star cafe

this restaurant holds so much potential for the locals, but alas, is targeting the tourists. entering the restaurant feels like a step back in time to the wooden floors, old fashion décor, and pleasant staff. it has a very earthy feeling. once you get the menu however, you are no longer on earth as the prices are sky high. you expect to get some down home cookin' and café style food at a dive like this... and that is almost what you get. the food was sub par. seriously 2 steps above a cafeteria. and the outrageous prices were bad enough my wife kept insisting we leave. there really isn't much more i can say. it's in the stockyards. it's a tourist trap. i should have known better. earthy is one thing, but come on folks. with prices like this, my ticket alone could fix the lock on the bathroom door. one saving grace is the staff. there is a lovely lady that works the tables that has been there nearly 20 years. she alone increased my rating. they do offer discounts to law enforcement. they are very friendly, but i didn't come to the star to rate the staff as much as they are this places saving grace.

came in here because h3 at the corner of main and exchange  would not seat me until 11:00.  it was 10:55.  not willing to wait i shuffled over to the star cafe on the other side of main,  on the other side of exchange street.  entered and discovered a much more relaxed restaurant indeed!  wooden tables and chairs covered with plastic tablecloths, this is just the place you expect in the stockyards area.

there are not a lot of items on their menu, but there needn't be.  it has all the texas staples, burgers, chicken fried chicken,  chicken fried steak, chili... you name it, they probably will have it.  as long as you think texan!

i went with the chicken fried steak, which came with fries and a side.  i decided on a small side salad with bleu cheese dressing.  in less than ten minutes, my fine server brought me my lunch.  the chicken fried steak was a good lunch size portion, nothing extreme by texas standards, but decent.  they did get a little carried away with the gravy, but if you like that sort of thing, you've come to the right place.  it was knife tender and had good flavor.  a small roll came with the lunch.  it was soft and small but nothing to brag about. the green side salad came prior to the main meal and it was welcomed.  simple lettuce and tomatoes, the highlight was the bleu cheese dressing.  the server said that it was not homemade and that they get it from ben e. keith food service.  i tell you that bleu cheese dressing was fantastic.  it was loaded with mega chunks of bleu cheese.  it is not often that you find that kind of thick dressing.  they were very generous with their portion, even to the point of asking me if i wanted more.  the fries were all right.  they were served sizzling hot, but were not crisp.    iced tea was my drink of choice and it was pretty good.  plenty of refills.

service was quite good, friendly and knowledgeable. i liked star cafe.  i would not call it outstanding food, but the food i had hit-the-spot.  it is in the midst of the stockyards area of fort worth, so when you are finished, you can soak up the local color, do some shopping and just have a great time.

bad experience. needs to be zero star rating.

bad experience this past sunday 3/1/15.

$9 for a cheeseburger is crazy! slightly bigger than standard cheeseburger at macdonalds.

my girlfriend and i tried to share a chicken fried steak but they charge $3 for an extra plate! really!

service was slow and poor. food took a long time to come out to the table.

do not go there......you will be disappointed!

my friend had the blt --- limp bacon with no flavor.

my daughter had the grilled cheese --- this looked good but $6 for a grilled cheese......really!

$30 was our lunch total ---- stupid expensive!

they were out of steaks. order took 35 minutes to arrive at table and when it came, onion rings were cold. hamburger was tasty but served like warm. waitress was friendly and brought fresher onion rings but they tasted like burger king.

over priced. but very good and they do have daily lunch specials that are about $6... but if u want non special its 10. if u can... the best lunch special is on wens. meatloaf that u can call home about.

western memorabilia lines the walls of this casual eatery, which has a nostalgic cowboy ambiance.

good steak, great service. we are used to alberta beef and would say it's the best. having a seven hour layover in dallas we decided to go to thestickyards in fort worth. the star cafe is a few steps up the road from the crowded main street. the beef tenderloin pieces were perfectly seasoned and cooked to rare, as asked. the half size portion appreciated as texan size portions don't work for a smaller appetite. the fries were not the best but the beef was some ofthebest i have ever had. gotta go, there is a cattle drive coming down the road. only in texas!

great ambiance, chili cheese fries and chicken fried chicken.

great place for a chicken fried steak or a cheeseburger. i eat there about twice a month and think they are great! great prices, people and atmosphere. yum.

fantastic food !. everything wonderful with great old west atmosphere. don loves his customers, and you feel very welcomed.