Cute restaurant to visit located in a nicer part of College station. Unfortunately, for the price I was expecting a little more flavor with what I had ordered which was the Pistachio crusted chicken fried steak and the tortilla soup. Presentation was great though, everything was super fresh, and the chicken fried steak was huge! I recommend the Texas sheet cake, it was my favorite.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Marfa, Marfa, Marfa!
My wife's friend and coworker first recommended Marfa Texas Kitchen (henceforth MTK), and I'll be the first to admit I was somewhat skeptical at first. For one, I don't even know what or where Marfa, Texas is--I'm rather uneducated in the ways of Lone Star geography--and for two, a quick glimpse into the Palantíri (Google) revealed what the professional contrarian in me believed to be a drab cellar with an overexerted theme. Again, I am quite skilled at judging before I have all the facts.
Not only did I eat my words, but I'm glad I also ate the food here as well, because MAN let me tell you... MTK is *easily* my new favorite restaurant in Bryan College Station (endless apologies, Gate 12! I still love you!).
Every story has a beginning, so let's start from the moment my wife asked me to make the reservation. Being the ancient being that I am, rather than pull up the establishment on Internet Explorer, visiting Bing, and typing "make a reservation for two for a very special evening but nothing too expensive maybe mid-priced but still delicious" like all the other youngfolk would do, I picked up the phone and gave the restaurant a ring. That call was met with a friendly voice from an incredibly helpful person who called herself Sydney, who I've since discovered is the mastermind behind this hidden haunt. Sydney walked me through the menu and, unprompted, offered to make me a menu item for dinner that was normally only on the lunch menu. She was so delightful in our conversation and said things like, "Well, we want you to come here, enjoy your food, and leave happy with what you ate and how you were treated," and I could tell I wasn't just receiving lip service.
When my wife and I arrived, we were quickly sat at a cozy table for two, and the preconceptions I had forged before about the dim lighting and artsy atmosphere were quickly snuffed out by just how infectiously joyful the atmosphere was there. Not to mention the theme totally WORKS: the funky mannequin across from the wine, the voguish projector screen at the bar, all the way down to the abiding ceramic Luzerne dinnerware on which guests' meals were being served. The MTK has class and comfort in spades.
No date night at a nice restaurant can be superb without superb service, and this is where Hannah comes into the story. She greeted us warmly, efficiently explained the menu's range of options in great detail, and even recognized that I was the extra fellow who asked for a lunch item in the evening. Throughout the meal, Hannah would check on us frequently but not *too* frequently, seeing if we needed refills or to ensure the quality of the provisions being served. She was personable and laughed with us throughout the evening. We'll be requesting her each visit from now on, though I'm sure the rest of the staff are just as outstanding.
Now for the food. Oh, the FOOD! What can I say about the food at MTK other than it just simply dismantled the local competition in every way. From the Lite Ya Up Calamari and Virgie's Stuffed Eggs we ordered as appetizers to the Scottish Salmon and the Fresh Catch of the Day (which ended up being a perfectly-cooked halibut), this eatery's cuisine delighted our senses in an almost invasive way. The seasoning on every dish was perfection, the creativity of flavors was jarringly clever, and each unforgettable bite from every product we tried left us embarrassing ourselves with selfish indulgence.
The food is quite good. I hope I've made that clear enough.
Of the two trips my wife and I have made to Marfa Texas Kitchen, what has stood out the most to us, amidst a sea of blog-worthy successes, is the care that the entire staff shows for its guests. Everyone from the friendly hostess to the can't-possibly-pay-her-enough server, Hannah, to who we assumed was the restaurant manager and the owner, Sydney. I've already preached this into the ground, so I'll conclude with a final word of advice for local meal-seekers:
Go try Marfa Texas Kitchen. Immediately! You'll be so glad you did.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Basic not Boring Brisket Burger
This was our first visit. Excellent customer service. Our food was amazing. I got the shrimp and beet salad. It was well balanced and had many nice size shrimp. I ate it all. My daughter got the mushroom tacos. They also were very good. The mushrooms were fried, and that was unexpected. They have very creative and tasty combinations. Our foodie minds were excited. We will be back.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
UPDATE:
Well we made our way back to eat properly at Marfa’s Texas Kitchen..and so glad we did! We got the fig and goat again, delicious, and as main course the shrimp cheese and grits, and the chicken fried steak jalapeño...delicious all the way around!! The atmosphere was wonderful, could feel west Texas vibe, the environment was beautiful and the staff were wonderful. We are planning a party of 12 for the new year, looking forward to it!
PRIOR:
We were waiting around for car tires to be complete (recommend Discount tire highly!), and walked over on a Monday to try this place my wife had eaten at once prior and enjoyed. We walked in, only to realize they were closed (the owner nicely let us know they were decorating but closed), and we had a brief chat about the name (love it!). We thanked her and walked out, but she caught us before we moved on and offered us a free "fig and goat" for the road! She was so nice, and let me tell you the fig and goat was DELICIOUS! I ate it in like 2 minutes, so good! We'll be back when open proper, thank you so much to the owner,what a rare thing these days :)
Service
Take out
Meal type
Other
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
I’ve had dinner and lunch experiences here. For dinner, we ordered the pistachio crusted country fried steak with jalapeño gravy. It was amazing, great flavors and overall really delicious, enough for 2 to share. For lunch, we had 3 adults and 2 kids in our party. We ordered Virgie’s stuffed eggs and the fig and goat for appetizers. The kids loved the eggs, adults loved the fig and goat. We tried the crawdaddy-super delicious, probably the best crawfish I’ve had, the beech mushroom tacos-really amazing flavors, and the not boring burger-again, amazing, maybe our new favorite burger in town. The waitress said they have some things for kids: butter noodles, pb &j, and grilled cheese.
We absolutely love this restaurant. The employees are kind and not pushy, the food is superb, and the atmosphere is fun. Highly highly recommend. Our new favorite restaurant!
Service
Dine in
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Basic not Boring Brisket Burger
I have the kale salad with chicken for lunch. It had a different look and presentation than what I expected, it was very good taste good. Service was excellent, my server was Naty, you won't be disappointed with her service. She works lunchtime Wednesday and Thursday and Friday for supper. You won't be disappointed. I will be returning
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Kale
Marfa Texas Kitchen has great dishes and a fun new high-end restaurant in College Station. They have different menus for lunch and dinner; I guess I’ll have to be back for lunch. We got the fig & goat as an app which was great. I would have preferred it on crunchy slices of bread instead of crustini but it was good. We also got the Scottish Salmon, Ruffino’s 10oz and chicken fried steak. Go check out Marfa Texas Kitchen.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
First time here! Drinks were delicious! Food was amazing as well! We had the Scottish Salmon with crushed potatoes (pictured) & the 10 oz sirloin. Will definitely be back!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Hands down the best burger in town. I love the brisket burger. The meat and homemade bread just melted in your mouth. Everything is carefully crafted to create a delicate collaboration of sweet and savory flavor. I highly recommend any of the burgers. The bison burger is also absolutely delicious.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
The BBQ Brisket Burger
Excellent spot in a growing South College Station. I forget the name, but there's an excellent bourbon cocktail with a red wine floater that I'd highly recommend. Calamari is a wonderful appetizer and I paired it with a shrimp and beet salad and the crusted chicken. Great staff, and a great location so you can walk around and grab another drink at Uncorked or even Casa Do Brazil while you're still parked.
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
