Bracken Store Reviews

There are few places to find a burger of the quality that we had at the Bracken Store. Great beef flavor with a good hamburger roll and condiments. French fries are also excellent. You place your order at the counter and it is brought to the table. Atmosphere is friendly Texas roadhouse. A good place to eat if you are checking out the Natural Bridge attractions on the outskirts of San Antonio. Lots of free parking nearby.

I have a sidebar note to insert before I even get started: I didn't know until after we had already eaten that the Bracken Store Café was chosen by Texas Monthly as having one of the top 50 best burgers in the state of Texas. Enough said. But I'll go on... Let me start off by saying that I'm really tired of all of the chain restaurants and burger joints...all those places where you get pretty much just a reinvented version of the same thing. A place where everything is produced in an ultra-commercialized fashion, all thrown into the homogenous pot that is the chain restaurant. The Bracken Store Café is truly the real thing. It's a blast from the past, nostalgic overload, and burgers like they used to be. Well, really, everything they serve is the way it used to be. One of the reviewers said that this restaurant is "out there." It's not really that far out there. I guess it depends on where you're coming from. But regardless, it's worth the trip. If you're visiting San Antonio, or Texas in general, then this place is a must do. The building has been there for years, it's in a little old town just right outside of San Antonio, and it's old time Texas country. You'll remember having gone there, and it'll be a good memory. As soon as you walk in the door, you feel as if you're on a movie set where the script takes place in some little Texas town 40 or 50 years ago. It takes a moment or two to absorb the fact that you're in a truly hometown joint – and I mean that in a good way. Once it sets in, you get this feeling of satisfaction knowing that you're in a place where the locals hang out. Thing is, it's not really the locals anymore. It's people from who-knows-where that have discovered the Bracken Store Café. Magically, like ourselves, once you walk through the door, you become "the locals." You feel at home, and you feel like the staff, the owner, and everyone else has known you all your life. It's not just the decor, it's not just the ambience, it's not just the griddle - laden with giant hamburger patties sizzling away - it's not just the patrons. It's the WHOLE PACKAGE. It's real and it's good...really good. You order at the register. You can look at their printed menu, or, as I preferred, you can look at the chalk board. The "Bracken Burger" is $5.35. For another $.30 you get cheese – cheddar or Swiss (this is my one and only gripe, both are processed, but, for $.30 who's complaining.) For a buck you can add bacon. Then there's hamburger steak, tuna salad, a ham and cheese, chicken salad, hot dogs, Frito pie, tacos, fried fish, grilled chicken sandwich, and other short order items. I ordered the Bracken Cheeseburger with bacon. I hit that up with a small order of fries. I was with Dad, who ordered the hamburger steak with grilled onions and brown gravy ($6.35.) We both ordered unsweet tea. Total came to $18 and some change. Drinks are self-serve, so we got our tea and utensils and sat down at one of the tables. Then I saw a waitress pass by delivering an order that included what looked like some fabulous onion rings. Well, I had no choice but to get up, go to the register, and fork over an additional $2.95 for an order. Good move. Shortly, our food arrived. Dad's hamburger steak was big and you could definitely tell it wasn't some patty that had been taken out of the freezer and thrown on the grill. My hamburger had the same sized patty, a generous helping of bacon, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, mayo, all on a toasted bun (I asked them to cut the pickles and mustard.) Per my request, they cut it in half and I'm glad they did. It's a big burger. The fries are good, but they're fries. The onion rings are battered, not breaded. A delicate crispy crunchy exterior, with a soft and moist interior and then you get to the onion. All good. Dad absolutely loved his hamburger steak. I took a little taste of the brown gravy, and it didn't have that chemically taste that so many brown gravies do. Sides on his plate were fries and a salad, all on the same plate. His salad was a mixture of Romain, red cabbage, carrots, grated cheddar, and a ramekin of Ranch. I'm uploading pictures of my burger, the menu boards, and various shots from around the restaurant. Please check the place out. It's really good. While there, be sure and look around. There's a lot of history, and also some very nice touches of humor. Look for the complaint button and also the wellhead for the Bracken Springs. Above all, enjoy and have fun. Thanks for reading my review.

