Where to Find the Best Steak in Sydney
These Sydney steaks don't come cheap. But boy, are they worth it.
Where to Find the Best Steak in Sydney
These Sydney steaks don't come cheap. But boy, are they worth it.
The best steaks in Sydney aren't only found at luxe steakhouses. French bistros cook up a mean steak frites. Argentinian grills know exactly how to treat all kinds of cuts before throwing them on the flames. And there are some ripping gastropubs serving up affordable steaks that rival many a fine-diner in the city.
Now with all that being said, when you want to try the best steak in Sydney you should expect to pay handsomely for it. The best of the best source only the most exceptional (and most expensive) cuts of meat from around Australia and abroad. Top grade wagyu makes it onto a few Sydney steak menus, perfectly marbled and cooked with love. Pair it all with the right wine (brilliant sommeliers abound at these steak spots, too) and whatever you do, don't ask for your meat well done.
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Macellaria is billed as the butcher that sells you your meat and then politely cooks it for you. So if you’re keen to dine in with mates or get some takeaway for the barbie, this Sydney steak joint has got you covered.
This place is a carnivore’s paradise, slinging only the finest MSA grade beef, sourced from Australia’s most legendary beef growing areas from South Australia to Gippsland. Alongside the local cuts, it also offers Tajima wagyu that originated from the Hyogo prefecture in Japan and is among the most famous cuts in the world.
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BLACK Bar & Grill is The Star’s steak in shining armour. A favourite amongst the high rollers, BLACK is a beef fiend’s haven. Bunker down in a copper-panelled booth or at the sultry bar and set your sights (and other senses) on some the best steak in Sydney.
Our favourite option is the the flat iron ration-fed wagyu with a +9 marble rating — served with a marrow and shallot sauce. Save this one for a special occasion.
Image: Anna Kucera.
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The team behind Woolloomooloo favourite The Old Fitz and Newtown’s Odd Culture (one of Sydney’s best bars) brought The Duke of Enmore to life with a major reboot including a top-notch pub menu and not-your-average drinks list while maintaining its dive-y charm.
It’s also an unlikely home to one of the best steaks in Sydney. The 250-gram ‘pub steak’ is one of the cheapest Sydney steaks on this list coming in at just $35 — but don’t let that fool you. It’s perfectly tender, coming with a melt-in-your-mouth bone marrow, a vibrant chimichurri and a heap of fries.
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The seriously under-discovered S’More, stashed up in Castlecrag on Sydney’s lower North Shore, is a fun and laidback steakhouse with great food and imagination to spare. Opened by “Big” Sam Young and his partner Grace Chen, they bring years of experience from institutions like Mr Wong, Totti’s and Queen Chow.
Oysters, caviar and champagne will kick off your evening in luxurious style, but save room for one of the stellar steaks from the hibachi grill. Our rec? The 450g O’Conner dry aged bone-in sirloin. It’s served with a ginger shallot relish and jus and cooked to perfection. There’s also a 250g MB9 wagyu flat iron with a soy glaze and a 1kg Jack’s Creek t-bone to keep you honest. Go big or go home at S’more.
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From the moment you open the door Hubert will take you from drafty city streets to the resplendent old-world opulence of post-war Paris. It’s like an adult’s version of Narnia, only this time there’s steak and wine.
And when it comes to the beef, it is a strictly French affair. The 400-gram chateaubriand (an eye fillet grilled between two lesser pieces of meat that are discarded after cooking) comes with a rich béarnaise sauce. It makes for a tender, juicy and delicious meat experience that any self-proclaimed carnivore must try before they die.
Image: Bodhi Liggett.
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Described as a tribute to the New York-style steakhouse, Chophouse removes itself from the old gimmicks of steakhouses and instead exudes a level of class through its service, food and contemporary setting.
Our pick is the MB7+ wagyu rump, sourced from the finest beef from Brunette Downs in the NT. Chophouse’s chefs have treated the cut with the upmost respect and the caramelised surface of the meat from the grill has an oaky flavour which pairs exceptionally well with the juicy meat and red jus. This is up there as one of the best steaks in Sydney.
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This lavish European-influenced brasserie housed in CBD hotel Capella swung open its doors in early 2023, becoming an instant hit. The acclaimed hospitality crew or Monopole and Bentley Restaurant and Bar are behind this elegant dining room and a meticulously curated wine program. But let’s talk steaks.
Take your pick from the Rangers Valley rump cap, O’Connor’s short rib and bone-in sirloin or the Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye. Each come with a simple red wine sauce or a Bordelaise sauce letting the beautiful cuts of meat shine as the hero.
Image: Kris Paulsen.
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Sydney has experienced a recent influx of sleek bistros and flash steakhouses, but few are leaning into the opulence quite like Clam Bar. This Bridge Street brasserie from the team behind Bistrot 916 and Pellegrino 2000 sets itself apart by combining the modern sensibilities of its CBD counterparts with a playful fondness for the menu items from fine diners of yesteryear.
Dan Pepperell (ex-Restaurant Hubert and 10 William Street), sommelier Andy Tyson (ex-Alberto’s Lounge) and former Rockpool chef Michael Clift’s third venue does nothing in half measures. That’s especially true with the extensive steak menu that includes a huge 1kg porterhouse best shared with your fellow diners.
