Dunston’s Prime Steak House

If you like frozen food and canned vegetables this place is the spot for you
By frozen food I mean jalapeño poppers you can buy at any grocery store for $ 5 and once delivered they have cold spots from not being cooked all the way.
Nothing is fresh. Except maybe the baked potato but that’s pretty hard to F up considering you put your own toppings on it from these cute little plastic to go looking cups.
I ordered the bacon wrapped filet mignon medium it came out rare and cold at that. Steak should be cooked at room temp for one thing…
My bf ordered the prime rib waiter came back said they were out of it recommended the ribeye he leaves comes back says they are also out of that. Don’t recommend something you don’t have. You’re a steak house you should be carrying enough STEAKS for a busy Saturday night. He ended up getting ny strip which was thin and not hot.
Also if you order wine don’t expect it to actually show up, mine never did maybe I would have eaten my cold rare steak then… Not.
I returned my steak not even wanting a second attempt for them to mess it up.
Applebee’s is a better place for steak for crying out loud.
I never leave reviews but I read all these great reviews so figured they couldn’t be wrong on this place, my god I haven’t been this disappointed in a restaurant in a long time but I should have known by the huge billboard saying steaks for 13 bucks. You get what you pay for and it’s trash if you ask me.

This is OUR steak house, we go there all the time. But Sunday someone dropped the ball. We stopped it at 5:30 for prime rib and they were out! Not only prime rib but boneless rib eye also. No one informed us until we ordered. We had our drinks already and ordered something else, but the dinner was already ruined.

Dunston’s is a steak house that takes you back in time. Now as I was brought up we never ate at real fancy expensive restaurants… my parents just didn’t have that type of money. But what my dad didn’t skimp on was a solid steak for your money. That’s what Dunston’s gave me tonight. My wife and I went in tonight and were greeted warmly by a nice older hostess and promptly seated. It as you might have read a darker dining room heavy on the wood paneling. We ate in the main room but they did seem to have at least two other rooms with tables. In view was a salad bar with a «show kitchen» right behind it with two open top wood fired grills. You can if you like watch the chefs cook your steak from your table. The salad bar was a great reminder of my youth with three types of lettuce (iceberg, baby spinach, and romaine) and a full compliment of fresh salad toppings with dressings (at least 8 choices), croutons and pepper mills to make your salad in your good sized wood bowl your own. We also tried the calf fries. My wife and I are from New England and both of us had never tried these. I must say they were not bad. We both ordered fillet wrapped in bacon and they were cooked to perfection. The meat was nice and juicy with the perfect amount of seasoning. Our waiter was quick, very polite and assisted us with anything we needed. Our bill with one appetizer (plenty for 2) two beers and two fillets with salad bar and baked potato…$ 50! You wouldn’t go into a Volkswagen dealer to buy a BMW… don’t go to Dunston’s looking for fancy pinky in the air overpriced steak. As Dad would say its a solid steakhouse for the money.

This is a cool, old-​school place with regular locals and friendly, familiar staff keeping it busy. The steak is decently priced for a restaurant-​steak; get what you pay for in flavor. The bread rolls are yummy. I like this place for the indoor fireplace that makes it comfortable, quiet and friendly atmosphere.

You get what you pay for. Better to get the prime steak. We both ordered well done and got medium to medium-​rare. Sides, salad and desserts ok– nothing great

I like the vibe here on Harry Hines, which is slightly classier than the Lovers Lane location. Of course, the Lover’s Lane spot has a salad bar, and an older ‘mafia’ feel.
The baked potatoes come with separate stuffing, so it is easy to add just exactly what you want. The bar/​drinks are as reasonably priced as the food, so our dinner for 4 was only about $ 125 plus tip. This is a GREAT price, for quality steaks and the old-​school atmosphere.
The only negative was the slow drink service; my vodka and tea glasses were often empty.

Fine dining atmosphere in a casual and comfortable setting. If you are lucky you will see Mr. Gene Dusnton himself tending to the guests in the dining room. We are frequent diners of Dunston’s and for three adults our bill usually runs $ 60 for bacon wrapped filets, desert, and drinks. The key lime pie and banana pudding is divine.
The meat is cooked over fire right in the dining room. At Christmastime the restaraunt is nicely decorated. There is a great, semiprivate bar off the dining room and a very nice dual sided fireplace.
The hostess can be rude (even absent from her post) depending on who is working. A majority of the wait staff has been working here as long as we have been dining here. They have always treated us attentively and efficiently.

