Belle’s Chicken Dinner House
Location: 2002 N. Clack St.
Hours: Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m. to -9 p.m.
Type: Comfort
Opened: February 2009
Menu item most known for: Fried chicken
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Fried chicken tenders (Meat only): $7.99
The usual: Fried chicken: $15.99
The extravagant: Chicken-fried steak $16.99
Personality: Old building vibes, but with a hint of feeling like you are at home ready for a hot meal.
Menu variety: It is a comfort restaurant that features main courses such as chicken and catfish, plus sides such as macaroni and cheese, cut corn and gravy. A classic sit-down, homestyle restaurant where your entire party shares serving platters and bowls.
Meet the manager: Ryan Marrs owns this restaurant with his brother, Cory Marrs.
How many customers do you have on a typical day? “We serve around 300 guests a day.”
How many college students do you get? “We frequently have students in, dining with friends and/or family. Many times, we will have a guest tell us that their son or daughter in college recommended us to them.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “Our restaurant is unique for its family style service, generous portions and the friendly and interactive environment.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “Consistency is our goal, so we hope that if a guest enjoys their experience today, that they can expect the same in the future. If we can manage to do that, we believe our restaurant will continue to grow and be a part of the Abilene community.”
The Biscuit Bar
Location: 2447 N. Judge Ely Blvd.
Hours: Sunday -Thursday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Homestyle Americana
Opened: October 2021
Menu item most known for: The Hoss
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The sausage biscuit is a sausage patty served inside a handmade biscuit. $4.86
The usual: The biscuit French toast consists of a pan-fried biscuit dipped in vanilla custard, topped with house-made whipped cream. $6.26
The extravagant: The Rough Night includes Southern-fried chicken, a burger patty, ham, turkey, pulled pork, crispy bacon, tots, cheddar and house-made sausage gravy all served in a handmade biscuit. $14.90
Personality: The Biscuit Bar is located within Allen Ridge, an entertainment and dining space, and offers indoor and outdoor seating. It is family owned with a country-style theme and typically packed on the weekends. Located in the middle of the restaurant is extra bar seating to enjoy a viewing of the nightly game or converse with friends.
Menu variety: The menu is limited as most of their items are built on a biscuit, but they do have other lunch options including three salad choices.
Meet the manager: Brian King, store manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? A couple hundred.
How many college students do you get? “Lots of ACU, because we are so close to the school, but we definitely do see a lot of the college kids.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “Everything is on a biscuit, we make all of our biscuits by hand, in house, every single day, so you’re always going to get a fresh biscuit.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “I can’t necessarily speak towards what corporate is looking for, but I know that they want more. I do not know if that means more Biscuit Bars or more ideas, but I do know that the owners are very driven people.”
Chili’s
Location: 1702 State Highway 351
Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Type: Tex-Mex
Opened:
Menu item most known for: Fajitas
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The Big Mouth Crispy Chicken Sandwich is hand-breaded crispy chicken, lettuce, tomato, and their secret sauce on a brioche bun. $11.11 per sandwich.
The usual: The Bacon Ranch Quesadillas are chicken, shredded cheese, chile spices, bacon, house-made ranch dressing cooked in between two tortillas. Served with pico, sour cream, ancho-chile ranch. $12.63
The extravagant: The Original Full Order Ribs comes with fries, a cob of roasted corn and choice of two sauces. $22.45
Personality: This Chili’s is located off Highway 351 near Chick-fil-a and Walmart. It offers lots of table and bar seating. It can hold large parties and is family friendly, but you can see customers going in to watch the Sunday night game or celebrate birthdays.
Menu variety: Chili’s offers multiple options for all customers. Many items on the menu have ingredients that can be substituted or taken out if a customer needs.
Meet the manager: Andres Gutierrez, general manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? 400 to 600.
How many college students do you get? “Being close to ACU, HSU, we’re basically a college town, so about 100 students a day.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “What makes us famous is that we’re Chili’s, so our presidentes and burgers are loved and well known. . . . Chili’s also stands out for how well we treat and take care of our workers’ families compared to other restaurants.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We haven’t slowed down any, so mainly keeping that up, we’ve dropped during COVID as everyone else did, but we’re still increasing our store’s business.”
