Houston, I see this restaurant, and it piques my interest. However, standard distance-driving protocol dictates going to Whataburger, because Whataburger is cheap, delicious, and fast. (Insert "your mom" joke here.) But recently, I decided to break protocol and try this place instead. The building is obviously old, but quite attractive. Exposed brick walls line the interior of the restaurant, which is more spacious on the inside than it appears from the outside. Large arched doorways are nestled within the old brick, giving the place an elegant but still homey feel. The interior reminds me of New Orleans, for some reason. As for the food, I got a fish and shrimp platter, while my girlfriend got a ribeye. Surf for me, turf for her, and all of it was quite well-executed. My two fillets of tender grilled catfish had that delicious bit of sear on the outside, and were topped with soft, ripe cherry tomatoes and thin slices of caramelized onion. The fried shrimp were impressive, too. They weren't quite as spicy as I would like, but they were plump and crispy. On the side, I got golden-brown fries, beer-battered onion rings, and savory hush puppies. All of this tasted fresh, was beautifully cooked, and not oversalted. My girlfriend's steak was cooked medium, with beautiful char on the outside, and a tender, juicy center, with a side of homemade mashed potatoes. At $16 for the surf and $14 for the turf, the prices were reasonable, too. Our waitress was prompt and attentive as well, and made sure to keep our drinks filled. The only negative was the smooth jazz playing, which reminded me of either being stuck in an elevator, being on hold with the cable company for 30 minutes, or watching the Weather Channel on TV. But elevator-jazz aside, Giddings Downtown Restaurant's surprisingly delicious food, cool interior, good service, reasonable prices, and overall unique dining experience makes it an impressive restaurant by any standard, let alone for a town of 5000 people. As blasphemous as it may sound, treat yourself to something nicer than Whataburger the next time you make the 290 drive. read more

If you find yourself driving through Giddings, you'll see there aren't a lot of options. Being this was one of the only restaurants on Yelp, we decided to give it a try. Very small menu with just a handful of selections and then a few selections on their buffet. I decided on the fried catfish - just ok. It was very fresh tasting and battered very lightly in a cornmeal batter but NO seasoning at all - pretty bland. Had to add a ton of salt and dip in hotsauce-spiked tartar sauce. Salad bar was pretty fresh. My mom had the hamburger steak with grilled onions and she said it wasn't bad, but not the best either - no gravy or anything so a little on the dry side. Prices were good for portion size and service was average. The atmosphere was pretty sleepy - quiet - not a lot going on in there but it was roomy and the restrooms were clean. Definitely a safe place for a sit down meal while on the road.... read more

Been coming here for years as we drive through to go to Austin.. Lovely place and the service is phenomenal! Thank you!!

Very bad experience at this restaurant. Ordered Friday night catfish. What came was something like clam strips out of fish. Could only taste cornmeal and they wouldn't take it back even when I offered to pay what ever difference for fillet. Said I got what I ordered and "everybody" else loves them. Now the mash potatoes are fake too. They must be very poor. I use to frequent this restaurant once a weekend during the 8 weekends of Sherwood Forest Fair. Never again!! I was very unhappy read more

Great service, great food, and a cool, quiet atmosphere. We were just passing through, but we'll be back when we're in the area.

This place has a lot of potential! A perfect place for restaurant impossible. I went on a Saturday, arrived around 1pm or so, we thought they were closed because nobody was there practically. The bad: The place smelled like cat urine - didn't even smell like food. The ambiance is tired with exposed insulation and old old carpet that should be ripped up today! You can order off the menu or get a better deal by chosing the cafeteria style "buffet". I thought it was pointless to have one person serving the meat and then another person serving the veggies when there were hardly any customers there. The cornbread was dry and not warm. The good: Our server (forgot her name grrr) was a doll! Actually all the service was great and the restaurant was clean. The meats they were serving all looked DELICIOUS! And their catfish was actually pretty good, with large fillets. And the price was decent - $11.95 for salad, two meats, two veggies and a roll or cornbread. I would come back here and try a different meat, I don't think anything they served was bad. read more

I have been dining at Downtown regularly for the past few years. The buffet is great and the food has always tasted wonderful. They have a good selection of meats and veggies to choose from. All the food is seasoned well. The restaurant is always clean and the staff are have always been very friendly. read more

This place has very good homestyle cooking. Buffet lunch. The ladies are friendly and attentive. We'll be back.

Just had a very tasty lunch cafeteria style. I had the turkey and dressing. Both good, the turkey was so tender. With a salad, green beans and a roll. Yum! My husband had the chicken fried steak, greens and corn. There wasn't anything left and even heard him saying how good it tasted. They also have a menu to choose from. I'd eat here again for sure. All of the staff were pleasant and helpful. If you go to Giddings try this place read more

Oh my goodness this place wrote the book on "home cooking"! We came from Tyler on our way home to South Texas and hit this place around 3pm (the time they close), but these friendly folks invited us in and treated us like long lost family. Nice, nice ladies, super food and reasonable prices. This accidental encounter will be a regular stop when we travel through Giddings. read more

Tired and looking for food and rest, we did a map search for restaurants. Fast food everywhere and something called the Giddings Downtown Restaurant, well, why not? So we find the parking around back and were seated. Everything on the menu looked great. My southern fried steak and my chicken fried chicken were amazing, as were the green beans and the from scratch potatoes. Feeling quite full, we decided to split the bread pudding. We did not regret that one bit. Delicious, warm, and buttery yum. Nothing too fancy, just good home cooking. read more

Liver and onions with cabbage (by the way was very good)and sweet potatoes and my wife had the same with mashed potatoes. Our first time here, quick for an mid afternoon lunch at a good price and friendly staff. When I am in the area I will stop by again read more

This Restaurant is on the main street of Gidoings, And a very convenient stop for someone traveling from Austin to Houston, as I was. It's cafeteria style, with a generous number of offerings. The highlight was the pickled beets offered with the complementary salad. They are made in house and had just the right amount of pickling, and still a little bit of crispness. It's all very much homestyle cooking and I found it delicious! read more

I had a great experience here. Went on a Tuesday around noon and was seated and eating in honestly less than 5 minutes. The lunch is served cafeteria line style with your choice of meat, two sides, a roll, and drink. I got the Smothered Steak with black eyed peas and green beans. It was absolutely delicious. The woman who seated us is the co-owner and really couldn't have been nicer or catered more to our needs. I suspect the negative reviews, although I can't speak to them, are due to people's experiences going after church in a small town on a Sunday. There will be wait times no matter where you are if this is the case. As for the owner getting confrontational with the staff as some have mentioned - again, this couldn't be further from my lunch trip here. I would 100% go here again! read more

We were driving through Giddings & decided to stop. I ate the turkey & dressing and it tasted like thanksgiving. My husband loved the bread pudding. I highly recommend. read more