With an “all prime, all the time” motto, Lampasas residents can expect the highest-quality meat to be served when M&M Steakhouse opens on the downtown square in 2027.
Stephen Meyer, owner of M&M Butcher Block and Deer Processing, teased his plans for the upscale restaurant on his business’ Facebook page in April. Though opening day is months away, Meyer already is setting high expectations for what’s to come.
“I’m looking for a very nice, intimate, sit-down, steakhouse,” he told the Dispatch Record. “Not high volume, just high quality – the highest USDA prime product I can put out.”
Meyer opened M&M Deer Processing in 2009, which later expanded to a full butcher business with custom slaughter, retail meats and taxidermy. In his 15-plus years of business in Lampasas, Meyer’s highquality meat has garnered attention from Texans near and far.
“For the butcher’s shop, they come as far away as Austin and Killeen,” Meyer said of his customers. “They show up with ice chests to get good-quality meat to take it home with them. There are a lot of people from Austin who have ranches out here for the weekends, and they will do the same – stop by here and take product home with them.
“Our cow customers come all the way from Granbury, Decatur, Livingston, Corpus Christi – I mean they are driving from all over the state,” Meyer said. “One of my regulars comes from Graham, Texas, which is north of I-20. They are driving three hours to come here.”
When Meyer announced his plans in a Facebook post on April 21 to purchase the East Third Street building that previously housed Eve’s Café, supporters came out of the woodwork. The post has accumulated over 300,000 views, 3,000 likes and 775 comments.
“It is actually kind of scary, because I don’t have that many seats in there,” Meyer said. “It is only going to fit about 50 people in there at one time.”
Meyer anticipates he will close the deal on the building sometime in June. Then the real work will begin. He plans to remove the current kitchen equipment before adding new floors and a fresh coat of paint. The vibe for the steakhouse? Country chic.
Additionally, Meyer plans to increase the seating capacity by utilizing space that previously was used for food prep.
“I’m not going to do all the prep work that Eve’s was doing, so I will be able to clear that whole back room out and make more seating in there,” Meyer said. “I think it will fit closer to 80 to 100 people.”
As for the menu, M&M Steakhouse will serve T-bone, ribeye, filet mignon and New York strip steaks. Classics like chicken-fried steak and catfish also will be on the menu, he said. Sides such as baked potatoes, French fries and fresh salads can be expected.
Appetizers like mozzarella- and pepperoni-stuffed jalapeños, smoked brisket-stuffed jalapeños and brisket queso could be offered as well.
Meyer said he plans to serve local wine and Texas craft beers for customers to enjoy with their steaks. He is not planning to serve any national-brand beers.
“If I can’t support my local community, I will support a Texas operation first,” he said. “I want to promote Fiesta Winery, Wedding Oak Winery. Why not carry those local wines? It is a good product, and people like it.”
To start off, Meyer plans to be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. If Lampasans demand more steak, however, Meyer will be more than happy to oblige.
“If there’s a bigger need for it, then we will grow and fit those needs,” he said. “I can’t open like lunch and dinner five or seven days a week, because I do have the rest of this operation. I want to test the market a little bit, find out what the customer really wants.”
It’s no secret the downtown square is short of food options after the closure of Eve’s Café this year and My Girls in 2025. Meyer believes M&M Steakhouse could be one of the keys to bringing the courthouse square back to its former glory.
Nonprofit groups like Forward Lampasas and the Lampasas Economic Development Corp. have labeled tourism as an avenue to help the city prosper. Meyer believes a steakhouse fits the bill as part of that mission.
“So many of my customers have to drive to San Saba, Goldthwaite, Killeen, to wherever, to get a good quality steak,” he said. “Why not keep them here and have people in those cities drive to us.”
