Junction Cafe

Went there for lunch today.
Let me start with the positives.
The servers were nice and friendly.
As for everything else… well…
Once I got a server’s attention who was cleaning the table next to us (which I should add, the people that were sitting there, came in after us, ordered, ate, paid, and left all before we got our food.) The food took almost 45 minutes to get, and what I got was terrible.
I had ordered the Chicken Monterrey which is supposed to be chicken breast over rice with monterrey jack cheese and bacon or bbq sauce.
What I got was mushy soft rice with cold chicken topped with mostly unmelted Cheese singles (Those square things).
But, the décor was quirky and fun so we were like meh we’ll let it go, but i’ve got to get back to work so let’s pay and jet… or so we thought… We had to wait at the counter for another 10 minutes while someone in the back of the restaurant figured out who was going to come out and attend to the bill.
When the cashier finally did emerge, she was very cold and had very poor customer service skills. I’ve got to say she’s probably the reason I’m writing this. I would have forgotten the terrible lunch and just not returned, but she made me feel bad for even going there. So I made a mental note that I needed to come here and write this.
I hope you guys improve because I remember you used to have great coffee great food and great service back in the 90s. I kinda miss that.

The Junction Café, situated right along the old farm to market railroad line and at the intersection of Hwy 83 and Hwy 281, is a local tradition. Several community organizations I’ve participated in have held meetings there, and my husband and I also enjoy stopping in for lunch from time to time. In the winter (ish) months here, there is nothing better than their steaming hot caldo (soups). It is not the best in the region by any means, but I still like the food, the staff and the fun railroad theme décor and atmosphere.

We love this place! Especially around fall. Raquel is the best waitress ever. She treats you like one of her own and has kept us coming back since my move to Pharr in 2010. She is the best at customer service. Teamed with some amazing food, this makes our experience perfect. Our daughter requests this restaurant all the time. That in itself tells you how great it is.
I love the fact that you get this at home feeling when you visit. That’s what we look for in a restaurant.

The place is nicely decorated inside, with the staff really friendly. The food was just average. I got the Mexican plate for $ 7.99, which included 2 enchiladas 1 taco 1 chalupa, rice beans. I dont care much for chalupas, and mine got pretty soggy really fast. I didnt like the rice, which for some reason they put corn kernals in it.
Wont be going back unless im really hungry and in the area. Theres just better restaurants.

A little bit noisy; CMT on the tv in the dining room and Tejano music blaring out of the kitchen. However, the noise is worth it, for the Junction has the best breakfast in South Texas. Their green sauce is perfectomundo! Great service, and the very best breakfast south of San Antonio, with no close second.

This used to be the best restaurant in Pharr and one of the best in the valley, USED TO BE. The Junction seems to be getting by these days on only the reputation it once earned. The food has taken an abysmal turn for the worst. There are still MAYBE 1 or 2 good (not great) dishes on the menu, but most of the dishes seem to be way too difficult for the kitchen to handle. I have given this place ample opportunity to reclaim my good graces, but today was the last straw. I ordered the «chicken monterrey» and it takes them ~30 minutes to produce what can only be called an improvised abomination of a dish. I am DONE with this place. Such a shame that the cornerstone of downtown Pharr has regressed into this sham of a restaurant.

We like coming to Junction. The food is good and the atmosphere is good. It’s a diner with a unique blend of Anglo and Hispanic culture. The prices are good and the food is good. Only negative is that the round booths are really uncomfortable, so don’t sit there.

The food was just OK, neither especially good or bad, but the service we received was poor. The waitress was not customer friendly and was not interested in providing good service in a timely manner.

Charming décor inside… like what Chili’s strives for.
Two salsas served – blended & pico de gallo, both are hot.
Love that they serve fajitas with bell peppers – why don’t more places in the Valley do this?
Clearly they are Aggie fans – Whoop!

Have had breakfast here for the past two weeks and must say the food has been great and the coffee wonderful. Will be coming back for the next two weeks.

We’ve been hearing about this place for years, & finally took the time to stop by for lunch. A little on the seedy side, looking like it is in desperate need of a visit by Ramsey or Irvine. But sometimes a place like this can be a diamond in the rough. People seem to rave about it – it was even featured in a news article last week.
Continuing our futile search for decent Mexican food, we decided to try the Mexican Grande plate, which includes enchiladas, chile relleno, taco, tamal, beans &rice.
We were served a small bowl of pico de gallo & chips. Roughly chopped onions, tomato, cilantro, & very little chile. Oh well.
When we received our order (sans flatware), we were informed that there were no tamales, so we could have an extra taco or enchilada.
When we did get our forks, we noticed the food was lukewarm, not hot. The enchiladas, all cheese, were starting to coagulate on the plate. They were the most flavorless enchiladas I have ever tasted in my life, & believe me – I’ve had LOTS of enchiladas in my time! I hoped the relleno & taco would be better, but they were worse. There was little seasoning in the identical ground «meat» filling – no onion, chile – nothing! I had to request whatever hot sauce they had available to try to gag down the bland mess.
I realize that a lot of people have fond memories of this restaurant, so maybe that colors their reviews/​feelings about the place. We went in with a positive attitude to try it out, & were totally disappointed.
It was just such bad food, I can’t imagine EVER going back there.
The search continues. ..

I thoroughly enjoyed eating here. The food is fresh, pretty, and plenty of it. The nice young lady that waited on me did a great job. I’ll make this place a regular stop when I come to the valley.

The Junction is definitely owned and run by Aggies, but it’s still a great place in spite of it.
I’ve been frequenting this Pharr landmark with my family since I was a little girl and very little has changed since. Think of it as a Mexican-​American old timey diner. Huge stacks of buttermilk pancakes and bacon next to big bowls of homemade menudo and tortillas.
Honest low prices, late hours on the weekends and down home cooking. Give this place a try for your next Saturday brunch.

I wasn’t expecting much but what I got was fresh Mexican food. Thinking that Mike just went on a bad day. The server was kind, when I asked her what was good she said it all was then I asked her what she eats and she said the Tex Mex Special. It was too much food but very good. The price was reasonable and service was excellent though they did have Fox News on the tele and that just about made we walk out.

This definitely hit the spot late at night. They a lot of different items on their menu which all sounded so good. I settled on the Taco Salad with beef fajitas which was pretty good, however my husband and sister in law weren’t fans. My sister in law got the bacon cheeseburger with fries. I guess she’s a veteran and always orders the same thing. It don’t normally like my burgers well done but it was still very good and the fries were delicious. My husband got the fajitas nachos. I wasn’t able to try them since he was guarding them with his free hand, I guess that means there were delicious though! The only downside is that they only had one waitress (but we did go late at night and she was very friendly). It is a very nice little café and I can’t wait to visit it again.

If the newly remodeled décor doesn’t make you ooo and ahhh the food certainly will, from breakfast waffles the size of your head, and enchilada plates that make you lick the plate clean your certain to come back for more. On the weekends they are open 24 hours so be sure to hit this gem after the bars. Oh and on Saturdays they have unlimited refills of Menudo which they never skimp on! All in all this place is good from morning till night!