A steak dinner is one of the few meals almost every country understands, yet nobody seems to agree on how it should be served. In one city, a waiter brings meat on a skewer until you flip a card to red.
In another, a chef grills a few ounces of beef right in front of you and hands it over with garlic chips. Somewhere else, you get a 26-ounce chop and a ceiling covered in old clay pipes.
This list travels across six continents to find the dining rooms that do beef best. You will read about a former bookshop that now serves steaks three fingers thick, a basement club with a no-phone rule, and a stable built in the 1700s that became a famous dinner spot.
Each entry gives you real details, like signature cuts, booking tips, and a little history. Grab a napkin, clear your calendar, and get ready to plan a trip around your next steak.
1. Keens Steakhouse, New York City, New York, USA
More than 50,000 clay pipes hang from the ceiling here, and some once belonged to Teddy Roosevelt and Albert Einstein.
Albert Keen opened the place in 1885 near Herald Square, making it the second-oldest steakhouse in New York City. Regulars kept their pipes stored at the restaurant so they would not break, and the collection simply kept growing.
The star of the menu is the famous mutton chop, a 26-ounce saddle cut of lamb. It gets salted, seared under a broiler, and finished in the oven.
Dry-aged sirloin, porterhouse, and prime rib round out the lineup. Ask for a peek at the Lillie Langtry room upstairs, named after an actress who sued to get in back in 1905.
2. Don Julio Parrilla, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Number one on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2025 is not a bad title to hang on the door.
Don Julio opened in Palermo Soho about 25 years ago, back when the street was quiet and residential. Today it holds a Michelin Star and a Green Star too.
The beef is grass-fed Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, butchered and dry-aged in-house. Order the bife de chorizo or the ojo de bife, then add sides like mashed pumpkin with raisins.
Many vegetables and sausages come from the restaurant’s own farm outside the city. Book two to three months ahead for dinner.
Waiting outside is less painful than it sounds, since staff often hand out hot empanadas on the sidewalk.
3. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, London, England, United Kingdom
Back in the Georgian era, a man named Alderman Combe hosted yearly steak suppers on this very site, and some guests were royalty.
Hawksmoor opened here in 2010, deep in a vaulted basement with Victorian cast iron columns. The parquet floor was salvaged from Christie’s Auction Rooms, which is a fun fact to drop at the table.
Beef comes from Longhorn cattle in North Yorkshire, dry-aged and cooked over charcoal. Big cuts like 900g porterhouse are meant for sharing.
Do not skip the triple-cooked chips or the bone marrow gravy. Sunday roasts are a local favorite.
The 128-seat room fills up before theater shows, so reserve early if you have West End tickets.
4. Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion, Kyoto, Japan
Front-row seats come standard at Mouriya Gion, because every chair faces the teppan grill.
The Mouriya Group has served Kobe beef since 1885, and this Gion branch was its first move outside Kobe. It earned a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best award in 2025.
Diners pick sirloin or rump from Tajima bloodline cattle, the line behind certified Kobe beef. Portions come in 4, 5, or 6 ounce sizes.
A typical meal starts with soup and salad, then grilled vegetables. The beef arrives with wasabi, salt, miso sauce, and garlic chips.
Only 46 seats are spread over three floors. Request the upstairs private room if you want a view of the zen garden.
5. Ginza Ukai-Tei, Tokyo, Japan
Part museum, part dinner show, Ginza Ukai-Tei takes its style cues from Japan’s Meiji period, when Western ideas first swept the country.
Guests are greeted by a large retro-style painting of an elegant woman. Inside, antique furniture, a mosaic wall, and a hundred-year-old zelkova beam set the tone.
The kitchen calls its style Ukai Cuisine, which mixes teppanyaki with French touches. Meals often open with lobster, scallops, or abalone before the A5 Kuroge Wagyu course.
Here is a quirky bonus. Dessert is often served in a separate dessert room, so you get to change scenery before the sweets.
The restaurant sits on the first floor of the Jiji Press Building in Ginza.
6. CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Singapore
Wolfgang Puck picked Singapore for his first restaurant in Asia, and CUT opened beneath The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in 2010.
