Lunch

If it's good enough for Pat Green, it's good enough for me. George's, a legit Waco institution, traces its roots in Waco to 1930 and has been going strong ever since. With a menu that features pretty much everything you could want, complete with a full bar and patio dining, George's is a must stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
1925 Speight Avenue; 1201 Hewitt Drive
6:30am-12am Mon-Sat; Closed Sun

This retro restaurant takes you back to the 1950s gas station aesthetic. You keep looking around for Goldie Wilson. Jake's serves up a different lunch special every day, while the desserts are fresh-made every morning. Every Saturday there's an Elvis show, or a Marilyn Monroe show, or an Andy Jane show, or...fill in the blank. Great for kids and families, Jake's is a downtown Waco treat.
613 Austin Avenue
11am-2:30pm Tue-Thu; 11am-3:30pm Fri-Sat; 11am-2pm Sun; Closed Mon

This steakhouse/burger joint/nacho palace/seafood shop can give you pretty much whatever you want. They have affordable kids specials and a full-service bar full of tongue-in-cheek menu titles. It’s an excellent place to hit up when you want something a little bit off the beaten path.
5102 North 19th Street (Lake Shore and North 19th)
11am-8pm Tue-Thu; 11am-9pm Fri-Sat; Closed Sun-Mon

Started by a Baylor grad, the Olive Branch features a number of diverse lunch options from a grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla to sandwiches and fresh salads to baked potatoes to a wide variety of pastas to soups served in a bread bowl. Coffee is sourced directly from the grower. Whatever your itch, you can scratch it at Olive Branch.
215 South 2nd Street
8am-3pm Mon-Sat; 10am-2pm Sun

This beautiful, completely-renovated Waco building features ingredients from local Texas farms to build incredible soups, sandwiches, and burgers, with small Texas breweries featured at the bar. You can’t go wrong at Revival!
704 Elm Avenue
11am-3pm Mon-Thu; 11am-8pm Fri-Sat; Closed Sun

Sascee's (pronounced "Sassy's") offers a wonderful down-home Southern-style buffet with beef, pork, or chicken from Saturday-Thursday, and catfish and barbecue on Friday. I dare you to try and save some room for dessert, but you'll regret missing the banana pudding way more than you'll regret stepping on the scale.
719 South 11th Street
11am-3pm Mon-Sat; 12pm-4pm Sun

Another Waco institution, Schmaltz's has been around Waco since 1975, offering delicious sandwiches on oven-toasted artisan bread that's hand-made every day. You can get soup and salad, but you should really keep it simple and come here for the sandwiches. There are two convenient locations: downtown (address and hours listed below) and off of Valley Mills Drive,
105 South 5th Street / 1412 North Valley Mills Drive
10am-3pm Mon-Fri; closed Sat-Sun / 10am-8pm Mon-Fri; 10am-4pm Sat; Closed Sun
Staff Pick: the Large Schmaltz

This communal restaurant space features over 20 eateries and foodie retail options for your dining pleasure - from ramen to tacos to burgers to wings to a full bar! Bring the family, everyone can get something they like!
720 Franklin Avenue
10am-9pm Mon-Thu; 10am-10pm Fri-Sat

The World Cup Café not only offers coffees from around the world, but also is training men and women in the food service industry. The Fair Trade Market features unique gift items from around the world — jewelry, handbags, picture frames, home decorations, and much more — and all help provide livable wages for people around the world! And the coffee is delicious!
1321 North 15th Street
7am-2pm Mon-Fri; 8am-2pm Sat; Closed Sun