Famous small-town Texas restaurant reopens in Denton County north of Fort Worth
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- Ranchman’s reopened in Ponder with a Western-themed saloon, patio and stage.
- Bryan left the oak-paneled dining room and its historic memorabilia intact.
- The menu expanded but continues signature griddled steaks and large chicken-fried steaks.
Ranchman’s, an 80-year Denton County landmark and one of America’s most popular small-town cafes, has reopened in spectacular fashion.
Now named Ranchman’s by Marty B, the historic cafe in Ponder, 6 miles west of I-35W, has added a sprawling new bar and patio.
Denton County restaurateur Marty Bryan, owner of Marty B’s in Bartonville and seven other restaurants and shops, bought the legendary Texas cafe where “Bonnie & Clyde” movie actors dined during filming.
It had been closed most of the last six years since before COVID, so both old regulars and new Denton County neighbors were ready.
On a recent weekend, the doors opened at 3 p.m., with a line by 3:20.
The building at 110 W. Bailsy St. dates back to 1903. Ranchman’s opened in the mid-1940s. (Dates vary from 1945 to 1947.)
If there’s a Texas cafe that looks like it belongs in the Smithsonian, it’s Ranchman’s.
Wisely, Bryan left the oak-paneled front dining room the way it was remodeled in 1951. The memorabilia includes photos from the local filming of the Oscar-nominated 1967 movie “Bonnie & Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and the late Gene Hackman.
Bryan also bought seven adjacent lots to add a Western-themed saloon, a large patio with seating for up to 500 customers, a music stage and a future Marty B’s Ice Cream.
The food may have changed, but the tradition remains.
“We’re basically cooking the food the way they always cooked it,” Bryan said.
Steaks are still griddled Ranchman’s-style. topped with a touch of roasted garlic butter and served in a satisfying puddle of juice and flavor.
The new menu features similar hand-packed burgers and huge chicken-fried steaks, and adds more choices along with Bryan’s mother’s pies.
Bryan said he had never visited Ranchman’s before it closed, but Marty B’s customers kept asking about it.
One day, he was shopping at Justin Discount Boots in nearby Justin and stopped by.
Recent owner Dave Ross was retiring. He had worked at the restaurant for 20 years before he bought it in 1992 from co-founder Grace “Pete” Jackson.
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It was the favorite restaurant of late Texas novelist Larry McMurtry, who lived 100 miles away in Archer City.
The way McMurtry has told the story, he had just left the cafe in the early 1980s when he saw an old bus from Lonesome Dove Baptist Church, from a community that is now part of Grapevine. He took the name for his 1985 novel, “Lonesome Dove.”
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