CHRISTMAS AT THE CLE BURNE

For some Houstonians, home is where the buffet line is

- BY ALANA AL-HATLANI PHOTOGRAPHS BY CODY ULRICH

It's December 23 at the Cleburne Cafeteria in Houston, and a steady line is forming at the buffet as the sound of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rises just above customers’ orders for chicken-fried steak and meatloaf.

A magazine-worthy tree adorned in gold and maroon baubles greets guests, who meander past a wall of paintings and photographs chronicling 84 years of the restaurant’s history to get to the food. From the door to the register, folks neatly stack up between stanchions like they’re going through airport security. But this line is tame, according to owner George Mickelis. He and his staff are enjoying “the lull” as they gear up for the next two days, which are some of the busiest of the year.

The Regulars

One of the Cleburne’s most loyal congregants, Ken Topping, is already seated when I arrive a few minutes after opening. He is nestled in a booth, his tray stacked so deep with vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, yams, and spinach) that I mistake him for a vegetarian. “I travel around the country, dining out all over the place—there’s no restaurant like this anywhere,” he says. I bring up Luby’s, a well-known Texas cafeteria chain that has also existed since The 1940s. I might as well be cheering for a rival football team. To him, there is no comparison, especially on the fresh veggies.

The food isn’t the only draw here. For many of the regulars, there is a familial connection. “My mom has been coming to Cleburne’s for as long as it has been open, since the original construction,” says diner Nicholas Senkel. The cafeteria debuted in 1941, relocated to its current address on Bissonnet Street in 1969, and has survived not one but two fires. “Every Sunday we were at church, and every Sunday we were here after,” says Senkel. Now he does the same with his own kids. “I think they look forward to this more than they do the service,” he says with a laugh.