On November 18, 2025, I had to inject myself with an EpiPen inside Norma’s Café after being served “vegetable soup” that actually contained chicken stock. I was rushed to the emergency room.
I suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction at Norma’s Café after being served vegetable soup that contained chicken base and stock; despite being told it was vegetable-only and despite the soup being listed on the menu under “A LA CARTE VEGGIES – DAILY.” I have severe protein allergies and carefully asked—in both English and Spanish—whether the soup contained any protein. Since the two soups offered that day were chicken noodle or vegetable soup, there was no confusion about which one I was asking about. I was told it was safe and contained “vegetables only.” Within minutes of eating, my throat became irritated. I called the server back over and asked her to confirm with the cook whether there was any chicken in the soup. My throat began swelling and I struggled to breathe, realizing I was having a severe allergic reaction. I had to inject myself with my EpiPen inside the restaurant — the first time I have ever had to use it on myself. When the server returned, I was wiping tears from my eyes because struggling to breathe is terrifying. She relayed what the cook said in Spanish: “No tiene pedazos de pollo, pero sí tiene caldo y base de pollo.” (There are no pieces of chicken, but it does contain chicken stock and base.) I again explained that I am allergic and had already used my EpiPen. While I was trying to calm down, I observed the server and cook staff laughing behind the pick-up counter. I walked over with the used EpiPen in my hand and told them—in Spanish—that I had just injected myself and that this could kill me. Shortly after, I developed double vision, dizziness, continuous vomiting, and severe shakiness. When my breathing again became labored and my inhaler was not helping, I was rushed to the emergency room. It was terrifying to feel my airway closing and not knowing if the medication would work in time. I spent hours in the ER receiving IV medications and fluids. When I later tried to stand, I experienced an epinephrine crash and needed nurse assistance to get into a wheelchair. Medical records and documentation from the emergency room confirm the allergic reaction occurred after consuming the soup. The events described above are documented in my emergency room medical records and in the written notice I later provided to the restaurant. The effects of this incident did not end that day, and I now require ongoing medical care and monitoring. When I returned to speak with the manager, I was told he had not been informed of the incident and that I would need to speak with the regional manager. After weeks of calls to the regional manager and VP that were not returned, I sent a Notice to Preserve Evidence in hopes that the surveillance footage would document what happened. I received no response. This experience was frightening, traumatic, and completely preventable. Restaurants have a responsibility to provide accurate ingredient information when a customer discloses a serious allergy. Incorrect information in situations like this can have life-threatening consequences, as it did for me. If you have food allergies, please use extreme caution here and verify ingredients carefully before ordering.
Food: 1
Service: 1
James O'keeffe
Menu is a bit dated. If you like plain gravy, this is the place. Servers are very kind and attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
J C
Great home cooking. Very friendly staff & great nostalgic decor. Catfish ( fried & grilled were great . Chicken & dressing was plentiful & tasty. All vegetables were very good. Desserts are always great. Definitely recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Swedish Potato
Excellent southern-style diner. Our waitress, Heather, was very kind, friendly, and welcoming. We had the CBGB and chicken fried steak. Both were great and the sides and bread were good too. The CBGB portion size was very generous, got 3 meals out of it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chloe Buckley
We eat at Norma’s regularly, and I have ordered so many different things- breakfast platters, french toast, club sandwich, meatloaf, monterrey chicken. When I tell you EVERY. SINGLE. THING. has been delicious. I mean it emphatically. I could eat here for every meal and never get tired of it. They have a ton of offerings, all incredible. ♾️/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Frances Martin
The food is fantastic! Very retro atmosphere with awesome antique decor. We love Norma's
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tabatha Smith
Since when does normas add chili powder to their black eyed peas? I got the veggie plate with 2 black eyed peas and they were INEDIBLE! And the broccoli was over cooked and undercooked all at the same time. How can you have bitter, half soggy, half extremely crunchy broccoli?!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mashed Potatoes, Corn Bread and Rolls
Steve Freeman
The chicken fried steak is not enormous as per their description.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Angieee
Service and food is a 5 star review. We have never had an issue coming to this location with any of the servers, they are all amazing , the food quality is always hot and delicious. The one star review goes out to the new manager who is awful to his employees. Went on a Sunday at noon, as you can expect it was busy, not an issue of course, we were seated right away, but at one point one of the servers accidentally dropped some dishes that broke, everyone in the restaurant turned around and the employees played it off clapping, but the way the manager reacted was unnecessary. He literally yelled at the employees in front of everyone and you could see the change of everyone’s faces, and the mood of the restaurant became tense. All the servers still smiled at all their guests and still went above and beyond. The employees cleaning the tables also worked quickly to clean them off. Such a disappointment to see employees being treated that way, especially when we have been coming here for many years and most of the servers have been there for a really long time. This time, there were a lot of new faces, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was because of the manager.
