R Lux is more than a charcuterie but the clue is in the name, expect "luxury" pricing in this prime location in the far southside of Abilene

This weekend gave my friend's and myself a chance to celebrate a birthday and try out a new restaurant/lounge in town. There has been a lot of buzz about it, both positive and negative. They have been open for two and a half months, so we figured most of the starting bumps had been smoothed out at this point. I believe they began as just a charcuterie caterer before opening a brick and mortar restaurant. There is only one charcuterie option on the menu and it is not cheap.

We arrived shortly after they opened and were seated quickly. The place had a nice vibe but it seemed more like a lounge than a sit-down restaurant since most of the tables were not particularly large. There are two big rooms that make up the space and we were put in the one that had the bar in it. The decor was primarily black/gray, gold, and green. The music that was playing was 80s, which we all enjoyed.

R Lux--south side of the restaurant

The hostess brought us some menus and water for the table. The server came to the table about 10 minutes later. We had some questions about the food and drinks, our server let us know she was new and would get the information we needed. Certainly, we understand when a person is just starting that there will be gaps in training but these would become more evident through the meal, particularly related to timing. 

Chips and dips

We ordered some more water for the table and began to look at the menu. About 10 minutes later the server returned to answer our questions so we ordered an appetizer of chips and dip which consisted of tortilla chips, queso, salsa, and guacamole ($14) and some adult beverages were also ordered from the bar.

Margarita--no salt

The wait for the appetizer was about 15 minutes with an additional 5 after that for the drinks to arrive. The guacamole was fresh and quite tasty, as was queso, though it had cooled enough to develop a "skin" on it. The salsa was served warm and had a heat to it which was quite good. Each of the dips came in a ramikan that held about 1/3 of a cup of the dip in each one. We ate the chips and dips and proceed to wait another 20 minutes for our server to return so we could order our meals. We had been in the restaurant almost an hour at that point. They were not particulary busy but there did seem to be a staffing issue due to the wait time involved. Fortunately, we were not under a time crunch but we were quite hungry at this point as most of us had skipped breakfast. 

 

Lux Pasta

As for the drinks, the margarita ($7) was pronounced delicious. As good as anyone had before in Abilene, if not better. The other alcoholic beverages were fine but not as impressive as the margarita and for the most part more expensive. 

For my main, I ordered the R Lux pasta ($19) without any meat added, the birthday girl had the Nashville Hot Chicken ($19) which came with cole slaw and fries, and two people ordered off the summer menu and had the Lux Stuffed Avocado which was two halves of an avocado with a scoop of dill chicken salad on each ($18). The food took about 15-20 minutes to arrive. 

The food quality was very good. The parmesan cream sauce with spinach, cherry tomatoes, and a hint of red pepper flakes for spice on the linguine pasta had a lot of garlic as well, so be warned. The sauce definitely tasted house-made. The pasta portion was generous, so I took home the leftovers. The slices of bread on it were more for looks than taste as they were dry. Overall, I was pleased with the dish.

The avocado with chicken salad was heavy on the dill but the menu does indicate that the dill is featured. The presentation was very nice, though a retangular plate can cause an issue when trying to cut the avocado. Both individals finished their meal. The avocado was perfectly ripe and if you like dill, the chicken salad was good.

The Nashville hot chicken was breaded in panko crumbs and fried. The flavor profile did have some spice to it but was more on the sweet side than expected. Also, the chicken itself was in need of some salt, so most of the flavor was coming from the breading. The cole slaw was crunchy and had a nice flavor, and fries were crispy just how the person likes them. 

During the meal, we did have to ask for our water to be refilled, and a second round of drinks for a couple of us took a very long time to arrive. At the point we were paying out we had been there for almost 2 hours. We were paying separately and the checks has to be re-done as well. 

