Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch — Restaurant in Fabens

To be clear, my experiences are probably different than most people. I have eaten at thousands of restaurants around the world. And I can cook. So when I review a place it is with this context.

My experience at Cattleman's was just OK. The place brought to mind a feeling that this is where your grandparents would take the family for a special dinner because they think you'd like it. And you would go because you'd think it would make them happy. And everyone would have a good time because they'd all be together. Not because of the food.

The grounds are interesting. It's like a mini zoo, with ostriches, goats, rabbits, snakes, peacocks... Even a horse just outside the front door that you can touch.

Inside is a menagerie of bronze western sculptures, some WW2 artillery (?), ceramic animal figures, a gazillion potted plants, some TexMex artwork, and more. Cattleman's does not take reservations so you walk down a really long hallway, put your name in, and wait. They call you over the PA system which also works outside so you can sit outdoors while you wait. Just don't go to the zoo area unless your wait is more than 30 minutes. It's a bit of a walk.

Now, to the food. Based on all of the great reviews maybe I hit them on an off night because I was underwhelmed. The portions were huge (way too much food for an average person) but... the corn on the cob was frozen and then steamed to warm it up. It was overcooked (this will be a theme). The coleslaw was alright (your standard shredded cabbage (bagged?)) but they added some canned pineapple chunks. The beans were overcooked and neither sweet nor spicy. I had a couple of bites and moved on. All of this may come from their local supplier like Sysco Foods.

Maybe I made a mistake going with the barbeque but it was on the menu as 'real Texas barbeque' supposedly slow smoked overnight. I've had lots of barbeque, in Austin, and Dallas, and KC, Memphis, North and South Carolina... This? Was not good. Near as I could tell it was probably yesterday's brisket that they had left over and reheated. It was a solid hunk of dry meat. I needed a steak knife to cut through it. No juice whatsoever. A bit of bark. Not really overcooked. Just old I think. I got the Beef and Ribs which included 2 beef ribs. These were 100% overcooked. Weirdly though, they tasted better than the brisket (different rub?) but they were also dried out. Not even fall-off-the-bone so I'm guessing they cooked them too quickly and then just held them off to the side of the grill or in an oven for far too long. There were also dinner rolls which I did not try. An iced tea rounded out my meal as after the mains I did not have any hopes for the 'made fresh daily' (ah, yes, but where?) apple pie.

With tip, I was in for $41, which when you consider it was enough food for 2 people, and there were peacocks, seems reasonable.

This place is 30+ miles outside El Paso. It was fairly busy at 7:00 PM on a Friday evening in May. If I was with a family group and it was a special occasion I might come back. Otherwise there are better places to eat much...

I've been a loyal customer of Cattleman's Steak House for over 30 years, and I hold fond memories of the place, including getting married there. I have always recommended eating at cattleman's to visitors before they leave El Paso, however, my recent experiences have made me reconsider my loyalty. The prices have increased by 30% in the last few years, well above inflation. My last five visits were with large parties of about 20 people, spending an average of $40 per plate. This time, I had the 10-ounce ribeye and baked potato. The steak would be satisfactory at $20 but definitely not worth $38.

The Beef Cubes appetizer was disappointing, with 20% of the meat being too tough to chew. The dining room was hot, with no air conditioning or fans on, making it uncomfortable, especially when a meal like this takes 2-3 hours. The chairs are small and uncomfortable, adding to the discomfort. My wife’s 14 ounce sirloin was cooked to medium rare as requested but was dry. The burgers are extremely lean and dry, as stated on the menu, but what’s the point of a lean burger?

The only consistently positive aspect of our visits has been our waiter, Jason. He is prompt, friendly, detail-oriented, and able to handle large orders efficiently. Unfortunately, this time, the kitchen only served about an ounce of BBQ sauce with the appetizers, which is practically nothing. I had to ask four times for more BBQ sauce, and it finally arrived just before finishing my meal. This wasn't Jason's fault; the rest of the staff were friendly, polite, and prompt with drinks and refills, but this one issue stood out.

My boys love to walk around and visit the animals in the zoo and the scenery of the Indian Cliffs Ranch, especially the sunset. We arrived for lunch at 1pm and left at 5:30

I'm afraid to say that Cattleman's is no longer my favorite restaurant. While it holds special memories for me, I'll probably never go back unless with a group due to the prices and the mediocre quality of the meat. If you’ve had similar experiences or have suggestions for improvement, please share...

Having moved here from Albuquerque a year and a half ago everyone has told us “you have to go to cattleman’s “ as we are steak lovers and have tried Weso , the great American and west Texas chop house . We never made it out so for our 7th anniversary we decided to make Cattleman’s our celebratory dinner. We were so exited to finally try this amazing food everyone has told us about. I now realize these people are not my friends and have horrible taste in food. We ordered the Cowboy porterhouse for me and filet mignon for my wife with the massive lobster tail for both to share . The waitress and staff were very friendly and accommodating but the food was nothing short of jail or hospital food. (I’ve been to both) Both steaks were flavorless even with the herbed butter addition. They tasted like raw hamburger meat with zero seasoning. The lobster tail was “powdery “in texture and crumbled like feta cheese in your hand and also was tasteless and only palatable with gobs of butter. The bread was a step below public school rolls and beans tasted like ash tray water smells. The only thing that was decent was the shrimp cocktail and the fire grilled sausage . We were so disappointed that these impressive looking steaks tasted like we imagine a worn workboat would taste. I’ve had a more impressive steak at Golden coral. It was a a complete let down then the bill came out and was over $230 bucks which we definitely would be more than happy to pay if the food didn’t make us feel like inmates at Guantanamo bay. . Don’t even order the chili strips as they were similar to bell peppers in a lime vinegar solution. We really had high hopes for this place but unfortunately will NEVER be back. Want a good steak in EL Paso area go to WESO, Or hell even Lubbys for that matter because this was absolutely a waste of time money and expectations. We were so disgusted we didn’t even get to walk the property as we got out of there as quickly as we could and had to stop at Burger King as we were...