This place is gross. It is old and falling apart. The food is gross and I don't know why it is still open. Dirty tables and floors. Don't get wrong they use to be good and I loved the food, but now they SUCK. I give them 1 star because who knows maybe they can make someone a sandwich. read more

Not sure why this place doesn't have a higher rating because it's great! As a Ron Swanson style lover of breakfast food I must say this place is Yum! They have huge portions and I highly recommend the skillets! great breakfast in Harker Heights! read more

This place is excellent. Local restaurant with great food and great service. Very reasonable prices and good portion sizes. A wonderful place to bring out if town guests. read more

Papa's Cafe - Breakfast specials. The actual menu is much larger. - American Near Me - Harker Heights, Texas

Fantastic food. Great service. The waitress went above and beyond to give me and my four kids a great Valentine's Day dinner. read more

Papa's Cafe - Great diner feel with plenty of space for any size group. - American Near Me - Harker Heights, Texas

I've been here before and the food and service were great. However, this morning is something different. First of all this is the 2nd restaurant we hit today. The first one, there was NO service. We arrived at about 1030 and waited to be seen. A couple came in after us and received their food before us. Could have been the waitress' doing. Our waitress was actually awesome. No issues with her. We normally cook at home, due to health reasons and situations like this. We received our food at 1121... I'm done read more

Walking in on a Tuesday morning at 10:30, the place was packed wall-to-wall -- usually a very positive sign for eating establishments. We got seats fairly quickly. A bit of advice: don't wait for a staff member to guide you to a table; rather, take initiative and grab your own spot. It was very busy, and it took about 10 minutes for the very friendly waitress to make her way to our table and ask for our drink orders. For $2.99, I received two large, tasty biscuits, two eggs cooked perfectly to order, hash browns that were, unfortunately, a bit on the cold side (if they had been hot, they would have been perfect) and bacon. The bacon tasted microwaved rather than fried. The coffee, which was very decent, was $1.29. The staff did a great job with pouring the refills. This wasn't the very best breakfast I've ever had, but it was well worth what I shelled out to Papa's. I'll return for breakfast, and will likely check the joint out for lunch or dinner. read more

We were in there this Sunday, not more than about five table full. The waitress was a busy as a bee with her head cut off. Doing nothing just as fast as she could. We sat for about 4 to 5 min. with a few I will get to as soon as I can. Finally ordered drinks, we ordered tea. she ask with lemon ? we said no lemon will guess what we got? Yes tea with a lemon. I asked for a glass of ice, it was brought to me after asking for four times. I ordered a BLT, she took the order and was bringing out my sister order when she told me, oh we are out of white bread ( her words oh I knew that when I took your order) do you want something else or some other kind of bread? We paid $30 for this. read more

Today was our 1st time visiting this place. The Food was very good. They have a lot to choose from and they have breakfast all day , it's always good find a different breakfast options around here. The home made mashed potatoes were some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, creamy goodness.. Wasn't a fan of the eggs though.. The people were nice although upon entering we didn't know if we should seat ourselves or wait when we first walked in but since 1 waitres walked past us without any acknowledgement my husband asked and they told us sit where we'd like.. We saw that the lady that walked past us was getting off shortly after so maybe she was occupied. Food was served without a long wait.. It's was an overall good experience and we would come back. read more

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The place felt homey and relaxed. It was nice to have the football game on to watch too. We were just driving through and saw this place on yelp and it had better reviews than other restaurants in the area, so we figured we'd give it a try. I ordered the tuna melt with onion rings. The tuna melt was disappointing as there was something off about it. I couldn't determine whether it was the temperature of the tuna or a flavor within the tuna. The onion rings were pretty good though. My boyfriend ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. His meal tasted much better than mine. The reason I give it such low stars is primarily because we both ended up with upset stomachs. It did not take long before pains and bubbling started and we had to buy a bottle of Pepto for the remainder of our drive. I also was not impressed by our waitress. After we asked for a few more minutes to order, she didn't come by to see if we were ready. We couldn't even find her to flag her down that we were ready. Once we did get our food, she reached between us both (we were sitting side by side to watch the game) to put the plates down and to grab our glasses for refills, both times for the refills too. As a former server, that's pretty much a no no. All in all, I do not believe we will go back. read more

Always busy great prices food. Mornings can be busy Great & PA type place. Sometimes servers get really busy but are nice if you signal them if you need something. They look put for each other work well together. read more

The biscuits are huge! And super delicious. The corned beef hash was perfectly cooked. My husband rates their sweet tea as one of the best he's had, besides Chicken Express, of course. Word to the wise, if you go on a Saturday or Sunday (We went Saturday), either be prepared to wait a while for a table, or get there before 9am because it gets packed. In all honesty, this is a good thing. The place is relatively small, and there are lots of big tables, so seating two's and three's at a large table is a bit of a waste. They don't mind seating you at a table with another party, and if you really care about this...get over yourself. Either way, the food is worth it. It's so cheap and delicious too. Coffee was fresh. Waitresses were great. Eggs were cooked perfectly to order. read more

