The Texas Steakhouse That's On A Working Ranch With A Zoo

If you're traveling near El Paso, Texas, there's a world-famous restaurant about 30 miles southeast in the tiny community of Fabens. Beef doesn't get much fresher than at a steakhouse located on a working cattle ranch, and that's exactly what Cattleman's Steakhouse is. Though it sits, for all intents and purposes, in the middle of nowhere, the ranch and steakhouse have become thriving tourist attractions that people are more than willing to travel out of their way to experience.

"Big" is the name of the game at the venue. Situated on the 32,000-acre Indian Cliffs Ranch, the restaurant offers legendary steaks cut onsite. In addition to its enormous food portions, the steakhouse boasts 10 dining rooms that can collectively seat up to 600 guests. The ranch itself also hosts private events, with food service available for up to 5,000 people.

The property's attractions extend well beyond dining. The sprawling ranch houses a zoo featuring animals like ostriches, bison, and peacocks, along with a petting zoo area containing goats, rabbits, and deer. There's even a rattlesnake pit. Visitors can also enjoy a lake, an outdoor maze, a massive children's playground, and more.

Indian Cliffs Ranch has appeared in a number of films, and some production remnants remain onsite for guests to see. For example, visitors can take a tractor-pulled wagon ride to view the remains of tanks, helicopters, and other machinery used in the movie "Courage Under Fire." Inside the steakhouse, you'll also find film memorabilia and posters from movies shot on the ranch.

When it comes to cuisine, Cattleman's Steakhouse serves up slabs of beef that seem as big as Texas itself. A standout item on the menu is a porterhouse T-bone called The Cowboy, weighing in at a whopping 2 pounds. Be sure to bone up (pun intended) on the proper way to eat bone-in steak before ordering it. Other offerings include ribs, lobster, shrimp, kielbasa sausage, and Mesquite-grilled chicken, accompanied by side dishes such as green chili strips, spicy ranch beans, and pineapple coleslaw.

Some believe you probably shouldn't order a burger at a steakhouse — especially a world-famous one — and miss out on the star of the show: the steaks. At Cattleman's Steakhouse, however, the lone burger on the menu, the Ranch Burger, is made with freshly ground meat from the diner's choice of steak varieties. Even the burger showcases the prime Texas beef the restaurant has become known for. To finish off the meal, there's a tempting array of desserts, ranging from decadent chocolate mousse and cheesecake to pie à la mode and a variety of ice cream drinks.

Serving great food is serious business at Cattleman's Steakhouse. One of its secrets is a special seasoning blend made from a recipe known only to a few employees. Training chefs to meet Cattleman's high standards can take years, so the restaurant works hard to retain its staff once they've been broken in. Some of its more than 100 employees have been with the steakhouse for a decade or longer.