Norma’s Cafe

Great American soul food. If you crave it they got it. It’s a dinner with great flair. Awesome pan cakes. Great pies and all around good food. Come on an empty stomach and chow done on some good American soul food.

Food (3.5÷5)
Norma’s Café appreciates pie, so when National Pie Day comes around (January 22^nd), you bet Norma’s is serving up a free slice of pie. Enticed by this offer, my friends and I couldn’t resist, but there were clear winners from that night.
The YUMMMS:
— Complimentary bread rolls: These are so BOMB. Perfectly buttery, soft, and a tiny hint of sweetness. I didn’t even use any of the provided butter because it was perfect on its own!
— Chicken fried chicken: I love all derivatives of fried chicken, so chicken fried chicken is no exception. At Norma’s, it’s perfectly tender and you get a hearty portion of chicken. You could ask for gravy on the side, but why would you? The gravy makes it!
The Ehh:
— All of my sides: If you get the CFC, you get like three sides. I had the soup, mashed potatoes, and fried okra. All were just okay. Nothing amazing and out of this world. For me, I would say the sides are slightly reminiscent of my middle school cafeteria sides. I even tried my boyfriend’s mac and cheese, which also wasn’t super impressive since most of the cheese had solidified and it was macaroni covered in chunks of hardened cheese (no more gooey-​ness, nooooooo!!)
— The pie: Ahhhhh I’m sorry! I really wanted to like the pie because heck, that’s why I even came into Norma’s, but nearly 80% of the pie’s height was whipped cream and not actual pie :(I’m not super into whipped cream, so this is just my personal preference. Additionally, the crust was nothing special — only slightly harder than I was expecting.
Service (⁴⁄₅)
Our waitress was so sweet. She had our backs and even placed our pie orders in early because she wanted to make sure we got pie before it was completely sold out! Truly exceptional service.
Atmosphere (3.5÷5)
Norma’s SCREAMS «diner» all over itself. It’s got a very homey and down to earth vibe. A lot of the seating options are booths, which limits party sizes to 4 (or 5 if you really squeeze in). There are a few tables in the back if you have a larger party. What I felt could be better was a way to control the «waiting area.» It was so crowded near the front since there wasn’t much room, so it was a bit uncomfortable.
Bottom Line
Decent diner experience in Dallas, but I wouldn’t say that I would crave this and want to come here out of my own volition for good southern food. If I come back, I’ll definitely focus on the roll and the main entrée the most!

Good news /​bad news…
My friend and I went (for the first time) for dinner. I ordered the open faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and broccoli. She had french toast. We were both happy. Mine was piled high with tender roast beef over Texas toast and mashed potatoes and covered with gravy. Just like mom used to make! I also ordered the broccoli and asked them to steam it a bit more than usual. I like fork tender broccoli — not mushy and not raw. They nailed it perfectly. We each ordered pie for dessert. It was a stretch — but we made it! Rhonda was a great server. She was very attentive without being intrusive.
Now for the not so good news. I went back the following week for breakfast. It was about 1 pm and the restaurant was well populated. Not crowded, but also not empty. I ordered scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon and biscuit. The eggs were tasteless, even after adding a good amount of salt and pepper. The hash browns were not brown or crisp. The bacon was very crispy, just like I ordered it. The biscuit was not a biscuit but rather a roll. Even so, it was very good. Brenda was my server. She delivered the food, then the check and after it was clear that I was finished and leaving, she asked if I wanted more tea. Rather a disappointing experience.
However, I will go back. I love their menu choices for dinner and lunch. If I try breakfast again, I will try something from the Mexican side of the menu.

This is the second time we have been here and the food is great! Service is pretty quick and the location is always full. The only negative is that there is not enough parking labeled for them. This morning they had girl scouts in front selling cookies :)

Truth in advertising: The New Ol #7 is GOOD for what ails you! Whatever it is. In my case, this late breakfast cured my hunger and my missing this menu item. It is BIG! A biscuit, split and covered with gravy, 3 scrambled eggs, hash browns, 2 slices of bacon, chopped tomatoes and sliced jalapeños all covered with grated cheddar and another biscuit on the side! Since it as afternoon I also had a roll and corn muffin to take home in a to go box. It was so delicious. Heather, my waitress was perfect: charming and solicitous without being cloying. One of these days I am gonna have to start my meal here WITH dessert.

Norma’s Café is exactly what you think a Texas (albeit in the middle of the city) diner should be. They have large portions of hot, delicious, probably very unhealthy food. Oh, and it’s bigger than your average diner because we’re in Texas. Service is good and plates are well priced. Not much to complain about unless you really have your heart set on eggs Benedict, which sadly they don’t serve.

