Spechts Texas
Southern · 112 W Specht Rd, Bulverde, Texas 78260
★★★★½ 1 review(830) 438-1888
Menu Items
Reviews
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Decent Chicken Fried Steaks - Nice Atmosphere in Country Location
First time visiting Spechts Texas, located in Bulverde TX. This small country diner is located on Specht Rd about 10 minutes outside N 1604 on Blanco Rd in San Antonio TX.
Over the past couple years a few people have mentioned this restaurant, usually in response to discussions of chicken fried steak. I finally made it out there to give it a try and of course had to order the chicken fried steak.
The chicken fried steak was good, one of the better ones I've had, it was crispy, with a flavorful breading. The meat inside was still moist, not overcooked, and flavorful. Honestly, it was cooked just right. The chicken fried steak came with 2 sides, and an optional upcharge for onion rings as a side. I went with the onion rings and asparagus.
The asparagus was good, while the portion was a bit small, about 8 skinny sticks, and were not overly soggy or crunchy, and seasoned nicely. The onion rings were crispy and large, battered with a seasoning that gave them a little bit of spice, and served with both ketchup and a white sauce which was delicious.
I asked the waitress for another container of the white sauce which she then referred to as "ranch". I would have never suspected this was ranch, as it had a flavor closer to that of tartar sauce. It had the distinct flavor of garlic and dill, and something a bit gritty in it, maybe grated horseradish... Whatever this sauce was, its something I would purchase if available for sale.
The restaurant also has an outdoor dining area, which I failed to visit, and a bar inside. While we were eating they had live music. A guy was seated on stage outside, playing classic rock, & 80s pop songs on an acoustic guitar. It was rather entertaining to hear these versions of well known songs, but the weather was still chilly and we opted to eat inside where we could still hear the music.
Customer service is where they fell a bit short. We were greeted outside the building, walked in, and seated promptly, which suprised us, since this place was kinda out in the country, and it was dark out. But thats where the excellent service ended. Once seated the person who walked us in, walked away without saying anything, and then we sat a few minutes before anyone came to our table. I was undecided on a drink when they brought the menu, the waitress only waited about 10 seconds and said she would come back to take our order. She brought me water, took my order and I forgot to order a drink. She didn't ask about the drink or return to our table until the food was brought out by someone else about 15 minutes later. I asked about the smell of brisket that was super strong, but she only commented "we serve brisket, someone's probably eating it". I checked the menu and saw brisket nachos, & a brisket hamburger, but nothing else, and was still left wondering how the smell could be so strong.
Over all, the food was good, a solid 5/5. I was impressed with nearly everything I ordered flavor wise. But when the check came, I noticed was the price I was charged for the chicken fried steak did not match the menu. It was only a dollar more which isnt a big deal, but its become a pet peeve with places charging service fees, upcharges, and other things that inflate your total, A practice that seems to have become very common post-Covid and in the current state of inflation. But then to top it off when they brought change back to the table, they didnt bring any change, they rounded the total up to a whole dollar amount. Which then added an additional 60 cents to the total.. Due to the initial lack of service, failure to follow up on my drink, and the pricing error, I would give the customer service a 3/5.
I will definitely return to try some more items, the brisket burger caught my attention, and probably another order of those onion rings with sauce. I also plan to dine in the outdoor area as from what I could see it looked pretty nice. I liked nearly everything about this place and despite being a Saturday night at 7pm, it wasnt very busy inside. Service was good enough, but could have been better, prices werent crazy, and atmosphere was decent as well. My total for the chicken fried steak, onion ring upcharge, and no drink was $21.
Important: Only open Wed-Sun, Closes 4pm on Sunday, 11pm Fri-Sat. Check hours before visiting.
Spechts Texas
Chicken Fried Steak & Asparagus
Onion Rings
Spechts Texas Neon Sign
Indoor Dining
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— Paul