Tip Top Cafe

Decided to try this place because of Guy on diners drive-​ins and dives… Ok I probably will not be going back. Service was good but honey let me tell you bout the mashed potatoes (BOXpotatoes) tiny salad, but the dressing was awesome. I ordered the chicken fingers (sticks) don’t remember what they called em…
Bland bland bland.

Tommy was our server. He was very friendly and attentive. We started with their onion rings which are a meal within themselves. Nom nom. My daughter had a cheeseburger and said it was great. I had the chicken fry and could have fed a hungry family of 3. It covered an oval plate. I could only eat a 3^rd. It was delicious. Could have been more generous with the gravy.
Sadly, being there late in the evening, the pie selection was minimal.

All around bad. Bad service. Got my order wrong, took FOREVER to even anyone to take our order. Onion rings are covered in unseasoned batter, I got roast pork and it was almost unidentifiable what kind of meat it was… Just tasted greasy… And it’s kind of expensive for what you get. I had been curious for a while and I can definitely say I won’t be returning. If you’re looking for comfort food, better off going to Cracker Barrel. Oh and they didn’t have any bread (which is supposed to be included with the meal) and it came with a «pea salad» which was peas, mixed with mayo, ham, cheese cubes that tasted like it had been made DAYS in advance…

First sighting of rectangular fish in this decade for me! Ok, fine. Unilocal has turned me into a fine dining whore. Many years ago, I was guilty of the AYCE Furr’s buffet that featured said fried factory made fish. Brought back some good memories; couldn’t help overhear two old ladies reminisce about dates they had at Tip Top during high school. I’m guessing with the exception of modern POS system, this place has barely changed.
The fish could have been better with a bit more tartar sauce. You get two of the tiniest paper cups of it delivered with your main course. I at one point even asked for a saucer or small platter only to have two more stupid cups arrive. I then discovered a secret; squeeze them like teenager’s pimple! While the fish was straight outa ’57, the crushed saltine cracker crusted shrimp was perfection. I normally prefer fried shrimp with cocktail sauce; not sure if they even offer it?
I’ve accidentally skipped over the onion rings I ordered as an appetizer. It’s not printed on the menu; I successfully asked and got a half order (still HUGE) of the delicious rings as a single diner! As for the rest of the cuisine… A bag salad even missing tomato and croutons, mashed taters clearly plated with a ice cream scoop. The tiniest ladle in the world of brown gravy nestled in said potatoes. Seriously good corn bread muffins that arrived with no butter pats.
Finally, the Diners, Drive-​ins, and Dives angle. I haven’t had much luck with what the food network show says I should be trying. I’ll agree they got the fried shrimp thing dead on. Not much of a fan of roast beef in any form so it wasn’t what I ordered. Unilocal friend Shannon B. mentioned endless heartburn from the enchiladas; not going there. I’m focusing this accolade towards the more seasoned (older folks) Unilocalers. If you want a bit of the decadent times circa the 50’s thru the late 70’s; Tip Top is your kinda place

Ya know, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE was ever a BIGGER fan of the shrimp at Tip Top than I was. I can not attest to the other food, because, honestly, since I grew up here every chance I had to go to the Tip Top I ALWAYS ordered the shrimp!!! (and I am in my 60’s if that helps you with how familiar I am with the place since I grew up here). Last time we went was a MAJOR disappointment… I don’t mind waiting for a table (use to be worth the wait) and I don’t mind waiting for the «cook to order food»…but something was not «normal» about the shrimp this last visit… they said someone «complained» about the crackers or some such so they «changed» it… REALLY??? You CHANGED it because ONE PERSON COMPLAINED??? I did not even eat but one of the shrimp, that different. PLEASE, PLEASE go back to the «way it was»…DON’T FIX WHAT AINT BROKE!!!

Here it goes. We were excited about trying this place because it was featured on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives. I ordered the Roasted Pork and got The Opened Faced Roast Beef by mistake. I knew it didn’t taste right but by the time I realized it I was half way done. The meal was nothing to brag about. The service was good besides the mix up and on a positive note my ranch dressing on my salad rocked. Nothing to phone home about though… Don’t waste your time.

