A favorite Texas restaurant is open in a historic hotel between Fort Worth and Austin
The landmark Stagecoach Inn Restaurant in Salado, once one of Texas travelers’ favorite restaurants, has been up-and-down lately.
But it seems to be on its way up again, with a new owner that has reopened the 165-year-old hotel under its familiar name and restored the menu at the 78-year-old restaurant next door.
Let’s start with the most important dish: chicken-fried steak.
The Stagecoach chicken-fried is old-school. It’s made the way Texas cafes and restaurants made it years ago.
That means it’s trimmed, floured and apparently finished on a flat grill, not fluffed up with heavy batter in the deep fryer.
The result is a real steak — one that takes a knife to cut and really tastes like a steak — with the flavors of salt, pepper and cream gravy straight out of Texas’ past.
You may not like it as much as the bulky slabs deep-fried in a rush at chain restaurants.
But this is why Texans loved chicken-fried steak.
There’s also the more modern linguistic oddity named “chicken-fried chicken,” of course.
The Stagecoach, 401 S. Main St. in Salado, also serves an appetizer of hush puppies, finger-shaped strips of fried finely ground cornmeal. But make sure they’re made fresh and served hot.
The limited lunch and dinner menu also offers a selection of other entrees, burgers, a Reuben, salads and daily specials.
Desserts one recent Sunday included an above-average German chocolate cake.
(Yes, German chocolate cake is really Texan. It was originated in Dallas using a German-brand chocolate.)
Noting: This is a hotel, not a diner, so expect hotel prices and spotty service.
Yes, the popular Monument Cafe in Georgetown lent guidance to the original menu. But the Stagecoach Inn runs the restaurant.
If you really love the food and prices at the Monument, drive on 24 miles south to the Monument.
The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesdays through Sundays. A coffee counter serves take-out morning frittatas and pastries daily; 254-947-5111, stagecoachsalado.com/restaurant.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
