Just go as no reservations or phone calls great food and cheap wine. The appetizer of little quail is so good. Get two. The fried steak is good! Not hard or tough. We are going back but it gets busy in weekends. read more

I have been wanting to go to this joint for a few years now. People very friendly but to me CFS did not add up to the hype. Just once you have had Marys in strawn and Cartwright's in Denton everything else is so so. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - CFS - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse offers a superb movie-worthy setting, an array of classic Old West dishes and outstanding service. The T-Bone steak with steak butter is great, and there are many other notable items. I sampled the quail quarters and fried green tomatoes. Yes, even the salad dressing is great; instead of allowing me to agonize over the cucumber vs. the ranch they let me have some of both. Caution: the baked potato is so popular that they recommend a reservation if you want one (get it with everything). The free rolls are good but try to save space for the blackberry cobbler. The waitress did amazing work with our large group and the tons of food. It was a memorable experience. My only regret is not stealing anyone's fries. read more

I don't even know if they are still open. My wife and I drive up there for a dinner at "The Ponder Steakhouse". What a misnomer. It is like an old, old wooden diner. Meat was "Chewy" to a fault. My wife likes peach cobbler so she ordered that for dessert. When it came it was truly unrecognizable. It looked like a tan mush. Neither one of us was even willing to try it. We have never returned their and will not unless we hear that their are new managers willing to up their quality read more

I ate lunch at Ranchman's yesterday was working at DFW and it was within the 30 mile rule. Had my usual and sat at my usual place at the counter. Got a chance to talk with the wait staff, Dave the owner and the GM who is from Maui. The place really feels like home, almost felt like I should bus my table and take the to the dishwasher. Let me tell you the food is incredible the GM has me hooked on her collard greens. I am not a VEG person, but those greens are out of this world, she said it is the bacon grease that does it. I took a Little Joe Chicken Fry home for later and gave several pieces to Collin McKinney my Boxer pup, he loves it. I will probably stop back by on Saturday for lunch. Tell you the place is a hidden gem; it is so good will make you slap your MAMA read more

Glad to see Ranchman's open again post-COVID! It is a must to add to your trip to the area, or just a local outing. The food is prepared with love and genuine country cooking! The waitstaff are always pleasant and helpful. Be sure to bring your appetite! read more

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Negatives: I know they are newly re-opened but... Ridiculously slow service (2.5 hours) In an establishment that was only 1/3 filled. Waited on customers out of order of arrival (excluding those who had made a reservation). Water isn't filtered, affects tea and soda. Mashed potatoes had a huge chunk of hard potato, and they were cold. No bread came out of the oven until we were eating dessert, when staff realized they hadn't been serving bread---the entire 2.5 hours we were there they hadn't served bread. Positives: The gravy is beyond yummy!! They could serve it as a side!!! Chicken Fried steak was excellent. Coconut pie --decent as pies go, meringue and crust were superior to the filling itself; however, I wouldn't indulge next time. read more

Neat little place in a small little town that was great, service was terrific. They were warm and friendly. Food was good and the ambience was definitely a roadhouse type steak house. Without a doubt do not miss the cherry cobbler it was delicious. read more

They have gluten free chicken fried steak, gravy, fried green tomatoes, and fried zucchini...what more needs to be said

Small one off business that looks smaller than it is. The decor is old west Texas, the food is sublime. Be careful what you order, the portions are generous. A single order of chicken fried steak will cover a whole plate. They are open less than they were before covid. Help is harder to get. But definitely on my must go list. read more

My wife and I had lunch here. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. My wife had the small sirloin and a salad. Both of us agreed that these were two of the best meals we have had in a very long time. Service was great, although there were only two wait staff working. If you go there, save room for their homemade pie. The coconut cream was awesome. You can tell by all the pictures that they have been serving great food for a long time. Locking forward to the next trip to Ponder, Texas!!! read more

Was so excited to go back after they've been closed for a couple years. The food tasted exactly the same but prices went wayyyy up. I know they're just getting started up again but service was really slow (hour+ to get food after ordering when they weren't very busy) It still has its unique, local charm but probably won't be frequenting for lunch again unless I have 2 hours to spare. read more

