These Are HANDS DOWN The Best Lunch Places In Waco
Lunch is the overlooked meal of the day, which makes me sad. Why? Lunch is awesome! It’s the perfect place and time to reset and re-charge in the middle of the day. It’s an opportunity to connect (with a lunch date) or calm your mind (by eating solo), plus there are SO many great lunch places in Waco that are worth checking out.
Ha - have I gotten you excited about lunch yet?! Here are some of my favorite places to get lunch in Waco. Feel free to use the map below to find one close to you.
About me: I’m Kelsey, a bestselling travel book author and the creator of 3 Texas travel websites. As a native Texan, I spend my own time and money exploring this state to help millions of readers find the best food, things to do, places to stay in Austin and beyond. Check out my other sites: TheSanAntonioThings.com and TheAustinThings.com!
Best Lunch Spots in Waco
1. Cha Community
This Taiwanese fast-casual restaurant + boba tea shop is amazing! They’re a locally-owned spot with an adorable storefront in downtown Waco. The menu is small, but they have a yummy selection of steamed buns, dumplings, and Chinese pork bowls with rice, kimchi, and a sugary-sweet cucumber salad.
Cha Community has a lot of tables in their cozy coffee shop space, so it’s a wonderful place to dine-in (or maybe bring a laptop to get some work done), but you can also order ahead for a carry-out lunch meal.
WEBSITE | 1001 Franklin Avenue Waco, Texas 76701
2. Union Hall
Looking for a group lunch spot in Waco? Go to Union Hall. It’s this big food hall in downtown Waco with more than a dozen fantastic eateries including Whizzbang’s burgers, a couple pizza spots, delicious ramen, and so much more.
Union Hall is a great place if you’re new to Waco and want to check out a couple restaurants in one visit. You just walk up to any counter and order, so you can try a few different restaurants in one meal!
WEBSITE | 720 Franklin Ave, Waco, TX 76701, United States
3. Alpha and Omega Grill & Bakery
Alpha and Omega is quite possibly the best Greek food in Waco, and it’s open for lunch! This is another fast-casual lunch restaurant where you’ll order at the counter and seat yourself. The house-made pitas are incredible and very budget-friendly. If you want to get something more decadent, be sure to try those Greek fries!
WEBSITE | 929 Franklin Ave, Waco, TX 76701, United States
4. Cafe Homestead
Café Homestead is a restaurant located on this traditional farming homestead just north of Waco. They serve fresh, seasonal food, which is often grown on-site. It’s a beautiful space (the older Café Homestead from the 1990s burned down recently, and this new build is bigger and even prettier!) and makes for a lovely place for a slow, relaxed lunch.
WEBSITE | 608 Dry Creek Rd, Waco, TX 76705, United States
5. Terry Black’s BBQ
Terry Black’s is one of the newest barbecue spots in Waco, and they opened in an incredible downtown space with indoor/outdoor dining. This is an all-day BBQ spot, which is kind of rare….most barbecue joints close down when they sell out around 3 pm. But you can get those famous dinosaur ribs, smoked brisket, and house made sausages all day every day at Terry Black’s. Psst: this is another excellent Waco restaurant for a big group.
WEBSITE | 228 S 8th St, Waco, TX 76701, United States
6. Cajun Craft
Waco’s best Cajun food is available for lunch at Cajun Craft, a small restaurant on the southern edge of downtown Waco. They have a daily rotating lunch special from 11 am - 3 pm daily, and it includes a drink.
Don’t want to stick with the daily special? Order off the regular menu for the best fried baskets, po’boys, gumbo, and fried chicken in Waco! {Photo: Arezu A., Yelp}
WEBSITE | 601 S 11th St, Waco, TX 76706, United States
7. Harvest on 25th
One of the best healthy restaurants in Waco, Harvest on 25th is open through the lunch rush and closes daily at 3 pm. This is a small counter-service restaurant offering delicious salads, rice bowls, burgers, tacos, and artisan pizzas. They have some healthy grab-and-go drinks like kombucha and sparkling water, the most delicious house-made pastries and treats.
WEBSITE | 112 N 25th St, Waco, TX 76710, United States
9. Southern Roots Brewing Co.
Another excellent pizza restaurant in Waco, Southern Roots Brewing Co sells small, individual-sized pizzas for both lunch and dinner. They have creative toppings (and creative pizza names - lookin’ at you “The Pig and the Preacher”) and, of course, delicious beer brewed on-site.
WEBSITE | 219 N 8th St, Waco, TX 76701, United States
10. Schmaltz’s Sandwich Shop
Schmaltz’s is one of Waco’s longest-running sandwich shops, since 1975. These uniquely round sandwiches have won over the hearts of Wacoans because of the homemade bread, baked fresh every morning. The lunch rush gets CRAZY at Schmaltz’s, so pick up the phone and place your order 30 minutes before you want it. (No online ordering here – it’s an old-school place.)
WEBSITE | 105 South 5th Street
11. Food Trucks at the Silos
If you’re a tourist visiting Magnolia Market, there are lots of great food trucks at the silos! From pizza to burgers to artisan hot dogs, you’re sure to find something yummy to eat. Psst: here’s a weekend guide to Magnolia Market, and a bunch of cute places to stay near the Silos.
12. Magnolia Table
Magnolia Table is Chip and Joanna Gaines’s farmhouse-style restaurant. It’s an 8-minute drive from the silos at Magnolia Market, but it’s worth a visit if you love Joanna Gaines’s signature style and you want a fresh, hearty lunch like burgers, cobb salads, and chicken salad sandwiches. They’re open every day for lunch except Sundays.
WEBSITE | 2132 S Valley Mills Dr, Waco, TX 76706, United States
13. Milo
For something just a bit more upscale than the fast-casual restaurants listed on this guide, head to Milo. It’s a bright and vibrant American restaurant with southern influences, so you’ll find lots of hearty salads, a yummy fried chicken sandwich, an absolutely amazing burger, and plenty of exciting starters and sides to share.
WEBSITE | 1020 Franklin Ave, Waco, TX 76701, United States
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