I haven't been back to Waco except for games in 15 years. Work is crazy at this point and summer plans are in flux but thinking about our anniversary coming up. I can get away for a day and there are some great Vrbo's in Waco I've seen. Right before quarantine my wife's ring was stolen probably by someone that worked for our new house cleaner. Long story, I'm a dummy and had switched homeowners ins to save a buck... she has a new one now. Think it would only be appropriate to go to Diamondbacks, because of the name, and because that's where we went after I proposed to her 19 years ago.
But looking for recommendations for breakfast/lunch places other than George's. Thanks in advance.

Lolita's for either.

Milo All Day, the Gaines' restaurant Magnolia Table, or Moroso

I like the new Union Hall. Some really tasty options if you're looking for some casual dining and variety downtown. Hecho en Waco behind the Silos is pretty darn good too. And Guess BBQ to complete the touristy fare.

Moroso is nice.

Breakfast - Cafe Cappuccino (the one downtown) or Lula Jane's

Check out Revival Eastside Eatery for an awesome lunch spot (interesting sandwiches plus salads and burgers) with great service. If you're okay sitting outside, Franklin Ave Mac House is also awesome with gourmet Mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Olive Branch or Cafe Cappuccino for breakfast downtown.

I live in Houston now but when I visit family in Waco my go to places are.

Mexican - Ninfas or taqueria #9, for breakfast we like Lolita's
Sandwiches - Schmaltz's sandwich shop, we like the original one on Valley Mills Dr. but there is one downtown
BBQ - Tony Demaria's or Jasper's
Italian - Baris
Burgers - Christi's
Pizza - Pappa Rollo's (my wife's favorite), Shorty's is my favorite
Steakhouse - 135 Prime, it's a nicer steakhouse for like anniversaries

My go-to places:

• Mexican: Rufi's Cocina. I still like Ninfa's but Rufi's is authentic dive Michoacan food. Really good. 25th & Lasker. I also enjoy Sergio's - they are pretty casual about service, but they serve up some really good Veracruz style Mexican seafood. BYOB, Friday/Saturday night only, although he does a food truck during the week, but doesn't do the seafood for that.
• Sandwiches: Terry & Jo's Food for Thought on Speight.
• BBQ - I like Tony Demaria's. Guess is good, but I still like the consistent old style DeMaria barbecue. Sicilian Style! Yes, it's actually a thing. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/barbecue-italian-style/
• Italian - Never have figured out the appeal of Baris. I suppose it's lots of food and cheap. I have high hopes for Massimo DiCampli's new place, DiCampli's, opening up on 84 at Highway 6. Moroso's is a pizzeria, but has a number of really good non-pizza things on the menu, especially on weekends when their specials are really good.
• Burgers - Cupps. Old classic style, although Double R is not far behind.
• Fine dining - 135 Prime - great steaks, but 75% of the time I get the seafood, which is is top notch. On specials night they sometimes have some really nice Italian too.

forza orsi said:

---

My go-to places:

• Mexican: Rufi's Cocina. I still like Ninfa's but Rufi's is authentic dive Michoacan food. Really good. 25th & Lasker. I also enjoy Sergio's - they are pretty casual about service, but they serve up some really good Veracruz style Mexican seafood. BYOB, Friday/Saturday night only, although he does a food truck during the week, but doesn't do the seafood for that.
• Sandwiches: Terry & Jo's Food for Thought on Speight.
• BBQ - I like Tony Demaria's. Guess is good, but I still like the consistent old style DeMaria barbecue. Sicilian Style! Yes, it's actually a thing. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/barbecue-italian-style/
• Italian - Never have figured out the appeal of Baris. I suppose it's lots of food and cheap. I have high hopes for Massimo DiCampli's new place, DiCampli's, opening up on 84 at Highway 6. Moroso's is a pizzeria, but has a number of really good non-pizza things on the menu, especially on weekends when their specials are really good.
• Burgers - Cupps. Old classic style, although Double R is not far behind.
• Fine dining - 135 Prime - great steaks, but 75% of the time I get the seafood, which is is top notch. On specials night they sometimes have some really nice Italian too.

---

I've got to try Rufi's next time I'm in town. Food for thought has a good BBQ chicken pizza. I got it ordered when I was in the dancing bear one time.

