Nolan’s Restaurant

What a great place for a family to eat in piece and quiet. The food was great and the service was even better. We will be coming back.

After having been to the bigger Nolans on staples I was anxious to visit this one and have a repeat of the great food…
It was ok (3 stars). I had the steak and shrimp and my bf had the chicken fried steak. The only hot item was my shrimp., so he sent his back for being too cold. My steak was very chewy…3 starts goes for the shrimp and service (or it woulda been less)

Food wasn’t very good but service was terrible. I literally had nobody talk to me and it took 45 minutes to get two plates in an empty restaurant

We’ve only been there a couple of times, but haven’t ever had a bad experience. The food, especially the chicken fried steak, has been spot on. If I had one thing to change, then I’d ask for a diaper changing table in the restroom. It’s very inconvenient with a newborn.

Attention chicken fried steak lovers! This is the place! They use a chicken-​base in their gravy mix, not overpowering, but light. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the only place in town left that does that!
OK — We came to Nolan’s initially after first going to the Atomic Omelette, and the AO was so packed that our wait would have been extremely long. Loving chicken fried steak more than any human should, we decided to give Nolan’s a try. We have been back one more time, this time for to-​go meals.
You order at the counter, pay, and they bring your order to your table. It’s a plain Jane set up but neat and clean. There are limited choices in the following menu categories: steaks, fish, chicken, Po boys, sandwiches, chicken, and BBQ. There are many Po boy choices, They have daily specials, to-​go orders, and a drive through window. They have packs of their original Po boys in a cooler for fast to-​go pick up. They open at 11:00 am daily and close around 9:00 pm I think. They are closed on Sundays.
The staff told us that the shrimp and oysters are from the Texas Gulf and are prepared fresh. Food is cooked fresh to order so there is a little wait. We were there at noon but only waited about 20 minutes from entering to eating, so that’s not bad. The counter help was not particularly pleasant, but not rude either. Just indifferent. They forgot to give me my salad after paying, which is evidently how they serve it, and you are to take it to the table. They also forgot it with our to-​go order, but the management was very accommodating when we drove back across town to get it. So — KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR SALAD! Lol.
Years ago my family used to eat a lot at many of the Nolan’s in town. Now there is just this one and another around 5 Points. I have to be careful when reviewing the food, because nostalgia comes into play.
Up front, I’ll say that overall the food is under seasoned. It needs a bit more salt, and I’m one who adds very little salt to my cooking or any at the table. The chicken fried steak was almost everything I could ask for. It is a real cube steak dredged in flour and fried up fresh and crispy. My only complaint is that it was a little greasy, but that’s the nature of the beast. It was crispy, golden, and tender. The meat could have been better seasoned. The batter it seems is where all the seasoning went. I’ve eaten it twice now. It is consistent. The cream gravy is chicken-​based, just the right hint. Way better than most instant cream gravies. I assume it is instant.
The mashed potatoes are real. The salad is generous and more than iceberg lettuce and a cherry tomato. There are real greens in the mix and 2 tomatoes. LOL. It comes with Captain’s Wafers crackers, not the usual saltines, which is a big plus to me. It reminds me of the old days. Croutons and cheddar cheese came with the meals years ago, but now you have to pay for them. A sign of the times.
The meal comes with a hunk of garlic bread made from the sesame seed French loaf used for Po boys. The potato salad is from scratch. The cole slaw is fresh, thinly sliced strips of cabbage. It is neither soggy nor too dry, not quite sweet or vinegary. It is crunchy. They have different cakes and desserts daily. The carrot cake was delicious but obviously from frozen.
My husband had a catfish Po boy. Wow. It had two large freshly fried catfish fillets. The toasted sesame French loaf bread is fairly thin so there is not an over abundance of bread. I do NOT like catfish, but this was quite light and tasty. I confess that Nolan’s BBQ Po boys were always my favorite, my weakness. It was the only way I liked to eat BBQ growing up. I’m afraid to try them now. I don’t want to destroy the memory, but maybe next I will try it.
Every plate I saw go by was packed with food. Over-​stuffed Po boys, steaks, BBQ everywhere. My CFS was small but so good. They offer a double CFS dinner with 2 steaks. That is what I got the second time. My husband got a rib eye Po boy the second time around with cheese and loved it.
You could do a lot worse for a simple meal in Corpus. It’s not gourmet or even fancy, but it is a very descent blast from the past.

I was looking for a classic po boy and gave Nolan’s a shot for the first time in quite a while. I had forgotten why it had been so long… I felt like I was charged a bit too much for something that basically acted like a mega-​dose of exlax. It tasted ok, but I only short-​term rented that sandwich.
They have stayed in business for a while at this location, but I won’t be contributing in the future.

This little gem is a great place to grab a bite to eat. The country boy is great. The salmon Ceaser salad is great! An appetizer that’s delicious is the croutons with cheese. Gosh if it’s cheat day try the chocolate cake… but split that bad boy it comes huge and is good to the last bite!

I don’t get to visit CC much anymore, but I still crave Nolans delicious food. Friendly staff and quick waiting period. I recommend the fried catfish or chicken fried steak.

They continue to advertise on billboards around town that their Chicken Fried Steak is voted #1. Well, as a Texan and a chicken fried steak lover for over 40 years I have to wonder where they are getting that from.
It’s not a bad CFS but it’s very bland, no flavor or seasoning and the meat is tough. This was from a dining experience on Oct 22, 2013. Even my friend across from me agreed.
Also don’t look for a warm friendly hello at the door (that actually is annoying BTW) instead we were met with a cold face older bald man who just looked at us as if we were supposed to automatically start speaking to him as if he were a microphone or something. Local dives have no consistency that’s why I prefer the chains.