This is steak, old school. Every time I visit, I expect to be seated at a table with my parents, being told to «Hush!». This is what a steakhouse was when I was growing up — a dark place with steak and potatoes, a mysterious place my brother and I were not taken very often.
I love this place. There are many reasons why — the memories of steakhouses gone by that are triggered, the smoky smells, watching steaks on the wheel of flame going up and down, the staff, who are always friendly, and the check, which is never as large as most steak places around town.
I’ve been to other steak places, and I never get the flashbacks I do here — and we didn’t actually come here when I was young. So, there’s a bit of magic there somewhere.
Someone mentioned your clothes smell like smoke when you leave. This is true. I went home, pulled my shirt off to get ready for bed, and had flashbacks to prime rib. This is not a bad thing.
I had not tried the prime rib before — I usually just get a porterhouse and call it good, but I finally tried it (my wife had ordered it before, but I didn’t pay much attention). Your slice (slab?) of prime rib is finished on the grill, so it looks like a steak, seared everywhere, but it tastes like prime rib. It’s amazing.
If you need an appetizer, try the fried zucchini. It’s my wife’s favorite.
How old school is this place? They still bring you a salad, there’s no salad bar. They make good drinks at the bar. They know to wait until you finish an appetizer to bring your steaks. They have baked potatoes that have that the potato toppings spinner self-​serve thing. I’m pretty sure my wife and I were both called «Hon» at least once.
I do need to cross town some time at lunch, since that is the one meal I haven’t tried there. Also, some day I will try the enchiladas, just because.

Hostess was a little rude but our waitress and the food made up for it. Delicious!!!

Great steak at a fair value!!! The filet mignon with potato and salad for $ 12 is extremely good… The service and steak make it a 5 star every time…
The steaks are cooked over mesquite wood, so your steak flavor gets kicked up to the next level.
When I take my wife there for date night (yes, I’m cheap), the atmosphere feels like you are having an affair. The low light and the high back booths are very nice.
I usually come here for lunch as well and the burgers are legit… Great mesquite flavored burgers as well.
Try the peach cobbler, but ask them to heat it up a little more than usual…

One of the best lunch spots in Dallas. Great food and great service. Especially Jayme at the Bar!
It has an old time conservative feel and the steaks are wood grilled… Delicious!

Very old style. Very casual. Very good.
The menu is varied. The staff is on target. The drinks are strong. You leave here smelling like steak.
Yum.

I really want this place to be a 4 or 5 star steakhouse, but it isn’t. Steaks are good and very affordable. The sides are OK. The truth is that the older servers working here bring it down. They are not friendly at all. The hostess by passed all the clean tables and put me at the only dirty one in the place. The server came out and rude is the best word for her. Do not let them put you by the bathrooms as plumbing issues cause a bad smell. It is very clear that the older ladies run this place. The other server’s look at you like they would love to help you. This place with proper management could be one of the best in Dallas. Love the open fire grill. This is the 3^rd time I’ve eaten here and the steak has always been 2 thumbs up. To bad I always get the same server.

We really enjoyed our meal here. The prices are extremely reasonable and we enjoyed the atmosphere. It was nice sitting by the beautiful fire on a cold evening. I love how they bring out the baked potato toppings for you to add yourself. The potato was my favorite part of the meal. The kids loved watching the meat being cooked over the fire also.
We did not have a steak so I can’t comment on that. The catfish was great and chicken fried steak was good. Not the best I’ve had but it was enjoyable.
We will return when in the area… next time to try a steak.

I wish I could put little hearts in my review. I loved this place. I think I had really low expectations, but secretly thought this place was going to be wonderful. How could it not be?! And it was. The sad part was learning that the original building was demolished in 1998 so the rebuilt building that felt so 80’s was actually built in the 90’s.
Our group last night was seated in the bar area, and I loved that. I could totally see coming here by myself and sitting at the bar to eat.
I knew ahead of time that I wanted to order the big D (hehe) burger, for $ 3.45. Add some cheese and tots to that bad boy and walk out with a bill under $ 7. The burger reminded me of a sonic burger, but wayyyyy better.
Tabitha, our waitress, was pretty great. She was nice even though that woman was working her booty off with tables and the bar. And sweet Mr. Dunston. He buses tables and takes time to take photos with us.
I’m with Chris E — check your attitude at the door and enjoy this place like we all did!
PS — you do have to ask for the sandwich menu to get the cheaper burger.

Walking into Dunston’s felt like stepping back in time when all you needed from a steak house was wood-​fired meat and a stiff drink.
I wasn’t able to make a reservation, since I didn’t have a firm number of how many we’d be and there’s quite a difference between 6 and 12. Add in the packed house (on a Thursday night, no less) and they did the best they could to accommodate our shifting number count by putting some tables together in the bar (there were 9 of us). This ended up being the best possible place for us and let us cut loose a little without bothering the mostly senior group of patrons in the dining room.
The menu was also old school with some pretty interesting options (English peas with pearl onions, how long has it been since you’ve seen that as a side?) and some really reasonably priced blackboard specials. The sandwich/​burger menu is where it gets really cheap but know that you have to ask for that menu.
Our server — and bartender — Tabitha did her very best to keep up with us, despite the fact that she was waiting on 5 – 6 other tables and trying to sling drinks for the entire restaurant at the same time.
My 8oz. ribeye and baked potato hit the spot and at $ 14.99 didn’t break the bank. My date’s BBQ Brisket with triple fries (he insists fries are veggies) made him happy and that makes me happy. Our total bill was $ 30. C’mon. Where else in Dallas can you eat steak that cheaply? Nowhere that I know of. Was it the best steak of my life? No. Was it great for what it was? Absolutely.
The best part of the night was Mr. Dunston himself bussing tables and taking pictures with us. He’s about the cutest thing ever and you can tell he’s so proud of what he’s built.
Dunston’s isn’t the fanciest place in town but it sure does have some charm. And considering I can afford to eat there more than once a year, that makes it a winner in my book.

