A bowl heaped with tiny speckled quail eggs, fresh from the ranch.

Cleburne, Texas · Community to Table

We raise the quail.
We bake the bread.
You taste the difference.

A small-town diner on Cleburne's historic square. Scratch-made breakfast and lunch, with quail eggs from our own birds fifteen minutes down the road. Vintage booths, plain white plates, owners on the floor. Come hungry, not dressed up.

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The TLT: sliced turkey, iceberg lettuce, tomato and mayo between two thick slices of griddled house bread, cut in half and pinned with bamboo picks, the rest of the fill piled beside it on a white plate.

New Just added to the board

The TLT

Turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo between two thick slices of our house bread, griddled on the flat top and pinned shut. It arrives cut in half with the rest of the fill piled on the plate, because it does not all fit between the bread.

That is our plate, photographed here. Two more just landed on the menu: pastrami hash, and a lemon quail egg custard tart. See the full menu →

An enamel bowl brimming with fresh speckled quail eggs beside a wooden crate of straw in a rustic barn.
Family run

From our ranch, down the road

We raise our own quail eggs.
That's why yours taste better.

The Quail Shack is a family restaurant built on one simple idea: community grown. Scratch-made everything, in an 1875 building on the historic square: house-baked bread, hand-cut sides, gravy simmered from quail bone broth. Grandpa's home cooking from the 60s.

The quail eggs all over our menu? We raise those ourselves, just down the road. And no, we don't only serve quail meat. Come see what we actually make. Meet the ranch →

  • 4.7★140 Google reviews
  • 1875Building on the square
  • ScratchMade in-house, daily

Quail & eggs

Raised by us

Ranch-fresh in under 24 hours: richer, creamier eggs. Quail in a Box, Joshua TX

Beef

Local ranches

Bought here in Johnson County, from ranchers we know by name

Produce

Local growers

Farmers, not suppliers. Cleburne, Joshua and the county around us

What folks order twice

Known for

Plain white plates, generous portions, and quail eggs from our own birds. No food styling here. What you see on the table is what shows up.

The Bird's Nest: a nest of shredded hash browns with crisp bacon, diced red pepper, Shack sauce and fried quail eggs, a homemade biscuit alongside, on a plain white plate.
The Bird's Nest, $12. Hash browns, bacon, Shack sauce, our quail eggs, biscuit on the side.
Three dark, deep-fried chorizo-wrapped quail eggs on a plain white diner plate, one cut open to show the whole quail egg inside, beside a stainless ramekin of orange habanero Shack sauce.
Q-Balls, $12. Some batches come out darker than others. This is one of them.
The Sizzle Shack: sliced steak with grilled onions and fried quail eggs on a split homemade hoagie roll, with a bowl of the day's soup, on a plain white plate.
Sizzle Shack, $10. Steak, grilled onions, our quail eggs, soup of the day alongside.
A large craggy homemade buttermilk biscuit in an open kraft takeout box beside a cup of white sausage gravy.
Biscuit & Gravy, $10, boxed for delivery. That is one biscuit.
The Sloppy Shack: a tall round homemade sesame bread bowl with the lid lifted, filled with seasoned ground beef, a fried egg tucked under the lid, on a plain white plate.
The Sloppy Shack, $18. That bread bowl is baked here. You cannot buy those.

Every one of those is our actual plate, photographed here and relit so you can see the food. No stand-ins, no stand-in plates, nothing borrowed from a stock library. See all nine plates →

See the full menu and prices →

Filmed in our kitchen, on a Tuesday prep day

Quail eggs, cooked to order on the flat top.

Nobody has figured out how to machine-crack a quail egg. They get cracked by hand, one at a time, onto a griddle that has been seasoned black by years of doing exactly this. It is slower than a chicken egg and it always will be.

No filter, no set, no stand-in kitchen. This is the flat top your breakfast comes off.

The first thing that happens when you sit down

The Sauce Plate Welcome

Sit down and a plate lands in front of you: warm homemade bread and our scratch-made Shack sauces. With the story behind every one. It's not an appetizer. It's how we say hello.

Regular → Spiced → Habanero (you've been warned)

House dressings: Quail Ranch · Honey Mustard · Habanero Island · Shack Island · Habanero Ranch

Not a chain. Never will be.

Four reasons regulars keep their booth.

We raise our own eggs

Not bought frozen from a supplier. Quail eggs from our own ranch in Joshua: ranch to plate in under 24 hours. Richer, creamier, and you can taste it.

Everything's made from scratch

Bread baked daily. Gravy simmered from quail bone broth. Sauces mixed in-house. No shortcuts, no cans, no freezer aisle.

