22 of the best steak restaurants in London

From the affordable (Flat Iron) to the fine-dining (Quality Chop House), here are some of the best steak restaurants in London that should have you mooing in pleasure

Best steak restaurants in London: Goodman steak

Morals of meat-eating aside, there's nothing quite like going out and enjoying a perfectly timed piece of steak. We're sure everybody's had the experience of being dragged to a swanky steakhouse because it's the only place your dad will actually agree to eat at, but we're also pretty sure a lot of you have ended up enjoying that grilled hunk of beef, rendolent with a rich and murky animal flavour – even if it wasn't at one of the best steak restaurants in London. 

Yes, eating a rare piece of steak unlocks something carnal inside of us: something bestial that makes us grunt and nod in entrecôte-induced ecstasy, taking in deep, guttural breaths as we pile slabs of grilled meat into our mouths. Steak turns us into something not… quite… human. And while we're very much on the same page about the fact that eating less meat is good for the planet, and something we should all be doing, we also realise that life is cruelly short and that treating yourself to a steak on a special occasion is a perfectly fine and acceptable thing to do. Once you get over the whole slaughtering and eating a living creature thing, of course.

We can't tell you how to live your life – nor would we ever wish to – but we do want to make sure, on the occasion that you decide to go out and have a glorious steak, that it's one that ends up setting your senses on fire. We want to guarantee that you get a perfectly charred beauty which will deliver that unholy flavour combination of salt, umami, and blood that simply can't be matched by a plant-based substitute. And the best way to get that fix is by visiting a seriously sexy steak restaurant in the capital.

So, prepare yourself for a fit of the meat sweats and dive into this guide to the best steak restaurants in London that spans from the affordable (Flat Iron) to the fine-dining (Quality Chop House) and everything inbetween. Not eating at at least one of these bovine-broiling hot spots would be a huge missed steak.

Best steak restaurants in London: 22 to try

1. Zelman Meats

2 St Anne's Court, W1F 0AZ

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Misha Zelman is not a vegan. Misha Zelman is a Russian who loves meat more than just about anything on the planet. Zelman Meats is somewhere that vegans won't feel comfortable. It's red meat or the highway at Zelman Meats – a West London restaurant that offers a range of different cuts of steak sourced from a variety of local and international suppliers. Angus grain-fed fillet from the UK, sirloin from Alberta, Canada, Hereford and Angus Aberdeen Black brand from New South Wales, Australia, and USDA picanha from Nebraska can all be found on the menu. While you can pick your poison with whichever of those haunches takes your fancy, Zelman Meats also gives you the option to order a sharing plate of all the cuts to share. Prepare for a case of the meat sweats at one of the best steak restaurants in London.

zelmanmeats.com

2. Hill & Szrok

60 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ

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By day, it's a small herd whole carcass butcher shop. By night, it's a cosy restaurant that specialises in local produce. For all 24 hours of the day, however, Hill & Szrok is on our mind. Sustainable steak is what you can find on the board here as Hill & Szrok only stocks animals that graze on grass and have been fed naturally. The menu changes daily depending on the availability of top quality, seasonal produce, always offering a selection of top quality cuts from the butchery, a small selection of starter plates, and a revolving cast of sides. Rump, sirloin, T-bone: whatever your preferred cut is, you can always trust that you'll be given a picture perfect piece of meat at Hill & Szrok.

hillandszrok.co.uk

3. Flat Iron

Various locations

No reservations and a £11 steak: that's Flat Iron's gimmick. And, we've got to admit, it's a bloody good one. A glass of wine and a hunk of medium rare chargrilled meat with a side order of dripping cooked chips? It's hard to say no to such mouth-wateringly good value, and there's a reason that Flat Iron has seen such a rapid expansion throughout the capital. It's got a concept that works, a loyal clientele, and an end-product that delivers the goods time after time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a Flat Iron steak, and that's what earns it a place on this list of the best steak restaurants in London.

flatironsteak.co.uk

4. Hawksmoor

Various locations

The key to Hawksmoor's success is in the sheer quality of its end-product. Despite the group's rapid expansion since it first opened up at Spitalfields in 2006 – an expansion that's seen it open a number of restaurants across the UK – every Hawksmoor remains a reliable spot to tuck into ruby red reams of London's best steak. Sourcing beef from grass-fed native cattle, Hawksmoor support traditional British farming methods and work with small farms to ensure that the whole process of griddling a perfect medium rare fillet is as ethical as it gets. It's especially worth getting involved in Hawksmoor's Monday wine club – a year round offer where the restaurant charges a paltry £5 corkage for you to bring in any bottle from your own cellar (or, let's be realistic here, the bottom row of your nearest Waitrose). Hawksmoor's been such a rampant success story that there's even a New York branch set to be open soon. Peter Luger, eat your heart out.

