De Baca Steakhouse
4436 State Highway 6 South, College Station, TX 77845
Available Times
For parties larger than 8, please contact the restaurant. In 1536, a group of men traveling north from Culiacán (then the colonized lands of New Spain) came across a group of Indians traveling by foot. With them traveled two non-natives. One was Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, who had been traveling with his slave, Estebanico, the other man. It is here that Cabeza de Vaca retold his story, one that had begun eight years prior. 300 men had set out to colonize Florida in 1528. Four survived: Cabeza de Vaca, Estebanico, and two other Spaniards. They faced a great many obstacles: traveling on makeshift rafts across the Gulf, captivity in what is now Texas, and a walk across the continent to the Pacific Coast. And while their journey is a tale of adventure, of survival, and of conquest, it is also a tale of bringing worlds together. This small band of men, led by Cabeza de Vaca, were stranded in unknown lands, and rather than reacting against it, leaned into it, learning native languages and making sense of unfamiliar social worlds. Cabeza de Vaca, Estebanico, and the other men who survived the expedition were Spanish and African by birth, but became American by experience, and their tale speaks to the much broader story of how Europeans, Africans, and natives navigated the enormous cultural differences that separated them. It is a story that brings people together. De Baca’s mission is, at its core, the same. We seek to bring people together, to embrace our differences and celebrate them through community and food. Owner Jim Baca takes his inspiration from his ancestor, Cabeza de Vaca, bringing his family heritage and 30 years of restaurant experience together in his vision for an upscale steakhouse where people can celebrate their own unique adventures. With a menu from the mind of Chef Patrick Swetnam, we invite you to savor the extraordinary.