Best Chicken Fried Steak In Strawn, TX: Mary’s Cafe

Gaspar V.
Aug 21, 2023
3 min read

First, have you ever heard of 'Strawn Texas'? Well, if you haven't, Strawn is a city in Palo Pinto County, Texas, United States. Get this - the population was 653 at the 2010 census. This is a tiny city, about a one hour drive heading west from Fort Worth.

Second, do you enjoy a great chicken fried steak? You must know what I'm taking about; also known as country-fried steak, is an American breaded cutlet dish consisting of a piece of beefsteak coated with seasoned flour and either deep-fried or pan-fried. It is sometimes associated with the Southern cuisine of the United States. Well, if you're west of Forth Worth and want to sample the best chicken fried steak in the area, Mary's Café is it!

A little about the spot - Mary's is a small Texas town café, so go with those expectations. This isn't fine dining. Wear jeans...or stretch pants. If your expecting a Dallas dining experience stay away ( Dallas ain't Texas anyways).

During my first experience here, we did what everyone does - my wife and I had the chicken fried steak (I ordered a small for her, medium for me). Honestly, we could have split the medium easily. I'm serious. I used to use 'Massey's restaurant' in Fort Worth as my go-to for rating chicken fried steak. Well, I think Mary's ranks up their with the best, at least at our visit...but this place (Mary's) might be the winner.

And if you like chicken fried steak, with 'taters' and fried okra then go no further than Mary's Cafe. First of all - Meat is so tender you do not need a knife and unless you're Paul Bunyan do not order anything larger than medium or you'll never walk again or have a heart attack on the spot! Seriously this is the best Chicken Fried Steak in this area by far.

Then came my second visit to Mary's and I can say that there is do doubt that I will return again...and again. This time, I brought my family. Once again, we ordered chicken fried steak (of course), but my nephew ordered the enchiladas. I was skeptical, but I sampled them from his place. Wow....Amazing! I was SO happy that he ordered that! I never would have known how great their enchiladas - filling, saucy, robust and large...Texas-sized large! I had never heard anything about their enchiladas, but now that I have sampled them, it WILL be my next order. It's the best!! Enchiladas were very good a great portion and served HOT (temperature hot). They are not spicy. They were served with chips and salsa. What a combo!

This is a simple place - no nonsense with Texas-sized food. My wife said "This café is the best. I love the well-thought-out proportions." I totally agree. That being said come hungry and share your plate if you want to! The service at this family owned place is amazing, the staff is great and always smiling, don't be in a rush here because its not that type of place, if you're passing through or making it a destination you must visit here is the country fried steak, chicken sandwich...and chicken livers are to die for!

On our third visit, we sat next to a nice older couple and chatted with them. They said "We've been eating at Mary's for about 30 years. The food is always great." Well this time, the place was packed with people. I took 20 minutes just to get a seat. Our order was taken promptly but it took an hour to get our food. Although I was irritated, I understood the problem. So many people and it's impossible to please all of them at a whim. When the waitress brought it to the table, she said Mary was cooking for the firefighters working the Dempsey fire and I felt great that this place helps out those who keep us safe. And again (as always) the food was GREAT!