Side Door Cafe

This is my favorite restaurant in the world! Driving in from California next month for my yearly dose of Chicken Fried Steak, homemade enchiladas, amazing fries, and a large soda! This place is as serious as it gets, and there ain't nothing like it in Cali! I am so glad you are still open and still serving the best food around. It is a huge highlight of any visit to Texas!

Great meal! Big portions. Chicken Fried Steak was very, very tasty; Cream Gravy was amazing. Pork Chop was remarkable. Fried Shrimp Plate was the best; lite tempuraish batter w/Onion Rings, French Fries, Hush Puppies, and Salad. Iced Tea was actually Tea not some watered down pre-mix!

Friendly people and great food!

Best chicken fried steaks you'll ever eat in your life.

This was my uncle's place and is a family run business for many many years. Food is great service is awesome. Say hello to Dina and Vince my cousins tell them Billy recommended you. You won't be disappointed I guarantee.

This was by far the best chicken fried steak I have ever had PERIOD!!! Tender and juicy yet crispy on the outside. Steak wasn’t rough nor chewy, so tender you could cut it with a fork. Country gravy is made to perfection. Fries were freshly cut and perfectly seasoned. You need to come here and order the chicken fried steak you won’t be disappointed.

Food was amazing!! Service was great!! Loved the onion rings and chicken fried chicken!! Been returning for the same thing for years!!

Kay Anderson

Friendly people and great food!

Irma Armendariz

Food was amazing!! Service was great!! Loved the onion rings and chicken fried chicken!! Been returning for the same thing for years!!

James Gosalvez

Best chicken fried steaks you'll ever eat in your life.

Billy Martin

This was my uncle's place and is a family run business for many many years. Food is great service is awesome. Say hello to Dina and Vince my cousins tell them Billy recommended you. You won't be disappointed I guarantee.

Cesar Alvarado

Great meal! Big portions. Chicken Fried Steak was very, very tasty; Cream Gravy was amazing. Pork Chop was remarkable. Fried Shrimp Plate was the best; lite tempuraish batter w/Onion Rings, French Fries, Hush Puppies, and Salad. Iced Tea was actually Tea not some watered down pre-mix!

Robert Hudson

This is my favorite restaurant in the world! Driving in from California next month for my yearly dose of Chicken Fried Steak, homemade enchiladas, amazing fries, and a large soda! This place is as serious as it gets, and there ain't nothing like it in Cali! I am so glad you are still open and still serving the best food around. It is a huge highlight of any visit to Texas!

Jesse Garcia

This was by far the best chicken fried steak I have ever had PERIOD!!! Tender and juicy yet crispy on the outside. Steak wasn’t rough nor chewy, so tender you could cut it with a fork. Country gravy is made to perfection. Fries were freshly cut and perfectly seasoned. You need to come here and order the chicken fried steak you won’t be disappointed.

Nothing better than good food, good service, and a good price. This family owned business checked all the boxes for me. My wife was pleased with her choice of Cheese Enchiladas (no onions) and I was happy with my Chicken Fried Steak.

Great tasting beef and cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. Their hot sauce IS hot! Really good

Don Anderson

Nothing better than good food, good service, and a good price. This family owned business checked all the boxes for me. My wife was pleased with her choice of Cheese Enchiladas (no onions) and I was happy with my Chicken Fried Steak.

Juan L. Cano

Great tasting beef and cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. Their hot sauce IS hot! Really good

This family run eatery is easily bypassed, but shouldn’t be. The food was fantastic (best chicken sandwich I have had in years) and the people who run the joint are extremely warm and inviting. The only suggestion I would have is to make the fries a little crisper, but that is a minor detail!

Eric Edwin

This family run eatery is easily bypassed, but shouldn’t be. The food was fantastic (best chicken sandwich I have had in years) and the people who run the joint are extremely warm and inviting. The only suggestion I would have is to make the fries a little crisper, but that is a minor detail!

Small portions 3 tenders Salty: Taste like canned sauce. Hefty price.

Annabell Medelez Flores

Small portions 3 tenders Salty: Taste like canned sauce. Hefty price.