Copper Creek Restaurant
Location: 4401 Loop 322
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Fine dining, steakhouse
Opened: 2005
Menu item most known for: Hand-cut mesquite grilled steaks
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: A cup of the soup of the day is $5.31; a bowl is $8.64
The usual: The Creek Cheese Burger which is half a pound of fresh ground chuck, pickles, lettuce, tomato, fried onion strings and jack cheese served with fries for $17.28
The extravagant: The 8-ounce wagyu filet is $84.24
Personality: Positive and calm – a cozy environment with cottage-like, rustic décor. Most people go to celebrate something, so the environment is uplifting. It has tables sized from two people to large families. The patio section offers seating for groups of four and feels like a between outdoors and in.
Menu variety: Appetizers range from calamari and cactus to goat cheese jalapeno poppers. Entrees range from sandwiches and burgers to steaks and salmon, whille desserts include crème brulee and almond praline pie.
Meet the manager: Tim Yorston, manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? “On average, probably about 200.”
How many college students do you get? “At the restaurant I work at I would say, not a high percentage of them, but I do see some. . . . I wouldn’t think it’s like a regular place for college students unless they are celebrating their graduation, like, graduation time, yeah, we will see a lot.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “The owners are really hands on and there all the time.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “I would see them continuing on with the same concept that they have ’cause it’s been pretty successful.”
Cypress Street Station
Location: 158 Cypress St. in downtown Abilene.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Type: Traditional American
Opened: 1993
Menu item most known for: Bayou Florentine
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The Chicken Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and croutons. $11.88
The usual: The Buried Treasure Mac & Cheese featuring house made pulled pork with BBQ sauce covered with macaroni and cheese served with a side of spicy Catalina slaw. $14.04
The extravagant: The New York Strip is a 12 oz strip steak cooked to order. $36.72
Personality: Cypress Street Station is an easy-to-find upscale downtown restaurant. The dining room feels spacious, but it is not too big. Plus, they have a bar area that is semi-partitioned from the main dining room. It’s a classy restaurant that mainly attracts upper-scale diners and people out for a special occasion like a college formal or date night.
Menu variety: Offers a range of American cuisine from pasta, seafood, and steak to burgers, pizza, and salads. However, with notice, the kitchen can make meals not shown on the menu. They are also a “scratch kitchen” meaning they make all of their dishes from scratch when you order; there is nothing pre-prepared.
Meet the manager: Matthew Fraley-Nowacek, manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? 100 to 130 during a busy lunch service, 150 to 200 on a busy Friday or Saturday night
How many college students do you get? “I would say maybe 10 percent.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “The scratch-kitchen aspect makes us very unique; it gives us a lot of freedom with the menu. Something also that’s different is that we do a daily feature for lunch and for dinner, so we’re always preparing new menu items.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We’re moving further into the upscale environment as far as just making improvements be it from the table and chairs and the plate ware that we use toto making repairs to the outside, as far as like replacing windows and a door and everything else. [We’re] continuing to improve and move forward as times move forward and everything else.”
Fun Noodle Bar
Location: 4325 Southwest Dr.
Hours: Opens every day at 11 a.m., closed Sunday at 9 p.m., Monday-Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday at 9:45 p.m.
Type: Asian Fusion
Opened: February 2021
Menu item most known for: Tonkotsu Ramen
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Sweet Potato Sushi Roll $4.27
The usual: Roasted Noodle Soup – spinach, cilantro, bok choy, green onion, carrot. Choice of beef/shrimp/chicken/vegetable. $11.87 (Combo +$3.99)
The extravagant: Lobster roll is lobster tail served with spicy crab meat, avocado and chef’s special sauce, wrapped with sesame soy paper, $16.84
Personality: Fun Noodle Bar is a modern, stylish restaurant. It has a clean, elegant vibe accented by a decorative wooden interior as well as decorations representing the Asian cultures from which the restaurant gets its food. A large glass window separates the dining area from the kitchen so that customers can watch their food be prepared and enjoy a short show as the chefs hand-pull their noodles.
Menu variety: Fun Noodle Bar has dishes spanning several types of Asian cuisine, including Japan, China and Thailand. It also has an extensive sushi menu, a variety of appetizers and a small dessert menu.
