When I first moved to Bonham, I wondered for weeks what kind of food the uniquely named “Shumardii’s Family Restaurant” served. Of course, in this digital age nothing much remains a mystery long and a quick Google search would have answered my question; but every time I drove by it on 121, which was often as my family lives south of Bonham, I remembered I had forgotten to look it up and the mystery remained something I began to look forward to figuring out in person. On our first date night, my husband and I ventured out into the unknown and the pleasant surprise proved worth the wait. 

The thing that stood out first when we sat down in the cozy ambiance of the bar (this is a small part of the huge restaurant but I like a good martini, so we stayed close to the bar on date night) was that the booth wasn’t cramped like a lot of places. Further, the atmosphere was relaxed, with soft lighting and a football game on at the perfect volume, lending a subtle privacy to each booth. We settled in right away to the comfort of what did feel almost like a family home dining experience, only with service and much better food than I cook.  

After reading the story of the restaurant in one of their pamphlets I learned that the restaurant was named after the Shumardii tree, a beautiful oak tree with red leaves. So, nothing foreign in the least, which I predicted might be given the exotic double “i” in the name. Indeed, as far as the fare goes, it turned out to be a diverse variety of All-American favorites from chicken fried steak to salmon and ribeyes.  

One of the barometers of quality I look for in a restaurant is the dairy products. As the bread was served, I noticed the real butter which was promising. When the entrees came, my ribeye was perfectly cooked and amazingly tender. Also the fresh green onion on my potato was an extra nice touch given that most corporate restaurants have reduced themselves to the unappealing dried-up chives that are more garnish than food. Moreover, the dairy was still on point with the flavorful cheddar cheese when a lot of places will try to scrimp, substituting a very bland, almost pseudo shredded cheese. My husband ordered a chicken fried steak that was as big as his plate, deliciously crispy and moist without being too greasy. The service was timely and personable, which we appreciated as well. Receiving salads, appetizers and cocktails before the meal is not an easy task but our server excelled at this balancing act while simultaneously attending to several other tables. 

After the excellent experience I had with the food, service, and atmosphere of Shumarddii's, I must admit it became my favorite restaurant in Bonham and reviewers online seem to agree as Shumardii's has a current four-star rating.  

However, the ratings in the past have not been as favorable and so I did some digging to find that it has fallen recently under new ownership - a couple times - in the last year, with the most recent change being as recent as last month. 

Here's hoping Shumardiis Family Restaurant can stay afloat during the pandemic and patrons can continue enjoying the same attention to detail we’ve come to expect from this home away from home.