Dakotas, to me, has always been understood as the classic bougie restaurant of Tyler. I've driven past it off Old Bullard Road many times, but I have never eaten there. Being a kid in Tyler, your parents don't ever casually suggest Dakotas as a place to stop and eat. It's their private date night spot if they feel fancy. It's for them and them alone. They moved out of Tyler a few years ago, and now I am in control of my choices and my destiny. They had a $200 gift card to Dakotas that they never got around to using before they moved out. Foolish of them. I swiped that sucker and booked a reservation in the same breath. While visiting Tyler for an extended weekend, I got a table for two on Saturday at 6:30 with my girlfriend. Upon entry, they have free valet, but I'm too normal of a person to do that. We were seated pretty quickly after getting there, right around our reservation, at a table that put our backs toward the wall and blocked us from other tables, giving us a little more privacy than a typical restaurant. We both got our first drinks of the night ordered with an appetizer of their fried calamari. I got an Elder Fashioned, an elderflower and gin-based drink styled like an old fashioned. I love an elderflower-based drink, but sometimes they can be a little too over the top and bright purple or pink. I liked how subtle and classic this one felt. My girlfriend got a Choc-nilla Old Fashioned with chocolate and vanilla bitters. It was sweeter than her normal old fashioned, obviously, but she thought it was incredibly tasty. As we waited for our appetizer, we enjoyed some of their bread, which was a tall and beautiful loaf with garlic butter on top. It was very delightful. The amount of fried calamari they served us was insane. Way more than either of us needed. It could easily serve four to six people versus the two of us. The marinara sauce on the side was great, but it paled in comparison to their red pepper aioli cream sauce that I swear you could drink. Typically, fried calamari can look like weird onion rings, while the ones here were more straight. We both had a Caesar salad that was maybe a little well dressed, but with some cracked pepper on top, it was very good and worth it between the calamari and our entrees. For our entrees, we both had their soft shell crabs. Their crabs were fantastic and something I have never had before. I thought they served us a little more angel hair pasta alongside the crab than I needed, but I won't complain about extra food. I was super impressed by the flavors and the crispiness of the crabs. To wrap up our night at Dakotas, I ordered a Paloma that was sharp and classic, while my girlfriend ordered a Black Widow, a tequila and hibiscus drink with some muddled jalapeños that was quite a heater. Not a drink for the faint of heart. A lot of the food and options at Dakotas have a little bit of spice to them, so be warned! As we were leaving, we noticed a musician playing on the patio. I thought how nice the patio at Dakotas would be for a few cocktails after dinner elsewhere. That almost seems idiotic, though, because Dakotas is excellent. If you have an opportunity to give Dakotas a chance as a Tyler resident, I recommend it. Between the two of us, with our entrees, our salads, our appetizer, our four drinks in total, and our tip, we were below $200, which, to me, feels like a very fair price for what you get. RIYL: An intimate and peaceful dinner in Tyler read more

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I visited Dakotas Steakhouse and tried the steak and shrimp. Everything was really good and I will definitely be back. The customer service was great and the crowd added to a fun and lively atmosphere. Overall it was a great experience. read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Mixed Drink - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Great food my steak was perfect Great service with a smile. Will be back for sure. One man band in the patio complimented dinner just right read more

This is in the top 3 best steakhouses in the Tyler area. The atmosphere is great and the service has always been wonderful. As a side, I highly recommend their Mac-n-cheese. Unmatched! read more

Haven't been here in years, and tonight they earned their 5 stars. Food fantastic, especially their filet. Our server Olivia was the best. The chef came by the table to check on our experience and it was top notch. For Tyler, this restaurant is very good. Excellent bar too! read more

Good food and great atmosphere. Fried shrimp are the most bigly in town. Mac and cheese is off the chain. read more

We wanted to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary by going to Dakotas. The waitress even asked if we were celebrating anything special which we told her. She did nothing with that information. The main dinning room was very loud. The appetizer was mediocre at best, the steaks were okay but definitely not worth the $60+ per steak. Then to top it all off, I asked for my check, was given the correct bill, gave our waitress my card and she ran it on another person's much cheaper bill. As we finished up I went to sign and noticed the mistake. She never came back, to any of her remaining tables for over 10 minutes. Finally went to the hostess who went and got her to fix it. She was apologetic but still it was disappointing to have this level of service at such a nice restaurant. read more

