Bandera Grill — Restaurant in Huntsville

Passing through we saw this place. We love a good hole in the wall restaurant and the sign outside said they had the best crawfish in town. Excitedly we go in and see a sign that said to wait to be seated. We waited a bit figuring someone would be with us.

There were only 2 tables in the restaurant. One had a lone diner who eventually looked up and saw us. He stood up and told us to sit anywhere we liked. Being a nice day we asked about the patio. He said yes and that someone would be right with us. We go out and to our surprise there's a bunch of signage on all of the tables. It looked to have been that way for a while and no seats. So I'm assuming it's closed and either the guy didn't know or didn't actually hear what we asked.

We go back in and a different guy approached us and asked if we'd like a booth or table and we chose a booth. Then I went to the restroom. The first stalls door wouldn't close all the way and lock so I tried the other. This is how we found it (pictured). I laughed and thought to myself this is either going to be some amazing crawfish or really bad.

I asked about their crawfosh special they had posted on the sign when you enter only to be told they are out. Which was really disappointing. The specials are written with a dry erase marker, so I'm sure they didn't mark it out since they didn't have any left.

Either way it was what it was. After taking a bit to decide on something else I went with the hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, and okra. The menu says everything is homemade and takes a while so be patient. I figured even though it wasn't what brought us in that it should be good. My daughter ordered chicken tenders and fries. And we waited. It did indeed take a while even though we were the only unnerved guests in the restaurant.

However, we were sadly disappointed. My hamburger steak itself wasn't bad. I'd eat it again in a bind for sure. But the okra was not fresh, def from the freezer and no seasoning. I don't even think any salt was tossed on top after frying. The mashed potatoes were absolutely horrible. I was excited when they came out with brown gravy but the gravy couldn't even make them edible. I had to pass. I did eat about half the okra. But that's abt all of that I could eat.

My daughter said her chicken tenders were alright. Not any better than fast food ones. Def not freshly made. And she likened her fries to her school lunch fries. Appeared like some crinkle cut fries out of a bag and also apparently not even seasoned with salt.

We were going to order the cheesecake but decided it would be best to pass. Really hate that this didn't turn out better. It really has that neat hole in a wall vibe. Even had a cute payphone. Was hoping for a dial tone just for old time sakes lol but still total nostalgia for sure. Almost feel like this may have been a bar at one point.

Ultimately I would not return if I was local. Def won't be returning when passing through. Would not recommend. Might as well go across the high way to Chillis. They cost abt the same but you'd likely get better food...

Trust me, there's a reason that the low reviews on this place are full of typos by the people writing them. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this place and everything right. It's a family run business and overall, my favorite place to eat in Huntsville when I'm in town, which is about once or twice a month. I've eaten at both places this family has owned and every meal that I have is totally worth the price I pay for it. The servers are mostly all related to the owners. The head waitress/hostess is the wife of the main cook and kitchen manager so they have complete oversight of the entire process from the time the customer walks in and is greeted to how the food is prepared and served. I've always enjoyed each meal they're prepared for me and I've had several dishes over the last 2 decades. Whether you're into fried seafood, chicken fried steak, grilled pork chops or a full plate of Mexican food, you won't be disappointed. Nothing here ever appears or tastes like it came from a freezer. Everything is hand made and seasoned for each order. If you're ever in the area and want a good, home cooked meal, definitely stop by and give these...

I ordered 2 kids meals and a chicken salad. First time to try this place. Everything on the menu sounded so good. A little expensive but figured we would try it out. First kids meal was for myself. Cheese enchilada with rice and beans. Omg! The enchilada was over cooked and hard, the cheese sauce they used tasted like the nacho cheese soup from a can. The refried beans were dry and definitely from a can.

The other kids meal was fine. Chicken strips with french fries. Kid loves the chicken and I liked the crinkle cut fries.

My daughter got the salad. The menu says one thing and what she got was just chicken and lettuce and dressing. No croutons or cheese as the menu stated.

My daughter called them to let them know and they asked that she bring the food back up there. She explained that we were laying down, it is late and the baby has to get up early for school. The lady told her that if she can’t bring the dood back up there now, then there is nothing she can do.

Needless to say, we won’t be going back. Why is it so hard to find good food and service in Huntsville. So far, the only place we have enjoyed is...