With its varied nuances and timeless elegance, steak is a classic you could keep coming back to over and over again. From the marbled fat of rare Kobe beef and dry-aged porterhouses, to delicate filet mignons and tomahawk steaks big enough for two (or more), the best steakhouses in the world cook these cuts just right, serving indulgent sides and giant glasses of red wine.
Here are five amazing places to seek out in your travels.
This Aspen staple recently made the journey to Boulder, where owners Craig and Samantha Cordts-Pearce opened up a larger, but no less intimate rendition. The 120-seat setting feels how a steakhouse should: sexy, but refined and classic.
Then there’s the meat. You can’t go wrong with this selection of succulent cuts of prime beef from small, family-owned ranches that obviously know how to treat cattle. In true Colorado fashion, the venue also serves a wonderful bison steak that proves so tender and flavorful, you may decide this is the superior red meat.
While the food sings of umami pleasures, the wine program also has something to say, featuring excellent bottles from all over the world. Don’t pass up the accouterments, either — the table-side Caesar shines with a little dining theater and pairs well with a dish of truffle butter and freshly made bread.
Enjoy all this or a craft cocktail at the Carrara marble bar, or take a seat on one of the crushed red velvet banquettes. No matter where you dine, you won’t be disappointed.
The Steak House Winebar and Grill
Steakhouse culture has hit Asia big time, and visitors to China will delight in the options found at this Four-Star spot inside Five-Star InterContinental Hong Kong.
Thanks to its Pacific locale, the chic dining room offers such cuts as rare Japanese A5 Miyazaki wagyu and unique Mayura (chocolate-fed) Australian wagyu — a new (and limited-time) addition to the Hong Kong restaurant’s menu.
Order up one of these distinctive pieces of meat to share along with sides of baked lobster macaroni, garlic portobello mushrooms, and fries with truffle oil. Just in case this isn’t decedent enough, the chef can top your dish with extravagant extras like pan-fried duck foie gras, Iberico bone marrow or Roquefort blue cheese. If you’re looking for something on the lighter side, head for the restaurant’s salad bar — a staple since 1982.
Throughout 2019, the steakhouse will showcase its “Quest for the World’s Best Beef,” highlighting coveted cuts like Nagasaki Japanese wagyu, U.S. Linz Heritage angus dry-aged prime, Korean Hanwoo beef and Japanese Tottori wagyu.
It’s not hard to find a good steak in the Big Apple, but one of the best can be had at chef and owner Michael Lomonaco’s Columbus Circle haunt. You may know Lomonaco from his stints on Food Network and Travel Channel — he was one of the first to find celebrity chef fame and has brought that glam to his esteemed establishment.
Overlooking Central Park, dine on an array of dry-aged USDA prime steaks, Japanese and American wagyu beef, slow-roasted prime rib with bone marrow and more. Top your meat with lobster, king crab or foie gras, and make sure to order a side of black truffle mashed potatoes, buttermilk onion rings and honey-thyme roasted carrots.
If you’re just along for the ride and red meat isn’t your thing, you’ll find plenty of other options, ranging from a maitake-mushroom-packed risotto to za’atar-crusted Faroe Islands salmon.
The venue is airy and bright, with white linens and roomy silver-hued seats. Peruse the immense wine list or opt for a 10-year Old Fashioned made with Michter’s bourbon — both pair beautifully with the well-charred beef.
Final Cut Steak & Seafood Toledo
Perhaps Toledo wasn’t on the top of your travel list, but that was before you heard about this fantastic Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star steakhouse. Located on the banks of the Maumee River, the spot’s bountiful bites each come with a side of sweeping views, that is, if you can pull your eyes off the meaty feast on the table.
Choose from a tender angus rib eye, a giant tomahawk steak from Creek Stone Farms, cuts of American wagyu and a dry-aged porterhouse — and that’s just the beef. Don’t miss chef David Graham’s other opulent options, including tea-smoked chicken, pan-roasted sea bass with pumpkin risotto or juicy butter-poached lobster.
As you dine, take note of the décor. A Hollywood theme permeates the space with film memorabilia hanging in glass cases among gold curtains and art deco chandeliers. Pair your classic surroundings with glasses of rich red wine or a cocktail such as the Scarlet Sherry, a seductive mixture of rye bourbon, sherry, lemon and walnut bitters.
Be sure to call a sitter before booking a table — since the restaurant is in the Hollywood Casino, you must be 21 or older to partake.
Though bull is the theme of this unique restaurant in rural Northern Spain, the meat raised by owner José Gordón is the real deal.
Housed in a cave in the tiny town of Jiménez de Jamuz in León, the dining room feels intimate and elegant. But unlike big-city steakhouses, this one has no pretension, just solid food prepared with skill and a real love for the oxen.
Gordón is all things: farmer, butcher, chef and he might even bring your plate of ossobuco or flank steak out to the table. The self-taught toque has made it his life’s work to seek out the perfect Iberian oxen for butchering and aging. He inspects each creature he finds, a pursuit that takes him all over the region interviewing ranchers and feeling the animals for fat content.
Every part of the prized cattle is used to delicious effect in dishes like bone marrow with paprika and pink grapefruit, skirt steak with honey and butter sauce, and ox tripe that are well worth the three-hour trek from Madrid.
