Homestyle eatery brings down-home charm to Oak Ridge

With its menu combining Tex-Mex and homestyle favorites, Compadres Texas Cafe is every bit a Lone Star State neighborhood hangout with down-home charm.

Compadres offers an all-day breakfast menu with its breakfast tacos proving to be a local favorite; homestyle classics like chicken-fried steak; hamburgers, and a variety of pies, cakes and cobblers.

"There's no Oak Ridge restaurant quite like ours with its home cooking and where everything is made-to-order," said manager Melody Mayhugh.

She said Compadres has been at its Oak Ridge North location for four years, however, it changed hands about a year and a half ago. New owners Glenn and Guin Gaidousek bought the cafe and hired Mayhugh to run the day-to-day operations. Having known each other through working at Sonic before Compadres, the Gaidouseks and Mayhugh collaborated to buy and run the restaurant.

Mayhugh said the previous owner was an Oak Ridge resident and thought the community was in need of a good neighborhood eatery. She said the name "Compadres" often confuses customers, as they expect the restaurant to serve only Mexican food.

"It's kind of misleading," she said. "It's Tex-Mex, but our most popular items are chicken-fried steak and chicken-fried chicken."

Adorning the walls of the spacious dining room are Texas memorabilia and country harbingers from days gone by. Rusted, vintage Texas license plates serve as decorations. Hats from Texas colleges and universities hang around the restaurant alongside a framed Lone Star Flag and various country decor.

Mayhugh said she maintains a large number of regulars and returning customers who appreciate the home-cooked food at Compadres. She said her favorite part of working at the restaurant is getting to know her customers on a personal level.

"Being in such a small community is great," Mayhugh said. "I love my customers; the people are fantastic. The owners are always on-hand; we're like a family. It doesn't feel like a job."