Dunston’s Steak House

Hmmm, this is a tricky review. Did I enjoy the steak? Yes. Did I enjoy the sides? Yes. Did I think it was well-​priced? Yes. Did I like the service? So/​So (little slow). Did I like the atmosphere? Like a Walmart in Arkansas. Would I take my girlfriend there. No. But maybe my wife.

Great food!!! Great service! Nice atmosphere never disappoints! I recommend the food. Specials always reasonable

I dine here rather often as it is my go-​to steakhouse. I also bring friends along, and many of them have become fans, who then bring their friends. Last night was one such occasion.
While the food was prepared perfectly, there were a couple of misses.
1^st miss– «no Rye whisky». I have ordered Rye three out of the last four weeks. Last night, I was told by the waiter he was not sure they had Rye. I told him they did, I order it all the time. he came back and said «no». I went to the bar, and after I finally got the attention of a younger blond woman I had never seen in this place before, she said without looking «we don’t carry it». My response was «I think you do, I have ordered it the last three weeks in a row.» She gave a three-​second look at all the bottles on the shelf and turned back around and said «no». Not «give me a minute and I’ll check» or «let me ask someone who has worked here for a while», just «no» and walked off. Not even «I’m sorry but I cant find it». To me that was rude.
2^nd miss– my catfish. I know they no longer offer the two piece, and that’s not a problem because the fillets here are LARGE. I stopped ordering the two piece after my first try. One has been ample. Except last night, it was the scrawniest piece of fish I have seen. Captain D’s scrawny. My wife even laughed at its size. I complained and the waiter agreed, and brought out another piece, this time back to normal LARGE size. No harm, no foul. But seriously, why would you put a tiny piece on the plate to begin with?
Other than that everything was good. I’m still a fan.

Good steaks, with basics like baked potatoes are all that I require — and this place just works. I like the Salad Bar at the Lovers Ln location; it has eggs, bacon, cheese, etc. (everything I need). When in the area, we try to stop at Dunston’s.
The old school interior isn’t fancy, but you may well be dining with some of the oldest family money in the park cities. My wife has spotted $ 25K purses and jewelry exceeding $ 100K at nearby tables.
And that is just in the front room! Eat in the smaller back room, and you will be looking for mobbed-​up gangsters to join you at any moment! (It has that feel!)
I give it 4 stars for steak quality alone, but a solid 5 stars overall — anchored by the superior ambience and historic presence! I love Dunston’s!

Food — 5
Value — 5
Service — 5
Don’t expect a Papa Bros; however do expect your steak cooked perfectly and the staff being friendly. Filet, potato and salad = $ 11.95… Who does that? Dunstons!!!
This location reminds me of my childhood. Old and classy… The salad bar is incredible and the smell of meat cooking over an open wood pit is like a unicorn farting rainbows… It’s magical!!!
I will go back again and again

I had a nice dinner with friends at Dunston’s one night. Steak was great, cooked like I wanted… Medium. The butter for the rolls IS THE BOMB DOT COM. Ironically enough, I met Mr. Gene Dunston himself at the Ivy Tavern the next week. He, alone, is why you should have dinner at Dunston’s. He’s down to earth, friendly and kind… He’s the model business owner and someone you’d want as your friend. He also likes Bud Light. Buy him a beer, enjoy dinner and make a friend. You won’t regret it. You’re the best, Gene!

LOVE this place!!! The food is always spot on! We visit a few times a month. 10oz fillet perfectly cooked medium rare. You can actually hear the people you dine with because there isn’t music blaring. It is a bit older and dark on the inside but great steak. Wednesday is half off bottle wine and if you don’t finish you can take it home.

I love this place! It feels like going back in time a little. It doesn’t really feel like you’re in Dallas anymore. It’s an old school steakhouse that’s been there forever. It’s not dressy and certainly has a casual feel. I love to go for the experience but the food is pretty good as well. Their salad bar is great. Steaks are pretty good, especially for the price. Don’t expect anything like Al Biernats but that’s not really what they claim anyhow. I’d consider ordering more rare than you’d usually order, though. Sometimes they’re a little overdone. Banana pudding is really good too. The staff is always beyond welcoming as well. Overall, I’m a big fan.

I had the 5oz filet (rare) wrapped in bacon, baked potato and salad bar. Everything was delicious! Could’ve cut the steak with a butter knife. The ambience is dimly lit and perfect for a group of friends or a romantic date. It has a «stopped in time» feel to it. For dessert I had the banana pudding and it was just like grandma’s! Overall excellent experience and everyone in my my group was pleased with their meal.

I’m always drawn back to this old family favorite from time to time, for the «always delicious» salad bar & 10 oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet! Dunston’s is a terrific laid back casual family owned & operated steakhouse that always feels like home to us.
It was quite the surprise to walk into Dunston’s Friday afternoon & see the nice updates they’d just made. They were installing these cozy beautiful booth’s in the front dining room & back by the bar. They look so nice! As we ate at our favorite little table back behind the bar area, we became pretty curious how the «good old regulars» were going to react to this change. Lots of folks don’t like change, and Dunston’s is notorious for «keeping things the same old way» it’s always been. A couple of years ago, Dunton’s updated the bathrooms and they’re nice change.
I hope Dunston’s will always keep the same recipes, salad bar & grill their steaks the same way they’ve always done. It’s why we keep coming back after all these years. Hopefully they’ll keep some of the old pictures, drawings and artwork of years gone by but, I will say, I like the new updated changes in some of the décor.
As we were leaving the «one & only» Mr. Gene Dunston from the Harry Hines location, was stopping by to have a look at the new changes. He’s such a warm and friendly guy.
‘Till next time, Dunston’s.

