bill smith's cafe

billsmith'scafe 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 billsmith'sonce 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 billsmith'scafe.  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.  billsmith'sgets it.

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 billsmith'scafe 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!

great breakfast. i have been going to billsmith'sfor nineteen years. best breakfast in mckinney!

billsmith'scafe. the food is "home cookin' " and lives up to the title. it's got that small town cafe atmosphere in a big town. service with a smile.

the food is great and the prices are, too. billsmith'scould charge a good deal more and i'd be happy to pay it.

they are open for breakfast and lunch until 2:00 mon - sat and until noon on sunday.