The hostess is very inhospitable. From telling us to calm down to CLAPPING at us and yelling "Ok!" Multiple times she was unpleasant. Keep in mind we weren't doing anything except waiting for our party calmly. It's loud but that's to be expected. My order was nothing special, but my moms sweet potato fries were soggy. Our server was nice however, patient and timely. read more

Damn what a chicken fried steak. Bring your appetite. You will be needing it. Nice southern decor to good southern food.

What the heck has happened to Goodson's? Have lived in Tomball for over twenty years and have always had solid experiences at this local treasure. Have been noticing a lot of "iffy" reviews lately on Yelp so decided to stop by today to see if any of it was true. Boy - was it ever! I had a burger and my son had chicken strips - pretty basic fare for a down home place like Goodson's. Service was slightly slow - forgivable in the COVID era. My order was flat out wrong - ordered a burger with fried onions only, but received it loaded with all the usual fixings. The waitress politely informed me that there was a "communication" problem with the cook, and she brought along an order of free onion rings for the mistake. Very nice, but I would have rather just had my burger as ordered. My son's chicken strips were flavorless and his fries were cold. Barely touched them and we both agreed we would have been better off going to our local Whataburger for half the price! Likely won't be back unless we begin seeing the stellar Yelp reviews this place has always seemed to garner..... read more

It pains me greatly to write this review. This place has gone so far downhill from what it was 20 years ago. I was tempted to give it 4 stars but after thinking of what I was going to write, I just couldn't. First off, the rolls. They used to be the best. Were hot, fresh, yeasty, and buttery - and they brought them before the meal. Now they are cold and stale (seemed day-old) and they only bring them with the meal. We split a large chicken fried steak, which was plenty for two. First, the good. The fries dipped in the cream gravy is a bite of heaven. The mashed potatoes were so-so. The steak was huge and very good. However, we got a second bowl of gravy (and they are pretty big bowls) and I couldn't believe the difference. It is like the second bowl was made by an unsupervised trainee. It was very watery and totally lacking in the salt-n-pepper department. I will say, it is still a crazy good value; $17 before the tip. Heck, you can't get out of a fast food joint with two people for that. But, soooooo disappointing. I am a bit of a victim of expectations but it was honestly middle-of-the-road, which saddens me greatly. Used to be such an institution. read more

For a small town resturant, this place screamed Texas! It was good old fashioned country cookin' Service was with great southern hospitality and Micah was a nice server. He was professional and patient. Sunday crowd filled the place and we had a twenty minute wait, but not bad for a full house. Our food was great- I had the cowgirl steak, and added garlic shrimp. Salad dressing was a little bland, and so was the rest of the food. The dinner rolls are to come back for and I'm ready to swim in the gravy with my bread! I love this place and environment. Please be careful, floor by the kitchen is greasy, I nearly slipped. read more

Home style cooking at its best... Sometimes flavor's are light needing black pepper but always good. Worth a visit!! read more

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First time in this area, was just stopping for a quick trip and decided to stop at Goodsons. SO GLAD I DID. I ordered the "small" chicken fried steak and definitely have enough for dinner too! My two sides were fried okra and Mac n cheese. Delicious!! read more

Decent service Food is home style and done right Timing took a little long to get drinks and food, we did have a 6 top. There is limited seating for covid There is also limited items on the menu for vegetarian/vegans. They do have a pick four side option for like $8 I got fried okra, mash potatoes (no meat), corn and Mac n cheese. I could tell that everything was coated in butter, so definitely not vegan, but it was great tasting, would go back! read more

I keep hearing around town that this place has wonderful food! I keep trying it and it is NOT bad, it is just kind of bland and not worth the price that you pay for it unfortunately. However, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, full of wonderful things to look at an sometimes laugh at on the walls. read more

We have always like Goodson's for its homestyle atomosphere and its lovely waitstaff. I cannot leave out--the rolls and gravy. Goodson's has a wide selection to please every palate. It is Southern cooking and it is good. Don't forget to take home some 'nana puddin' read more

