A Mexican restaurant with steaks on the menu has debuted on the fringe of Deep Ellum. Called Don Chabe, it opened quietly in August at 3933 Main St., better known as the former home of Dallas BBQ institution Mac's Bar-B-Que, which closed in 2021 after having been in that location since 1955.

The restaurant is from a group of owners fronted by Oscar Rodriguez, who also owns a string of highly rated street taco/sandwich shops that include Torteria Insurgentes and Tortas Revolucion.

Don Chabe represents an expansion, with a menu that includes some of their staple tortas and tacos, but also a variety of steaks with classic steakhouse sides. It's a place for their primarily Mexican audience to go out, sit down, and get a nice steak for a good price.

Steak options include ribeye, sirloin, or T-bone, served with two sides, priced from $17.99 to $19.99. Portions are generous, with steaks served on wooden boards, big enough to share.

Sides include mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, fries, cheese fries, roasted corn on the cob, steamed vegetables, rice, or baked potato.

They also offer tacos and quesadillas, whose selection of fillings incorporates some of their steaks: sirloin, ribeye, T-bone, pastor, picana chicken, or mixed meat.

It's very kid-friendly with a kids menu featuring grilled cheese sandwich, mac & cheese, chicken tenders with fries, chicken sandwich, and mini quesadillas.

A quintet of desserts includes flan, rice pudding, fried ice cream, churros, and tiramisu.

They're applying for a license to serve alcohol, but there's no date in sight.

Connecting with the restaurant can be challenging. There's no website or online presence other than a Facebook profile which you can "friend," and in the time they've been open, they've never answered the phone number listed publicly.

Spanish is definitely the first language and the staff is hospitable and friendly. The space is kind of cool, with a chalkboard design on the ceiling, painted black with white etchings of birds and flowers.

The tiny house and former home to Mac's is located in an odd zone for a restaurant, but there's plenty of parking including drive-up spaces right in front.

And the kitchen is executing proficiently: steak cooked as ordered, mashed potatoes that are buttery with skins still on, creamed spinach that's garlicky and rich, steamed vegetables with a little snap, and fries that are crisp and golden.