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So this was our first time here after they opened up. We moved to the area when they were closed but were excited to learn that they reopened and a lot of people were telling us about this place plus the fact that it was also world famous for steaks. Walking into this place around 4 because we wanted to make it in time to try it and our work hours never worked with the hours they have ; it wasn't busy at all, two other families were there. It is very rustic inside with a room in back and then seating towars the door. Photos of famous people that have stopped by are signed and hanging up on one wall, very neat. The waitress we had was awesome, she was very friendly and informative with the menu. She was attentive and once we had an issue with the kitchen, she was apologetic and trying to smooth over the experience. The food was pretty good. We got both the grilled and fried quail with the fried zucchini. The quail was very tasty. I enjoyed the fried zucchini breading was light and not overpowering at all. Our parry got side salads with both the homemade rach and cucumber vinaigrette dressings. Both were very good. The steaks are were the problem poped up. My husband ordered a medium rare T-bone steak, like everyone knows medium rare is a pink inside around the brown. Everyone else's steaks was cooked perfectly but his came out well done, brown in the middle. We told the waitress who double checked she wrote it down correctly and then took it back, all of a sudden we hear the cook (a woman with black hair pulled up into a messy bun and tattooed on the neck, don't know her name but she looked like she had never been happy in her life. She ended up giving us the stink eye the entire time) but she said "they don't know what they're talking about. That steak is medium rare" basically saying that we don't know what we're talking about. I will say, my family and I, when we do steak, we know how to order and what it should look like. Plus we've cooked plenty of steaks in our collective lifetimes, so yeah. Basically her comment, which we could hear from the kitchen basically made my husband feel like shit and ruined the mood. He was very apologetic to the waitress for the trouble but she was very nice about it and told him it wasn't any problem and that the kitchen always says this (which, TOXIC workplace). The steaks were okay with the seasoning. Not the best. The mashed potatoes were unseasoned and even with it loaded it was bland. We also got dessert which was a peach cobbler with ice cream, which my family member said it was okay but not that great. Go the rhubarb pie and it is very tart. I'm use to it with strawberries to even out the rhubarb. All in all, probably won't be back because it really isn't anything worth singing home about. read more

We happened on this place while finding a new route to the lake. It was almost like going back in time and walking into an old-timey steak place. Local reviews were good so we took a seat. Love new dining experiences and this one promised to be interesting, if nothing else. We started with an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes with a side of ranch dressing. The batter was crispy and full of flavor and the ranch was a nice compliment to the tomatoes. Great start! Our entree was a 12 oz T-bone steak, a 'famous' loaded baked potato that we were lucky to get (apparently they take reservations for these famous taters..?), a roll and a grilled quail on the side...because...quail! We ARE in Texas! The server informed us that the steaks are cooked differently than most, with minimal seasoning and steak butter on top. Ok...we're game... So here's the verdict on the food: Steak: visually not stunning, but nice cook and with some added salt and pepper, it tasted very good. Quail: nice grill marks, nice flavor, boring presentation, no sauce. Baked potato: OMG. Might be the best potato in Texas. I see why they take reservations for them. Dessert: TO DIE FOR!!! The strawberry-rhubarb pie a la mode was crazy good!! Overall: we'll definitely be coming back again sometime. NOTE: it is made abundantly clear that you are being filmed while you dine. Not sure how I feel about this yet, but 3 different people told us we were on camera and the owner reviews it daily. Hmmmmm... read more

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We have visited Ranchman's for many years. They had some things that were pretty good and a staple in the community. However, more recently the quality of food has gone down considerably. I ordered the BLT, which was my favorite. They gave me bacon not cooked to crisp, and no longer thick cut, wilted lettuce and tomato on a none toasted hamburger bun. It was a soggy mess. How can someone get a BLT wrong? This use to be a nice good sandwich. An establishment that has been on food network for great food, is now compromising in quality. If they are on hard times, I get it but limit your menu and cook what your known for and knock it out of the park. If they don't get back to their roots of what made Ranchman's famous, it will be doomed to close. read more

This place is my go to for me and my wife. It's literally5 mins from our house. We absolutely love their food there. We miss it because it is currently closed I believe for renovations and also due to covid? But, we can't wait for it to open back up!! read more

Excellent food! Friendly people. Great pies. Almost want to not post this and keep it to myself so it doesn't get too crowded!

