The Gristmill Review

The BEST chips you'll find anywhere. Awesome food, good service, great atmosphere. No AC so you'll be sweating on those really hot summer days. Only complaint- the house margaritas are terrible.

One and done. This restaurant has a great location and appealing atmosphere but the overall experience was poor. The checkin process for guests is bizarre. You give your name to the hostess and are asked to watch for your name to appear on a chalk board in a thicket of trees. No digital checkin which would allow you to enjoy drinks while you wait. After some standing, your name is called and you find one of the dozen wait staff to give your name and be taken to a table. The majority of the wait staff is dozens of 18-19 year olds with little customer service experience. Once seated, you ll discover there is no air cond. Place is hot, hot, hot. Drink and order service was delayed and frenzied. Our wine was served in a dirty glass and beer with no mug or glass. Food was average. My burger was ordered with no question for how to cook it. Portions are good. The waitress also had an attitude and essentially made us feel bad to ask for things like clean glasses or water. This place is really quantity over quality of dining. Sorry. Honest feedback.

Great food, great service.
Original structure so not too wheelchair accessible.

Always love coming back to the Gristmill. Food is wonderful. One of my favorites is the chicken salad sandwich on sourdough. They also have a new jalapeno margarita. Yumm!

Little bit of a wait but worth it! Super friendly staff and the other patrons waiting for seats were really cool. Almost didn't even need a knife for the steak and the sides were amazing! The Gruene beans alone will have you coming back!

Excellent service. I listened my friends advice and tried their chicken fried chicken with gravy sauce. Great food. Must eat here if you visit the town.

Usually great, but today not so much. I enjoyed my steak salad, but my wife did not like the ribs. I feel like the barbecue sauce was used for the seasoning only, and artificial smoke to give it the smokey taste. Taste through out the meat was lacking. Maybe because I can do much better ribs I don't know. I did enjoy my salad. The vinegarette ranch was real good, and I enjoyed the steak. We also had spinach artichoke dip that I forgot to take a pic of and that was good. Before this visit I would have easily given this place 5 stars because we enjoyed our last 3 visits. Today, wasn't as good.

Tristan was our server and she was great. Needless to say, the food was delicious!

After rafting down the river for 4 hours, everyone was hungry. Our friend told us about the Gristmill so I decided to take our family there for lunch. 2 family, total of 9. Wow, I love the restaurant setting right above the river. The place have no air condition here but there were plenty of shade and fan. Our family love it. Usually with this type of restaurant with a great view, I expected 2 things. One, the outing will be expensive and two, the food was not going to be that great. I was totally wrong. The food and especially the onion ring was great and the price for 9 is leads than $125 including tips. I will definitely be back here with my friends and family.

Great food. Shouldn't charge extra for ranch dressing.

In here, you are paying for the experience rather than the food or it's quality. It's a tourist spot that it's not woryh the wait in my experience. Go to the bar on the corner, next to the general store. Talk to the bartender and save time and money. I ordered a pasta salad dish and it was not very good. My wife ordered the chicken fry steak and she was not impressed either. I went with a group who chose the place. I won't be back.

Great casual atmosphere. Good view of sunset over the river. Good chicken fried steak.

Frozen margaritas are a must! We had the slow cooked ribs and fries, and the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. The patio fans were perfect for this Texas weather heat! The staff was peppy and attentive, the view and breeze from the river was refreshing!

Love the outdoor location but presentation of food was a little lacking this visit. Cheese was completely melted off of my burger.

Not sure the reason for the chalkboard as there where available tables but made everyone wait until they re name was listed. Food not too good, typical tourist style. Service was good!

I really like to sit all the way in back on the deck overlooking the river. The food is just okay, but the ambience makes up for it.

First time visitor, enjoyed the rustic decor and excellent food. Staff was friendly and courteous.

The food is delicious. With a relaxed atmosphere and very good service, you can enjoy a substantial and rich meal, surrounded by the beautiful nature of the site.

Great food and service. Highly recommended if you're in the area.