thehawksmoor.com

5. Blacklock

Various locations

Blacklock is a lock for one of the best value steaks in the city. Every branch has big chops and off-the-bone cuts of beef, lamb, and pork that'll have you salivating at the smell of them kissing the grill. The prime rib here is one for the brave; for those unafraid of increasing their blood pressure, for those willing to risk it all for a maillard crust and coral pink flesh that bleeds flavour all over the platter it's served on. British beef from Philip Warren Butchers is the difference maker at Blacklock, ensuring everything from the rump cap to beef fat dripping used to cook the chips is of the highest quality imaginable. As for the value, although its regular pricing is more than fair, butcher price Mondays give you the chance to get your own chops around Blacklock's big chops at cut-rate butcher's prices. Blacklock's steak sarnie, rammed with aged hanger steak and bone marrow on sourdough, is also one of the best sandwiches in the city. Make a porterhouse pilgrimage to your nearest Hawksmoor some time soon.

theblacklock.com

6. Quality Chop House

88-94 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EA

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The Quality Chop House is an icon, a legend, an immovable force in the London dining scene. Farringdon Road is where QCH calls home and where you can feel at home surrounded by endless plates of Belted Galloway sirloin and OTM Hereford fillet. The meat here doesn't come cheap, but it's all impeccably bred and an excellent example of the produce that the British isles can offer. Nothing truly good in life comes cheap and the same can be said for the dishes at Quality Chop House. That being said, the Belted Galloway onglet that sits on the surprisingly affordable lunch menu makes for a nice gateway into Quality Chop House's meat paradise. The only problem, of course, is that once you've got a taste for the finer things in life, you're never going to want to return to the world of subpar steak ever again.

thequalitychophouse.com

7. Lurra

9 Seymour Place, W1H 5BA

Lurra is a Spanish steakhouse that takes its influence from the traditional charcoal and wood grills you can find dotted all over the Basque Country. It's that rustic method of grilling over charcoal that gives the steak at Lurra an animal edge, a grunt and roughness you can feel as you turn each tender slice of beef over in your mouth. The meat itself isn't your run of the mill stuff, either. Lurra's Galician Blond cows are reared in Northern Spain, fed on a diet of grass and allowed to live between twelve and sixteen years of age. This free-range ageing has a direct impact on the marbling of the meat, giving each cut a distinct, almost nutty flavour. Even the fat of the steak at Lurra hits different – blessed with a buttery snap and a thick layer of what we can only describe as cow crackling.

lurra.co.uk

8. Gridiron by COMO

19 Old Park Lane, W1K 1LB

Gridiron by COMO is live-fire grill restaurant at COMO Metropolitan London. That's where the COMO bit of the name comes from. As a collaboration between chefs Richard Turner and Stephen Englefield, this West London locale is a steak specialist where pieces of meat are cooked over an open flame using wood and charcoal and served to everyone from rheumy-eyed hotel guests to carnivorous city boys. Hereford rump and rib eye are nothing to sniff at; nevertheless, the Angus T-bone is what steals the show. For a cool £75 you can get that wedge of animal plonked down on the table for you and another meat eater to slowly but surely work your way through. Preferably over a bottle of red from Gridiron's user-friendly wine list. Because when you're at one of the best steak restaurants in London, not having some red along for the ride would be an absolute crime.

gridironlondon.com

9. Macellaio RC

Various locations

Macellaio RC and its continually growing clan of Italian restaurants (at the time of writing there's six siblings in the city) is a great example of how you can open up a steakhouse that actually has a vibe. Each trattoria is unpretentious and lacks the fusty archness of traditional British steakhouses. What you're wearing does not matter at Macellaio RC; the meat is all that matters there. And how. All of Macellaio RC's beef comes from the Fassona breed of cattle, sourced from a mountainous region just north of Genoa, and is hung between 7-9 weeks to allow its intense meaty flavour to mature. Even the steak tartare at Macellaio RC is a different story to all the others you've heard before. The rump steak that can come with a smattering of gorgonzola and walnuts? Atypical. But delicious.

