Dining in Central Oregon means rugged mountain views, the warmth of a nearby fire pit, and hearty dishes crafted with local ingredients from nearby farms and ranches. Some restaurants take the spirit of the Old West a step further, blending the rustic charm of cowboy culture with the sophistication of an urban steakhouse. From Sisters to Bend, these cowboy-chic restaurants offer a taste of ranch life with a touch of elegance. To saddle up and find ranch-chic restaurants Central Oregon has to offer, here are a few places to start.
New Ranch-to-Table Dining in Bend
The newest addition to Bend’s cowboy-chic dining scene, Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge refreshes cowboy cuisine with a contemporary twist. The restaurant is a project from “Top Chef” Season 3 finalist and Food Network-famous restaurateur Brian Malarkey and his brother James Malarkey. In a sprawling lounge, big canvas tents act as semi-private dining rooms, and servers in cowboy hats and western shirts navigate the warren of cozy seating areas beyond. There’s a stage with live music on Friday nights, and the ceiling sparkles with twinkle lights. Richly decorated with playful touches like fixtures resembling glowing paper lanterns, the restaurant has been an instant smash in Bend since it opened in summer 2024.
The menu highlights include tender cuts of hemp-finished beef from the restaurant’s ranch in nearby Tumalo and seasonal vegetables kissed by the flames of a wood-fired oven. A selection of budget-friendly ranch cuts includes deep-fried steak with jalapeño tartar sauce, or steak frites with beef-fat fries and béarnaise sauce. Beyond the beef, there’s pizza and loads of vegetable and seafood options.
Other Ways to Experience Bend’s Steakhouse Culture
Rancher Butcher Chef is a butcher counter and dining room tucked into the same complex as Bend’s The Grove food hall in the Northwest Crossing section of the city.
Six-time James Beard Award-nominated chef John Gorham and his wife, Renee — who previously owned the Toro Bravo restaurant group in Portland — opened the restaurant in 2022. It’s a ranch-to-table dining experience dedicated to showcasing the culinary versatility of the whole animal. The restaurant sources beef from members of Oregon’s Country Natural Beef, a cooperative that focuses on regenerative practices and natural cattle grazing.
Both the eclectic decor — think well-heeled cowboy meets globe-trotting vintage lover — and the menu reflect Gorham’s diverse culinary inspirations, particularly those from Spain.
The restaurant menu includes small plates as well as salads and seafood dishes, of which one could easily make a meal. There’s also the stacked steak menu — including 14 cuts of beef, elk ribs from New Zealand, and a 2-pound, 70-day-aged cowboy ribeye — plus a bevy of sauces and sides to choose from for those interested in the full steakhouse experience.
For perhaps an even more luxe take on steak, Bos Taurus is a meat lover’s destination for a refined steakhouse experience in Bend that’s sleek, not stuffy. Red meat, and specifically prime and Wagyu beef sourced from premium purveyors around the world, is the primary focus of the upscale menu from the restaurant group behind other Bend favorites including Miyagi Ramen (Japanese noodle soups) and Hablo Tacos (Mexican favorites and tequila).
Under the leadership of chef George Morris, who brings nearly two decades of culinary experience from prestigious restaurants in New York City and Chicago, the restaurant offers a modern twist on the American-steakhouse format. Choose your cut from the meticulously curated list, and then add sides updated from the classics, like creamed spinach with gremolata or Dungeness crab macaroni and cheese.
The restaurant’s design emphasizes clean, modern lines, pairing polished surfaces, industrial lighting and a massive line drawing of a buffalo to create an environment that is both elegant and unpretentious.
Rustic and Elevated High-Desert Cuisine at a Luxury Resort
Situated at Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte, Wild Rye offers a dining experience that reflects the rugged beauty of Central Oregon’s high desert. With expansive views of the Cascade mountains, this restaurant showcases a menu inspired by the region’s bountiful ingredients. You can choose either to dine in the warm, timber-lined dining room or to enjoy the outdoor terrace.
Under the leadership of executive chef Karl Holl, Wild Rye’s dishes are a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. Live-fire cooking techniques evoke the flavors of campfire cooking with refinement, and flavors foraged from the high desert itself — western juniper, sagebrush and huckleberry — make appearances on the menu.
The menu changes regularly, but look for dishes like house-made elk sausage with creamy polenta and roasted root vegetables, or a showstopping tomahawk steak smoked over apple and juniper wood. The juniper-braised lamb shanks with rye risotto, chanterelles and huckleberries are an homage to the luxury ranch’s former life as an 18,000-acre sheep farm.
There’s also the playful “$50 burger,” which Holl calls “the king of the ranch.” It’s a Black Angus beef patty with smoked provolone on a bone-marrow brioche bun topped with layers of rich, decadent flavor: Périgord truffle aioli, wine-stewed onions glazed in Bordelaise sauce, maple-sugar-cured foie gras torchon. Butter lettuce and pickles add freshness, and the whole thing is dusted with edible gold on its way to the elegant dining room.
Also located at Brasada Ranch, Ranch House is Wild Rye’s more casual counterpart. The family-friendly eatery exudes warmth with its crackling fireplaces and vintage ranch decor, making it a perfect spot for a laid-back meal after a day of touring Central Oregon farms and ranches.
This cozy spot serves up classics like pepperoni pizza served with a drizzle of high-desert honey, alongside hearty chili con carne that’s ideal for warming up on a cool desert evening. The signature fried chicken, paired with honey-butter biscuits, is not to be missed.
On-Farm Dining Rooted in Sustainability in Sisters
It’s hard to get closer to a farm-to-table dining experience than the special meals at the Rainshadow Organics farm, specializing in a cornucopia of products. Located just west of Terrebonne, about 30 miles from downtown Bend, the farm comprises 280 acres and produces a full array of vegetables, herbs, berries, flowers, pork, beef, eggs and grains. The farm is one of more than 50 tasty stops along the High Desert Food Trail.
On select Saturdays and Sundays, year-round, the farm hosts ticketed dinners and brunches where guests dine on the farm itself. In the chillier months of October through June, the family-style meals take place on the heated porch of the farm store. June through September, they’re out in the fields with views of Smith Rock State Park and the Three Sisters.
The menu from chef-in-residence Vanna Rasmusen changes with the seasons, reflecting whatever produce is being harvested that week on the farm, and they never repeat menus. Signature dishes include roasted heirloom vegetables, pasture-raised pork and beef, and the heritage grains grown on-site. In summer the dinners begin with a farmer-led farm tour. The communal dining setup fosters a sense of connection — to the land, the food and fellow diners — making every meal a celebration of sustainable, locally focused agriculture.