This is going to sound weird to everyone that knows me and knows that I've been a vegetarian for 34 years, but I eat at Ranchman's more than any other restaurant. I am CRAZY for their Fried Green Tomatoes! I like to order them a little darker (a minute or two longer in the fryer) than they usually serve them and when they come to the table, I sprinkle salt and pepper on top and dashes of hot sauce and then I cut them into quarters and eat them as quickly as I can without burning my mouth. They are served with homemade Ranch dressing, which my son eats his with, but I prefer them as above. The other food I truly love here are their French Fries. They use actual real potatoes that they cut just before they fry them. I order a small ramekin of their gravy and add lots of pepper and some salt to it. Then I squirt ketchup in back and forth patterns across the fries and dip them individually into the gravy and then eat them. I used to love fast food fries, before I understood just how processed and preserved they are (years ago my husband and I were cleaning out our car and removed our daughter's car seat to vacuum underneath and found 2 small McDonald's fries (my daughter could recognize the Golden Arches of McDonalds by 18 months and would yell out "Shyes, shyes!" whenever we passed by) They looked as though we had just bought them, except a little bit shrunken-in, but we knew we had not been to a McDonald's since we returned from vacation over a month earlier! I don't order any salads at Ranchman's, but in Spring and Summer we always buy a Mason jar of their homemade House Dressing. I don't know what to call it, but it has fresh Cucumbers, Onions, Oil and Vinegar and some spices. It has to be refrigerated even if you haven't opened it yet, but that usually means less preservatives anyway, so I don't mind. In the Summer when we eat a lot of salads, we go through a jar every two weeks. It is 2 out of the 3 people at my house favorite salad dressing. read more

Not impressed! The service was good, but that is about all. The soda's had no carbonation. The portion size does not match the price that they charge. I received, probably a 6-8 oz chicken fried steak and they up charged me a backed potato (which I was ok with, because it was on the menu), but then I get up to the register and they charged another $1.99 because it was loaded! My total was $25+ for lunch!! Not sure I'll be back. read more

Great atmosphere with fresh and delicious comfort foods. Staff are friendly. Would highly recommend!

Very good steaks and chicken fried steak and even a gluten free version including gravy if you call ahead to make sure they have special fryer heated up. read more

Great restaurant.. Love the atmosphere. Love how they give you a newspaper so you can read about all the history of the place. Great steak. Great waitress. Great time. My husband didn't talk to me for a full five minutes because he was too into his steak. Will be making this our next date night spot! read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

Came with local friends. Could not have been friendlier. We had fried green tomatoes, which were pretty good. The chicken fried steak was out of this world. The T bone tasted like it was boiled. Not an once of flavor. Had butter on top and was put on a flat top. The steak was about .3 millimeter thick. Possibly one of the worst cuts and cooked steak I have had in my life. Who would want to eat this piece of cardboard?? Service was awesome! Food was borderline horrible. Atmosphere was great. Go there to have fun but stay away from the steaks, because they can't cook them and they taste like cardboard. read more

I've been here a few times before and didn't love it. But this most recent time it was fabulous! Steaks cooked and seasoned perfectly, could cut it with a fork! My fish was excellent, sides and salads were fresh and very good, loved the squash. I became a fan this last trip and will be back again! Be sure to try the Lemon Sole if in the mood for something different. It was excellent and I don't even really eat fish! Everyone was eating off my plate it was so tasty! Also had the creme Brule and it was very good too. Our service was also really awesome, waitress was very attentive and friendly. read more

I honestly didn't want to be rude since so many Dallas Yelpers recommended this place. So I waited until I was home to post this review, but I wrote it weeks ago on the same day of my visit: -------------------------------------- July 7th, 2012 - Today I was a guest in the great state of Texas and the city of Ponder. As a guest I feel a small sense of responsibility to respect local traditions. Ranchman's Cafe is (by many aspects) a tradition of this charming area, but one that's not worth upholding in my opinion. THE SCENE I have been wanting to come here for years, long before I discovered Yelp. It's been at least three years since I saw them featured on a Food Network show and placed the name in my MUST TRY book. Well, time has passed, but my desire had not and today presented the perfect opportunity since A) I am visiting friends in McKinney and B) We were in nearby Lewisville doing some shopping. It only took about 20 minutes from there, but it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. North Dallas has more cornfields than I have ever seen. Miles and miles of them. Friendly staff greets you at the door and guides you to a table. I'd heard a lot about the steak and potatoes,so that was the main intention of this visit. THE FOOD *Rib Eye - Awful!!! I'd like to embellish this review with something positive to say, but there was nothing redeeming about this steak. It was poorly seasoned, poorly cooked and not even remotely worth the $17.95 price tag that came with this 12 oz bone-in cut. If that weren't enough, the butter topping for the steak was just weird. I've enjoyed that before, but it worked against this steak. We were also charged $3 for sharing + $1.50 for substituting the baked potato totaling $22.45 for this dish. *French Fries ($1.50) - Nasty. The oil they were cooked in was noticeably old and in need of changing. The inside was firm, the outside was mushy and flavorless. Not even a light coating of salt could save them. *Chicken fried chicken strips ($7.25) - A complete thumbs down with the kids. I tried them and although they were seasoned, they didn't taste very good. *Fried green tomatoes ($2.50) - Decent flavor and nicely cooked. This was one of the better items we ordered on the menu. I'm not sure if the ranch dressing provided was house made, but it was strong and sort of bitter. *Loaded baked potato - Very good! The only item I sampled today that I really enjoyed. FINAL VERDICT Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe it was a bad day in the kitchen. Either way, this was a total disappointment. The one good thing about today's visit is I can finally take it off my 'bookmarked' list. One star reviews are very rare for me, so pay attention! If you love steak, don't come here. read more