Probably one of the best places for «home cooked» meals that we have discovered. I just LOVE the smothered pork chops with dressing. Hubby goes for just about everything else, And the pies, oh my goodness!!!

I had the eggs, hash browns and chicken fried steak meal. Nice portions! It was all cooked well and really hit the spot! Definitely will be back! I went during lunch and the restaurant is noisy at that time. However, the service and food were both good.

The first time I came here I thought it was just OK. Apparently I didn’t get the right thing. On my last visit I ordered the Number 7 and O.M.G.WOW!!! Stay with me here: Eggs, hash browns, BACON, cheese, GRAVY and biscuits (it normally has tomatoes and Jalapenos, but I hate those things!!). Sheer ecstasy bliss! My mouth had a Food-​gasm! I kept saying mmmmmmm mmmmmm… I’m sure I had a When Harry Met Sally moment eating that stuff. cause people were looking at me funny. I love breakfast foods, and Bacon is my kryptonite, so I’m pretty sure I was a goner before I ever took a bite! I will definitely go back again for more…
I’m still shaking… whew…

Flew into Dallas hungry and went to Norma’s. Great decision! The food was delicious home cooking and everyone there was so friendly. Prices are totally reasonable, too! We ordered the chicken tenders with corn, mac n cheese, and mashed potatoes. It also came with amazing gravy (chicken in gravy? Hello! We don’t get that in California!) All of it was tasty. My bf ordered the club sandwich (huge) and he was very happy. Oh, and the biscuits really are as good as everyone says. Get some! Again, EVERYone there was super nice, the wait staff and the locals. We highly recommend. Only bummer was they close at 8 so we couldn’t go back for dinner the next night after exploring Dallas all day. Thanks, Norma’s!

It was ok. Not what I was expecting for being a «home cooked» meal.
I ordered the chicken fried steak and it was tender but lacked flavor.
The mashed potatoes were amazing though! Made with real potatoes and it was just delightful.
Mac and cheese was typical but the collard greens were full of flavor.
Bread was insanely good but the corn bread was lack-​luster.
All in all, good spot to get some good food but if you’re expecting southern style cooking while here from out of town, you might be disappointed.
I’d still recommend to try it to have a nice base line for comparison.

This is a great diner and is particularly great for breakfast. The service is excellent. I’m not sure but I guess the waitresses have been there for years. The place is always crowded but in a nice way. The quality of the food is very good and consistent. It is one of those place were I will go out of my way for. The atmosphere is casual with a Texas décor. They have some great looking pies for dessert though. tempted…have never tried them

The BF and I love this place! It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and the desserts rock too… try the pies of you have room. If not, take one home. We often dined in but sometimes order our food as take out for dinner. Service for both has always been fast, accurate and friendly! I have probably mentioned on several occasions that I love the mom&pop shops and try to support local businesses as much as possible. Norma’s nails it on all points.
What we love here… let’s start with the biscuits! OMG THE BISCUITS! And the hash browns… I could eat those by the bucket! Breakfast here is always solid, from the migas to the pancakes and eggs. Now for dinner, if you’re looking for comfort food Norma’s won’t disappoint! My better half loves the chicken fried steak/​chicken and I’m a sucker for all the southern sides… mashed potatoes, green beans, corn… have I mentioned the biscuits? Lol

I have dined here twice over the last 10 days and each time have kicked myself for not venturing in sooner. This is a true diner– the atmosphere is unassuming and the food has been abundant and delicious.
On both visits, I tried the daily special and have gone home with leftovers. The first time was on a Saturday and I had their smoked bbq brisket. It was tender and oh-​so-​good. You get to choose two sides so I ordered their green beans and turnip greens. Loved the green beans but would not go with the turnip greens again as they were a smidge bland.
On my second visit, I went with the beef tips over rice with mac and cheese and vegetable beef soup as my sides. All were excellent.
Beyond the food, my two favorite things about Normas thus far has to be the fluffy dinner rolls and cornbread that are served AND the awesome service that was recieved on both occasions.
The menu sports a huge variety of options and the kids meal springs are very good. We will definitely be back very soon and very often.

Excellent diner with excellent service and real awesome down home cooking. I had their chicken fried chicken and for some reason I’m picky about my CFC. In my opinion it’s actually hard to find a great place to find a really good CFC. A lot of great places to get country fried steak but not chicken. It was tender, juice and very tasty. We must not forget the 3 sides you et with it. I had the candied carrot, corn and mashed potatoes and everything was awesome. I topped off my meal with their great tasting sweet tea. This place is definitely a hit for me.