The server did her best but I think the restaurant suffers from a lack of training when it comes to some of the employees or a scheduling issue as to how many are working at any given time. We did see the manager and she came to our table to help clear some dishes. We were asked at one point if we were enjoying our meals. As you might surmise, a couple of the separate checks has to be re-done. On the whole we were happy with the food but it should not take 2 hours to finish lunch due to staffing, which I believe is a management issue, more than then the server, in this case. 

You should expect the price points on the menu to be on the level of the other higher end places in Abilene such as the Taylor County Taphouse, Copper Creek, or Cypress Street Station. Check out the menu on their FB page. Currently, their website has no useful information on it. Hopefully, the training of staff and having enough of them on the floor will improve, even at "non-peak" times like a Friday or Saturday night.  

Next time I go, the fried green tomatoes and the goat cheese appetizers are on my list. 

R Lux

6838 S Clack Suite 6, Abilene, TX, United States, 79606

325-455-RLUX

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559198378362

Hours

Monday CLOSED

Tuesday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Wednesday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Friday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Gloria's Grill is a SODA district staple with big homestyle burgers served weekdays at lunch

Gloria's Grill is a lunch spot open Monday-Friday located just west of the Taylor County Courthouse. It is locally owned and has been around for decades. People who work in the area are loyal customers of Gloria's.

About a year and a half ago, they closed up shop and retired. However, the reopened again after a break and customers were flocking back there for their mid-day burger break. Other menu options include taco salad, hot dogs, Frito pie, and a BLT.  You can get fries or tater tots as a side. They keep the menu simple, but the folks I saw eating there seem perfectly happy with that.

There was also a nice cross section of Abilenians eating inside due to the restaurant's location. Orders are placed at the counter. 

I got a cheeseburger and fries combo which was $15.50. I cannot recall if the drink came with it or not. It is true that the price is not inexpensive but it is not a small burger. In fact, the combo I ate kept my hunger at bay for the rest of the day, I skipped dinner.

The buns on the burger had been toasted on the grill which is always a plus, and the meat was juicy without being super greasy. It was a really good hamburger. The fries were also cooked to crispy perfection. I am not a fan of limp, undercooked french fries. 

The service was friendly and the food was hot and satifying. It took a few minutes for the food to arrive but there is no doubt it was cooked fresh.

It is a positive action to support our Abilene business owners, so give Gloria's Grill a try the next time you find yourself in the downtown or south of downtown area during the week at lunchtime. 

Gloria's Grill

228 Chestnut St. 

Abilene, TX 79602

325-675-5105

https://www.facebook.com/p/Glorias-Grill-100063715860276/

Hours:

M-F 10:30am-2pm

Chuy's has arrived in Abilene--get ready for the creamy jalapeno sauce!

Chuy's Tex Mex has arrived in Abilene! I usually do not focus much on chain restaurants but the arrival of Chuy's has been much anticipated locally and since they opened they have been swamped with customers since they opened almost 3 weeks ago.

Pico de gallo or salsa? Something is off.

My first visit to Chuy's was about 30 years ago at the original Barton Springs Rd. location in Austin, TX. This was long before their acquisition by Darden Restaurants (owners of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and others) in 2024. It was  positive experience and I do recall the cart with all the salsa and chips. The last time I went to a Chuy's was in Waco about 8 years ago. From that visit, I remember eating a lot of the creamy, spicy jalapeno dip with my chips and having a meal with the famous Boom Boom sauce but what I most remember is that I was tired that evening and so full after dinner that I went to bed almost immediately after getting to the hotel. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I went to Chuy's at 2:45pm to meet a friend for either a late lunch or early supper...lupper? It was a 25 minute wait for a table for two. Even at that time of day there were still several people waiting to be seated. Abilene folks have a tendency to overwhelm new places in town, especially when they are chains that people have been looking forward to having locally available. It was a nice day to sit outside, so the wait was not terribly inconvenient. There was not a lot of space in the entry for people to wait but there are benches outside and they had also put out dining chairs on the sidewalk as well.  Once you are on the waiting list, you get a text when your table is ready. The waitlist option on the website is not active for Abilene yet.  