All the good things you've heard about this place are correct. We were a large party and everyone's food was fantastic. Our server was really sweet and gave us a great bar recommendation for after dinner.

Gruene,TX is a delightful place for a visit and the Gristmill River Restaurant was a eatery to die for. The menu was generous as well as the portions.

The last time I came here was about a decade ago. It was as amazing then as it was today! Friendly service, delicious food & drink. Long islands, burgers, and fries+ONION RINGS ftw. You can't beat the central Texas scenery in an open-flow environment, especially during these crazy covid times. Well-oiled operation that doesn't disappoint. Great for families!

Food fabulous, service impeccable! Skylar our server was fantastic! Highly recommend

Always a good choice, usually have great waitstaff and awesome food with great atmosphere! Always go there when I'm in town.

The views from the dining room are absolutely lovely. Loved the big exposed beams and old stone walls.

Nice place during the week but during the weekend it's packed but worth the wait

Best steak I have ever had. Food is delicious and the view is awesome. Great friendly place to be with friends and family

Overly long wait they told us in advance yes.. but had high hopes for the food seeing it was so packed and popular and wasn't impressed at all. Service was good- food was over cooked and lacked flavor.

OMG such good food. Had the chicken Acapulco with steamed veggies and it was super yummy.

Great food, beautiful views over looking the Guadeloupe River

This place never disappoints...always an amazing time. Sitting outside by the railing to overlook the water is so much fun!

Food was great! I will note that it's all outdoor dining, though.

Lovely atmosphere. The servers go out of their way to treat you like a star. The food is awesome and reasonably priced. The view from the back of the restaurant is beautiful. If you're lucky, deer will meander by.

Great place for enjoying a good meal in a rustic outdoor setting.

Gristmill is worth the drive, you will not leave hungry. The Onion rings were my favorite among so many amazing dishes, side dishes, and appetizers that are equally amazing. The service is kind, and the setting is shady and not uncomfortable considering that the seating is mostly outdoors. You will enjoy this place for sure.

Very good food and service. The atmosphere is very pleasant.

My family and I went to this place last night to eat and let me tell you eating at McDonald s would of been better. First off, it was an hour wait which that s okay they have an awesome waiting area with live music and drinks. It was really hot outside and extremely hot inside to the point where you have to fan yourself to keep cool inside. I know this place has an outdoor environment set up but dang put some fans in there. Then we ordered 2 steaks that were supposed to be cooked medium well, a steak that was supposed to be well done, and a chicken fried steak meal. The two medium well steaks had blood still coming out of them and the other steak was well done to the point of almost being burnt. The steaks had no seasoning on them and neither did the Chicken fried steak. Only thing I can say that was good was the salad, the beer, Chips and salsa, and tea. The manager did come and pick up the steaks and recook them and also took them off our ticket and apologized. I don t ever see myself coming back to this place in the future.

Used to come here alot as a kid now returning as an adult and it's still fantastic! Brought my wife here on Valentines Day we were worried about what our wait would be considering the day but we were sat at our table within 10 minutes of arriving! The service was great as always and staff very friendly! The food was great aswell! I had the Valentines day steak special and my wife had a fire roasted chicken. Both meals were amazing! We will definitely return again and highly recommend eatting here regardless what day it is!

Historic setting awesome food selections and great for groups.

Never had a bad experience. Food excellent, service outstanding.

Food was delicious and service outstanding plus the weather fabulous!

Great atmosphere, food was solid, and fast service

Great atmosphere, beautiful views, inside and outside seating available, great service, and attentive management. If you have an issue (but highly unlikely) the staff is quick to get you what you request without hesitation. Coluld be the reason folks have no problem waiting for a table. Place is always hopping . So expect a wait time anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hour. But don't worry the impressive bar staff keeps you hydrated while local aspiring talent keeps you entertained.
Recommendations:
1. Onion Rings!!!!! Can't leave until you have experienced the huge homemade rings.

