Pioneer of Texas

Tried this place last week, was really hoping for at-least a decent meal. But everything was horrible! The chicken fried steak that they served was old and microwaved! I know! because the oil was pooling on top! Gravy was also burnt as in you can taste the burnt flour! and really who serves gravy on the bottom of a chicken fried steak! The whole thing was completely inedible! I tried a couple of bites and stopped eating! The ribs were at least edible according to my brother, but again the brisket that was served was old and dry and tasteless! The only decent food that was served to us was the onion rings! The ambience of the restaurant was cool, but the food is a no go for us! Server was in a hurry and did not care enough to see what was wrong with the food, also forgot to bring out a couple of the sides.

We had a great experience here. The service and the food was great. Their pioneer hot sauce is awesome, too.

Please look at Yelp reviews for more accurate reviews. I came here with my wife and mother-in-law. I looked at the reviews on Google, thinking this place would be a nice place to try, I wish I would have looked at Yelp as well where they have a 2.5 rating. We got seated, and the juke box on the wall was disgusting. We overlooked it thinking the food would be good based on the google reviews. The waitress was nice, but then the food came out and was disgusting. It tasted like everything was pre made and overly greased. When we asked a manager over and told her about the food, she immediately got angry and defensive, then started blaming it on us. Saying we should of told our waiter. Everyone i was with barely ate our food, and we all looked at each other, saying it tasted off, like nothing was cooked properly. Also, they started vacuuming as we were trying to begin eating, which added to the bad experience. I would not recommend this place to anyone. As we were leaving, they started bad mouthing us and trying to make it our fault. Just save your money and go somewhere else.

Come on down to this classic Texas eatery and get full on their hearty meals. Mostly homestyle cooking, they do still offer a wider variety, including some Mexican food offerings. Packed with ranch, Texas, and Western style memorabilia, the atmosphere is homey and nostalgic and patrons will enjoy seeing all of this. Our food was hot, fresh, and delicious. I highly recommend this establishment. Our server, Catherine, was friendly and polite and is a hard-working Texas mom. We loved her and her hospitality.

I see this place all the time when I go to tractor supply, so I finally decided to stop in. I was honestly really looking forward to eating here. First time coming here! The atmosphere is nice, it's got a very 'rustic' feel, and wears its age with a badge of honor. Jukebox, massive bear, wood everywhere-cool vibe. But that's literally all it had going for it. Out of all the 'dine in restaurants' I've eaten at in Wichita Falls. This place comes in first prize for being the worst. I saw reviews saying they got chips? I didn't get chips at all. I got a waitress that was less than welcoming. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak with Okra and mashed potatoes, and it comes with a wheat roll. The chicken fried steak lacked anything one would describe as flavor. It was this strange consistency also. Like the meat itself would physically fall apart from each other. It was awful. The Fried Okra came out greasy, and the physical Okra inside was extremely tough and leathery. The mashed potatoes were the icing on the cake for a bad experience. They literally taste like the powdered ones you get and mix with water from Walmart. No seasoning, nothing. Just nasty puffy white ick. They don't give you real butter. They give you 48% oil spread to put on your roll, in case the rest of your dinner wasn't oily enough. While excited to see the Juke box in the booths and the large one in the lobby, there was zero music, and it felt like a morgue inside. I couldn't even finish my meal. I maybe ate a third of it before I got grossed out disgusted. Of all the places to spend 20$ for lunch here in North Texas, this place is not it.

Absolutely fantastic home-cooking spot! The onion rings are homemade and perfectly crispy—some of the best I’ve ever had. The chicken fried steak is a must-try: tender, flavorful, and topped with creamy, peppery gravy. It’s pure comfort food done right. Don’t leave without trying the homemade pie—flaky crust, rich filling, and made with love. Friendly service and a cozy, welcoming vibe. Feels like eating at Grandma’s house. Highly recommend!

Excellent down home cooking and a Wichita Falls standard. The Chicken Fried Steak, Red Tacos, Rancher's Breakfast, Biscuits & Gravy and the Enchilada Plate are a must try.

