West Texas Chophouse Henderson — Restaurant in Henderson

Yeah, no. The alleged five star experiences here, if legit, must be exceptions rather than the rule. Maybe my expectations were too high. Or maybe the far-too-long wait, lukewarm food and half-hearted service made me question the legitimacy and/or judgment of those raving about this spot. My subpar experience did not appear to be an off night issue. It wasn’t particularly busy, not a holiday weekend, nothing to excuse the issues we had dining there on a random Sunday night. Yet it will only take simple, common sense changes if they are to survive.

To start, there should be a host inside when you enter. Waiting several minutes before being greeted is a red flag, and we were so close to leaving but someone finally wandered over to greet us, more by chance than intention.

The place itself is pretty nice. Good lighting, spacious, simple and classy decor. If the food and service matched the vibe it would be a really good spot.

Our server did his job but that’s about it. No smile, no niceties, no overview of the menu (our first time here), nothing but strictly business. Seems like the staff are just trying to get thru the day.

Bread was pretty good. Thank goodness we got some because after the bread we had a nice 30 minute break before the rest of the food came. Seriously, the wait was no bueno and there didn’t appear to be any reason for it. I’ll wait too long for great food under protest, but waiting too long for average food mustn’t be.

Ordered NY Strip (comes with baked potato), Caesar salad, corn brûlée, and onion rings. Corn brûlée was odd, watery, not great. Onion rings could have been excellent if they had come out hot instead of bordering on room temp. Salad was pretty good. The steak had decent flavor, not bad luckily. Potato is potato, could have used more toppings.

Random issues: water cups are too small - this is Vegas, we’re thirsty, big cups of ice water please especially when one has to wait long stretches between refills. Be prepared to ask twice for anything. Had to remind waiter for iced tea and for steak sauce. Waiter only asked how we were doing as he walked by instead of stopping at the table.

Overall a disappointing, albeit rather humorous experience. There’s a nice manager walking around doing damage control. The table nearby complained of a meal with forgotten items and not tasting too good (a burger I believe). This place would’ve been 4 stars if only the food came out in a reasonable time and a lot hotter.

This can be a decent spot. Just place the energy used to respond in detail to every review into making sure guests are seated promptly, food is served quicker and fresher, and wait staff show a bit more interest.

So be wary of this half-priced steakhouse. What you save in money you pay for in lost time, perfunctory service, and average tasting food. I wish them well, but not expecting to return. Outback is just...

Best part of my experience here today was pulling out of the parking lot. It should be a crime to have such a terrible experience at a restaurant when "Chop House" is in the name. My wife and I were each hoping to order a Filet Mignon; however, we later learned after we placed our order, they were out of Filet Mignon. How does a server not know what is and is not available - especially considering we arrived 1 hour after they opened. Their steaks come with a baked potato by default; however, they were out of toppings for the potatoes. We should have excused ourselves at this point. The servers and host already gave off a substandard vibe before we made it to the table - it was clear and obvious foreshadowing. The issues with ordering off the menu just reinforced our assumptions. In place of Filet Mignon, I ordered a Ribeye and my wife ordered a 20 oz Sirloin - both ordered Medium Rare. The Ribeye was tough, chewy, and cooked unevenly - one side was medium, the center was medium rare, the opposite side was rare. The 20 oz Top Sirloin was 2" thick; whereas the Ribeye was 3/4" thick. The Sirloin was tough and chewy as well. My wife requested 57 Sauce. Server returned to inform us that they were also out of 57 Sauce. No toppings for baked potatoes, no Filet Mignons, no 57 Sauce. For sides, I went with Mashed Potatoes, my wife chose Fries. The fries were floppy and sad. The Mash was chalky/dry - like ill-prepared instant mash. We also ordered a side or the Corn Brulee - it was delicious, as was the complimentary bread. Everything else was not only lacking, it all was clearly prepared by a clueless kitchen staff and served by a dining staff best suited for an Applebee's. The place looks great inside. The little things like the the restrooms had beautifully stacked weighted paper towels with their logos printed upon each; however, the dining staff and most importantly the kitchen staff detract from this place's potential. I asked the server if she had any steak recommendations, typically a chop house will use this as an opportunity to paint superb pictures (ie. how the steak is prepared, it's taste, tenderness, etc.) Our server asked me if I was in the mood for a Sirloin, Filet Mignon, Ribeye, or Porterhouse. (Their different cuts of meat). I was dumbfounded. My wife ordered a glass of wine, the bottle was never brought table side to show that the wine being served was the wine actually ordered and did not ask about its taste. She walked away just a quickly as she dumped the wine into the glass from a single serve carafe. The dining staff should look smart and be capable of speaking intelligently about the menu and kitchen prep. One server speaks on volume 100 like she's calling out orders at Waffle House and the other server (our's) has terrible posture and she would either speak at a reasonable volume or a mumble and clearly doesn't comprehend chop...

I wanted to love this place. It smelled devine. We ordered an appetizer of the ribeye chimichurri tacos which was absolutely delicious. For the main dishes I got a $40 bone in Ribeye and my husband a $40 Porterhouse. They looked amazing. Unfortunately, they didn't taste amazing. There was not enough seasoning. The steaks were very tough and the ribeye was not just tough but grissly. When in Henderson and we want to eat an expensive and delicious steak, we eat at Sonoma Cellar where their steaks are around $60. We get the New York and the bone in Ribeye and they are definitely superior. When we are eating less expensively, we eat at Texas Roadhouse again, bone in Ribeye and New York. The steaks there are less expensive, more food, better flavored and very tender every time. We also eat regularly at Outback. The porterhouse and the bone in Ribeye are again lower priced with more included and the steaks are much more tender and well seasoned. I would rank in this order, Sonoma Cellar, Texas Roadhouse, Outback and last West Texas Chophouse. I would not come back for the steaks. The ribeye chimichurri tacos yes, and maybe give something else a try. The presentation of the food was nice. As far as ambiance, the music was too loud and lights could have been dimmer. The tables are too close together, where we were getting bumped into just by staff and people trying to be careful making their way through to tables and to exit. They sat us in the bar area where they had lots of tables. Also, even though they updated some things like cusions on benches and the free standing tables looked new, the floors and wood booths looked original to the Famous Dave's that was there previously. While everything from 2 feet up looks fresh like cushions for instance, it doesn't look like they deep cleaned the tile floors. They looked like there was years of deep grime layers on it. The booths were light wood and scuffed at the bottom with black grime on many and the wood needed refinished from years of mopping. The finish is no longer on the bottom of some and the wood itself stained from the years of mopping and scuffs. I was expecting a little more at the price and being a new place. I'm not trying to be hyper critical. I just think they have lots of competition within a mile and I think addressing some of the issues might at least keep people coming back.

The server was nice but we were not checked in on for drink refills or asked how we were doing. We spent about $150 with tip.

I really hope you succeed. When a restaurant is new there is sure to be lots of customers, but I'm afraid if you don't make some changes there will be...