Bracken Store Cafe

After living in the area for over a year now I finally tried this place and I’m so glad I did. I’ve got family visiting from out of town.
The cheeseburger and onion rings were fantastic.
You get a lot of food too. The small chili cheese fries is enough to feed 2 – 3
We had a big to go order and they were fast and friendly getting it made and boxing it up for us.
I’m planning on going there and try breakfast one Saturday

The building is old… really old. First time there. wont go back or recommend it. The burger was homemade but i should have stayed home and made one. It tasted okay but nothing to brag about. Onion rings were very good. I dont think the place had any charm. You have to pay cash but there is an atm near the rest rooms. At first glance, i should have turned around and went somewhere newer, cleaner, with better tasting burgers, sit down service, and that accepts credit cards.

Great burgers, fries are pretty good but not in the same league. Staff is very friendly and helpful.

Had a baconcheese burger with grilled onions. It was very delicious. Make sure you have time to eat as it took awhile.

We love this place! The burgers are hot and juicy, and the service is always friendly! So glad they decided to open in another location.

Okay so this restaurant used to be by Garden Ridge and has moved to Retama Park. The new place is more spacious, but with the same old look and same menu. The place is run by women for a long time at least 20 years. Their specialty is preparing old fashion burgers that are prepared right there so no frozen patties. For me a big plus when it comes to burgers and they are pretty big patties that come dressed with fresh onion, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles and mustard and mayo.
The service is average since the order is placed at the register and the only take CASH no credit cards are acceptable. They have a small TV and a Rockola that plays country western music Im not sure if it plays anything else.
The burgers are amazing, juicy and great flavor their fries are okay and the same for their onions.
The place is not fancy or romantic it us very casual (jeans and shorts) so if you want a great burger then you need to give this place a try.

Burgers are okay, service is. eh
I came here because I love a good homemade burger. When I walked in, the lady at the counter (with the braid) was talking to an elderly couple. I thought they were ordering, but just talking. After about 3 – 5 minutes, the customer finally moved out of the way so I could order. Naturally, I asked the cashier how she was doing, and she ignored me and asked me what I wanted. I feel she was being a little rude (like the first time I came). While I sat and waited for my food, I noticed she was friendly and acknowledged the customers leaving the store. Another woman brought be my food. The lady with the braid didn’t say one word to me. All in all I don’t like the vibe I got from her, so I probably won’t be back, no matter how good the food is.

They are BACK! I’ve always felt that Bracken was one of the most under rated burger places in SA. The food is wonderful and the staff very friendly. There is no shortage of goodness in the burgers and these guys rank at the top of our list above Bigz and some of the other noted places in town. It is great to see them back in business in their new digs. It isn’t as «country» as it was before but it is the same food and service. Welcome back guys!

Delicious Food, great service and amazingly clean!!! Thank you, for GOOD FOOD & GREAT SATURDAY AFTERNOON! We had the fries, burgers and chicken fingers. YUMMO!!!

THE BEST BURGER I HAVE HAD AT A PUBLIC RESTAURANT!!! IT IS FULL OF FLAVOR AND PACKED WITH BEEF. The bean and frito burger is amazing! The price will astound you. Linda and her crew are amazing! So friendly, like you are part of their family. Bring cash, you won’t need a lot of it but it is really worth it!!! Love these guys! Feel so lucky we found them in Bracken and followed them to Retama.
Your New but Loyal Lifetime fans; Tom, Gina, Brett, Ashley, Breanna, Brandon and Justin

Go for the giant, tasty burger. Bring cash.
The new location, in what must have been an old snack bar outside Retama proper (a separate building in the parking lot), feels roomier and is coated with less grease, but maybe that’s partly cos the ladies are barely getting started in the new location. It seems sorta fitting, cos the burger is kinda like That Delicious Bowling Alley burger you’ve had somewhere… with more authority.
The burger is simultaneously legendary and nothing particularly special. When a fresh, thick patty with no-​bullshit fixins is what’ll do ya, this is your place. The fries are pretty meh; go for the greasy rings unless you just need potatoes (and in that case, consider tots).
The Frito burger is messy and satisfying, but you’ve gotta have the classic if you ain’t done had it.
The sugar-​waters are Cokes and Barqs and that sad substitute for Big Red: Red Flash.
I don’t know the particulars of the nonsense that led to the displacement of the Bracken Café (I assume «revitalization» greed a.k.a. «economics»), but I’m glad the Bracken burger has found a new home not too far down the road. Gone is the charm of the old dive, but the attitude lives on. Sometimes the food don’t taste the same when the location changes, but that’s not the case with the Bracken burger itself. If you’re a burger connoisseur in the «Austintonio»™ vicinity, ya gotta have this burger… but don’t expect too much from anything else; this ain’t fancy.

