CUSTOMERS BEWARE -- mandatory 20% gratuity for parties of 5+, hidden in fine print on the menu…read morecover. What was meant to be a quick lunch stop in Bastrop turned into an ordeal my kids had to witness. When the surprise charge appeared, I asked our waitress where the policy was disclosed. She didn't know. Neither did her colleagues. When I asked to see it posted, a staff member threatened to call the police on us for asking. We finally reached the owner by phone, who pointed to fine print on the menu cover that his own staff didn't know existed. If you're dining here with a group, ask about the auto-gratuity before you order -- and decide whether you want to give your business to a place that threatens to call the cops on customers for a reasonable question.

I didn't like this local favorite as much as I thought I would. It wasn't that good at all…read more I came during lunchtime and it was packed with people. I was sat towards the back of the restaurant near the noisy kitchen and the restrooms. I ordered tofu spring rolls and stir fry dish. The spring rolls arrived at the same time as the main meal even though it was considered an appetizer. The stir fry was incredibly bland and the vegetables paired with it were wet from being washed making the dish itself soggy at the bottom. The portion size was there, but the flavor of the spring rolls too were bland. I asked for vegan hoisin sauce and was told that it doesn't exist. I told them that it wasn't true because right now in my refrigerator I have vegan hoisin sauce. I was then told again that they only had regular hoisin sauce. The spring rolls were thick and double wrapped creating more rice paper around the tofu making it very chewy to eat. In order to get to the contents inside, I had to take it apart. The peanut sauce was disgusting! I have no idea what they put in it, but the sauce was a very light brown in color, too loose, and tasted awful. I got my food to go only to toss it out. I won't be back.

Great parm chicken wings one of the best I have had in a long time. Very moist crispy and actually…read moretaste like garlic & parm. Philly cheesesteak mouth watering well seasoned meat and the hoagie was soft Didn't care so much for the onion rings needed to be cooked more Catfish basket amazing loved the seasoning and super light batter fish Took 1 start off due to service was lacking server had no smile no personality. I'm in the restaurant business and your 1st impression is everything. Will return and give them another shot.

Great bar for a group of wedding rehearsal guests. Full bar too…read more Strong drinks big pour and decent drinks prices

Love this place so much we go every week! So far everything…read moreon the menu is delicious If you're looking for some good pasta this is the place!

Best pizza I've had in a very long time. This was our first time ordering from them and it's…read moredefinitely the best pizza in Bastrop. We've been longstanding customers of Neighbors but this pizza is 100x better than Neighbors. So glad we found this place! We'll definitely be back.

I genuinely cannot believe I've never written a review for Paw-Paw's Catfish House because we have…read morebeen coming here for YEARS and I love this place so much. There are restaurants you try once because they're trendy... and then there are places like Paw-Paw's -- the kind that become part of your family's story over time. From the fried deviled eggs, to the seafood platters, to the chicken tenders, to the genuinely wonderful staff, there just isn't a better spot for this kind of old-school comfort food experience. And the staff? Always SO friendly and welcoming. Every single time we come in, it feels less like "customer service" and more like old friends excited you finally stopped by so they can catch up with you awhile. That kind of warmth cannot be faked, and it makes such a difference. Now let's discuss these fried deviled eggs. Because respectfully... who allowed them to be this good? You think deviled eggs have reached their final form and then Paw-Paw's comes in like, "Hold my beer." Crispy, crunchy, creamy, flavorful perfection. We start most meals with them because not ordering them would simply be poor decision making at this point. I usually get the chicken tender basket and LISTEN -- these aren't sad little freezer tenders pretending to be a meal. These tenders are literally as big as my hand. Juicy, tender, flavorful, cooked perfectly every time. My adult kids are obsessed with the seafood platter: three pieces of fried catfish and three jumbo fried shrimp with fries, pinto beans, slaw, hushpuppies, and homemade tartar or cocktail sauce. And when I say the catfish tastes CLEAN, my fellow seafood people will understand exactly what I mean. No muddy taste, no weirdness -- just fresh, crispy, perfectly fried fish done right. And the portions? Paw-Paw did NOT come to play. Nobody is leaving hungry unless that was a personal choice. What I love most, though, is the feeling of the place. The small-town care. The heart that clearly goes into the food. The old-school comfort vibe that feels increasingly rare these days. Places like this matter. And Paw-Paw's is absolutely one of them.

One of my favs in Bastrop. Always friendly, quick service and great catfish! It's decorated with…read morecatfish, fisherman photos and everything else you'd expect from a small Texas town (although growing and not so small any longer). It is hit or miss with lines. Typically busier during the church crowd window on Sundays. Upon entry, someone will seat you so be patient and kind. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. Ordered the fried catfish platter. Plenty of food. The catfish is battered and fried to perfection. Always my go to when craving catfish.

