Waco has lots of great answers to the question “Where’s the beef?” Here’s a look at 5 area restaurants.

LAKE BRAZOS STEAKHOUSE

Lake Brazos Steakhouse’s top attraction is its location on the banks of the Brazos River, where patrons can sit on the patio when the weather’s nice and soak up the tranquil view. The rustic interior is packed with Texas art and artifacts. Pictured is the 8-ounce sirloin with loaded baked potato; $8.99.

This popular local steakhouse at 1620 Lake Brazos Parkway is experiencing a second life after a devastating fire in 2000. Though the blaze destroyed the distinctive wooden building that had long sat across the Brazos River from Cameron Park, it rose from the ashes like a phoenix, thanks in no small part to owner Shane Morgan.

Morgan bought the steakhouse a few months before the fire after having worked for the previous owners for nearly a decade. Despite an almost total loss, Morgan reopened the steakhouse within a year.

The current building may look more polished that its predecessor, but it does have a few items salvaged from the old building, including some of the weathered woodwork and a waterwheel.

Customer loyalty may have brought the long time regulars back to this family-style restaurant, but its scenic views beckon newcomers. 

“Our biggest draw is our location,” Morgan said. “You can just sit there on our patio and watch the Brazos go by and watch the people in the park across the river.”

Morgan said the restaurant’s most popular dish is the chicken-fried steak ($8.49 for “Texas-size” and $6.99 for a half-order). Like other entrées, it comes with a choice of two sides and fresh-baked rolls.

Lake Brazos steaks are all hand-cut at the restaurant, Morgan said. Filets, rib eyes and sirloins come in 8- or 12-ounce sizes. Sirloins and T-bones also are available at 30 ounces. The restaurant offers a “sirloin split” for two, in which the 30-ouncer is divided, and both plates get two sides.

Entrées cost from $6.99 to $25.99. The restaurant also offers pork loin, barbecue, chicken, shrimp and other choices.

DIAMOND BACK’S

Diamond Back’s upscale atmosphere includes a full bar, dramatic lighting, intimate seating and artfully arranged Texas decorative pieces. It has an extensive wine list and delectable desserts like the Chocolate Tower. Pictured is the 12-ounce filet, with the Oscar treatment of jumbo lump crab meat in a Bernaise sauce atop asparagus; $52 as shown.

Step inside this steakhouse at 217 Mary St. in the River Square Center, and two things will soon strike you. Judging from the atmosphere and decor, you’ll be certain you are in Texas. And after viewing the menu and wine list, you’ll know you are in for a special dining experience.

This upscale Texas bistro opened in 1995. Locals know it as a great place to go for dinner, whether it’s a special occasion or you are just looking to sate a craving for top-quality steak or seafood.

Manager Ryan Raspberry says Diamond Back’s has developed a cadre of loyal customers who come back time and again because of the food’s quality.

“We take pride in our steaks. We serve grade ‘A’ beef,” Raspberry said. “ And we have a very extensive wine list. It has been featured in several wine magazines.”

Raspberry said the most popular items on the menu are indeed the steaks, all certified Angus beef. They include a New York strip, filet, rib eye and “garlic and herb-roasted, hand-cut prime rib.” Steak prices range from $29 to $35 with a 22-ounce bone rib-eye chop costing $45.

Diamond Back’s also specializes in seafood, offering dishes such as jumbo Thai-seared scallops, Hong Kong-style sea bass, and seared ahi tuna steak three ways. In addition, the restaurant has a variety of chef’s selections and fresh vegetables.

The restaurant also features two banquet rooms, each with space for 18-20 people, Raspberry said. Diamond Back’s shares the rooms with its sister restaurant next door, Gratziano’s Pasta & Pizza Grill.

“Someone recently rented one of our rooms and then brought in his whole family so they could see him propose marriage,” he said.

TRADING HOUSE BAR & GRILL

Tradinghouse Bar & Grill is a bit out of the way but draws loyal patrons from Waco, Axtell, Riesel, Mart and beyond. Its outdoor bar with a graveled playground for kids and a stage for weekend music are popular attractions for many. Pictured is the 10-ounce sirloin accompanied by hand-breaded onion rings and baked potato; $9.95 (onion rings extra).

Stop in at this country eatery and you likely will find kids out back on a playset, their parents nearby pitching horseshoes, a blues or country band on stage and plenty of customers digging into generously cut steaks.

That’s the way owner Ronny Bain likes it.

The Bandera, Texas, native bought the restaurant at 4553 Lake Felton Parkway three years ago with the idea of making it a place for locals to get together, have a good time and share his love of a great steak.