2. Chicken fried steak, was voted best in Texas in 20?? Few years ago.

3. Beef tenderloin sandwich or salad.
Either are equally amazing. I recommend the sandwich on sourdough bread. Saw one on the bun and only hamburgers belong on a bun( in my opinion).

Hope you have a great time!!

Horrible service!!! Horrible over priced food, make sure when you order a mixed drink they actually put alcohol in it, severs were rude and didn't want to bring out and didn't bring out condiments, waitress kept disappearing, steaks were disgusting, being our first time they never even told us that we could sit inside until we were leaving. Never coming back and will make sure to tell everyone never to try this disgusted place again.

Great atmosphere, excellent food & reasonably priced. We had a wonderful time there!

Great atmosphere, great employees. Dinner with a view!!! And amazing food!!

Great meal and service. Never a bad experience in the many times we have visited. Really great and unique atmosphere.

It was awesome spent quality time with my CHILDREN as they head back GOT LOVE THEM ALOT ..!!

Not a fancy place but good atmosphere and our wait staff was pleasant and prompt.

Incredibly hard working staff that take care of such an amazing amount of people in even the hottest weather. Food is very delicious and the views are spectacular.

Get some vegetarian options... baked potato? Mac and Cheese?

My wife and I love going to Gruene. Of course we go to the Mill to eat everytime weare in Gruene. Always friendly staff and professional! My only issue with this place, and I know it childish but this is Texas yall! They don't have Sweet Tea!!!! Come on yall, id give to you 4.9 stars in possible, but if yall have Sweet Tea it would be 5 stars. Yes I know that have Tea and sugar at the table, but come on it Texas baby!

The food is fantastic. The view is incredibly beautiful.

Love this place. Food, service and the view are absolutely wonderful. Very western and rustic style which I love and so far everything we've tasted has been great.

Love the atmosphere here, and the entire area in general. Nice place to to the family and eat a great meal.

Best time to visit is fall through late spring, it's hot in the summer. Decent food, I really like the burgers. Great views of the river outside. Cozy fireplaces when it's cold. Reasonably priced.

Best for retirees, doggies, and lots of things to do.

Service was great. Food was good but could be better.

Great steaks - they know how to cook blue rare - and if you like sangria, try their frozen version. There are lots of different seating area and different views, all fantastic. We saw two small bucks sneaking through by the river while we were there.

Great place to eat for a home cooked style meal and a little scenery! I love it!

Love the ribs! Thanks Great drinks and beer! Best place in Gruene!

First time here and the food is delicious. The queso was amazing, especially on the burger! Understated yet amazing flavor, I truly appreciate that. The waitress was polite and very attentive. The entire restaurant made me say "wow" it's massive and amazing. The restrooms were clean with inspirational scribbles inside the stalls. Love it! I will definitely be back.

Steak was awful, ordered medium rare and it was the toughest piece of meat I've ever had in my life!

Good food moderately priced, too many guests,nice staff,terrible hostess and hosts quite rude and disrespectful almost left restraint

This place is a very pretty place in a unique setting minus what happens behind all of the smiling and happy management it s a pretty terrible place to work for. Anyone is allowed to look at the kitchen any time they visit. Best time to do it would be during a busy weekend. You can see that no one is wearing gloves, The kitchen is probably pretty littered with food, and random things on the floor. You will also see all of the servers struggling to find extra cups, silverware, and dishes for your sides to go in that we just so happened to run out of. That fried cat fish you ate? It was washed off in a sink in the dish room while the other two sinks were filled with dirty dishes right next to it. As a server working in 100 degree weather during the summer people might mention about how much money we make here! No. It s not worth it. Half the time customers are not happy about how hot it is while we are running up the steps for your extra ranch. No there is no ac. If you don t like the heat don t come here. If you plan on working here, management will tell you time and time again that this is THE place to be to make money. It s not. There are other places that won t treat you like a number, and will value your hard work. No one will ever tell you good job. They ll just tell you that s how we expect it to be done or don t know why it s not like this all of the time it s a pretty overrated place at this point. Don t forget to tip your server!