So I stumbled upon this place after visiting Texas Cheese House, it is right off I-35 on the north bound side. It sounded good, cause who can’t pass up real southern cooking, so I went there for my lunch the following week. Before I went to eat there, I did a little research on the place and found out that and it is managed by the long time Waco veteran restaurant manager Raymond Carter; who used to manage Ryan's Cafeteria in Waco.
You walk in it’s a real nice homey place, friendly, and clean. You get truckers, travelers, and people from all walks of life and obviously the locals who know everyone there. Our hostess/waitress, Deborah, was very nice and had that sweet southern accent. She seated us and asked us if we’d like to eat off the menu or the buffet (single meat or all meat combos). We went with the buffet, all meat combo, cause I was hungry and wanted to try a little bit of everything.
The first thing I grabbed was some garden salad with Italian dressing, yellow potato salad, yams, mashed potatoes, and chicken fried steak fingers. All of it was great; the garden was fresh, the potato salad was creamy and had great flavor. The yams were a little different than I’ve had before, the texture was really interesting, but the flavor was there and it was great (I had two servings of them). The mashed potatoes were fresh, not that boxed crap that a lot of places are switching to. The chicken fried steak tenders were excellent, great flavor and there were tender enough to cut with my fork. Next I went and got some of the Chicken N Dumplings, some Liver N Onions, some more of the yams and throw in some steamed broccoli. I love liver n onions, so I can be really picky when it comes to eating them; these were really good, very flavorful and tender. Same with the dumpling; the chicken wasn’t dry or flavorless, and the broth had good flavor and the dumpling were good too.My dad got the same buffet deal I chose and his favorite dish was the fried catfish; had a nice light flaky batter and the fish was cooked nicely. All this just for a little over $20 for the both of us- WHAT A DEAL!
Ill definitely be going back for more of the buffet and to try some items off their menu, like the rib eye steak, their burgers, and a few other items. If you like good quality southern food (and food like Lubys serves) I definitely recommend giving this place a try. Raymonds is only a few minutes outside Waco, and has such a great selection of food for a very fair price, with a great atmosphere and service.