Really good experience here!!! Service was pretty good, the Salad Bar was quite nice! Clean, full and tasty!!! Steaks cooked how you like them! Good Value for a dinner out with friends!!!

The thing I adore about this steakhouse is it reminds me of the old school steakhouses my family used to frequent back in the 80’s. With the trend of the artsy-​fartsy food stylings of the au current chefs around town, it’s nice to enjoy a no-​frills dinner once in awhile.

Like going home… Never changes. The smell of Oak paneling, old leather and grilling steaks. Salad bar always fresh. Service excellent. Steaks, prime rib, the most tasty and tender.

It pains me to write this one! My family has been coming here for 20 years, the nostalgia of many family gatherings, birthday celebrations, retirement parties, etc. all under Dunston’s roof has been longstanding & meaningful.
Over the years the food has been lacking flavor and the sides boring. Perhaps my tastebuds have evolved as I’ve been introduced to other steak places with better cuts of meat & preparation. Admittedly, I still come because of the decent salad bar and the location is close. Here’s my overall review:
Location: Near a busy area of Lovers (shops, movies, etc.)
Atmosphere: Quaint & Outdated (but I guess that’s the rustic appeal)
Food: Lackluster at best. If it wasn’t for the charbroiled flavor it would have none. Prime rib seems to be the only cut that isn’t tough but it was highly under-​seasoned. The catfish are too small & crust just basic. Fries were soggy (is that possible?).
Service: Friendly but slow (even when it’s a slow night)
Speaking of service…
**9/​25 — We had a party of 45+ people & only had 1 waitstaff at first. Someone must have mentioned she needed help so another person came to help. Unfortunately 2 ppl were not enough! One group of us received our food 45mins — 1 hr. after the other table. Receiving water & drink refills were almost an impossible task.
What sealed Dunston’s fate for me NEVER returning was the rudeness of the waiter grabbing the mic and loudly announcing «your food is coming, please listen for your order» as if to calm or quiet us. He simply could have stated that at each table and added an apology for the long wait. Instead he chose to chastise our group which was comprised of age ranges 3 to 91. I’ve seen other large parties there before and never heard the staff address the group in such a manner. I wonder what set us apart?
It was truly uncalled for and for this and the lackluster food I will take my (our) business somewhere else.

Being newish to Dallas it’s hard for me to give places one chance. This reminds me of an old steakhouse small business (not a chain) what’s good quick and a great bang for your buck. Don’t miss this hidden gem!
Enjoy!

I grew up in this hood, and have been coming here for quite a while. Never again. I ordered a large beer, we are sorry, we no longer offer large draft beers. Who in management makes that decision? We have the large glasses, we have a keg, but hey, let’s discontinue the large beers. Even if the food sucked, you could always get a large beer. Not any more. And good lord, did the food suck. I got a chicken sandwich, the chicken was the thickness of a piece of paper, had absolutely no spice on it, the chicken sandwich at McDonald’s is better than this one. They even found a way to mess up the pinto beans with a new recipe. Why fix what wasn’t broken. But it is broken now, and unless they fix it, they are going under…

I love this place! The salad bar is SO good! The steaks are not really the best cuts but very affordable. The people that go here are old timers from the surrounding neighborhood but a very comfortable environment. Try Pier 1 after a good meal next door.

I love the cuts of meat and the mesquite frilled flavors!
Tonite I had my first prime rib here. Delicious!

Not a fan. Came here because my partner loves this place. Salad bar was good. Been a while since I’ve been to a place with a salad bar.
I ordered the 12oz NY Strip. I judge a steak by being able to eat it without adding things to it. I had to add salt, pepper and A1 sauce. Didn’t have any flavor or seasoning. I still ate it but I wouldn’t come back willingly.
Didn’t help that I had to get up to find my own A1 sauce because our waiter never came back to our table. Also it probably isn’t a good thing when I could hear the kitchen wait staff cussing in Spanish right by our table.

I came here yesterday with a few buddies. They have been talking about this place for weeks so when we found ourselves asking «what’s for dinner?» on a Saturday night, we all jumped in the car and headed to Dunstons.
They had all been before, but this was my first time. They let me know on the way there that it would be like taking a step back in time, and boy it was.
The building itself and everything in it is old, but the food… amazing. The waitstaff is very friendly and made us laugh the entire time.
The crowd is a little mature for my taste, but hey… I don’t mind being the youngest one in the room.
Everyone got a salad from the DIY salad bar and either ordered fish or steak. The steaks came out perfect. It makes my mouth water just writing about it. When we got the bill, it couldn’t have been less expensive.
Definitely coming back here.