Depot Cafe — Restaurant in Frisco

Some friends of ours invited us to the annual Frisco Community parade and said they were going to get there early and have breakfast at The Depot Cafe. Not being in the area very often I didn't know anything about The Depot Cafe what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is attached to a gas station so it looks underwhelming, but the service and food was great! They have lots of options on the menu and will help you with your order if you find yourself not being able to choose from all the delicious options. We had a large group with adults and children so we split into 3 different tables. The kids ate together and the people bringing out the food did a wonderful job figuring out who the food belonged to, which was definitely not something we expected them to do. My kids ordered the chocolate pancake and French toast which they both really enjoyed. I ordered a breakfast taco that was so good I'm trying to find an excuse to drive back over there and get another one...lol. The taco was as big as my face and I wasn't even able to finish it. I got the potato, bacon and egg and it was hands down one of the best breakfast tacos I've ever had. I opted to get both of their sauces and it was absolutely the right choice. Because it was a little chilly outside we also ordered hot chocolate for the kids. We were provided with hot chocolate packets so we mixed it with the right amount of water for each of the girls which was perfect. Some like it with more water, some with less, so the ability to make it to our liking was a definite plus. This place is really great, and I've heard their lunch specials are even better than the breakfast, so I absolutely recommend it but encourage you to get there early to...

The average person may easily conclude there is no downtown Frisco Texas, that it is just a vast ocean of suburban tract homes. But they would be wrong, because there is a tiny original townsite that is very much alive and well. It is also a place I have come to love visiting when I stay with my daughter and son-in-law not far away.

Which helps explain why a recent Sunday morning found us at the Depot Cafe in downtown Frisco. By all appearances, this is everything you would picture for a small-town diner. It’s just that their menu is far more sophisticated than just then usual comfort foods (which it does with aplomb), but also numerous items for vegetarians and vegans, items that are very hard to find during the breakfast hours. Thank you very much! My daughter was Googling with that in mind, since her old man is in that camp.

And just so you don’t forget this is the Depot, there’s a ton of railroad memorabilia scattered throughout the diner.

I went with the Vegan Migas, basically a tofu scramble with small chips. It was accompanied by hash browns and a bowl of black beans. If you’re into counting fiber and protein, this plate checked all of the boxes!

My daughter ordered a Chicken Fried Steak, perhaps an odd choice for breakfast. But since it was served with eggs and toast, it still passes muster. She loved it, offering her own review: “This is the best chicken fried steak I have had since we moved to the area three years ago.” That’s high praise.

My son-in-law went a more traditional route, with chocolate chip pancakes and a side of scrambled eggs. He too was impressed. Service was fast in spite of it being crowded. We all left completed sated, each of us affirming to need to return here soon.

And...

In this cafe, you pay up front. If you pay with a card there is an area to put a tip on the receipt. Well, the issue I have with this is why do we tip for service not yet received. Granted, I am not forced to leave a tip.

Now, onto the actual service. The only service provided is they bring your food to your table. I wasn't given a number so the person delivering the food had no idea where to take it, but was smart enough to determine whose food it was. I had to collect my own utensils and napkins, pour my own coffee, collect the butter and syrup, etc. Salt and pepper were on the table.

Lastly, the food. The pancakes were not even close to great tasting pancakes. They tasted like cornmeal and dry, even after trying to drown them in syrup. For $3 worth of bacon, you receive two slices of small to medium size bacon.

Plenty of customers were coming in but no one had pancakes so maybe the other food is good. I ordered the shortstack, which is two pancakes and they were the size of a dinner plate, so they were plenty big but not great tasting.

Overall, I don't recommend the pancakes and I don't recommend ordering bacon as the cost including an egg over hard was $16 and some change plus the tip for essentially no service other than delivering the food and cleaning...