Meet the manager: Alex Jiao, manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? 150 customers a day
How many college students do you get? “Not sure, maybe about 10-20 students.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “We are an Asian fusion restaurant with an open kitchen.” “We serve handmade dumplings and handmade ramen, everything looks so exciting.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? We hope to incorporate more Asian food and local food that can be healthy. Our goal is a healthy Asian restaurant, clean, efficient and healthy, and based on this, we hope to make Fun Noodle Bar have more locations in Texas.
Grain Theory
Location: 202 Pine St. in downtown Abilene
Hours: Monday-Thursday, :9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Type: Brewery/taproom and restaurant
Opened: January 2021
Menu item most known for: Fries that are authentic Belgian frites, and for creating a unique menu with some international elements that nowhere in Abilene provides
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Belgian Frites, $5-$7
The usual: Fish & Chips, $13-$18
The extravagant: International Sausage Tray, $19, or Steak Frites $28
Personality: Grain Theory is “not just the brewing of beer but making more of a communal space,” said founder David Kasselman. “Even the tables are narrower than most table because we want people to be close; we wanted to create an atmosphere where people make friends with strangers . . . and that happens.”
Menu variety: Grain Theory provides dishes with different meats and breads while also serving a decent amount of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Meet the manager: David Kasselman, founder
How many customers do you have on a typical day? About 1,000 a week. “We want to be known as a place where people feel comfortable, can relax, and be appreciated for who they are.”
How many college students do you get? Grain Theory doesn’t specifically market to college students because of the nature of the business, but a fair percentage of coffee customers are college students.
What’s unique about your restaurant? From the tables to the coffee counter, everything about Grain Theory is handmade, purposefully placed and authentically communal. “We were intentional in our designing an open space . . . nothing is hidden. the brewery is out in the open, and you can see inside the kitchen. We want to be open and authentic as a company and as owners.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? Grain Theory is looking at expansion and future plans. “I cannot say what, but the process has begun.”
Heff’s Burgers
Location: 2642 East Lake Road
Hours: Monday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Type: Burgers
Opened: 2014
Menu item most known for: The Heff’s Burger
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: B.E.T. Sandwich – bacon, fried egg, tomato, mayo, on Texas toast, $6.47
The usual: The Heff’s Burger with fresh patty, tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle, choice of mayo or mustard, $9.17
The extravagant: Burger Steak Dinner has a fresh-cooked patty smothered in gravy, grilled mushrooms and onions and is served with side salad, Texas toast and choice of fries, $11.87
Personality: Very retro, sort of old-school diner vibes. Theming definitely revolves around the owners and what they grew up with. Restaurant holds around 100 customers including the patio.
Menu variety: Menu consists of mostly burger options and variations but there are multiple options for chicken, salads and hot dogs. Five sides along with shakes, floats and more for dessert.
Meet the manager: Brenda Heffernan, owner
How many customers do you have on a typical day? 150.
How many college students do you get? “Probably 20%.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “We’re homestyle burgers, we’re freshly cooked, and the meat is never but two days old. It’s always fresh.”
What’s ahead for the next 5 years? “We’re fixing to expand this one and we’re gonna have a Heff’s Burger Bar. So we’re gonna have a dance floor out here and they’re adding on the liquor out here. So, lots of expansion.”
Hickory Street Cafe
Location: 644 Hickory St.
Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Type: Classic American
Opened: 1988
Menu item most known for: Chicken salad and zucchini bread
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Soups of the day include Wisconsin cheese, broccoli parmesan, creamy potato or tomato basil, $3.78 for a cup, $6.43 for a bowl.
The usual: The pasta salad includes rotini pasta with Italian dressing and shredded chicken, $9.18
The extravagant: The Famous Chicken Salad Sandwich on a croissant, $10.26
Personality: Hickory Street Cafe is casual and homey, greatly due to the fact the restaurant is a house. Tables are arranged in different rooms on the first level of the house. Floral decor, baking pins and inspirational quotes fill the walls. If you go to the restaurant enough, there’s a chance the small waiting staff will start to recite your order.
