10 Chicken Fried Steaks in Texas Worth the Drive

Every Texan has an opinion about chicken fried steak (CFS). Not a preference, an opinion. Is the best CFS, pan-fried or deep-fried? Should gravy be cream or brown? Pounded thin or left thick? 

The argument has been going since before your daddy was born, and it will outlast all of us. That’s exactly as it should be. Every restaurant has a different answer to the age-old question of what is the best CFS.

And more importantly, where do you get it? All you have to do is keep trying different options to properly answer the question. These 10 plates are a good place to start.

1. DeWese’s Tip Top Cafe

When a place has been voted Best Chicken Fried Steak in a San Antonio readers’ poll 23 times, you pay attention. The cafe is still in its original location, neon, knotty pine decor and deer heads mounted on the wall.

Some places have been around long enough that their food becomes legendary. DeWese’s opened in 1938, and three generations of the DeWese family have been running it ever since. 

But that is not the most interesting thing about this plate. The most interesting thing is where the gravy goes.  At DeWese’s, it goes underneath the steak, not on top — so the golden batter stays crisp all the way through. 

Once you’ve had it that way, you’ll spend the rest of your life judging every other plate that drowns the crust. The meat is tender, the batter is light, and the onion rings are mandatory! “Once you eat here, you’re family,” that’s the DeWese motto, and after one bite, you’ll believe it.

2. Jake and Dorothy’s Cafe 

Jake Roach opened this place in 1948.  And one regular claims he has been eating here since opening day. He’s 80 years old now.

That tells you everything you need to know about the kind of place this is. When Jack’s health forced a sale in 1971, his daughter Kerry bought the place back a few years later and she is still there.

Locally beloved, The Texas Historical Commission gave it a Texas Treasure Business Award. The city of Stephenville declared June 12 as Jake & Dorothy’s Day.

If you head out about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth to Stephenville, you can taste what everyone is talking about.

The CFS is hand-cut sirloin, tenderized in-house, served with waffle fries and cream gravy. Order the blue plate and you get the steak, two sides, and a slice of homemade pie (pecan, coconut meringue, or cherry jubilee) for under $10. 

Under ten dollars! 

Texas Monthly named it one of the 40 Best Small Town Cafes in Texas, and they weren’t wrong.

Closed Wednesdays, so plan accordingly.  And save room for that pie.

3. Mary’s Cafe

Between Fort Worth and Abilene on the I-20, lies the little town of Strawn, Texas. Strawn has just about 600 people. Yet it is where you will find the CFS that Texas Highways called the best in Texas. The Texas Bucket List featured it.

Mary Tretter bought the old Polka Dot Cafe there in 1986. Her kitchen now puts out 50,000 pounds of chicken fried steak every year. Two hundred thousand pounds of potatoes. That’s a lot of fries!

What makes the CFS at Mary’s Cafe different is the cooking method. The CFS is pan-fried on a flat top instead of the more traditional approach of deep-frying. And it is made with just a light flour coat, secret seasoning, and a touch of butter. The result is a more tender crust, less crunchy shell.

And of course, it is served on Texas toast with peppery cream gravy. The gravy alone has a devoted following. And you will never leave hungry; the large portion is three-quarters of a pound. Streams of customers consider the drive to Mary’s a true CFS pilgrimage.

4. Hickory Hollow

If there is a John Wayne picture in a CFS establishment, you know you are on to something. And you’ll find one at Hickory Hollow, which maintains a country ambience even though it is located in Houston’s Memorial area.

For nearly 50 years, Hickory Hollow has been turning out its CFS specialty, “The Rancher”. You, and maybe a few hungry friends, want The Rancher. 

It’s a pound and a half of chicken fried steak so big that it is served on a 14-inch pizza pan.

But returning customers say the restaurant’s real secret weapon here is the Texas River Bottom Gravy. A recipe so secret that nobody outside that kitchen has ever truly cracked. Food Network and Travel Channel have both come calling. You may want to get your car keys.

5. Killen’s

When a twice-named James Beard semi-finalist is cooking up some southern comfort food, you pay attention.

When Ronnie Killen took over the old Hickory Hollow Heights space in the Heights section of Houston back in 2020, people wondered how he could possibly fill the hole that the restaurant left when it moved locations. And the answer was CFS, but with a big difference.