Image: Jason Loucus.
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One underground restaurant dedicated to steak wasn’t quite enough for Bistecca‘s James Bradley and Warren Burns. The minds behind The Wild Rover and Grandma’s Bar also opened The Gidley — an opulent basement restaurant inspired by old-school New York and London steakhouses — and we are all too glad they did.
Taking inspiration from supper clubs and steakhouses, the menu heroes one dish: the Riverine black Angus rib eye. Here, it’s done three ways: chargrilled on-the-bone, a classic prime rib roast, and a hard-to-come-by spinalis steak. To finish your steak off, douse it in your choice of green goddess, confit garlic mustard or truffle, mushroom and burnt butter sauce. Sensational.
Image: Dominic Loneragan.
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Located on Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, Kingsleys specialises in classic Australian dining — using premium, locally sourced steak, seafood and wine. With a charcoal oven in the kitchen, the dry aged ribeye on the bone, double lamb chop from Oberon and smoked St Louis pork ribs are cooked faster, juicier and with a smoky charcoal flavour.
And while there are a hefty selection of ten different cuts of steak (paired with six different sauces), the menu also champions seafood fresh from the market. There is mud crab with tarragon mayo, Moreton Bay bugs grilled with house chilli XO sauce, wood fried rock lobster and snow king crab legs. It takes surf and turf to another level.
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Firedoor is Sydney’s home of wood-smoked goodness from chef Lennox Hastie, a British-born chef with a string of Michelin stars on his belt. Such is the popularity of this very special venue that there’s a months-long wait list, so you’ll need to book your table well in advance. But the wait is worth it.
A five-course, daily changing menu comes with a variety of seafood, veggie and meat dishes — all cooked over the grill — and there is an option to add some of the famed dry-aged steaks. Put simply, there’s no other restaurant in Sydney like Firedoor.
Image: Nikki To.
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Rockpool Bar & Grill is a grand institution and one that maintains a consistently high bar. A marbled open kitchen exposes spunky chefs sweating under heat lamps, atmosphere is aplenty, and the wine selection is more like an encyclopedia than list.
But what you’re really here for is some of the wham bam steak. The Cape Grim dry-aged 36-month-old grass fed fillet is quite possibly what they had in mind when they coined the phrase, “melts in your mouth”. Then there’s the rib-eye on the bone for the bottomless pits amongst us. Don’t be ashamed, be proud. This is where you treat yourself to the best steak in Sydney.
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While many of city’s best French restaurants bring a flashy Sydney flair to their take on French cuisine, Brasserie L’Entrecôte — and its new sibling venue Bouillon L’Entrecôte — celebrate tradition, serving up classic dishes done incredibly well. Start off with a glass of kir royale, pairing it with some escargots, a foie gras mousse and a cheese souffle beforfe moving on to the famed steak.
The house specialty is the 200-gram sirloin steak served with french fries, walnut green salad and the kitchen’s famous secret sauce — owner Johan Giausseran, nor the chefs, will give up the secret to the sauce’s recipe, no matter how hard you might prod.
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Botswana Butchery is a mega-venue in Martin Place housing up to 940 guests and the menu is all about presenting Australian and New Zealand meat, seafood and wine in the best possible way.
The menu’s main attraction is titled The Butcher’s Block and presents a selection of exclusive cuts of meat from some of the country’s best producers. Here, you’ll find the likes of black opal wagyu rump, whole slow-roasted lamb shoulder and 1.6-kilogram servings of mb5+ Jacks Creek wagyu tomahawk.
Image: Sander Dalhuisen.
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Having run The Newport since March 2016, Merivale decided it was about time to add something new to the sprawling Northern Beaches venue. And so was born Bert’s, a brasserie and bar brimming with oysters, lobster, steak and very fine vibes.
It is a superb location at which to treat yourself to one of the best steaks in Sydney. There are five to choose from, ranging from a 300-gram Tajima wagyu to the undeniably impressive 1kg bistecca alla Fiorentina.
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From the folks behind Grandma’s and The Rover is Bistecca, an Italian steakhouse that specialise in Tuscany’s top chop, the bistecca alla Fiorentine. Just like pizza, soccer and leather man bags, Italians take their bistecca very seriously, and, as such, there are strict rules that govern its cooking and eating. In Florence, the ancient Chianina cow breed is used, but due to the impractical nature of importing it, Bistecca has opted for a local alternative — a high quality black Angus beef from the Riverine region of NSW.
Once you’ve selected your steak size, the flesh is presented to you for approval. It’s then thrown on an open hearth to spit and sizzle on a bonfire of olive and wood branches. Around 40 minutes after ordering, steaks arrive sliced and ready for attack. And damn is this an outstanding steak.
Image: Dominic Loneragan.
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Porteño owners Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz have been grilling up a storm on their legendary Argentine grill for over two decades. Grab a seat at the bar, either just grabbing a few wines and some snacks — think wagyu bresaola, Sydney rock oysters and chargrilled blood sausage.
But you would be foolish to come here and not try some of the 12 different varieties of steak — four of which are dry-aged. By controlling the entire dry-ageing process themselves, Porteño maximise the natural flavours of each steak showcasing their full potential when cooked over fire. If you are a steak worshipper consider this place your church.
Image: Steven Woodburn.
Top Images: Botswana Butchery.
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