The first thing you’ll notice about The Break Room Bar and Grill is the massive wreck of wood, metal, and drooping twinkly lights next to the parking lot. The Break Room’s open-air patio was totaled last month by a distracted driver. During business hours even. Collin May, who co-owns The Break Room with wife Shannon May, was working when the accident happened. In between food orders on the day I visited, the sociable May pulled up a seat and explained that everyone’s just grateful the patio was unoccupied and that it acted as a shield, protecting a decent crowd inside.
“It could have been much worse,” he said with a shrug. “That’s what insurance is for.”
The patio will rise again, but in the meantime, there’s still a lot to like about this tiny restaurant — starting with the starter of fried pickles. The insides were pleasantly crisp, and the breading had a welcome peppery kick.
The meatball appetizer was perfectly ordinary. The main selling point seems to be The Break Room’s variety of dipping sauces, from sweet-and-sour to ranch. The “Ghost Pepper” sauce comes with a warning about the level of heat that just double-dog dared me and my two guests to try it. We were glad we did, because it wasn’t that hot at all, just pleasantly spicy with an afterburn that arrived about 30 seconds later. Creamy orange in color, it was sort of a mayo-based dressing on steroids. The six jumbo baked meatballs tasted fine but could have benefitted from a little creative spicing.
The majority of the food at The Break Room comes in the form of easy-to-consume sandwiches. Each comes with a side (fries, onion rings, or fried okra) on your choice of specialty buns and costs about $10.
Probably the best one we had was the green chile cheeseburger. The beef arrived well-done –– if you’re picky about your temps, speak up ahead of time. Even though cooked all the way through, the patty was moist, and the combination of melted cheddar and mild peppers on a toasted jalapeño-cheese bun was absolutely delicious. The fried okra was the perfect blend of crispy on the outside and nicely gummy inside.
The chicken sammy was another winner. Nothing fancy, just white meat covered generously in a salty, tasty seasoning and grilled. The scrumptious soft, slightly sweet bun came from a bakery in Houston, May said. The fries were only slightly above average: not bad enough to keep us from eating them all but not rave-worthy either.
The only real disappointment was the Philly cheesesteak. The meat was cooked way beyond well-done, the cheese bland, and the onions unforgivably burned, making for one steaming hot mess on a plate.
The Break Room is located in Crowley, which means that your food may come with a side of cigarette smoke. Consider yourself warned, though it didn’t really bother us until we were on the way out.
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The Break Room Bar and Grill
806 N Crowley Rd, Crowley. 817-297-3903. 3pm-2am Mon-Fri, 11-2am Sat-Sun.
All major credit cards accepted.
Fried pickles $5.99
Meatballs $5.99
Green chile cheeseburger $8.99
Chicken sandwich $8.99
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My car was the first car to be totaled. Thanks for blaming it on the break room for someone not capable of driving!