You know the saying that everything is bigger in Texas. Well, it is definitely true here when it comes to the food. My catfish was melt-in-my-mouth goodness, and my hubby's chicken fried steak was fabulous. Since it was about the size of Texas, he let me have a bite or two (not that I needed any additional food). I had two sides: baked squash and cole slaw (both highly recommended). The dinner also came with huge biscuits and a bowl of gravy. Someone at my table ordered fried pickles to start, and they were incredibly good even though I didn't expect them to be. Room for dessert? Sadly, no. read more

Goodson's Café - Catfish - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

Today was probably the 6th or 7th time that I have ever eaten at Goodson's. However it's been about 5 years or so since the last time. Why? No apparent reason. I enjoyed all of my previous visits and considered its CFS one of the better ones that I have ever eaten. I have seen several reviews stating that Goodson's isn't as good as in the past and I wanted to see myself. Today when I walked in I noticed nothing really has changed. Same country diner/cafe feel. All of the for sale art on the walls with price tags attached. Loud noise of clinking plates coming from the kitchen. Friendly waitstaff. I don't eat CFS often so when I come here that's what I always order. It's their specialty. I would like to come sometime and try something else. So that's what I ordered the small size with mashed potatoes and butter beans. The food arrived about 10 minutes later. I thought the CFS was very good with their very good gravy to go with it. I also put the gravy on the mashed taters which made them yummy. And the butter beans had good flavor. Add the nice roll and it was a very good meal. Filling and inexpensive. With drink and tax about $12. My table service was very good. I like Goodson's and when I think CFS, I think of here. I really do need to eat here more often. read more

Goodson's Café - Small CFS with mashed taters with gravy and butter beans. - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

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The best cafe restaurant. The best part about this place is of course the food and the atmosphere. The restaurant is decrorated and gives you a small town cafe feel which is wonderful considering most restaurants are so commericeralize now. Goodsons's is a hiden gem that you can't find around Texas anymore. 5/5 read more

Food was really good, chicken fried steak was huge ( if you get the large one bring a friend or 2 ). Monster party next to us was very loud but our service was great. Wish I could tell you about the desserts but I was dying from all the food that was already at the table, my daughter ordered a medium rare steak and it actually came out as ordered, sweet tea was nicely done, sweet but not too sweet. Restaurants in DFW could learn a thing or two from this place, total bill with 4 people 61 bucks and worth every penny. read more

Goodson's Café - Just got sat down - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

We love this place. It's been a while since we have stopped by, but we bright the kiddos and got seated in about 20 min. Not too bad for a Sat evening. We did get there before 6 though, so that helped. I ordered a frozen Margarita at the bar. Nothing special, but it quenched my thirst while we waited. If you've never been here, the yeast rolls & gravy are the best around. Our kids liked them too! Hubby ordered a Chicken fried steak & I ordered a Chicken Fried Chicken. Yummy, yummy, yummy! We had a chocolate brownie sundae to finish off our visit. Stuffed is an understatement! May have to run quite a few laps, but if you're looking for comfort food- this is it! Unfortunately, the food was so appetizing, I forgot to take pictures of the entrees. Our server Corbin (hope I spelled it right) was amazing!! Really top notch service if you get him. read more

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This is Cracker Barrel's distant relative it seemed to me. Its the same American styled food without the country store CB has. Their chicken fried steak/chicken and sweet potato fries were very good but everything else was hit and miss. Esp the mashed potato's and green beans, negative. Very bland. Not sure how they get the breading right on the CFS/C but lack almost everywhere else. Strange. They have beer on the menu but its all main stream. Everything is buttered, fried and super oily. Never heard of the place never saw it on TV. I'd go back for the CFS/C but thats about it. Service was friendly. It was OK. read more

Goodson's Café - Sweet Potato Fries. Pretty Good - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