Located on the grounds of Retama Park, you do not actually go into the race track. If the parking attendant is on duty, just tell them that you are going to Bracken Café for free entry for parking. You will need to drive past the race track to get to the Café near the horse stables. Bracken Café has a long history as one of the best hamburger in the San Antonio area. The café was originally located in Bracken, Texas, but moved to the more spacious setting at Retama Park a number of years ago. They can still boast of great burgers but they have an extensive menu including excellent fried fish plates. They also welcome beer coolers since they do not sell alcohol. Try the burger or a fish plate, you will not be disappointed.

Wanted to try this place after seeing it on Trip Advisor. Burgers were delicious and huge. Hamburger steak very flavorful. Want to come back to the Friday night fish fry. This place is cool and a nice escape from the city.

This is pretty out of the way. We spent some time getting here only to see that it was closed and didn't look to be reopening anytime soon. All the signage has been removed.

This is a local cafe that has great hamburgers. We have been to San Antonio twice and have made it a point to return to the Bracken Store Cafe. They serve a very tasty, fresh hamburger. Well worth a visit.

This is a super South Texas gem...wonderful atmosphere and terrific service. ..incredible burgers and the fries are excellent. Cold beer and fun times in a great setting.

While in the area to visit the Natural Bridge Wildlife Park, I finally had a chance to hit the Braken Store Cafe. Have been hearing about it for years as a destination for a great burger. It is only open for lunch--I think from 11-3 pm except on Fridays when they have a catfish fry until 7:30 pm. They offer the full menu that evening as well so we were able to do some cheeseburgers. Fairly small place but nice and clean. You place your order when you walk in and then find a seat. Drinks are self serve. Looked like you could bring your own beer as I did not see any for sale but did see a few folks with coolers. Food arrived pretty quick and it was great as advertised. Patties are a bit thicker than i like but were very well cooked and juicy. All burgers are 1/2 pounders. Even had a toothpick with a green olive sticking out of the bun. Fries and onion rings were good. Saw some folks eating tacos and they looked pretty good too. Pretty inexpensive dining but food was great. Will be going back again in the future.

The burgers here are huge. They are a 1/2 lb. old fashioned cooked to perfection goodness. I recommend you split an order of frings but bet you still won't be able to finish them (there were three of us and we couldn't). Prices are good and the food is wonderful. The service is perfect. Go.

This little 'hole in the wall' cafe has terrific food -- especially the burgers, fries and onion rings. It was voted one of the best burgers in San Antonio. It is located in the little town of Bracken outside of San Antonio. It is worth the effort to go and get one of the most fantastic burgers ever made!

Good burgers, but is OUT there !

If you are a true hamburger freak and love the old fashioned cooked ones this is your place. It is surprising to find such a great hamburger at such a reasonable price. There was no way my wife and I could finish our burgers and that was great as we warmed them up later for supper. The onion rings and fries are also a large order. We ordered the regular size onions rings/fries mixed to share and was happy I didn't order the large this was a huge stack. Love the interesting nostalgia everywhere.

This is a small burger joint in an out of the way place near San Antonio but worth the trip. Don't go during lunch time because it will be full with the locals who eat there.

Old store in small town. Just 20-30 min from downtown San Antonio. Friendly folks. And happens to have the best burger in Texas. Not kidding.

So much has been said about this wonderful place, it is hard to add to it. Yep, the Burger is big, one-half-pound of good ground beef. Never frozen and not out of some meat compacter that could be used to make Hockey Pucks. The Bracken Burger is the genuine item. Real meat, cooked right, tasty, juicy, need more napkins juicy, and not over-priced. I was there yester-day with five friends for lunch. We had a variety: Chicken Fried Steak, Taco Salad, Chili Cheese Dog, Cheeseburger, Fried Fish and my Bracken Burger. We also had and order of Fries and an order of Onion Rings to share. Everything was great, absolutely great. Because on of my friends was celebrating his birthday, the waitress, yes WAITRESS, not food server, brought each of us a small piece of wonderful chocolate cake. I don't care where you live, The Bracken Store Café is worth the trip, if you are in the Santone area. Everyone who works there is super friendly, and they all seem to be having fun. Don't be in a big hurry when you go. They warn you that a burger will take about 20 minutes to get to your table. So either get there at 1100, when they open, or wait until after 1300, when the big crowd has gone. You may be sitting at table next to some pretty high ranking Air Force or Army officers, or the guy who loads the trucks at the feed store. It is that kind of place. Go there and be prepared to enjoy a great meal at a great price.

The restaurant is in an old general store full of antique signs. My daughter loved the old Wurlitzer record playing juke box! Huge 1/2 pound burgers! Try the Frito burger. My four year old daughter had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Great homemade onion rings. Make sure to bring cash as they don't except anything else!