Ive been here several times, food is good, service SUCKS! Its so inconsistent. We just waited 45 min only to be told that they ran out of a certain entrée then we order something else only to see the first entrée come out for someone else 15 min later wtf?!? No apologies when asked about it, so we left. Get it together tip top!

A long time SA eatery that is living off its reputation instead of living up to it. The fried oysters and onion rings were so battered I couldn’t taste anything but. The place always seems packed with people but who don’t seem too picky about what they shove in their pie holes. Maybe it’s worth a trip to see a place that been featured on numerous tv shows but that’s about it.

So far I was greeted well. Very very nice waitress. Onion rings are great. Chicken fried steak was very tender. Banana cream pie wow.

I first went here a few years ago. The service was great and the food fantastic. So on this visit to San Antonio I returned. The food is still very good; however, the service was terrible. We literally had to wait for absolutely everything. Sadly, I won’t go out of my way to return to Tip Top. I’ll stick with Earl Abel’s Diner on my next trip.

Every once in a while, it is important for a San Antonian to revisit the restaurants we tell our tourist friends about. Well, today was the day to have some of the best onion rings in town. They were pillled taller than the plate was wide, of course, and that delicious crunchiness without being greasy is a mystery best left alone. Chose the burger to save room for desert (a first). The coconut cream pie reminded me of what somebody’s grandma would serve! The crust was flakey, and the coconut was just right. All is right with the world… at least here at Tip Top Café.

This place is been here since the thirties. The food is very well known here in town. It’s all home cooking. We were absolutely not disappointed. If you come to San Antonio you got to look it up. The place is packed.

We won’t be going to Tip Top any longer since they allow open carry in their establishments. We loved the food to. Too bad Tip Top, you are off our list.
Sheila Korte

mmmm onion rings!
Started our meal with O-​ring app; HUGE stack of thick cut, big rings battered with a light crisp coating. not greasy and onions were cooked through. try any of the sauces, we liked them all. the orange sauce had a touch of sesame oil for a little Asian flair.
4 of us decided to split CFS plates, which IS the dish to order here. the chicken fried steak was tender, batter — light, flaky and flavorful. I like that gravy is served on the bottom of the plate, not over top of steak — allowing batter to stay crunchy.
CFS plates come with salad and potato — either fried or mashed, or you can sub a veg for the potato. veg options were pretty straight forward: corn, carrots or spinach — we opted for spinach and I wasn’t expecting much. and it didn’t look like much — like a darker version of canned. but sure didn’t taste canned — had a nice porky background flavor.
the salad is pretty standard iceberg mix garden salad, but thick, creamy homemade-​tasting blue cheese dressing amped it up a notch.
the only «bad» dish was the corned beef sandwich my son ordered — despite our advice to stick with «what a place is known for». in hindsight, it should have been sent back — but said son didn’t complain, he just didn’t eat much of it. the bread looked like it lost the battle not to get smooshed and also appeared dry. and dry is the best word to describe the corned beef. and at around $ 7 it came with nada — no fries, no chips, nothing. so don’t order it envisioning a deli style CB sammie with thinly sliced, corned beef piled high on rye. this sandwich looked like it was left over from some kids school lunch!
DO save room for dessert! pie slices are generous (¹⁄₆^th) and are reasonably priced (around $ 4).
service was adequate, could have been better, but not bad.
hostess had busser pull tables together for us as soon as we walked through the door — plus. but minus for said busser not cleaning up debris revealed when table was moved.
for me a visit to Tip Top is like a visit to grandma’s house. Yummy home cooking. nothing fancy, but great tasting and satisfying.

A co-​worker recommended this place i decided to check it out. Went on a thursday night, no wait, just walked right in and got seated. Our server took a long time to get us our menu though, and it wasnt even busy. We had their famous chicken fried steak, very crispy, moist and tender. We also had the liver and onions, didnt like it too much, definitely had better. Overall this place was pretty good.

