The 9 best steaks in Darwin

If the mark of a good pub is the coldness of its beers and the freshness of its steaks, then The Cav is up there with the best. The Cavenagh Hotel – fittingly located on Cavenagh Street in the city – has been serving up beers and beef since it was first licensed in 1932. Today, the bistro menu includes all the usual suspects – eye fillet, scotch fillet and sirloin – as well as rib on the bone (grain fed 100+ days in Gympie, Queensland) and premium rib on the bone (grain fed 200+ days in Kerwee, Queensland). Regardless of your cut, all the steaks at The Cav are butchered daily. They also come with an exceptional selection of sauces, including chimichurri, red wine jus and blue cheese butter. This is next-level pub grub, giddy up. 

On any given night, you’ll find Darwin’s most serious steak lovers here: in a paved courtyard under festoon lights strung between palm trees next to a tranquil water fountain. Welcome to Tim’s Surf and Turf, where the entry sign features a buffalo, croc, barramundi and frangipanis. It doesn’t get more tropical than this! Start with the crocodile spring rolls (hot tip) before your choice of a Wagyu rump, porterhouse, t-bone, scotch fillet or eye fillet. And finish the night in true Territory style, with a selfie next to Tim’s baby saltwater croc, aptly named Schnitzel von Crumb. 

Down at the picturesque waterfront where even born-and-bred locals feel like they’re on holiday, the Beef and Bar restaurant is Darwin’s newest steakhouse. The menu almost reads like a romance novel: tender, smooth, firm and juicy. Options include a richly marbled rib eye, a flavourful rump and a succulent scotch fillet. Each cut has been carefully sourced and selected by the team, led by NT hospitality stalwart Jaswinder ‘Jazz’ Walia. Come for the beef, stay for the bar. 

Dining doesn’t get more high-class in Darwin than Pee Wee's at the Point. The luxury venue overlooking the harbour at East Point is dripping in gold – as in, Gold Plate Awards, the highest honour in Territory hospitality. Everything about Pee Wees is premium, including the steak, a 200-gram Pinnacle grass-fed eye fillet, served with a mushroom and parmesan crust, potato dauphinoise, charred leek, horseradish emulsion and red wine jus. This is a special occasion steak, but there’s no law saying a Wednesday night can’t be a special occasion. Don’t limit yourself.

When you hear ‘tapas restaurant’ you might not immediately think of ‘steak’, but Moorish Café isn’t your average tapas restaurant. It’s a Spanish-inspired eatery, with a heavy Territory influence. Case in point: the beef medallions are eye fillets from Gunbalunya in Arnhem Land, served with dukkah, sweet potato mash, and a bone marrow and red wine jus. A taste of Spain and the Top End in a single mouthful, ‘Salud’ to that.

If you like your steak with a side of saddle bronc, the legendary Noonamah Tavern serves up both. The outback pub, affectionately known as The Noonie, is a fixture of the rodeo circuit, much-loved by cowboys across the country. Next door to the rodeo arena is the pub’s beer garden, where you can enjoy a grass-fed Eva Valley scotch fillet. This is true paddock-to-plate dining. Old Cameron Downs – the station Eva Valley Meats calls home – is just down the road from Noonamah (a quick 45-minute drive). Their herd of 300 cattle is raised ethically and stress-free, without helicopters for mustering, and butchered on-site – before being grilled to perfection at The Noonie. It’s a must-visit for beef lovers and farm aficionados. 

Hidden in the northern suburbs of Darwin next to a shopping centre and a sports bar, is Dollys' at Hibiscus Tavern. It’s here you’ll find one of the Top End’s best steaks, according to real-deal locals who are frequent visitors to the tavern). The steak options change depending on the day, so look to the specials board for a delightful surprise. Choose your own adventure with the side offerings, which include mash, potato gratin, vegetables, salad or chips. Or elevate your experience by adding some reef (creamy garlic prawns) to your beef.

Standing at Lizards Bar on a Wednesday night, I witnessed an exchange between two high-vis-wearing mates. When one picked up a laminated menu and started perusing the options, the other promptly set him straight. “Don’t bother looking at that,” he explained. “It’s steak night!” And with that, the mates joined the six-deep queue at the restaurant. It was a good call. Hump Day, Rump Day at Lizards is an age-old tradition in Darwin, celebrated by tradies, foodies and bargain-hunters alike. For $19, punters can enjoy a 300-gram Great Southern grass-fed rump cap with salad and fries. It’s a meal – and a deal – worth queuing for, just ask anyone wearing high vis on Mitchell Street. 

If you’ve made it this far through the list, you might have noticed a pattern. Many of Darwin’s best steaks come from pub bistros. It makes sense; the Northern Territory capital is known for its classic pubs and classic pubs are known for their steak. A prime example of this fact is Hotel Darwin on Mitchell Street, where the steakhouse serves up the finest cuts from Malone’s Butchery. The 600-gram rib eye is dry-aged for 20 days and 100 per cent grass-fed. You’ll dream about it. Equally dreamy is the Wednesday night steak special, a 200-gram sirloin, and the Thursday night wildcard, the rump cap skewer with roast potatoes, corn and salad.