The service was kind of like a fly, super nice but leave me alone. The portion to price ratio is actually absurd. A $23 crab CAKE (singular by the way) that was smaller than the palm of my hand. My 6oz filet mignon was more like 2oz, the mashed potatoes were boring, and the carrots tasted like a leather-scented car freshie. The complimentary bread was the best part! read more

Went for birthday dinner. Very good filet, and salmon for wife. However, mashed potatoes were not warm enough to melt soft butter, and chef never heard of sauteed spinach, because I got bowl of boiled cabbage swimming in liquid. Service was poor. Waiter dropped off the food, and immediately left. He was gone ten minutes until I was able to flag him down. He did take the spinach off the bill. Wife liked her food. read more

Celebrated our 30th Anniversary here. Drinks, (Jalapeno margarita for me; old fashioned for mrs) were great. Stuffed mushroom appetizers very large & tasty. I have med-rare New York with asparagus and fresh water lobster tail. Mrs had medium Waygu with/asparagus and fresh water lobster tail. Both of us were very pleased. (Though both of our cuts were '6oz'; my NY was easily 3-4 times larger than Mrs'). Desert was crème brûlée, which we shared. One slight draw back. We were seated in a very nice table set for two. But the walls were covered in wood. This seriously amplified the volume of the couples sitting adjacent to us. I have tinnitus. As result. I heard more of their conversation (especially one gentleman) easier than my wife. This vastly improved once they finished & departed. Dakota's NOT responsible for this. Could happen to anyone. We will come back again AND strongly recommend Dakota's read more

I had such high hopes but it wasn't meant to be. Where to start, I guess at the appetizers. We ordered spinach stuffed mushrooms and calamari. The mushrooms were the size of my thumb and there were 4, yes the total appetizer consisted of 4 and no spinach filling in site. The calamari was huge!! A heaping pile of nicely browned calamari with 2 sauces! I instantly grabbed one and tried to bite into it. Yes, tried. It was like shoe leather, no way it was edible. Next, on to the entrees. I ordered almond crusted chicken breast with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Umm, the first bite of chicken and it instantly reminded me of something I had eaten before. Second bite and now I recognize it! Shake N Bake! That's exactly what it tasted like, sorry but this is NOT almond crusting. I will say the mashed potatoes and asparagus were excellent. On to the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Well, at first look it was dry. I scooped a little onto my plate and immediately knew it had zero salt and yes, it was dry. Not sure if I can salvage it at home with some milk?, salt?, butter?. I will try to work on it tomorrow. My daughter had a burger. Now, that was a smart choice! It looked good, she added bacon, cheese and avocado so, hard to screw it up. She said it was good. My husband had the grilled salmon with wild rice. I thought it was odd that the salmon had NO sauce but he said it was good and he also liked the rice. Overall, it's a big NO for me. Kind of like "We'll call it a fancy name and serve mediocre food". Do not recommend. read more

Rating is on the food only. (Been here drinking plenty of times, never had the food.) Tonight, I got the Stuffed Avocado. I should have taken a photo of this, but I was honestly shocked at the presentation and hungry, so..let me describe it. It was bland all around. Visual, taste, etc. Medium avocado. Frozen tiny shrimp, thawed. Heavy remoulade sauce. All on a small bed of iceberg lettuce for $17. At least garnish it with mixed greens, instead of iceberg, do a good drizzle of sauce not drowning, add some sliced scallions and breadcrumbs on top of the shrimp. Or something. If you are one of the best restaurants in town, I expect better garnish than that. I'll come for ladies happy hour, but I likely won't eat there again. read more