Terrible experience — don’t waste your time or money The chicken fried steak was soggy and flavorless, like it had been sitting under a heat lamp all day. The salad was wilted and clearly not fresh. The rolls came out cold and hard — not even worth eating. Nothing tasted like it was made with care. This place is just disappointing from start to finish. I won’t be coming back, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

This place never disappoints. We came into town for funeral and being that this was one of the places we frequented when I grew up there we were definitely needing a fix. We walked in and the place basically looked the same after all these years. Very nostalgic. Took me right back to 1980-2000. Of course it was packed. It wasn't too loud to carry on a conversation comfortably. It was lunch time, but our waitress checked on us often and brought out our food quickly and she did it all with a smile on her face. We of course got our "usuals". I had the Mexican plate and my son had the steak on garlic. EXACTLY how I remember it, although I was wishing the enchiladas had more cheese inside. I understand the price of food to prepare has gone up so I understand. My son said he orders steak on garlic frequently at restaurants, but it is never like theirs or as good. If you want "traditional" Mexican food do not order the enchiladas. These enchiladas are special with a chili sauce that you grow to love. They are also served with fries. Thanks pioneer for making a sad trip for us make us smile and our tummy's warm and full.

You definitely get your money's worth! We both enjoyed the Chicken Fried Steak lunch special that came with THREE sides AND the softest white rolls! The chicken fried steak was very tender. I made sure to take 1/2 home so I could enjoy a yummy piece of chocolate ice box pie! They had a great selection of homemade pies to choose from! Don't go if you're in a rush. We went on a Sunday at noon and even though there wasn't a wait yo be seated, our waitress was very busy and it took a bit to get our order and then get our food...about 30 minutes. I enjoyed the Texas decor and wished we had been seated at a booth to try out the mini juke boxes at each booth table. If we're in the area again, I'm sure we'll go again!

Went in there around 10 am how is the bacon old and the water taste like sewer water I ask for bottle water after that the waitress was so nice and polite I think her name was Izzy I'm not sure but she was awesome, and another customer had ask for bottled water also this was my first time there but that left a bad taste in my mouth!

Good food, friendly service at reasonable prices. Three people had three different entrees and all were enjoyed.

So, I am NOT a fan of Pioneer on Maplewood. Not clean, terrible service and the food leaves a lot to be desired. The wife ordered a side salad that may have been two days old. There were only two choices for beer, neither were what I wanted and the draft choice wasn't working. I had the catfish and the wife had chicken fried steak. If you can't serve fresh food at least throw it in the microwave so it isn't cold. Not only will we never eat here again, we will not eat at any of the other Pioneer restaurants in town - pathetic!

So they replied to my review and says there sorry there steak and shrimp dinner wasn't what I expected, LOL YOU CHARGE GOOD MONEY for a handful of frozen popcorn shrimp, now that's what I call service, LOL SAVE YOUR MONEY, DO NOT GO THERE, it's all half quality at a steep price

This is our second time trying this place. The first time we went we got served and we waited for almost an hour for us to get our food. The waitress came out and told us that the cooks were not going to make our order because it was about closing time. We left upset and hungry. We were back in Witchita Falls visiting my daughter. We decided to try Pioneer of Texas again. The food was delicious but it took forever and our food was Luke warm. I'm not sure if we will make it back there again. Hey 3 times the charm. Should I try it again?

We stopped in as a family of 5. We wanted McBride's but they were packed and this place was empty. That should've been our first clue. The service was OK but not great. As we ordered our waitress was notably, not writing everything down. And seemed distracted, even with a mostly empty restaurant. When we did get our food, the steaks that we ordered that were medium rare were extremely rare, steaks that were ordered, medium well or medium rare and so on and so forth. Either the cook didn't know his or her meat attempts or the grill was not up to temperature. The steaks had no flavor and were extremely bland as was the rest of the food and my husband only got three onion rings when he ordered onion rings. The toast was hard. To boot the hostess, walked around loudly, complaining about the other employees. The restrooms were completely out of toilet paper and paper towels at 6 o'clock in the evening before the rush, even started. This used to be a favorite, but we will not be returning . Sad to see a landmark like this goes so far downhill. The restaurant was dirty and customers around us were having to ask for their baskets of chips and salsa.

