Cattlemen's Steak House — Restaurant in Fort Worth

Cattlemen’s Serves Prestige, Not Flavor.

I went to Cattleman’s for Father’s Day with my wife and daughter, and it was my first time visiting. No wait with my reservation. I’ve heard the name enough to be curious, and figured a historic Texas steakhouse was a solid choice for the occasion, and a steak fan. I was wrong, but we’ll get to that.

The atmosphere tries to toe the line between rustic legacy and contemporary polish. There’s a deliberate nod to history (you’ll hear about “new owner Taylor Sheridan, producer of Yellowstone” within five minutes of being seated), but they’re clearly aiming for upscale appeal. You’ll feel fine in casual wear, but also vaguely underdressed. Full-grain leather booths were a nice touch—legit quality seating—and the space was clean overall. We were seated near the front door, though, which meant a steady stream of heat and a few stubborn flies by the end of the meal. Not ideal, but the luck of the draw is not a deal-breaker. They may want to invest in a barrier system near the door.

Service, to their credit, was excellent. Our server was kind, patient, and clearly used to talking guests through the restaurant’s lore. No complaints there, she did an excellent job. Now the food. Every meal comes with an entrée, a starch, a side salad, and cornbread muffins for the table. A classic setup. The execution? Not so much.

I ordered the bone-in ribeye (20oz pre-cooked), sourced from the Four Sixes Ranch (6666) out of Guthrie, Texas—a fun detail, since it shares my surname. The meat quality itself was fantastic: great marbling, tender, and cooked exactly to temp. But that’s where my praise ends. It had no char or sear, no salt, no flavor worth mentioning. If their mission was to let the meat speak for itself, then sure, it spoke, but only in a whisper. It didn’t even have the personality of a grocery store pre-mix. And unlike cheaper steaks that benefit from over-seasoning, this one just sat there, proud but painfully bland.

I chose fries for my starch, hoping for something bold like a strong salt and pepper, a garlic or truffle, anything. What I received was fries that looked homemade (old-school-brown rather than yellow), but tasted just as plain as the steak. No flavor, no crunch, just... fried potato.

The Caesar salad, thankfully, was good. Dressing was sour and tangy in the right way, with fresh cracked pepper added at the table. One of the few bright spots on the table.

My wife ordered the 10oz filet mignon, and we ran into the same issue. Beautiful cut, well-cooked, completely forgettable. She also had the Caesar and chose a baked potato, both of which were solid. Nothing special, but no complaints either.

Both of us ordered the cognac-peppercorn sauce, as it is something we typically like with steak. Another failure. It was thin, watery, and tasted like a generic brown gravy. Calling it “peppercorn” felt like a dare.

Our daughter had the kid’s sirloin and fries. Same deal: great meat, no flavor. She isn’t picky and liked it well enough. We split a carrot cake to end the night. It was chilled, moist, and had a nice balance with the icing, which wasn’t too heavy like other places. Basic, but well done and satisfying. Not enough to save the meal, but a better finish than the steak would have led us to believe.

The total? $225 before tip. That’s two adults, one child, 2 ABs and 1 dessert. I get that the Stockyards and the Four Sixes name carry a price tag, but this was well above market value for what was delivered. I’m not unreasonable when it comes to steak: I love a good cut, but flavor matters.

For context: Texas Roadhouse serves a better-tasting steak, even with lower-quality meat. Carrabba’s (yes, the Italian restaurant) serves a filet that runs circles around this one, and it’s not even a steakhouse.

All in all, I wanted to love this place. I really did. The historical angle was fun. Dining at a spot with deep Texas roots—and ties to my own surname—was a cool moment. But flavor matters. And when you're charging premium prices, “well-cooked but bland” just...

My 5-year-old daughter and I arrived at Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Fort Worth at 5:45 PM. The restaurant was practically empty, so we were seated right away — but that was the last smooth thing about this visit.

It took 25 minutes just for someone to greet us. I know because I was texting my husband about what a disaster it was and asking if I should just get up and leave but my daughter was hungry so I stayed a little longer. By 6:15 we were greeted, but we still didn’t have drinks... I texted my husband that the service was so bad I might need to just order food to go because it was a school night and we live an hour away with my daughters bedtime being 8PM.

I ordered bacon-wrapped shrimp specifically requesting no sauce since my child can’t eat spicy food. The shrimp arrived covered in buffalo sauce anyway. I didn’t complain — I just politely asked for ranch twice and never got it. I got an unsweet tea, I had to flag our waitress down to ask her for one refill even though she could clearly see the empty cup.