Michelle Ocker Faulkner
Always great food, great service, and great prices!!
Can't believe I didn't find this place until my son's SMU senior year. Great diner food, excellent service, love the Lone Star booths and overall decor -- Don't Mess with Texas!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Liya Solo
I wanted to treat my mom for bf and I don't see the hype. The food was flavorless, idk how it's packed then again it's cheap no quality.
The server, Idk his name white dude with ponytail and black nail polish... that was a sign. He kept touching his nose, put his nasty hands on my cup where I drink from. Does check nor engage. It makes me sad to pay for a food that even a homeless guy wouldn't touch. Def not the worth money. Unless you old amd don't have a sense of taste. Even the food presentation was boring. After telling the manager all they offered was an apology 🙄
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Stephanie Untch
We came here for our first time today and it was so good. Slimy was our waitress and so attentive and sweet. Got the country breakfast and a piece of pie. Biscuits are so good and service was awesome. We will definitely be back.
RWP2
I hate posting this because I love Norma's. But this was the most disappointing experience I've had as far as the food quality. My chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and fried okra were not hot and the batter coating was tough to cut and chew...as though it had been microwaved (not sure how that can be since none of my food was hot). The flavor was still good but the room temperature food was disappointing.
On November 18, 2025, I had to inject myself with an EpiPen inside Norma’s Café after being served “vegetable soup” that actually contained chicken stock. I was rushed to the emergency room.
I suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction at Norma’s Café after being served vegetable soup that contained chicken base and stock; despite being told it was vegetable-only and despite the soup being listed on the menu under “A LA CARTE VEGGIES – DAILY.”
I have severe protein allergies and carefully asked—in both English and Spanish—whether the soup contained any protein. Since the two soups offered that day were chicken noodle or vegetable soup, there was no confusion about which one I was asking about. I was told it was safe and contained “vegetables only.”
Within minutes of eating, my throat became irritated. I called the server back over and asked her to confirm with the cook whether there was any chicken in the soup. My throat began swelling and I struggled to breathe, realizing I was having a severe allergic reaction. I had to inject myself with my EpiPen inside the restaurant — the first time I have ever had to use it on myself.
When the server returned, I was wiping tears from my eyes because struggling to breathe is terrifying. She relayed what the cook said in Spanish:
“No tiene pedazos de pollo, pero sí tiene caldo y base de pollo.”
(There are no pieces of chicken, but it does contain chicken stock and base.)
I again explained that I am allergic and had already used my EpiPen. While I was trying to calm down, I observed the server and cook staff laughing behind the pick-up counter. I walked over with the used EpiPen in my hand and told them—in Spanish—that I had just injected myself and that this could kill me.
Shortly after, I developed double vision, dizziness, continuous vomiting, and severe shakiness. When my breathing again became labored and my inhaler was not helping, I was rushed to the emergency room.
It was terrifying to feel my airway closing and not knowing if the medication would work in time. I spent hours in the ER receiving IV medications and fluids. When I later tried to stand, I experienced an epinephrine crash and needed nurse assistance to get into a wheelchair. Medical records and documentation from the emergency room confirm the allergic reaction occurred after consuming the soup. The events described above are documented in my emergency room medical records and in the written notice I later provided to the restaurant.