This is one of my go-to spots in Tyler. Everything on the menu is great, and Dakota's has, hands down, without a doubt, the best service in town. Check out the patio on Wednesday's for some live music and a fun crowd. read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Soft Shell Crab - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Another ripoff restaurant Won't go back here. Many years ago I enjoyed the food and the service. I ordered the Wagyu Ribeye. A third of the cut was inedible gristle and connective tissue. By the time I carved off all that, my plate was a bloody mess. I specifically said no potatoes, that was ignored. There was a whole carrot on the plate that wasn't sliced or seasoned so just a waste. The ribeye was listed at $65 on the menu at the restaurant and that is the price shown on the online menu -- I was charged $70. The tables are small and crowded together. You feel cramped while there. Also notice the 3% surcharge for credit card payment. In summary, a lousy experience. read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Receipt - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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Ever since my wife and I moved out to East Texas we have been trying to find our place to replace Silva's Sheldon Inn as our spoil ourselves place. I think we finally found it. 1. Beautifully extravagant decor 2. Getting a polite look that says "umm sir, this might be a bit much for you" when I show up in jeans and a t shirt. 3. Spending over $100 for two people and not finishing our amazing food. This might seem somewhat odd for most people, but as someone who at one time really was the "I can't afford this" person. This has become something of a badge for me. Everything, from the hostess, to our server, and the food was nothing less than amazing. If you are here to complain about a credit card fee, wonder why something costs what it does, or have a preset budget before going out; do everyone a favor and don't come here. I am here for the posh, I am here for the food, I am not here to care about the bill. read more

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I've been to Dakotas a few times and it has never disappointed. My bestfriend and I went for a late Galentine's celebration recently and everything was delicious. Prior to our meal coming out, they bring out a huge batch of homemade bread that is absolutely delicious, fluffy, and just a delight to my tastebuds. I had a 7 Oz Filet Mignon steak with mixed vegetables and lobster mac and cheese. The steak was cooked to PERFECTION. It was tender, bursting with flavor and so good. The sauce that came on top of it tasted like a mix of A1 and barbecue sauce -- tangy but good. The mixed vegetables were a nice pairing with just the right amount of flavor. The lobster Mac and cheese was a hit for me as well. I will mention that this was a special for them for Valentine's Day, not sure how often they're do this pairing just FYI. The staff was kind and our server was amazing. We had reservations so we didnt have to wait or sit around. In fact, when we were parking, i got a text letting us know our table was ready before our reservation. Overall, a 10/10 experience. I will definitely be going back and would recommend to anyone wanting great food + a fine dining experience. read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - The bread that comes before the meal - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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Celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary here and it was a real treat. Nice romantic atmosphere with excellent staff. Food was absolutely delicious. Definitely recommend and will be back! read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Waygu Ribeye with mashed potatoes and asparagus. - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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Good food. Good service. Cocktails were very good except for the Margarita. A little too sour and couldn't taste the tequila but other than that it was enjoyed by all four of us! We definitely recommend Dakotas! read more

Came here for a business lunch and was blown away. Great atmosphere, our waitress was incredible, the menu was fantastic and the food exceeded expectation. Lots of amazing options on the menu. I can't wait to come back on an evening for drinks and to try more! read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Pecan crusted sea bass - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

I'll give it 3 stars for the bar IF you are lucky to have a helpful bartender. Some times I think they'd rather serve only regulars which is fine too if you're a regular. It's easiest to get a bottled beer and move along. I dislike the smoke smell in the bar when it's crowded that wafts in (no hate to cig smokers) and only place in Tyler I ever felt I needed to guard my purse and drink. It was "ladies night" and there were some guys that didn't seem like they had good intentions. Just a vibe! I've dined once in the dining room and would never eat there again. Overpriced and just bad. Not my idea of fine dining at all! Go to Dakotas for some people watching and hopefully a cold beverage but beware! read more

Great food. Quality ingredients. Professional staff. Very friendly and absolutely delicious! I can't wait to return! read more

They must have got a new chef Quality went downhill and price went way up Not good at all! $90 for ONE meal read more