The gamble paid off. CUT earned a Michelin star in 2016, the first year the guide covered Singapore.
The beef list reads like a world map. Choose Hokkaido Snow beef, Kagoshima wagyu, Illinois corn-fed USDA Prime, or Australian Angus.
Steaks cook over hardwood and charcoal, then finish under a 1200-degree broiler. A row of house-made sauces, including chimichurri, lets you customize each bite.
Designer Tony Chi gave the room red leather chairs and timber tables. It works well for business dinners, so expect plenty of suits on weeknights.
7. Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Marble pillars, bronze sculptures, and a soaring ceiling make this one of Australia’s most admired dining rooms.
Rockpool sits inside the 1936 City Mutual Building on Hunter Street, an Art Deco tower designed by Emil Sodersten. Chef Neil Perry opened the restaurant in 2009.
Steak fans should look at the David Blackmore full-blood Wagyu or the Cape Grim Black Angus. Both are wood-fire grilled with simple seasoning.
The menu also covers seafood from Coffin Bay and Clyde, plus handmade pasta. It ranked seventh on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list in 2024.
Reservations are required for the main room. The bar area offers burgers and small plates for a lighter visit.
8. The Hussar Grill Camps Bay, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Beach in the afternoon, ribeye at night, and Table Mountain in the background is a pretty strong travel plan.
The Hussar Grill in Camps Bay is one of the larger branches of this South African brand. TripAdvisor voters named it the best restaurant in Camps Bay in 2014.
Steaks come as rump, fillet, sirloin, or ribeye, with bone-in options and several sizes. House specials include a Bone Marrow Ribeye and a Blue Cheese Sirloin.
Try a local starter like Cured Springbok Loin Carpaccio for something different. Every main comes with a free side dish.
Dark wood and banquet seating keep things classic. A fireplace runs in winter, which makes cooler evenings a smart time to go.
9. Regina Bistecca, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Books once lined these shelves for more than 140 years, back when the space was the famous Libreria Gonnelli.
Regina Bistecca opened in 2018, just steps from the Duomo. The team kept the bookshelves, vaulted ceilings, a skylight, and even an ancient well.
The house specialty is bistecca alla Fiorentina, cut at least three fingers thick and aged 21 days. Chianina IGP beef is the local pride, though Marchigiana and Scottish Black Angus are offered too.
Staff present the steak at the table before carving. Regulars can join the B.I.F.
Club.
After 20 steaks, members get a personalized artisan knife. That might be the tastiest loyalty card in Italy.
10. Asador Donostiarra, Madrid, Spain
Count the celebrity photos on the walls and you may lose track of time before dinner even arrives.
Pedro Abrego Velasco founded Asador Donostiarra in 1976. It became Madrid’s best-known spot for Basque and Navarra style grilling, drawing stars from sports and culture.
The headline dish is the chuletón, a thick marbled beef steak cooked over fire with salt. Sirloin and ribeye also get the slow treatment.
Tasting menus add Iberian ham, txangurro croquettes, and grilled prawns. Roast suckling pig is another classic.
The restaurant has three rooms named Donosti, Concha, and Igueldo, plus private areas for up to 14 people. Weekends get busy, so booking ahead is wise.
11. Fogo de Chão Jardins, São Paulo, Brazil
Green means go and red means pause, and that little card is the most important tool on your table.
Fogo de Chão runs a rodízio style service in São Paulo’s Jardins neighborhood near Avenida Paulista. Servers keep bringing skewers of grilled meat until you flip your card.
Picanha is the signature, a sirloin cut with a fat cap. Costela beef ribs cook for up to 12 hours.
Other rounds include fraldinha, alcatra, and lamb picanha. The Market Table offers salads, fruit, and aged cheeses.
A quick pro tip helps here. Pace yourself on the first few skewers, because the best cuts often show up later, and the meal is all-you-can-eat.
12. Barberian’s Steak House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got engaged here in 1964, which is quite the endorsement for a steak dinner.
Harry Barberian opened the restaurant in 1959, and his son Arron runs it now. The hardwood charcoal grill is the same one, and the dry-aging room dates to 1967.
