Giddings Downtown Restaurant

The food is good. Salad bar needs HELP. The owner (wife) needs to be FIRED. She’s very rude. But like I said, the food is good. Prices could be lowered also.

This place and the food is so homey and inviting. Every buffet item was very tasty and there is plenty of room for many people to sit and enjoy the place. There is also room upstairs for big groups and for parties. The people working here are friendly and attentive to the customer’s needs.

The food was good. We caught them 30 minutes before closing and they seemed to be getting ready a bit early. They had mopped the floor just before we walked in. Not a good idea. The specials bar is in that area. The good food saved the rating.

I’m doing my usual by writing a late review. My Wife and I found this place through Unilocal back in 2013. One of those Sunday’s after church and you’re in the mood for a good meal. After reading the information on Unilocal we decided why not. At the last minute my Wife decides to stay home. I call in, and get the menu items down and we make a decision. I’m left with 30 minutes before the place closed but made it.
I picked up our food and made haste back home. The food was still pretty warm. I’m a chicken fried steak fan and I got that with Mac n cheese, green beans and a roll. My Wife got turkey and dressing, Mac and cheese, greens. Wow! What flavor to the food and we both were done for the day after the meal.
Since then we’ve traveled to Giddings Downtown restaurant and eaten multiple times. It appears that the recipes are true family menu items passed down through the years. You know when someone puts their heart into something.
The décor of the restaurant is a bit dated. I understand the building is old but it’s not like the place couldn’t look nicer inside. The restrooms are okay, my Wife says the ladies side is always clean. The men’s room has this odd space for a stall. If you have real shoulders fellas like me prepare the be cramped. The staff keep it pretty clean though.
There’s were the good things end and where my reasons for 3 stars come in. As I stated above the restaurant has good food. The cost is a bit high but it’s good nonetheless. My first issue is the side salad. Not once have we eaten there and seen a fresh salad. Every one of them on the menu has turned. I’m thinking damn nobody else sees that?
The next issue is there have been more than 2 instances where we’ve noticed some squabbling amongst the staff. I’m talking from the kitchen to the dining area. I remember one Sunday a couple waitresses were arguing. Apparently the one waiting on us struck a nerve with the other. The lady comes bursting out the kitchen like that guy who’s always getting knocked through the saloon doors in a western. My Wife and I were like okay, You can do this but we’d prefer it be later like closing time. We’ve also seen a server and waitress have an exchange.
What really makes me rate 2.5 stars is the co-​owner. The owners are a husband and wife team. The husband is mild mannered and if he is there generally greets you. Well his other half isn’t so accommodating.
The lady is sassy (putting it nicely) and I have noticed sometimes joins in the mess with her staff. I recall paying last year and she gave me an attitude about my card not working. Well another employee walks over and the transaction worked for her. The lady was doing it wrong but no apology from her.
The last time we ate there was June 2015 with the pastor of the church we attended. He’d never heard of the place and was excited to go. We get there not long after they opened. Each of us chose our selection and the Pastor got an extra meat (pork chop). He asked for a knife to cut it and had wait ten minutes at least before someone brought it. When h le got it and tried cutting the pork chop… it was as if he was sawing lumber.
We waited for several minutes and finally our waitress came over. He showed her hiw hard the pork chop was and asked for a fresh one. The owner wouldn’t even dignify a direct response. She said…“ain’t nobody else complained about them pork chops, I don’t see nothing wrong with it. All this while standing behind the register. How digusting of a person this lady is. We made a decision to pay and leave right then. We joked that if the Pastor ever needed a block to keep his car from rolling while changing a flat he could use the pork chop. It’s all good though we made a bad experience one of caution and funny.
We’re good no more of our monies to the place and it’s a shame too because the food was mainly good. However I don’t care how well you cook, the customer deserves respect.
I’m thinking I’ll drive home to grandma’s or to Baytown and get some real home cooking without the infighting and gross attitudes. It’s a know for us but I hope something changes for them.

Three girls on a Round Top trip. Grilled catfish, fried shrimp, grilled pork chop, green beans and sweet potatoes!!! Absolutely some of the best, well-​seasoned food we’ve ever had. Service was awesome. We will return!!!

We stopped in on our way through Giddings, very cute old building food was country cooking nothing spectacular but good, the service was wonderful! Truly made everything great, Victoria our waitress was attentive smiling the whole time and made each meal sound like it was the best ever. We will go again just as a reminder of what service really means, it’s truly rare to find these days.

This was our second visit here and let me tell you, they surpassed the first one! Once again we both ordered the 12 oz Ribeyes, baked potato and steamed cabbage which included a side salad and a roll. The steak was outstanding and cooked perfectly. The cabbage was «off the hook» great, My lady finished it off first! The baked potato was a little dry but good. The pre arranged salad was plentiful and fresh and the roll was moist and yummy. Disregard the reviews about smells here, as on both our visits it was very pleasant smelling. WE’LL BE BACK!

We can’t drive through Giddings without stopping here for lunch. Everything is homemade and beyond delicious. The staff is very warm and friendly. I strongly recommend the Southern Fried Steak and Smothered Steak if it’s on the lunch menu.

My first time here and I walked in. First thing you notice is it’s an old fashion place. I had a nice young lady as my waitress she was super nice. I ordered a jalapeño bacon cheeseburger with fries and an ice tea. The meal came out in a decent time. The hamburger look bigger then normal. I was a little impressed due to it being a small town but at the same time these are the place that can still maintain quality over quantity. Overall a the food was good will be coming back for both the food and hospitality.

I’ve been curious about the Giddings Downtown Restaurant passing by it on my trips between Austin and Houston over the years. Curiosity finally got the best of me on a recent trip through Giddings. From the outside the prospect looks promising. A restaurant nestled in an old downtown structure and a business that’s been there for what seems ages. I always imagined it to be some classic dining experience in portal through time. And it is. Sort of but not in the best way. Once you enter there is an overwhelming odor of what is surmise to be bat guano. It conceivable that a bat colony roosts somewhere above the ceiling in the attic space of the ancient building. The architecture and space itself has potential and character with its high ceilings and brick walls but the décor leave so much to be desired. Tables are basic and the chairs are dingy dated cushioned metal conference room chairs. Our table was wiped down just prior to seating and still wafted the scent of the bleached towel that skated across its surface. Oddly the bleach was a welcome distraction to the ammonia rich bat guano order that permeates throughout the interior. We should have bolted but I was hungry and tired and just wanted to eat and get home.
My wife ordered fried shrimp and I ordered the daily special which was all you can eat catfish. Both entrees included a trip to the salad bar which is unlike any I’ve visited. We walked up to the serving table and amongst the glacial spread of ice were two chilled glass plates pre-​assembled with an ensemble of leafy lettuce, tomatoes and red onions. We etched grabbed our prepared plates and added what appeared to be home-​made croutons and our choice of four dressings. We returned to our seats scratching our heads. Why on earth have a self serve salad bar when the plates are pre-​assembled??? Why not simply serve them at the table the same as the entrees? My complaints of the salad end there. The salads themselves were fresh and tasty albeit ordinary. My wife’s fried shrimp were well prepared with crunchy flour breading and plump tender meat. My catfish really hit the mark on the cornmeal breading with the right amount of crunchiness and a fully cooked interior. The batter and fish lacked flavor, however, and were quite bland. I didn’t get seconds. French fries were respectable but the jalapeño hush puppies seemed under-​cooked to us. They offer a variety of pies but we had our fill of the bat guano and our appetites were dismissed so we did try the pies. Service was friendly. I doubt we will return unless we have nose pins and are absolutely starved. It’s a shame really as The Giddings Downtown Restaurant could have been so much better than we experienced with a facelift and better management.

What a small town gem! Anyone going from Austin to Houston owes it to themselves to stop in. Great food! Great service! Great price! We WILL be back!

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.

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.

Bland food. Poor service. Homestyle cafeteria style food. Setting quiet and is good for large groups but the food is nothing outstanding. Luby’s quality.

A great place for a good quiet lunch. The salad bar is just like men like it — a few greens so we can tell the doctor we ate veggies. If you like a loaded salad — not here. If you are on the go it might be a bit heavy if you choose some of the gravy smothered items. I took one star for the fish which is too thin NOT to be cooked when ordered. The deserts are great!

Great food, great service. Chicken Fried steak was delicious & the cabbage was the best. Definitely eat there again

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 décor 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!

Very nice location near downtown. The carpet smelled dirty and the décor 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.

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.

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 Unilocal,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…