My wife and I visited Dakotas Steak & Chop House tonight and we left pretty disappointed. We would normally drive to Dallas for a meal at a "high-end" steakhouse but we didn't want to go that far with the bad weather. The service was ok, their Servers could use a little more training on serving techniques and timing, attention-to-detail, etc. But all-in-all the Server we had did his best and gave us the best experience that he could. While I can't comment on the steak at Dakotas the lamb chops were amazing and the pork chop was pretty good, albeit not the best i've ever had. The price-point for the meal was pretty good ($40-$50 for an entree) and we had a good bottle of wine that was priced 'ok'. The thing that really made Dakotas a two-star restaurant - and experience - was more so what we found out at the end of the evening. When the check came I gave the credit card, then the bill came back and the bill amount had gone UP! I questioned the Server and he pointed out that the owner had just started a policy where any non-cash charge was going to be charged an additional 3%. I have NEVER seen such a ridiculous charge at a "high end" steakhouse! Every check in that place was probably over $200 and who carries that much cash to dinner? That is a ridiculous and petty charge that, in lieu of raising prices, the owner chose a hidden charge that the Servers end-up really paying for out of their pockets. Because, as in my case, I tipped 20% on the original amount I was charged. Then the cost went UP an additional $7, so that additional amount came out of the Server's tip! That is a HORRIBLE business practice and it's just a crappy way of doing business. Then, THE TOPPER, was when we walked out to get our car, gave the valet the ticket as he was trying to light his broken down space heater. He couldn't get it to light up and it was 33 DEGREES OUTSIDE and starting to snow!! The front of the restaurant was dark, he was standing there freezing his butt off. We left there disgusted at how the employees are treated at Dakotas. Given all this, we will not return to Dakotas anytime soon. If you can't train your staff right, can't take care of your staff, etc., then you don't deserve our business!! read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

It's just not that good for the price. The 3% surcharge for using a credit card is a hoot. WTH is up with that? This review will not encourage you to visit Dakota's but I know some will think we're just disgruntled. We aren't disgruntled, just disappointed. Go, try it out and you'll see for yourself. We are fairly new to the Tyler area and this was our first visit. We had three in our party. We ordered shrimp cocktail and scallops as appetizers. The shrimp were an embarrassment. They appeared to be 40-50 count shrimp that had been cooked some time in the distant past. An "upscale" steakhouse doesn't serve micro-shrimp.. they use the 16/20 counts or close. The remoulade was ok but kind of watered down. The red sauce was just tasteless. The scallops were very small... maybe the size of a half-dollar coin (4 for $26) but did taste good. Dinner salads... we ordered two chophouse salads. Some sort of leaf lettuce bed with a few blue cheese sprinkles and drowned in a vinaigrette sauce. Maybe buy the salad person a measuring device for that vinaigrette. Main Courses Two Prime Ribeyes and one Blackened Redfish. The redfish was actually tasty but a bit overcooked. The steaks were ordered rare. They were raw. One looked like a good cut and one had quite a bit of sinew/cartilage in it. The steak knife struggled with it. Flavor on the meat is ok. Baked potatoes were lukewarm at best and overwhelmed by the ice cold sour cream and butter on them. We ordered Creamed Spinach "family style". We were given a dish of maybe 6 tablespoons of what they called creamed spinach. If there was cream in it we couldn't find it. Seemed like someone sautéed some spinach real quick and put a cream of mushroom soup mix in it. Not sure. A side of mushrooms were ordered as well. No seasoning, no taste. If this was Outback or Texas Roadhouse it'd be about what we expected but as someone else said this is really an overhyped, overpriced place. This review simply reflects the combined opinions of myself and the other two diners. read more

I get better steak at TRH and service. My meal was to come with mash potatoes and they forgot them. We had a reservation for our 30th anniversary at 4:00 on a Saturday which we made a week in advance. The only thing ready when we got there was the table. The bread they serve when you arrive was not ready till our meal was. The waiter was scarce most of the time we were there and had to waive down other waiters that were just standing around as the restaurant was nearly empty. read more

Eat here quite often with clients and the food, service and attention to detail never disappoint. Tenderloin is my favorite but the entire menu is great. Must try dessert also. read more

Prices are really high but it's a nice ambiance with dim lighting and semi-private table cubbies. We had reservations, but the bar waitress failed to let anyone know we were there and the waiter was unprepared for us, as he was up to his rear-end with several customers at very large tables. The bar waitresses skirts were unpleasantly revealing, and looked like they should have been in a men's club. It bordered on embarrassing, Be prepared to drop $150 before tip for two if you drink alcohol. The bar bottoms are free. read more