Menu variety: The menu includes the three main food groups: soups, salads and sandwiches. Each category contains about seven options. The cafe also offers an array of desserts for post-meal enjoyment.
Meet the manager: Amy Botkin, owner
How many customers do you have in a typical day? 150-250
How many college students do you get? “We have a huge following of college students, so if I was to guess on a number of students in a day, I think I would say 20%.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “We have an incredible customer base. Our customers become family to us and we to them.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “There is a big hotel being built a couple blocks away that should be done in 2023. That might be a time when we would consider opening on Saturday. I have fought that fight for years. Our customers have wanted us to be open on Saturdays forever.”
The Local
Location: 250 Cypress St. in downtown Abilene
Hours: Monday 4 to 10 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Contemporary Mexican
Opened: November 2019
Menu item most known for: Wonton tacos and asada fries
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The enchilada taco includes ground beef, enchilada sauce, cotija, pickled red onions and cilantro. $5.13 per taco.
The usual: The blackened fish taco also includes avocado, cotija, red cabbage, cilantro pesto and jalapenos. $6.21 per taco.
The extravagant: The steak salad includes mixed greens, grilled steak, red cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, cotija and a cilantro lime vinaigrette. $15.12
Personality: The Local is a dimly lit, trendy downtown restaurant with an upscale casual ambiance. To the right of the entrance, stairs lead to a loft that overlooks dark wooden tables and a long velvet bench below. To the left of the entrance is a bar and lounge chairs, backlit by the pink glow of a neon sign. It reads, “feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty.”
Menu variety: The core of the menu is tacos, though it offers appetizers, salads, quesadillas and enchiladas. Taco contents range from Jamaican jerk chicken to roasted sweet potatoes.
Meet the manager: Gabriel Stokes, general manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? About 200
How many college students do you get? “A lot of our guests are college age, especially on the weekends.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “I promise that we put more intention and pay more attention to creating a guest experience for everyone who walks into our doors. From the menus, to the environment, to the team and guest services, we want The Local to be unique.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We have a food truck on the way, our catering is booming and our chef just continues to push the envelope.”
Lytle Land & Cattle Co.
Location: 1150 E. South 11th St.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. all week
Type: Steakhouse
Opened: 2007
Menu item most known for: Ribeye or Chicken Fried Steak
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The Caesar salad is made with Romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing. Guests can pay to add grilled chicken or salmon. $5.35
The usual: The chicken fried steak was voted best in Abilene and is served with your choice of french fries or mashed potatoes and green beans. $16.15
The extravagant: The Surf & Turf includes the filet mignon and three bacon-wrapped grilled or fried shrimp served with your choice of two sides. $56.12
Personality: Lytle Land & Cattle is a family friendly Texas steakhouse that also has a bar and live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Menu variety: Most of the attention is on the steaks, chicken and seafood coming off the grill, but chicken-fried steak and other Texas favorites give plenty more options.
Meet the manager: Jessie Shrader
How many customers do you have on a typical day? “Weekday is around 350 guests and that was a pretty normal day for us. Weekends are around 550 guests.”
How many college students do you get? “I would probably say a sixth of our guests, a lot of times college students are with their families.”
What is unique about your restaurant? “Our environment. Our guests not only come for the food but also the live music and atmosphere.” Lytle has live local music on Friday and Saturday nights.
What’s ahead in the next five years? “That’s a really good question. Probably continuing to grow and expand our team which is more like a family rather than coworkers. We still have to come back from COVID
Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes
Location: 3550 S Clack St.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Burgers
Opened: August 2021
Menu item most known for: Build Your Own Burger
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Mooyah Cheeseburger is Certified Angus Beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, MOOYAH sauce, potato bun, $6.69
The usual: Loaded House Salad has crisp greens, fresh avocado, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried onion strings, balsamic vinegar, $8.95
The extravagant: The Paleo is Certified Angus Beef on iceberg lettuce with applewood smoked bacon, fresh avocado, pickles, onions, tomato, mustard, $11.31
Personality: It is a new and modern restaurant with art and LED lights on the way – simplistic, not much decoration as a whole but still interesting. It seats probably 65 people. Friendly, helpful workers. Soon this location will be the central training restaurant for the Mooyah chain.