Seeing the comments around Italian food reminded me to mention Portofino's downtown on Austin Ave. Another great local spot!

Trenth5155 said:

---

forza orsi said:

---

My go-to places:

• Mexican: Rufi's Cocina. I still like Ninfa's but Rufi's is authentic dive Michoacan food. Really good. 25th & Lasker. I also enjoy Sergio's - they are pretty casual about service, but they serve up some really good Veracruz style Mexican seafood. BYOB, Friday/Saturday night only, although he does a food truck during the week, but doesn't do the seafood for that.
• Sandwiches: Terry & Jo's Food for Thought on Speight.
• BBQ - I like Tony Demaria's. Guess is good, but I still like the consistent old style DeMaria barbecue. Sicilian Style! Yes, it's actually a thing. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/barbecue-italian-style/
• Italian - Never have figured out the appeal of Baris. I suppose it's lots of food and cheap. I have high hopes for Massimo DiCampli's new place, DiCampli's, opening up on 84 at Highway 6. Moroso's is a pizzeria, but has a number of really good non-pizza things on the menu, especially on weekends when their specials are really good.
• Burgers - Cupps. Old classic style, although Double R is not far behind.
• Fine dining - 135 Prime - great steaks, but 75% of the time I get the seafood, which is is top notch. On specials night they sometimes have some really nice Italian too.

---

I've got to try Rufi's next time I'm in town. Food for thought has a good BBQ chicken pizza. I got it ordered when I was in the dancing bear one time.

---

Rufi's is definitely a dive, but the food is really good and it's unique in town.

forza orsi said:

---

My go-to places:

• Mexican: Rufi's Cocina. I still like Ninfa's but Rufi's is authentic dive Michoacan food. Really good. 25th & Lasker. I also enjoy Sergio's - they are pretty casual about service, but they serve up some really good Veracruz style Mexican seafood. BYOB, Friday/Saturday night only, although he does a food truck during the week, but doesn't do the seafood for that.
• Sandwiches: Terry & Jo's Food for Thought on Speight.
• BBQ - I like Tony Demaria's. Guess is good, but I still like the consistent old style DeMaria barbecue. Sicilian Style! Yes, it's actually a thing. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/barbecue-italian-style/
• Italian - Never have figured out the appeal of Baris. I suppose it's lots of food and cheap. I have high hopes for Massimo DiCampli's new place, DiCampli's, opening up on 84 at Highway 6. Moroso's is a pizzeria, but has a number of really good non-pizza things on the menu, especially on weekends when their specials are really good.
• Burgers - Cupps. Old classic style, although Double R is not far behind.
• Fine dining - 135 Prime - great steaks, but 75% of the time I get the seafood, which is is top notch. On specials night they sometimes have some really nice Italian too.

---

I think some of Baris' appeal is due to having a kid friendly menu and atmosphere, the ability to bring your own bottle of wine, and reasonable prices. What keeps me away is the nightmare of a parking lot. Getting in and out, along with praying you won't find your doors dented or scratched when you're ready to leave is a constant issue.

If they were in the old Chili's building at Vally Mills & Bosque and would up their menu only a bit, I'd be a consistant customer.

Interesting to see the Food for Thought mentions. I like that place a lot but I'm always worried it is going to go out of business because every time time I am there for lunch there are 2 people max eating there.

forza orsi said:

---

An update on my comment on my hope for Di Campli's, which opened on Wednesday. We actually went last night and sat outside on the patio and at the edge of the seating area, so we didn't sit around anyone. It is far better than any other Italian place in town. I had cioppino, which is shrimp, calamari, clams, and chunks of fish in a tasty broth with crostini to dip in the broth. Also a great spinach salad and wonderful cannoli. They have a very nice wine list too. Massimo Di Campli, the owner, is very friendly and is out checking in with every table too and pitching in to be sure everything is going well. The decor is stylish and has an open feel, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. This is the restaurant I've been hoping we'd get here! You can check out the menu and wine list here. https://www.dicamplis.com/

---

Wow. Hard to find good cioppino outside of Northern California. This looks promising

forza orsi said:

---

An update on my comment on my hope for Di Campli's, which opened on Wednesday. We actually went last night and sat outside on the patio and at the edge of the seating area, so we didn't sit around anyone. It is far better than any other Italian place in town. I had cioppino, which is shrimp, calamari, clams, and chunks of fish in a tasty broth with crostini to dip in the broth. Also a great spinach salad and wonderful cannoli. They have a very nice wine list too. Massimo Di Campli, the owner, is very friendly and is out checking in with every table too and pitching in to be sure everything is going well. The decor is stylish and has an open feel, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. This is the restaurant I've been hoping we'd get here! You can check out the menu and wine list here. https://www.dicamplis.com/

---

Can't wait

Did some lunch at Di Campli's today. It's everything mentioned above, including Massimo doing table checks. Pretty impressed even with the limited lunch menu. Will definitely be back.

