The Elite Cafe

Waco, United States

2.5

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 254-754-4941
Website:
elitecafe.com
Address:
2132 S Valley Mills Dr, Waco, TX, 76706
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Waco) 11:38 PM Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Brunch Buffet Saturdays & Sundays until 2pm, Burgers, Patio dining, Chicken Fried Steak, Happy Hour Monday thru Friday 3−7pm

History

Established in 1919.

The first Elite Café opened in downtown Waco in 1919. The Elite was the first restaurant in Waco to use refrigeration in 1923 and air conditioning in 1941. Inviting to all, whether local banker or long haul trucker, it is no wonder The Elite gained the slogan «Where the elite meet to eat» — a banner slogan we carry with us today.

In 2003 the third and present owners, Lynn and Creed Ford III, completely remodeled the Elite to the feel of its earliest days. These walls can’t share the memories or replay the conversations that have become part of this grand roadside grill’s history. We invite you to explore the past by visiting our Elvis and Waco rooms and browsing the historic memorabilia on the walls.

Meet the Manager

Andrea R.

Manager

Hi my name is Andrea Reinke and I have been with the Elite Café for over four years now. Starting as a server and working my way up towards management and now currently, General Manager. I have made great memories here at the Elite Café and consider it to be my home away from home! My favorite item on our menu is our Chicken Cobb Salad and my favorite cocktail is our infamous Mojito! Hope to see you at Elite, and please ask for me!

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20 reviews of The Elite Cafe

