Best Restaurants in Waco (2025)

Chef Corey McEntyre’s flagship pairs Texas farms with Southern swagger—house biscuits, seasonal plates, and serious cocktails. Featured in Eater Dallas and highlighted by Southern Living, it’s the reliable table locals recommend to visiting friends.

A coastal‑Mediterranean restaurant and piano lounge inside Hotel Herringbone from the team behind Milo. Praised by Eater Dallas and noted by Southern Living for redefining downtown dining, it’s where Waco dresses up for oysters, crudo, and shared plates.

West of town, this independent steak‑and‑seafood room blends prime cuts with a raw bar and sushi from two Hell’s Kitchen alums. Covered by The Dallas Morning News, it’s a destination for celebratory dinners and serious wine lists.

A polished oyster and seafood spot with Baylor roots, attached to the barbecue campus downtown. Added to Eater Dallas’s essentials and applauded by national food writers, it brings caviar service and lobster rolls to the Brazos.

Family‑run and fiercely local, Helberg fought back from a 2023 fire to reopen with even more smoke. Recognized in Texas Monthly’s 2025 Top 50 (as reported by KWTX), the citrus‑marinated pork steak and pesto‑stuffed turkey are standouts.

A multigenerational local institution famous for the Gut Pak—Waco’s ultimate Fritos‑and‑smoked‑meat feast. Consistently recommended by Eater Dallas, it’s the rowdy, shared‑table side of the city’s barbecue story.

Serving East Waco since 1919, Jasper’s sticks to its old‑school chop, gravy, and sausage routine. It’s on Eater Dallas’s essentials and documented by Waco historians as a true neighborhood anchor.

Run by generations of the DeMaria family, this East Waco landmark serves brisket with its signature au jus‑style gravy, a Sicilian‑Texan tradition. Chronicled by Waco History and beloved by locals who line up before noon.

Family‑owned Neapolitan pies fired in a custom oven, plus handmade pastas and a tightly curated Italian wine list. A longtime local favorite for date night or Sunday brunch that shows Waco’s range beyond barbecue.

A Czech brewery‑restaurant and bakery within a boutique hotel downtown. Spotlighted by Southern Living, it pours house lagers alongside schnitzel, pork knuckle, and kolaches—Central Europe by way of the Brazos.

A family‑run staple serving Lebanese and Greek plates—kebabs, falafel, and baba ghanoush—since the 1990s. Included on Eater Dallas’s essential list, it’s a relaxed neighborhood counterpoint to downtown’s buzz.

Since 1975, this Korean‑American diner has served bulgogi and the beloved Lip Locker burger with the city’s signature “oriental fries.” Celebrated by Texas Highways, it’s a cross‑cultural classic you can only taste here.

At Homestead Heritage, this from‑scratch kitchen turns local beef, breads, and cheeses into Texas comfort plates. Rebuilt after a 2022 fire and now open again, it’s a serene, agrarian slice of Waco food culture.