CammoTX said:

---

forza orsi said:

---

An update on my comment on my hope for Di Campli's, which opened on Wednesday. We actually went last night and sat outside on the patio and at the edge of the seating area, so we didn't sit around anyone. It is far better than any other Italian place in town. I had cioppino, which is shrimp, calamari, clams, and chunks of fish in a tasty broth with crostini to dip in the broth. Also a great spinach salad and wonderful cannoli. They have a very nice wine list too. Massimo Di Campli, the owner, is very friendly and is out checking in with every table too and pitching in to be sure everything is going well. The decor is stylish and has an open feel, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. This is the restaurant I've been hoping we'd get here! You can check out the menu and wine list here. https://www.dicamplis.com/

---

Wow. Hard to find good cioppino outside of Northern California. This looks promising

---

It's the real deal. The calamari was really tender and the sauce delicious. Being in Sicily part of the year, the great majority of the Italian food I eat is seafood, and even when we cook Italian at home in Texas, it's mostly seafood. I can tell you, the cioppino is done quite well. I'm really excited about this place. I wish I was more excited about being out in restaurants right now, but the outdoor seating is a nice compromise.

Massimo is the real deal and his place is fantastic... Obviously a few hiccups in my initial experience on service since they just opened, but that will get worked out quickly and Waco's restaurant scene took a huge step in the right direction with him opening up shop.

The place is legit and doing business at a good clip even under current conditions.

Robert Wilson said:

---

The place is legit and doing business at a good clip even under current conditions.

---

He said that as strange as it seems, he thinks that COVID has probably been good for him. He said with the restaurants that are open limiting themselves to 50% capacity he's getting traffic that was forced to go elsewhere. Once they try it though, they're bound to come back.

They certianly seems to have found a crowd if the parking lot is any indication.

Went to Morroso and DiCampli's on successive weekends. For me, Morroso wins hands down right now. We'll see next time. Competition is good.

DiCampli's calamari was no better or no worse than 135 Prime's and not as good/interesting as the calamari with pickled vegetables at Taste. The veal dish over mashed potatoes I had was bleh. Cocktails were good according to my wife, I never order speciality cocktails, always too girly. Bourbon and big rock for me. She ordered and liked the cioppino a lot. I'm not a shellfish/seafood fan anywhere (well, Perla's in Austin is a different category), but her review was great.

Morroso was more on point for me. Double pork chop special stuffed with riccota in a cherry wine glaze. Nice Barolo to match with the pork. Would have ordered the calamari for comparison, but was over ruled by wife for crostini. Don't like crostini as much as calamari so my review there is disqualified.

CorsicanaBear said:

---

Went to Morroso and DiCampli's on successive weekends. For me, Morroso wins hands down right now. We'll see next time. Competition is good.

DiCampli's calamari was no better or no worse than 135 Prime's and not as good/interesting as the calamari with pickled vegetables at Taste. The veal dish over mashed potatoes I had was bleh. Cocktails were good according to my wife, I never order speciality cocktails, always too girly. Bourbon and big rock for me. She ordered and liked the cioppino a lot. I'm not a shellfish/seafood fan anywhere (well, Perla's in Austin is a different category), but her review was great.

Morroso was more on point for me. Double pork chop special stuffed with riccota in a cherry wine glaze. Nice Barolo to match with the pork. Would have ordered the calamari for comparison, but was over ruled by wife for crostini. Don't like crostini as much as calamari so my review there is disqualified.

---

Was your Moroso trip in the last couple of weeks? If yes, how was the oil with your crostini?

Well I fouled up the review. They call it bruschetta on their menu, so we had the bruschetta. I don't remember anything that stood out about the oil.