Bain allows that Trading House Bar & Grill is a little out of the way for some, located about 15 miles east of Waco between Mart and Hallsburg. But, he says, the trip is worth the effort.

“It’s absolutely the best-hidden secret for steak in Central Texas,” he said. “It’s a place you can come and eat, throw horseshoes, stay a couple of hours and enjoy yourself.”

Bain took a building that used to be a country store and expanded it with a dining room he built with help from friends. He crafted the polished bar that serves draft beer and longnecks from an oak tree. The dining room is full of interesting materials salvaged from the area, including a wood-burning stove that was the only thing left standing after a house fire.

Of course, steaks are the most popular items on the menu. The Angus rib-eye, hand-cut in the store, weighs in at about 18 ounces and costs $16.95. Bain describes it as “the biggest in town ... and the cheapest.” It is the most expensive item on the menu.

The restaurant also serves sirloin ($9.95 for a small and $14.95 for a large). A tenderized sirloin is used for the hand-breaded chicken-fried steak ($7.95 for a small and $9.95 for a large).

Trading House offers several other entrées, ranging from burgers to catfish. They are served with salad, bread and a choice of baked potatoes or fries.

135 PRIME

135 Prime in Hewitt offers dramatic dining, Kobe beef, a full bar and an impressive wine list. The establishment recently added a small private dining area that seats eight to 12. Its large private room can accommodate 60 for parties and meetings. Pictured is the 16-ounce New York strip prepared Pittsburg style — charred outside, pink inside — and served with sauteed mushrooms in brandy peppercorn sauce; $30, mushrooms and vegetables are extra.

This restaurant at 1201 Hewitt Drive in the Westrock Shopping Center came about after two local attorneys sought to bring to town the fine dining they experienced at some restaurants in larger U.S. cities.

The men got together a few years ago with some local entrepreneurs, and 135 Prime was born, says Sherrie Harrison, the restaurant’s marketing representative. They chose the name 135 Prime because the restaurant serves prime beef, and 135 degrees is the perfect temperature for a rare steak, she said.

The restaurant specializes in imported Kobe beef, and the most popular menu item is the “Kobe 16-ounce rib-eye steak experience,” she said. That includes a steak, salad, two signature side dishes (such as roasted garlic parmesean mashed potatoes and four-cheese macaroni), and crème brûlée for dessert for $79.

Other steak, including New York strip, filet of tenderloin and rib eye, come with a salad and range in price from $23 to $40.

135 Prime also flies in all of its seafood from a fish company in Hawaii. Dishes include grilled Tasmanian salmon filet ($22) and giant Gulf shrimp basted in garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil ($21). The restaurant also offers poultry and pasta dishes.

Customers also are drawn by the restaurant’s extensive wine list, several pages long.

Food at the restaurant is prepared by a chef who is assisted by students from Texas State Technical College’s culinary academy, Harrison said.

LONE STAR TAVERN AND STEAKHOUSE

An old-fashioned roadside attraction, Lone Star Tavern and Steakhouse boasts a jukebox loaded with country classics, check-the-box order forms patrons complete in the entryway, cold beer and generous portions. Owners Rene and Bobby Uptmor are overseeing a thorough renovation of the interior. Pictured is the 16-ounce T-bone with hand-cut fries; $18.25.

This local institution has occupied the rustic wooden building at 4713 Bellmead Drive on the outskirts of town for more than 48 years.

Owners Bobby and Rene Uptmor have run the place for about half that time, and they speculate the Lone Star is one of the three oldest restaurants in the Waco area. Though the restaurant is going through a thorough renovation, it still has those old-school details that have grown dear to loyal customers. There’s the country and western jukebox with a mix ranging from the 1950s to current music. And customers still place their orders by circling their choices on paper menus.

But the Uptmors say the food is the main draw for loyal patrons. The Lone Star offers rib eye, sirloin, T-bone, filet and New York strip steaks, but probably the most popular dish is the Little Lone Star Special ($8.55). It’s an 8-ounce sirloin strip with a salad and baked potato, fries or potato salad on the side.

A close runner-up with customers is the hand-breaded chicken-fried steak with homemade cream gravy ($6.75 for a half-order and $9.25 for a full). Catfish, breaded shrimp and grilled chicken also are among the entrees, which range in price from $4.95 lunch specials to the $32.25 steak for two.

The Lone Star also offers a variety of sides, including unique items such as grilled green beans. Dessert options include peach or blueberry cobbler and buttermilk pie.

The Uptmors say some customers have been coming to the restaurant for so long, you can set your clock by them.

“We’ve had a few people who proposed marriage here,” Rene said. “They come back year after year to celebrate their anniversary.”