This place deserves so much credit full stop, but especially in comparison with the rest of Marfa. They are so consistent and dependable when very few other establishments are - if they say they’ll be open, they will.
Beyond that, their food quality is phenomenal.
The staff are lovely and competent. The space is delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Damon Routzhan
Been 2 and a half years since I was here last, and last time I was in Marfa, I think I ate here 3 times (Fibi was a great server)…
This time? Basically told to leave right when we sat down. Recent reviews seem to be pretty clear the service has gone downhill. Sad to see the fall from grace!
Ron Shipp
Rude,unprofessional, mean spirited staff. Wow, and I mean wow! I’ve eaten at some of the finest restaurants in the world on several continents and some of the best/worst dive bars in the world and can safely say I’ve never been treated so poorly.
We walk up to a busy patio but with several open tables looking for a hostess. A young man who was sitting alone and finishing a beer spoke up and kindly offered us his table saying he was just waiting for his food and would move to another empty table (which we could not sit at because there was a large dog at a table beside it and we had a small dog). The kind young man said he’d let the hostess know we were here.
All seemed fine until the hostess/waitress/boss (or possibly owner) came over and explained that they had a waiting list and people waiting for a table. My reply was “my apologies we didn’t know.” She said she’d put us on the waiting list and would be right back. She ran off before we could say another word. She comes back with a guest to sit at the table and seems annoyed we were still there. We apologize once again and stepped aside. We go looking for the waiting area (on the far side from where we walked up originally). After about 10 minutes I wander over to her and ask politely about how long the wait list is. Her reply “about 30 minutes.” To which I responded, “No problem.” We wait patiently while the two or three parties ahead of us are seated as tables become available.
We continue to patiently wait and watch a large group of possibly 15 people pay and leave. The “hostess” patiently cleaned and arranged the tables occasionally giving us a bit of side eye. Two separate times younger employees come up seeing us waiting so long, with now multiple empty tables on the patio and inside, asking if we’d been helped. We we said we were waiting for table on the patio they smiled and offered to help. But each one went to the hostess and then walked away with a strange expression. I’m not a lip reader but it was obvious the hostess was instructing them not to seat us or to make us wait. She then went about casually finishing bussing and rearranging tables inside. After every single other thing that could have been done was done then she then finally arranging a table outside for us.
A Jr. waitress seated us and brought water. We sat there some additional time without being tended to and finally got up and left.
I will say that at no point was I anything other than polite and all three very short interactions I had with this individual and she was quite rude. I was willing to write that off as it being a stressful night with large tables (I understand the stresses of the service industry) but when it became clear she was intentionally not seating us even though things calmed down and then appeared to instruct other employees to delay seating us that was simply intentionally mean spirited.
And all of this happened because a young man greeted us and politely said to take his table and he would let the hostess know. Props to the polite young man. But whatever major malfunction the hostess (manager or owner or whoever) was having was simply unnecessary and unprofessional.
There was plenty of wonderful places to eat in Marfa go to any of them but don’t bother with this one. Oh the food smelled good but nothing could overcome the rotten stench of this individual.
William Wigfield
Great burgers and wine if the best fries I've had in a long time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Andrew Crandall
I had a very bad experience here, that might not be typical of their usual operation. They did have a particularly large party that was straining their staff. I was seated near the door that was wide open even though it was a particularly cold evening. I ordered chips and queso, and was surprised they didn't have salsa or anything to dip the chips in (which was frustrating because my food didn't come for over an hour after I ordered). The quality of the food was quite bad. The steak I ordered was not prepared anywhere close to what I asked for. Drinks weren't served in time to be enjoyed with the meal. The french fries were the limpest, oily-est things I've ever been served. And all of this for a $125 tab (one person). I don't live in Marfa proper, but an adjacent town. But I do consider myself a local by west TX standards. Overall, a really awful and expensive experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
David \u0026 Lorie Smith
Great experience and wonderfully food. The playlist took me back in time. Could not recommend more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Greg Messina
The food was absolutely amazing. Atmosphere is very comfortable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Anderson
We were passing through, and wanted a quick bite. I read all of the reviews here, the good, bad and ugly. We were seated immediately at 6pm, on a Saturday. Everyone was friendly, and our food came out quickly. My burger was flat out amazing. House made bun, cooked great and all of the flavors worked well. We had a cheesecake for desert. This was another home run.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
alan senn
Our first time here. They food is very good. We absolutely loved the ambiance and laid back atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jose Remarez
The food was genuinely good and seemed fresh and flavorful. Unique twist on the Starr burger and fries hit the spot, the dip with chips was a nice touch.
That said, it’s a little on the pricey side for being South West Texas. I get that Marfa attracts a different kind of crowd then most rural Texas towns do, so the prices and style make sense in that context.
Service was just okay. It wasn’t rude, but it did feel a bit cold and detached more like something you’d expect in a big city than a small Texas town.
Overall, good food and a decent experience, but a warmer welcome would go a long way in making it feel worth the trip.
While the food was pretty tasty, our server pointedly misgendered my wife and was rude to our entire party. If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, the Water Stop does not want your business. Please avoid to keep yourself safe.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Richard Nohe
We had dinner, burgers with fries and beer. The place has a cool vibe, like most places in Marfa. The service was a little slow but okay, and the burgers were good. The fries were a bit too soggy for me, but some people like them that way. A little pricey for what you get, but overall the atmosphere made it worthwhile.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Burger, Burger and Fries
Alice Gruber
I had the steak frites, and it was so yummy. We also ordered the caprese salad to share. My friends also loved their orders. Great service. Large portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
james davis
Stopped in on the way to Big Bend. Atmosphere was awesome, chicken sandwich was on point and service was amazing. Will stop again on the next trip to try more of the food.