The owner checks your table

Dave works the floor and asks every table the same thing: "Have we met or exceeded your expectations?" If not, he writes it down and fixes it. That's how we got to 4.7★.

A real 1875 building

Not a concept with reclaimed-wood wallpaper. Salvaged 1978 booths, a 1926 family photo on the wall, big-band radio on the sidewalk. On Cleburne's historic square.

A bowl of fresh speckled quail eggs beside a wooden crate of straw at the Quail in a Box ranch.

The ranch behind the Shack

Quail in a Box

Every quail egg we serve is raised on our own working Texas ranch. Environmentally responsible, family-run, and built on state-of-the-art permaculture, a closed-loop system where nothing goes to waste, from the ranch in Joshua straight to your table in Cleburne.

  • Farm-fresh quail eggs
  • Pet treats
  • Artisan quail-egg jewelry
Visit quailinabox.com →

Big-band radio on the sidewalk. Salvaged 1978 booths. A 1926 family photograph on the wall. And regulars who grab their menu from their own booth.

Step inside 1875. The time machine is the point.

The word is out

“I never expected to find a restaurant like this in Texas.”

That's local foodie Julio the Foodio after one visit. A review that lit up feeds across Johnson County, past a thousand reactions on Facebook. Old-school booths, scratch cooking, and quail eggs on everything have a way of doing that.

Watch on Facebook Follow the Shack

Straight from Google

4.7 stars, 140 reviews.

  • ★★★★★

    Absolutely incredible! Our server introduced himself and gave us samples of sauces to try. Everything is either locally sourced, home made or home grown. If your looking for a true pure authentic farmers diner, Do not pass this one up!! 10 out of 10.

    Jordan Gillis · Google review

Read all 140 reviews on Google →

Family run, on the floor

Meet the owners.

Your host

The Quizzard

"Grandpa knows everything. And what he doesn't know, he makes up really fast."

Dave raises the quail, works the floor, and personally checks on every table: "Have we met or exceeded your expectations?" If the answer's no, watch him write it down. And fix it.

The artist in the window

The Quitch

"Every egg gets a second life."

Donna's egg-art station sits behind glass at the long bar. Fabergé-style carved quail eggs, a family craft passed down generations. Her rotating desserts land on the chalkboard as Today's Quitch Creation.

First time? Start here

Questions we hear a lot.

What does quail taste like?

Quail eggs are richer and creamier than chicken eggs, and quail meat is leaner and milder than you'd expect. If you like eggs and chicken, you're already most of the way there.

Where's the quail in the food?

Mostly in the eggs. We raise our own quail and their eggs go into dishes all over the menu, from the Bird's Nest to the Fingerprint Burger to the Q-Balls. A few plates use quail meat too, like the pot pie and the jalapeño poppers. If you want the eggs front and center, order the Bird's Nest.

Can I eat here if I don't want quail?

Absolutely. Burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads. Plenty of the menu has no quail in sight.

Do you take reservations?

We're a first-come, first-served diner serving breakfast and lunch. Grab a booth when you see one. The regulars already have theirs.

What's the price range?

Kids' Hatchlings plates are $5, and most plates land between $7 and $19. Every dish and price is on the menu page.

Is it kid-friendly?

Very. The Hatchlings kids menu is $5 for breakfast or lunch, with a side.

Can you make it gluten-free?

Any meal can be made gluten-free. Just tell your server.

Do you cater?

Yes, and every order is quoted on the phone. See the catering page or call (682) 317-1992.

A little love goes a long way

Veterans & First Responders
get 20% off.

Twenty percent off your check in the dining room. Our small way of saying thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your heart for our community. Just show your ID and we'll take care of the rest.

Come hungry. Leave appreciated.

Plan your visit

Come see us on Cleburne's historic square.

Where is The Quail Shack?

206 E Chambers St
Cleburne, TX 76031

Get directions →

When are we open?

  • Wed – Fri8:00a – 3:00p
  • Saturday9:00a – 6:00p
  • Sunday8:00a – 4:00p
  • Mon – TueClosed

Breakfast, lunch & desserts daily.

(682) 317-1992

Where do I park?

Street parking right on the historic square, plus two free public lots within one block on E Chambers. Follow the big-band radio to the door.

Out & about

Catch our booth at the Fingerprint Farms Winery farmers market: corn dogs, quail-egg custard fried pies, and a card for a free deviled egg. Days announced on Facebook.

Where can I find you online?

Facebook · Yelp · Leave us a Google review →