Sad to say I was just not in love with the oversized bun and hockey puck meat patty. Onion rings were great! I so wanted to love this place.

Something, told me not to try this place out today. You know that little feeling you get when you know what your experience will be like. After Unilocaling a couple hundred times, you know the inner feeling, whether, it came from a call to the business when you had a question or the look of other’s pics or maybe just a glance at their website.
This 37 year old quaint country café that used to be located in a hundred year old building is now in a spacious, modern café attached to a racetrack. But you know the old saying; you can take them out of the country but you can’t take the country out of them.
There is nothing wrong with the country. I live in the country. I love Waffle house servers and Jim’s servers as they are professional, fast, and friendly. Some of the people here are slow, incompetent, and just lack good manners (one waitress in particular treated me horribly).
Besides, the infamous, never frozen Bracken burger, all the other food here is horrendous. I ordered the chicken fried steak special $ 7.25 (with expectations of the wonderful kind they serve at Clear Springs or the Gruene River Grill. This piece of Sysco Food’s prebreaded spongy cubed meat was terrible. The gloppy gravy that accompanied it also was far from homemade. It was paired with Sysco bagged fries and a browned, wilted little salad.
That chicken fried steak reminded me of what would come in a Banquet TV dinner. Why would anyone serve this quality of food when they are trying to build their customer base? Even, if I wanted the only thing on the menu I would ever get again, the bracken burger, I would rather go to Whataburger or Chesters. This location is just too far to drive for this sub par food and the terrible, incompetent service you receive.
And regardless of the flack I may receive, this was my experience today, my picture is included and it will always remain here. So if you want to come spend your money here and receive below average food, come on…

Excellent! Burgers they are Huge and the patties Thick so be ready to get full. But what I found to be even better at this Resturant was the staff outstanding customer service and smiles. We will be back to try the whole menu, thanks

Cash or check only. Deliciously juicy huge burgers. We were FULL to the max then they brought out free chocolate cake! Free cake Friday’s! We will definitely come back.

A coworker and I came here for lunch. The last time I was at Bracken Store Café was 2 years ago at the original location and I missed the burger.
I got the Bracken Burger with Cheese, the portion is huge, it was delicious, love the buns.
The onion rings are to die for, yum…
Service is outstanding and we even got a free cake.
Great place for some burgers during lunch, too bad they don’t open during evenings.

So glad they came back from the «closed» and now they are at Retama park! Easier to get to but its off to the left of the main Retama Park horse track in the non descriptive building but look for their banner. Anyways — as always great burger, cash only, attentive and friendly staff. The new place is much bigger but they have retained some of the charm of their old location… seems like the menu got bigger to. Enjoy!

big cheese burger and crispy hot tots. definitely homemade goodness.

Still the best burger I have ever eaten. I keep meaning to try the Frito burger, but when I get to the counter I go with the old faithful. I can only eat ½ because they are so huge, but fortunately I have a teenage son that will eat his and then finish mine off.

Excellent food and service! I had a handmade juicy burger and hot, crunchy tots! I can swear to the burger because I ordered it bunless, so there was no way to hide a faulty one. Fresh iced tea and pleasant background music, bright seating area. All the décor from the old location is here in the new one.
It is an order-​then-​sit-​down place, so no dedicated servers. The staff came around to check on us regularly, but not too much.
I hope people seek this place out — if you aren’t looking for it you may never find it. It is tucked in a corner of the huge Retama Park parking lot off I-​35. Definitely worth all
the speed bumps and finding an open lot gate to have a wonderful lunch!