GOODSONS as a National treasure is a 10 / 5 stars As a tasty restaurant it's falling down to a 2 or 3 and here's my opinion based on my real life experiences and taste buds Hummmmm Well I adore Goodsons staying power, our local supportive clientele, its long historical story in Tomball, the family name, and of course its proud reputation for the biggest bestest chicken fried steak in Texas ! Hell we all become more American and "Texan-proud" the moment we walk in and the colorful COW in the entranceway cements the deal. You can't knock the staff who have been there forever, or the variety of bounding young Tomball teens gushing "Yes Mame" at every opportunity and friendly country small talk at the table.. You notice the small town Texas feeling the moment you arrive, then you are usually quickly whisked off into the extraordinarily large red and white dining room, seemingly capable of feeding an army of locals. While sitting in our wood and red plastic booth I usually take a sneaky gaze around, families with young children, tweens dressed in their after-school sports outfits; cheer, baseball, football... You'll take a peek at babies still in carriers, the odd wheelchair and many smiley rosey-cheeked but disturbingly overweight regulars ... But let's face it I'm here to feed us all at a price I can afford and NOT have to save every restaurant for birthdays and Celebrations... So honestly I guess I love it and hate it, but to be fair - we are probably just a bad match, a hopeless duo Goodsons and I are aging differently- we are just too different to find a glorious happy medium where I feel fed, healthy and it was worth the money... Because it IS worth the money, I mean you get what you pay for, what's on the menu is clearly what's delivered, it's just that I sort of feel like I leave full but under nourished; like did I actually want a massive cardboard box without a present feeling..... In short I feel like I am fed crap and receive very little goodness from what I paid for. Because honestly I never leave with a healthy nourished satisfied feeling, I always over eat their cooked mush... yikes I did just say that out loud; I mean it's "canned tasting" soggy green beans floating in bacon fat water or soaking wet lettuce with maybe a shred of something else as a salad, dry packets mixed with water for gravy and nasty fatty beef smashed, rolled in breading served up all crispy dripping fat... The enormous bread rolls are served with a mildly flavored flour mix which is named cream gravy.. The butter is not butter at all, so I do not know why they call it that; it's some kind of artificial margarine which will make you heave if you sniff it. But wildly amazing is they have real HONEY in large plastic squeeze bottles for free that you can dowse your bread in if you feel inclined. That's kinda cool... I have found the cat fish to be pretty good, blackened and you get 2 pieces which is nice,- but as always there are simply no freshly cooked vegetables or healthy side dishes (which actually come pressed into Tiny side bowls / olive dishes), you will be stuck with creamed, fried or soaking in fake butter or worse yet Velveeta cheesy Mac choices, even the mash potatoes which ARE Real potato aren't great. Sometimes they even serve "fried Rice" as a vegetable which I think is cute - erm isn't it ‍ This place is wonderfully priced - no doubts there - steak for $15.99 ! And if your are starving and broke the no- brainer for all of us is the Pot Roast Baked Potato which is marvelous for under 10 bucks! Also you can't knock the deeply satisfying savory chopped beef, all the chicken pasta dishes, pot roast itself, which while basic is absolutely packed full of large cuts of beef -basically it's a place to feed hungry people who can manage a 3,000 calorie meal at one seating. Something that deserves a 5 star round of applause is that they still serve wine for $5 a glass !! Yes $5 a glass, and it's ok, so if Mum needs a surreptitiously swift tipple at dinner - here's your place Mumma... I've tried to make it work for myself really I have and will always take my son back, but the fresh veggies or quality isn't there for me personally who struggles not to gag at some of the truly awful floating fat choices and mounds of batter, pasta or fries, I need the real heart of the meal not the fluff, the padding. Just one more thing is if you want a real banana pudding please don't order theirs it's worse than WalMart - actually it maybe WalMarts. The bad is: Goodsons has too many tasteless empty-calories for me personally & at 52, menopause I just can't do it any longer.‍ The Good is: I can't knock the staff or the genuine country concept, in fact I'd fight, picket on the side of the road and campaign to keep this Texas gem open if just for nostalgia. read more

