Repka’s Grocery

What a great hole in the wall.
Our first visit but it will not be our last.
Great food and great service.

Small country bar/​restaurant/​grocery store with awesome crawfish. Animals out back with live crawfish boil.
This small place is located a mile or two southwest of FM359 and FM529, just north of Brookshire. You will see small white signs with pictures of crawfish on FM359, FM529 and highway 90 that will lead you to Repkas. If there is no parking in front, go around to the side, where there is plenty of parking.
Inside, you will find a small grocery store on the right. To the left, there is a bar area that doubles as a restaurant. There is another seating area with large tables towards the back, and picnic tables outside in the back if the weather is nice.
The only bad things about Repka’s is the restroom and the slow service. Half the time when I go to the restroom, the urinals are plugged-​up. This isn’t Buc-​ees restroom quality, so don’t walk around barefoot. At least it’s better than a porta potty, just not so much.
The servers are very friendly, and Repka’s tends to overwork them. As a result, don’t expect to get served very quickly on a busy day. In fact, a sign in the front will tell you that it may take an hour to order during busy times. On a weekend, it is best to arrive in the middle of the afternoon.
My family likes to visit Repka’s as soon as crawfish season starts. Just the right amount of spice at a great price. On our last visit, we paid $ 30 for 6 pounds of tasty crawfish. There’s nothing better than sitting at Repka’s with hot, fresh crawfish, a Shiner Bock, a few potatoes and corn on the cob.
My wife likes ordering hush puppies as an appetizer, but I tend to order the delicious boudin balls. The boudin balls are large and crispy. On our last visit, we shared some awesome bread pudding after finishing our meal.
The cool thing about Repka’s is that you can stroll outside the back of the restaurant and see some peacocks in a cage. You can also see the cookers boiling the next batch of crawfish. Great for kids.

I can’t believe I have lived in Waller County for 25 years and had never been to Repkas!
Really fabulous Boudin Balls, Fried Alligator and fried crawfish tails!!! Tails were huge, and my friend ordered fried oysters and they were gigantic!!! He said they were great as well. I’m giving 4 stars because the Fried Shrimp wasn’t great but I will give it another try and change to 5 stars in a heartbeat. The service was excellent and it’s a very cool place all around! Can’t wait to go back and try the boiled Crawfish after Easter when they start serving it.

I’ll give it a five star because I think it is top notch as a Southern/​Cajun style restaurant for the greater Houston Metro area.
This is definitely a country type of restaurant. When you walk-​in, you see pool tables and electronic games along the walls with the dining tables in the middle. There are large group dining tables in the back and tables outside if you wish to eat outside in the back. Something unique about eating outside is your very close to the chicken coop.
You might think this is a little redneck but it is really very family oriented and definitely in the country. It is a little difficult to find.
Tonight when we came in through the back, zydeco music was playing, the chickens were clucking, people were laughing and having a good time. This is definitely not a chain restaurant. It is down-​home and lots of fun.
We have eaten here maybe 10 times in the last six months. We meet our children and grandchildren over here so we have a group of 6 to 8 every time we come. Service is a little slow because they are so busy. Considering how busy they are, we are just happy to get in and get a table. You have to wonder where all these people come from. We know a lot of them come from the west end of Houston like we do. We frequently meet people we know.
Bottom line; it has lots of atmosphere that you generally don’t find in the city. The food is good and the service is good even though it’s a little slow. And, the price is right.
When they are in season, we always get 5 pounds of crawfish as an appetizer. m

I’ve gone here 3 times and the food is consistently bad. The crawfish étouffée bland and taste dirty and had to send it back. It is the last time that I will eat there.

The top place for crawfish when it’s in season and they are fast about it too. Aside from the crawfish for those that don’t like it this place has some great food. Burgers are nice and juicy and I really like their boudin. Beer is always cold and on hand. Waitresses are friendly while sometimes it gets busy they don’t mind if you call on them nicely and respectfully. It’s way out there from anything and you city folk may have a hard time choking up the drive but it’s worth it. Hell just make it day and enjoy some rural slow paced life.

I may have found my new favorite place for crawfish. I will definitely be back a few more times before the season is over. Trust me, its worth the drive.
They have a large indoor dining area but we opted to sit outside (beautiful day with a nice breeze). They have a covered area behind the restaurant. I always enjoy dining outdoors, plus the added bonus of spice in the air as they cook the crawfish outback.
The crawfish were fantastic. They were hot and spicy. Probably some of the spiciest that I have ever tried. Yum! Only $ 4.99 a pound. I haven’t seen them this cheap anywhere else this year.
If your not craving the craw, they have lots of other options on the menu. We did get an order of fried pickles, pipping hot served with ranch for dipping.
Friendly employees and great service, my ice tea was always full. Can’t wait to go back.

I’ve been here a few times with friends who live in the area. I get that it’s a local institution and folks have an emotional attachment to it. I do not. So if I offend anyone who has such a relationship with it, I apologize.
When the place is busy service is slow, inattentive and haphazard. We joined a couple friends who had already ordered and had their crawfish. After finally flagging down a waitress who didn’t notice us sit down she seemed aggravated that we were there and left before taking everyone’s orders. Then things came out bit by bit. I get they were busy but still… go at an off time and it’s much better and the food comes out all together.
I was hoping to get some crawfish. I was very glad I tasted my friend’s before I ordered a couple pounds. They were W-​A-​Y too hot. Don’t get me wrong, I like a little spice. But when you can’t feel your lips after just a couple someone has been heavy handed with the spice. The boudin balls were terrific and the boiled shrimp app is always good. The froglegs are good and the green beans are usually really tasty. I have always liked their fried pickles.
The beer is cold and I would have had more than one had the waitress every come back to check on us.
If you sit in the big back room do not expect to be able to hear anyone at your table. It gets loud and louder as people pack in. There is a patio on the back too. It never seems too loud but it doesn’t have a lot of seating. Be sure to go out back and check out the peacocks and hens in the cage. The kids will love that.
Parking can get crazy when the lot fills up with trucks. And don’t be surprised if you get trapped in by double parkers. You pay at the register. Just go up and tell her your name and they’ll ring it up.
Look, it’s lots of fried fish and cold beer. The food is pretty good if that’s what you are looking for. They have room for big groups, pool tables, some TVs on sports around the inside dining room and a package store for some beer to go in the front.