This place has games and a wait because the food is good. I'm not a fan of chilli cheese sauce but people who like that type of sauce love it. It's called the famous enchilada plate Lunch dir two 40 coconut's

Delicious food, I grew up eating at all of the Pioneer restaurants all over Wichita Falls

if I could give zero stars I would. fries tasted gross, steak overcooked, tables unclean, and service rude when asked about military discoun.

Warm and friendly service, old school Texas menu with plenty of options for everyone, including a few Mexican dishes as well. The inside is vintage Texas and feels like it's been here forever- lots of old antiques and comfy booths. Food is solid for what it is and reasonably priced, with friendly, speedy service.

I went in there today. Waitress was not the nicest. The queso and gravy appear to come out of a can and still have a can shape on arrival. I got a sausage egg and cheese on a bun. Sausage was not cooked through. When I showed her she made me put it in a napkin to take back to the kitchen. They did bring out new actually cooked sausage but I just left it on the table. The coffee is thick black coffee. The taquitos are actually breakfast flour tacos and the are not as described. Maybe 1/2 full. It was really disappointing all the way around. $33 and 1/2 the food was still on the table.

I need to amend my previous review. My husband had the chicken Caesar salad and the chicken was mostly tough and filled with gristle. What a disappointment. To top it off, we waited and waited for someone to take our order, then got our chips barely before our dinner. Furthermore, they were out of tomato juice for red draw, which I seldom order, but did tonight. I almost always get the "world famous enchiladas" which are usually some of the best in town, but alas, tonight they scorched the cheese in several places. My husband is new in the area and his family eating here three times. Two of those were good. That's a shame.

Baked potato had been under the warmer until it was like a rock. Sent it back. Second potato was just as bad. Cutting the sirloin steak was a wrestling match. Texas toast was pretty good. Will not be back.

This was the last restaurant stop on our road trip. We hoped it would be a memorable one. Ambiance and decor were winners, but alas, it wasn't so when it came to the food. They start you with complimentary chips and salsa. Thin chips and medium heat salsa were very good. For entrees my wife had what they call their famous cheese and onion enchilada dinner with fries and cole slaw. How is that combo Tex-Mex? It isn't. I went with a breakfast plate. Three eggs over medium with sausage, hash browns, toast and gravy. Enchiladas were skimpy, covered with thin layers of queso and chili. She took one bite of the coleslaw and no more, and the fries were cold. My eggs were overcooked, which happens more often than it should at many restaurants. I didn't like the sausage and the gravy was the powdered kind. YUCK! Chips and salsa were the best part of the meal. OUCH! Service was okay. Ambiance is relaxing and decor is pure Texas but the food was not impressive. Do not recommend and would not return.

I would not return at all. I was very clear when I informed the waitress I was a vegetarian. I ordered the cheese and onion enchiladas and I was brought enchiladas with ground beef. Honestly, I'm not sure if the waitress was a racist but she was very rude and disrespectful. She brought us out the loaded cheese fries with just cheese melted on them with bacon on the side. I informed her that we were missing the chives and sour cream. She left and never came back. Literally. I saw her leave the restaurant with her bag and coat and made eye contact while doing so. The manager gave us everything for free. We left a good tip for the new waitress Angels which was great. She was prompt and attentive. The baked potato I had was good and Angela promptly provided me some Brussel sprouts in exchange of the green beans. Steak needed more seasoning according to my son and my husband suggested a new chef to cook the steaks.

Coffee and atmosphere are the high points. 2.99 for coffee but refill free. One large but not hot pancake was tasteless. Sausage patties were ok. I will not go back till service get better and inflation declines. Don't pay cash , they keep the change.

DELICIOUS!!!! Oh, yum! Amazing French fries with cheese enchiladas, the French fries in the chili and cheese are just divine! The huge chicken fried steak over the gravy is so tender and yummy! The red tacos are fabulous! And the chips and salsa are so tasty and good! We love coming here. Something about it is so warm and fuzzy, definitely comfort food and you will leave very full!