We arrived today shortly before 4 p.m. No other tables in the dining room were seated. Our waitress greeted us & took our drink order. After our wine arrived, we ordered 1/2 dz oysters on the half shell & 1/2 dz char-grilled oysters. We did not see our waitress agin until the oysters were served 30 minutes later. I then requested the spinach salad. NOTE: Their fabulous bread was never brought to our table. After we were done w/ the oysters, which the char-grilled were excellent as always, but the raw ones were served luke warm & several had shell pieces in them, our waitress appeard 10 minutes later to clear our plates & take our dinner order (never mentioned the two specials for the evening). Twenty-five minutes later, our food arrived. My husband ordered the 7 oz tenderloin steak & I ordered the stuffed flounder. His steak was perfectly cooked, but by no means a 7 oz...more like 4-5 oz. The scalloped potatos were average & the asparagus was8 burnt. My flounder was TINY, but seasoned well yet over cooked. The crab cake stuffing was excellent. My sides, carrots & rice were both luke warm but well seasoned. The salad never arrived. When we asked it to be removed from the bill & she said 'sorry about that, but we have a large catering order & I didn't know about it.' Our bill arrives. As my husband is looking at the printed out receipt, vs the one we fill out & sign, we noticed the amount on the one one we sign had a total of $221.xx. On the printed receipt, it showed $214.xx. So, we waited 15 minutes for our waitress to inquire about the difference. Never saw her again for 20 minutes, so had a different waitress get the manager. The manager arrives & says sorry 4 times while were explaining our experience & says he'll quickly solve the issue on the check. He returns to explain, 'Sorry, the extra charge is the credit card sur charge.' First off, pretty sure that is illegal, especially not being forth coming with that info. Second: we paid with a debit card. NO WHERE ON ANY RECEIPT WAS A LINE ITEM FOR A FEE FOR USING A CRDIT CARD. Poor service, luke warm food during a slow time of day for a restaurant does not entice diners to return to your establishment. Sur charge/hidden fees is a deal breaker. So, in the words of the manager, Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, but we'll take our business to Rick's or Bernard's next tme. read more

We ordered the "wagyu" steak, which was one of the most expensive cuts on the menu. It was cooked almost the way we asked, the big drawback here was that it wasn't wagyu. It had ALOT of fat on it and the marbling was almost none. The sides would have been ok if we were paying less for the meal. The mashed potatoes were lumpy. The service was ok, not too bad, but not great either. We will not be back to this overpriced mediocre establishment. read more

I am giving 2 stars in hopes of catching the manager's attention! Our service was as good (or better) as always. Oysters Rockefeller were delightful, unbelievably delicious & juicy steak, baked potato & spinach were delightful... Our martinis were custom made to our preferences..... so why the 2 star review?? As I said at the beginning their management has adopted a "new policy" that you get a surcharge if you use your credit card! Honestly, Dekotas is much to classy to present this with out saying anything. Your bill arrives with one price and when they bring the check to sign, there is another price. It's not the surcharge that bothered me, it's thinking their customers are too dumb to notice a ticket for one price and charged your card something different. When you question a server why the bill and the charge are different, it's unfair and awkward for that server to explain that a mistake wasn't made, but they pay to process a card! Guess what! Every business that takes a card does! For goodness sake build the charge into the price so you don't look like a gas station!! If I pay $8 for my potato, do you think Dekotas's clientele, will scoff at $8.25 on the menu?? We are having a first class meal at a white tablecloth restaurant....don't cheapen the experience. If your menu says one thing, the bill says the same, but your receipt says something different, it feels sneaky and underhanded. It's an embarrassing insult to make your patrons to have to ask! If Dekotas is paying 3% to process a credit card, put an extra 4% on your menu items. The price won't be noticed and you'll have an extra percent to print new menus with correct pricing. We always have a fabulous experience at Dakotas. Hopefully the two stars will catch the managers attention and they can ponder the customers opinions & outlook. If you're having a business dinner or a night out, how would it feel to notice the price difference and have the conversation in front of your guest?? As one elected official says "Come on man". Dekotas, you are more upscale than you have handle this!! read more

The ambiance and service were wonderful. Next time I'm in town I will be certain to visit.

