Cotton Patch Cafe

Place is just like I remember it when my sister and I went to it after it first opened. I had the grilled pork chops and for once, pork was actually juicy and tender. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get pork that way without undercooking it, but they managed it. Color me impressed. I also loved the fact that they cooked the broccoli on the grill, so it had that meaty flavor I wasn’t expecting.
Our waitress was attentive and polite and was great at getting our drinks refilled. The food came quickly, which is great since on a lower carb diet I cannot eat most appetizers at this point because invariably they’re all deep fried, breaded monstrosities that wreck havoc on my blood sugar.
Over all, a good experience reminiscent of when we first came here.

Temple is notorious for being hit or miss when it comes to our dining options. We rolled the dice and were happy with the experience.
Everything was good from the fried green tomatoes appetizer to our entrees.
Service was attentive. Refills were nonstop. Waiter wasn’t annoying.
2 star deduction. After we gave the waiter a large bill, he took a long time to bring back change. Service was good but don’t feel entitled and assume all that change is yours to keep. This isn’t a 5 star restaurant and it’s just Temple Texas The waiter honored a coupon that expired the day before so maybe he felt entitled to keep all the change. We waited over 10 minutes for change. This could have been a perfect experience if waiter didn’t get greedy. If you give good service the tips will come on their own. Tips are voluntary not mandatory.
Also, mac n cheese was watered down but still tasted good.

Awesome. The waitress was very good, we didn’t have to wait for anything. The food was amazing, I had the grilled, lemon, garlic, buttered shrimp on a bed of rice with broccoli, carrots, and yellow squash.

Came in for a quick lunch (first time here) I ordered Chicken and Dumplin’s and it was the best I’ve ever had!
The manager Daniel came out and talked to me and was super nice, they definitely emphasize guest satisfaction here.
We will be staying across the street for the next month and I’m definitely going to be a frequent visitor!

Excellent! My friend & I went and ordered a burger and I got the large country fried steak. The service was 5 stars. The food was 5 stars. I have never had anything bad here and our experience was top notch. They have exceeded my expectations of a chain.
Whatever they are doing its the right way! This place exceeds my expectations. I am normally one to seek out the negative but had a great experience.
A++++

We eat here every time we come to Temple. Wait staff is friendly. Food is great. Best yeast rolls. Cobbler is great

Sometimes it is a hit or miss on the customer service. However their food is always consistent. They have a nice range of food and I LOVE the dr. pepper cake they have.

Before I even looked at photos of their food, I was so hyped for this place! I was on a long car trip, and Cotton Patch was smack in the middle of the journey. Obsessed with seafood, I knew exactly what I wanted: the Grilled Cajun Duo. I also started with the Fried Cheese Sticks.
The cheese sticks were delicious. Perfectly fried on the outside and gooey on the inside. You see those pizza commercials where they’re slowly pulling the cheese from the crust? Yea, it’s essentially like that. Throw in the marinara sauce and you got an appetizer you can get excited about.
The Grilled Cajun Duo. Even with all the hype built inside my head, this dish didn’t disappoint. They took the unremarkable tilapia and made it into a fish I’ll gladly go out of my way and shell out money for. The meat was tender and flaky. I pride myself on making salmon, but please tell me your secrets on cooking tilapia!
Oh yea, the crawfish cream sauce isn’t just some boring sauce made from crawfish stock. This sauce actually has crawfish in it and compliments the rice very well with its hearty thickness. The shrimp was pretty good too. Trust me on this when I say my plate afterwards was licked clean!
Service was excellent, and we didn’t have any problems. Next time I make a lengthy trip to East Texas, I’m looking at you Cotton Patch.

Had a very nice dinner here a couple of weeks ago. I had the grilled salmon and it was very good.

After having a stomach bug come through our house, our family really wanted a nice meal. We headed to this local Cotton Patch after not having eaten there for many months. Everytime we go to Cotton Patch one of 9ur favorite dishes has been change, and not for the better. This time it was the pot roast. It’s supposed to be «fall off the bone» tender, but both my husband’s and mine were so chewy and tough that we couldn’t hardly cut it much less chew it. When we told the waitress she was very nice about it and offered to get us something else. So I asked my son if he was enjoying his meatloaf, as a possible choice for myself. However, I turned around his plate to look at the meatloaf only to find that it was completely rare. No, not slightly pink, completely red and bleeding! The manager was very apologetic and did his best to make things right. Due to the attentiveness of the manager and waitress I’m giving this location two stars instead of zero.

I have given up on decent service in Temple, Tx. Unless I go to a nice restaurant. Server thinks my aunt asked for quieter noice, she asked for water no ice. However, things looked better. THEN she passes our table as she seemed to be glancing over her section to see that we were all doing well. My other aunt needed a refill. I was still waiting on my croutons that I ordered when she took our meal orders. Then a table comes into her section. Apparently this table works there, or knows a few of the employees. Our server was chatting away. So I go to the counter to ask for my croutons. Three employees, backs to me, quickly turn around as I said, «excuse me», «one of you», in a stern, perturbed voice. They all turn around, and I asked for croutons and stated that I had been waiting quite awhile. I then turned around and marched back to the table. Right after, an employee in a gray zipper jacket that fit like sausage casing slides them on to the table as he is already turning around to walk away. As to say, if you can be rude, I can too. He obviously doesn’t understand the reason this company is in business or his job.
My aunt still in need of a refill, I look up and our server is chatting with her table of friends/​co-​workers, what ever they are, and the employee in his sausage casing is over there too. So I go to the counter to get my aunts refill. The manager happens to be there at that time. He apologizes, and I explain that in addition to serving our table, that I did not appreciate the employee in sausage casing be rude about bringing my croutons.
The manager comes over to explain that we can have our free appetizer coupon to use again, while still giving us the free appetizer. Nice gesture, but the coupon expires on the 28^th. Today is the 26^th. I don’t live in Temple. I wasn’t paying either. Perhaps my relatives will return, but who would return that quickly, especially after delayed, rude, and incompetent service?

