Best Bets in Waco 2015

2014 has come and gone as have a lot of Waco restaurants.  It is time to update this list of the best places to eat in Waco, Texas.  

 Dining in Waco is like the soft drink industry.  You can eat with relative certainty with the big guy chain restaurants or you can look for something distinctively different and out of the ordinary.   

All of the listed information is subject to change.  Be sure to call and check for hours of operation.  

Best Overall  Non-chain

135 Prime

1424

Stadium Club

Top Chains Restaurants (not BBQ or Mexican)

B.J's Brewhouse 

Cheddar's

Longhorn Steakhouse

Newk's

Panera Bread Company

Pei Wei

Top Barbeque  

Rudy's  
Vitek's 

Michna's 

Uncle Dan's

Asian  

Bangkok Royal (Thai) 
Pei Wei  
Fuji

Top Burgers

Kitok Restaurant

Jake's 

Cupps

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Cricket's

Top Tex/Mex

Tres

Don Carlos

Manny's
Chuy’s

Sandwich Shops

Panera 
Newk's
Schlotzsky's
Jason's Deli
Jimmy John's

Top Italian

Rosati's  
Papa Rollo's

Dickey's Rides Again

If their was ever a worst time to open a barbeque restaurant in town, I can't remember it. We already have plenty of good choices for smokey meat.  Vitek's is on a roll.  Rudy's is never empty.  Uncle Dan's and Michna's survive.  Why would Dickey's choose now to roll back into Waco?  A market where it crashed and burned a few years ago seems like a poor choice.  With beef prices through the roof, how do they plan to be competitive?  

I visited there new location on Bosque near Valley Mills and discovered the answer - they don't!  

I strolled into the new location which is smaller that the earlier facility.  After a quick review of the menu, I selected a BIG sandwich of sliced brisket with 2 sides - coleslaw and baked potato casserole.  The sandwich came on a very sturdy bun. Much appreciated.  Some of Dickey's competition have soft bun issues that render the meat and sauce into a soggy mess.  I asked for  some of the blackened brisket exterior on my sandwich.  I was rewarded by the meat man with a new brisket from the drawer below the counter.  As he placed it on the block and began removing the plastic wrap(!), I began to question my selection.  The texture of the beef was as you might expect of something that had spent some hours being smoked and then placed in a warmer for a longer period of time.  The meat was well past tender and had moved on to mushy. Wrapping brisket in plastic usually indicates that the product has been removed from the pit or smoker for a undetermined amount of time.

The previous Dickey's had allowed self service on the side dishes.  The new Dickey's portion controls the heck out of their sides.  Two to maybe three tablespoons of bland coleslaw and the same of the baked potato casserole.  I could find no evidence of a baked potato in the little tub that it came in.  There was potato but it seemed mashed or instant.  They scattered a few green onion pieces and some cheese on top. Not even a micro piece of baked potato peel was found.

I ordered a Big Yellow Cup soft drink for $2.50 and paid for my $12.50 lunch.  Moved on the the side bar and searched for Diet Dr Pepper (no luck) and a little sweet pickle relish (no chance). Only the three sauce choices were worthy of note.  The spicy is spicy, the original is very good and the sweet is just that.  

I can't imagine how this second generation franchise of a Dallas barbeque original will survive.

 

Best in Waco

Here is an updated list of where to eat in Waco, Texas. 

Dining in Waco is like the soft drink industry.  You can eat with relative certainty with the big guy chain restaurants or you can look for something distinctively different and out of the ordinary.  The food scene here in Waco is fairly static.  The opening of a new chain restaurant will cause a giant tidal wave of customers for the first few months but most small/family/chef owned operations struggle for attention and then disappear.  A few build a clientele and set themselves apart from the others by providing consistent quality or at least a reliable value.  Mexican, Burgers, Barbeque and Japanese Steakhouses dominate the landscape in Waco.  Steak and Italian can also be found in limited quantity and quality.  All of the listed information is subject to change.  Be sure to call and check for hours of operation.  

Best Overall 

135 Prime

Brazos Bar and Grill (Hotel Indigo)

1424

B.J's Brewhouse 

 

Top Chains Restaurants (not BBQ or Mexican)

B.J's Brewhouse 

Cheddar's

Chuy’s

Outback Steakhouse

Panera Bread Company

Pei Wei

Top Barbecue

Rudy's
Michna's

Uncle Dan's

Asian  

Bangkok Royal (Thai) 

Pei Wei 

Tokyo

Top Burgers

Kitok Restaurant

Jake's 

Cupps

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Top Tex/Mex

Tres

Don Carlos

Chuy’s

Top Italian

Rosati's

Best Pizza

Rosati's

Papa Rollo's

Double Dave's

 

Country Buffet

Raymond's (Lorena)

Park's (Bellmeade)

 

Happy Endings

I started this blog over five years ago because the Waco Trib ended their critical restaurant reviews. That still has not changed. I now find that YELP is a better forum for reviewing and posting comments about restaurants. I am transferring all of my relevant reviews to YELP and will post new material on that site. I find YELP to be a trusted place to find information about restaurants. Keep in mind that you should read both the positive and negative and be alert to the many biases that can influence opinion. For me it is about the food. I see many reviews that are one or two stars due to an employee's attitude or having to wait too long for a table. Service is an important element in any restaurant visit but should never be more than 25% of a score.

Look for my reviews on YELP.

Tres Time Is a Charm

The new Tres Restaurant at 723 S. 6^th Street in Waco is the third attempt at success in this location. Basabaru was followed by the Z-Bar and Grille before Tres made its debut. Not since Tapatio was open on Austin Avenue has there been Mexican food this good in the downtown area.

The owners trace its lineage to the Tres Hermanos restaurant in Whitney that was destroyed by fire in February, 2011. Tres was opened while the Whitney location was rebuilt (It has reopened). Tres is owned by members of the Camacho and Ramirez Families that are related to the owners of the Whitney restaurant.

Tres served inexpensive Tex-Mex cuisine that is tasty and filling. Nothing is too fancy here but the portions are generous and the service caring. My favorite is their chile relleno. The large pepper is stuffed with several different ingredients and fried in a (guessing) batter of mainly egg white. It comes out crispy but soft and spongy on the inside. The enchiladas are large and filled with, cheese, beef, or chicken. Two of these with rice and beans are very filling. The fajitas were excellent as well. Beef or chicken at a very reasonable price. Watch the outside signboard for the daily specials.

The salsa at Tres is served in small pitchers with individual bowls for each guest. The chips are nothing special but the flour and corn tortillas are adequate. They now have a liquor license but after tasting the margaritas I would advise sticking to beer.