Just ok. Salad drowned in ranch, regular fried chicken (not enough seasoning), small establishment, and had to wait for a table before they decided to open up the 3 table section.
Wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again.

Outstanding. Everything is made fresh. Blue cheese dressing is delicious. All steaks and chops are hand cut.
The standout is jumbo shrimp. Hands down the best in San Antonio. Onion rings are a staple.
Pies are all made in house. What can I say but this is one of the best places to eat in the whole city.

1^st — the chicken fried steak was heavily breaded and no seasoning added
2^nd — the pork chop was tuff, no seasoning added, I ate only half of one of the two chops
3^rd — I asked for honey for the roll which was tuff and not soft like other yeast rolls, and I was served pancake syrup! SERIOUSLY, PANCAKE SYRUP? I hope the chef knew the difference between honey and pancake syrup, I sure know the difference. This was the worst meal I have ever eaten, my guest and I will never return for awful seconds.
I did not want to give them one star, but after speaking to the manager, who invited us to return, which I will decline his offer and dine elsewhere.

I can’t believe that I have not written a review of Tip Top Café until now.
The Tip Top Café is a family owned San Antonio Institution, have been in operation since 1938. They offer good basic comfort food at a very affordable price.
This has been a year of major changes for Tip Top. First they started to accept plastic after 74 years of being cash only. Then they started opening at 6 am and now serve breakfast after 75 years of only offering lunch and dinner. Soon a second location will be opening.
The onion rings are legendary. In my opinion the best in San Antonio. The order is so big bring a couple friends to share them with. My other favorite items on the menu is the fried chicken and the chicken fried steak. The fried chicken is made fresh so expect a 20 minute wait but so worthy it. The chicken fried steak is giant and delicious. The first time I ordered this I wondered where the gravy was only to discover it is hidden under the steak.
The pies are to die for. I recommend finding out what pies they have that day and order the one you want at the beginning of the meal. That way they won’t run out while you are eating you delicious meal.
For breakfast they offer a smaller chicken fried steak served with gravy, two eggs hash browns and toast. They also have biscuits and gravy served with two eggs and ham that is very good.
Go there for breakfast, lunch or dinner and enjoy the goodness that is Tip Top Café!!!

Tip Top Café is a fraud. It’s not a restaurant, it’s a time machine. Or if it’s not a time machine, then surely there’s a time bubble that surrounds the building and prevents anything from changing since the restaurant opened in 1938.
Fried chicken, fried fish, chicken fried steak, fried okra, onion rings, French fries — if it’s not nailed down, they’ll fry it to a crispy golden brown. And don’t think for one minute that I am disparaging any of this. You can keep your sushi and your gluten free — I’m an old fashioned comfort food guy, and this place is right up my alley.
Come hungry and plan to take home a doggie bag if you order the delicious CFS (that’s Chicken Fried Steak for the uninitiated) or Fried Chicken, or if you plan to accompany your meal with a huge tower of onion rings or one of their scrumptious pies. Many claim the CFS is the best in Texas. I’m not certain this is true, only because there are so many places that do this extremely well, but it’s surely one of the best. As far as I can tell, everything tastes exactly as it did when the place opened 75+ years ago and the menu has not been «tainted» with lower calorie or healthier options. Yuck!
Here’s my only significant complaint about Tip Top and unfortunately it is due to their desire to keep everything the same. I’m quite certain that the people of 1938 were smaller, and much narrower, than the people of 2014. (I’m trying to say many of us today are fat.) In 1938, the tables and booths could be small and still accommodate a group of 4 people. Today, when 4 people sit in these booths, the two on the outside are forced to sit with one cheek in and one cheek out, if you know what I mean. I’m not trying to be cheeky (pardon the pun), but just telling it as it is.
The only change I’ve witnessed at Tip Top is their very recent decision to accept credit cards! Yippee! As long as this movement to bring Tip Top into the 21^st Century doesn’t extend further to the menu, it will remain a fun and iconic place to visit.