Menu variety: Many types and styles of burgers to choose from including the BYOB. Sides include two types of fries and chips as well as eight shake flavors.
Meet the manager: Chuck Holbrook, owner/marketing director
How many customers do you have in a typical day: On a weekday 200-350 and on weekends anywhere from 300-500.
How many college students do you get: “About 18 to 22 (percent) are college. Obviously, we want that number a lot higher, us being in a college town, but that’s where we are right now.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “The meat that we have is Angus beef, and it has to be certified at 97.3 or above in order for us to sell it. A lot of places don’t measure out their beef. The fries, we do everything in house. . . . A lot of people come in just for our shakes. It’s weird but they do.”
What’s ahead for the next 5 years? “Just keep doing what we’re doing and delivering good food. We are branching out to Lubbock and so just to keep growing the brand. We’re really trying to grow the brand and brand awareness because a lot of people don’t know Mooyah unless you’re in the Metroplex.”
Niko’s Greek Gyros
Location: 3354 Rebecca Lane
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Type: Greek, Mediterranean
Opened: February 2014
Menu item most known for: Gyro Plate
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Dolmas is grape leaves filled with rice and spices, served with tzatziki, six for $3.24.
The usual: Gyro made with beef and lamb gyros meat, tomatoes and purple onions with tzatziki sauce served on traditional pita, $6.48
The extravagant: Doner Plate is marinated grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, purple onion, a variety of olives, cucumbers, banana peppers, feta cheese. Served with tzatziki sauce and two pitas, $10.81
Personality: Niko’s Greek Gyros is a small, friendly, family-owned restaurant that serves the only Greek and Mediterranean food in Abilene. Niko’s is known for large portions at low prices and for getting to know their customers.
Menu variety: Niko’s menu contains a variety of Greek and Mediterranean foods,
including salads, dolma and falafel, gyros and doner, baklava and Greek-inspired subs and
sandwiches.
Meet the manager: Elaine, co-owner
How many customers do you have in a typical day? Around 100
How many college students do you get? “About 25% . . . but we usually do get quite a few ACU students.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “It’s the only one that has Greek or Mediterranean food, so that would set it apart!”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “Just to stay open as long as we can . . . and keep our pricing where our customers can still eat affordably and get full.”
Phoenix Pho
Location: 2449 N. Judge Ely Blvd. in Allen Ridge
Hours: Sunday 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Type: Vietnamese
Opened: November 2020
Menu item most known for: Pho Thai
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: A variety of fruit teas, served with boba. $4.06
The usual: Pho Thai, a brothy noodle soup. $10.83
The extravagant: Korean BBQ Beef Rib and rice. $16.24
Personality: Phoenix Pho is a bright and busy Vietnamese restaurant that is a great spot to hang out with friends.
Menu variety: Phoenix Pho serves a variety of food, from several types of pho, to dumplings and spring rolls, rice and bun dishes, and boba tea.
Meet the manager: Huy, owner
How many customers do you have in a typical day? Over 100
How many college students do you get? “Yeah, lots of college students.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “It’s the only one.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “I want to do one more restaurant on the south side.”
Rockin’ Rollerz
Location: 1055 N. Judge Ely Blvd.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Type: Burgers
Opened: Food truck, 2014; storefront, 2018
Menu item most known for: Poppin’ Johnny
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Old Schooler, $6
The usual: Southern Fried Beauty, $8.50
The extravagant: Poppin Johnny, $10
Personality: Laidback, inviting, local
Menu variety: Burgers, chicken and local beers
Meet the manager: Jesse Husbands, co-owner
How many customers do you have on a typical day? We serve about 200 to 300 customers during the week and about 300 to 500 customers on the weekends. During football season and basketball home games we get super busy.”
How many college students do you get? “We do serve a lot of college students. Being across the street from ACU is awesome. . . . We definitely feel the love from ACU.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? Rockin’ Rollerz is very inclined to reflect current popular culture while keeping the same freshness throughout the years and different locations. Husbands boasts that “[they] only keep ice cream in our freezer and prepare everything fresh every day.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? The original Rockin’ Rollerz food truck is coming back into use soon, and the restaurant has thought about expanding to the south side of Abilene.
