In 2014, Dena Smith opened Corks & Cattle in Enterprise as a traditional butcher shop and market with a casual wine bar in the back. Little did she know that over the next decade, it would become a restaurant beloved by its community and known as one of the best steakhouses in the state.

Smith, an Enterprise native, said the decision to make Corks & Cattle a full-scale restaurant happened almost by demand after years of customers thinking it already was one.

While the original building, located across the street from where the steakhouse is now, was too small to support in-house dining, Smith said she began looking for a new place so they could expand. In 2018, she found it in a former cotton gin built in the early 1900s.

“People kept trying to make reservations in the old location,” said Smith. “They continually thought that we were a restaurant, and we would have loved to do that then, we love to cook, but we just didn’t have enough room to create a kitchen over there, so that’s when we started looking for real estate where we would be able to.”

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Corks & Cattle has stayed true to its name, still operating as a butcher shop that sells a wide selection of meats and seafood (including beef from 3D Cattle Company in Enterprise and 1855 brand out of Texas) and a market with more than 2,000 different bottles of wine up for grabs. But it now offers its customers the chance to sit down and enjoy an upscale meal in an atmosphere that is as cozy and comfortable as it is stylish and elegant.

“We are fine dining in a casual atmosphere,” said Smith. “You can come dressed up, you can come dressed in shorts or however you feel comfortable. We’re not white tablecloths by any stretch of the imagination, but our food is absolutely amazing and can level any major city’s menu.”

Corks & Cattle offers an eclectic menu of dishes for lunch and dinner as well as Saturday brunch, including truffled steak macaroni, ahi tuna nachos, Cornish game hen, short ribs, lobster bisque, crab cakes, burgers and more. Of course, it’s their steaks – the same ones sold in their butcher shop – that have garnered the most attention and awards over the years.

Just this month, Corks & Cattle was named one of the state’s best steakhouses as part of The Guide to Alabama’s 2025 Best of Alabama Awards, and it’s not the first time the restaurant has earned that title.

“We have been voted best steakhouse in the state from Alabama magazine for at least five years running,” said Smith. “We’re up against some big names, so I don’t always expect to win that, but it’s been a huge honor, and a surprise honestly, to win that like we have.”

No matter what you order as your main course though, it’s important to save room for dessert while you’re there. That’s because Corks & Cattle has its own pastry chef, Sam Harper, who creates unique and enticing sweets, including handmade macaroons, mini cakes in every flavor imaginable and more, with Smith joking “we have a big array of desserts, and they’re all delicious, so I’ll never be thin.”

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And while Smith attributes Cork & Cattle’s success to its hardworking staff, she also credits the community that has supported it every day, whether by buying a bottle of wine, meat from the butcher shop or a full meal, for the past 11 years.

“I can’t thank this community enough,” said Smith. “We have people that come from Georgia and Florida and all over, but Enterprise has overwhelmed us with love and support. We see the same beautiful faces in this restaurant several days in a row and weekends. They have showered us with love and affection, and it just has blown us away. We are very blessed by this community.”

Smith said that while their goal is to provide their customers with a memorable meal, they also want to make sure they know their support is appreciated in the way they are served.

“When you walk in, you might be a stranger, but we want you to feel like family,” said Smith. “We appreciate every single person that walks in that door, and we want them to feel taken care of. We want them to have a fabulous meal, but we also want them to have just a fabulous overall experience. We want them to know that we appreciate that they’re here and that they’re spending their time and their money with us. We don’t take that lightly or for granted.”

Corks & Cattle is located at 102 W. Lee Street in Enterprise. It is open for lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, dinner from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and brunch from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, visit the Corks & Cattle website.