Round Rock, TX
Note: This restaurant apparently closed in 2017
When I lived in Austin one of my greatest passions as far as food was seeking out good chicken fried steak. By going to some of the popular restaurants I got the impression that good chicken fried steak was rather plentiful and ubiquitous (sort of something you would expect to find in the Austin area). I soon discovered, though, that this was not the case. Yes, CFS (as it is affectionately called) was plentiful, but not of uniform quality.
Worse still, though, was the fact that the quality seemed to diminish as I returned to Austin for visits in later years. Some of my favorite restaurants were no longer as good as before, and others had ceased to exist. After some disappointing experiences, I finally found one place that had chicken fried steak as I remembered it. This was the 620 Cafe & Bakery in Round Rock (located on FM 620 a short distance west of Interstate 35).
Many recent reviews of this restaurant have led me to believe that the chicken fried steak is still as good as I experienced it, so I thought I would include it in my list of reviews. My visit was in the 1990’s, but it appears that the 620 Cafe is pretty much the same now as it was then. It is an American style restaurant, and I am not sure that CFS is even their specialty. It is what I ordered, though, and I was quite happy with it.
The hours may have changed, since the information I have seen says that they are only open for breakfast and lunch (and I ate there in the evening). There were only a few customers when I was there, and I suppose it is even more impressive that I got such a good meal at a slow time of the day.
I have been somewhat disappointed by many versions of chicken fried steak I have gotten in other cities, and getting one in Austin is something I would really recommend. The 620 Cafe is one place where I have confidence it will be the classic Austin style.
RATING: N/R
Cuisine: American
Cost: $$
Hours: Open daily (breakfast & lunch only)
Most Recent Visit: Feb. 23, 1994
Number of Visits: 1
Best Item: Chicken Fried Steak
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Chicken Fried Steak |