Alright all you Dallas Hipster Douchebags–
Check your ‘tude at the door. I know what you’re thinking. We all know what we’re all thinking – that Dunston’s is a has-​been throwback to 30 years ago and is a hackneyed backwater also-​ran supplanted by modern awesome gourmet steakhouses like the Del Friscos and Mortonses and blah blah that are modern and «really» good. (sorry for that description Dunstons)
Well let me tell ya – this is a legitimate and GOOD classic Dallas icon that deserves proper respect.
Yes, I will admit that recently, a group of us hipster Unilocalers did a UYE there as a kind of goof and discovered Dunston’s humble charm and genuine goodness. I may have felt a little guilty after entering the fore-​room with ginormous fireplace to see a warm and welcoming, very large dining room *full* of patrons (mostly of the older variety).
The first thing you see is the two very large open fire pits with grills suspended above them on a big pulley/​crank system that the grillmasters pull up and down to set just the right distance from the fire for all the sizzling meats searing away on them. Really – you can walk right up and look at them!
The staff was gracious and nice, and also provided some good comebacks to our sly comments, kind of like the Southwest Airlines flight attendants used to be.
We all totally loved this place immediately. The food? Yeah well, it was quite good. I wouldn’t say stellar and mind-​blowingly fantastic (like the foie gras at Fearing’s was), but hell! For a 6 oz. tenderloin that costs $ 8.95, it is right up there! And don’t let that price point put you off – the $ 8.95 tenderloin wasn’t Prime. They offer that too, at a quite reasonable price.
We had a group pic taken with the lovable Mr. Dunston Jr. (we think).
Oh – there’s a great full bar there too. Atmosphere is just the best, Jerry!
I’ve only been to this (original) location, so cannot speak for the others. But I really liked the nostalgia factor – even though the staff told us this current structure was built in 1998 to replace the old, old original one. Sad face.
Anyway, great times at Dunston’s, and the price is right!

Don’t be afraid to come here as a first timer or a non beef eater. They do offer a bunch of non beef items like chicken, catfish, salmon, tilapia, and shrimp. I had grilled catfish. $ 11.95 for 3 pieces, $ 8.95 for two. Entrees come with either a baked potato and regular side salad or your choice of three «vegetables». I put quotes around it because it includes things like fruit of the day, potato of the day, potato au gratin, tater tots, fries, vegetable of the day, green beans, cole slaw, boiled cabbage, etc. I went with the veggie option and got cole slaw, the veggie of the day (canned peas with mushrooms and pearl onions), and a side caesar ($ 1.50 up charge). The catfish had a nice mesquite flavor and was cooked appropriately. Not fishy at all. The veggies were good. I wouldn’t take a vegetarian there and let them order the four veggie plate but they were playing backup to my fish. The side caesar was great. Romaine was crisp and not too much or too little dressing. The owner was very sweet as was the bartender who was taking care of our late group. Bathroom had all the necessities (flushing toilets, doored stalls, working sinks, soap and paper towels). The only downside are the drink prices which are steep even during happy hour (ends at 7pm). $ 6.50 house wine by the glass ($ 7.50 normally) and $ 6 wells. They also have a special sandwich menu you can request that features burgers and other hot sandwiches for under $ 6. Very laid back non pretentious place. Loved it!

First of all: The food was actually quite good. BUT, Im not sure what to make of the smell inside the restaurant. Kinda smoky but a hint of sewage? Hard to explain and hard to ignore. The staff was slow and really didn’t care about their customers at all. We waited far to long for a hostess to even take our name on a slow night and when we left the hostess and waitress were lounging in the entrance having a discussion about something personal and didn’t offer a greeting or even acknowledge us at all as we left.
I would probably return because the food really was good.

I’ve driven pass Dunston’s for years and never actually stopped. I was in the area and had a craving for real deal red meat, so I decided to grab something to go. I’m so glad, I did! Walking into Dunston’s gave you the vibe of how steakhouses are supposed to be, well worn leather furniture and a blazing fire in the fireplace (a plus while waiting for your to go order — it was 43 degrees outside… brrrr!). The hostess was very nice.
The food… I ordered the 8oz ribeye medium which came with a salad and baked potato or 3 vegetables. I opted for the salad and potato, as well as a slice of the key lime pie.
The steak was well-​seasoned and was a perfect medium. The baked potato fixings were contained separately and were plenty; however, I could have done without the fake bacon bits — we want bacon!!! The salad was, well, salad. The key lime pie was pretty ok — not the best, but better than most. The filling was good, but the crust could have been better.
All in all, a good solid dinner for $ 20.24! I will definitely be back and maybe dine in.
If you are looking for a good steak, give Dunston’s a try.