Tonight we had the tuna with wasabi aioli. It was amazing! The service is always great and the food is consistently wonderful. 5 stars!
Cabrito burger for lunch. This was excellent! Not really much like actual Mexican cabrito, but fantastic flavor. Good fries, too. Even the ketchup had a touch of something tangily out of the ordinary that tasted great. Well worth the trip out, plus a pretty drive. Axis (antelope) burger was also good, but I'm not a big fan of the bleu cheese. Regardless, the goat burger is one of the best of all time.
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Whats wrong with calling it goat?. Finally made it out to Tarpley for a Saturday lunch at Mac and Earnie's... so glad we did.
First off, the building itself has changed completely from what we saw on TV and the video on the website. There is now indoor dining in addition to the picnic tables, even had a real steak knife.
Cabrito burger was excellent. Much leaner and less greasy than the traditional and familliar burger from like a Chris Madrids or La Tuna. Seasoning was garlicy and complex, but did not overpower the taste of the meat. Fries were fresh cut and generous.
As we waited I watched the employees do some prep work for the evening meal. Sliding pork tenderloin chunks onto skewers, and doing something kinda artsy with what looked like home-made pasta of some type. The aromas were most inviting. Almost made me wish we had timed our visit for later in the day, then our food arrived and my regrets vanished.
Really awesome burger with unique flavor. Goat (cabrito) has a flavor similar to lamb. This was not overly 'smoky' tasting. like traditional Mexican cabrito. The actual flavor of the meat could really be appriciated.
We will return soom for dinner.
Well worth the 6+ hour drive. MY 10 year old and I love this place. We have only been twice, but plan to make the long drive any chance we can to enjoy Hill Country Camping & Mac & Ernie's! We had the scrumptious Cabritto burgers and perfect fries for lunch last March. Last month we went for dinner and tried the fried catfish, scallops, quail and a spicy skewered chicken dish - which were all awesome. We arrived 10 minutes after dinner orders were being taken & ordered the last piece of coconut cream pie (chocolate was already out). So call ahead and reserve a piece of pie if you have your heart set on it. I really want to go back & try the chicken fried lamb chops. The service was great & the staff was friendly.
We eat here everytime I come to Bandera. Tarpley is just a short drive. There is anywhere between 4 and 6 people that usually go. We find a table outside under the trees, have a few beers and visit until our foo comes. Sometimes it takes a little longer wait because they are so busy but we go to relax and have a good time. They do have consistantly good food and a very nice menu.
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The pearl of a hill country dive. Baby scallops on a lemon-poached bed of fennel…not exactly what I was expecting of a Sunday lunch at this eclectic, proudly low brow roadside eatery. Prior to arrival, I thought I would be having a cabrito burger as featured on the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. However when our party of four approached the counter to order, the unadvertised special caught my eye - evidently, Sunday is the three person kitchen staff's chance to be creative and play with their food. And, it was good - amazingly good. Yes, it was served on a Styrofoam plate with plastic dinnerware but the scallops' exterior sear and less cooked centers kept them tender to contrast with the crunch of the fennel. In a way, the humble presentation of haute food underscored the lack of pretension in the owner's vision of cooking what she likes to eat. Happily, the rest of our party ordered the cabrito burgers and allowed me a taste - also delicious as advertised. While we dined, there was a steady stream of customers but nothing unexpected for any popular, metropolitan restaurant. It was worth our more than an hour drive and our party unanimously agreed that we'll be back.
We love this place, they have cool entrees like axis, quail and cabrito. Really like the new place because you can sit inside on those 105 degree days!
Nancy Robertson Holekamp
+4.5
Love the food -- love the.new location --- funky & fun with fab menu!!! Who knew there could be great food in the middle of nowhere Texas !! (apologies to both of the tarpley residents:). Hubby had cabrito --- nowhere bur Texas, baby! We'll try to get back soon and see what other delicious specialties chef naylene has up her sleeve . Fabulous!!!! Cute new sign by the way!
The DDD burger was definitely a great burger. Good size and not overloaded with too much. The onions and blue cheese were the perfect balance to the lean Red Deer patty. Great atmosphere and a nice friendly welcome to Tarpley, Texas.
I knew Mac & Ernie's existed but I just didn't take the time to stop. I was headed to Utopia but decided to turn around and head here instead.
You walk in and order at the counter at the front. The first thing the lady told me was it was going to be a 45 minute wait. It was kinda off putting at first but with it feeling like 102 outside, I decided to wait.
I had the intention of ordering a burger. 🍔 But I remembered my brother telling me that the fish was good so I ordered the Catfish & Shrimp combo with coleslaw. Everything was excellent. The fish & shrimp were fried crispy without being grease soaked. The accompanying tarter sauce was homemade and had a strong dill flavor. The slaw was finely chopped and included broccoli in it. It wasn't sweet but was great just the same.
Would I go back? I definitely would. I still want to try that burger!
I've missed out on my Friday lunches a few weeks, but glad I made it In this week just before the winter break. Great food and they are always smiling! Will definitely be back after the holidays!
Check this joint out after driving by several times and seeing several times on DDD. Fish basket and hamburger were on point. Good selection of beer and wine as well. Super friendly staff. We will be back!
Made it back! Great meal! Combo Wombo and fried shrimp were on point. Ice Cold Beer! Will be back when in the area.
Excellent food and service from this wonderful family owned business. We enjoyed the ribeye steak and mahi-mahi. We also had the superb banana pudding and took home the scrumptious carrot cake.
What a great experience. Wow is all I can say. The food was great. It is a little expensive but they do give you a lot of food. It was way out of the way and a little tricky to find but we are so happy we did. So much food. There were so many choices between ribeye, pork chops, lamb, snapper, catfish and so forth. Great patio area. Come out and give it a try. They have several wines, beer and sodas. By the way the staff are AMAZING!!
Best burger I've had in ages! I live in Austin and seriously, nothing there compares to the food at Mac & Ernie's. They are serving 5 star food in one of the prettiest places in TX. I am very glad I opted to have banana pudding for dessert, wow was it good!
Second time at Mac & Ernie’s was just great as the first time. I had the catfish basket with sweet potato fries. The catfish was tasty and the sweet potato fries were yummy with a nice crunch.
And, the employees were very friendly with smiles. I’m definitely going back.
I ordered the Red Deer burger with Bleu Cheese. Y'all... This was amazing. I've never eaten deer before. It was delicious, tasty, and very filling. Their fries were crispy and fresh. I believe homemade. And this spot was featured on Diner's Drive-In, and Dives during their pilot episode. I have to say. It was so worth the hour and 10 minute drive from San Antonio. Y'all, please. Check out this spot.
Such a great burger. Such flavors. Generous size as well. This is a great diner and on the way to a yearly trip we make.
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