cattleman's steakhouse

best steak in el paso. this place is the best in the elpasoarea.the coleslaw is also really good. very kid friendly. nice atmosphere. views are also fantastic. they also no how to make martinis and other mix drink right. this place is a 10 compared to the other steakhouses and restaurants around el paso. to bad you have to drive out of elpasoto get good food but this place is worth the drive.

best steak in the elpasoarea. for the property alone, this place is worth a visit! seating is plentiful!! scenery is drop dead gorgeous. get there before the sun goes down for the best views and make sure to check out all the animals!! you can't go wrong with a single dish on the menu. good cowboy cooking and the best meat selection around. the filet will fall apart in your mouth.

when i first went to cattlemen's i remember it was bit of drive east of elpasoout in the desert off a dusty little road a few miles from the interstate.  still a 30 mile drive, but well worth it even now.

a little different, however, in that it has grown from a very rustic old-west type of restaurant into more of "touristy" place with animals for the kids to see and so forth.  but, the food was as good as i recall with great steaks and other choices like beef ribs and, even seafood (really, in the desert?) plus all the trimmings from cole slaw to beans served up as "all you can" with the entree.  very pleased overall.

so, not a 5?  well, it caters a little too much for the tourists and the server was a bit off his game with little interaction with the guests - so, not perfect.  worth the drive, however, and i would recommend going just before sundown to catch some scenic sun sets over juarez and el paso.

ps:  i can't find any site on zomato for juarez - so, i have to mention it here:  try la borrega for mexican food if you feel safe enough to be in the town.  made up for the just average food i had the night before in el paso.

i will start by saying that cattleman's always represented the best of elpasoto me! i would proudly proclaim to all of my friends and colleagues that the best steakhouse in texas was from el paso. i grew up going to cattleman's to celebrate momentous occasions in our life, birthday's, graduation's, wedding's, .....and always the meal was an experience from the beautiful scenery to the professionalism of the waitstaff.

however, all of this paled in comparison to the cowboy steak they served! it was heaven on earth!!!cattleman's was an institution that any native el pasoan can rely on for great service and an even better steak. unfortunately, after giving them the benefit of the doubt the last 3 times i have been there, tonight was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. i had to share with anyone the 1-star quality of service they have instead of the 4-5 star they are hoping to receive. especially when contemplating spending their hard earned money in this economic climate at a restaurant that is less than a shadow of it's former self!!!

the service was beyond horrendous! the waiter tried to convince me that the blue rare steak he served me was medium rare. that the t-bone steak with less than a 1/2" tenderloin was a porterhouse steak! i made the idiotic decision to return the steak and have him reheat it and done right, but to no avail;(

the waiter ruined one of the greatest pleasures i used to have in life, having a great steak that i was proud of promoting to the entire world when he erroneously told me a rare steak is only cooked 10-15 seconds per side just to justify his mistake. son, not even a blue rare is cooked for less than 2 minutes per side!!! google it!!!!!!!

btw to the young man who served me, do not blame the expediter in the kitchen... you are the one whom i entrust to bring me the correct steak and if you cannot even tell the difference between a blue rare and medium rare, i think it is time to move on and do something else. it is a crying shame cattleman's has allowed such incompetence to be a part of what once was a great institution!

save your money! there are better restaurants in elpasowhere pride and quality still matters. cattleman's has been relegated to nothing more than an expensive mediocre restaurant with less than average service and okay steaks. for the first time i left cattleman's hungry and thinking of stopping for a burger after spending a couple of c-notes!!! sad, very sad;(((

elpasoholy baby!. enjoyed a memorable dinner entertaining business associates here. nothing negative to report at all.....appetizer of beef cubes was succulent, and the 28oz "cowgirl" was amazing! salads, sides, wines, all great and what you expect. it is way out there in the boondocks (i remember seeing a border patrol suv) but the place is famous and well traveled with good roads. being greeted by the parking lot attendant on a horse was quite the impression. snake pit, movie wall, etc. made it all enteresting. really a texas experience.

rule 51 - sometimes you're wrong!. a couple of years ago, i tried the cattleman and was less than happy. well, everyone can have a bad night so on my latest trip to el paso, my partner and i stopped at the cattleman to give it another try.

first - the service. from adriana (the hostess) to daniela (the beverage server) to ericka (our server) - outstanding! friendly, attentive without being intrusive and they made great suggestions for our meals.

and the meals - we both went with the wagonmaster which is a one and a quarter pound t-bone. cattleman is running customer appreciation days through the end of november and to get a perfectly cooked (medium rare) texas tbone for $22.95 is a steal. sides (baked potato, beans and great coleslaw) were all very flavorful.

wine list is fairly priced and the desserts (pecan pie!!) were outstanding.

the service was so good that i stopped by to thank mark, the manager.

ericka, daniela and adriana - thanks for a great meal at the cattleman.


