Dot’s Place

Southern cooking. Huge portions. Delicious and oh, you might have to go run a couple miles after, but worth it. Um and the peach cobbler, requires more miles run, but worth it.

Stopped by Dot’s for one final lunch today… After all these years she is finally retiring. The Pflugerville location was never as good as the original in my opinion, but I still had to see her off. We arrived at high noon and the line was well out the door, which is not too typical for this location. Waited a full hour and once we got in, all she had left was beef tips, a couple pieces of catfish and the meatballs. The potatoes were sold out too. Dot was actually in a good mood and was talking to customers — don’t think I had ever seen this before. I guess retirement will do her well.
Pretty disapointing overall — food was only fair today. I guess she didn’t expect to be slammed for her final week — they were really having a hard time keeping up with the crowd. If you visit this Thursday or Friday (Feb 25 & 26), be sure to get there early in order to have a selection and not have to wait so long. CASH only!!!
RIP Dot’s, especially the original off Howard Lane. We will miss you and your huge oversized portions! On a positive note, weight loss ahead!

The best home cooking in the central tex area, Just plain good.
Good luck, Mrs Dot. Gonna miss eating at your place. Great food.

I waged a full on attack of my waistline today at Dot’s…and I don’t care!
I showed up at 11:45 for lunch. The key is to come early to beat the crowds.
I had the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. The sauce that meatloaf is amazing, its almost sweet. I could see the butter in the potatoes and the bacon and salt nicely flavored my green beans. My coworker loved his chicken fried steak, greens and mac and cheese.
If you need me this weekend… I will be at the gym, working off this lunch!

As most of us know Dot’s once was in North Austin just off Howard Lane in a old house which burned down. I ate at that location dozens of times and liked it every time. I stood in the long lines and sit at long tables in bedrooms make over into eating rooms which got hot in the summer heat because there was no central air. I normally got a meat of the day and 2 sides, roll, drink. If I got a piece of pie my bill was around $ 12 dollars.
I was sad to see it had burned but was excited when it reopened in Pflugerville. I grabbed the wife and we went on a Friday night soon after it reopened, as before the line was out the door we stood in line and bull talked with others in line. When we finally went through the cafeteria style line and sit down to eat our food with anticipation of more great southern style food and ate. When we finished we both felt disappointment. Something was not the same. Thinking it may have been re-​open jitters we waited two weeks and tried it again. The line was not there but the eating area was still full. I got the meat loaf and mashed potatoes and green beans and a roll with tea, the wife had liver, I think. Why I don’t know. Again we were somewhat disappointed.
Although we kinda like the food it was not as good as we remembered and the staff did not seem to be as good either. The inside did not see to be as clean as we would like it to be.
I went back about a month ago at lunch. I had the chicken and dumplings and it was different than any I ever had before. I got a piece of steamed chicken and a soup like dumpling sauce poured over it. I didn’t care much for it. So I had no change in my thoughts about the restaurant.
Well if you went before the big burn and you haven’t been to the new place yet try it and see what you think.
Would I go back? I am guessing sometime in the future I will end up here with friends maybe in the far futurer.

I’m from Austin, and I’ve always heard of Dot’s as being a great place to eat. I finally got the chance to go, and I was very disappointed.
I’m okay with cafeteria style, but I’m not okay with dirty. My first reaction to Dot’s is that it needed a good cleaning and organization. If you are going to have an open kitchen you have to have it clean so that people are impressed by the quality of your kitchen. There were pots on the floor, cooked chicken sitting on the prep table next to boxes of raw food. The filth on the stoves could be seen from the serving line 20 feet away. I almost suggested to my wife that we leave, but I decided that I really wanted to try it because I had heard so many good things.
Chicken fried steak and two sides for me, chicken and dumplings and two sides for my wife. Two beverages — $ 24.00. That’s pretty pricy for lunch, and if the quality had been there I wouldn’t have minded. My chicken fried steak looked — and tasted — like something that had come prepared and frozen out of a box, not breaded and fried on location. The green beans were good, and the corn tasted like they opened a can and heated it up. I felt like I was eating at my daughter’s school cafeteria. My wife said the chicken was good, but she didn’t care for her sides either. What amazed me the most was that she didn’t eat the dumplings. My wife is a fan of all things starchy and she normally loves dumplings. The ones she was served were large and didn’t look fully cooked. One dumpling was bigger than a golf ball.
Dot’s may have been good, and we may have been there on a really bad day, but we won’t be going back. It was dirty, expensive, and not good.