Please read this review! My husband became violently sick an hour after eating here last night. What's happened to Goodson's!!! We have eaten here several times throughout the years and tonight it was the worst experience ever. The waitress was very nice but wasn't trained well. Our cokes tasted like syrup. We asked for their famous rolls and they gave us reheated hard stale rolls. I told the waitress and she said she picked out the best rolls. She said the rolls were sitting in the warmer all day. I ordered their chicken salad and I drained about 1/4 cup of water off the bottom of the plate. I showed the waitress and she said she wouldn't eat it. People have been complaining about the salads all day. She went to the back to say something and the cooks in the backs yelled "lettuce" and started laughing out loud. My husband ordered the smothered steak and an hour after we got home he started feeling sick and now he's in the bathroom throwing up. My only guess is the meat was bad. My son had chicken strips and French fries and the fries were soggy and old. Eating at Goodson's tonight cost us $60 plus an ER bill. read more

Went in on a Saturday. Not that crowded. Waited literally over 10 minutes and no server. When we tried to flag one down, I know she heard and saw us, but chose to aggressively ignore us. Finally we just left. There were several servers standing around talking, but not working. Terrible management or at least non-existent. Terrible or more accurately non-existent service. read more

I had chicken fried steak. The breading was thick a crumbled off the meat easily so you ate meat or breading not both at once

Home cooking style place. The entrees and vegetable-of-the-day are usually good but the everyday veggies are bland. Good customer service.

First timers...and will be returning! Fried Fish was AMAZING! Nothing bad to say about this place. I will drive the hour for this food.

They are known for one of the best Chicken fried steak around. Moooo......... If your on any type of low carb diets this is not a place for you. read more

Want to preface this by saying we have enjoyed Goodson's for years. We bring out-of-town guests here. We recommend this place to friends. Not sure we can do that any more. To give credit where credit is due, the service was excellent. Ask for Tiffany...you won't be disappointed. The chicken fried steaks were cooked to perfection - crispy outside and tender on the inside. The rolls were fresh and tasty. The mashed potatoes were real potatoes. Sweet potato fries were crisp and delicious. Okra was pretty good, too. However... The steaks were pretty tasteless. Same for the gravy, black eyed peas (normally outstanding), mac-n-cheese, and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were dry to the point of being flaky. If we wanted food seasoned for a geriatric palette, there's a Luby's right down the road. While this isn't the worst meal I've ever paid for, we were both disappointed. It's like visiting your grandmother who, in her old age, forgets ingredients in your favorite childhood dishes. You still love her and the fact that she cooks for you, but there's a sadness in seeing her decline. We do plan to give theses folks another shot in the hope that it was just an off day, but expectations are not high. read more

When they say best chicken fried steak, they're serious. Bring your appitite. Melt in your mouth kind of good.

Tonight was my family's first time trying this place out. The food was really good, but our server Anthony was one of the best serves I've had in a long time. That young man deserves a pay raise ! I definitely feel like we will be back to try out other menu items. read more

The food was bland and the service wasn't good. I was really excited to try the food as it had high reviews from a group of friends who live here. The food was served incorrectly for four plates with a party of six that I was with. The issues were resolved. Other than that, the mashed potatoes lacked butter, the macaroni and cheese had a distinctly odd taste, and the blackened catfish didn't have much flavor. This restaurant also served biscuits with gravy (not pictured). The party I was with agreed that the biscuits also has a weird taste to it. read more

Goodson's Café - Blackened Catfish with mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

Great food. Loved the pot roast. This place has real country food. My mom loves the chicken fried steak.

Portion sizes are being affected by inflation, service is getting quite unsavoury, and the table tops seem to have an ever-present light film of grease on them. read more

Goodson's is known for their awesome rolls and Gravy. Yum! Make sure and ask for them if the server doesn't bring it. They are also home of a gigantic chicken fried steak. I am more of a chicken fried chicken person lately, but the breading is terrific. It is crowded almost all hours it's open, but they do have a large dining area. read more

Goodson's Café - Awesome rolls at Goodson's Cafe. Don't miss them. - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

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If you have not tried the chicken fried steak at Goodson's, you should . It is the real thing, none of that make believe steak you get elsewhere. My two sides were macaroni & cheese and squash. The squash was Great! I certainly did not need it, but the coconut pie topped off a good rainy evening . Go get Full ! read more

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Not much bad to say about a place that makes you feel welcome from the start. Great service, supreme chicken fried steak, burgers and homemade veggies. read more

5 star review! Food was very good & service as good as the food . We will be going frequently.

