cattleman's steakhouse

you would think that since this place is so popular the owners would hire a good wait staff. but no, they are sub par at best. the steak is very good but not worth the price of sitting next to multiple tables full children who run around and no one from therestaurantsays a word.

need a mini-vacation? look no further.... cattleman's was always such a treat for me and my friends. the menu was small, but the meat was the main attraction and it was always done right. you'll have to wait a while for everything to come out, but that just ensures you don't fill up beforehand.

out of the 8 times i've been there, i've conqured both the cowboy steak and the full rack of beef ribs (not at the same time). both were wonderful.

the real draw to this place, though, has to be the setting, building itself, and the animal zoo setting around back. i'm a grown man, but still enjoyed seeing the ostrich's, peacocks, rattlesnakes, horses, livestock, etc. the views during the sunset are definitely world class, so try to get a table in the west-wing of therestaurantto enjoy it.

otherwise, can't say much more about this place to recommend it! truly a one-of-a-kind!

when i first went to cattlemen's i remember it was bit of drive east of el paso out 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 ofrestaurantinto 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 el paso to 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 arestaurantthat 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 el paso where pride and quality still matters. cattleman's has been relegated to nothing more than an expensive mediocrerestaurantwith 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;(((

terrible customer consideration. we went for a nephew's birthday and it was a large party. they would not sit us until every member of the party was there. i was fine with that policy even though therestaurantwas more than half empty but as we waited for everyone to show there was some very small kids who are very hungryand we could not even order appetizers for them until everyone showed and this is per the manager. the service was not friendly the food was not very warm and the burger was very sloppily done. thisrestauranthas garnered national attention but it seems now that they are resting on that and not continuing their tradition of quality food and service. at any time we try to make any changes to our order they said we couldn't. i would not go back there if my meal was free. something aboutpoor service,poor quality of food,0 friendlinessand 0 accommodation just rubbed me the wrong way.

not just for cattlemen. coming from el paso, it's a little bit of a drive. but nothing like a little drive through the desert at nite to whet your appetite. deep in the heart of texas, the stars at nite are big and bright and really light up the sky as you approach the ranch. then, the lights of therestaurantslowly steal the night time show as you get closer and find a place to park among all the pick up trucks (and cars as well).

nothing but wood smoke and grilled meats . . . just how good can that smell?!? the answer was inside as we were escorted after a 30 minute wait to our table . . . and the answer is, "plenty damn good". i felt a little sheepish (don't say that word around a cattleman) about ordering a "cowgirl" instead of a "cowboy" steak. but at one and a half lbs. i mean, come on!! this cowboy was ready to handle a cowgirl (double entendre intended), but the man vs food size of the cowboy at 2 lbs. was way too much.

man, i felt like fred when they slapped that dinosaur sized steak down in front of me. long story short, i consumed more red meat that nite than i had in the two weeks previous.

i have been hard pressed since to find as good a steak for its flavor, tenderness, and texture. that was a steak just too good to be true. maybe i just imagined the whole thing and it was just an altered state caused by someone slipping in a little peyote into my margarita that nite. wrong!! it was that good and i was still picking beef out of my teeth all the next day like a dog savoring a good bone. tmi (too much information) i know, but you get the picture.

first off, i work at a 4 starrestaurantfor a living.
second, the cuts of beef are outstanding! you can't beat these prices!
the service is ok. not attentive but i wonder if they weren't trained properly.
the wine list is to be desired. i am very familiar with texas wines and they carry the bottom of the barrel from llano escacado. even their cali wines are left to be desired. the wine list does not live up to the quality of the meat.
make sure you go in small parties. anything larger than 4 ppl will be an hour plus wait. 2 ppl, 10 min at most.
overall a pleasant experience!

wow! a must try!!. my husband travels the country for work and thus is always eating out. i often travel with him and we search for good bbq and steaks. rare to find both in the same place. but here we have. we have tried hundreds of steakhouses and bbq places but none compares to cattleman's. i ordered the ribeye and it was cooked perfectly to my request. i had my steak with the herbed butter and it simply melted in my mouth. the pineapple coleslaw was also very good. we eat here every single time we visit el paso. since our son lives here we visit for pleasure also. after many trips to thisrestaurantwe have been amazed every single time. this last trip was thanksgiving day and although they were absolutely packed and service was not great it was still very good. after all each server only has two hands :-) we will continue to eat at cattleman's every visit!!!!