Killen’s is chicken-fried ribeye. Not round steak. Not cube steak. Ribeye. Complete with the golden shaggy crust, velvety cream gravy, and mashed potatoes of your dreams.

Killen called it a tribute to his grandma. Houston Press called it the Best CFS in Houston for 2025. 

The Michelin Guide offers this advice about Killen’s that’s worth repeating, “It is the wrong place to count calories or dabble with salads.”

6. Josephine Street 

When the neon out front says “Steaks and Whisky,” you know you are at an iconic Texas roadhouse.

“Jo Street” as it is affectionately nicknamed is located in a 1906 former meat market with uneven wooden floors and a 500-year-old tree that grows inside the dining room. The meat market’s original neon sign still hangs inside.

Just a 10-minute drive from downtown San Antonio, near the Pearl, and you could be enjoying one fine CFS. It is hand-pounded so hard that the kitchen has a name for what they do to that meat: they call it “given CPR.” People have some kind things to say about the peach cobbler dessert too. No reference to CPR there.

San Antonio Current readers voted it the city’s best. Locals claim that it welcomes everyone from hipsters to grandmothers. If you are smart, you’ll follow the advice on the Jo Street website “Come as you are. Leave a lot better.”

7. Babe’s Chicken Dinner House

If I have to choose between restaurants, I am always choosing the place where the staff dances the Hokey-Pokey.

The original and still the flagship location is located in Roanoke but other outlets are sprinkled locally. Southern Living named it one of the best locally-owned restaurants in the South in 2025.

The original Roanoke location sits in a 1908 warehouse, and the whole experience is family-style with a very laid back come-as-you-are feeling. Bring the kids.

Your choices are chicken, chicken, and dessert!

The CFS comes with bottomless creamed corn, bottomless mashed potatoes, and bottomless biscuits served with honey and sorghum butter. 

At Babe’s the CFS is breaded and fried just right after the kitchen gets the order. This ensures a lighter, less greasy meal. Which is perfect because you’ll want to save room for a slice of Momma Jo’s strawberry shortcake.

8. Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

Moonshine is built on one of Austin’s oldest standing structures — the 1850s Waterloo Compound, which has been a trading post and a speakeasy in its long life. 

It features a dog-friendly, outdoor space with spreading pecan trees. It makes for a casual atmosphere equally appealing for date night or time with the fam.

While the menu at Moonshine has many choices, just do yourself a favor and hone in right on that CFS. But beware, the Moonshine CFS is Texas-sized. Regulars will tell you it serves two. Or just one really hungry Texan!

The unique twist that makes this one worth the stop: the gravy is chipotle cream, not white. Subtle heat, a bit smoky, and it doesn’t overpower the steak, it just makes it more interesting. 

Austin Chronicle readers have given it their award, and downtown Austin agrees. And who are we to argue with Austin!

9. Wolf Pack Woodfired Tavern

“Not an option, a way of life” that is how the good people at Wolf Pack Woodfired Tavern describe their CFS. Pull off the highway to Sealy, Texas, about an hour west of Houston and see what the fuss is all about.

Wolf Pack sits in an old feed store in downtown Sealy. The beef comes from Bellville Meat Market, a 40-year local butcher using cuts that are fresh, never frozen.

The CFS is hand-breaded with a thin crispy crust that holds together. You get cream or brown gravy. 

By the way, don’t make the mistake of not ordering the Texas Twinkies, which are bacon wrapped smoked jalapeños, stuffed with brisket and cream cheese. They are exactly as good as they sound.

10. The Wagon Wheel

Eagle Pass is 2.5 hours southwest of San Antonio, in Eagle Pass, right on the border. Most people don’t make it down there. That’s their loss. Because here they would find The Wagon Wheel and a CFS that many claim is worth the drive. They say that some politicians even drove from DC for it!

Funny enough, the Wagon Wheel didn’t feature CFS, it started life as a BBQ place. But when they added it to the menu, it became an instant hit and what they are known for.

The CFS comes Texas-sized. A plate is more than a pound and a half of top sirloin served on a pizza platter. The secret may lie in the light panko they add to the batter.

Expect all the sides, cream gravy, real mashed potatoes, farm-fresh green beans, and a house specialty chicharrón mac and cheese. You won’t forget it.