bill smith's cafe

sickening. felt i was going to get sick after eating there. place isnt very clean

this is a unique and cool place to get your breakfast. think route 66 or something out of cars. the review is a 4.0 and not 5 because (1) the steak for the steak and eggs is awful. they don't even try, so you should not either and (2) they are not picky about who they hire as waitstaff. sometimes (2) is a colloquial plus. just as often its not. so: no steak, bring cash, good luck with your server.

bill smith's cafe is an institution in mckinney texas. this is the epitome of the greasy spoon cafe, complete with the prison tattooed short order cook behind the grill (at least when i went). the food was good though. i had a cheeseburger and it was cooked just right, and the buns were heated up by placing them on the grill with the meat so they were nice and toasty and greasy. the fries were ok, but not as good as the fries at scotty p's. if you want old school cafe food, you can't go wrong here.

i only ate at bill smith's once about 3 years ago because my youngest son wanted to go there for breakfast. the poor experience caused me to skip going back there again.
first we sat within proximity of the restroom. not sure what was going on that day but the smell of sewer (poop) just permeated on our whole row. then i made the mistake of touching underneath the table with my fingers to pull myself closer and apparently there was gum (and plenty of it) underneath the table.  disgusting.
then i discovered that my coffee cup was dirty and so were the utensils we were given. when my breakfast was delivered the eggs were undercooked and not wanting to complain i ate them and drank the coffee (which tasted burnt).
half hour later i was nauseus and wanting to throw up.
i have been to greasy spoons before (having grown up on new york city diners)
and have always enjoyed the home cooked taste of diners, but this place just struck me as dirty and the food was nothing spectacular. to this day i can't understand why its so popular. my oldest son described it in one word "gross".  youngest son just thought the gum, poop smell, dirty utensils, watching obese people pig out was all funny.
i gave it a two star for friendliness. hopefully-since then-they have "cleaned up".
as for me, i'll stick to places like spoons, lamadelaine or lepetite grill in frisco.

i'll admit that it is the atmosphere, more so than the food, that keeps me returning to bill smith's cafe.  it's almost a requirement for living in mckinney to eat here, and it is typically one of the first stops when we have out of town guests.  not being a mckinney native but hailing from an even smaller town, there's something immediately familiar and inviting about bill smith's.  i have had countless meals in places exactly like this in numerous small towns throughout the south and they've all been good but -- more importantly -- they've all made me feel like i was at home regardless of how far from home i may have been.  

i'm partial to the rib eye breakfast steak because a) it's delicious b) it's cheap and c) i don't get the strange looks here that i get at other places when i want to have a steak for breakfast.  bill smith's gets it.

went there friday morning. the outside is not much to look at. restaurant was recommended. breakfast was ok. nothing special really. i am sure we will not back.

old run down building. not very pleasing to the eye. breakfast was good but then again it's not much better than what we make at the house. it's better than denny's though

disgusting. i am very disappointed. i heard that this place was good. powdered gravy, under seasoned eggs, hash browns tasted like a kit. cheese on top of my wife's meal was kraft single!!! how hard is it to sprinkle some freshly grated cheese. service was fair. two things that were passable - pancakes and biscuits. do not put that nasty gravy on the biscuit.

i don't get it. i had a horrible experience. i should have walked when i noticed the filth and heard someone holler at me from somewhere to find a table. this place doesn't know how to serve food. my mother and i ordered ham steak with an egg. she wanted biscuits. i wanted toast. so when we finally got our order in, a while later comes my mother's biscuits...they sit for a while so she decides to nibble. then my toast gets plopped on the table and sits. so i finally start eating toast. three slices later my plate comes with a steak knife to cut the ham. my mom watches me start eating and later gets her plate, without a knife. she uses mine. so by that time, i'm sick of the place...i then realize they are cash only!!!! ugh! really?!! they state they have a cash machine, it's broken. so i ask..what happens when someone has no cash and machine i'd broken?..i'm directed to banks down the street. i decide to walk cross 380 to winco because parking here is also bad and i didn't want to lose my spot in the very cold morning. so after crossing 380, paying a fee for cash,and . horrible dining experience...i'm done!!.never again!! and i agree with abother person's review..how do they pass inspection? if the front is bad, the back has to be a nightmare.

don't order the sirloin. ordered two sirloins to go. they cost about $8.00 each.... when i put them on the plate at work, they were two dried out hamburger patties....just because you call it sirloin dose not make it so!

not sure how to describe it other than "ehhh". nothing was great and the place is extremely dirty and grimy. no clue how it passes health inspections. i thought the airvent above was going to drop a half centery's worth of dust on me at any minute. your money is better spent elsewhere.

 many of these people eating here were....large.  large people eating at a restaurant is usually a sign of great grub .   a young lady ready to eat some pancakes! the inside wasn't much to look at, but luckily i had this beautiful lady sitting across from me. our waitress was extremely friendly and quickly got our coffees as we looked over the menu.  i ordered chicken fried ste

great place. awsome place to eat ,can't get any better.food is great,service is great .personal got it together.love the decor.

bill c

great find! packed when i.... great find!

packed when i arrived and full of regulars based upon the rapport between staff and patrons.

if you have not made the trip to bill smith's cafe you are missing a good meal, fun experience and great people.

check them out. you will not be disappointed.

---- 10-31-2015 ----

great as always!

amazing place! vintage decor, exceptional service, the best sweet potato pancakes...everything was wonderful!