Filipp's Cafe — Restaurant in Danbury

It's almost unfair to say I prefer to eat at this location vs. other restaurants that might be closer to me and serve the same food as this place. This location used to deliver food Monday through Friday to our chemical plant in the area years ago. Nevertheless, the food here is always good regardless of what's on the menu anytime I'm passing through on the highway about 7 or 8 times a year. I always take about a 5 minute detour off Hwy 35 to go have a good meal and satisfy my appetite. They serve you good size portions on the "specials" that always include a small dessert. Very little has changed on their menu over the years. So basically, Mondays are the chicken fried chicken day with mashed potatoes & gravy, pinto beans, green pea salad, and cake for dessert. The sides and desserts "might" vary from time to time. Pork chops are served "every other" Tuesday. It is usually served with black eye peas, cabbage, and Mac&cheese and small dessert of their choice. On another Tuesday special they were serving 5 "al Pastor" (shredded and marinated pork)street tacos with cilantro, onions, pinto beans and a small cake for dessert. Mystery Wednesday is what I always call it...Lol...due to the unpredictable changes or picks for the daily "special" over the years on this day. For example, sometimes it is chicken spaghetti or chicken pot pie with fried okra, sometimes sausage, and sauerkraut with pinto beans. Other times, they will serve beef tips with rice or hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and vegetable medley, but can never say for sure. Thursday is "always" chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, corn, and peach cobbler. Thursday evening there might also be a "dinner special" but I will update another time. Friday's lunch special is "always" fried catfish with hush puppies, french fries, coleslaw, and dessert might vary between different cakes or banana pudding. I highly recommend the specials and the large fried shrimp order that is on their menu as well as the hamburger steak on their menu. The fried onion rings are large, crispy, and sweet, and their fried mushrooms are meaty, moist, and flavorful. Their corn nuggets and friend okra will leave you hungry for more. I have never had my appetizers over cooked, burnt, or dry. The atmosphere in this place has an old-school country feel to it and seems to be just the way the locals and outside visitors expected it to be due to its remote location from the big city atmosphere. You will not find the big 5 star delicate cuisine from a fancy 5 star restaurant here but if it's a relaxed atmosphere with good food and friendly service when you are passing through, then this is about as good as it gets...

I'll start first with the food. I ordered six shrimp and four catfish fillets. The shrimp I ordered tastes very fresh which was a good thing, but, absolutely no flavor in this batter. The same can be said with the fish fillet which was breaded in cornmeal. Also the fish it seems like it was Frozen thawed out fish ,which was kind of rubbery on the inside and very thin, I would say about 80% batter and about 20% actual fish.

Now for the service: when you walk in there's a sign that says seat yourself. Which is what I did. I have to wait in a couple minutes the young girl came up to me and asked me what I wanted to drink. As I was sitting down several more people walked in mostly locals. These individuals were greeted with a smile how you doing, and immediately got there drinks. After waiting close to 8 to 10 minutes and other people put in the orders, the waitress finally came up to me and said are you ready to order yet in a very rude way. I didn't let her ruin my lunch. Even though it didn't seem that the people around me wanted me in that restaurant. But I sat down to eat my food anyway ,...

We ordered a combo appetizer of fried pickles and mushrooms, they were piping hot and delicious. I ordered "The Bailey" with fries. It is a grilled chicken fried steak on toast with cheese, bacon and grilled onions; ranch dip on the side. Fries are separate. Yes, it is fried and grilled, that wasn't a typo. Very filling, I couldn't eat the whole thing in one sitting. The meat was tender, not chewy or tough and the batter had a good flavor. My wife went with hand breaded chicken strips and mashed potatoes, white gravy. Chicken was moist and lightly seasoned and the potatoes were good. The lunch crowd had a large party (10+ people), so it was loud where we were sitting but I do not blame the eatery, we chose that seating location prior to the large party showing up and could've moved if we wanted. Beyond that, nothing was wrong with the atmosphere. Overall, good food, nice people/servers, and a friendly demeanor. Next time you're in Danbury, Texas, stop by Filipp's Cafe. You...