Solid Diner. Would probably only give 4 stars because nothing was over the top amazing but they get a 5^th because the service was great Khalid was awesome and earned that fifth star. Super basic Diner great vibe the food and service is very quick. #7 breakfast was really good, the chicken fried steak and eggs were an excellent choice as well. Their eggs both scrambled and over medium were done well. Would highly recommend for anyone in need of a basic breakfast with a nice and welcoming environment

great diner style restaurant with home cooking serving hearty meals of
comfort food. kids love this place, adults love this place, heck, even my cat loves the left overs. when you go, have some pie, even if it’s for breakfast!

Oh how I loved Norma’s!
This cute little diner has fantastic food and very good service. The booth we sat in had a Texas flag on the seat and of course we here in Texas love that. The atmosphere isn’t too loud and great for all ages!
When you sit you’re greeted with rolls and cornbread. Being a cornbread lover that’s exactly what I went to, I’m sure the roll was good too., but the cornbread was awesome!
I ordered the CFC which was the perfect size. Usually they’re they size of the plate but this was about (woman) hand sized. It came with 3 sides so I got mashed potatoes, green beans and Mac. It was soo delicious!
Our waiter was great– no mistakes and was very kind. The whole experience was just what you want out of a diner in the suburbs.

Norma’s is kind of like every Norman Rockwell painting come to life while sharing a meal with the cast of «Diner,» albeit with less Mickey Rourke and not enough Steve Guttenberg. It’s a deliberate throwback diner that has lots of Coca-​Cola memorabilia to look at as you sit in cushy booths and marvel at the easygoing atmosphere permeating across the faces of each guest and employee. That a diner can thrive in multiple locations in this day and age is a testament to their menu, service and sense of humor — their menu has a blurb on the cover about taking no responsibility for typos or errors. This is the kind of upfront honesty I can appreciate!
Two of us went a little before 6:00 p.m. during the week one night, only to find the place about halfway full. We walked past a couple of picnic tables under the roof of the shopping center and made our way inside where a hostess behind a gift counter greeted us and told us to pick any seat we liked. Booths and tables filled the far reaching dining room, and we opted for a booth along the windows. The kitchen and restrooms occupy the opposite wall, and outside of some «Grease» tunes piped in through the speakers, the entire place feels very rooted in the 50s. I think. I wasn’t around during the 50s to confirm this claim.
Our server, Raul, was over as soon as we sat and gave us his recommendations since the only requirement we had was to be able to save room for dessert. With complimentary cornbread and rolls to munch on, we decided on a buffalo bites appetizer that definitely bit back without being abrasive. These things have a decent kick, but are not overwhelming. The sauce they came drenched in, however, looked to be enough to drown in, but fortunately my coffee cup was never lacking for refills and I stayed awake from massive caffeine intake long enough to avoid any possible dining fatality.
Diner staples and dinner items line the pages of the menu, and daily specials take up the back page, definitely giving frequent visitors a reason to come back on their favorite day for their favorite dishes. We decided to go with breakfast: she ordered a number seven, I ordered a number two. I have absolutely no idea what all was in the number seven, but it looked like an edible work of abstract art — lots of biscuit, and meat and peppers stacked atop each other, and I’m told it was good at the table and still tasty as leftovers. My number two was a basic breakfast combo of eggs, potatoes, bread and meat. Everything was fine, save for the hash browns. These things were not worth the energy to eat, and they looked it: they were so anemic, I was not even sure if I had a forkful of them ready to taste without really looking at my plate for their translucent outlines.
Fortunately, dessert arrived to finish the meal in glorious food coma fashion. After 7:00 p.m., pie drops to the ludicrous bargain deal of $ 1.25 a slice. We asked Raul for his recommendations, and while they were out of the peanut butter slice he suggested, he did us well by bringing us Oreo and lemon meringue. If we were competitive eaters or part scavenging raccoon, we would have finished them in a heartbeat. As it was, each bite was delicious and brought us ever closer to passing out at the table and needing to be evicted at the 8:00 p.m. closing time. If you’re looking for a place for coffee and dessert some night, I cannot recommend this place enough.
And actually, I’ll recommend Norma’s outright. With literal decades of service under their belts and an expansive menu to suit every visitor’s preferences, Norma’s does a lot right. For a place rooted in the past, they feel exceptionally modern with their approach to how a restaurant should be run.

Classic Diner experience!
We FINALLY got a seat here (Thank you Artic Blast! Lol) We’ve lived across the street since early January, and every time we’ve attempted to come check this place out, it was was 40+ minute wait!
We both had the chicken fried steak. ($ 24 total + two drinks) Rated Best Chicken Fried Steak by the Dallas Observer. And boy, it did not disappoint! Lightly battered, full of flavor, not dried out or tough to chew. This was legit! The gravy not too thick and again, flavorful. I haven’t had chicken fried steak in so long, so this really hit the spot! Cooked perfectly.
I can’t wait to come back for more. Oh, and try a slice of one of their pies! Just need to prepare myself to waking up early enough to get a seat in here!