Houston Cafeterias: Where the Tray Line Still Lives
Date Published
Houston has nine cafeteria-style operations confirmed open as of October 2026, from a Bissonnet institution that has fed the city since 1941 to a downtown Cajun counter operating since 1988. The tray line never left.
The quick list
- The anchor: Cleburne Cafeteria, Bissonnet, open since 1941 — the oldest tray-line cafeteria in Houston.
- The Texas chain, revived: Luby's, 10-plus Houston locations, back in operation after a 2021 relaunch.
- For a downtown lunch: Treebeards, three downtown locations including Christ Church Cathedral and two tunnel spots.
- The 1988 Cajun counter: Zydeco Louisiana Diner, 1119 Pease St, Downtown.
- For soul food: Mikki's Soul Food Cafe, Alief and Third Ward.
- Cajun home cooking: Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food, Independence Heights.
- The office-building find: Choice Cafeteria, Lazybrook, with one line covering barbecue, Vietnamese, and American.
- The North Houston workhorse: Mom's Country Kitchen, Aldine Westfield, 30-plus years running.
- The insider pick: Harris County Cafeteria, basement of the county administration building — open to the public.
How we chose
We included any Houston-metro restaurant that serves food from a steam table or tray line where you walk the counter and make your selections. Every place here was confirmed open on its own official website or official social page as of October 2026. We excluded open buffet formats (Golden Corral) and spots where you order exclusively from a menu board.
Piccadilly Cafeteria no longer has Texas locations. The Furr's chain closed in bankruptcy in 2021. The tray-line count in Houston is shorter than it was 20 years ago, but it is not gone.
Cleburne Cafeteria
3606 Bissonnet St · West University · open Sunday–Friday, 11 am–8 pm · closed Saturday · cleburnecafeteria.com
The most important cafeteria in Houston. Anabelle Collins and Martha Cavanaugh opened it in 1941 on Cleburne Street downtown; Nick Mickelis, a Greek immigrant who arrived in Houston in 1948 with $2.50 in his pocket, bought it in 1953. When the lease ended, he moved the operation to its current Bissonnet location in 1969. His son George, a graduate of the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, runs it today.
The fried catfish is fresh-filleted in-house every morning. Rolls and cornbread come out of the oven every 30 minutes. Pies and cobblers are baked daily by a dedicated bakery chef. The moussaka, which appears on the steam table on rotating days, reflects the Mickelis family's Greek heritage — an unexpected detail on a Texas cafeteria line.
Cleburne has survived two fires, in 1990 and 2016. Nick Mickelis painted the murals lining the dining room from memory of his home island of Patmos, Greece, and they still hang on the walls.
What to order: Fried catfish, mac and cheese, squash casserole, and a slice of pie.
Luby's
10-plus Houston locations · typically open daily 11 am–8 pm · confirm at lubys.com
Robert M. "Bob" Luby opened the first Luby's in San Antonio in 1947, and the chain brought its tray line to Houston in 1965. For decades it was the default answer to "where's a good cafeteria" across Texas. In November 2020, the company voted to liquidate as COVID-era losses made operations impossible. In June 2021, entrepreneur Calvin Gin purchased 32 locations for $28.7 million and restarted the chain. As of 2026, Luby's operates about 38 Texas locations, with at least 10 inside Houston proper and additional locations in Katy, Kingwood, Stafford, and Webster.
The LuAnn Platter — one entree plus two sides at a lower-than-à-la-carte price — is still on the menu.
What to order: The LuAnn Platter. Fried fish planks. Chocolate icebox pie.
A selection of Houston locations: 12121 Westheimer Rd (Westchase); 9797A South Post Oak Rd (Meyerland); 1727 Old Spanish Trail (Medical Center); 730 W FM 1960 (Cypress Creek). Full list at lubys.com.
Treebeards
Three downtown locations · weekday lunch only, most close around 2 pm · treebeards.com
Dan Tidwell and Jamie Mize opened Treebeards in 1978 in a former pool hall on Preston Street. A trip to New Orleans shaped the menu toward Cajun and Creole cooking, and the cafeteria format followed in 1980 to handle the downtown lunch rush. Three locations operate on the cafeteria model:
- The Cloister at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave: Red beans and rice inside a stone building that dates to 1893 — one of the more atmospheric weekday lunches in the city.
- Enterprise Plaza tunnel, 1100 Louisiana St: At the tunnel level, Monday–Friday.
- Pennzoil Place tunnel, 711 Louisiana St: At the tunnel level, opens 10:45 am.
A fourth location at 9655 Katy Freeway in Bunker Hill operates as a full-service restaurant with a bar and evening hours — not cafeteria style, but the menu is the same.
The red beans and rice on Tuesdays have been a Houston lunch tradition since the 1980s. The jalapeño cornbread arrives warm.
What to order: Red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, gumbo, jalapeño cornbread, bread pudding.
Zydeco Louisiana Diner
1119 Pease St · Downtown · Monday–Friday 11 am–2 pm (dinner Thu–Sat 5–8 pm) · zydecolouisianadiner.com
Zydeco opened in 1988 and has held down its corner of Pease Street ever since. The interior has a 1950s diner aesthetic and the furniture looks like it has been there for most of the run, which is part of the appeal. Cheap, filling lunch: daily specials, bacony black-eyed peas, butter-yellow mashed potatoes, jalapeño cornbread, stuffed pork chops, jambalaya. A full plate with a drink for under $20 is still the standard.
What to order: The daily special and a side of black-eyed peas.
