Grapevine’s Rowdy Cowboy Is a Top-Tier Gameday Destination

In 1983, six entrepreneurs opened the first Hooters in Clearwater, Florida, pioneering the "breastaurant" concept. That original location remains active today, featuring a unique combination of elements tailored to a specific clientele — plenty of cold beer and sports, chicken wings and scantly clad servers and bartenders.

This relatively simple concept was an economic stroke of genius that saw Hooters at its peak amass more than 400 locations nationwide while simultaneously paving the way for countless other similar franchises such as Twin Peaks (over 100 locations), Ojos Locos, Tilted Kilt and Bombshells (to name a few). In 2014, Twin Peaks was the fastest-growing restaurant franchise in the country.
But while OG breastaurant chain Hooters struggles to maintain its relevancy and one-time stranglehold on the niche it created, newcomers like Grapevine’s Rowdy Cowboy are more than happy to pick up the slack.

Rowdy Cowboy debuted in late July, and all the ingredients are checked off: 32 draft beers on tap, wall-to-wall flatscreens (60-plus of them) and a fairly deep menu of sports bar fare favorites.

We stopped by on NFL opening night (which pitted the Baltimore Ravens against the Kansas City Taylor Swifts) to get a feel for the game-day vibe — and it was electric. Arriving at kickoff meant a 30-minute wait before being seated. By the time a table opened up, it was early second quarter, and the crowd was lively. The interior space is sharp and is a step up compared to Hooters or Twin Peaks. There’s also a nice patio out back. A sizable center bar is the crown jewel, and the number of televisions hanging above it is impressive.

Some choices you can find on Rowdy Cowboy’s menu: Nashville hot dip (chicken and cheese dip mixed in Rowdy Cowboy’s Nashville hot sauce), house-smoked wings, 24-hour slow-smoked St. Louis rib racks, Atlantic salmon marinated in 6666 Amber Lager, flatbread pizzas and street tacos.

The burger and sandwich lineup is also strong — the Bunkhouse BBQ Burger is a short-rib patty, melted American cheese and house barbecue sauce. The Cattleman Sandwich is another standout (sirloin steak, smoked provolone, and caramelized onions on a grilled hoagie roll served with horseradish).
We started with a couple of appetizers, and our first choice was the chips and queso blanco ($10.50), a blend of melted white cheese, hatch chiles and brisket. It’s hard to go wrong with chips and queso, especially queso with hatch peppers and brisket. Served with tortilla chips (which were excellent on their own), this was a stellar queso dip. Next, we grabbed an order of burnt-end stuffed jalapenos ($10). These were deep-fried whole jalapenos stuffed with shredded brisket burnt ends, cheese and served with ranch. Once again, these hit the mark.

And can you really go to one of these places and not try the wings (especially during a big game)? We ordered 12 wings ($18.50), naked and with two different sauces (hot Buffalo and house barbecue). They’re actually called “big-ass” wings on the menu and, yes, we can confirm that they are indeed big-ass wings. We’ve had some wings in recent memory that were laughably sad in size, and these weren’t those. These are meaty.
The bourbon selection here runs deep, with more than three dozen options. A note on the website promotes an exclusive whiskey program including a whiskey locker where they "will house your collection of premium whiskeys and spirits" and guests gain access to their exclusive selection of bottles.

NFL opening night at Rowdy Cowboy was a good time. The game came down to the final play, and the atmosphere was buzzing all evening. We didn’t have any complaints about our food and our server was top-notch (yes, we’re talking about her actual serving skills). If you’ve enjoyed Hooters, Twin Peaks or Tight Ends, you’ll love Rowdy Cowboy. Probably even more.

Rowdy Cowboy, 1713 Crossroads Drive, Grapevine. Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.