As a truck driver we have driven by this place a million times and have not stopped. Â Today we did and were delighted with this place. Â Not many people here because the pop is 5 people so all you are going to get is travelers. Â I had the blue plate special for $7.50 it was meatloaf, greens, potatoes and dessert, it was great added some fried okra for $2.50 and got a big bowl if them enough for 4 people to share. My husband got the chicken fired steak and had enough to have a second meal off of it, and he said its one of the best he ever had. Then we shared a buttermilk pie that they asked if we wanted warm or cold, we tried it warm and it was wonderful. The service was great she even asked if i wanted some water to go. This is going to be a must stop for us from now on!!!!
Review Source:I've been coming here since I was a
kid, many years ago. Â The decor still interest me. Breakfast was great! 2 over easy, sausage patties the size of hamburgers, toast and hashbrowns. Â Fabulous portion well worth the $8.00..
It's not dumpy, it's historic. Â Great place half way to Abilene from Dallas.
The best place to eat between Fort Worth and Abilene. Â Set up in an extremely old building, it gives you an amazing look at that areas history. Â We routinely meet up with our West Texas family here to have lunch, celebrate long distance birthdays and exchange pleasantries.
The food has never been anything but great. Â I ALWAYS have the patty melt, my son ALWAYS has the chicken fried staek and the rest of our group varies in their choices. Â This is a JEWEL in the middle of nowhere. Â Stop here, eat and relax.
The reviews seemed slightly misleading. The place was kinda dumpy, and yes the chicken fried steak was good... but I've had better. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing that my girlfriend and I decided to stop. The history of the town was really interesting!... but  I just cant say I will ever have a reason to go back.
Review Source:This place is like a ghost town! No, it's literally a ghost town - Population 5. Thurber was a thriving coal-mining town of about 10,000 from the late 1800's up until the end of the Great Depression. To read more about it, go here: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThurber%2C_Texas&s=f96045df83d78c845c00be0254195e222b9470b4bce31832cd78d90cf3f80116" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/…</a>
The Bennett family has been running this restaurant for over 40 years and their Chicken Fried Steak was voted the best on I-20 by Southern Living magazine. They also have tons of other goodies on the menu like chicken livers, catfish, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, liver and onions, salads, cobblers, and pies. If you're driving by this place and see the smokestack, please do yourself a favor and drop by just for the touch of history. They also have a museum on site as well. The only negative in my opinion is that they allow cigarette smoking in the restaurant, but I guess it's their town and they can make up the rules. There was only one person smoking when we went but it was almost unbearable.
Impressed by the charm of the place when we walked in. Service is friendly. Ordered the day's blue plate special of chicken fried steak mashed potatoes corn and dessert with unsweetened tea. Enjoyed looking around at the memorabilia on the walls and listening to oldies playing while we waited. The food came out in a timely fashion on a blue plate and was amazing. Good hearty home cooked food. Nice portion sizes. The made from scratch rolls were tender and flavorful. They just melted in your mouth. We were completey satisfied and we'll definitely stop in again the next time we pass through the area!!
Review Source:Quick Quiz: Why is there nobody left in Thurber, Texas:
1.) The coal mine was shut down.
2.) The brick plant ceased operations.
3.) The chicken fried steak at the Smokehouse is chewy and full of gristle.
I learned the first two during a visit to the W.K. Gordon museum across I-20, but had to learn #3 the hard way.
From what I understand, there are only a couple of restaurants in the vicintiy--since it's in the middle of nowhere people--so you might be better served at another establishment (or pack your own lunch).
I don't have to take a road trip to eat mediocre greasy food in dirty restaurant...I'm sure I can find enough of that locally.
The meat was low quality, and I'm sure I saved some poor TDCJ inmate from eating their GRADE D meat. Maybe that's just how they roll in Thurber. The Sheriff (or some law enforcement dude) was eating there, so the locals don't seem to mind (or don't know any better).
I'd just as soon eat some of that coal from that old mine then that so-called "food" from Smokestack.
Look, it's not fine dining and it's not a destination restaurant but it's a must stop for those traveling to or from West Texas. It has good food...burgers,chicken fried steak...but more than that, it's a neat place to stop. In the middle of nowhere in a historic town (or what used to be a town). Go for the experience.
Review Source:Tried this place for the first time today. Â We normally go to the New York Hill restaurant across the highway but based on some of the reviews, thought we might find another winner. Â Unfortunately, we were very disappointed in the Chicken Fried Steak. Â Either the meat was old or the grease was old or they just do something weird when they cook their steaks because it was terrible. Â We sent the first serving back (the server was apologetic) and tried another one. Â It was equally if not more rancid tasting than the first one! Â I will have to say that the Catfish was very good, the sides and rolls were very good and the atmosphere was fun - but from now on when we are driving through Thurber and want a great meal, we will stick with the best - New York Hill!
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