If you’re out in the middle of BFE, check this place out. It would definitely fit in the «hole in the wall» category, but the crawfish are actually pretty good… they’re not the best I’ve ever had then again, I am from New Orleans.
From what I understand, Repka’s is the only place around (this area) to get crawfish, which could explain the crazy wait times. Service was good. We ended up moving outside because our party grew and there are big tables out back. It worked out because that place was freaking HOT inside and it was cold out that day. We asked what was going on with Repkas trying to bake everyone like potatoes and our server said it was because of the amount of patrons inside… this tells me I probably don’t want to come here on a summer day.
All in all, an enjoyable experience in an area with not many options.

This place is basically in the middle of nowhere but I had one of my more memorable Texas meals here. Froglegs, fried quail, fried catfish, and fried pickles were the standouts. Also tried the red beans and rice, boiled shrimp, and boudin.

Ok Ok Ok… here is the answer to all those unspoken questions (or the ones that are spoken by my cohort of sorts — Alexander W from Katy Texas)
Question 1: How is a grocery store like a sports bar?
You would think that space is at a minimum in Texas (that is the furthest from the truth) but it seems maybe this place was a grocery store first and they just expanded into a bar then they went even further and put long tables that are very reminscent of cafeteria tables — then they expanded into booths…
Question 2: What made you drive from my neck of the woods, Katy, to all the way their for crawfish & octopus?
It was recommended by a new friend and then I Unilocaled it and history was born. It isn’t that far actually, in the whole Texas scheme of things. The calamari were the biggest things I have ever seen in my life. I seriously thought that they made a mistake and brought me onion rings but the chewy-​ness dismissed that thought and I had to admit that it even the SQUID is bigger in Texas.
Question 3: What is the pricing like?
VERY VERY reasonable! I was kinda shocked but kindly ate all of my 2lbs of crawfish ;)

Bummer Trip to Repka’s for Crawfish. Will never return!!!
We saw a review from a fellow Unilocaler which gave this place a 5 star. We checked out their website and menu and everything looked good. So we were waiting to make the 110 mile round trip to Repka’s and supposedly get some awesome crawfish.
This place is in the sticks and it wasn’t a scenic drive. Three reviews said get there early because the line is out the door if you come late. Well we got there late afternoon and there were only 2 couples eating and some people playing pool.
I asked the server if something was wrong because no one was hardly here. I said I read to come early because you can have a long wait. She said it gets busy around 5 pm. I asked how big the crawfish were. She told me I could go outside and look at them in the tank. So I went outside and saw that the crawfish were medium to large in size. Some were upside down not moving. I asked the guy in the back why some weren’t moving and he said they were frozen.
Anyway I came back in and ordered 3 lbs and hubby ordered the fried crawfish platter. What I received a minute or so after ordering were smaller crawfish which almost all had black bottoms. They were very mushy, hard to peel and the CRAWFISH MEAT WAS EXTREMELY DRY — NO MOISTURE TO THEM! Crawfish are suppose to have a sweet and succulent meat.
I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH MUSHY, DRY AND BLACK BOTTOMED CRAWFISH IN THE 20 YEARS I HAVE BEEN EATING THEM. I asked the server if they were dead when they cooked them, she said no. I asked the server for butter and rec’d something liquid yellow and cold. Real butter that cold would have congealed. Also rec’d their supposed hot sprinkle powder which wasn’t spicy.
Hubby ordered the fried crawfish platter. He rec’d big barely seasoned fried tails on top but heavily breaded little crumbles of crawfish underneath. His fries were white and limp and his Texas toast was unevenly toasted with no butter or seasoning on it.
Hubby said he would rate them 1 star that’s how bad it was.
I would be embarrassed to recommend this place to anyone. Don’t know what went wrong but too many issues to give it a second try.
Hubby wanted to pay cash. I was so uneasy with the dark mushy crawfish I just ate I told hubby we need to pay with credit card in case I get sick. Didn’t get sick but seriously disappointed.
Waitstaff pleasant so 2 stars.

My parents recently moved out to Richmond and we’ve been hearing the buzz about this place for a while and decided to check it out last crawfish season. We were SO impressed!
This place cooks crawfish and fixins’ all day. They are nice and spicy and the family is already talking about when we are going to go back!
They also have numerous fried seafood options and they are great to.
Be sure to check out the website and print out a map or else you will never find the place. Most navigation systems don’t even show these roads. It is truly out in the sticks but totally worth it!

Great food, 4 out of 5 times, so the 4 stars. I haven’t had anything bad on the menu, and I’ve tried most of their menu items. There is not going to be much in the «healthy options» department. Everything they make is cooked traditional southern style.
Don’t be scared of the drive. Just plan on making a day of it. You won’t regret it.
Biker friendly, and the route is a great bike trail, so if you take a Harley out on the weekend, go check out those roads, stop and have a cold beer and some awesome grub.