The Top Steakhouses around Boston
The cuts are prime and the fine wine is flowing. Here's where to satisfy every carnivorous craving.
The Capital Grille. Del Frisco’s. The Palm. Ruth’s Chris. Mastro’s. Ocean Prime. Plenty of nationally known steakhouses have set up shop in Boston, and they’re certainly prime spots for flavorful chops. But the Hub is also home to some exceptional, locally rooted restaurants for satisfying even the most intense carnivorous cravings. Have a hankering? Head to the city’s stalwart standard-bearers.
This guide was last updated in September 2023; watch for periodic updates.
Prime chops await at Abe & Louie’s. / Courtesy photo
Abe & Louie’s
Best of Boston winner, 2004, 2005, 2009
Trendy hotspots come and go, but this decades-spanning Back Bay icon never goes out of fashion. (Sure, it’s under the umbrella of a national restaurant group and has a sibling spot down in Florida, but this old-timer feels like part of the city’s fabric.) The classically handsome chophouse still dresses its tables in crisped white linens, a blank canvas to fill with plates of sizzling, skillet-blackened steaks, platters of fresh oysters on ice, and bottles of oaky red wine to sip while swathed in soft light and dark wood paneling. Hey, Abe & Louie’s: Never change.
793 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-536-6300, abeandlouies.com.
A feast of steak au poivre and bone-in black Angus filet at the Bancroft. / Photo by Nina Gallant
The Bancroft
Too often, the phrase “suburban steakhouse” conjures images of strip-mall chains that slap down tough and rubbery slabs. The Bancroft in Burlington, however, is urbane as they come–sleek, sophisticated, and stocked with prime cuts like a 42-ounce tomahawk rib steak for two. James Beard award-nominated chef Mario Capone is the man who helped the place earn a best new restaurant nod when it opened in 2015, and he’s loaded its menu loaded with highly-civilized standouts. See: skirt steak with charred avocado and chipotle butter, and grilled swordfish and octopus with saffron fish fumet and white bean puree.
15 3rd Ave., Burlington, 781-221-2100, the-bancroft.com.
Dry-aged New York strip at Bogie’s Place. / Photo by Chelsea Kyle
Bogie’s Place
Here’s looking at you, Bogie’s. Sure, the place flies under the radar, hidden by velvet drapes and tucked in the rear of JM Curley, one of the best bars in Boston (and a destination for extremely good burgers). But the semi-secret, 18-seat steakhouse has star appeal: Witness the tender, eight-ounce filet mignon or 22-ounce, bone-in ribeye with red wine demi. After your meal, pop into new sibling and neighbor the Wig Shop for a swanky cocktail or two.
25 Temple Pl., Downtown Crossing, Boston, 617-338-5333, bogiesplace.com.
Steak and onion rings at Boston Chops in Downtown Crossing. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Boston Chops
Best of Boston winner, 2015
There’s a swinging, sexy vibe to this steakhouse—and major power-lunch ambiance at the stately downtown location—but the scene is just a side dish. Chef and partner Chris Coombs keeps his focus on the food–and it is, in a word, excellent. That includes “top chops” such as the 20-ounce Chateaubriand—made even more majestic with the addition of roasted bone marrow. (Oh, and the flaky, steaming-hot popovers? To die for.)
1375 Washington St., South End, Boston, 617-227-5011; 52 Temple Pl., Downtown Crossing, Boston, 617-580-3580; bostonchops.com.
Steak at Davio’s. / Courtesy photo
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
Problem: You want prime rib; your partner wants pasta. Solution: You head to this Boston-born group of Italian steakhouses, where the bowls of penne—tossed in a cream sauce with applewood smoked chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and walnuts—are served right alongside carni coupled with port wine or parsley-and-pepper sauces. The newest Davio’s in the Seaport has romantic waterfront views, while the Chestnut Hill spot is perfect for pairing with a date-night excursion to the neighboring Showcase SuperLux cinema.
Multiple locations, davios.com.
Grill 23. / Courtesy photo
Grill 23 & Bar
Best of Boston winner, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1997, 1999-2002, 2006-2008, 2011-2014, 2016-2019, 2022, 2023
For 40 years, Grill 23 has been a go-to for first-class food, wine, and service. And dining here still feels like an affair: Solicitous servers usher only the finest steaks—like highest-grade Japanese wagyu—and the best bottles. (In fact, Grill 23 was the first Boston restaurant to receive a rare Grand Award from Wine Spectator.) The dessert is exemplary; try the classic coconut cake or the irresistible chocolate cake with seasonal fixings. There’s even table-side cigar service, with stogies presented in a humidor and prepped for smoking outside. Here, the good life lives on.