Only five chefs have led the kitchen in its whole history. Some servers have worked here for over forty years.
Order the dry-aged rib steak, strip loin, or prime rib. Then finish with the apple beignet, served since opening day.
Original Group of Seven paintings hang in the dining room. Every Canadian prime minister since John Diefenbaker has eaten here.
13. Grill Royal, Berlin, Germany
Berlin does not do cowboy hats, and Grill Royal proves a steakhouse can be stylish without them.
The restaurant sits on Friedrichstraße with a view of the Spree river. Modern art greets guests at the entrance, and art objects fill the dining room.
Beef comes from Australia, Argentina, France, and local German Schwarz-Bunte cattle. The Australian Wagyu sirloin gets frequent praise.
Not everyone in your group wants steak, and that is fine. The menu covers oysters, grilled lobster, sole, ceviche, and a seafood platter.
Sides include homemade fries and broccoli with chili and garlic. Dinner tends to run late here, so plan an evening reservation to match the local rhythm.
14. Beefbar, Paris, France
A national monument with steak frites on the menu is a very Parisian combination.
Beefbar Paris opened in 2018 inside the former La Fermette Marbeuf, a restaurant dating to 1898. Its Art Nouveau decor has been a listed Monument Historique since 1983.
The main hall has a glass roof, stained glass, and ceramic murals by Jules Wielhorski. In 2019 it won the award for the world’s most beautiful historic restaurant.
The menu goes global with certified Kobe beef, Angus beef tacos, and Kobe beef jamón. Truffle fries with parmesan are a popular side.
Find it on Rue Marbeuf near the Champs-Élysées. Lunch in the front section is a calmer way to visit.
15. La Pulpería, Montevideo, Uruguay
No chandeliers, no fancy menu, and a line out the door when it opens.
La Pulpería in Montevideo’s Punta Carretas neighborhood is often called a glorified bar built around an open grill. Locals treat it as an institution.
Grab a seat at the counter to watch the grill master work. The pulpón rump steak and asado short ribs are top picks.
Adventurous eaters can try both salty and sweet morcilla, a local sausage. Home-cut fries and salad keep the sides simple.
Hours are limited. It opens evenings Tuesday to Saturday and for Sunday lunch, so show up right at opening time.
Servers speak Spanish and English.
16. Gibbys, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Horses belonging to the Grey Nuns once lived in this building, which is part of a complex dating back to 1740.
Gibbys moved into the Youville Stables in Old Montreal in 1972. Stone walls, original beams, and fireplaces remain.
Dinner follows a set path. First comes bread with dill pickles and crumbled bacon, then a salad and a lemon sherbet palate cleanser.
The 22-ounce rib steak is the big order. Pair it with the Monte Carlo potato, a loaded twice-baked favorite.
Dress code is casual elegant. Valet parking is free, which is a real gift in the old town.
Leave time for a walk on the cobbled streets after dessert.
17. The Gidley, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Phones stay in pockets at The Gidley, since the main dining room has a strict no-phone policy.
The basement restaurant on King Street opened in 2019. It comes from the Liquid and Larder team and holds a one-hat Good Food Guide rating.
Riverine Black Angus rib-eye is the focus. Get it on the bone, as a prime rib roast in 300 or 700 gram portions, or as a spinalis steak.
That spinalis cut is rare in Australia, so it is worth ordering. Sides like truffle mac and cheese and buttermilk cornbread are favorites.
Leather sofas and dark wood give it a private club style. There is even a poker room with a custom card table.
18. La Cabrera, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ramekins arrive by the dozen at La Cabrera, and they can crowd the table before the steak even lands.
Since 2002, this Palermo favorite has served Argentine grilled meats to locals and visitors. It now runs two locations right across the street from each other.
Order the ojo de bife or bife de chorizo, or try a dry-aged or Wagyu option. Then sample the little dishes of applesauce, creamed corn, beet purée, and caramelized onions.
The grilled goat cheese provoleta makes a great starter. Portions are large, so sharing is smart.
Reservations help a lot here. Walk-ins are welcome but often wait, and prices feel fair for the amount of food.
Share this story