Went there for breakfast around 10:30 AM and they were not super busy, we were told there would be a 25-30 minute wait. We were seated next to obnoxiously loud group of a out 25 people. Ok..that sucks. So, then we sit and the AC is way cold and I am freezing. Then 40 minutes later, the server said you are up next. Although I saw another couple come in after us and were eating within 20 minutes. 50 minutes later she brings undercooked french toast without the rest of our orders. I knew looking at it, it wasn't going to be good. We take a bite and its cold...Another 8 minutes go by, I'm annoyed at that point and we hoy ip and told the manager we were told 25 minutes, sat for 50, got one item and it was cold. 2nd time there and the last.

Not spectacular. The atmosphere is nice and down home, seemed clean enough. The food was only so so, rubbery steak, greasy sides. The service was not great. We waited a long, long time for our order to be to taken. My husband had to ask multiple times for the rest of his food. Prices were okay.

We had breakfast here yesterday morning and it did not disappoint. It's always a bit of a crap shoot to find good breakfast in an unfamiliar town and this one is a winner! The food was great and served hot and fresh. Eggs were done just right and the bacon was thick and flavorful. Smoked sausage was delicious and the biscuits were fluffy and fresh. If we have anything to complain about it would be the gravy's lack of flavor. That's it!!! And, let us brag about the service!! Outstanding!! Ashley was sweet, fun, friendly and extremely efficient. Our coffee cups were always full and she did it with a smile!! We would come back and eat bad food just to have her wait on us! We will be back!!

I came here because I like to try different restaurants since I live out of town. I ordered the T-bone and was extremely disappointed. It was awful. It was so tough, I had trouble cutting and chewing it. When the server came by and asked how everything was, I told her the steak was tough. A few minutes later, I got up to leave and left most of the food on my plate. I stopped at the front counter and told them how bad the meat was and that I wasn't going to pay for it. i doubt if i'll ever come back here. Mc Brides knows how to serve good steaks. - Margaret S.

Fajita steak omelet with chips and salsa. It came with hash browns and biscuits with gravy. The salsa was flavorful. The omelet comes with peppers cheese and onions and sour cream for the topping.

Folks you can read my two previous review. This is my 3rd attempt. Sunday 7/30/23 me and the wife wanted to give them a try again. we walk in at 12:30. A young lady meets us at the door. This is what is said," 30 minute wait, 1 hour to get your food, no breakfast orders." My wife turned around and jokingly said to me," How are you to day, thank you for coming in today." I said to her," We must be at Pioneer." Pretty safe to say that was our last trip. I will miss seeing waitresses Cathy and Susan. Nice ladies. I hope for them they could find a better place to work.

This place used to be decent. The enchiladas were always my go-to. Well, no more. The meat sauce is scarce and the French fries (once homemade) are now the frozen/fried variety. Oh, and our server acted like she was put out to serve us. Very disappointed. Doubtful we will go back.

Visiting Wichita Falls for the first time visiting our daughter at Shepard AFB. So glad we stopped in here for breakfast. Service was friendly and fantastic from the start. There was a sign warning of possible slow service due to COVID but that wasn't the case today. They were very efficient and also produced great pancakes, gravy & biscuits, taquitos, and cinnamon toast. Izzy stopped by multiple times with a smile to check on us and ensure we had everything we needed. We'll definitely come back when our daughter graduates in July. I wish I had taken pictures of the plates of food but didn't think about it until we had cleaned them. YUM

We found this by mistake because we were going to another restaurant that had no parking availability a couple of blocks over. Chicken fried chicken was for sure homemade breaded with cream gravy that was made from scratch you could tell . Restaurant was clean and staff was very friendly. Ranch dressing was in house made also. Prices were extremely reasonable . Sweet tea is tasty and must togo! Highly recommend over a chain branded restaurant any day.

Just happened upon this awesome place. Service was great, very attentive. Chili dogs, fries, dinner salad, green beans and grilled chicken ... yum!

Good breakfast and friendly staff. Restaurant is always clean with plenty of seating.