Chicken Flautas dinner

Once we were seated, we were greeted fairly quickly by our server and the chips and salsa arrived. The salsa looked very anemic. It was more like a watery pico de gallo rather than salsa. It was a disappointment. When we asked our server about it she said that it looks that way when it comes out of the freezer before it has a chance to thaw and get more red. I am not sure about that. Perhaps they ran out of regular salsa and had to substitute something similar. By the way, it is absolutely not uncommon for there to be supply issues when a new place gets hit as hard as they do when they come to Abilene. The demand here is unexpected.for most of them. However, once we asked for the creamy jalapeno dip, that helped us have something better in which to dip the tortilla chips. It is very tasty with a nice kick. 

For my meal, I ordered the chicken flautas dinner. It came with six good sized flautas, rice, refried beans, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and chopped tomatoes. You can choose between the traditional Spanish rice or green chile rice. I went for the green chile and it was perfectly fine but a bit blander than I expected from something with green chili in it. The refried beans tasted like they came from a can. I was put in mind of either Old El Paso or Gebhardt brand canned beans by the color and consistancy...will not be ordering any bean based dishes at Chuy's in the future. However, I was impressed with the chicken flautas which had cheese as well as white meat chicken on the inside. The outer part was perfectly fried. The chicken was moist and there was plenty of it. Frequently, flautas come out dry and overcooked in a lot of places. I was only able to eat 4 of the 6 on the plate so the portions were generous and worth the cost. The guacamole was also a standout. Not too much onion or lime, very fresh and flavorful. 

Enchilada (no cheese) and taco plate

My friend ordered the enchilada and crispy beef taco dinner. It also came with rice and refried beans. She opted for the traditional Spanish rice. Since she is lactose intolerant she substituted a beef enchilada for the default cheese one and got the regular ranchero sauce on top. She liked the taste of the ground beef in her taco and enchilada but was not crazy about the sauce on top of the enchilada. The dinner was adequate but nothing to "write home about" in the end. 

Both of our dinners were between $11-$12 each which was at the lower end of the cost spectrum. The price point was very reasonable for the amount of food we were given. Menu prices on the website for pick up or delivery do not match the printed menus inside. Dine in was a little bit less expensive. There is a weekday happy hour from 3pm-6pm with drink and appetizer specials.

Service was just fine considering how busy they were in the middle of the afternoon and considering most of the servers were likely new hires. There were plenty of workers on hand to keep things moving along. The inside of the building has fit as many tables as possible so it does have a bit of a cramped feel to it and there is the usual eclectic Chuy's decor. 

All in all the experience had some hits and misses. They deserve some grace since they have not even been open a month. As I love Tex-Mex food, I am sure I will return once the hub bub has died down and the wait times are not as long. I just hope they fix the salsa situation before next time but at least the creamy jalapeno was as good as I remember. 

Chuy's

4104 S. Clack St.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-237-1113

Located at the Mall of Abilene

Website: https://www.chuys.com/home

Hours:

Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm

Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries (and homemade steak fingers too) is popular with a lot of folks!

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries has been in Abilene for a very long time. They once had several locations in town but are now down to only one located on S. Pioneer Dr. between S. 1st and S. 7th streets. They are a real hometown spot with some devoted customers.

Steak finger dinner with onion rings ($2 upcharge)

As the name indicates they have burgers and handcut french fries but the items that most people rave about are the steak fingers.

The parking lot was full at 12:30pm when I arrived. It looked like a lot of "regulars" were enjoying their lunch. Orders are taken at the counter and they will bring out your food when it is ready. Service was extra friendly. Also, even though it was the lunch rush, the food came out fairly quickly. The people working were on the ball. 

My friend and I both ordered the steak fingers dinner which comes with fries. I substituted onion rings for the fries which was a $2 upcharge. They are also made on the premises. The steak fingers are huge! They are not the pre-made frozen ones you get a most fast food places.

