Where to Eat Great Steak from Coast to Coast

There's never been a better time to be a beef lover. Here are some of the best spots for steak all across America.

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By: Sara Ventiera and Erin Hartigan

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Prime Cuts

From lush, flavorful hanger steaks to juicy break-the-bank porterhouses, restaurants across the country are serving up mouthwatering slabs for every taste and budget. Whether you prefer a white tablecloth clubhouse or sleek modern bistro, these spots make the cut.

Los Angeles: Cut

There are so many varieties of beef on the menu at this art-filled hot spot that servers appear tableside to help explain them all. Prime dry-aged steaks are grilled over hardwood and charcoal, then finished under a 1,200 degree broiler, ensuring a perfect charred crust. Chef Wolfgang Puck's magic touch with ingredients extends down to the California-inflected sides like Heirloom Tomatoes with Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese.

More About: CUT

Dallas: Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Leather banquets? Check. Miles-long wine list? Check. Fork-tender filet mignon? Check! Pappas Bros. has every hallmark of a fabulous steakhouse and then some, from the courteous staff to hearty versions of classic sides (e.g., macaroni and cheese with lump crabmeat). And then there's those steaks. Gorgeously marbled and aged in-house, they have catapulted this mini empire to the top ranks of Dallas dining.

More About: Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Brooklyn: Peter Luger Steak House

First-timers to this open-since-1887 icon may be taken aback by the crusty waiters, cash-only policy and weeks-long wait for reservations. Rest assured: One bite of the just-tender-enough marbled porterhouse will make you a convert. Dry-aged on the premises, the prime grade steak arrives in a river of delectable juices. Obligatory sides include Sizzling Bacon (which you order by the slice) and German Fried Potatoes.

More About: Peter Luger Steakhouse

Boston: Mooo…

Set inside the very cool XV Beacon Hotel, just blocks from the grand Massachusetts State House, Chef-Owner Jamie Mammano’s modern steakhouse serves some of the best meat money can buy. Sourced from around the globe, dishes suit a range of budgets and tastes: They include steak frites ($32), with a 10-ounce Creekstone Farms prime bavette; a 100 percent grass-fed, free-range Uruguayan rib eye ($42); and a 6-ounce Japanese A5 Wagyu sirloin ($160). Every a la carte option comes with roasted garlic and bone-marrow butter for added luxury. Sides include traditional creamed spinach and whipped potatoes, as well as creative takes such as cumin-roasted heirloom carrots, a mix of exotic mushrooms, and crispy potato tots with bacon and Parmesan. Pair that with an award-winning wine list, well-balanced cocktails and impeccable service for a meal to remember.

Mooo Restaurant

Dayton, Ohio: The Pine Club

Open since 1947, this supper club and steakhouse specializes in old-school specialties like a starter of plump shrimp cocktail and unbeatable steaks. The 20-ounce bone-in rib eye dry-ages for 28 days. It's broiled and caramelized, drizzled with butter and served with deep-fried onion rings and the house stewed tomatoes. No wonder Top 5: Restaurants deemed it one of the best steaks in the country.

Go to: The Pine Club

Chicago: RPM Steak

Though inspired by classic steakhouses, this hip River North chophouse revamps old favorites. The Duke, named one of the best steaks in the country on Top 5: Restaurants, brushes a juicy, 10-ounce rib eye with garlicky beef butter and herbed salt. It's served with pickled cherry peppers to balance the richness. Sides like mushroom mac and cheese, horseradish-infused whipped potatoes and the Millionaire's Potato — with fontina and black truffle — go way beyond the expected.

Go to: RPM Steak

Lexington, Kentucky: Dudley's on Short

Specializing in American classics since 1981, this Lexington restaurant puts out excellent steak, including steak frites and Tournedos Maxwell, a pair of petit filets topped with crabmeat and buttery bearnaise. On Guilty Pleasures, Bobby Flay calls the dish "the perfect three-course meal in one single bite," albeit one that's "incredibly decadent."

Go to: Dudley's on Short

Raleigh, North Carolina: Death and Taxes

Though many surmise that James Beard Foundation Award winner Ashley Christensen (Poole’s, Beasley’s Chicken and Honey, Chuck’s) named her newest eatery for Ben Franklin's claim that “nothing can be certain, except death and taxes,” she drew inspiration closer to her cooktop. The historic building housing her restaurant has served as both a bank and a funeral home at different points. Now, it’s Raleigh’s hottest restaurant, inspired by a trip to Uruguay that moved Christensen to cook over an open-wood fire. The focus is grilling in general, but given the technique, it’s no surprise that Christensen serves an impressive piece of beef. Her Bear Creek Farm dry-aged steak, aged up to 93 days, is simply seasoned, enhanced by notes of wood and smoke, and then served with straightforward spring onion and chimichurri.