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Nice restaurant with a southern charm. Friendly staff. Had some gluten-free food and it was delicious. Call ahead at least 30 minutes for them to start the gf fryer. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - Chicken fingers and gravy - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

Talk about "stepping back in time".......this place is straight out of the 50's and 60's. When you walk in, the screen door slams behind you....just like when you'd come for a visit at your Grandmother's house. My steak was "Ginormous" & perfectly cooked...... baked potato was huge ! Son & husband like the chicken fried steak...it's deeelish! Oh, and be sure and save room for Pie with Mile High "CALF SLOBBER"! You just can't eat here without leaving happy & stuffed ! If you wanna take a road trip to a little country Steak House, try this one. It won't disappoint !..."Aunt Bee" might even be your server ! ....Great Breakfast as well! ***If ya live in Denton or are a UNT student, it's not a bad drive over to PONDER Steakhouse! read more

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I really don't understand. This pace has rave reviews everywhere. Even food network did 2 shows on this. I expected at least a decent place to get a steak. OK, here goes... I went with 2 other adults and a 3 year old on a Wednesday night. There were plenty of open tables. We ordered 2 salads and an order of fried green tomatoes. They were great, the cucumber dressing is really good. Then everything went to complete disaster. I ordered the T bone, my wife got the club (strip) and my sister in-law had the top sirloin. All medium rare. We had called in and reserved our potatoes. now, my steak was 19.95 and the others were 10.95 and 17.95. They all came out on a 8" by 4" aluminum plate with a baked potato. The sirloin looked the best since it was almost 3/4" think. My T bone and the club looked like denny's specials. They were thin (about 1/4 inch on the club and maybe 1/2 inch on the T bone. This caused them to not be able to make a nice medium rare steak. The flavor wasn't bad, but for the prices on these steaks I was just amazed. The steaks are pan seared not grilled. I did not get a burger here so I cannot attest to them. I had some of the blackberry cobbler and it was OK. The kiddo had chicken strips and fries. He seemed to like them OK. The service was OK and the people were friendly. Like I said, the taste was not too bad, but definitely not anything to talk about. The main reason for just the 1 star is pricing. 3 steak dinners, chicken strips, 3 drinks and some cobbler came out to 70+ dollars before tip.!! What? Now I'm no cheapskate. I will spend good money for a good steak. This is not the place. I am being dead honest - you can go to Denny's and get the same quality of steaks, maybe better for a lot less change. I left feeling completely taken advantaged of. This is nothing more than diner food at chop house prices. read more

A cool little place with a ton of history. The French fries were awesome, wife loved the fried green tomatoes. The steak was ok but would definitely say the service was very good. Overall would say it is a place to try as I am sure there are more items on the menu that we didn't try. My son loved the kids burger. read more

Tried this place after the kids football game. Service was good. Food was less than great. Steak was bland and wasn't really a good cut of ribeye. Wife and kids had fried chicken strips. They didn't have anything to about those, but really hard to screw up chicken strips. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

Been a long standing restaurant of Ponder but still a hidden gem feel. The waitress was super attentive and the food portions are so big you have no choice but to take home left overs. Quail was juicy and tasty. The chicken fried steak and gravy was enormous. Last the porterhouse steak was cooked to perfection where no sauce is needed. We were so full we couldn't try their desserts. read more

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I recently had to go gluten free. I oops upon this place while I was in Denton looking up GF options. One thing you miss when GF is FRIED foods. The staff was helpful and the owner being sensitive to gluten has trained them the importance of food handling and cross contamination. They have a DEDICATED fryer. ****must call 30 mins prior so they can warm it up*** It's not close to home but I will make the trek when I'm jonesing for Chicken Fried Steak. I ordered the steak fingers and fries. Even the gravy is gluten free. I've read if you have a dairy intolerance they will make the gravy w coconut milk. So you might want to ask. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