Cold beer, good crowd, and live music 2-3 nights per week. Also, check out the food truck, out back, near the bandstand. Fish, shrimp and chips are very good. Street tacos are a favorite of mine.

The food is really good and the people are really friendly. Th atmoshere is great. I recommend you go out of your wayt to try this one

This place is way cool; north of Loop 1604 and Nacogdoches in the tiny hamlet of Bracken but with big city tasty burgers. The Bracken Burger is a hand-formed one half pound of goodness burger. Placed on a grilled bun with your favorite condiments, the burger is ridiculously delicious. The place isn't real big so come early to sit with your friends or be prepared to make new ones. Wait staff is efficient and more than friendly; they make you feel like family. Don't forget to stop by the Hanging Tree Saloon for an icy cold beverage, only in Bracken.

Cash only. I live north of Austin, and I've been here three times now, whenever I'm in the area and they're open. I was originally attracted to coming here since my ancestors settled that immediate area and wanted to provide a little family history to my kids with their meal. Now it's certainly also the food that's bringing me back. The burgers are just excellent, and huge! I've had the cheesburger and the bean/frito burger. While fun, the bean/frito just doesn't let you appreciate the high quality of the burger nearly as much as tradtiional dress. Fries/rings are good, and my little girl always opts for the fish sandwhich, of which I usually get the last bite or so, and it is very good. This place is small, friendly, and authenticly old school. And I mean authentic - I brought my parents there for their first visit yesterday, and my mom was looking at all the old pictures on the walls, and her own mother's school picture from 1915 was there! Her aunt was in it too. They aren't some generic, stock old-timey photos, they are legit snapshots from the long past of that very spot. Needless to say, it made my Mom's day. Although she couldn't finish her entire enormous burger!

so says my grandson who in a connoosseur of such things. The best part is I agree with him! The food is delicious and plentiful (this is a two hand burger), the staff friendly and unlike someplaces they appreciate you being there. A must go-to when the grandkids are here, and even when they aren't...and lucky for me they will ve visiting in a week or so.

CASH ONLY ....LOCAL CHECKS ONLY....NO credit cards....NO debit cards.... we went here for a geocaching event...we filled the place up... i had the CHEESE BURGER...it was cooked well..lots of toppings..and BIG...had to cut it in half to eat had the HOT DOG....was very good..sometimes hotdogs at places are so-so...here it was good had CHILI CHEESE HOT DOG..was also very good... did not get drinks but i think it was included in price of food ??...need to check on that... the staff was very friendly...smiling all the time...very attentive ...and it was a packed house.. definitely will go back again ...and try the FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY out....hopefully it will be as good as the burgers and hotdogs were..

I don't to eat hamburgers very often but when I do I usually head to the Bracken Store! Good, old fashioned hamburgers. Seriously good. Good fries. Good prices. One of my favorite calorie splurges! Highly recommended when you need a burger!

Read the heading. Burgers...good. Service good. I crave the food every time we drive down from Austin. Cool little place off the Nacogdoches (2252) stretch through Garden Ridge.

Everyone in the family enjoyed their meal! Simple home style cooking. Burgers looked delish. I'll definitely go that route next time. Free slices of chocolate cake on Fridays. Can't beat it!

Love to take friends and clients to this place. The food is home style and very comforting. Excellent burgers! The ambiance is nostalgic and comfortable.

Take note of the NEW LOCATION at Retama Park Horse Racing Track. Absolutely my favorite burger in the San Antonio area! Due to their lease expiring at the old "country store" location, Linda and the gang had to change venues. You will not be disappointed with any of the burgers on the menu. They have great onion rings, but I always get the tots! Bring an appetite because these are truly 1/2 pound burgers!

If you haven't been to Bracken Texas, and eaten at Bracken Store you're missing out! All of the burgers are fantastic and huge but the bean burger is to die for! Run, don't walk! Beware, it's small so it can be packed at lunch time - go early.

My husband created a list of places he wanted to eat while we were in San Antonio. The Bracken store was on the listed. Our group finally made our way to place, via the help of GPS. This place is truly a mom and papas store that is located nowhere near business or the main road. Instead it is hidden away toward residential areas. This place is great, their portions are really big, but the price of your big meal is so small. Everyone in our group order a hamburger and we shared a side of chilly cheese potatoes tart, French fries, and onion rings. We ate so much that we didn’t eat anything else the rest of the day, we were so full. Beware you must have cash with you. They don’t take credit cards and pay attention to time you go because they close earlier on the weekends.