Early morning breakfast with the crew. Definitely not as bad as most the reviews. Tami was very nice and consistent with our needs. Opted out for the Steak Fajita Omelette. Not as much flavor as I hoped for plus their hashbrowns could use some work. They do have some fresh biscuits with gravy though. Besides all the antique jukebox's at the booths, everything seemed like a typical Denny's.

It has been awhile since I've been back to the Pioneer of Texas Restaurant in Wichita Falls, Texas, and I must say that I'm glad that I came back as they remodeled it big time on the outside and inside. With the pandemic still going on, the restaurant went ahead and still implemented the social distancing procedures with the staff wearing masks with the exception of the menus. The service was superb with refills of chips and salsa. I'm a breakfast man myself and was impressed that they have it all day long, which made getting the breakfast burrito so much better. A five star restaurant that focuses on the Texas Culture.

Our waitress was great and very attentive. The food was also great However the young girl up front was RUDE. She was rude upon our entry absolutely rude walking us to our table and when seating us. This is the third visit lately and all three times the different front staff was rude. If it wasn't foe the wait staff and food I would not be back!!!!

Let's be honest here - iHOP was super packed for breakfast on this Saturday morning so I "Yelp'd" a breakfast place in WF and found this place with mixed reviews about lunch & dinner but ok reviews on breakfast, so my wife and I decided to take a chance. I had the chorizo and cheese omelet with toast (see pic) and my wife had the Mexican scramble. 5 minutes after placing our order, our server shows up with 2 breakfast plates and I'm like "WOW! Talk about FAST!" -only to find out she brought us the food from the booth just across from us! She quickly realized it and took it away before we could start picking at someone else's grub. We ended up getting our food about 20 minutes after we had ordered which wasn't too bad for as busy as they were. Glad we decided not to share a plate because although ok in size, the portions were not huge. My omelet was ok, the hash browns were a little tough and I wasn't crazy about the wheat toast assumption, but it was my fault for not specifying white toast. I ate it anyway. :-) All in all, service was good, price was reasonable ($22 with a $4 tip) and it was clean. We'd try it again for breakfast if we're in the area (and iHOP is too packed !).

Good food and pretty good prices. This is a very old local spot and sometimes it's hit or miss. Their ranch, however, I could drink with a straw. It's the best. I cannot say enough good things about their ranch. Their food is definitely not light. It's heavy greasy home cooking and sometimes that's just what you need. They have good lunch specials as well as a surprisingly good charbroiled chicken salad (drowned in ranch of course)

The food was really great and they give you ALOT to eat. Wasnt pricey at all and It came out fast. the staff was attentive . Definitely was surprised because of the low rating it has , but overall happy i came here , will be back

Yesterday was our first time at the restaurant. At the beginning, signs were posted up stating that they are short staffed. That was perfectly fine with us. There wasn't much of a wait for it being a Sunday & was seated quickly. The reason for the 1-star review are for 2 reasons - our food came out cold. Our chicken fried steak wasn't something to talk about, plus they most likely fried it in oil that needed to be replaced. & the worse part - a hair was found in my hash browns! I was ready to leave at that point. We will definitely not be back.

Visiting WF and was excited to eat at Pioneer after 25 years. Very disappointed in the service, slow service (waited 20 minutes just to get the attention of our server) and servers wearing their masks below their noses made me very uncomfortable to be served. Watched kitchen staff coming out of the kitchen with masks fully pulled down. Zero concern for the elderly people dining.

I haven't been to a pioneer in 25 years. Used to be my favorite we would eat every Sunday. Went tonight worse experience ever. Food took for ever. Cold. Orders not right. Will not return

Pioneer used to be our favorite. Sadly the service today was horrible. When we finally got our food, my okra and mashed potatoes and the gravy were cold. The chicken fried steak was hot but tasted burned. My husbands meal arrived with no pancakes and he had ordered his eggs over easy and they were cooked hard! He finally got his pancakes and then asked for different eggs which took another 10 minutes. The family behind us asked several times for syrup and never got it so we gave them ours. When my husband told the cashier about our meal, she said "oh, well the Kitchen is chaos today, I just got here".

