Steakhouses are as ingrained in America's culture as pizza is to New York City or fresh crab is to Maryland. They're an iconic staple of the cuisine and one that has become a cornerstone of the culinary arts, with two outgrowing branches: creative and fresh, or lavish and classic. Both work equally well when it comes to a menu featuring the best cuts of wagyu, USDA prime beef, and those traditional porterhouses meat lovers crave. These are the steakhouses doing the best of both on the East Coast.
Northeast
Peter Luger's Steakhouse, NYC
The way people talk about Peter Luger's, you would think that he practically invented the porterhouse - and, in a way, maybe he did. The steakhouse has been building its reputation since 1887 and has even grown to include tours of its dry-aging facility, where diners can literally see where the aged steak they just consumed came from. When it comes to the classic New York steakhouse feel, no one quite does it better than Peter' Luger's.
- Location: 178 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY / 255 Northern Blvd., Great Neck, NY
- Hours: Open from 11:45 AM - 8:45 PM, daily
- Recommended: In-house, dry-aged porterhouse steak
Bowery Meat Company, NYC
Walking into Bowery Meat Company is like walking into heaven for steak lovers. Not only will diners have their choice from a list of the finest cuts of meat, but they'll also be greeted at the door with a platter of LaFrieda and Snake River Farms steaks. If you're looking for a place to get a tomahawk ribeye, this is also the place for you - the options are endless, the atmosphere is hip, and the steaks are divine.
- Location: 9 E 1st Steet, New York, NY
- Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 4 PM to 10 PM
- Recommended: Tomahawk ribeye with garlic confit, grilled shallots, and blistered shishito peppers
Rare Steakhouse, Boston, MA
Rare Steakhouse is relatively new to the steak scene which makes its growing reputation even more impressive. Serving up cuts of beef that aren't exactly easy to find in Boston or the surrounding area, this restaurant is serving up perfection and taking names... for reservations, that is. Its location in the Boston Encore Casino makes it an even more alluring prospect to steak lovers, and the atmosphere is pretty unbeatable.
- Location: 1 Broadway, Everett, MA
- Hours: Thursday 5 PM - 10 PM, Friday & Saturday 5 PM - 11 PM, Sunday 5 PM - 10 PM
- Recommended: Domestic & Japanese wagyu
Mooo...., Boston, MA
Mooo.... (no spelling mistakes, that's the name of the restaurant) is located in the XV Beacon Hotel, so you already know it's bound to be serving up a fancy, classic menu. While that's exactly what can be expected from this steakhouse, it still sports a somewhat laid-back atmosphere while serving dishes featuring Japanese wagyu and Australian ribeye.
- Location: 15 Beacon St., Boston, MA
- Hours: Sunday to Thursday 5:30 PM - 9 PM, Friday & Saturday 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
- Recommended: Any steak with a pairing of vincotto sauce
Southeast
C. Ellet's Steakhouse, Atlanta, GA
C. Ellet's Steakhouse opened back in 2017 and its reputation for extraordinary steak cuts certainly precedes it. The restaurant was opened by chef Linton Hopkins, James Beard award winner, with a New Orleans flair that dabbles in both beef and seafood. It's these two things that C. Ellet's is known for, and they're even better when paired as surf 'n turf.
- Location: 2605 Circle Parkway Suite 400, Atlanta, GA
- Hours: Monday - Friday 4 PM - 10 PM, Saturday 11 AM - 10 PM, Sunday 11 AM - 8 PM
- Recommended: 35-day-aged bone-in Kansas City Strip
Kevin Rathbone Steak, Atlanta, GA
Eater calls Kevin Rathbone Steak one of the chicest restaurants in the city for all steak, seafood, and wine needs - and it lives up to the hype. This steakhouse is combining the more classic, traditional cuts of steak with modern, harder-to-find cuts of beef. Juicy cuts paired with a classic wedge salad or a start of foie gras.
- Location: 154 Krog St. NE STE 200, Atlanta, GA
- Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 5 PM - 9 PM, Friday & Saturday 5 PM - 10 PM
- Recommended: Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Dry-Aged Cowboy Ribeye
The Wagyu Bar, Miami, Florida
There's no place in Miami quite like the Wagyu Bar and if you're looking for specific cuts of meat that you won't find anywhere else in Florida, this is it. This restaurant is just down the street from Meat 'n Bone, which is its sister butcher shop. On the menu, diners will find over a dozen selections of wagyu steaks to try, making the hardest part of dining out the choice you'll have to make when you get there.
- Location: 2257 Coral Way, Miami, FL
- Hours: Every day, 11 AM - 10 PM
- Recommended: 45-Day-Aged Kansas Steak
LT Steak & Seafood, Miami, Florida
Chef Laurent Tourondel is responsible for LT Steak & Seafood, and what makes it so spectacular isn't only its choice of beef cuts, but also its sauces. With each cut of meat, diners can choose from six mouth-watering sauces to pair with their USDA or certified Angus. This customization is a rare find in many steakhouses, and it keeps the menu from becoming too classic.
- Location: 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami, FL
- Hours: Every day, Breakfast from 7:30 AM - 11 AM, Lunch from 11 AM - 2:30 PM, Dinner from 5:30 PM - 10 PM
- Recommended: USDA Prime or Certified black Angus with any housemade sauce