Everything is good, just too heavy for everyday dining for me, but everything I have had has been very tasty. I especially like the meat loaf, the fried fish, yeast rolls (yum!), sweet potato pie, yams and okra. I always have to take home half of what is on the plate, servings are large. Leave your diet at the door.: p
My only complaint is that they are not open on the weekends, but I suppose Dot has to rest sometime!

When Dot’s was on Howard Lane i went there and i died from the great food. Everything was great including the Chicken, the fish and the great desserts. Then it was gone and it felt like someone breaking your heart at the worst time. Then like the Phoenix it rose again in Pflugerville of all places and the great food was back. I went back to Dot’s for the first time in years back in November and the food was exactly like i remembered but so were the prices unfortunately. The place is pricey but the food justifies the price over and over again. I got the chicken with some veggies and got some sweet lemonade. I sat with my boytoy at the time and we ate but it was on that date that i found out i liked Dot’s food better then him. He was gone from my life a couple of days later but Dot’s is still there to take the pain away one bite at a time. The chicken was great not burned and had a moist taste that melted in my mouth. The side of veggies were also to die for but i could go on and on about this fantastic place so please just stop in and turn the other way when you have to pay. So to summarize i was born then i went to Dot’s now i can die in peace knowing the food here is almost a life changing experience. Tomorrow the reviews come in for Hakata Sushi. One of the best places in Pflugerville besides Dot’s and Curbside. Don’t forget to get your fill of Dazzle Coffee.

As others have said, Dot’s serves good home cooked comfort food. I remember the old place how it had been expand many times and having to wait outside in line to be served. The food is very well worth the wait and the price. I’ve been a fan of Dot’s since the early 90’s and I a still am.
The fried chicken is moist and tasty. The chicken fried steak and catfish are also delicious. The vegetables taste fresh and not over cooked like at some places.

Haven’t been since Dot’s moved to Pflugerville, but back when it was up in Wells Branch, the catfish was awesome. I always got the yams and the chocolate pie. Definitely comfort food and one of my oldtime favorites.

This food reminds me of the stuff my Grandmother used to make. If you were lucky enough to have known her and her awesome cooking, you would be standing in line when Dot’s Place was next opening up. The sign on the door says «Good Home Cookin’» and the sign is not lying.
I have been here many times and went again tonight when I remembered that it had been a while since my last visit. I chose the chicken fried steak, but could have just as easily chosen the catfish or chicken and dumplings or meatloaf. The side dishes are enough for a meal unto themselves and tonight I had the corn and potatoes. The last piece of chocolate cake also needed to be removed from the cafeteria style serving line, so I ate it for dessert. A great meal as usual!
This place is not fancy and the price is just right for the amount of food you get. If you are lucky, you may even find Dot in the kitchen with a smile on her face. She obviously pours a lot of love into her restaurant and I for one am very thankful.

I admit, I have only been to Dot’s once. But I found it to be good, home-​style food.
They serve cafeteria style and they have options like chicken fried steak, beef tips and gravy, meatloaf, etc.
I had the beef tips and macaroni on the side. The macaroni was cold, but tasted pretty good. I thought the beef tips were great, a little fatty but I liked the flavor.
There is very little that looks like it would be any good for a vegetarian or anyone on a diet.
All in all, decent little lunch place. Big downside, apparently it’s not as cheap as it used to be in the old location. So said my dining companions anyway.

I love this place. Always so many various dishes to choose from. They used to be located in Austin behind my house. I frequented them when they had to serve out of a trailer due to a fire.
Fav’s are lasagna, meat loaf, liver and onions, chicken fried steak. I’m a big fan of the collard greens, okra and tomatoes, and yams. The price has gone up from being $ 7 for an entrée and 2 sides. It’s more in the $ 9 range. Everyone behind the counter is really nice. Feels like home.
It used to be really busy, but the last time I went it I didn’t have to wait in line.
Great food in good portions that will give you a good food coma. Gotta love it.