Rosa’s Cafe
Location: 1026 N Judge Ely Blvd.
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Tex-Mex
Opened:
Menu item most known for: Fresh-made tortillas
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Bean and Cheese Burrito: Beans and cheese wrapped in a homemade tortilla, $2.15
The usual: Beef Fajita Nachos: Crunchy tortilla chips served with black beans, queso, guac, picadillo, sour cream, onions, rice and fajita-style beef, $11.22
The extravagant: Beef Fajita Plate: Rosa’s Signature Plate featuring marinated beef grilled over mesquite wood and served with bell peppers and onions, Mexican rice, choice of refried or black beans, and three flour tortillas. Also includes a grilled jalapeño pepper, guacamole, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato salad and sour cream, $16.73
Personality: Rosa’s displays Tex-Mex themes inside and out. From its adobe-like exterior to its colorful, Spanish-themed interior. The restaurant is family style so it has several large tables as well as self-serve toppings and drinks.
Menu variety: An array of traditional Mexican dishes, most served as “dinners” including an entree and two sides, but individual items can be purchased as well. This may come as a surprise to some but Rosa’s also offers an extensive breakfast menu from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Meet the manager: Zachary Delarosa, general manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? About 700
How many college students do you get? “Definitely about 25-30% of our customers are college-aged.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “I would say that we are unique in the way that we serve good-quality food in a fast-paced environment.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We open about two to three stores a year, so we are expanding rapidly and becoming a well-known name in the Tex-Mex food industry.”
Sharky’s Burrito Company
Location: 1095 N. Judge Ely Blvd.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Type: Mexican
Opened:
Menu items most known for: Meat – brisket, steak or chicken. Vegetables – grilled onions and peppers or pico de gallo.
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The Breakfast Burrito or Breakfast Burrito Bowl comes with your choice of meat, potatoes and vegetables. $5.93
The usual: A Veggie Boat can be built on a tortilla, tortilla chips or a bowl that you can fill with whatever toppings you want. There’s a selection of vegetables, rice, cheese and dressings. $7.01
The extravagant: The Meat & Veggie Combo offers the same as the Veggie Boat along with a selection of meats to choose from. $7.55
Personality: Sharky’s is a popular spot for burritos in Abilene, and it has a style similar to Chipotle. It’s inside United Supermarkets next to Starbucks. You tell the workers what you would like on your meal and they make it right in front of you. They have a friendly staff and seating for about 60.
Menu variety: Even though Sharky’s only has about three options (tortilla, tortilla chips, or bowl) it has a large selection of toppings you can choose to individualize your choice. The six meat choices include chicken, steak and brisket, along with a long list of vegetables, beans, rice, and cheeses. There is a selection of dressings but spicy ranch is the most popular.
Meet the manager: Stephanie Gentry, assistant manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? Probably a couple hundred.
How many college students do you get? “We lost a bunch because of new places opening up, like Fuzzy’s. Maybe 50.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “You can come in and choose everything you want. Other places it’s tradition what you get, but here you pick and choose.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We want to work on our breakfast menu. And we want to work on a delivery app.”
Sharon’s BBQ
Locations: 875 E. Hwy. 80 and 2050 Antilley Road
Hours: Sunday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Type: Barbecue
Opened: 2005
Menu item most known for: Beef brisket sandwiches
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Garden salad, $5
The usual: Sandwich plates; with any choice of meat and your choice of two sides (or all that will fit on the plate), $14
The extravagant: Large Combo BBQ plates; pick two to five meats of your choice, plus sides, $21
Personality: Family-friendly and laid back. Rectangle tables with family-style sitting. Low lighting makes it comfortable for all kinds of people and is open for long conversations and family memories.
Menu variety: It offers everything from barbecue plates to salads to sandwiches. Has 8 different side options including potatoes, fries and beans. Outside of the barbecue choices it also serves Hobo Stew, wings, quesadillas and fried catfish.
Meet the manager: Joel Riley, southside manager
How many customers do you get in a typical day? “I would say around 300 customers a day between dine-in and drive-thru (at the southside location).”
How many college students do you get? “We don’t get that many so I would say maybe 10.”
