Henderson Guide

Restaurants in Henderson, Texas

Listings checked against Texas Comptroller permit data · Updated October 2026

Henderson, the Rusk County seat, eats like a classic East Texas town: barbecue, Tex-Mex and home cooking, plus sushi and Italian. Most restaurants line US-79, with a handful on the downtown square. Here's where to eat.

Barbecue and seafood

Bodacious Bar-B-Q at 1005 US-79 N is a franchise of the East Texas Bodacious chain. It smokes its meats on site, sells its own Bodacious rub and sauce, and caters large events.

For seafood, Tia Juanita's Fish Camp at 405 US-79 N is run by Beaumont-based Tia Fajita's Inc. and serves seafood and Tex-Mex with a full bar.

Home cooking and more

For Southern comfort food, the Henderson Star Cafe at 102 US-79 E runs a Southern buffet known for its homemade pies, with a full bar. Locals may remember it as The Star Cafe or The Rusty Star; the site has been feeding residents and travelers for more than 70 years, and it's open every day of the year except Christmas. Herschel's Family Restaurant on US-79 S, part of a small East Texas group open more than 40 years, serves home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sal's Italian Restaurant serves pizza, chicken parmesan and pasta; Yamato Sushi Steak House is Henderson's sushi and hibachi spot; and the Tex-Mex bench runs from Don Felix's and Francisco's on US-79 N to Orta's on Kilgore Dr and small taquerias like Taqueria Anguiano on Worth St.

Downtown and the Square

Henderson's historic downtown square has a handful of local stops. Su Casita on E Main serves Salvadoran pupusas, with a buffet on Tuesdays and Thursdays; Rusk County Coffee at 100 E Main is the independent coffee shop; and Culpepper Country Store browses well between meals. Just off the square, Truth Soul Food and Grill opened on S Main in 2026, and Restaurante y Panadería Dulce Hogar bakes pan dulce on the same street.

The downtown comes especially alive during the Heritage Syrup Festival in November, when the square fills with visitors. Beyond the square, Henderson's restaurants, drive-thru coffee and chains line US-79.

Restaurant Directory: Henderson

A directory of 53 restaurants, 14 food trucks, and 8 bars & nightlife spots, built from active Texas sales-tax permits, grouped by cuisine where the name makes it clear.

Sourced from the Texas Comptroller's active permit records. A spot that recently closed or changed hands may occasionally still appear — let us know and we'll fix it.

Barbecue (1)

  • Bodacious Bar-B-Q ↗

    Bodacious-franchise barbecue restaurant on US-79 in Henderson serving smoked meats plus its own Bodacious rub and sauce, with catering for large events.

    1005 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-9999

Mexican & Tex-Mex (10)

  • Don Felix's Mexican Restaurant

    Family-run Mexican restaurant and cantina on US-79 N serving Tex-Mex plates, with beer, wine and mixed drinks.

    1221 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2267

  • Taco Bell ↗ chain $

    Taco Bell fast-food restaurant with drive-thru on Highway 79 South, operated by franchisee Southern Multifoods.

    300 Highway 79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-7303

  • Flora's Tamales

    Local tamale shop on US-79 N in Henderson.

    306 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2144

  • Francisco's Mexican Restaurant

    Locally owned Mexican restaurant on US-79 N serving Tex-Mex plates, nachos and mangonadas.

    505 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 392-8262

  • Jalapeño Tree ↗ bar

    Henderson location of the East Texas Jalapeño Tree chain, family-run since 1994, serving Tex-Mex plates and margaritas with drive-thru pickup and catering.

    300 Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-2065

  • Orta's Restaurant ↗

    Family Mexican restaurant on Kilgore Drive serving Tex-Mex plates, with online ordering and beer and mixed drinks.

    306 Kilgore Dr, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 655-2017

  • Su Casita ↗

    Salvadoran restaurant on the downtown square serving pupusas and other Salvadoran dishes, with a buffet on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

    127 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 722-2501

  • Taqueria Anguiano $

    Small taqueria on Worth Street serving tacos, tostadas and chile rellenos.