meanwhile... back at the ranch.. food – i ordered the 14 oz. rib eye, done medium well, with steak fries. all of the meals at the cattleman’s come with “trim”, ranch beans and pineapple coleslaw. the presentation was neat with a slice of carrot and parsley for garnish. important - the steak was done medium well, which is hard for some steakhouses to do and i’m not sure why. very important – the steak tasted delicious. it was very juicy and the seasoning rub they use for steaks lend the meat this wonderful “southwestern” flavor. the fries and “trim” were good too, but not as good as the steak. here’s why - the fries are tasty for sure, but obviously from a bag. the ranch beans were also tasty, but didn’t seem as spicy they could have been. the coleslaw was sweet and delicious, but watery and not creamy. all-in-all, i liked the food very much.
service –the service was very professional. my table had two servers, one for cocktails one for the main course. both servers were on-time, attentive, and well-mannered. the food was served on-time and plates were cleared in a timely manner. they also made sure that we were happy with our meals.
establishment – the cattleman’s steakhouse is a massiverestaurantthat’s located at indian cliff’s ranch out in fabens, tx. as such, the décor is a cross between a contemporary countryrestaurantand a wild-west museum and art gallery. i’m really not kidding. there are display cases throughout therestaurantand every other flat surface that isn’t a dining table displays artwork that’s for sale. that being said, it comes together in a way that makes the meal feel like an experience, not like a trip to the museum. therestaurantfeels warm and inviting and it is very clean and tidy, despite the huge amount of traffic that it sees every day.
summary – the food was delicious. the service was good. the ambiance made the experience great. thisrestaurantdid was arestaurantis supposed to and it was worth the price.

way more of a familyrestaurantthan a steakhouse. my pitiful dinner exceeded $50. i was seated next to bawling children. tho i arrived early, 7p, they were already all out of ribs (really?). no local craft brew and no beer on tap (really?!!) . the only saving grace was indeed the steak, otherwise everything else placed the experience far below bonanza/sizzler/sirloin stockade/golden corral.


-----03 jan, 2012-----

more of a familyrestaurantthan a steakhouse. my dinner is more than $50 and i was seated next to bawling children. i arrived at 7p and they were all out of ribs (really?). no beer on tap and no locals (really?!!)

great steak. cattleman's is truly arestaurantto experience texas and what outsiders view as texas. therestaurantis nestled in a desert setting with domestic horses and roving coyotes. i visited therestauranton a tuesday night and there were quite a few visitors. regardless of the amount of people, the service was polite and very attentive. one of my friends was surprised because his tea was always filled. i ordered the wagonmaster steak medium well. for such a thick cut the beef was cooked just the way i liked with a hint of pink in the center. it was very juicy and seasoned to where the flavors were not over powering the steak itself. i also ordered the baked potato as my side and it came with more than enough cheese and bacon to make me happy. a great experience and something everyone should try when passing through.

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 el paso in 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.

therestaurantitself 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.

a must in el paso. thisrestaurantis so unique and even after 15 years my husband and mom remember our dinner here.
great food and wonderful atmosphere.
very western!

cattlemen's steakhouse. it's not the best steakhouse in el paso but it's pretty good. the folks at indian cliffs ranch feed the coyotes outside of theirrestaurantin 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.

destination restaurant. this is a goodrestaurantto take visitors who like meat. since cattleman's is set in a ranch, there is a lot to do, especially for the younger generation. i would suggest, if going in the summertime, go in the early evening and stroll around the grounds before dinner. there are animals in pens, a play area for kids, and a lake for viewing. have a drink on the upstairs terrace. their margaritas are very good and the terrace is a good place for a photo op, especially as the sun is setting. request a table for dinner in the dining room on the west side (next to the terrace) for a nice view. the steaks are very good. that's all i can say. so, if you aren't having steak, you probably shouldn't expect much. the sides (beans, slaw) are not why you go to cattleman's. the service is adequate (since i cannot remember much about it). i've been on a really busy day (father's day) and we really didn't have too long a wait. if you have a party of more than 4 you may have a longer wait (maybe come in two separate groups?).