What’s most unique about the restaurant? “The meals that we have like our barbecue sandwiches set us apart from everyone else. We also have a comfortable, growing atmosphere.”
What’s ahead in five years? “I expect us to grow and expand more than we have right now. We have been on the uphill the past couple of months so I am excited to see where we go.”
The Shed
Location: 6382 Buffalo Gap Road, Suite D
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Type: Barbecue
Opened: May 2018
Menu item most known for: Brisket
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The 1 Meat Sandwich is served with your choice of meat on a five-inch bun with potato chips. $11.34
The usual: The Bomber Sandwich is served with jalapeno sausage, chopped brisket, pulled pork barbecue sauce and cilantro slaw on a five-inch potato bun with potato chips. $15.12
The extravagant: The Shed Sampler comes with a one-pound brisket, half rack ribs, half-pound of turkey, half-pound of ham, half-pound of sausage, half-pound of pulled pork and a half-pound of chicken. $75.60
Personality: The Shed is an out-of-the-way southside restaurant with clean, modern feel that still keeps the traditional barbecue atmosphere. The open dining room also complements the bright, friendly atmosphere very well. Honorable mention on the Texas Monthly Top 50 List.
Menu variety: The Shed is a barbecue restaurant so of course it serves all types of barbecue and its traditional sides and desserts. However, it is also a meat market, so it has non-traditional items as well such as potato bread.
Meet the manager: Jace Aldriedge, front of house/meat market manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? “We see maybe 250 people.”
How many college students do you get? “On the weekdays not too many probably 15.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “We’re a mom-and-pop shop, so the original owners of the Shed were [the owner’s] grandparents and this was out in Wingate, Texas probably about an hour away from Abilene. It was in the early 80s, 90s or 2000s before they retired, but that place was the hoppin’ spot. It was on the Texas Top 50 list multiple years. [We have] the same sauce recipes that keeps the name recognition so we have a lot of customers who used to go to the old Shed around 40 years ago and they come back here so they’re glad they can come back to a place that they used to go to as a kid.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “We are moving into our basically forever home. It’s gonna be about five times as big, we’re gonna have a fireplace outside, and it’s gonna be reservation rooms, and it’s gonna be a lot bigger. We’ll move there as well as just grow our catering. We do a bunch of caterings throughout the year.”
Spicy India
Location: 243 W. Stamford St.
Hours: Wednesday-Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: Indian cuisine
Opened: January 2018
Menu item most known for: Butter chicken, which is boneless and cooked in creamy sauce.
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: The samosas are a vegetarian option and are crispy turnovers filled with potatoes, peas and vegetables, $4.31
The usual: The Mirchi Ka Salan is a vegetarian curry served with basmati rice that comes with chilies and peanuts cooked with dry coconut, cumin seeds, and bay leaf, $9.79
The extravagant: The Lamb Vindaloo is a curry made with lamb and potatoes, flavored with vinegar and garlic, and served with basmati rice, $16.19
Personality: Spicy India is at Interstate 20 and FM 600, about 2.7 miles from ACU. It’s small and friendly, decorated with bright colors and decorations that give you the feel of a traditional Indian restaurant.
Menu variety: The menu is entirely Indian cuisine with flavors prepared in traditional ways. It includes appetizers, biryani, kebabs and entrees with almost an equal amount of vegetarian options. It also offers a selection of rice, noodles and breads with a drink menu.
Meet the manager: Onnie Cooper, manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? Probably a couple hundred.
How many college students do you get? About 50%.
What’s unique about your restaurant? “The meals are bigger portions.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “Expanding.”
Stonewalls Pizza Wings & Things
Location: 2801 S. 1st St.
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Type: Pizza, burgers and wings
Opened: December 2021, although the family has been in the pizza business for decades.
Menu item most known for: Square Pizza
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Small pizza, $8.63
The usual: Medium pizza, $14.03
The extravagant: Large pizza, $18.35
Personality: It is a community-centric environment that combines the old-fashioned pizza parlor vibe, with a fresh new feel – especially with college students.
Menu variety: Includes anything from cheesy bread appetizers, build your own pizzas, Buffalo wings and burgers!