    204 Worth St, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 722-3906

  • Taqueria Juarez Mexican Restaurant $

    Mexican restaurant and taqueria on East Main Street.

    700 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75652

  • Tortilleria Luna

    Tortilleria on Jacksonville Drive selling fresh tortillas and Mexican food.

    1504 Jacksonville Dr, Henderson, TX 75654

Burgers & American (8)

  • Jucy's Hamburgers ↗

    Henderson location of Jucy's Hamburgers, a Longview-born East Texas chain of burger drive-ins that also serves burritos and tacos.

    100 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 392-2155

  • Truth Soul Food And Grill

    Soul food and grill restaurant on South Main Street, opened in 2026.

    201 S Main St, Henderson, TX 75654

  • Cotton Patch Cafe ↗ $$

    Texas chain restaurant serving scratch-made comfort food such as chicken-fried steak, in Henderson since 1995.

    420 US Highway 79 S, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-1414

  • DQ Grill & Chill ↗ chain $

    Dairy Queen Grill & Chill on Highway 79 N serving burgers, chicken strips and Blizzard treats, operated by franchisee 3 Beall Foods.

    1215 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-6532

  • Herschel's Family Restaurant ↗

    Family-style restaurant, part of a small East Texas group open more than 40 years, serving home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner.

    1607 US Highway 79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-7811

  • McDonald's ↗ $

    McDonald's fast-food restaurant on US-79 South serving burgers, fries and breakfast.

    2130 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-2442

  • Sonic ↗ chain $

    Drive-in fast-food chain serving burgers, hot dogs, tots and slushes with carhop service. Henderson has two Sonic locations.

    (903) 657-4358

  • Whataburger ↗ chain $

    Texas burger chain (store #310, 'Hwy 79 & Peach') serving made-to-order burgers, chicken sandwiches and breakfast taquitos.

    630 US-79, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-8538

Chicken & Wings (3)

  • Chicken Express ↗ chain $

    Texas fried-chicken chain serving tenders, fried chicken, sides and sweet tea.

    101 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 655-0999

  • Wingstop ↗ chain $

    Chicken-wing chain serving classic and boneless wings in a range of flavors plus seasoned fries.

    2319 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 551-3339

  • Chick-fil-A ↗ chain $

    Chicken-sandwich chain serving pressure-cooked chicken sandwiches, nuggets and waffle fries.

    2416 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (430) 243-3447

Seafood & Cajun (1)

  • Tia Juanita's Fish Camp ↗ bar

    Seafood and Tex-Mex fish-camp restaurant on US-79 N, operated by Beaumont-based Tia Fajita's Inc, with a full bar.

    405 US Highway 79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2391

Pizza & Italian (4)

  • Little Caesars ↗ $

    Carryout pizza chain known for Hot-N-Ready pizzas and Crazy Bread.

    2327 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-5550

  • Pizza Hut ↗ chain $

    Pizza chain offering delivery and carryout pan and stuffed-crust pizzas, wings and pasta.

    430 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-1665

  • Sal's Italian Restaurant

    Italian restaurant on US-79 N serving pizza, chicken parmesan and pasta dishes.

    214 US-79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-8000

  • Domino's ↗ chain $

    Pizza delivery and carryout chain serving pizzas, wings and sandwiches.

    511 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 655-2222

Asian (3)

  • Panda Express ↗ chain $

    American-Chinese fast-casual chain known for orange chicken, chow mein and fried rice.

    2123 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 655-1998

  • Yamato Sushi Steak House ↗

    Japanese restaurant serving sushi and hibachi grill dishes, with online ordering.

    1307 US-79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 392-8813

  • China Palace Restaurant

    Chinese restaurant on US-79 South serving American-Chinese dishes such as crab rangoon and lunch specials.

    440 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 657-8003

Breakfast & Diner (4)

  • Country Cooking Cafe

    Local home-style cafe on US-79 N.

    1333 US-79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2511

  • Henderson Cafe

    Local cafe on Lone Star St serving breakfast (omelettes, pancakes), home-cooked plates and Mexican dishes.

    1221 Lone Star St, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2329

  • Henderson Star Cafe ↗ bar

    Southern buffet restaurant known for homemade pies, open 364 days a year (closed Christmas Day), with a full bar.