I had such high hopes and I am sad to say they were dashed. :( I don't mind the drive, but when we walked in we were stared down with that "You ain't from around here" look. I'm sure glad we were not seated anywhere near that table. We were one of only 4 tables at 7pm. I thought that was a little weird based on some of the positive things I have heard about this place. I had the chicken fried steak fingers and fries and my husband had a regular size chicken fried steak. It was okay. Not great. I would have preferred Franks Red Hot as opposed to the hot sauce on the table. Honestly, I much prefer the CFS at Babe's Chicken Dinner House. The CFS here was greasy and the gravy didn't have much flavor. The fries were limp and pretty greasy too. They tasted almost exactly like In N Out fries. (that is not a bad thing since they are made from fresh potatoes) The flavor was good, I just wish they crispy. All in all, between the greasyness of the food and the Deliverance stare down, I don't think we will be making the drive again any time soon. read more

My family has eaten here 2x so far and have never had a bad experience so far ! One time in the restaurant for lunch and take out for dinner. Nothing but good food and really friendly staff read more

First visit last night for dinner was delicious! Very gracious service as well. We love that we can bring our own wine. All 4 steaks were cooked perfectly to medium rare. Our waitress who may be the owner warned us that the steaks are not seasoned but come topped with steak butter. We loved it - a little salt was added by 2 out of 4 in our party but honestly I would much prefer that to over-seasoned meat. We had T-bones and a ribeye, mushrooms, and onions. Finished off with buttermilk pie that was obviously homemade. We will be back as from Denton it's a short drive - maybe 15 mins. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

Ranchman's was a mixed bag. it's a drive but a fun trip back in time. Nothing elaborate here. The salad dressing was off the wall good. Wish the same could be said for the steak..very thin cut, fatty and grizzly. We had pre ordered baked potatoes and they were lukewarm at best. Grandson had chicken fingers which looked fine, but it's hard to screw up a chicken finger. The chicken fried steak looked like it may be a better choice. Service was slow. I'm glad we went once, but not sure it's worth the trip. read more

Husband and I went with another couple for late lunch, Sat. April 20th. This is a steakhouse, right? Husband's steak so tough and overcooked (ordered medium rare) he could not cut it, much less eat it. My chicken fried steak was average. French fries (no options offered) for entire party were served cold. Prices were much too high for the quality--with most everything being an extra charge, i.e. baked potato, salad. I give this place 2 stars only because the coffee was good. The service was slow, slow, slow and indifferent--even tho' there were very few customers. read more

If you are looking for a great place to eat with different options. Here you go a true local hometown cafe. Quick and friendly service. Great food. read more

Steakhouse is a clear misnomer here. Once the steaks finally came, over an hour after ordering, they were warm (not hot), and don't give me any crap about the steak resting. It was barely cooked to medium rare, grey in the outside where it should be seared, and about 1/4 inch thick for a 12 oz T-bone. My friend got the 16 oz, and it was even worse, grey on the outside and a jiggly red inside. Another friend didn't get a drink until his burger came out, 45 minutes after ordering. Burgers at the table were so dry and over cooked that the patties were falling apart before they even picked them up. Servers were rude when they were even around, and the restaurant wasn't even busy. read more

Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse - T-bone 12oz, fried green tomatoes. - Steakhouses Near Me - Ponder, Texas

The near worship this place receives mystifies me every time we go there. A number of friends seem to think it's heaven on earth, the best steakhouse in the west, and a historical treasure. So, we go there from time to time. Well, it is historic. Their steaks are generally too thin to be cooked to your preference. You can't cook a 3/8" thick steak medium rare and get any color on the outside. The steaks are OK, but nothing you couldn't do at home. The baked potatoes are so popular you have to reserve them, a situation which amazes me. They are cooked and held in aluminum foil, which guarantees the moisture in the potato won't get out of the potato, so instead of baking, the potatoes are steamed with their own moisture and have a pudding like texture. A chef friend calls this "the ultimate culinary derailment". I agree, but this is common to all restaurants that wrap potatoes in foil. If they aren't baked unwrapped, just say no. The other tater option are home fried French fries. They are fried only once, so they are limp and greasy. Great fries need more loving and at least two trips through the fryer. Since I'm not enamored of their steaks, I usually go with their chicken fried steak. I'm not sure what happened last time, but the crust was soggy and lifeless. Similarly, the batter on the fried green tomatoes was also soggy and lifeless. Was the fryer temperature too low? Did they not fry things long enough? I don't know, but it made for an uninspired and uninspiring meal. The high point of the meal was the wedge of blue cheese. As the name suggests, this is a large lump of a very nice blue cheese. They serve it with saltine crackers, but that's OK. The cafe is cute, quaint and historical. It's worth a visit. My advice is to go in, buy some of their home made goat milk soap, have a soft drink and then hit the road. There are better places not that far away. read more