The steak finger dinner also comes with Texas toast, white gravy, and a drink. The meal also come with ice cream but I did not have room for it at the end. I paid just over $20 for my lunch but it will easily be two meals for me. The fingers are basically a chicken fried steak cut into thirds.You can also just order a chicken fried steak if you do not want it cut up. I doubt anyone is still hungry if they finish the entire plate. It is a lot of food.

The peppery batter is thick but there was still plenty of meat. The meat was tenderized well but could have used a bit more seasoning. The same batter was used on the onion rings, which did kind of overwhelm the vegetable a bit. The slice of onion could have been a bit thicker to stand up to the batter. All that being said, I was only able to eat one piece of meat and three onion rings before I was completely full.  

By the way, the hamburgers are pretty good as well, so the next time you are in the mood for some old-fashioned homestyle fried food or a burger, give them a shot. 

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries

302 S. Pioneer Dr.

Abilene, TX 79605

325-793-2706

Hours:

Mon-Sat 11am-8pm

https://www.facebook.com/RickandCarolyns/

Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs--something a little different to enjoy

Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs has been around for quite a while in Abilene. I have eaten there several times. It is located in the shopping center that is on the corner of Ridgemont and Rebecca Ln. 

The place is family-owned so you are eating local when you go there and they deserve our support.

Chicken gyro and fries

I often suggest it to friends who need to avoid gluten because you can get salads, falafels, and fresh hummus there. I am also unaware of any place in town that currenty serves dolmas (stuffed grape leaves). 

Service was friendly and expedient. Order at the counter, and they will bring it out. The place was very clean.

In the past, I have had both the traditional meat combo of lamb and beef and the chicken for a gyro. The chicken is well-seasoned but a bit dry, probably because of the cooking method since it sears the skin on the meat. The lamb/beef is also tasty and is more tender. Either option will give you more than enough for a meal. I usually eat half and have the other half later. 

The tzatziki sauce is house-made with sour cream or very thick yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice with dill.  I think the herb I was tasting was dill. It is a great compliment to the meat.

Recently, I ordered the special which was a gyro, fries, and a drink for $12.00. I did get an extra side of tzatziki sauce for the fries and an additional drink for my mom but the total was still very reasonable. The vegetables on the sandwich were fresh. I am a very big fan of the seasoned fries and the falafels as well. The only time I have ever been disappoionted there was when my fries did not come out hot once. 

Do not miss the baklava for dessert but there are other options as well, such as cheesecake. 

While we were eating in, I noticed people who had called in an order for pick-up but several others were eating in the restaurant on a Saturday at lunch time. 

I highly recommend you give Niko's a try, especially when you want something a bit different than the usuals in Abilene.  

Hours:

Sun and Monday CLOSED

Tuesday-Saturday 11am-8pm

Check their Facebook page for potential hours changes.

Address:

3354 Rebecca Ln.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-701-9902

Online presence:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Nikos-100051088793547/

Website address listed on FB was a dead-end.

Bill's Burger old fashioned drive-in burger joint that I've been going to since childhood

 Bill's Burger is a long-time Abilene burger spot. They keep things simple--only open for lunch, relatively small menu so that the food is done in a timely manner for folks who only have an hour for lunch, and local owners that treat their customers well...you can tell there are "regulars" that get there fast food fix at Bill's. They are only open for lunch from 10:30am-2:30pm Monday-Friday. They take cash or card.

"Baby" burger

They are located on the corner of S. 11th St. and Oak St. whichi is a couple of blocks to the west of Treadaway Blvd. You order at the window or can call in for a take-out order. The building may not look like much on the outside but they proudly display their "A" rating health inspection which if you follow such things is consistant for them. 

I put in my order and it was ready in less than 10 minutes. Service was efficient and friendly.

