Taste of Texas ★9.5

Taste of Texas — Steak, History and Hendee Hospitality

Some restaurants feed a city; a rare few help define it. Since 1977 this west Houston steakhouse has been where locals take newcomers to explain what Texas means: hand-selected Certified Angus Beef, a salad bar of legend and a dining room that doubles as the warmest history museum in the state.

The Story

Edd and Nina Hendee met working in restaurants, married, and bet everything on a steakhouse of their own rather than leave Texas for a corporate promotion. The gamble grew into an institution: the first restaurant in the state to serve Certified Angus Beef, a wine program that collects awards, and a Texana collection — Alamo artifacts, rare Sam Houston signatures, Ranger pistols — that scholars come to study. The complimentary school tours the Hendees host have welcomed hundreds of thousands of Texas children over the decades.

What to Order

The ritual starts at the butcher display, where you choose your own cut — a strip, a tomahawk, or the ribeye sold by the ounce for appetites that know themselves. While it chars, build a first course at the famous salad bar, jalapeño cornbread included. Bacon-wrapped quail is the insider’s starter, garlic mashed potatoes the classic sidekick, and the steaks arrive under herb-garlic butter with seasoning the restaurant is happy to sell you for home experiments.

The Space

A sprawling lodge of stone, dark wood and glass cases, where the walk from host stand to table passes centuries of Texas history. Despite the scale it feels personal — the Hendee family still works the room, and celebrations get genuine fuss rather than a formula.

Who It’s For

Birthday and anniversary tables, business dinners that need gravitas without stiffness, and every relative visiting from out of state who asks to see something truly Texan.

Good to Know

How far ahead should I book? Several days for weekend evenings; the dining room is vast but the demand is vaster.

Can adults tour the museum too? Absolutely — guests are welcome to wander the collection before or after dinner, and staff love telling the stories.

Is there a good wine list? Yes — an award-winning cellar with plenty of Texas-friendly big reds to match the beef.

Do they handle large family groups? Routinely — the room absorbs multi-generational parties well; mention the occasion when booking.

What if someone doesn’t eat steak? Grilled chicken, salmon, quail and that meal-sized salad bar keep non-steak eaters genuinely happy.

Opening hours