Austin landmark steakhouse proves that a spartan atmosphere can be saved by friendly service and superbly grilled cuts of meat.

by Joshua Hinsdale

In Short
This restaurant features traditional steakhouse style with a slight hint of Spanish colonial flair in tiled floors and exposed wooden beams. Smaller, more intimate dining areas with a few tables each ring a central dining room, an ideal setup for the business casual clientele and couples on a date. Hand-cut aged steaks highlight the menu, which is rounded out with homemade soups, salads, pasta and poultry. The deep-fried mushroom appetizer is battered in Shiner Bock beer and is enough for four. Several cuts of steak are sizzled to perfection, with a hefty 22-ounce bone-in ribeye being the worthy house specialty. Dessert options include a subtle creme brulee for two.

08/28/08

The way I called a coffe urn was not an inappropriate word. & there were no glitches in my Name It section.

by JoeBrannon

The middle of the week in towne for my mothers birthday & that is how our delightful evening started, in a restuarant I'm familiar with from long ago & that when ever in town frequented with great anticipation.The decor had little change,but there's restuarants & bars in New Orleans & other parts of the world I've frequented, that haven't changed in 300 to 500 years.Aaaah that in & of itself is the ambiance I seek.Our hors de vours (appetizers I believe some may call them) were right on the money & seemed foreign in someway.Spain, Mid East, zesty, tangy, fresh & just as I'd requsted of my 2 seperate orders & most importantly to be at least 30 minutes completed before I even look at the dinner menu.The bread,hot,fresh, moist ready for the melted dipping butter with thinly sliced & crushed garlic & finely chopped challots that I requested prior to its arrival.As usual wherever my spouse & I dine we order widely different menus,so as to hafu.(share delightfully with loved ones, family & friends).And this night was the norm, we ordered way too much at the start, & Her large ribeye well done without being burnt, was superbly flamed to her satisfaction & didn't have to be sent back as is generally done 50% of the time.How anyone can ruin a graded cut of meat by cooking it so, is beyond my comprehension. but others say the same about the medium turn done to my graded cuts, which this sitting was large New Yorker, backed up by baby carrots, steamed to almost perfection.Had to add my signature by having our waiter bring me a pinch of cinamin.{I'll have to say,raised in Hereford on a working farm,where the first whitefaced beef stayed upon landing in the US. I think I know my meat, if its put upon a skillet, better be castiron cleaned only by salt & fire or a grill over flames of mesquite,pecan or oak.Our desert was texas pecans (pie) & cake alamode with a fresh coffee carafe, honey & real cream.Only one other I allow to cook my graded cuts,my dear friend, "Chef Ramone" Nuff

• Pros: As I stated in my lead that yall turned down. LOved it when the matre'd turned down my seating tip.
• Cons: yalls attempt to think the word coffeePOT was inappropriate & I had to reword it to carafe

07/28/08

Not Impressed

by JennyM74

I usually would rather not review than give a bad review, but I went here a few weeks ago. It was OK as far as my steak flavor and service, but after a recent dinner at Finn & Porter, I can't help but observe that some of the steakhouses in Austin have some catching up to do.

• Pros: Have to try it once
• Cons: Just a meal, didn't feel valued to be there

06/26/08

I don't get it

by LanaH11

I have heard good things about this place and was finally able to try it last week. I have to say - I don't get all the hype. My steak was overcooked, the steak fries were super greasy and too salty and the atmosphere is nothing to get excited about.

• Pros: Staff was nice
• Cons: Steaks

05/23/08

Awesome Steaks

by newaustonian

Great atmosphere, courtesy and prompt staff, EXCELLENT STEAKS! We had the filet mignon and it was cooked to perfect specifications. The baked potato and tuna titaki was great too!

• Pros: steaks
• Cons: a little pricey, a special occasion-only kind of place

05/11/08

Great atmosphere and delicious steaks

by chickm8

We enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant and the steaks were some of the best we have had in years. We highly recommend it.

04/13/08

Decent Food - Shitiskay service

by theRealDasputin

AYTX(shit-for-brains) svcks. ALCC is ok but service suckisy. If you're even close to thinking Outkast Steakhouse is comparable, please eat there (it makes Euthenasia easier) If you've chuckled, then you know better. ATX-hippy-that-quotes 10-year-old-airport-codes, eat at Subway - apparently you'll never know the difference.

