Earl Abel's Restaurant

What's not to like!. This has been a favorite of mine since I moved to San Antone in 2002. I have taken friends here and grandchildren. It is always wonderful. The servers are always pleasant, courteous and efficient. Earl's has the very absolute best open-faced roast beef sandwich EVER. The coconut pie and coffee are always favorites. My grandson thinks the chocolate malts are the best too. Earl's has senior plates and daily specials and the cooking is excellent. What ever you choose will be a treat for your taste buds.…

No Reason to Return. When we got there, the place was about 1/3rd full, yet we had to wait a long time to get seated. The line was 8 deep before they even looked our way. After we were seated it was more of the same. Very slow to take our orders, bring our food out, bring condiments (which we eventually had to get up and get ourselves in full view of the host, who didn't even flinch), and to bring our bill. The server apologized at the end, after he had slacked during the whole meal. When we were paying, the manager rang us out while on the phone the whole time, even after we said we had a complaint. When we finally were able to speak with him, he was completely lax in his reponse, no apology no nothing. It was as if he didn't care whether or not we come again... so we won't.…

I don't get it. My first trip to Earl Abel's was shortly after I moved here, early this year. A friend and I went there for dinner, and both meals - while a bit expensive, comparatively speaking - were excellent: fresh, well-prepared and ample portions.

In the intervening months, I've eaten three additional meals here (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and have been sorely disappointed.

First, the restaurant itself has kind of a funky odor: not quite curdled milk and not quite rancid cooking oil, but something similarly unappetizing.

Second, the decor - if it can be called that - is a mish-mosh of disparate elements. While I appreciate some of it (the Burma Shave signs and the retro vinyl booths, for instance), the rest of it is just bizarre to me....and the life-sized Jeeves mannequin is downright creepy!!

Third, the food has been just so-so, at best.

And finally, Earl Abel's is considerably more expensive than any other place of the same caliber.

I guess it is a beloved institution for many longtime San Antonio residents - but without the nostalgia factor, I wonder how many of them would still eat here?…