    102 US-79 E, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 655-6440

  • Denny's ↗ $$

    24-hour Denny's diner on US-79 S serving breakfast all day plus burgers and dinner plates.

    100 US Highway 79 S, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 392-2257

Sandwiches & Delis (2)

  • Schlotzsky's ↗ chain $

    Sandwich chain known for toasted sourdough-bun deli sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and Cinnabon treats.

    419 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 722-2053

  • Subway ↗ chain $

    Sandwich chain serving made-to-order subs, wraps and salads; two Henderson stores.

    (903) 657-2919

Coffee, Sweets & Bakery (16)

  • Discovery Shop Juice Bar & More

    Downtown juice bar on E Main St that opened in January 2026.

    127 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75652

  • Donut Express $

    Local donut shop with two Henderson locations (US-79 S and SH-64 W).

    (903) 722-9065

  • Enlighten Nutrition

    Nutrition club on East Main Street serving nutrition shakes and teas.

    617 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2081

  • Hometown Nutrition ETX

    Nutrition club on Richardson Drive serving nutrition shakes and teas.

    100 Richardson Dr Ste B, Henderson, TX 75654

  • La Monita Michoacana $

    Michoacán-style paletería and ice-cream shop on SH-64 W.

    103 1/2 SH-64 W, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 722-2398

  • Rusk County Coffee

    Independent coffee shop on East Main Street in downtown Henderson.

    100 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75652

  • Sandra's Sno Ball Shop

    Long-running shaved-ice and sno-ball stand on US-79 South in Henderson, operating since 1985.

    2309 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (903) 655-6652

  • Scrumptious Cupcakes & Desserts $

    Bakery on South Main Street selling cupcakes (mini and jumbo), brownies, cookies and custom cakes.

    1418 S Main St, Henderson, TX 75654

  • 7 Brew ↗ $

    7 Brew drive-thru coffee stand (store #000941) on Fair Park Drive, serving espresso drinks, energy drinks, teas and shakes.

    721 Fair Park Dr, Henderson, TX 75654

  • Sippy's ↗

    Drive-thru coffee shop on US-79 North serving espresso drinks and specialty coffees.

    807 US-79 N Ste 100, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 747-0715

  • Starbucks ↗ chain $$

    Starbucks coffeehouse (store #67577) on US-79 South, serving espresso drinks, brewed coffee and pastries.

    450 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654 · (430) 243-6007

  • Strong Coffee House

    Locally owned coffee house on US-79 North, open since 2003.

    401 US-79 N, Henderson, TX 75652

  • Culpepper Country Store

    Country store in the multi-vendor building at 110 E Main St downtown, holding a restaurant sales-tax permit alongside its retail business.

    110 E Main St, Henderson, TX 75652

  • Dunkin' ↗ chain $

    Dunkin' coffee-and-donut shop on US-79 South that opened in spring 2026, serving coffee, espresso drinks, donuts and breakfast sandwiches.

    2121 US-79 S, Henderson, TX 75654

  • Restaurante y Panadería Dulce Hogar

    Latin bakery and restaurant on South Main Street serving pan dulce and home-style dishes, opened in late 2025.

    303 S Main St, Henderson, TX 75654

  • Star Donuts & Croissant $

    Donut shop on US-79 North selling donuts and croissants, in business since 2006.

    301 US-79 N, Henderson, TX 75652 · (903) 657-8949

Other (1)

  • Henderson Country Club

    Private country club on SH-43 East, operating since 1967, with a members' bar.

    1143 SH-43 E, Henderson, TX 75652

Food Trucks & Trailers (14)

Bars, Pubs & Nightlife (8)

Source: Texas Comptroller — Active Sales Tax Permit Holders (NAICS 722)

FAQ: Dining in Henderson

Own a restaurant in Henderson?

Get your spot featured in our dining guide.

Get Featured

Region-wide guides that put Henderson in context — where to go, what things cost, and how people actually live here.

Business Owner?

Want Your Business Featured in Henderson?

People are searching for businesses like yours in Henderson. Get listed in our city guide and local directory so they can find you.