Jack's Chophouse — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but my recent experience was beyond disappointing—especially considering we spent over $1,000 expecting top-tier service. My husband and I first visited in 2023 and had a fantastic time, which encouraged us to return on Saturday, March 29 with eight of our closest friends from Dallas and Houston to celebrate my birthday. Reservation was for 10 people at 6:15pm, and our table was not yet ready. We were greeted with a complimentary glass of prosseco while waiting. Unfortunately, what should have been a joyous occasion turned into a frustrating and deeply disappointing experience.

The restaurant is small and already quite loud, yet somehow, our table was singled out for being "too noisy." The manager, Kevin, approached me directly, asking me to lower my voice. I was simply enjoying a fun evening with my friends, laughing and celebrating. If someone is looking for complete silence while dining, perhaps a fine dining establishment isn’t the right choice for them. It was a poor judgment call by management to approach us in this manner, as we were not being disruptive or behaving inappropriately for the ambiance.

What made matters worse was how the owner handled the situation. After addressing my husband and offering to cover the bill—something that was never the issue and did nothing to resolve the problem—his arrogance became even more apparent. When I attempted to share my concerns, he dismissively told me to leave because he was spending time with a friend who was visiting him. This was not only unprofessional but also entirely unacceptable behavior for someone leading a so-called fine dining establishment. At no point was I asking or begging for anything; I was simply voicing my concerns as a paying customer who expected to be treated with respect.

To be clear, our servers were fantastic—attentive, kind, and professional. But the management team, including the owner, completely failed in providing an inclusive and welcoming fine dining experience. If this is how they treat customers who are neither misbehaving nor out of line with the restaurant’s ambiance, then they have no business claiming to be high-end.

This place may try to present itself as fine dining, but it falls far short. The food, drinks, and customer service do not align with that claim. Two hours went by and yet i left the restaurant without eating dinner because the cook messed up my order. If you’re looking for a true fine dining experience where you’re treated with the respect that matches the price point, I strongly suggest you go elsewhere with a much better service and a far more welcoming atmosphere. We won’t be returning, and I’ll be sure to continue to share this experience so others don’t make the...

Ultimately and unfortunately a let down.

This steakhouse prides itself on their beef supply chain, quality, and unapologetic menu choices.

Generally, modifications are not allowed and anything beyond medium-rare is ostracized (as it should be.)

The restaurant is within in a restored older home placed at the very end of Mainstreet. The inside was charming despite the massive, and I mean MASSIVE, taxidermy mounts on the wall. I'm a native Texan but this rides the line of comical, one party in my room had an animal encompass nearly half of the entire table with only a couple of feet of clearance above.

The food was good, but for $150+/person (2 drinks,) my expectations exceeded what was presented. The dry-aged tomahawk, which was so highly recommended, tasted bland. Despite being served in a pool of hot butter, the beef tasted lack luster. My local HEB serves better cuts of dry aged beef, iykyk. To the chef's credit, the steak was cooked perfectly, I just question the quality of cuts this restaurant so proudly stands behind. While the marbeling was impressive, I felt as if every bite was 40-50% fat.

The garlic mashed potatoes and fried Brussels were delicious, cooked & seasoned perfectly,

The parmesan encrusted bone marrow and bread basket were the most impressive items that the table had tried. I wouldn't change anything other the serving size of the bread basket. Two small pieces of bread are served for $9+.

The Mexican Martini was beautiful, a true Martini that was balanced, and every bit worth it's $16. The old fashion that I had ordered was made with makers mark, either they brought It to the wrong table or they ran out of rye whiskey.

Lastly, the service. Maybe it's because I'm from Austin but when I'm spending this kind of money, I expect my waitor or waitress to engage my table more than 4 times within an hour and a half dinner, twice of which I had to flag her down across the room. Our server was extremely responsive to the other 3 tables in the room, I would have spent another $100+ in alcohol if the waitress had noticed when our drinks were empty or had approached the table in more than 20+ minute intervals (and without being requested.)

We skipped desert and went next door for chocolate fondue.

If this is the best that Fredericksburg has to offer for fine dining, save your money and expectations and...

We enjoyed our visit. Made the reservation for our Anniversary, 6pm on a Sunday October 2023.

Location: right off the roadway, found by gps. Easy to miss if not looking. Parking lot can fill up easily but we didn't have any problems.

Atmosphere: classically rustic with a fine dining flare. Tables and bar seating. We were a bit disappointed because their website stated that they liked for customers to dress up, even went as far as to say no regular hats (cowboy hats ok) and suggested attire to wear. So we followed that but were a little uncomfortable to walk in and see jeans, football team tshirts, basic every day wear for the majority of the people. It was awkward.

Service: friendly and busy. Able to list and recommend items. Attentive. We got a free dessert for it being our anniversary. There was an issue on our ticket (listed an alcoholic beverage) but it was easily fixed.

Food: I liked that this restaurant had items you don't always find on a menu (i.e., bone marrow appetizer, ceasar salad that actually had anchovies). We ordered the bone marrow, shared a ribeye, shared the fries and Asparagus. Everything tasted really good but was not hot, just slightly warm. Our favorite dish was the fries- that sauce on top was delicious! The steak was cooked very well and was flavorful. The bone marrow was good, just wish it was a bigger portion.

Prices: their online menu does not match their menu in restaurant (prices were higher than displayed on site). Nice restaurant with fine dining prices. For appetizer (half off due to time of day), 1 steak, 1 single salad, 2 sides, a soda & free dessert it was about $110. They do offer specials depending on the time you go. We also got the free dessert for the occasion. Sides are shareable so the price is for 2+ servings. The entree may also be shareable depending on what you get. We had leftovers between the 2 of us.

Overall, it was memorable and we enjoyed having a different experience. It's a good place for a special occasion or for a cozy drink. People...