You can hardly stroll through Dallas without tripping over a steakhouse. The options are plentiful, but if you’re going to drop a paycheck on steak, sides and wine, you want to ensure that the meal is worth the splurge. Fortunately, Dallas sports an eclectic and excellent array of steakhouses, ranging from old school haunts to modern, red meat-laden palaces, where you’re guaranteed to leave happy and full. These are 11 of the city’s best steakhouses.
Town Hearth
Ceiling studded with ornate chandeliers? Check. Motorcycle on display? Of course. An aquarium featuring a yellow submarine? You know it. The visuals are half the fun here, but the steaks are serious. Prime cuts and dry-aged steaks are grilled over wood fire, and Mishima Wagyu is cooked on a plancha and sliced. If you want a steak for the table as well as for Instagram, try the 32-ounce bone ribeye, aka the Battle Axe. Sides go beyond the usual fare, with crab-topped tots, bucatini cacio e pepe, macaroni casserole and a motorcycle. Yes, that 1974 Ducati on display is also for sale.
Brass Ram
Another Nick Badovinous venture (Town Hearth), Brass Ram is equal parts prime rib restaurant and steakhouse, showing off a meticulous dedication to red meat. Prime rib is left to cure for 24 hours before it’s slow roasted and finished with a kiss of high heat and tallow butter. It’s available in four sizes, from 12 to 28 ounces, sliced and perfect for sharing. If you want a more traditional steak, there’s also a tenderloin, ribeye, porterhouse and NY steak frites. Throw in some shrimp cocktail and a cross-cut, top-loaded baked potato, then complete your meal with a bottle from the extensive wine list.
Mister Charles
Mister Charles is a lot more than a steakhouse, but the glitzy restaurant has a section of steaks and a kitchen staff that can cook them to perfection. If you want to double down on premium-grade Wagyu, start with the A5 striploin on brioche canape, then move to the entrees, where you’ll find Japanese A5 priced by the ounce. Or keep it local with Texas Wagyu au poivre.
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When Hôtel Swexan opened in June 2023, it brought a few new restaurants to the Harwood District, including Stillwell’s, its flagship steakhouse. Located on the seventh floor, Stillwell’s dining room sports leather banquettes, heavy drapes and dark nooks where you can focus on your dinner. The menu features HWD Beef, Harwood Hospitality’s proprietary bloodline of Akaushi cattle that are raised specifically for their restaurants. Choose from all manner of cuts, including filets, picanha, Delmonico ribeyes and bone-in tomahawks, then pair your steak with one of eight toppers and sauces like bernaise, black truffle butter and chiles toreados.
Dakota’s Steakhouse
Dakota’s has been going strong in Downtown for four decades, thanks in part to its dramatic entrance. Enter the street-level glass elevator, then ride down to the subterranean courtyard and step through the doors. Inside the handsome dining room, you’ll find business lunchers during the day and couples and larger parties at night, all there for dishes like beef Wellington, cowboy ribeyes and a 36-ounce porterhouse for two. Sides range from asparagus and creamed spinach to lobster mac and cheese and lobster elote. You might as well throw in a lobster tail while you’re at it.
Knife
Michelin-winner John Tesar debuted his decidedly modern steakhouse concept in 2014. Upon entering Knife, diners are greeted by a window that looks into the dry-aging room where they can see where their meat was lovingly rested before hitting the grill. Steaks are broken down into three sections: old school, new school and exotic, so all the bases are covered. That latter category includes options like the incredibly rich 240-day dry-aged ribeye. If it’s your first time in, don’t miss the bacon tasting, which is a fun way to start your dinner.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Del Frisco’s has been grilling up steaks for more than 40 years, and the Double Eagle in Uptown remains one of the city’s best and most popular spots to load up on meat and wine. The menu begins with a large selection of chilled seafood and then moves into soups, salads and steaks. Because you’re here for the latter, choose your preferred USDA prime cut or Japanese A5 Wagyu, then throw an enhancement on top, like bourbon peppercorn sauce, gorgonzola fondue or a seared jumbo scallop. All that’s left now is something to drink, so ask for the sommelier to help you navigate the massive wine list.
Nick & Sam’s
This perennial favorite has been serving up steaks and chops since 1999. Chef Samir Dhurandhar’s menu features one of the most extensive Wagyu selections in town, and steak toppers run from bone marrow gravy to foie gras hollandaise. Nick & Sam’s is as famous for its fun-loving atmosphere and hospitality as its food, so it’s a popular spot to celebrate special occasions. Keep your head on a swivel for local celebrities and sports stars.
Bob’s Steak & Chop House
Bob’s Steak & Chop House opened in Dallas in 1993. Since then, it’s expanded into Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio and out of state, but the original is still going strong. Bob’s fosters a lively atmosphere that draws the expense account crowd and bar patrons alike, who show no hangup about partying on weeknights. The menu plays the hits, with prime steaks, chops, seafood and sides. Since opening, each plate has been adorned with a single glazed carrot, which might be the most famous carrot in America.
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
This Texas institution opened in Dallas in 1998 and now counts two additional locations in Houston. Every USDA Prime-graded cut is broken down in-house by Pappas’ own butchers and then aged for a minimum of 28 days. As the story goes, the secret dry-aging recipe is known only to a few people and stored securely in a safe. Whatever the case, it works. And once that filet or porterhouse hits your plate, you’ve got plenty of accompaniments to choose from. Yes, there’s shrimp cocktail, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and a wedge salad, but leave room on the table for wine — the award-winning list boasts nearly 4,000 bottles.
SĒR Steak + Spirits
Located atop the Hilton Anatole hotel, SĒR serves steaks and wine with skyline views. Most of the menu leans classic, with all the expected starters, steaks and sides, but there are enough surprises to keep you guessing — think al pastor octopus, gochujang fried chicken and chorizo gnocchi. The steaks range in size and cut, so you can take it easy with an eight-ounce flat iron or go all-in on a 28-ounce porterhouse. There’s also a variety of sauces and enhancements, like bone marrow, brûléed onions, red chimichurri and a lobster tail.
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