macellaiorc.com

10. Coal Rooms

Coal Rooms, 11a Station Way, SE15 4RX

Come to Coal Rooms if you're up for sharing. The only steaks the Peckham restaurant do are 40 day-aged Hereford sirloins on the bone (£9 per 100g) or 40 day-aged Hereford T-bones (£10 per 100g). While that's not exactly all the choice in the world, those two sharing dishes are more than enough for even the most avid beef eaters out there. Both come served with a portion of Coal Rooms' iconic Peckham Fatboy potatoes, making for the most intense rendition of meat and potatoes we've ever seen, and a dish that is not recommended eating more than once a week. Seriously. We're warning you. Don't even try.

coalroomspeckham.com

11. Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte

Various locations

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The pleasure one derives from a piece of steak is simple. It's a sock of umami and oomph in the solar plexus that doesn't bother with any acidic tang or fragrant hum. Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte is a French import – now boasting three outlets across London – that understands the importance of that simplicity. The menu will tell you what's on offer "today": trimmed entrecôte with its famous sauce, French fries and green salad with walnuts. It's the same thing that's on the menu every single day. You can order that steak rare, medium, or (if you really must) well-done. That's it. If you're looking for a fillet or ribeye you've come to the wrong place. But if you're looking for a prime example of why steak frites has found itself becoming one of France's most successful culinary exports, you should get yourself down to your nearest branch of Le Relais. As for the secret sauce? We only wish we knew the recipe.

relaisdevenise.com

12. Goodman

Various locations

Close your eyes and picture a steakhouse. Chances are high that the restaurant you've just imagined – leather booths, dim lighting, bafflingly heavy cutlery – is hell of a lot like Goodman. The three Goodman restaurants in London are something of the father, the son, and the holy ghost of steak spots in the city. Going to a Goodman is a religious experience of marbled meat and we'd gladly be burnt at the stake for heeding its gospel. Which is, considering the current anti-meat sentiment that exists in this day and age, an outcome that seems far more likely than getting served a burnt steak at Goodman. Goodman dry-ages it meat (sourced from the UK, USA, Spain and beyond) on-site in a temperature controlled, dehumidified environment. Goodman's charcoal ovens use a blend of wood from sustainable sources, kept at a face-melting 375-400°C. The Goodmans motto is: "We make life difficult for ourselves, to bring the best to you." That's rather good of them, isn't it?

goodmanrestaurants.com

13. The Grill at Harrods

87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL

It may not be the first place that springs to mind, but the fact of the matter is that The Grill at Harrods Dining Hall does some really, really good steak. It's, admittedly, one of the best steak restaurants in London. The menu showcases locally sourced produce from Scottish Highland beef (dry-aged in a Himalayan salt room) to international offerings of almost-liquid-y wagyu. All of the steaks are prepared to order over a charcoal grill and capable of making you forget what day it is and where you are. Yeah. It's that good.

harrods.com

14. La Patagonia

31 Camden High Street, NW1 7JE

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La Patagonia is a restaurant inspired by the set-up of an Argentinean barrio (neighbourhood) restaurant. Camden locals should consider themselves lucky. La Patagonia's charcoal grill singes all its meats and vegetables with tender affection. You'll struggle to find Argentine cuts of steak like entraña skirt steak, vacio flank steak and asado de tira short rib elsewhere in the city. It's what they dress the beef with at La Patagonia that excites us the most, however. Cane al Roqufort comes with a thick Roquefort cheese sauce; medallones de carne is served with sliced baked potatoes, onions and peppercorn sauce; churrasco criollo rump is topped with fried egg and piquillo pepper; brocheta de carne is a skewered beef fillet with bacon, Spanish sausage, peppers and onions. If none of the above takes your fancy, then the problem lies with you, buddy. Hit your daily protein intake with ease and, if you've got room, grab a takeaway empanada for dessert. That's good eating.

lapatagonia.co.uk

15. Smith & Wollensky

The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, WC2N 6HT

For a real deal experience of what it's like to eat at a classic American steakhouse without the faff of getting to the Big Apple, Smith & Wollensky is the place to dine. The flagship green and white building in New York crossed the pond to our muggy shores in 2015, transporting all of its NYC trappings into the jungle of Covent Garden along with a stash of USDA Prime, dry-aged beef in tow. Those stars and stripes steaks sit alongside local British and Irish cuts sourced from UK suppliers to make for a hard-to-top roster of beef. There's nothing more American than going to town on a USDA Prime bone-in sirloin Kansas cut and a Waldorf salad. God bless America.