Breakfast or lunch or dinner? So many options to pick from. I wish this place was larger, almost every time I'm here it seems like a nice big crowd. read more

Some of the best biscuits in Texas! My wife and I were house sitting and decided to find a local breakfast spot for Saturday morning. Yelp lead us to Papa's Cafe. As others have said this is very much a mom and pop cafe and is organized and run as such, for the better. Claudia was our waitress and kept our coffee topped off as we wanted. I ordered the Belgian waffle with some eggs and bacon and my wife ordered eggs with hash-browns, sausage, and biscuits. My waffle was very good, one of the better ones I have had recently. My scrambled eggs were good and bacon was crispy like I like it and not greasy. My wife's meal must have been good because it was gone quicker than mine. We split the two biscuits and I am so thankful we did as they are big, soft, and not dry. A little butter and jam on them help make them the perfect companion to polishing off our cups of coffee. Being a mom and pop cafe they support the local community and veterans. We witnessed them honor a local Vietnam vet as they gave him a "Quilt of Valor" in recognition for his service. They do this every third Saturday of the month and I am so glad we were present for it. So if you want to eat some where with memorable decor or wide open spaces, this is not your cafe. However, if you want to support a hard working local business with great food, solid staff, and an opportunity to talk to some fellow residents, Papa's Cafe is where you want to go. read more

Papa's Cafe is a tiny gem hidden in a strip mall in HArker Heights, it looks small but when you walk in the atmosphere is anything but small. Loud chaos, customers and staff are on a first name basis and everyone seems to be in good spirits! There aren't any booths to give it that small town diner feeling, but tables work well for anyone. There is a coffee counter with swivel stools, I was excited to see, because it's my favorite spot to sit where I can see the magic happen. Menu prices and selection are terrific and I love breakfast, so I was extremely excited to see "Breakfast All Day" on the front of their menu. There is a great selection to choose from whether you want breakfast, appetizers, salads and low carb, steaks, seafood or even burgers. Papa's seems to have it all! There is a kiddie menu as well as a senior menu for the young and the young at heart. read more

Papa's Cafe - American Near Me - Harker Heights, Texas

This place has some amazing breakfast. Very well priced , you get your food in a timely manner. The staff is very friendly. Home cooking kind of place. read more

Papa's Cafe - Amazing breakfast, very quick service and friendly atmosphere - American Near Me - Harker Heights, Texas

When you want basic dinner fare this is the best place to go. A true blue plate special just like they used to make. My meal even had a choice of desert. The cobbler was super. I had great service. The ladies here are friendly and happy to help. My drink was refilled before I needed it. And I was very thirsty after work. I got the chicken fried stake and it was huge. And very tasty. The place is very clean and the environment is very relaxing and homey. read more

Ok I will begin this review by saying if your in a hurry for breakfast on the weekend this is not your place. If your looking for a quiet, super clean, fancy place this is not it. If you don't mind waiting, being packed, able to hear others conversations then go! I have been to Papa's twice. I drove from Temple just to have breakfast. Both times it's been worth the wait and interesting folks that go there! The cooks are awesome however the waitresses can't keep up. There is no leadership and you never know who is doing what. Once the food arrives loosen your pants! This past Saturday I got a country fried steak skillet. It came smoking HOT and was a belt buster. My buddy couldn't finish his HUGE pancakes. End of story if your hungry and want really good comfort breakfast GO HERE! read more

This place is run by poor management. Well they disrespect all of there employees I'm sure glad I am away from this place the food is ok nothing to lick your fingers over but ok read more

Large amounts of food and service was good. Food did take awhile to come out. All in all I gave 3 stars because it wasn't a great place but more of a normal home cooked breakfast place. Even though its local. We tried the French toast and omelette and both were good. read more

One of our favorite places for breakfast the staff makes you feel welcome and the food is great.

I love this place. After having moved here about two years ago, I have returned many times. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The place is very mom and pop and small for restaurants in the area, but always busy. My wife and daughter just love their salads and we all have had a great experience with all meal times. I personally would recommend the nacho chip plate. It's very large and is a family meal in itself for my family. The chicken fried steak and the omelets are very large and easy to fill up on. If you don't want to wait too long, I would suggest avoiding the place on a Friday night or Saturday and Sunday mornings. Those times do seem to be the busiest. read more

Amazing liver and onions, just like granny would make! Comfort food served by gentle hands!