I had hoped to enjoy this quaint Texas sixties diner vibe...a large totem pole greets you in the parking lot, the interior is all wood and huge wooden pillars. The tables sport personal juke boxes. The food arrived hot but bland. Steak ordered medium was full on rare, bleeding all over the plate...chicken fried steak waas seasoned better, but soggy instead of crunchy. The chocolate pie was pretty good, but otherwise disappointing.

Went into cafe at 8 pm Friday night. Business was slowing down. Several tables sat at once. Server walked by several times to say would be with us shortly. After 30 minutes the busser got one of us a drink while the others had gone to bathroom. I returned from bathroom with my son. Sat for 15 more minutes with out beverages or ordering our dinner. All table that sat at same time as us were eating. At the 45 minute mark an all white table sat in booth next to us. Given drinks and order taken right away. My table consisted of myself(white) my son(black) and a friend(latin). I have never felt with racism in a restaurant before. We were the only table not taken care of and the only table that was multiracial. I am a restaurant manager myself and to be treated this way was just absurd. It hurts my heart that a business is this way. I understand but don't forgive ignorance. They will never get my business again and I will w my opinion of this horrible behavior every time I get the chance.

This used to be my favorite place to eat mexican food. NOT ANYMORE! The last three times I have ordered the Famous Enchilads they were sub par. My order today came out with luke warm beans and dry left over tasting fries on enchiladas that didn't even have the cheese melted, but no onions as I had ordered them. My mothers Red taco basket and onion rings came out with soft taccos and the onion rings were raw inside and barely cooked outside. They remade my order to go....I got 6 virtually raw french fries , enchiladas that were full of onions and the top covered in onions. The server was wonderful, but the manager was surley and not very sincere....she did comp my mom's order....I just paid $10 for food I brought home and ended up in the trash! We have eaten here for years and years .... But the third times a charm....crossing them off the list

Slop! Do not eat here! Food fried in dirty grease, lazy wait staff. Just plain nasty.

You have to know what you're getting into prior to entering Pioneer. Most importantly, the incredibly-dated atmosphere is part of the experience, as is the greasy and unhealthy approach to just about every dish they make. Heck, even the pancakes have an unhealthy southern twist to them, in that they're delivered with a ball of butter resting up top that's larger than what an ice cream scoop would produce. With that being said, you might be surprised to hear that the chef salad is enormous and pretty impressive. Fresh lettuce, hard boiled eggs, and diced ham included. My advice: Give them a chance and just keep it simple with your order. Either get breakfast food, a salad, or go big and get the "famous" cheese enchiladas with fries and beans (very greasy but pretty dang good). I never venture from those three things and I always leave happy.

I thought I would write a review to rebut some of the comments I'm seeing about this restaurant. I almost didn't dine here because of the 2.5 stars that it had but it was conveniently located and we stopped in. The dining area was extremely clean and the staff was very friendly and welcoming. My wife ordered French toast for breakfast and requested that they deep fry it. The server had never heard of that but said she would make it happen. Our meals came out exactly as ordered, and the flavors were good. I appreciated the nice touch of warmed syrup delivered to the table which is rare at most restaurants these days. If you want a nice breakfast at a reasonable price I would definitely recommend Pioneer to you.

We enjoyed our dining experience at Pioneer of Texas. My aunt from Virginia with us on a road trip to Red River. Pioneer was recommended by a local. We were greeted and seated, we were promptly informed that the Red Tacos and Chicken Fried Steak was the best. We all ordered the Red Taco plate. To say the least, we were stuffed to the gill and unable to finish off all 3 tacos. Enjoyed the homemade chips and hot sauce as well. I can't wait to visit Pioneer of Texas again on our next road trip.

I have not lived in WF since I was a kid. I miss 2 things about it. The first is my family. The second is Pioneer. I do not visit very often but when I do I count the days until I have that chicken fried steak sitting in front of me. Holy Mother of God is it the BEST! I go on a Pioneer diet before I get to WF for a visit. I like to drop 5 to 10lbs so I can gain it back while I'm there. I will eat there everyday. Dearest Pioneer, I will be there soon. I love you.

The Famous Enchiladas were excellent. Not sure why the rating on this place is so low. It's a quaint, old school place. Great service, great food