161 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-542-2255, grill23.com.
See also: The Ultimate Guide to Greater Boston’s Tastiest Steak Tips
Steak at Mooo’s Fort Point location. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Mooo….
Best of Boston winner, 2011
First of all, the extra “o” is theirs. (So is the extended ellipsis.) Now that we’ve cleared that up, allow us to sing the praises of chef Jamie Mammano’s steakhouse inside the XV Beacon hotel. The State House-side space on Beacon Hill is stylish, not stiff, and offers excellent cuts—from grass-fed Australian ribeye to Japanese wagyu—for pairing with sauces like vincotto (cooked wine) with bone marrow. Wagyu also makes an appearance in the must-try appetizer, Japanese wagyu dumplings with soy and ginger. Those, plus the Parker House-style rolls, kick things off just right. Enjoy similarly classy steak dinners at newer locations in Boston’s Fort Point and in Burlington.
15 Beacon St., Beacon Hill, Boston, 617-670-2515; 49 Melcher St., Fort Point, Boston, 617-556-8000; 86 Cambridge St., Burlington, 781-270-0100; mooorestaurant.com.
Oliveira’s Steakhouse
If it’s a Brazilian steakhouse-style experience you crave, you could head to Fogo de Chão, a high-end chain with a swank outpost in Back Bay. But for a more low-key, local option that nails it every time, check out this Somerville mainstay. The beef is served rodízio-style: Servers stop by to slice perfectly cooked sirloin and other meaty cuts tableside until you say “enough.” (You won’t want to.)
120 Washington St., East Somerville/Inner Belt, Somerville, 617-764-0455, oliveirassomerville.com.
Prima’s 32-ounce, 45-day dry-aged porterhouse is served with crispy potatoes, creamed braising greens, and black garlic parmesan butter. / Photo by Mike Diskin
Prima
This is one good-looking restaurant. Located in the historical Olives space just steps from the Freedom Trail, Prima, an Italian steakhouse, does its butchering onsite, which means you’ll save a little money on impressive steaks like massive tomahawk and Florentine cuts. Add some house-made mozzarella, a steamy bowl of tortellini en brodo, a jumbo cannoli, and perhaps a tiramisu espresso martini to your meal, and you’ve got quite the date night, especially if you’re seated in the red-velvet-y Rose Room.
10 City Sq., Charlestown, Boston, 617-804-7400, primaboston.com.
The baked Alaska is set on fire tableside at Rare. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Rare Steakhouse
Every glitzy casino needs a top-dollar steakhouse, and Rare at the Encore Boston Harbor certainly fits the bill. Is it pricy? Yes. But you get what you pay for—and here, that includes a selection of unique, hard-to-find cuts. For one thing, Rare is the only restaurant in Massachusetts to serve credentialed Kobe beef, which is extremely hard to find stateside (no matter what erroneously labeled menus might lead you to believe). It’ll set you back nearly $300 for just four ounces, so don’t blow all your blackjack winnings before dinner.
1 Broadway, Everett (Encore Boston Harbor), 857-770-3300, encorebostonharbor.com.
Smith & Wollensky
Among the litany of national-chain steakhouses with a presence in Boston, we have a soft spot for Smith–it’s headquartered here, after all. Though the longstanding location in Back Bay’s iconic Boston Castle closed a few years ago, the Atlantic Wharf address (and Wellesley and Burlington siblings) chugs along with filets that might be wrapped in bacon, crusted in gorgonzola, or rubbed with coffee and cocoa. In warm weather, you’ll want to take them on the sunny patio with a stiff martini in hand.
294 Congress St., Atlantic Wharf, Boston, 617-778-2200; 583 Washington St., Wellesley, 781-992-5150; 92 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington, 781-951-2333; smithandwollensky.com.
The Stockyard’s teriyaki-glazed tenderloin tips. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
The Stockyard
This Brighton landmark retains every bit of the old-school steakhouse charm that has lured Bostonians for special family dinners these many decades. We’re all about the hefty steaks that arrive sizzling with charred, flavorful crusts and tender, juicy centers. Plus, every cut can be crowned with adornments like lobster Oscar. Live it up.
135 Market St., Brighton, Boston, 617-782-4700, stockyardrestaurant.com.
