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Austin Land & Cattle (or ALC) feels like a classic steakhouse you’d expect to find in small-town Texas, complete with guitars hanging from the walls and carved wooden cowboys and horses scattered about the dining room. You won’t need a sports coat or a fancy dress for dinner here—it’s more of a cowboy hat and nice jeans kind of place—but the tablecloths are in fact technically white. Unstuffy and unpretentious, ALC makes an excellent (and surprisingly affordable) steak that you’ll likely be talking about for days to come.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
The menu here leans classic steakhouse, but with Southern twists. That means that right next to those garlic, butter, and madeira escargots, you’ll also find dishes like buffalo grilled lamb chops, or crispy fried gulf oysters with pico. There’s a pretty standard menu of steaks—ranging in size, cut, and time spent dry-aging—that seem to always come out with picture-perfect grill marks and a beautiful char. And they all come with a side, which means no more paying double digits for a couple stalks of asparagus.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Much like the food, the wine list here leans classic—with a mix of old and new world wines available by the glass or bottle—which is probably better suited for a meal here than some funky 30-day skin-contact orange wine grown in volcanic soil. Just like with the pricing for the steaks and entrees, wines are very reasonable, with glasses starting around $10. And the whole list arrives on an iPad, which feels a bit jarring after the otherwise old-school experience. Kind of like when you visit an older relative and they bust out a shiny new tablet full of old family photo scans.
But despite the occasional modern touch, nothing about a meal at ALC feels trend-chasing. It’s old-school and relaxed. And with a central location at 12th and Lamar, you don’t even have to leave Austin for the small-town experience. Sometimes, you just want a giant steak and a martini for dinner. And sometimes you want to do that without planning a reservation three months in advance, or without taking out a small loan to do it.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Martini
The martinis here are about as classic as they come, which is exactly what we want out of an old-school steakhouse like this. That means: heavy on the booze, and probably a few chunks of shaken ice still floating about. They’re also on the cheap end for Austin cocktail pricing.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Buffalo Lamb Chops
It’s the steakhouse version of the chicken wing you never knew you needed. The lamb chops are individually cut, grilled to a medium finish, slathered in a spicy, buttery buffalo sauce, and served with blue cheese.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Wedge Salad
This looks like it came out of a textbook about steakhouse salads. It’s dressed with just the right amount of blue cheese dressing (and crumble), topped with thick-cut, crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Grab one of these to share, or get one for yourself if you’re a big fan of wedge salads (or bacon).
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Filet Mignon "ALC Style"
Every filet mignon we’ve had here has come out incredibly tender and soft, exactly how we enjoy our filets. We like to get ours “ALC Style”—encrusted with peppercorns, and topped with a relatively mild blue cheese. It adds a little bit of funk and texture without being too overpowering.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Bone-In Ribeye
ALC’s bone-in ribeye—the king of steakhouse cuts—develops a beautiful char and cross-hatched grill marks, while the inside remains soft, tender, and cooked exactly how we like it, every time. We like to get it with the sauce sampler since it makes each bite a little more fun and different.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Texas Pecan Tart
ALC’s take on pecan pie feels right at home on the menu here. It’s rich, buttery, and sweet, without ever feeling overpowering. And the personal-size nature of the dessert makes us feel just a little less guilty about finishing an entire pie.