Todd M.
Yelp
We arrived at 4:15 on a Saturday afternoon to find a line already waiting at the door. We took the 8th of the ten tables. My dining companion and I both came for a ribeye steak, salad, baked potato and bread, which is perfect since that comprises the entire menu, with the exception of a baked onion which you can request. Tea, coffee, or water are included. There is a modest bar and bottled soft drinks are also available for extra cost.
Dinner prices start at $50 for an 8oz cut. I ordered a 10oz cut and was charged $53, so it seems like each extra ounce of steak is a $1.50 additional. Overall, I thought it was a reasonable value.
My steak was cooked a perfect medium as requested and served hot off the grill. While it was not the best cut of ribeye I have eaten, it was very good, mostly tender, flavorful, and had a modest but not excessive amount of fat. Many reviewers comment that the steaks are not seasoned, but that was not the case during our visit. I watched the cook (the Beef Mastor?) season each steak with a very finely ground seasoning before it was placed on the grill.
Everything on the salad bar was extremely fresh. Although there was not an extensive selection of ingredients, it was kept constantly restocked and was of good quality, except the croutons which seemed to be of the grocery-store variety. My potato was perfectly baked. The accompanying bread was buttered and toasted on the grill to order.
Service was simple, polite, and very attentive. Two servers worked all ten tables and they stayed very busy during our visit. The restaurant is small and modest, but that is part of its appeal. By the time we returned to our car, the parking lot was full with tailgating going in full swing and a game of cornhole ramping up in the side lot.
If you are looking for a steak house along the lines of a Ruth's Chris, Sullivan's, or Perry's, Beefmastor Inn is not it. Instead, it is a perfect example of an eastern NC restaurant that provides an excellent prix-fixe meal with simple, informal, and friendly local charm.