smithandwollensky.co.uk

16. Tramshed

32 Rivington Street, EC2A 3LX

Is the Tramshed one of the best places to get steak in London based purely on the quality of the food? No. Don't get us wrong, the steak's damn good, but it's not going to convert a vegan anytime soon. Is the Tramshed one of the best places to get steak in London based purely on the fact there's a massive Damien Hirst Hereford cow and cockerel preserved in a steel and glass tank of formaldehyde in the middle of the restaurant? You betcha.

hixrestaurants.co.uk

17. Temper

Various locations

Temper buys most of its meat whole, direct from small farms, and butchers all of it in-house. That's just a little info on the ethical side of things going on at each of Neil Rankin's London restaurants. While we don't like to play favourites, the 6m long central fire-pit of Temper Soho is a bovine-grilling behemoth that just about nudges it above the City and Covent Garden in our eyes. Nonetheless, every Temper is worthy of its place on this list of London's best steak restaurants – the grilled meat is just that good and, in spite of the restaurant's almost overwhelmingly smoky atmosphere, it's not hard to see it's equally overwhelming appeal. Slather some of Temper's beef fat béarnaise on a perfectly cooked porterhouse for the most intense beef flavour you'll get this side of biting into a cow's arse.

temperrestaurant.com

18. Brasserie Zedel

20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7ED

If you find yourself in Soho with a desire to up your weekly red meat intake, then Brasserie Zedel is a pretty great shout. The order to make at Brasserie Zedel is the chopped steak, the chopped steak, and nothing but the chopped steak. It's a steak hache that's tossed in front of you ladled in a punchy peppercorn sauce with a portion of chips that you should definitely be dipping into that pool. Eating this dish is the luxury equivalent of slathering a hamburger off the barbecue in mustard and devouring it in your bare hands when you're six beers deep and out of buns. And we all know you need that kind of dining experience back in your life. The steak tartare comes a close second.

brasseriezedel.com

19. The KPH

139 Ladbroke Grove, W10 6HJ

This beloved West London hotel was rescued early in 2019 with chef director Henry Harris and ex-St John chef Ruairidh Summers taking charge of its revival. We're happy to say that The KPH has seen a fairly successful transition into its new role. The KPH isn't a straight-up steak restaurant per se but it makes this list of the best steak restaurants in London because the onglet, bèarnaise sauce and pomme frites is a textbook example of what we want when we go out to eat steak. We're not the sorts to ask for the world, either. All we want is: a) a well-cooked bit of meat, and b) a pleasant atmosphere to eat that strip in. The KPH provides both of those. Go if you fancy it.

thekph.co.uk

20. Brat

4 Redchurch Street, E1 6JL

Yes, you can actually go to Brat and order something apart from the turbot. We know that the turbot is very, very good. We know that it's so good that you could argue it's one of the primary reasons that Brat was given a Michelin star. But there's more to Brat than the brat, my friend. The beef sirloin and beef rib, for example, are both stellar options. Done up with not much more than a lick of oil and a generous seasoning of salt, both cuts are given the open wood fire grill treatment at Brat. Is Brat one of best steak restaurants in London? Yes, yes, it is. Is Brat one of London's best restaurants overall? Yes, yes, it is.

bratrestaurant.com

21. Arlo's

Various locations

Arlo's is as neighbourhood as it gets. Independent and family-owned, the Balham restaurant has a friendly, bring-your-kids-along atmosphere that's replicated in the amicable way it handles its produce. Arlo's source its grass-fed beef from native breeds which have been slowly reared on farms in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands and fed a natural diet of grass and hay. Those cows lived a good life, man. And you can live a good life, too, with Arlo's bavette, hanger, and rib eye steaks. Those unsung cuts are given the attention they deserve at Arlo's – tender in texture but dense in terms of their meaty oomph. The 'bavette feast' is a bonafide knockout; the steak is carved, piled atop a mountain of hand-cut chips and served with grilled garlic sourdough. Bosh.

arlos.co.uk

22. Coal Shed

One Tower Bridge, SE1 2SE

Steak and seafood. Surf and turf. Meat and fish. Those two seemingly disparate foodstuffs are often whacked together for the badness (Burger & Lobster) but, occasionally, they can come together for the goodness (Coal Shed). Taking up two floors of real estate in Tower Bridge, Coal Shed works with small, family-run farms to source its meat and only uses native British breeds. The result is a selection of tantalising cuts of beef that are timed well and served without fanfare, making it one of London's best steak restaurants, stat.

coalshed-restaurant.co.uk

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