Best Chicken Fried Steak In Dallas / Fort Worth

The debate over how Chicken Fried Steak came to be may be as old as Texas itself. And North Texas is no stranger to everyone's favorite piece of battered and fried cube steak, and you will have no problem finding it on the menus of dives, chains, gastropubs and even some fine dining establishments. But we're not "talkin'" fancy here.  No sir (or ma'am).  This is a list of just a few places where Chicken Fried Steak (and required delicious gravy) is a staple of the menu.

Circle Grill

3701 N. Buckner Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75228
(214) 327-4140

The Circle Grill is exactly the place you want if you are driving along Interstate-30 and really want the 'diner experience'.  Just north of the highway along Buckner Boulevard, their Chicken Fried Steak is the ultimate in comfort food.

Kel's Kitchen

Multiple locations including:
5337 Forest Lane
Dallas, TX 75244
(972) 458-7221
http://kelshomecooking.com

The folks at Kel's say the restaurant is Home cookin' worth leavin' home for, and you can't argue with a place that has been around since 1963.  The restaurant has been a staple along the Dallas North Tollway for years, and like all good diners, their Chicken Fried Steak is the cornerstone of the menu.

The Mecca

10422 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75220
(214) 352-0051

Many people at Southwest Airlines will be disappointed to find The Mecca on any 'Best Of' lists, only because they want to keep it their secret.  The name says all you need to know about the restaurant, which claims to have been 'waking Dallas up since 1938.'  The Chicken Fried Steak, much like the  nearby airline, is all about the love.

Massey's -- CLOSED

1805 8th Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76110

This one breaks our hearts. After decades as a Fort Worth institution, Massey's closed in February, 2011. It had been open since 1947. The Massey family started leasing the restaurant to a tenant in 1997, but by 2011 the tenant could not make the rent payments anymore. Massey's, you will be missed.

Dixie House Cafe

6200 East Lancaster Avenue
Fort Worth , TX 76112
(817) 451-6180
http://dixiehousecafe.com

Not to be confused for the Dallas restaurant that gave the world the Black Eye Pea chain, this Fort Worth-area micro-chain has taken the diner global (or at least, across Tarrant County). The five locations offer daily specials that always include a Chicken Fried Steak option.

Cowtown Diner

305 Main Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 332-9555
http://www.thecowtowndiner.com

A newcomer to Fort Worth, the Cowtown Diner calls Sundance Square home. The restaurant offers what they call the "world's largest chicken fried steak". And if you eat all of the 64 oz. monster (along with mashed potatoes, a salad and all the other fixings) it's free.  Not for the faint of heart (literally) but the smaller, more reasonable version of the CFS is certainly worth checking out.