Lunch: Ordered the 1/2 order of chicken fried steak that included french fries and salad?!? Chicken fried steak was good. Gravy was just okay. Salad was two bites. French fries were under cooked and soggy. Gravy was poured on everything including the salad. Everything was soaked with gravy that was very thin and runny. Spouse had grilled chicken salad. Chicken was frozen tenderloins that were rubbery. Steamed vegetables were poured onto the plate right out of the bag from HEB. Food was expensive for the quality as our bill with tip was just over 30 dollars. We will never go back. Two stars was given because waitress tried her best. Otherwise, one star would have been given.

Ernest T Bass

Lunch: Ordered the 1/2 order of chicken fried steak that included french fries and salad?!? Chicken fried steak was good. Gravy was just okay. Salad was two bites. French fries were under cooked and soggy. Gravy was poured on everything including the salad. Everything was soaked with gravy that was very thin and runny. Spouse had grilled chicken salad. Chicken was frozen tenderloins that were rubbery. Steamed vegetables were poured onto the plate right out of the bag from HEB. Food was expensive for the quality as our bill with tip was just over 30 dollars. We will never go back. Two stars was given because waitress tried her best. Otherwise, one star would have been given.

Will return when this sign comes down. Rebeccas down the street is just as good and wants to serve you, it will serve as my new go-to spot for a passing through lunch.

TheOtherOneSpoon

Will return when this sign comes down. Rebeccas down the street is just as good and wants to serve you, it will serve as my new go-to spot for a passing through lunch.

The lady that took our order was so rude. They didn’t want to bring us an extra plate. It’s our first time here and we will never go back we stopped to eat before going to a game in Freer. Super unhappy with the service. I rate it a 5..:-(

NEVER AGAIN. I wish there was an option for zero stars on food since we never got ours. This is a tiny place that seems to only cater to the locals. Walked in (we are not locals but were recommended this place by a local). We drove in from Austin and when we walked in everyone turned and stared. Typical small town type behavior. No biggie. Young lady who came to take our order was very nice and polite. We were not given a menu but had seen one online so we ordered from there. We purposely did not have a big breakfast so we could be truly hungry when we got there. We waited for our food. And waited. AND WAITED. There were less than 20 people in that place. Including us. About an hour after we got there we asked if it was going to be much longer and the nice young lady went to check and told us that it would be “about another 10 minutes”. We told her to cancel our order. We went to pay for our teas (we should have gotten those for free because of the wait) and one of the “cooks” came out of the kitchen with attitude. She was rudely explaining that they make everything fresh when we order. I pointed out that we had ordered an hour ago. She rudely replied that we had arrived after another table and said that she was “sorry” we couldn’t wait because we would have loved it. We paid out $8 for two teas and walked out. I guess we’ll never know if we would’ve loved it because we will never go back. Headed to our go to spot in Falfurrias and we’re seated and served freshly cooked food in 15 minutes. We love to support small, locally owned places. Unfortunately, this won’t be one of them.

Venisa Earhart

NEVER AGAIN. I wish there was an option for zero stars on food since we never got ours. This is a tiny place that seems to only cater to the locals. Walked in (we are not locals but were recommended this place by a local). We drove in from Austin and when we walked in everyone turned and stared. Typical small town type behavior. No biggie. Young lady who came to take our order was very nice and polite. We were not given a menu but had seen one online so we ordered from there. We purposely did not have a big breakfast so we could be truly hungry when we got there. We waited for our food. And waited. AND WAITED. There were less than 20 people in that place. Including us. About an hour after we got there we asked if it was going to be much longer and the nice young lady went to check and told us that it would be “about another 10 minutes”. We told her to cancel our order. We went to pay for our teas (we should have gotten those for free because of the wait) and one of the “cooks” came out of the kitchen with attitude. She was rudely explaining that they make everything fresh when we order. I pointed out that we had ordered an hour ago. She rudely replied that we had arrived after another table and said that she was “sorry” we couldn’t wait because we would have loved it. We paid out $8 for two teas and walked out. I guess we’ll never know if we would’ve loved it because we will never go back. Headed to our go to spot in Falfurrias and we’re seated and served freshly cooked food in 15 minutes. We love to support small, locally owned places. Unfortunately, this won’t be one of them.

Veronica Guererro

The lady that took our order was so rude. They didn’t want to bring us an extra plate. It’s our first time here and we will never go back we stopped to eat before going to a game in Freer. Super unhappy with the service. I rate it a 5..:-(