- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Back Door Cafe & Coffee Shop
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Restaurants American (Traditional) Coffee & Tea, American (Traditional) [Edit]
117 Main StSmithville, TX 78957
(512) 237-3128
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
10 reviews for Back Door Cafe & Coffee Shop
10 reviews in English
-
Review from Jill W.
Pflugerville, TX
12/26/2011
I started eating at the Back Door Cafe about 18 years ago and it's still on my favorites list.
First, you have to get yourself into small town mindset. Yes, it's a little rough around the edges with the waiting staff (usually the owner's daughters.) And there's a very small menu - usually only two entrees for lunch. But it will be perfectly and wonderfully delicious every single time! And if you don't like what the entrees are, see if they can whip up something special for you. Rob's willing to work with his customers to make them happy.
Rob's signature salad dressing is so yummy I want to lick the plate. His coconut creme pie is the stuff of legend in my household. And the Jack Daniel's pie? OH YES!
I've made myself hungry and craving his chicken fried steak from writing this. I think I trip to the Cafe is in order soon.... -
Review from Georgia D.
Katy, TX
5/23/2012
We were visiting Smithville and locals recommended this place and thankfully suggested reservations. They failed to warn that they do not accept credit cards (which seems to be prevalent in Sville).
Food was excellent. Wine was reasonably priced. Service was professional and friendly; despite being busy they were congenial about taking our photo. You gotta try the Jack Daniels Chocolate cream pie.... excellent.
Worth the visit! -
Review from Austin T.
Austin, TX
12/3/2011
A solid four star small town lunch/dinner cafe with basic fair.
We hold back a star for a $12.95 vegetable plate, including two starches and a pre fixed cash only menu on a saturday night. She says we'll be back. -
Review from Renier V.
Bastrop, TX
2/18/2012
Excellent place for lunch in Smithville! I work near by and a co-worker invited me one day. We all had a great lunch experience and for not even $10! Staff was nice and the food was great!
-
Review from Heather B.
Austin, TX
6/5/2011
A cute small town restaurant with sweet hospitality!
I think Brad Pitt ate here when filming 'The Tree of Life' ..... BRAD PITT!!! OOooOOOoooOOOOoooOO!
If you have a hankering for a home cooked tasting meal this is the place to go in Smithville!
I personally really liked the salad! -
Review from Lorraine S.
Houston, TX
10/21/2011
A hidden gem! A nice surprise in the Texas countryside!! Quality food and service are worth the drive.
-
Review from Kent B.
Bastrop, TX
4/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is THE dining out spot in Smithville. The owners and staff are super. There are several different specials and any choice will be a winner. It is right on the historic Main Street.
-
Review from Oz G.
Houston, TX
3/14/2009
Great little restaurant right of the main street. I loved their simple menu. Tasty entrees. We tried the chicken breast and salmon.both were very good. Try their jack daniels pie. It's very tasty.
-
Review from Lenah K.
Bastrop, TX
4/30/2010 2 photos
We do yoga down the road from this place, and had noticed that it seemed more "upscale" than most of Smithville's restaurants. This evening our curiosity overwhelmed us, so we decided to try it.
Got off to an an odd start ... when we walked in, only 2 other tables were occupied, and the teenage waitress looked us up and down (we were in our casual Friday clothes from work), and said, "Y'all don't have reservations I guess." We said we didn't, and she said that was okay, and seated us.
We were then handed sheets of paper with a few items (actually 1 appetizer, 5 main dishes, and 3 desserts) listed ... this turned out to be the menu. The waitress also asked about drinks ... seeing no beverages listed, we both opted for iced tea and water. My husband originally asked for coffee (the "& Coffee Shop" in the name made us think that was a reasonable request), but the waitress said she would have to make some, in an extremely reluctant tone, so he decided not to push it.
Items ranged from $12-24. I ordered the cheapest dish, chicken fried steak. My husband ordered the "Golden Lake Style" ruby trout. The menu said both came with a salad to start and mixed veggies on the side. I wasn't enthused about the salad option since I dislike salads and had had one for lunch, but there wasn't anything to substitute. I asked for the creole honey mustard dressing and my husband asked for the ranch.
Salads came out a few minutes later already dressed (don't most people want dressing on the side?). Since I don't eat lettuce I appreciated that the salad included other greens as well as sprouts/cucumbers/tomatoes, so I nibbled on those. My dressing was good, with some sweetness and a slight kick. My husband's dressing was good too ... I tried some and it definitely tasted homemade. Salads came with crackerlike flatbread which was seasoned with pepper, cheese and sesame seeds. We liked it, but only got 4 bite-sized pieces. I was hoping we'd get more since other tables of two had more pieces, but the plate was removed with our salad plates.
Service had been slow before the salads but got worse afterward. The restaurant began to fill up, but we didn't expect to have to wait as long for our food as the customers that arrived after us since our order went in well before those people ordered main dishes.
The people who came in were basically all nicely-dressed older couples, so maybe that's why they got better service. They also all ordered wine or beer, which wasn't even offered to us ... for all we'd known it was a dry restaurant. I had to loudly call out to our waitress to get tea refills.
Our food came out more than 15 minutes after we finished our salads. My husband really liked his trout, which had the skin on and had lemon slices inside. It was served with vegetables (broccoli/carrots/bell peppers), and rice. I tried his fish and it was good, even the skin. He did say that it had some small bones in it, but the bite I got was bone-free. My chicken fried steak was served with the same mixed veggies (they were plain but fresh), as well as some sliced potatoes. The steak was smothered in a bacon-onion cream gravy, but the potatoes were dry (and I don't just mean gravyless), so I requested some more gravy to top them with. I was brought a tiny bit of gravy, but it was enough. The CFS was actually pretty good -- breading tasted of flour rather than grease, meat was a bit tough once in awhile but mostly tender enough to cut with my butterknife, and the breading mostly stayed on. Didn't beat Central Market's CFS but was almost as good.
We finished eating and decided to order some coconut cream pie. I also needed a box because I'd only eaten half of my steak, and my husband decided he wanted coffee with the pie. So we flagged our waitress down again. She asked if I wanted a box and I asked for a small one, please. She gave my husband the same reluctant answer about the coffee that she gave at the beginning of our meal (obviously just wanting us to get out of there), so I told her that we were hoping to have some coffee and pie if that was okay. She snippily acquiesced.
She soon returned to the table with a big box. I asked if they had any small boxes (knowing that the answer was "yes" since I'd seen them on the way to the bathroom earlier), so she took the big box away.
When we finally got the coffee, it was excellent, which is a good thing since no cream or milk was offered to us. The pie (and the small box) came out at the same time. It was an interestingly non-Southern take on coconut cream pie, as it wasn't very tall, had a graham cracker crust, and was topped with whipped cream rather than meringue. We enjoyed it though.
Food was more like 4 stars, service was more like 2, so 3 it is. With good service, wouldn't have minded paying $40 for what we got. Nothing like being discriminated against by teenagers for how one is dressed! -
Review from Caroline G.
Houston, TX
5/7/2010
Very solid, good food. Classic American, with good portion sizes and tasty options. My fiance had the chicken fried steak which was delicious; my tuna was slightly overcooked but otherwise very well done. The bread served with our appetizer was obviously home made and quite fresh!
The service was prompt and friendly, both waitresses were the chef's daughters.
Good wine and local beer selection at reasonable prices. If you're looking for fine dining in the area, this definitely fits the bill!