At the same time, I told the waitress I’d need our food to go because my husband was stuck in traffic. She shrugged and said they could wait an hour if needed because The restaurant was not busy at all she explained— even though I explained we had to get home early because of it being a school night.

Meanwhile, at 6:25, a group of four was seated next to us. We watched them get greeted immediately by their waitress, receive drinks and refills, enjoy two appetizers, order, and be served their entrées — all before we got our single to-go kids’ meal, a 7-oz sirloin, a pork chop, two loaded baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

When our to-go order finally hit the table, there was no ticket, no receipt, no way to pay. Our food sat there getting cold for 30 minutes while we waited for someone — anyone — to let me pay. When I finally got the bill and paid cash, it took another 15 minutes to get my change.

Thinking our long ordeal was finally over, I left a $30 cash tip and we walked out — only to find in the truck that my husband’s entire entrée was missing, along with both salads.

I immediately called and asked to speak to the manager (still sitting in the parking lot). The manager kept asking for an order number (I never got one). He said he’d have to call me tomorrow to “figure out how to handle it” — instead of simply walking to the kitchen and fixing the mistake right then. He said it would be “difficult” to resolve since I’d paid cash. No apology. No effort to make it right. No basic hospitality. I had to call my husband and explain to him what just happened and that he would need to go get himself something for dinner now at this point we were still an hour away from home.

It’s now the next day — no one has called, no refund, nothing. My husband ended up driving to Chick-fil-A at 8 PM to finally get dinner after we spent over an hour and a half sitting there, another hour driving home, and $175 for food that wasn’t even in the bag.

This was hands-down the worst service I have ever experienced anywhere. Slow, careless, completely disorganized, and topped off with a manager who clearly doesn’t care about customers or fixing mistakes.

I left a generous tip before realizing half our food was missing — and still got ignored and ripped off.

If you value your time, your money, good service, or a basic level of respect as a customer, skip Cattleman’s Steakhouse Fort...

Cattlemen's is usually my go-to for steaks and my favorite restaurant in the stockyards. I am a local, not a tourist. We had planned a combination anniversary / birthday lunch for our parents. I knew the dining room had been renovated as they have posted that on Instagram. However - of the years I have come here - this was far from my typical Cattlemen's experience.

There is a temporary entrance as they have opened the one renovated room while renovating the rest of the restaurant. There is a temporary bar - with no draft beer (wish we had known that before coming). To be honest - they are doing them a disservice by remaining open and should have just closed for renovation.

The food was great as usual and was the only positive of our lunch. We did find it odd the baked potatoes came fully loaded - no one was asked, and we were used to them bringing the multi-dish container with toppings to do your own. If this is the new standard - you should ask as someone may not want certain toppings.

The biggest negative of our lunch was the service. Our waitress apparently did not know the menu. I ordered Chicken Fried Steak and was asked which side I wanted. When I asked if that was in addition to or in place of mashed potatoes (called out for that item specifically on the menu) she was puzzled, and I had to show her. When we needed additional drinks, we had to call her - when she should have noticed drinks getting low and ask us. The food seemed more rushed than normal. Typically, about the time you finish an appetizer they bring salad and as everyone finishes that lunch comes. Not today - salads came just after appetizer and lunch came about 1/3 way thru salads. Finally, we asked to split the check 2 on one and 4 on another. I admit not checking carefully, and got home to realize there were 5 on mine. I called and a manager noted there was only 1 meal on the other check and their resolution was to move the meal to the other check - without notifying the other party. I was not comfortable with that, so left it as it was.

When I made our reservation, thru OpenTable, I noted this was a birthday (for one person in the group) and anniversary (for two others in the group). They checked us in on our reservation - so their screen should have noted that. They never acknowledged any of it. Not even looking for a freebie - just acknowledgement. Thank the guest for choosing the restaurant for a special occasion.

I noted when I got home they now charge a "Plastic Money Fee" (surcharge for using credit card). This is only noted on your check when you get it - not on the menu, at the door, on a window (verified this). The federal law on credit card surcharge (as it applies to restaurants) states the consumer must be notified in multiple places - which the check can be one and the other should be either signage at entry, at cash register, on a menu, etc. I understand the charge, but I want to know it upfront so if I decide to pay cash, I can get it if needed. When the check is presented is too late. This was pointed out to Cattlemen's and they are supposedly looking into it.

My final comment is that this is normally a great restaurant - just an issue with the renovation and server on this trip. Unfortunately, I will not be back until the renovations...