Mikki's Soul Food Cafe
10500 W Bellfort Ave, Alief · 2712 Blodgett St, Third Ward · typically Mon–Sat 11 am–8 pm, Sun 11 am–7:30 pm · mikkiscafe.com
Mikki's runs a true open-counter steam table: you walk the line, point at what you want, and the staff serves the portions. The menu is soul food — fried chicken, turkey wings, smothered pork chops, oxtail, candied yams, black-eyed peas, collard greens, mac and cheese — with portions that regulars consistently describe as heaping. Lines form, especially on weekends. The Third Ward location brings the same format to one of Houston's historically Black neighborhoods.
What to order: Fried chicken, and the oxtail if it's on the steam table.
Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food
5007 N Shepherd Dr · Independence Heights · open daily 11 am–8 pm · estherscajunsoul.com
Esther Lewis opened the restaurant in 2008, building on family recipes for Louisiana Cajun cooking and soul food. The steam-table line is traditional: you move along the counter, point at your choices, and pay at the end.
What to order: Mustard greens, sweet potatoes, Louisiana gumbo, crawfish étouffée, oxtails.
Choice Cafeteria
720 N Post Oak Rd, Suite 128 · Lazybrook/Timbergrove · Monday–Friday 7:30 am–4 pm · choicecafeteria.netwaiter.com
Choice is inside the ground floor of the Spirit of Texas Bank building — a real discovery for anyone who doesn't work in the area. The menu is unusually wide: American barbecue, Vietnamese dishes (bánh mì, vermicelli bowls, noodle soups), and sandwiches, all from a single line. You can have brisket, chicken lo mein, and a Vietnamese spring roll on the same tray without anyone looking twice. That range is a direct product of Houston's cooking culture. Reviewers consistently note the generous portions and fast service.
What to order: Ask what's freshest when you walk in.
Mom's Country Kitchen
14428 Aldine Westfield Rd · North Houston · Monday–Friday 6 am–2 pm · lovemomscountrykitchen.com
More than 30 years in operation, feeding the industrial and airport corridor north of the city. Breakfast plates arrive early; country-style lunch specials hit the steam table around 10 am. You look at the counter, point at what you want, and move down the line. This is not a restaurant that shows up in food media, which tells you most of what you need to know about who it's actually for.
What to order: Breakfast plate before 10 am; lunch special after.
Harris County Cafeteria
1001 Preston St, Basement · Downtown · call (713) 755-7060 for current hours · open to the general public
The cafeteria in the basement of the Harris County Administration Building is not widely known outside the courthouse district. Standard tray format, Texas comfort food, government-building prices. Walk in off the street, pick up a tray, and go. Hours vary by day of week; call ahead or check the posted schedule.
Save this: a Houston cafeteria route
Use rideshare between stops.
West side half-day
- Cleburne Cafeteria, 3606 Bissonnet: arrive at 11 am for fresh catfish and a slice of pie. The tray line is the whole experience.
- Luby's on Westheimer (12121 Westheimer): LuAnn Platter for comparison. Note what has changed since 1947 and what has not.
Downtown lunch double
- Treebeards at The Cloister, 1117 Texas Ave: stone walls, red beans, jalapeño cornbread. Arrive by 11:30 or expect a wait.
- Walk four blocks to Zydeco Louisiana Diner, 1119 Pease: black-eyed peas, stuffed pork chop, check the daily special board.
Soul food afternoon
- Mikki's Soul Food Cafe, Alief (10500 W Bellfort): fried chicken and oxtail on the steam table.
- Esther's Cajun Café, 5007 N Shepherd: gumbo and greens from a different tradition.
Before you go
- Cleburne Cafeteria is closed on Saturdays.
- Treebeards' three downtown locations are weekday lunch only, typically 11 am–2 pm.
- Luby's hours vary by location; always confirm at lubys.com before making the drive.
- Harris County Cafeteria hours vary by day of week; call (713) 755-7060 ahead.
More eating in Houston
For the best restaurants in Houston guide, the full picture. For smoke and brisket: best BBQ in Houston. For weekend mornings: best brunch in Houston.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Luby's still open in Houston?
Yes. After liquidating in November 2020, Luby's was purchased by entrepreneur Calvin Gin in June 2021 for $28.7 million. As of 2026, at least 10 Houston locations are operating, with hours typically 11 am–8 pm daily. Confirm your nearest location at lubys.com.
What is the oldest cafeteria in Houston?
Cleburne Cafeteria at 3606 Bissonnet St has been in continuous operation since 1941, making it the oldest traditional tray-line cafeteria in Houston.
What is the LuAnn Platter at Luby's?
The LuAnn Platter is one entree plus two sides offered at a lower combined price than ordering each item separately. It remains on the menu at all current Houston locations.
Are any Houston cafeterias open on weekends?
Yes. Cleburne Cafeteria is open Sunday through Friday (closed Saturday). Luby's is typically open daily. Mikki's Soul Food Cafe is open daily. Treebeards' three downtown locations are weekday lunch only, but the Bunker Hill location (9655 Katy Fwy) operates seven days a week with evening hours.
What is Treebeards Houston known for?
Treebeards is known for Cajun and Creole food served cafeteria-style at weekday lunch, including red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jalapeño cornbread. Three downtown locations include one inside the historic Christ Church Cathedral at 1117 Texas Ave. The tradition started in 1978.
Is the Harris County Cafeteria open to the public?
Yes. The cafeteria in the basement of the Harris County Administration Building at 1001 Preston St in downtown Houston is open to the general public, not just county workers and jurors. Hours vary by day; call (713) 755-7060 to confirm before visiting.