Death & Taxes

New Orleans: Besh Steak

Chef John Besh could be crowned the emperor of NOLA’s culinary scene, which says a lot in a city known for its love of food and drink. So, it’s actually fitting that his top-tier steakhouse sits on the property of Caesar’s Entertainment’s Harrah’s New Orleans. Taking cues from his other restaurants, Besh’s carnivorous concept fuses local ingredients and techniques with traditional dishes. Look for a changing array of cuts and accoutrements, such as 14-ounce cast-iron seared rib eye with peppercorn sauce and steak fries; a 38-ounce “Cowboy Steak” with roasted sweet potato, seasonal vegetables, wild mushroom and bordelaise; or a 30-day-aged 16-ounce prime New York strip with blue cheese butter, bordelaise, bone marrow and crispy onion rings.

Besh Steak

Houston: Churrascos

Chef Michael Cordua's charcoal-grilled cuts were a revelation when he opened his first Churrascos in 1988. Twenty-five years later, he is still turning heads with the restaurant's namesake steak, a center-cut tenderloin bathed in chimichurri and served with yucca, pickled onions and béarnaise sauce. Available in four sizes, it is the star of the menu, though the endless fried plantain chips garners plenty of praise.

More About: Churrascos

Miami: Bourbon Steak

It's rare that a steakhouse bar menu competes with the dining room for love. But at this outpost of Michael Mina's popular restaurant, the dry-aged beef-and-Wagyu burger speared with crisp peppers has achieved near icon status. Venture to the dining room, however, and you'll be rewarded with a complimentary order of crisp duck fat french fries that arrives before every meal. (Make sure to ask for the potato focaccia too.)

More About: Bourbon Steak

Charleston, South Carolina: Oak Steakhouse

In recent years, Charleston has emerged as one of the South’s premier food cities, with an impressive number of acclaimed restaurants for its small size. Oak Steakhouse, situated in an 1848 bank building on historic Broad Street, opened its doors in 2005, just as Chucktown was gaining serious foodie traction. Executive Chef Jeremiah Bacon is a local. He follows the regional ethos, sourcing as much as he can from low-country farmers and fishermen, for dishes like Anson Mills farro mushroom risotto and Southern-style local collards with Benton’s bacon. The beef isn’t local — the Southeast produces far superior pork — but it is Certified Angus Beef brand, available wet and 35-day dry-aged in a handful of cuts. They come from Master Purveyors of New York City, who sell to beloved Peter Luger and Keens Steakhouse as well.

Oak Steakhouse

Long Beach, California: Chianina Steakhouse

Massive white Chianina cows have long been associated with Tuscan identity. They’re a source of pride for the region, and one of the largest and oldest cattle breeds in the world. Even so, globalization has made it even harder to get a piece of Chianina beef in the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Luckily, a trip to this Southern California steakhouse should yield heritage-breed results, without the need of a passport. The restaurant started its own herd of the esteemed cow when it opened in 2013. The following August, it first added the resulting beef as bistecca alla Fiorentina to the menu. Now, the legendary Florentine cut, a gigantic porterhouse, grilled and then basted with olive oil applied with a rosemary brush, is a daily fixture on the menu, available until it sells out. Unlike densely marbled American cuts, these steaks are full-flavored and lean, unlike any U.S.-reared cow’s meat.

Chianina Steakhouse

West Palm Beach: The Alchemist

Set in the midst of West Palm Beach’s bustling nightlife strip, Clematis Street, The Alchemist is not your staid steakhouse of yesterday. With dark woods, trendy crowds and gastropub-style dishes like spicy lobster poppers and Kobe hot dogs, it's hipper and younger than the standard South Florida steakhouse. But the steak is some of the best in town. USDA Prime is the specialty here. The signature dry-aged Tomahawk rib eye for two is hung from the ceiling for 21 days, then is seasoned, broiled and served with a roasted bone-marrow canoe topped with coarse sea salt and a side of charred pearl onion-and-potato hash. Other meaty options include Cajun rib eye topped with spicy crawfish hollandaise, and filet mignon with fingerling potatoes, roasted shallots and pancetta. Sophisticated and cool, as the name suggests, it's the perfect mix.