Meet the manager: Edward Stefan, owner
How many customers do you have on a typical day? “Customers were hard to put a number to, but there are about 55-60 orders a day.”
How many college students do you get? College students are about 20% of the business.
What’s unique about your restaurant? It is a family restaurant that has been doing business since 1945. It is a multiple-generation business. Serve pizzas with specialty, northern brands, Philly cheese steak and good burgers.4.
What’s ahead in the next five years? Looking to pick up more college students. Family-oriented business. Build it upon that.
Szechuan Chinese
Location: 3425 S. 1st St., Abilene
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Type: Chinese
Opened: 1996
Menu item most known for: “Happy Family” or sweet and sour chicken
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Hot and Sour Soup, Won Ton Soup, Egg Drop Soup, $5.35
The usual: Sweet and Sour Chicken (any dinner plate), served with steamed or fried rice, $13.55
The extravagant: Happy Family (specialty dinners), shrimp, crab meat, scallops, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables sautéed in a brown sauce, $17.87
Personality: A quiet and classy setting for one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the United States. Nice but not so fancy you have to dress up. A comfortable restaurant where you can get authentic food prepared by a chef who also owns the restaurant.
Menu variety: From appetizers and soups to lunch and dinner plates to specialty regional dinners, any authentic meal you would want is available.
Meet the manager: Byron Huang, manager and chef
How many customers do you get in a typical day? “We probably give out around 300-400 tickets a day.”
How many college students do you get? “I would say about 10-20% of our customers are college students.”
What’s most unique about the restaurant? “We are the closest thing to real authentic Chinese food in Abilene. So, I think that’s a big thing because we are not fast food and do not compare to them.”
What’s ahead in five years? “Ever since COVID started, we have been blessed to have been able to carry on operation because of our service. So, continuing to be able to grow our restaurant and branch out more would be our ultimate goal.”
Torchy’s Tacos
Location: 3765 Catclaw Drive
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Type: A street taco restaurant
Opened: September 2020
Menu item most known for: Trailer Park tacos
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: A grilled chicken, pork, veggie, or beef burrito which is $2.70
The usual: The Trailer Park taco is $4.64 and includes fried chicken, green chiles, lettuce, Pico de Gallo, and cheddar jack cheese with poblano sauce on a tortilla; most tacos tend to be $4.64-6.48
The extravagant: Green chile queso and chips, Hillbilly queso and chips (topped with chorizo), and guacamole and chips all priced at $7.51
Personality: Upbeat and modern, the restaurant is mostly red and black but still manages to be bright and lively, with patio and indoor seating. Tables usually seat about four people, but bigger families aren’t left out. There’s a pickup section for orders on the side of the checkout center. Staying customers pay at the counter and then sit where they want.
Menu variety: Mostly tacos with some options for bowls, burritos and chips and queso.
Meet the manager: John Niblett, co-owner and manager
How many customers do you have in a typical day? “It varies . . . but we fill up. It gets packed and it gets busy.”
How many college students do you get? “The weekends a lot. Friday, Saturday and especially Sunday morning, but during the week we see quite a few as well from all three universities.”
What’s unique about your restaurant? “it’s a scratch-based concept. We make everything from scratch. It’s not a normal taco. You are going to get a different taco here.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? “Keep moving forward and serving the community.”
Vagabond Pizza
Location: 1056 N. 2nd St.
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.
Type: Wood-fired pizza
Opened: 2012
Menu item most known for: The Lucia pizza includes calabrese salami, crispy garlic, mozzarella and jalapeño jelly.
What you’ll pay for . . .
The cheap: Cheese pizza. Usually, people add other toppings, but it’s a starting place. $11.88
The usual: Sofia Italian sausage, piquillo peppers, mozzarella, tomato sauce, $16.20
The extravagant: Carnivore ground beef, Italian sausage, calabrese salami, mozzarella, tomato sauce, $19.44
Meet the manager: Jason Adams, owner/chef
How many customers do you have on a typical day? Between 200 and 300
How many college students do you get? IDK
What is unique about your restaurant? “Only wood-fire pizzeria in Abilene. We are chef inspired and run. We also do rotated menu items weekly.”
What’s ahead in the next five years? Looking to expand maybe; nothing in the works yet.