So delicious! I had the hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, my mother had the catfish with onion rings and my daughter had the hamburger steak with fries. All 3 of us were extremely pleased with our food! We will be back here on a regular basis from now on! The restaurant was very bright and clean and our waitress was very friendly and great making sure we didn't run out of coffee. If I could give more than 5 stars I would. read more

Food is good and priced right but Covid 19 practices is terrible. Social distancing and good sanitation practices. However the waitress did not even have her mouth covered with a mask. Most other employees working out front had mask on but only mouth covered. This is three times in a row with two different waitresses. I know of 4 other families that will not return (as we also will not) until they change their practice. read more

I asked for fried hard, extra crispy catfish. Either the waitress didn't give the message to the cooks or the cooks got it wrong. They were simple instructions. I received soggy catfish. Really disgusting food and service could be better. Our family won't be coming back. read more

Hands down, THE BEST BREAKFAST in the Harker Heights/Killeen/Cove area!! Excellent friendly service; eggs, omelettes, and pancakes cooked to perfection; and biscuits and gravy that is to DIE FOR! read more

The food was amazing! It has a mom and pa feel that reminds me of home! Definitely will be coming back for the all you can eat catfish!!!

This review is based solely on breakfast as that is the only meal we have tried at Papa's. When we moved to the area a few months ago, Papa's quickly became our routine breakfast spot. The food is always good, they have the best biscuits I have ever had. We usually visit on Sunday mornings and they are quite busy at that time but the service is always good despite how busy they are. They have some of the best waitresses, they're always friendly and personable, a couple of them even remember what we usually order. read more

I always wondered what was the hype all about this restaurant.. So my husband and I tried it one day. The service was very slow, place needs some cleaning... The food wasn't that great at all, and even cold when given to us... Way too much clutter behind the counter, and the sliced lemons weren't even enclosed nor on ice!!! read more

Was searching on Yelp for a breakfast place and thankfully found this place. The biscuits are so fresh and taste amazing! My husband got chicken fried steak and enjoyed every bit of it. The gravy was peppery and tasty. The service was great and very fast. Thumbs up. read more

This local diner was just like I remember from childhood. Lots of locals, busy, fresh and delicious. We went for breakfast and the menu was quite large, maybe too large to do everything equally well. Something for everyone. Our food was wonderful. I had a skillet and my husband had the platter with biscuits and side of gravy. He devoured every bite- he even asked about the sausage, which he never asks anything. My skillet portion was huge and I only finished half. The decor was fun with a large mural on one wall. Tables and floor were clean. Bathroom was spotless. The only things keeping from 5 stars was the staff and the coffee. They did tend to gather at the counter talking making it difficult to get their attention but great service otherwise. The house coffee served was disappointing. It was "watery"weak. But when asked if there was another option, our waitress offered their "double" brew. It was much better, deeper, richer, tasted like real coffeehouse coffee! read more

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Excellent food, great service. Our favorite breakfast spot in all of Killeen. Be sure to get there early on weekends for a good seat, they fill up fast. read more

Great place for a quick lunch, the Lumberjack soup was great and and service was excellent! The Tilapia I had was cooked very nicely and the veggie sides were fresh. read more

I love this place! The biscuits and gravy are so good! I just wish they had more seating, some times the line is out the door and you have to share tables. But the staff is super friendly. read more

Papa's Cafe has a delicious, and fresh, breakfast menu that is super tasty. Their chicken fried steak is one of the best I have ever had...and it's fat free! (I kid). This is our go to breakfast place in our tiny little town and we have never been disappointed. read more

Breakfast at this place is actually alright. That's because eggs, sausage, and bacon can't be easily bought pre-made off the back of a food service truck. Dinner is a different story. Almost every item on the menu is instant, canned, or frozen. I'm pretty sure the mashed potatoes are the same cheap, institutional-grade slop that school cafeterias use.I could (and have) gotten better quality meals from the frozen food aisle at the grocery store for less money. The food Papa's serves is not "home cooking." It's not even "cooking." Reheating ready made items that were bought in is the ultimate in lazy. read more

Old fashioned mom and pop type cafe. All American food, with breakfast served all day. And the prices are excellent! I had the fried catfish, and hubs had the chicken fried steak. Remember, this is not fancy food, but good basic food! And sometimes, that is the best! read more

The breakfast food is just ok, but the biscuits are the bomb! Our food took forever to come out and my food was only warm by the time I got it. Also, the place was super crowded and kind of a mess. I would not return. read more

Papa's is okay. The location is good. You can always count on seeing the same wait staff. The dining is a seat yourself diner setup. I've been about 4 times. They have gotten my order right, once. The wait staff is friendly and means well but, I guess they forget to write stuff down on the tickets. I've had the breakfast scrambles and omelettes. Both were pretty dry. I will say.... The salsa is pretty awesome. It is one of the few places to eat in this location that are not food chains. See for yourself. read more

My family and I went on their all you can eat catfish night and the only good thing was the catfish. The service was horrible, we didn't have tableware, the table was sticky and dirty, and the waitress was always M.I.A. Their french fries were cold and tasteless, I ordered chicken nuggets for my five year old and they were hard as a rock and to top it all off when we got home, we all spent most of the night on the pot. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more