A steak-and-eggs Sunday breakfast for Father’s Day in the Fort Worth Stockyards
The Stockyards needed more steak.
So the 43-year-old Star Cafe now opens Sunday mornings for a thick sirloin-and-eggs breakfast, or one of the city’s most popular chicken-fried steaks.
Owner Chris Flores has been fine-tuning the Star, 111 W. Exchange Ave., since he bought it last year from retiree Don Boles.
“Every weekend, people would pull on the door all morning, looking for breakfast,” Flores said. “We’ve got steaks, chicken-fried steak and chicken, and a big old giant plate of biscuits and gravy. People want it, so we’ll try it.”
For 20 years until it discontinued breakfast during the pandemic, the competing H3 Ranch steakhouse on Exchange Avenue was known as a must-stop for families at the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive.
Now, H3 doesn’t open until lunch.
But the Star Cafe opens at 9 a.m. Sundays — including Father’s Day — and serves an even bigger top sirloin steak.
And there’s better parking.
The Star has a big advantage over other steakhouses on East Exchange Avenue and Mule Alley: West Exchange has plenty of street parking that isn’t blocked for the cattle drive.
It’s an easy trip to the Star for weekend breakfast or weekday lunch or dinner.
“We want to get local folks out here,” Flores said.
“The suits from downtown used to come out. ... We’re the affordable choice down here. People eat big steaks at the other end of the street for $65, $70 — here they get a full rib-eye dinner for $42.”
The breakfast menu starts at 9 a.m. Sundays. It’s simple, with egg platters for $14, $18 (with chicken-fried steak, chicken or Slovacek’s smoked sausage) or $22 for top sirloin.
Last weekend, Flores was testing an open-face chicken-fried steak on biscuits with gravy, the way it used to be served at much-missed Massey’s Restaurant in south Fort Worth.
The lunch and dinner chicken and steak platters cost $17-$42. The Star has always been known for its burgers ($12).
Flores has avoided making many changes, but he said the steaks now are “upper two-thirds” choice or prime, most cut in-house.
The Star has dialed up a half-notch since it opened in 1980 as a midprice steakhouse and cafe in a former Black-eyed Pea Restaurant.
It serves until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, then reopens at midnight to serve giant slices of local favorite Mama’s Pizza (pepperoni or cheese) to the Stockyards crowd until 2:30 a.m.
“That’s going great,” Flores said. “When people see somebody with a big ol’ slice of pepperoni, they want one.”
One downside: The Star isn’t on any reservation services yet. But supposedly the cafe will reserve tables by phone.
The Star serves lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays, breakfast and lunch Sundays; 817-624-8701, facebook.com/starcafefortworthtx.