This place deserves so much credit full stop, but especially in comparison with the rest of Marfa. They are so consistent and dependable when very few other establishments are - if they say they’ll be open, they will.
Beyond that, their food quality is phenomenal.
The staff are lovely and competent. The space is delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been 2 and a half years since I was here last, and last time I was in Marfa, I think I ate here 3 times (Fibi was a great server)…
This time? Basically told to leave right when we sat down. Recent reviews seem to be pretty clear the service has gone downhill. Sad to see the fall from grace!
Rude,unprofessional, mean spirited staff. Wow, and I mean wow! I’ve eaten at some of the finest restaurants in the world on several continents and some of the best/worst dive bars in the world and can safely say I’ve never been treated so poorly.
We walk up to a busy patio but with several open tables looking for a hostess. A young man who was sitting alone and finishing a beer spoke up and kindly offered us his table saying he was just waiting for his food and would move to another empty table (which we could not sit at because there was a large dog at a table beside it and we had a small dog). The kind young man said he’d let the hostess know we were here.
All seemed fine until the hostess/waitress/boss (or possibly owner) came over and explained that they had a waiting list and people waiting for a table. My reply was “my apologies we didn’t know.” She said she’d put us on the waiting list and would be right back. She ran off before we could say another word. She comes back with a guest to sit at the table and seems annoyed we were still there. We apologize once again and stepped aside. We go looking for the waiting area (on the far side from where we walked up originally). After about 10 minutes I wander over to her and ask politely about how long the wait list is. Her reply “about 30 minutes.” To which I responded, “No problem.” We wait patiently while the two or three parties ahead of us are seated as tables become available.
We continue to patiently wait and watch a large group of possibly 15 people pay and leave. The “hostess” patiently cleaned and arranged the tables occasionally giving us a bit of side eye. Two separate times younger employees come up seeing us waiting so long, with now multiple empty tables on the patio and inside, asking if we’d been helped. We we said we were waiting for table on the patio they smiled and offered to help. But each one went to the hostess and then walked away with a strange expression.
I’m not a lip reader but it was obvious the hostess was instructing them not to seat us or to make us wait. She then went about casually finishing bussing and rearranging tables inside. After every single other thing that could have been done was done then she then finally arranging a table outside for us.
A Jr. waitress seated us and brought water. We sat there some additional time without being tended to and finally got up and left.
I will say that at no point was I anything other than polite and all three very short interactions I had with this individual and she was quite rude. I was willing to write that off as it being a stressful night with large tables (I understand the stresses of the service industry) but when it became clear she was intentionally not seating us even though things calmed down and then appeared to instruct other employees to delay seating us that was simply intentionally mean spirited.
And all of this happened because a young man greeted us and politely said to take his table and he would let the hostess know. Props to the polite young man. But whatever major malfunction the hostess (manager or owner or whoever) was having was simply unnecessary and unprofessional.
There was plenty of wonderful places to eat in Marfa go to any of them but don’t bother with this one. Oh the food smelled good but nothing could overcome the rotten stench of this individual.
Great burgers and wine if the best fries I've had in a long time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I had a very bad experience here, that might not be typical of their usual operation. They did have a particularly large party that was straining their staff. I was seated near the door that was wide open even though it was a particularly cold evening. I ordered chips and queso, and was surprised they didn't have salsa or anything to dip the chips in (which was frustrating because my food didn't come for over an hour after I ordered). The quality of the food was quite bad. The steak I ordered was not prepared anywhere close to what I asked for. Drinks weren't served in time to be enjoyed with the meal. The french fries were the limpest, oily-est things I've ever been served. And all of this for a $125 tab (one person). I don't live in Marfa proper, but an adjacent town. But I do consider myself a local by west TX standards. Overall, a really awful and expensive experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great experience and wonderfully food. The playlist took me back in time. Could not recommend more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was absolutely amazing. Atmosphere is very comfortable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were passing through, and wanted a quick bite. I read all of the reviews here, the good, bad and ugly. We were seated immediately at 6pm, on a Saturday. Everyone was friendly, and our food came out quickly. My burger was flat out amazing. House made bun, cooked great and all of the flavors worked well. We had a cheesecake for desert. This was another home run.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our first time here. They food is very good. We absolutely loved the ambiance and laid back atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was genuinely good and seemed fresh and flavorful. Unique twist on the Starr burger and fries hit the spot, the dip with chips was a nice touch.
That said, it’s a little on the pricey side for being South West Texas. I get that Marfa attracts a different kind of crowd then most rural Texas towns do, so the prices and style make sense in that context.
Service was just okay. It wasn’t rude, but it did feel a bit cold and detached more like something you’d expect in a big city than a small Texas town.
Overall, good food and a decent experience, but a warmer welcome would go a long way in making it feel worth the trip.
Maybe next time.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Bowl was exquisite, good service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While the food was pretty tasty, our server pointedly misgendered my wife and was rude to our entire party. If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, the Water Stop does not want your business. Please avoid to keep yourself safe.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
We had dinner, burgers with fries and beer. The place has a cool vibe, like most places in Marfa. The service was a little slow but okay, and the burgers were good. The fries were a bit too soggy for me, but some people like them that way. A little pricey for what you get, but overall the atmosphere made it worthwhile.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Burger, Burger and Fries
I had the steak frites, and it was so yummy. We also ordered the caprese salad to share. My friends also loved their orders. Great service. Large portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped in on the way to Big Bend. Atmosphere was awesome, chicken sandwich was on point and service was amazing. Will stop again on the next trip to try more of the food.
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