Hill Country Cupboard - Johnson City, TX

Posted By Michael Stern on March 19, 2006 10:12 PM

Like Diogenes searching for an honest man, we are always on the lookout for the perfect chicken-fried steak. We’ve found many excellent ones (and too many mediocre ones), but one of the finest anywhere is served at the Hill Country Cupboard in Johnson City, Texas. This big barn of a restaurant by the side of the highway claims to serve “The World’s Best Chicken Fried Steak,” backing up that claim with the humorous parenthesis, “(NEARLY 3 DOZEN SOLD).”

Texas Hill Country is where some of the best chicken-fried steaks are made and served (most likely where the chicken-fried steak was invented decades ago by European immigrants who used American beef to make a cutlet similar to wiener schnitzel); so to make such a claim of primacy in this neighborhood is quite a boast. But we would put the Cupboard’s steak right up there among the very best. (Two sizes are available: regular and large, the latter as big as a Frisbee.) No need for a knife here; your fork will crack through a golden brown crust that is rich and well-spiced, a perfect complement to the ribbon of tender beef inside. Alongside the slab of crusty protein comes a great glob of skin-on mashed potatoes; and of course, there is thick white gravy to blanket the whole shebang. It is possible to get a “Mexican chicken-fried steak,” which is covered with spicy sauce and melting cheddar cheese: not a terrible idea, but neither is it an improvement on the excellent simplicity of the basic formula.

Beyond chicken-fried steak, Hill Country Cupboard has a full menu of southwest eats: barbecued beef, sausage, turkey, and ribs; catfish filets; grilled chicken with jalapeno cheese sauce. There are even salads, available topped with hunks of chicken-fried steak or chicken-fried chicken!

The Cupboard is a place where locals eat. Two airy dining rooms are crowned with circulating fans, illumination provided by fluorescent tubes shaded by what appears to be burlap feed-sack material. Service is no-nonsense; checks are put down on the table along with the meal.

Overall Rating

chicken fried steak

barbecued sausage

German Sausage Dinner

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Posted By Angie Etheredge on September 30, 2007 10:14 PM

The Hill Country Cupboard is a quaint cafe on Hwy 281 in Johnson City, TX. This place definitely offers you a slice of local life with local advertisers printed on the tables and locals working the tables.

We were drawn by the statement that they had "the best chicken fried steak with over 3 dozen served." My husband found the chicken fried steak to be very tender, but the gravy was way too bland and needed much help from the salt and pepper shakers. I had the German platter which I found delicious. There was just enough vinegar/sugar kick in the warm German potato salad and the red cabbage. The German sausage had just enough spice.

The service was quite lousy; maybe they were short a hand that day? First, we waited nearly 40 minutes for any food to arrive. When finally it did, my daughter got french fries instead of the mashed potatoes that she ordered. The waitress said she would get some, but never did. My daughter also wanted the dish of ice cream that came with her meal, but after two attempts to get it, I just had her switch to the other option, a cookie. If you have extra time and do not mind the long wait, stop in, otherwise you might do better somewhere else.

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Posted By Carl Unler on March 24, 2007 5:12 PM

I visited the Hill Country Cupboard during a tornado-plagued afternoon, after visiting the LBJ boyhood home located just a few blocks away. The setup of the restaurant was kind of cool; one side is a big barn-type thing, the other a gift shop/bar where locals were pounding Lone Star.

I ordered the chicken-fried steak with German potatoes and coleslaw. Unfortunately, the food was pretty unimpressive. The steak was very thin; I think I've had better at Denny's. The potatoes had a wicked spice to them, good for the first bite or so, then rapidly verging on inedible. The coleslaw was the biggest disappointment; it tasted like eating a paper bag. KFC coleslaw is way better than this.

All in all a pretty humdrum meal, but at least I didn't gorge myself... but that is the goal, isn't it?

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