Chicken Fried steak is still one of the best! The gravy is on point, the employees were super friendly!

The fried green tomatoes are good and the chicken fried chicken. My husband had the chicken fried steak and it was great as well. The service was good as our waiter was attentive. The overall place is okay due the floor was slick. The salad needs some improvement as mine had the end of the stock and only consisted of lettuce with tomatoes. No cheese, cucumber or anything that most places add on the salad. . read more

Today my husband and I decided to visit a place we had heard about. And we're glad that we did! Goodson's Cafe was a surprise to me. It didn't look like anything special from the outside. When we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly cow! We were quickly seated, even though the cafe was busy. My husband ordered the chicken fried steak. And I ordered pot roast. When the food was brought to our table, I couldn't believe my eyes. My husband's plate was actually a platter, completely covered with a giant chicken fried steak. It was hanging over the sides! My pot roast was so tender that I didn't even need a knife. My husband and I are both fried okra fans, so that's one of the side dishes we ordered. And I'm glad that I got to taste this treat. We also had black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, gravy, and yeast rolls. Great food! Even though we were full, we couldn't resist trying out their banana pudding. It was a great treat, too! I will be back. My only negative comment is that the water needs to be filtered. It had an unpleasant aftertaste to me. My husband didn't notice it. But I had a ask for a bottle of water. We're going back next month to try out their catfish. We've heard that it's great! :-) read more

Goodson's Café - A friendly turquoise cow statue, all dressed up for Christmas! - American Near Me - Tomball, Texas

It's difficult to rate a restaurant, it depends on many different factors. I can honestly say I've never been disappointed at Goodsons. They've been consistently good over the years regardless of the day! An item not always on the menu is their Chicken Pot Pie! They make it like my grandmother did, outstanding. Their fried pickles and fried green tomatoes are the best. Expect to enjoy a great meal. Suggest ordering the special of the day. read more

I had to chase a wait person for utensils, I was a woman dining alone and all but ignored! Food was adequate but could have been warmer!! I will not be returning to g to his restaurant! read more

Friendly place in Tomball that claims the best chicken fried steak in Texas. They are wrong. The chicken fried steak is huge with excellent gravy, but the batter and steak itself were average at best. We have tried the dry pork chops here(avoid), the decent flavored meat loaf, the ribeye, which was not bad, ok hamburgers, and very good fried catfish. They have a lot of homemade veggies that are pretty good and their yeast rolls are tasty. Mashed potatoes are very good. Don't forget that white gravy! Service here was good, they have a small little bar area to the left when you come in that is ok to have a drink at. I like Goodson's overall and I am giving them a 4 but i would still head on over to Mel's if you have a choice. read more

Today me and my wife visited Goodson's café for dinner. We had came about a month ago and didn't not have a great visit. Today we were seated by a host that did a great job with finding us a seat. It took quite some time for our waitress to come visit our table, but when she did, she was nice. The mash potatoes tasted grainy and from a box, they were hardly hot. As my wife was a quarter of the way into her chicken fried steak, she pulled a hair that slid out from under her food. I made the waitress aware and she requested the manager to come speak with us. The manager (Chris) came over and told me "I can assure you that our whole team in the kitchen is wearing hair nets". I told him my wife and I lost our appetite and that we didn't want any other food and just wanted to pay and end the dinner. Chris walked off to adjust the check to take off my wife's meal. While he was gone I noticed that a female cook had no hair net on and had a long pony tail that was whipping back and forth over the food. I let the waitress know about it and she told me that she was wearing one and that I just couldn't see it. After I showed her again.. she said "oh I see that now" I am more upset that the manager made a statement to me about the hair nets without actually knowing what was going on. This is a large food safety concern and the manager needed to know that he can't make a statement like that if I can see right into the kitchen from my table. My wife and I don't plan on coming back anytime in the future. read more