Cattlemen's Steakhouse Serves The Best Chicken-Fried Steak In Oklahoma

Drive South on South Agnew Avenue in Oklahoma City, and eventually you’ll pass under an arched metal sign featuring a rancher astride a horse on one side and a massive steer on the other. Welcome to Stockyards City. Although you’re still in OKC, you’ll feel a world away. Here, the idea of pleather is taboo and cowboy hats are an everyday accessory. There are certain places in the South that look so stereotypical that they almost seem manufactured. But the picture-perfect rancher’s paradise of Stockyards City is true to its stripes—and nowhere is this more evident than at Cattlemen’s.

The History of Cattlemen's Steakhouse

Since 1910, this legendary institution (originally known as Cattlemen’s Cafe) has been serving up the freshest beef in town (the Oklahoma National Stockyards is nearby). The interior of the restaurant reveals its episodic past before the “brief history” on the menu does. Portraits of the early owner, plus a mural depicting an Old West saloon scene, cover the walls. One side of the space retains its mid-century lunch counter appearance while the other rooms resemble the dimly lit steakhouses of your imagination.

These slightly disparate sections speak to Cattlemen’s extensive, and sometimes wild, background. A place for cowpokes and meat packers to gather and refuel during Prohibition, it also became a spot for the very same customers to buy home brew. In 1945, it changed hands from Hank Frey to Gene Wade when Frey bet his ownership in a game of dice. All Wade had to do was roll a hard six; a “33” is still emblazoned on the wall to commemorate his successful throw.

Cattlemen's Chicken-Fried Steak

While the restaurant is known for its aged charcoal-grilled steaks, they have perfected another regional classic. Chicken-fried steak became a part of the official state meal in 1988, and the version they make at Cattlemen’s is worthy of that revered status. Our readers even voted it the state's best in our 2024 South's Best awards.

Most chicken-fried steaks feature beef that has been pounded into a hamburger-like consistency, but here the meat is tender while retaining its texture, more akin to a fillet than ground meat. It’s coated with a light, flour-based breading and fried to just the right crisp. The special seasoning kicks it up a notch, and in an ingenious move, the peppery cream gravy is served mainly underneath the steak, preventing any trace of sogginess from compromising the breading before you scarf it down. If all that goodness didn’t satiate you, don’t worry. The chicken-fried steak comes with homemade rolls, a baked potato, and a salad. Try the dubious-looking but magical house dressing, and be sure to dip your salad’s oversized croutons into it for good measure.

Although Cattlemen’s was founded to satisfy its namesake population, it’s adored by Oklahomans of all kinds—not to mention visitors from across the country, including musicians, actors, and even Presidents. (There’s a dish with pride of place on the menu because it was a favorite of President George H.W. Bush.) The faded but glorious photo murals of snazzily dressed cowboys are enough of a draw, but when that simple, expertly prepared food hits your table, you’ll know why folks have made Cattlemen’s part of their lives for more than a century.