Cheapsteaks Wears Its Deep Ellum Bona Fides On Its Tattooed Sleeve

As Deep Ellum celebrates 150 years as a part of Dallas’ soul, there’s a lot of rightful discussion about how the neighborhood might look in the future. The arrival of rail lines in the early 1870s gave birth to a neighborhood smorgasbord of different cultures, music, art and food. In the present day, it can be painful to acknowledge the neighborhood’s evolving identity as old favorite spots close and new shops, restaurants and apartments swoop in with a gentrified shine that replaces much of the neighborhood’s gritty charm.
New and old are on display at the western end of Elm Street. On the west side of Good Latimer, there’s the Epic, a development showcasing Deep Ellum's future. The Epic houses a four-star hotel in The Pittman and a trio of restaurants that seem to value style over substance. There is Harper’s, a 2-year-old steakhouse from Dallas group Milkshake Concepts, and the imports; Komodo, with its $16 water and crowded seating, hails from Miami, and then there's La Neta, a Vegas transplant whose menu touts a $95 lobster taco.

Across the street, Cheapsteaks wears its Deep Ellum bona fides on its tattooed sleeve. A rollup garage door opens directly onto the sidewalk. Solid wood tables just got a fresh coat of paint, and a stage for live music occupies a corner of the dining room. Taps and tip jars on the bar are festooned with stickers from bands and clubs. One night, we saw a couple on a date who had made a reservation; another night, the space filled in to see a band take the stage late in the evening. Cheapsteaks' come-as-you-are vibe is Deep Ellum at its spirited best, which is what owner and managing partner Jeff Biehler had in mind when he and John Jay Myers teamed up to open the restaurant in 2021.

"Char Bar had closed down, and that was kind of the original idea, you could get a cheap steak," Bieher says. "John Jay wanted it to be really cheap, like $11 slop, but we made it a little bit nicer."

Biehler had a business plan to buy the Foundry on West Commerce, but when that fell through, he moved his sights to Deep Ellum, where he saw a need for a music and food venue combo.

"You've got Three Links, you've got Double Wide, and what else do you have?" he asks rhetorically.
On the food front, Cheapsteaks gets right to the point with a trio of steak cuts on offer. There's the house sirloin ($16.99), a New York strip ($23.99) or the butcher's steak ($22.99), which is a hanger steak cut we wish would find its way to more steakhouses. Each comes with a side of truffle Parmesan shoestring fries by default, which isn't a bad option. On our first visit, my dining partner ordered the strip steak at her preferred medium well (we don't judge), while I opted for the hanger steak cooked medium. Both steaks were cooked exactly to our preferences, with a beautifully seasoned char on the exterior. The hanger steak in particular was spectacular, a poor man's filet of tenderness and flavor. It's still baffling to us that more restaurants don't offer the cut.

If you're not in the mood for truffle fries, there are a few alternatives. Naturally, there's a loaded baked potato that's stuffed to the gills with cheddar cheese, butter and sour cream. There are also crispy fried Brussels sprouts that pack a flavorful wallop with bits of lemon and Parmesan. Either side is $8.99 a la carte or $5 when subbed for the fries with an entree. On our first visit, there was also a creamy mashed potato option, but we were sad to see it disappear on our second trip, as it wasn't popular enough to keep a spot on the menu.

If you crave a glass of red wine with your steak, you can pick from a pinot noir ($12) or a cabernet ($15), both sourced from California (there is also a pair of white wines by the glass). Both are serviceable, but if you're the type who debates the merits of different Stags Leap expressions to pair with your meal, you should have gone to Town Hearth. You're in Deep Ellum. Order the house cab and go on living your life. Cheapsteaks offers a decent selection of house cocktails (a $12.50 Maker's Mark old fashioned strikes us as a value), along with half a dozen local beers on tap and another 20 or so offerings in cans. Yes, cans: put your pinkie down and remember where you are.
Cheapsteaks will also build you a sandwich for just $14.99 if handheld food is more your speed. There's a cheeseburger, a grilled chicken sandwich or a chopped steak hoagie with peppers and provolone that gives off serious Philly vibes. We switched gears with the portobello sandwich, with the hearty mushrooms subbing in for the chopped sirloin, but still loaded with peppers, onions and melted provolone. It's well seasoned and just as filling as a steak sandwich, with the soft hoagie performing admirably at holding the fillings in place, and a viable option if you're not in the mood for chicken or beef.
We wrapped up a meal with Cheapsteaks' creme brûlée ($7.99), an impressively wide ramekin filled with vanilla custard and textbook caramelized sugar atop. On its own, the custard leans to the sweet side, but grab some of the berries on top for the perfect tart balance to the sweetness. A Deep Ellum bar and restaurant that serves a great creme brûlée? Yeah, we're just as shocked as you.

There are a few downsides to Cheapsteaks, and none really have anything to do with the food. Parking can be an adventure, and Cheapsteaks sits right on the section of Elm Street that Dallas Police have taken to closing to vehicular traffic on the weekends. And if your visit spills late into the evening, be aware that your bill will have a 20% service charge added after 10 p.m. to support the musical acts on stage each night of the week. In full transparency, our waitress pointed out the service charge when she dropped off our check.

Then there's the ever-present shadow of safety that perpetually hangs over Deep Ellum. The neighborhood has always suffered ebbs and flows of crime, and some local musicians have openly questioned the safety of performing there. Biehler sees the concerns and is working with the city to make sure people feel safe.
"We're told the city is about to do a bunch of SUPs (special use permits) like they do on Greenville," Bieher tells us. "They close the streets off, and honestly, that cuts the foot traffic which makes it hard on us, but overall things are going well."

It's getting more and more difficult to find good meals that are affordable in Dallas, as the city seems to chase extravagant fads when it comes to dining out. Cheapsteaks is the antithesis to that approach, with classic food served up with a side of value. And while you could find similar fare as you slip out to the suburbs, Cheapsteaks is the blue-collar bar, live-music venue and restaurant that Deep Ellum was and should still be.

"We're not some corporate entity," Biehler says. "This is our own money going into our business. So we want it to succeed. We need it."

And Dallas certainly needs more efforts like Cheapsteaks, instead of another trendy import from a faraway city that chips away at the identity of one of Dallas' most iconic neighborhoods.

Cheapsteaks, 2613 Elm St. Daily, 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.