-----13 may, 2010-----

disappointing dinner. while in elpasoon travel, i went to the cattleman's steakhouse (cs) with high expectations: great write-ups on the 'spoon, great reviews and great recommendations from locals.

the cs is a bit of drive from downtown el paso. the grounds are stunning, especially for sunset facing west.

ribeye, medium rare, recommended by the server as the house speciality should not be a major challenge for the kitchen. the first time it came out well-done and the second time, it came out rare.

service was mixed (thanks cindy - but your partner could use some of your personality and your attention to customers).

that said, my high expectations were not met.

no brainer. amazing steak!!!. this place doesn't really need anymore reviews, because if you're from elpasoyou already now it is the best place for steak and bbq in the entire county and possibly in all of texas for price and quality. the steaks can't be beat, the ribs are fall off the bone good if you're lucky enough to get them while they last and the atmosphere is out of this world. walking the grounds is likewise an experience all by itself, whether you do it before or after the meal. they have ostriches, rabbits, rattle snakes, prairie dogs, and buffalo to be seen along with dozens of other animals. the kids can play in the maze or on one of the coolest fort/playing areas i've ever seen. if you are from elpasoand haven't been shame on you, and if you are in or near elpasovisiting or passing through, make time! you will not regret it.

best place in elpasofor a steak. absolutely delicious. you want a steak in el paso, you come here!

beautiful setting, nice restaurant, but just so-so food. everyone should make at least one trip out to cattleman's steakhouse (the one just east of elpasoin fabens....not the one on route 70 in las cruces). it is located on a working ranch (indian cliff's) and the backdrop for dining is quite beautiful. many movies have been filmed there and you have probably seen one or more.

the restaurant itself is very nice, casual but real nice. the service is well above average. rate the ambiance an a and the service an a- to b+. prices are reasonable but on the high side.

the food has been my major disappointment. the bbq sauce and burnt ends were excellent. the steaks they are famous for were very good....a-. but...everything else we have had was mediocre at best. it, honestly, is amazing that a place so nice and so well run with such good steaks can't seem to get their vegetables and bread and other dishes any better. i will continue to go back when passing through the area, but i can only hope the food overall improves. those steaks were good though! rate the overall dining experience four-and-a-half stars.

bottom line: will i return to dine? probably someday if in the area.

declining quality...(update: got better). update:
1/12/2012

so i called them and let the manager know how i felt about their declining quality, i don't know if they actually listened or i just got lucky but i went back two weeks ago and ordered an 10oz ribeye, medium-rare and it was cooked perfect and had great flavor. i was very pleased! ...i actually thought they had brought me the wrong steak ( a filet mignon), because it was thicker than their normal ribeye cut...maybe that's what made all the difference?....here's hoping it wasn't just a fluke and that they deliver consistency.

9/15/2011
used to be that i would always recommend and proudly speak the words "cattleman's steakhouse" to any out of towner asking me for my opinion on the best steak in town. i knew i could always count on it for a prettly good ribeye. now i'm not so sure. my last two or thee trips have been disappointing to say the least. i always get my steaks cooked medium-rare (as any good cut of meat should be). i always make sure and emphasize the "r-a-r-e" in medium-rare for fear that the waitress will think i said medium-well (this is good ol' elpasoafer all and a lot of my fellow paisanos like their meat like their belts)... it came out almost well done so i sent it back, they gave me a free rib while i waited, and then my second steak came to the table more done that the first! at that point i just ate it. its not just the lack of skill of the cooks, the quality and tenderness of the meat has also been in decline. sometimes you still get , lucky and get a good steak.. but sadly, its more the exception than the rule now. its a damn shame....

cattlemen's steakhouse. it's not the best steakhouse in elpasobut it's pretty good. the folks at indian cliffs ranch feed the coyotes outside of their restaurant in view of the patrons. it's a site to see especially at night. they have to be the fattest coyotes in west texas. the food is good but i have seen better.