South Houston, Texas · Est. 1952
City Cafe
A South Houston tradition for more than 70 years.
Big breakfasts, Texas comfort food, hot coffee and the kind of place people keep coming back to.
513 College Ave · South Houston, Texas
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Today at City Cafe
What's cooking today?
The plates people drive for
Come hungry.
This is breakfast and comfort food built for an appetite. City Cafe cooks from its longtime home on College Avenue in South Houston, with a full breakfast and lunch menu plus rotating daily plates.
Chicken Fried Steak
Lightly battered beef cutlet, deep fried and smothered with our special country gravy. $15.00 with rolls or corn bread and two sides.
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Chicken with Waffle
Three chicken strips with a golden malted waffle, French toast or two pancakes. $11.50.
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Golden Brown Pancakes
One, two or three off the griddle, from $6.00. Add bacon, sausage or ham.
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Biscuits & Gravy
$6.50, or $7.50 with sausage gravy or chorizo gravy.
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Half Pound Burgers
Fresh ground chuck with fries or chips, from $11.00. The Hangover Burger comes with grilled jalapeños, ham and avocado.
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Steam Table Plates
A different lineup every weekday, from roast beef to chicken and dumplings to Friday prime rib.
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A South Houston original
Some places become part of the neighborhood.
For more than 70 years, people have come through City Cafe for breakfast, lunch, coffee and conversation. Families, shift workers, retirees and first-timers end up in the same booths, ordering off the same menu.
It isn't a concept. It's a restaurant that stayed open long enough to become part of how South Houston eats.
Our story →Order with confidence
First time here?
Here's where to start.
I want the classic City Cafe experience
The plates this kitchen has been turning out on College Avenue for decades.
- Chicken Fried Steak, $15.00, with rolls or corn bread and two sides
- Biscuits & Gravy, $6.50
- Two Eggs any style with bacon or sausage, $9.75
Kept open, year after year
City Cafe through the years
1952
City Cafe Opens on College Avenue
City Cafe opened in South Houston in 1952. The founding year is still painted on the awning at 513 College Ave.
The Sign
The Starburst on College Avenue
The starburst City Cafe sign became the landmark people navigate by, and it still marks the building today.
Today
Still Serving South Houston
City Cafe serves breakfast and lunch six days a week at 513 College Ave, with a full menu and a steam table that changes by the day.
Visiting the Hobby Airport area
In town? Eat somewhere that actually feels like Houston.
City Cafe sits in South Houston, the small city tucked between Houston and the Hobby Airport area. If you'd rather have a real breakfast or a plate of comfort food than another terminal sandwich, this is the kind of place worth the short drive.
Community archive
Have a City Cafe memory?
Some of the best parts of City Cafe aren't written on the menu. Help us preserve the stories that happened here.
Know what's for lunch.
Get City Cafe specials, holiday hours and occasional hometown updates.
513 College Ave
Your table's waiting.
City Cafe513 College Ave, South Houston, TX 77587
713-944-3710Hours, parking and FAQs →