The effects of this incident did not end that day, and I now require ongoing medical care and monitoring.
When I returned to speak with the manager, I was told he had not been informed of the incident and that I would need to speak with the regional manager. After weeks of calls to the regional manager and VP that were not returned, I sent a Notice to Preserve Evidence in hopes that the surveillance footage would document what happened. I received no response.
This experience was frightening, traumatic, and completely preventable. Restaurants have a responsibility to provide accurate ingredient information when a customer discloses a serious allergy. Incorrect information in situations like this can have life-threatening consequences, as it did for me.
If you have food allergies, please use extreme caution here and verify ingredients carefully before ordering.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Menu is a bit dated. If you like plain gravy, this is the place. Servers are very kind and attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Great home cooking. Very friendly staff & great nostalgic decor. Catfish ( fried & grilled were great . Chicken & dressing was plentiful & tasty. All vegetables were very good. Desserts are always great. Definitely recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent southern-style diner. Our waitress, Heather, was very kind, friendly, and welcoming. We had the CBGB and chicken fried steak. Both were great and the sides and bread were good too. The CBGB portion size was very generous, got 3 meals out of it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We eat at Norma’s regularly, and I have ordered so many different things- breakfast platters, french toast, club sandwich, meatloaf, monterrey chicken. When I tell you EVERY. SINGLE. THING. has been delicious. I mean it emphatically. I could eat here for every meal and never get tired of it. They have a ton of offerings, all incredible. ♾️/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is fantastic! Very retro atmosphere with awesome antique decor. We love Norma's
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Since when does normas add chili powder to their black eyed peas? I got the veggie plate with 2 black eyed peas and they were INEDIBLE! And the broccoli was over cooked and undercooked all at the same time. How can you have bitter, half soggy, half extremely crunchy broccoli?!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mashed Potatoes, Corn Bread and Rolls
The chicken fried steak is not enormous as per their description.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Service and food is a 5 star review. We have never had an issue coming to this location with any of the servers, they are all amazing , the food quality is always hot and delicious. The one star review goes out to the new manager who is awful to his employees. Went on a Sunday at noon, as you can expect it was busy, not an issue of course, we were seated right away, but at one point one of the servers accidentally dropped some dishes that broke, everyone in the restaurant turned around and the employees played it off clapping, but the way the manager reacted was unnecessary. He literally yelled at the employees in front of everyone and you could see the change of everyone’s faces, and the mood of the restaurant became tense. All the servers still smiled at all their guests and still went above and beyond. The employees cleaning the tables also worked quickly to clean them off. Such a disappointment to see employees being treated that way, especially when we have been coming here for many years and most of the servers have been there for a really long time. This time, there were a lot of new faces, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was because of the manager.
Always great food, great service, and great prices!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Can't believe I didn't find this place until my son's SMU senior year. Great diner food, excellent service, love the Lone Star booths and overall decor -- Don't Mess with Texas!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I wanted to treat my mom for bf and I don't see the hype. The food was flavorless, idk how it's packed then again it's cheap no quality.
The server, Idk his name white dude with ponytail and black nail polish... that was a sign. He kept touching his nose, put his nasty hands on my cup where I drink from. Does check nor engage. It makes me sad to pay for a food that even a homeless guy wouldn't touch. Def not the worth money. Unless you old amd don't have a sense of taste. Even the food presentation was boring. After telling the manager all they offered was an apology 🙄
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We came here for our first time today and it was so good. Slimy was our waitress and so attentive and sweet. Got the country breakfast and a piece of pie. Biscuits are so good and service was awesome. We will definitely be back.
I hate posting this because I love Norma's. But this was the most disappointing experience I've had as far as the food quality. My chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and fried okra were not hot and the batter coating was tough to cut and chew...as though it had been microwaved (not sure how that can be since none of my food was hot). The flavor was still good but the room temperature food was disappointing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Good breakfast and lunch spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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