CLOSED Zentner's Daughter Steakhouse in San Angelo--Faded Glory

The famous bale of onion rings

Oh, the good ole' days. I have fond memories of eating at the original Zentner's Steakhouse and Zentner's Daughter Steakhouse in San Angelo, TX, on weekend trips when I was a kid and again as a freshman college student at Angelo State University. For a while there was a Zentner's Daughter location in Abilene but it closed within a few years.

Back then, when you ordered a burger you got a 1/2 pound patty on the bun and another one on the side. That practice went away years ago. My mom's favorite item on the menu was the HUGE fry basket of homemade onion rings. They were delicious and enough to feed a large family.

The hubby and I were in San Angelo recently and we decided to have lunch at Zentner's Daughter. It was about 1:15pm when we arrived, the place was practically deserted at lunch on a weekday. Not an encouraging sign. We were led to a booth in the bar area where other customers were seated instead of the empty main dining room. The menu was large but we decided to stick with the basics. I had a hamburger and some potato soup. My husband ordered the chicken-fried steak with a salad and fries. Even though we knew we couldn't finish them we also got some onion rings as an appetizer. Service was efficient if not especially friendly. We did get a visit from one of the owners and he was quite cordial.

The onion rings were still plentiful but something was missing. Probably the trans-fat in the oil. They were flavorful but not as flavorful. The burger had flavor but the bun wasn't warm and the toppings were skimpy. My potato soup was homemade and very tasty. The chicken-fry was very tender but not particularly large and the breading kept falling off. The gravy was good. The french fries were homemade but not hot enough. They also offer a daily lunch special. The meal just didn't standout from what is offered at all the other steakhouses, even the chains.

The the glory days are over for Zentner's Daughter. We would eat there again if we were with people who wanted to go but it isn't worth a special trip.

Zentner's Daughter
1901 Knickerbocker Road
San Angelo, TX 76904

(325) 949-2821