The Alchemist Gastropub & Bar

New York: Keens Steakhouse

In operation since 1885, the cozy wood-paneled rooms in this landmark chophouse are chock-a-block with antique posters and a ceiling display of Churchwarden pipes that belonged to a who's who of 20th century heroes. The storied restaurant still features classics like Oysters Rockefeller, Prime Rib and Dover Sole. However, the star of the show is the Legendary Mutton Chop, a huge bone-in hunk of juicy saddle of lamb.

More About: Keens Steakhouse

Tampa: Bern’s Steakhouse

Where does one even start when extolling the merits of Bern’s? With the perfectly aged steaks in customizable cuts and sizes? The storied history? The impeccable service? The house-grown produce? The cellar housing one of the largest collections of wine in the world? Perhaps it’s best to hit all of the above. Since 1956, this palatial crimson-hued meat mecca has earned a reputation for serving some of the best beef in the Sunshine State. Steaks are hand-cut to guests’ choice of thickness, then broiled to order, so the strip sirloin can be customized to diameters ranging from 3/4 inch to 3 beefy inches. To order with confidence, read the 16-page menu with detailed notes about steaks and sauces or ask the well-versed servers for help. Pair it all with a selection from the tome-sized wine list, which draws traveling sommeliers and vino geeks from around the world.

Bern's Steak House

Chicago: Chicago Cut Steakhouse

The star at this sleek power hub is the prime Bone-In Ribeye. Dry-aged 35 days and butchered onsite, the rich, slightly mineral-flavored cut arrives at your table with the perfect caramelized crust. Order it with a side of Truffle Scalloped Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus — then you'll understand the popularity of this newcomer in steak-crazy Chicago. (The sweeping river views help too.)

More About: Chicago Cut Steakhouse

Phoenix: Durant's

It's old school all the way at Durant's, where diners enter through the kitchen to get to the swanky '50s-era dining room, complete with leather banquettes and crushed red velvet wallpaper. The menu offers its own set of thrills, with juicy slices of slow-roasted prime rib and satisfying New York strip steaks in two sizes. Not to be missed: the signature bread, which arrives bathed in a sinfully good garlic and leek butter sauce.

More About: Durant's

Portland, Oregon: Ox

What do you get when you marry the South American wood-fired grilling trend with the Pacific Northwest's obsession with local produce? Ox's mouthwatering menu, where vegetable and seafood dishes like Rainbow Chard and Roasted Beets with Orange Hollandaise and Clam Chowder crowned with Smoked Marrow Bone are as satisfying as the tender Skirt Steak and succulent Maple-Brined Pork Loin Chop.

More About: Ox Restaurant

Miami: Graziano's

Portions are generous at this Miami favorite, so come hungry or with a crowd. Known for its high-quality meats, the menu not only includes flavorful wet-aged tenderloin and bone-in rib eye, but also crave-worthy hand-cut beef short ribs and rack of lamb. Other standards include the rich risottos. (Get the mushroom if it's on offer.) After dinner, you can hit Graziano's Market next door for empanadas and chimichurri to go.

More About: Graziano's

Washington, D.C.: Ray's the Steaks

Since it opened in 2008, this no-frills steakhouse has been giving the city's fat cat clubhouses a run for their money. Yes, there's a belly-filling Dry-Aged Delmonico for under $43, but why play it safe when you can dig into a rich, chewy hanger cut for $20? Mashed potatoes and creamed spinach are included with the price of an entree. Finish with a slice of Key lime pie and leave satisfied — and with your wallet intact.

More About: Ray's the Steaks

Philadelphia: Butcher and Singer

Dressing up for dinner is never more fun than at this sexy homage to a 1940s supper club. Here, the martinis are chilled, the booths are plush and private, and the porterhouse for two inspires raves. The menu is also a throwback, featuring the likes of Shrimp and Crab Louie, Green Beans Amandine and Baked Alaska, but the modern Stuffed Hash Browns filled with potatoes and sour cream are worth the detour.

More About: Butcher and Singer

Boston: Grill 23 & Bar

At this Back Bay institution, the toughest decision you'll make is whether to sit downstairs amid the ebullient out-of-towners or upstairs, where locals entertain on a quieter scale. Either way, you can't go wrong — and the same goes for the menu, which prides itself on great seafood. While you might be tempted to make a meal of the truffled tater tots, it'd mean missing the tender 100 Day Aged Ribeye.