The "baby" burger that I ordered was the size of a Whopper Jr. or Whataburger Jr. but with a thicker patty than either of those. There are also regular and large size burger options, and you can get double meat too. I got the combo which included fries (they were using Ore-Ida crinkle cut ones today) and a small soda. It was more than enough to fill me up for $9 plus tax ($9.74 to be exact.) The lettuce and tomato on the burger were fresh, the lettuce had a crunch to it. The bun had been buttered and put on the flat top so it had a nice toast on it which always adds to the taste. There were pickles but I had them leave off the onion. Mustard is my condiment of choice on a burger. The meat was juicy and seasoned but could have used a bit more flavor so I put some black pepper to jazz it up a bit. I also appreciated that the fries were crispy. Sometimes restaurants rush the frying process and the fries come out underdone and wimpy.

There are also hot dogs, corn dogs, steak or chicken fingers, a blt, nachos, tacos, tater tots, onion rings, as well as shakes and malts on the menu. Even a taco salad or tossed salad if you want more greens.

Baby burger combo

All in all Bill's is a great classic drive in burger joint and I am happy they are still in business though I think there is not a "Bill" anymore. If I worked closer to where they are located, I would probably go there too much for my waistline to handle. There are not many places to get a quality lunch for less that $10 nowadays, and I do not mind eating it in my car or sitting in a park enjoying some mild fall weather. 

 Bill's Burger

834 S. 11th St.

Abilene, TX 79602

325-677-8442

Hours:

M-F 10:30am-2:30pm

 

Open or Closed, not sure--Licks and Links- hot dogs and ice cream that are worth the small effort to find

Licks and Links is a new spot in town that has been getting a lot of positive word of mouth lately.

Bare dog with ground mustard, sauerkraut, relish

They are located off of S. 14th and Danville Dr. in the strip center. The same one that has Tokyo and Little Italy. The business offers escape room games and only just recently added food as an option in addition to the games.

The menu is small. There are several types of gourmet style hot dogs, loaded tater tots, and Frito pie on offer. There are also about 8-9 different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, and gelato, all made in house. 

You can order a "flight" of ice cream if you want to try small portions of more than one flavor. 

My mother and I stopped by for a late lunch on a Saturday. Both of use ordered a bare dog ($4) which you could dress by adding up to three condiments which included the usual options of mustard, ketchup, mayo, cheese, relish and onion. I had stone ground mustard, sauerkraut, and dill relish on my hot dog. My mom got regular mustard, shredded cheese, and sweet relish on her dog.

The bun was fresh and soft but frank was the star of the show. All beef with a nice snap to it and the flavor was quite tasty. It certainly satisfied the craving for a good old fashioned hot dog. The meat is cooked on one of those rolling machines with a little oil which browns the outside nicely. 

The menu includes several special hot dogs with lots of interesting toppings which increases the price up to $8, depending on which one you choose. Currently, you can get a chili dog, a "popper" dog, a Thai dog, a Sonora dog, a Mediterranean dog, a slaw dog, or a Jersey shore dog, in addition to the "bare" dog that we ordered. I bet they will have a rotating selection moving forward. 

The loaded tots sound like a meal in themselves and will be on my list to try next time. There is the option to make you meal a combo and add chips and a canned drink for a reasonable upcharge. Currently, there is not a soda fountain.

Bare dog with mustard, relish, and cheese

There were nine options for ice cream. We were too full to indulge but the orange creamsicle flavor sounded good to me. There was also chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, lemon, coffee, and mango. I think other flavors rotate in as well.

My mom and I had lunch of a hot dog each and bottled waters for under $11 with tax, which is pretty unusual nowadays. Service was friendly and attentive. The owners were on site and willing to answer any questions I had about the food. Everything was very clean.  The restaurant part of the location is not really big, about 10-12 tables. The game area takes up the other half of the location. 

Licks and Links is open for lunch Sundays-Thursdays, 11am until 3pm. Open longer hours, until 7pm on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is a little bit hidden since you cannot see them from either S. 14th or Danville, but they are will worth the effort to find them

Licks and Links

1401 S. Danville Dr.

Abilene, TX 79605

(325) 627-8467

https://www.facebook.com/p/Licks-Links-61577774292909/

Hours:

Sunday-Thursday

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Friday & Saturday

11:00 AM - 7:00 PM