Southern homestyle cooking, very well done. The portions are generous, a meat and two sides runs about $ 9. When they first opened up this location, the lines were out the door. It’s calmed down quite a bit so you don’t have to get there at 11 am. Beef tips on rice is my favorite. It’s served cafeteria style and it’s very, very casual.

Dot’s Place is a lot like eating over at your friend’s house when you were a kid. Your friend’s mom puts a nice dinner on the table, but some of it might not be quite the way your mom does it.
Dot’s Place serves good, home-​style comfort food, cheap, and quick. Chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, chicken fried steak. Mashed potatoes, greens, potato salad, coleslaw or beans to go with. Some pie and a drink, and you’re set.
Service is cafeteria style. A plate with your choice of meat and two sides is under $ 10. Décor is nonexistent. The walls have paint on them, the floors have carpet. There are chairs and tables. That’s it.
The meatloaf was pretty nice, moist and flavorful. The chicken and dumplings was heavily peppered, but the gravy was bland and the dumplings were small and mushy. The mashed potatoes were lumpy, with lots of butter. Other side dishes were uneven. The salads were simple and featured a lot of mayonnaise.
Like your friend’s mom, Dot’s Place will put a solid, tasty meal in you for a good price. If you like her cooking, you might want to eat there a lot. Me, I think I’m gonna go see what Billy’s having tonight first.

freakin awesome soulfood/​comfort food… cant help to think of my grandma when I eat there.
collards are good.
best okra i’ve had… its not the fried version.
not a wide variety of choices but, they do throw a wild card meal in here and there.

Dots serves a large assortment of «comfort food» — meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, beef tips and rice, fried catfish (my favorite), chicken fried steak, liver and onions, and a bunch of other stuff. You get a couple of side dishes with each entrée. All of their food is very tasty and filling. Great pie there too if you somehow can save room for it. This is a classic Austin comfort food restaurant that has developed a cult following over the years. Dots is one of those places that if you don’t go on a diet before you go then you’ll definitely be going on one once you’ve eaten there. If you don’t time it right when you arrive, there will be line out the door with people waiting to get their food from the cafeteria line.
Hours — lunch Monday –Friday although they are open Thursday/​Friday evenings.
History — Dots used to be located up on North Burnett. It consisted of 3 or 4 houses that were ready to fall down that they stuck together and called it a restaurant. Dot forgot to get any insurance on the trap & it burnt to the ground. After a few years of serving out of a trailer, Dots converted an old pizza parlour into the current Dots. One of my friends pointed out to me that the current location has more fire sprinkers than any place that he’s ever seen in his life; maybe they still don’t have insurance?
I think the prices have gone up a tad and the portions are now smaller than the good old days on Burnett but it is still well worth the trip. I’d give Hoover’s the Austin crown for southern/​comfort food but Dot’s is worth the drive up to Pflugerville to check out.

When I showed up at Dot’s Place at its new Pflugerville location I checked the sign on the door to make sure I was at the right place. Twice. The line went out the building and down the side walk and people weren’t even bothered. No whining and complaining about having to wait at all. (Which is rare for Austinites.) Instead I heard people moaning over the green beans, salivating over the chicken fried steak.
Dot’s Place is a true Austin original. It used to be located around the corner from my high school, and was the place where we would all skip classes and go to veg out. With its serious soul food and homey atmosphere Dot’s kept the people coming and kept right on feeding them. When it burned down in 2004 without insurance, the community was devastated. I remember looking at footage of people rolling out to help out, and it was with the assistance of the community and a faithful following of people (they apparently followed to two separate temp locations while waiting for the finances to buy another building) two years later the unthinkable happened. Dots Place has reopened.
The food is really the best southern cooking you have ever had. I got the chicken friend steak and a bazillion orders of great beans. They also have lots of pies and cakes. Reasonably priced, always busy. Have a craving for some down home cooking and don’t have time to fight the line, you can place a to go order over the phone. And come hungry. You will want to scrape your plate clean. Guarantee it.