None of the staff wears a mask (like they don't have them. Not even on their necks or something). No spacing of customers either. In November 2020 that's just unacceptable in my opinion. We asked about it they laughed... we left. If you don't "believe" in Covid or want to get it, this is the place. Otherwise, just run away. They are other expensive steak places around. Maybe the food is great we don't know. Too high of a risk for the reward in my opinion. read more

We were in Tyler buying property and celebrating our 4 year anniversary. We found Dakota's via Yelp. Easy reservation process, either call or use open table ap. They have valet parking or you could Lyft from hotel as we did and drink responsibly. We started off with drinks, old fashioned for my husband and I had the D. P. D. & Second drink the peach martini. Both were delicious! The bread was delivered to our table piping hot and was delicious... They had me at bread... My husband chose the Chilean Sea Bass that melted in your mouth. I opted for the special, the filet with crusted Jack Daniels sauce.... Just spectacular! We ended with peach cobbler that was straight from the oven and a southern favorite. They did not disappoint. The environment was romantic with dim lighting and dress was business casual, some more dressy and some less. Outside live music, really good band. The service was exceptional. We will be back again on our next trip to Tyler the end of the year. read more

Good place to have drinks, hearing música and hang out The food is good but little pricy! read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Been here for drinks every time I'm in Tyler for past 3 years when visiting. (From Austin) Drinks are good. Nice atmosphere. A little upscale. Good bartenders and faithful clientele. A nice mix of ppl nearly everyday of the week. Haven't had any food here. Valet parking. Nice location. Post COVID: no masks. No social distancing. Seems to be the norm in Tyler. Austin is still 7/3/21 read more

Had a wonderful dinner party with some of my dad's life long friends for a celebration of his life this past week. Small dining room was a perfect fit for our group of 13. The service was on point and we never and to ask twice for more bread, water, etc. The steaks were wonderful. And the Brea was amazing!! All in All , this was a wonderful meal I would recommend dining here again. read more

One of, if not, the best steak I've ever had. Food and service are "Top Notch". Oddly, the glazed carrots were another favorite for the entire table. Make reservations! They also provide valet parking. Highly recommend if they are busy. read more

Food was brought out cold. Was excited to try Dakotas for the first time. Very disappointing to say the least. Will definitely not be back.

Oh no no! We were seated for over an hour before they even bothered to take our order. To say the service was slow or bad was an understatement. The food is incredibly overpriced. It is fairly good and I stress the fairly. It's not amazing food. The tables and chairs were packed, it was loud and frustrating. Your patience can only last so long on only water and "I'll be with you in a few minutes". We will not be back. Way overhyped. read more

We saw lots of beautifully packaged to-go meals being picked up as we were being seated. What a terrific option! We celebrated a birthday tonight, and thought we would try Dakotas in Tyler. I was somewhat surprised by the less-than-stellar yelp rating, but after reading the menu, we wanted to judge for ourselves. I am delighted that we did. The service is attentive but not overly so. The meal pacing was perfect. The cocktails were good, and their cocktail menu is definitely worth the read! The fresh-made-daily bread is amazing. Go ahead--you must. We were oyster hungry, so we ordered them 2 ways. First, raw on the half shell. They were small, and perfectly briny and sweet. Great cocktail sauce. Secondly, we tried the angry oysters, and they were unforgettable. We could have gone home immediately after and been perfectly sated, but come on. Who's going to leave before prime rib and sea bass? The prime rib was the special--a 14 oz cut. My husband devoured it, though he was not that hungry, it was that good. I had the Chilean sea bass. It was just a fraction overcooked for my taste, but was toothsome and buttery. I was intrigued in the citrus buerre blanc, but it was very mild and a perfect accompaniment. The cold water lobster tail was the best I have ever tasted. Our server found out we were doing a birthday and brought a lovely NY cheesecake to the table, complete with a candle and HBD written in coulis. Top shelf. Can't wait to come back!! read more

Dakotas Steak & Chop House - Angry Oysters--to die for! - Seafood Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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