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Bakersfield, CA
Sadly this restaurant has closed after many years following menu and image changes. I’d say 2007 – 2010 was my favorite time at the Elite. More recently they downgraded to more of a comfort food/​diner and just couldn’t stay afloat. I don’t wonder why, considering some of their best menu items disappeared, much to my disappointment on out annual visits to Waco. You’d think with the new Fixer Upper high in Waco and more tourism they might’ve survived.
Place rating: 5
New Braunfels, TX
Great chicken fried steak. Jalapeño poppers we’re extremely hot, but they were delicious large portions and friendly staff and good price earn a five star today!
Place rating: 2
Waco, TX
I used to love Elite and I’d always come with my boyfriend for brunch but now they have like 2 breakfast items & NO EGGS BENEDICT! Which is what I’d come for! It’s not nice food anymore it’s all diner crap I could go to Denny’s for. And the waitress was really rude and snappy. But anyways… Not coming back. Café cappuccino it is from now on.
Place rating: 1
Pflugerville, TX
Oh, we are so, so disappointed. The Elite used to be the place to come when you were traveling through Waco. We’ve been looking forward to our visit all weekend long, on our drive back from Wichita Falls to Austin.
We noticed right away that the menu seemed different. Fewer dinner items and more diner-​style food. What happened to the coconut shrimp? What happened to the specials? And those yummy, yummy yeast rolls?
The French fries were soggy, the adult grilled cheese sandwich wasn’t even melted, the French dip was served on what appeared to be a hot dog bun. The baked potatoes looked and tasted like they were from the day before.
On the way out the door, I ask the hostess if the menu had changed. She said yes, a couple of months ago. I asked why, and she said it was an attempt to increase sales. I asked her if it had worked. She looked doubtful. And, by the way, we arrived on a Sunday evening at 7:20 p.m. and we were the only people eating. There were a few people in the bar, but that was it.
I am so sorry to say that unless major improvement are made, we will not be visiting the Elite again. Such a shame.
Place rating: 5
Waco, TX
Went to elite today for the Sunday brunch. It was thanksgiving themed and absolutely amazing! The green beans with crunchies on top were so good! Along with the sweet potatoes and macaroni. Better than that my service was excellent. Be sure and get Jayne, she was extremely pleasant and attentive but not annoyingly lingering. My cup was never empty and my belly is happy.
Place rating: 2
Austin, TX
The French dip sandwich was served on a hot dog bun. Seriously. I’d like to think that they typically use a finer bread and that they simply ran out on the evening in which I was there. #disappointed
Place rating: 1
Round Rock, TX
Wow have times changed! This isn’t the same place we have always enjoyed during our trips to Baylor. Slow service, sub-​par food. Couldn’t even get out coffee or water re-​filled. Sad to see such a Waco staple go downhill.
Place rating: 1
Corsicana, TX
What has happened here? It must be under new ownership, because it’s not the place we have enjoyed for years. We tried it one last time after leaving a Baylor football game a little early last Saturday. They weren’t busy at all and we ordered a drink at the bar. We sat there for 20 minutes and still no drink; no one was behind the bar and the waitress wasn’t to be found. I asked the hostess with no result. We needed to get home an hour a way for dinner, so we just got up and left. I really don’t see how they can stay in business with such poor service. It’s a shame, because it’s a Waco institution since the 1920s and up until a year ago, was a very dependable and enjoyable restaurant.
Place rating: 1
Waco, TX
Opened ten minutes late, out of everything, and gave us a buffet menu which happened to not be any of the items on the actual buffet being served. Used to be good, but I guess with poor management changes comes shitty results. Will never go back. Going through Rudy’s drive-​thru after blowing $ 40 on a horrible experience.
Place rating: 2
Waco, TX
Won’t be back anytime soon! Service was horrible both my husband and I got our salads/​soups served with our main course. We had to ask repeatedly for silverware and salt and pepper and our drinks stayed empty. I wish I could say that the food was better but there was only one out of five diners at our table that was pleased with their meal. I would stay away from the king ranch casserole !
Place rating: 3
McDade, TX
Been to this place a couple of times and have to say the appetizers are amazing but certain items on the main entrée are pretty underwhelming in comparison.
Place rating: 1
Austin, TX
Man, haven’t been this disappointed with a restaurant in a long time. So much so, that I’m actually inclined to write a review on here. We did the Sunday brunch. Drove all the way up from Austin to meet family from Dallas. The bacon was too greasy (it made us sick), one batch of biscuits were like bricks (later they put out fresh ones that were slightly better), mediocre eggs and sausage. The lunch portion was just horrible. The only decent things were the gravy and coffee. Maybe it’s not so bad if you live in town and didn’t drive an hour and a half? I just wonder how people can put out food of that poor of quality…
Place rating: 2
Austin, TX
Food was mediocre at best. Wife had a Dr pepper bbq burger that was way over spiced for a sweet bbq sauce. It had some serious heat. Fries were half cooked. Service was good. They did remove the burger from the tab.
Place rating: 1
Waco, TX
We’ve gone from loyal Monday regulars to, «Yeah, let’s not do Elite and do somewhere good instead.»
–They’ve increased prices on a few items and increased their quantity (in theory), but it’s still an inconsistent product from week to week.
–Customer service has gotten worse, especially in the bar. Trust me: it’s worth getting a table with Kelsey or Jayne and missing wheel of fortune; they’re both all-​stars, and it’ll prevent you from having to deal with the night manager, who is kind of a jerk.
I want this place to succeed, and I think it has the potential, but I think it’s time for either new management or new ownership. As it is, Elite is just clinging to it’s former glory and failing to live up to it’s name.
Place rating: 4
Trophy Club, TX
My boyfriends mom picked elite café for lunch while we were in Waco for girls day. Elite café is an old Waco restaurant, but don’t like that make you think it’s outdated! The inside looks to be recently remodeled! Very clean and bright!
The is old school Texas diner offerings.
My bfs mom got the chicken fried dinner plate. So kinda a bummer… You can’t pick what pieces of chicken you would want. She said the chicken was great! And her side Caesar salad was awesome! When she asked the waitress who made the dressing she said it was in-​house made!
Her sister ordered a hamburger cooked medium rare… IT CAME OUT MEDIUM RARE! She was super impressed!
I got the chicken fried steak, spinach salad and mac-​n– cheese! The salad was my favorite part of the meal! The steak and Mac-​n-​cheese was good too, just now wow!
I would for sure come back to elite café next time I’m in Waco!
Place rating: 2
Bedford, TX
We had eaten here when my kids were young back in the ’90’s and it was really good. Alas, times have changed and I can’t say I was impressed with the current restaurant. We were there on a Saturday right during the lunch hour (12 – 1) and other than a private party being held, it was not busy at all. When we pulled into the parking lot I did notice a somewhat empty parking lot and couldn’t help but notice the totally full parking lot next door at Rudy’s!
First of all, I have to say that I would not give ANY restaurant a good rating that serves you «fake» butter. You know… the stuff that says «spread». And THAT is what you get here. I thought the prices were high and really could not decide what I wanted as I was distrustful of their quality after using that fake butter. I ended up ordering a salad and a baked potato. The salad was pretty good with carrots and tomatoes added, however, the croutons were really weird texture. (not crunchy at all) My potato was NOT hot and was also NOT cooked enough.
My husband had a grilled cheese with avocados and tomatoes. He really enjoyed it but again, since it was cooked with the fake butter I did not care for it.
The service was just okay… nothing spectacular.
We did NOT get anything else, no drinks and our bill was $ 20! Definitely a POOR value!
Place rating: 4
Waco, TX
My girlfriend and I shared the loaded potato skins and fried pickles for lunch. I also had a Long Island iced tea.
The food was delicious. I’d give it 5 stars. Even though they were just appetizers, they were fantastic.
The waiter was okay. He wasn’t very polite at first, but he got nicer. I’d give him a 3 stars. He could very well just have been having a bad day.
The drink was a 4, as it was a little strong for my liking. Not going to complain about that though, haha.
The atmosphere was fantastic. I love this place. That’s a 5.
In conclusion, if the waiter would have been a bit nicer, this place would get a 5, but regardless, I will be coming back.
Place rating: 4
Dallas, TX
Just finished lunch. Probably been 40 years since I’ve been here. Interior is incredible. Comfortable and kind of an Art Deco feel. Good service. We just had cheeseburgers for lunch but they were good and much better than average fries.
Will definitely come back on the way to Austin.
Place rating: 4
Houston, TX
I was in Waco for 2 days and ended up eating here twice. Both times were good!
The first time I had the Highwaymen Breakfast: eggs, potatoes, bacon, fruit, and toast for less than $ 7. The second time I had the banana pancakes and a side of bacon (only $ 1) for less than $ 8. Everything was really tasty and they give you a lot of food. The pancakes weren’t the best — a little bland and gummy, but not bad. Even when you order breakfast, you get a complimentary basket of rolls with this unique and amazing coconut butter!
The service was fantastic — very kind and attentive. I was impressed!
If I lived in Waco, The Elite Café would definitely be one of my regular places.
Place rating: 3
Gulfgate/Pine Valley, Houston, TX
This place was a nice place to eat with the family before our evening began. I had the chicken fried steak with baked potato and wedge salad. Wedge was really good, and so was the baked potato. Steak was HUGE!
On another note, someone had the sliders and said they were horrible. Fries were soft and lackluster. Chicken sandwich was less than average according to another person at my table.
You will need a lot of time cause food and service was slooooooow.