The service was BS (1 fiver gets you seated early!?!?!?) but food was decent to excellent. Comparative to a place that svcks as hard as Outback, ALCC was worth every penny despitethe inequitable "eating arrangement". (btw, Karma is 2X payback)

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: super annoying people and inequitable service

03/23/08

Good enough

by atxchowhound

ALC succeeds at being an above-average steakhouse from the Carter era. It's a cut above the terminally trashy Texas Land & Cattle Steakhouse, but I'm not sure it would beat a good night at Outback. Hopefully this Austin mainstay will breathe some new air before it's too late.

Their steaks dinners go for $20-32 a person. Quality of meat was good (8/10). Skill of cooking was fair (7/10). Ambiance is clean but vaguely stale and trapped in 1978.

Service was fundamentally sound, friendly if dopey at times. If you like your steakhouse waitress in the cleavage-bearing variety (yes, and who doesn't?) you may get lucky here.

Sides were a little above mediocre. Mashed potatoes were ho-hum. Wilted spinach was satisfactory but could have used a splash of lemon and ground pepper. The julienne steamed carrots were excellent - sweet and firm, just below the the point of being crispy, with a good coating of butter.

Our appetizers didn't impress. The beer battered mushrooms arrived hot, but Betty Botter needs a better batter -- it was a bland as could be. I don't know why I thought "chicken-fried escargot" would be a good idea; it wasn't. Both came with a ramekin of chipotle mayonnaise I've often encountered in office cafeterias.

The Caesar salad dressing was a pleasant surprise - it was light, tangy, and tasted fresh, mixed with real shredded parmesan. The lettuce hailed from the whiter parts of the romaine; it is best enjoyed as a small side.

The steaks were fine. In the American tradition, the smallest size available was 10 oz, more than appropriate for most men and nearly all women. Though cooked well, they were served on cool plates and quickly cooled themselves. There was no option for fresh ground pepper presented (!).

The side rolls were the kind that you'd get at a hotel luncheon - no taste, no texture. ALC should take a cue from Outback and do something fun with the bread. The carrots were truly good. But who comes to a steakhouse for the carrots?

• Pros: honest steak
• Cons: time for a remodel

09/20/07

Just Right

by whitneyjw

I only have occasion to go to Austin Land and Cattle a few times each year, but my experiences have been uniformly excellent. Both its price (less than half what one might pay at another high-end steak house) and location (enclosed end of a small shopping center) may mislead some people to underestimate its quality. Rarely have I had a better steak, and never a more enjoyable meal. The menu, flavor, service and decor are all modest, tasteful and wonderful. Remarkably, the atmosphere feels just right for both formal and casual occasions.

I find it odd that other restaurants make one pay so much more to receive so much less. I don't necessarily want a napkin made of 800 thread count, egyptian cotton. I don't need my steak to be titanium-seared at precisely 9,327.4 degrees, and I don't believe that making a cow watch Oprah improves the flavor of the meat. I don't care if the Potato-Carrot Super-Collider has produced a new anti-vegetable that can be combined with a light hollandaise to produce a fifteen megaton explosion of flavor. At Austin Land and Cattle, the steaks are grilled, the vegetables are steamed, God is in Heaven, and all is right with the world.

This restaurant is beautiful in ways I cannot describe. How can a place be so good without struggling to outgrow its virtue? Someone obviously loves it. I do too. Try other restaurants for a sense of adventure, but always come back to this one.

• Pros: Reservations optional
• Cons: Sometimes confused with Texas Land and Cattle

06/25/07

Best Steaks in Austin!

by curriebucher

My husband and I love a good filet and have tried them at almost every upscale restaurant that offers them. We definitely know our steaks and have found pure perfection at Austin Land & Cattle. Foodies often talk about the steaks at Sullivan's, but they don't even compare! And in terms of consistency, there is no contest. Steaks elsewhere can be inconsistent in flavor or preparation, but steaks here are ALWAYS tender, flavorful and prepared to perfection. In addition to steaks, the spinach salad starter is a MUST. I've never had better warm bacon vinaigrette and the portabla mushroom slices are amazing. I must also mention the service. After meeting the manager, Scotty, just one time, he remembered my name AND my order as well as my favorite wine selection. The service is superior with none of that uppity attitude you get at other upscale restaurants. And did I mention that you rarely have to wait to be seated? For locals and visitors alike, Austin Land & Cattle is a must!

• Pros: Delicious steaks, incredible spinach salad, attentive and personal service
• Cons: None!