I was craving "Cracker Barrel" food. But Cracker Barrel sucks now. Soooo…read moreHam BONZ Soul food is comforting home cooking for hungry people. Can't write more. Food is here. Mm Nom nom mmmm

A few things were excellent: collard greens, peach cobbler and the "southern smoothered" gravy…read more I'll come again to try the yams as a side. And they only provide one small cornbread muffin, but it's very tastey. The pork chop was prepared well, but it's hard to remove gristly edges when it's all buried under the gravy. It could have been a better cut of meat, and that would have helped. There are certainly nicer porkchops available for purchase at Costco (and even HEB) if they want to upgrade the quality of ingredients. There are limited beverage options. They were out of coffee so I had unsweet tea, which was nice. The staff seemed to have something unusual going on. Maybe someone hadn't shown up for their shift or maybe they were training someone. But from greeting to seating to taking my order to checkout, it was just awkward. I don't expect it's normally that way. Lunch special was $12.99. Other meals were in the $20+ range. White meat chicken isn't available on the lunch menu, only dark. But even on the regular menu, it's dark meat only unless you pay a $4.95 upgrade. So basically, this creates a large (2X) price between different variations on a fried chicken meal, which fine, I guess, but for me, it's a strange pricing strategy that I haven't seen anywhere else. But mostly, to me, it feels like I'm eating in a city rec center with a staff of community volunteers. Friendly enough, and tasty enough, but not quite restauranty enough. I haven't given up on it, but I'm not quite sold yet. Wishing them well. I like having a soul food restaurant in town.

I have visited China Buffet in Bastrop several times and have enjoyed the food every time. We…read morealways got the buffet and they have a good variety of items. When I received notification on my Too Good To Go app that China Buffet was offering a deal, I immediately knew I wanted to try it. It turned out to be an excellent deal. Only a couple of places in Bastrop are part of the Too Good To Go app, so I really appreciate that this place is. You cannot come pick up your deal until 8:30pm and when I got there one of the employees took a to go box and filled it up! I also got a container of soup. It was more than enough for two meals for me and I will definitely go back. Depending on where you live, the Too Good To Go app has some great deals!

I rarely am impressed with Chinese buffets so I believe I have a reasonable expectation level for…read morethese buffets. The food was pretty good, wasn't dried out from being left under the warmers too long. They have a decent size selection of food choices and everything I had was tasty. The servers were attentive and nice and I had an enjoyable lunch. This wasn't the best Chinese buffet I ever had but definitely wasn't the worsts; I'll be back!

Came across this place on yelp for places around me and I didn't know there was a Chinese place in…read morebastrop besides the one that was a buffet. It's ducked out so pay attention or you'll miss it!! Super friendly staff clean and inviting LOVED the food I will be back!!!

What cool little find. If you are in the area I highly recommend this restaurant. Well decorated…read morebut not overly done. Great lighting very clean great staff and better food. 10-20 a playe and well worth it. Definitely family friendly.

Absolutely delicious. Very fresh ingredients. Wonderful flavors. Will absolutely be coming back.read more

Order at the table on their tablet- it would be nice for each person to have a menu to view while…read morethe other is ordering. Super excited to see mango and sticky rice on the menu-however, while it wasn't bad, the sticky rice was very over cooked and the grains were like a potato consistency. The sauce was also cold and looked like it was separating perhaps due to the temperature. Pineapple fried rice-go Egg rolls- greasy but good-flavor- I liked their sauce wasn't artificially red Pad see ew- pretty good- noodle texture was spot on. I ordered medium and it was pretty spicy

I went to Popeyes yesterday and I ordered the 6 piece wing, seasoned french fries and some mashed…read morepotatoes with gravy. The restaruant was really cold. You need a jacket when you are eating inside.

Food was ok. Toilets were very dirty…read more Will not return. Used to like Popeye's but avoiding it now.

This place is amazing! It's located in the heart of Bastrop in the downtown area and parking is a…read morelittle tricky if it busy. When you arrive inside you get a southern homey vibe and are greeted with smiles. I then noticed on the wall that they were known for their breakfast. So I was ecstatic to try it out. When seated I scanned over the menu and decided to try the Chicken Fried Steak breakfast plate. When the food arrived I was shocked! The portions were huge and the biscuit was so soft and delicious and the potatoes were crispy and delectable! The eggs were fluffy and the entire overall experience was phenomenal! I highly recommend this place and even the price was decent! So if you are in the area and want a good meal, stop bye!

Minus one star for cleanliness. Read on…read more Very good breakfast. Popular! Tons of people. We only had about a 20 minute wait at 9am-ish on Mother's Day. That's fine because it allowed us a bit of time to check out downtown Bastrop. Once seated, service was American cafe classic. Very friendly and full of memorabilia on the walls and decore. The evening cleaning crew left us an upside down dead . . . Yup, you guessed it. We told the server, they might want to clean it up before seating the next guest at that table. Rule of restaurant opening is to sweep before the doors are opened. We will probably be back because it's still a great place for breakfast. CritDicks