Filet Mignon Cigars at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington are $17 on the dinner menu and $15 at weekday lunch: filet mignon flash fried to a golden brown and served with a Sriracha and lime crème. They also appear in the Land & Sea Sampler at $26 per person, on the ninth floor at 2221 E Lamar Blvd.
Book a table · Private dining · See the menu
What a filet mignon cigar is
The name describes the shape. Filet mignon is formed into a slim cylinder about the size of a cigar, flash fried until the outside turns golden and crisp, and served hot with a Sriracha and lime crème for dipping. The crème is the same one the kitchen sends out with its Gulf shrimp and crab ceviche: cool, tangy, with a slow chili heat that you control by how much you use.
It is the only beef starter on the menu at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington that is designed to be eaten by hand, and it is the one guests remember by name. Lunch and dinner use the same recipe; only the price changes. The fry is short by design, and the crème is served on the side, so each bite goes from hot and crisp to cool and sharp. It is a starter built for the first ten minutes of a meal, when the table is still settling in and the first drink has just arrived.
Price at lunch and at dinner
| Where it appears | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner menu, starters | $17 | Every evening the restaurant is open |
| Lunch menu, starters | $15 | Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM |
| Land & Sea Sampler | $26 per person | Dinner; one cigar with calamari, a crab cake and shrimp cocktail |
The $2 lunch discount is the same one applied to the calamari and the shrimp cocktail at midday. The number of cigars in an order is not printed on the menu; ask your server if you are deciding between one order and two for a larger table. Lunch runs Monday through Friday only; on Saturday the doors open at 4:00 PM for dinner and the $17 price applies, and Sunday the restaurant is closed.
Where they fit in the meal
Most guests treat the cigars as the hot starter and pair them with something cold from the same list, such as the MCA Shrimp Cocktail at $19. Ordering them before a Center-Cut Filet Mignon means filet twice in one meal, which some guests like and others avoid; before a Hand-Cut Ribeye at $75, a Double-Bone Pork Chop at $59 or the Seared Sea Bass at $57 they make more sense as contrast.
Because they are fried, they are best eaten within a few minutes of landing. If you are ordering a Wedge or a Caesar as a second course, ask your server to hold the salads until the cigars are finished. For a group of six or more, two orders is the usual call, and a 20% gratuity is added to the check at that size. The rest of the list is on the appetizers page, and the full menu is at mercurychophouse.com.
A drink to go with them
Beef, fry and chili crème ask for something with backbone. The Steakhouse Old-Fashioned, $19, is made with tallow-washed Knob Creek bourbon and rye and a splash of Fonseca port, and it is the drink the bar staff reach for with anything fried. The MCA Smoked Manhattan, $18, is the other whiskey option, stirred with Old Bardstown and Dolin sweet vermouth and finished with smoke.
If you want lighter, the Manhattan Project Half Life hazy IPA is $8 on draft from a Dallas brewery, and the Necessary Evil pilsner is $7. The bar also pours about 40 American whiskeys by the 2 oz measure if you would rather sip than mix; Buffalo Trace is $14 and Weller 12 is $18. Every drink on the list is priced on the cocktails page.
The other hot starters
The cigars share the hot side of the starter list with four dishes. Chophouse Calamari, $17, is buttermilk marinated and fried crisp with house-made marinara. Savory Meatballs, $18, come in the same marinara with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil. Crab Cakes, $24, are seared and finished with lemon caper beurre blanc. The Signature Wagyu & Black Truffle Ravioli, $34, sits on wild mushroom risotto with a balsamic demi-glace.
Together with the cigars, that is a fried plate, a braised plate, a seared plate and a pasta, which is enough range for a table of four to order two hot starters without overlap. The cold side of the list, shrimp cocktail, ceviche and salmon mousse, is where a second starter usually comes from. Prices are from the July 2026 menu.
The room they are served in
Mercury Chophouse sits on the ninth floor of the Brookhollow Two tower at 2221 E Lamar Blvd, Suite 910, and the cigars are served throughout the dining room, from the tufted booths to the window tables that look down on Six Flags and Globe Life Field. A grand piano stands by the windows near the marble bar, and live piano plays on select evenings; ask which nights when you book. The dining room closes at 9:00 PM Monday through Thursday and at 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, and Saturday opens at 4:00 PM for dinner only. Reservations run through OpenTable or 817-381-1157, and the tower offers free garage and outdoor parking.
Book a Table
Reserve on the ninth floor at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington. Choose a date and time below, or call 817-381-1157.
Reserve on OpenTable Request a Private Event
Open Monday to Thursday 11 AM to 9 PM, Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 4 PM to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. 2221 E Lamar Blvd, Suite 910, Arlington, TX 76006.
Frequently asked questions
Are the filet mignon cigars spicy?
The beef itself is not. The heat is in the Sriracha and lime crème served alongside, and it builds slowly rather than hitting hard. Because the crème is on the side, you set the level yourself. Guests who want none at all can ask for the cigars plain.
Can I get filet mignon cigars at lunch?
Yes. They are on the weekday lunch menu at $15, two dollars less than the $17 dinner price, and lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM. They are a common opener before the Marinated Steak Sandwich at $19 or the Chophouse Burger at $17.
Are the cigars part of the Land & Sea Sampler?
Yes. The Land & Sea Sampler, $26 per person on the dinner menu, includes a filet mignon cigar alongside Chophouse calamari, a crab cake and the MCA shrimp cocktail. It is the way to try the cigar without ordering a full plate of them.
Is the filet in the cigars the same cut as the filet mignon steak?
The menu names both dishes filet mignon: the cigars as a starter and the Center-Cut Filet Mignon as a 6 oz or 8 oz steak at $62 and $74. The menu does not spell out how the cigar beef is trimmed, so ask your server if the detail matters to you.
Do I need a reservation to come in for starters and a drink?
Reservations are recommended, especially on Friday and Saturday nights and on Rangers, Cowboys and concert dates when the Entertainment District fills up. On a quiet weeknight, call 817-381-1157 for same-day availability. The restaurant does not publish a formal walk-in policy.