Texas chicken-fried steak

The state plate

Chicken-fried steak is round steak pounded thin, dredged in seasoned flour, fried crisp like fried chicken and smothered in peppery cream gravy, usually with mashed potatoes and Texas toast. Small-town cafés and old steakhouses make it best, and many serve it at lunch only.

The list at a glance

Towns with the most: Pearland (8), Fort Worth (5), San Antonio (2), Marble Falls (1), Austin (1), Houston (1), Strawn (1). The dishes we found most often: chicken-fried steak (8).

Our method: a place made the list only if a 2025 or 2026 source backed it up (its own site or menu, a dated local news story or an official tourism listing) and its street address matched. No current source, or a website gone dark, and it stayed off. Review sites played no part, and places run by region and town rather than by anybody's score. Barbecue joints sell out and keep short hours, so check before you drive.

On your phone, Texas Eats orders this list by how far each place is from you, and a tap opens Apple Maps' live card with hours, photos and directions.

Other guides: Barbecue joints, Tex-Mex, Taquerías, Kolaches, Oldest restaurants, MICHELIN & James Beard, Restaurant inspections. City pages: Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso.

Jump to a region

• Houston & Gulf Coast (9)
• Dallas–Fort Worth (6)
• Austin & Central Texas (2)
• San Antonio & Hill Country (2)

Houston & Gulf Coast

9 places, by town.

1. Hickory Hollow

   8038 Fallbrook Dr, Houston

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: Rancher chicken-fried steak, Texas River Bottom gravy

   Fallbrook Drive country restaurant open since 1977, known for its oversized Rancher chicken-fried steak.

2. Bayou Grill

   1635 E Broadway St #117, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Pearland Cajun and seafood spot with a chicken-fried steak under brown gravy.

3. Big Horn BBQ

   2300 Smith Ranch Rd, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Pearland barbecue and burger restaurant with a chicken-fried steak in thick country gravy.

4. Country Place Café

   2251 Country Place Pkwy, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Breakfast and country-cooking café with a hand-battered chicken-fried steak and eggs.

5. Grazia Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria

   9415 W Broadway St, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Italian-Texan kitchen serving a chicken-fried wagyu sirloin with garlic cream-rosemary gravy.

6. Kelley's Country Cookin'

   2933 E Broadway St, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Local country-cooking chain with several chicken-fried steak plates, up to a Super Texas Size.

7. Killen's BBQ

   3613 E Broadway St, Pearland

   MICHELIN RecommendedBarbecueChicken-fried steak On the menu: beef rib, pork belly burnt ends, crème brûlée bread pudding

   Ronnie Killen's Pearland barbecue restaurant known for beef ribs and burnt ends. Also serves a chicken-fried ribeye with peppery white gravy every day.

8. Magnolia Cajun Comfort

   1807 E Broadway St, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Cajun-Southern spot smothering its chicken-fried steak in andouille sausage gravy.

9. Stella's Fresh Brunch

   3115 Dixie Farm Rd, Pearland

   Chicken-fried steak

   Brunch spot serving chicken-fried steak and eggs with white gravy.

Dallas–Fort Worth

6 places, by town.

1. Charleston's

   3020 S Hulen St, Fort Worth

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak

   Hulen Street restaurant with an off-menu hand-breaded chicken-fried steak (ask for it), served with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.

2. Fred's Texas Cafe

   7101 Camp Bowie West Blvd, Fort Worth

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak, Fred Burger, Bolo Burger

   Camp Bowie West burger joint serving since 1978; Fort Worth Weekly readers picked its chicken-fried steak in 2025 and 2026.

3. Jesús Family Restaurant

   810 S Main St, Fort Worth

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak, fried pie

   South Main family restaurant known for a light, crispy chicken-fried steak, house-made gravy and handmade fried pies.

4. Rex's Bar & Grill

   1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak with jalapeño gravy, seafood gumbo

   University Drive sports bar from the owner of Ol' South Pancake House and former Reata chef Brian Olenjack, with chicken-fried steak under jalapeño gravy.

5. West Side Café

   7950 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak, homemade pies, breakfast burritos

   Camp Bowie West café opened in 1996, known for chicken-fried steak and homemade pies.

6. Mary's Café

   119 Grant Ave, Strawn

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak

   Small-town café in Strawn known above all for its chicken-fried steak.

Austin & Central Texas

2 places, by town.

1. Broken Spoke

   3201 S Lamar Blvd, Austin

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak

   South Lamar honky-tonk established in 1964 by James M. White, serving chicken-fried steak and barbecue.

2. Blue Bonnet Cafe

   211 N US Highway 281, Marble Falls

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak, pies

   Highway 281 café serving since 1929, known for chicken-fried steak and daily pies with cream or meringue.

San Antonio & Hill Country

2 places, by town.

1. Bud Jones Restaurant

   1440 SW Military Dr, San Antonio

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: country-fried steak, fried fish, beef enchiladas · Since 1958

   South Side restaurant opened in 1958 in the old Walsh's Grocery at Military and Commercial, known for country-fried steaks with gravy and all-you-can-eat fish. Opened in 1958 in the former Walsh's Grocery at Military and Commercial.

2. Josephine Street

   400 E Josephine St, San Antonio

   Chicken-fried steak On the menu: chicken-fried steak, steaks

   Texas roadhouse established in 1979, under a "Steaks & Whisky" neon sign, serving what it calls world-class chicken-fried steak.