We Try $10 Fajitas and Live Music for Lunch at Culpepper in Deep Ellum

Culpepper Cattle Co. forgoes the basket of dinner rolls at the table. Instead, at this Tex-Mex meets farm-fresh restaurant you get a stack of steaming hot flour tortillas and a side of butter. It’s a tone-setter, just as much as Culpepper’s monochromatic pine green cushions, tables and walls, though none quite as eye-catching as the antler chandeliers.

Culpepper was founded in 1984 in Rockwall. This second location was planted at the Continental Gin Building in May 2024, 136 years after the historic Dallas landmark was built; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 for its unique fusion of architectural styles over its 26-year construction.
In January, the restaurant announced a run of live music acts through the end of the month. On Thursdays and Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m., Culpepper hosts “main stage” acts. Tables are removed from the middle of the dining room to accommodate a small performance space.

On Fridays, a solo “busker” plays at the front of the restaurant from noon to 2 p.m. The series kicked off with Dallas singer/songwriter Justin Tipton, and other acts include Matt Brooks and Alan McDaniel.

We checked out Culpepper for Friday lunch and were serenaded by singer (and East Dallas realtor) Adam Case. The term “busker” here is to be used very loosely. Case had access to a nice microphone and amp, and we assume he was paid for his duties. We’re not here to discuss the ethics of busking, but note that Case’s performance made for a nice Friday afternoon atmosphere.
Culpepper offers a $10 fajita deal on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a choice of chicken or steak. A normal full-size fajita meal would run $22.82 for the chicken or $28.82 for the steak. We chose the chicken, and ordered a 6-ounce C.A.B. filet to try as well.

The chicken fajitas came out scorching hot, as fajitas tend to do. The meat was served atop sizzling onions and two red tortilla chips smothered in rice and beans. It came with a plate of vegetables and another stack of tortillas. If we had a friend who never tried Tex Mex, the fajitas at Culpepper should be a prime candidate for a true gateway drug experience. It tastes even better at the $10 price tag, a deal so good it had us to checking our calendar for next Friday to see if we could happen to find ourselves in Deep Ellum around lunchtime.

The C.A.B. filet was a treat. The initials stand for Certified Angus Beef, a brand of cattle that is famously held to a rigorous set of standards. It was one of three steak choices on the menu at Culpepper, alongside a prime sirloin and ribeye. At $36.82 for 6 ounces, it was the most expensive offered for the least amount of meat in return. Must be good.
The steak brandished a small scoop of butter with the mac and cheese on the side that we ordered for an extra $2.49. Our choice of side was a hit, with hearty, thick noodles and a light parmesan garnish on top. As for the steak, the top layer had an excellent peppercorn crunch over a soft and tender midsection. The taste was indisputably good, but we'd probably try a different option next time given the size and price.

Other Tex-Mex plates, like enchiladas and tacos, all come in at less than $15. There's also a chicken-fried chicken for $15.

Culpepper Cattle Co. makes for a great dining option, marrying Tex-Mex and steaks, if you want to do Deep Ellum without truly going to Deep Ellum. With its pretty interior, smooth atmosphere and free parking lot, it's worth a trek down Elm Street.

Culpepper Cattle Co. 3309 Elm St. (Continental Gin Building). Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.