First visit since Linda reopened at Retama Park Race Track . Different, larger, brighter dining area. Same stuff on the walls. Same sassy staff. Same owner. And. Thankfully, the best Burger around. Bar none. It is a half-pound of delicious, freshly ground hamburger, cooked to a juicy, red in the middle wow factor. I know lots of places claim to have the best burger, but I think the others just don't match up. Want a burger? Better give this place a try, then come back because the first one made you want another one. You order and pay for your meal at the counter, get your drink, find a place to sit, including picnic tables, then, when your order is ready, it is brought to your table.

Bracken was a tiny little farming community that is now more or less a quaint suburb of San Antonio. You can still see a few of the old buildings like the Jupe feed store and the Bracken Store which is now a rustic wooden floored, signs all over the walls and grill smokey excellent lunch cafe. They do have lunch specials and chicken fried steaks but I hardly ever see anyone getting anything but the burgers. It is as simple a burger as it gets with iceburg lettuce, onion and tomato. I think what makes it such a winner is the 1/2 lb fresh ground meat with is seasoned on the grill and charred to perfection. My only complaint is that they rarely flatten the patty out enough so it can be tricky getting your mount around it. The fries are good and the tator tots are the best. Its cash or check only so dont leave home without it or you'll be washing dishes. I have not tried it but they serve fried fish on Fridays that everyone says is excellent. The ladies who run this place take care of business - clean, friendly, excellent food. This place can get pretty crowded on Fridays so I hope good reviews like this dont create a bigger line, but these nice ladies deserve all the success they get.

Neat place. The decor consists of an assortment of items collected over the years and photographs of the restaurant dating back to its early as a store. We ordered the hamburger and it is a full 1/2 pound with all the trimmings. They do not accept credit cards so make sure you have cash or your checkbook.

This place is not one of those type of places I would have found if it wasn't for my family taking me there. It's a small restaurant with an old style look and excellent food. If you find it I recommend you to give it a shot.

So we went here based on the reviews of other trip advisor visitors....and they were right! The food was terrific. The waitress was super nice and very friendly without being over bearing. I will warn you, the place was scary looking when we pulled up. Go in though! We went in ready for it to be an adventure and it was a great meal. The inside is warm and friendly. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for American home cooking.

Bring cash, no checks, credit or debit cards. Only Friday for dinner, lunch everyday. Everything on the menu is good.

If you love thick juicy burgers this is your place. Quite a wait for your order to be cooked when you have two little burger monsters with you but sooo worth the wait. Cheeseburger was perfectly cooked and seasoned, absolutely worth visiting. The eclectic country gas station vibe just adds to the charm.

You approach the 'hole in the wall' type restaurant and notice immediately the scent of fresh food cooking. I had the fish plate and my wife had the 1/2 lb. burger. The fish was cooked well, but the hushpuppies were outstanding! My wife's burger on the other hand was one of the best burgers I've had! The staff was so friendly. Outstanding prices by the way. About $15 for my fish plate (two fried fish, two small hushpuppies, fries, and a small salad), my wife's 1/2 lb burger, and two drinks (free refills). Would recommend this place to everyone. ;)

The food is good and fresh. With a really nice menu. The burgers are so huge that its literally my lunch and dinner. I love taking my dad there because the atmosphere is comfortable and laid back. Cute décor with the friendliest staff. Awesome. Im drooling.

Cute place with all sorts of stuff to look at while you are waiting for your food. Order at counter - no credit cards accepted. My husband loved his burger and it really looked tasty. I had the chicken fried chicken was very good but the green beans and corn I had tasted straight from a can and weren’t seasoned in any way - blah. Prices were OK - and just about what you’d expect. My lunch chicken fried chicken plate was $7.25. I’d go back but will avoid their veggies! Next time I’ll get a burger!

This historic place is no longer a store. NOW it is an astonishing Burger Joint. Small, but what it lacks on the outside, is made up for on the inside. With license plates and antique persona and great food, great looking woman and great service, what more could you want. Menu Bracken Burger Bean and Frito Burger Grilled Chicken w/ Swiss Tator Tots / Onion Rings / Fries Fish Friday after 4 pm Dont know if they have delivery, ask mon - thurs 11 am - 3 pm frida - satu 11 am - 8 pm I think