More About: Grill 23 & Bar

Napa: Cole’s Chop House

Few food-and-wine pairings beat a big red wine with a hearty steak. And this classic American steakhouse has just the right cuts to pair with its 22-page list of Napa’s best wines. The structure, built in 1886, features the original open-truss ceiling, native stones and Douglas fir floors. While the meat rivals its grade-A counterparts in Chicago and NYC, no big-city edifice could compare to Cole’s rustic design. The best-sellers are Cole’s “Famous” USDA Prime 21-day Chicago dry-aged New York strips and porterhouse steaks. There are also some great Creekstone Farms Natural Black Angus rib eyes and filets mignon. The menu is rounded out with traditional sides such as creamed spinach, baked potatoes, thin-sliced onion rings and asparagus with hollandaise. For guests with their own favorite pairings, corkage is $30 per bottle.

Cole's Chop House

Louisville, Kentucky: Le Moo

There’s something celebratory and special about a classic “steak dinner.” This contemporary Louisville eatery takes it up yet another notch. Since opening in fall of 2015, Le Moo has racked up awards for its top-notch meats and fab decor. With brick walls, chain chandeliers, multicolored jacquard upholstery and a Louis Vuitton booth composed entirely of LV bags, the space is like a modern take on a medieval castle. The meat is fit for royalty, too. Rib eye, New York strip and filet mignon are available in USDA Choice or Prime. The rib eye and strip can be upgraded to bone-in dry-aged. The filet: grade-8 Wagyu. Each comes with a side, including options like skillet-fried mashed potatoes and drunk-cut fries, Peruvian gigante lima beans and Grandma Ev’s braised collard greens with country ham. For even more indulgence, add on a lobster tail or pan-seared foie gras.

Le Moo

Minneapolis: Burch Steakhouse and Pizza Bar

The quartet behind this lively restaurant has cleverly stocked its kitchen with three varieties of steak — grassfed, corn-finished prime, and Wagyu — that can be ordered in small (6 to 7 ounce) and large (12 to 14 ounce) sizes. Opt for the grassfed hanger steak with endive salad for a Monday supper; then pull out all the stops on date night with a Prime New York Strip ($60) accompanied by Potato Pierogi.

More About: Burch Steakhouse and Pizza Bar

Denver: Elway's

Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway pulled out the stops on the field, and his eponymous steakhouses do too. Alongside prime cuts you'll find Western-inspired creations like a BLT Salad with an over-easy duck egg, Spicy Steak Chili and a finger-licking Lamb Chop Fondue with a green chile cheese dipping sauce. Of course, in Colorado the prime rib must excel — and this pink, juicy slab delivers.

More About: Elway's

Atlanta: Kevin Rathbun

From the moment your waiter presents a basket of freshly made cheese-filled focaccia, it's clear this isn't your grandfather's steakhouse. Located in a former Clorox factory, this industrial-chic hot spot from restaurant mogul Kevin Rathbun offers fresh Southern surprises and classic steakhouse fare. Order up the killer Cowboy Ribeye, then round out the meal with Coca-Cola Baby Back Ribs and Eggplant Fries.

More About: Kevin Rathbun Steak

Shell Beach, California: F. McLintocks

Think a filet mignon isn't decadent enough? Head to this Western-style steakhouse for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon. The kitchen plates a nine-ounce piece of beef tenderloin, wrapped in applewood bacon, grilled until the exterior is perfectly caramelized and the bacon juices flavor the steak. The meat is smothered in two ounces of melted blue cheese and a port wine reduction. Alfonso Ribiero says the result "oozes with flavor."

Go to: F. McLintocks

Las Vegas: Prime Steakhouse

One word describes Prime Steakhouse better than any other: lavish. To get to the restaurant, once inside the Bellagio Las Vegas, one must make a right past Hermès to Via Bellagio, then go down the escalator toward Terrazza di Sogno, just after the Harry Winston store. The eatery is as upscale as its surrounding brands. Designed by Michael DeSantis, the dining room combines layers of rich chocolate browns (from wood accents to the velvet-clad armchairs) and Tiffany blues (think cascading curtains). The garden patio overlooks the iconic fountains. Still, the place isn’t a show. Multi-award-winning chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten offers first-class meat and seafood worthy of the opulent digs. Straightforward preparations showcase a wide range of cuts, including filet mignon, wet- and dry-aged bone-in rib eye and A-5 Japanese Wagyu beef paired with soy-rice wine, bearnaise or peppercorn sauce. Sumptuously flavored steaks are available, too, such as peppercorn-crusted or soy-garlic glazed New York strip.

Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio