The Jay Cafe

This place is wonderful! I’m always looking for home cooking and this place has it! From chicken fried steak to big juicy burgers and homemade pies!

Can’t wait to come back ! Service, appetizers, meal, dessert!! all excellent definitely coming back !! Starting with desserts next time !!

The restaurant has a open lay out with out any carpet or acoustical ceiling finishes which causes it to be very noisy when busy. The manger and the waitress were attentive and kind. The food was nothing special, it was something I could have made at home. I had the grilled chicken with green beans and a salad for the 2 sides. The chicken and green beans were ok but the salad was sad, just iceberg lettuce and 2 slices of tomato.

Great stop on the way to the coast!
Big bottomless iced tea glasses. Great selection of main dishes from shrimp, to steak to burgers and the usual fried fare. The chicken fried steak available in 2 sizes is delicious but on the salty side. The filet minon melts in your mouth. Everything is hand breaded including the fried okra. Homemade rolls with honeybutter. Yum!!! If you do not save room for dessert, get it to go! Everything is home made!
The downside… only one man and one women’s rest room for this large restaurant.. They are usually occupied with longtimers!

Can I just say… Best. Pie. EVER!!!
My husband and I have been stopping here as we pass through on our way home. The classic style neon sign wooed us to give it a try.
The restaurant is clean and neat. Servers are friendly and give recommendations. Everything we have tried so far is wonderful!
I have had the ribeye twice. My husband has tried the catfish and the chicken fried steak. Our son had a burger and fries. All delicious. This is good old fashioned home style mom and pop eatery that is sure to delight.
Where this diner stands out is the pie. Oh my! We got a chocolate pie to take home. Got home and pretty much died and went to heaven. We took the dreamy chocolate deliciousness home two more times. Each time the same amazing flavor and consistency. Then… We decided to give the coconut cream a try. This is hands down THE BEST chocolate cream and coconut cream pie EVER!
If there other pies are anything like the previously mentioned, we are in big trouble. I’m in love!
So, if you are passing through a little town ½ between nowhere, and you see the glorious neon, stop in, have a bite to eat and be sure to get the pie!

The best sub-​20 buck steak you’ll ever have, hands down… the fried pickles were divine, as were their stuffed jalapenos… our server Warren was friendly, informative, and a great server. I’ll drive all the way down to Needville just to eat here again… really good spot for a break between the George Ranch park in the afternoon and going to the observatory after dinner…
HIGHLY recommended!

First time eating and everything was awesome! The service was great as well as the food!!!

Food was great as usual but our service was horrble to say the least. Didnt get the right drinks, had to ask for my credit card and bill back. Never got rolls and ketchup. Just disappointed caise I love the place.

On this beautiful Saturday afternoon my family decided to take a jaunt out to Needville to try out this wonderful country café! I had read about this place on Unilocal and had it bookmarked! Less than 20 minutes from my home, we drove up to a big rooster and a sign that greeted us as we pulled into the generous sized parking area which was full of cars! Good sign!
As we walked in we spotted one of my daughter’s former elementary school teachers having lunch with her daughter and began to exchange pleasantries as the host took our names for an available table; that opened up fairly quickly! As we got settled, we were greeted by Warren, a very personable young man who waited on us. A really nice young man, we spent a bit of time visiting with him and he gave us some really good suggestions! The vibe was really positive in here and the atmosphere energetic during the busy lunch hour!
I ultimately decided on the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans and it was soooo good! More than enough for 2, I was practically rolling out of there! What really impressed me was the selection of desserts! Wonderful pies, cobblers… you name it! We eventually opted for the strawberry shortcake suggested to us by the owner’s son Alex. Made by his mom, it was absolute heaven! So good!
Later on Alex’s dad, Tim visited with us and he was so nice and personable and made our first time experience here much more pleasant! The owner and staff are so friendly!
A great country café… it was a nice drive out here. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon when the weather was practically darn perfect!

First off, hands down best country fried steak ever. The manager Aaron was very accomodating to let me come in so close to closing. Service was exceptionally fast and the food was top notch. Everything was obviously made from scratch. Nicely seasoned corn and rolls with homemade honey butter was so good. Chocolate cream pie to top it off was rich and dense. Recommended for anyone looking for real down home cooking.

We drove by this place and saw all the cars on the way to the Gulf. On the way home today we stopped.
You drive up on a gravel road and the outside is very simple. Very deceiving. After opening the door, we found this place to be a wonderful stop.
My wife and I both ordered the Juicy Jay. It is a hamburger with a cheese infused meat patty. I was crazy and ordered extra meat. Wow! This was an amazing hamburger.
Very worth the stop. Many people also come for their deserts.
We did end up waiting about 30 minutes for our food to come out which was a little disappointing. Staff is very friendly. We will be back and may even make the 30 minute drive just to eat here.

Love this place. The food has always been great and the employees are always friendly. Restaurant is always clean. We have been here many times and it is always above expectations. We have been there for breakfast on the weekends too and we were very pleased with it. The pies are awesome too.

We will definitely be back. Loved the salmon. Rolls to die for. Taking pie and cake home for later.

Best little café. Great service & the food was delicious. We didn’t save room for dessert, but the pies sure looked yummy. We will definitely be eating here if we’re ever in the area.

Incredible. Was super fast, very good home made, cooked&fried meals. I got the grilled shrimp and they were incredible! Couldn’t have been better! Will definitely be going back! Recommend you to go!

I’m not sure how they cook the chicken, but all I can say is YUM!
I missed out on the homemade pie, but I’ll be back again to give it a try.

We pulled in transiting from Angleton to Austin. We were in the middle of rural Texas. This place had 4 State Trooper cars parked in the driveway, which struck us as a good omen. We were not let down.
Warren was friendly and knowledgeable. Had to wait a bit for service, but eh, no one’s perfect. A
Potato soup had perfect texture and a delightful spice. A+
Green beans were flavorless but had good texture and were cooked perfectly. B–
Shrimp: this, my friends, is why you come to the gulf coast. Panko breading and perfect. Served with a horshradishy sauce. Get this. A+++
Salisbury Steak: a house special that is unique among Salisbury steaks. Basically, it was a really good hamburger patty — flavored and cooked with a nice charred backdrop — covered by pretty okay brown gravy. B+
Rolls: yeasty happiness with a slight sweetness across the crunchy top. A
Chocolate Pie: direct hit. Sublime crème with crunchy/​doughy crust. A+
We’ll go back, though we’re not sure when we’ll be back that way.

This restaurant impressed me so much that I will be coming back to try other menu items and more pies of course! I don’t live anywhere near The Jay, but it’s close enough to drive there on a weekend. I visited near closing time on a weekend and had no problem getting a table. Service was very quick even though the restaurant was still half full. The crowd is not diverse one bit, which is what you would expect for a country cooking restaurant IN THE COUNTRY.
Although several items on the menu sounded delicious, I went with the small chicken fried steak with loaded baked potato and FRESH fried okra. You don’t see fresh okra very often at these type of places, so I had to try it.
The chicken fried steak was small (and a little under $ 8), but I wasn’t hungry enough for the large, which is supposedly huge. I finished the steak pretty quickly. Was this the best chicken fried steak in the Houston area? Hmm… probably not, but it was maybe in my top 5. Sides were excellent.
To finish the meal, I ordered the peanut butter pie, which was rich and so delicious. Considering this was excellent and who knows when I’d be back in the Needville area again, I ordered a coconut cream pie to go. At only $ 3.50 per slice, this was a steal considering it would be much more in Houston.
I ate the coconut cream pie at home the next morning and this was a real winner and much better than the peanut butter. Everything was homemade, down to the crust. I will be back again for sure.

Yes… Just yes. Warren killed it, hooked up the mesquite Grilled Salmon and I was like Whaaa?!? Are you for serious warren!!! Peach cobbler and vanilla icecream was so good it helped me finally get over my ex-​girlfriend cheating on me in the 2^nd grade.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend, bring a friend

Not a place for breakfast