I had chicken and dumplings dinner and the bacon fries appetizer, both were delicious and the price was great. The location is a little annoying since it’s in the mall and parking can be a pain during the holiday season. My server was wonderful, but the server at the next table was annoying the guests with telling them her life story about how she is a phlebotomist and plans to be a veterinarian. NO ONE CARES!!! Other than that, great place and will gladly return.

What’s with no skin on the salmon??? Unexpected… I went with my son for the first time ever just to have a lunch out and was totally disappointed… He had the Dr. pepper cake, was awesome but my salad omg!, can u say if i want it soggy and over dressed i would have asked for extra dressing… All i gotta say is i should have listened to my friend and ordered the chicken fried steak… Too bad… Wanted more than the chef could give? My waitress was wonderful and didn’t want to ruin her day so tipped well and had her clear the table… Now what? Its on you’re chef… Who takes the skin off salmon???

Went to lunch today at Cotton Patch. My husband is on a no carb diet and we thought this would be a good choice. Our server was super awesome. Plenty of low carb options but I wasn’t impressed with my ribeye. It was really thin and a little over cooked. His steak was way under cooked. We bought ordered medium. Their salad and baked potatoes were good. We didn’t get any corn bread until after we already had our meals. We’ll go back again just to see.

I enjoy just about everthing here except their mashed potatoes which taste dry and seasonless. My favor dish is their fish and shrimp or their chicken fried steak. Service there is by far fantastic!

I stop in Cotton Patch [Temple] about once a year or so, hoping with all hope it’s gotten better, only to find it’s gotten worse!
I stopped in today. The waitress [Tess R.] took my order. I asked if the ice tea was fresh, to which she replied yes. When I FINALLY got the tea, I quickly discovered she lied. The tea had soured and was undrinkable. I asked for a Coke to replace it. No apology was offered for the horrid tea. I should have walked out then.
I ordered chicken fried steak, black-​eyed peas, and mashed potatoes, as well as a side salad. The food arrived, without the salad. [which should have came BEFORE the meal] The food itself was inedible, as has always been my experience. If I had not been extremely hungry, I would have walked out without attempting to eat what was offered.
The waitress, Tess, then came by again and asked how the food was. I again told her it was sub-​standard and only hunger kept me in my seat. Her answer was incredible. Tess basically told me that «at least it was on sale today, and I saved $ 3 and that should make it better» Frankly I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t have led to a profanity laced rant, so I just waved her off.
By this point Tess should have understood I was less than pleased and just wanted to be left alone to finish what I could and leave. She actually came by and asked me if I had «room for desert’ saying that might make it all «OK»! I asked her if she was for real! She said she was required to ask. Common sense would tell you that asking an angry customer to purchase more, without offering to make good on the first purchase is not only bad form, it’s ridiculous!
I’ve never been the subject of such incompetence in my life. Horrible food, inept, indifferent service, and an all around «don’t give a damn about the customer» attitude.
I was visibly angered as I payed my bill. At no time did anyone even attempt to make things right.
This will be the last time I ever attempt to eat at Cotton Patch. I will also make sure all of my many friends know about my consistently horrific experiences over the years.
You should be ashamed of yourselves for serving such rotten food, combined with such poor service. You shouldn’t be in business with this sort of low grade of an effort.

had the grilled chicken…
good flavor, juicy, good sized…
came with a side salad (wish it was spinach)
rice side dish was tasty…
service good…

Located inside the Temple Mall across from Casa Olé, I enjoy coming here for the Grilled Cajun Duo when I’m in town and craving seafood. The restaurant is spacious and always has plenty of seating.
Now, although my meal is consistent, it seems that the service is not. The waitresses are friendly, but it appears every one we’ve had is forgetful (i.e., forgetting drinks, sides, silverware). One waitress in particular, insisted that only one side came with my entrée and tried to charge me for a salad. I told her to bring me the menu and pointed it out to her, which she admitted to her mistake. I’ll still come back for the food because it’s delicious. It’s just now become a joke between my partner and I, what are they going to forget next?

Poor execution of a good idea. My server didn’t seem to grasp removing of empty plates or getting an answer to a question.
The meatloaf isn’t bad but the burgers are a generic frozen low quality patty.
I asked before if the burger was fresh or frozen and my answer was «that is a good question.» That was it not I’ll go find out.
This is a poor imitation of the once really good Black Eyed Pea restaurants.
Save yourself and go somewhere else.

On this visit we called in several orders for pick up. The order taker on the phone was very nice, I repeated everything to make sure it was all good — we set up a time for pick up.
We brought our food to the office. Everything looked okay, however, there were a few issues:
— One of our burgers did not have any of their special sauce on it — — which was one of the reasons why it was ordered. That was a major bummer cuz the burger was dry.
— The side Cesar Salad was wilted and there were some bad pieces of lettuce in there — — looked like it was prepped a while ago and refridgerated for an extended period of time.
— My Grilled Chicken sandwich was — — meh. It had 3 mushrooms total, the breast was quite small, and looked as if it was hastily assembled. It still tasted pretty good, just didn’t look appetizing.
The Positives:
— We called to complain and they forwarded us to a manager, she was nice and professional. We asked to take that burger off the bill (with the missing ingredients) and she obliged — — «no problem». So — customer service was very good.
So in the future — if we ever order to go, I’ll probably have to inspect everything beforehand to make sure it’s a-​ok. One shouldn’t have to do that, but I will — just in case. The food is still pretty good here for a chain, so I’m sure we will be back regardless of the 3-​star reviews.