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Photograph: Courtesy Dylan + JeniCharcoal

The best steakhouses in Los Angeles

For holiday dinners, special occasions or a big-ticket business dinner, the city's best steakhouses are at your service.

Patricia Kelly Yeo
Edited by
Patricia Kelly Yeo
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In a city known for its vegetarian and vegan appeal, we sometimes forget about the bounty of steakhouses serving prime cuts of meat around L.A. True, Angelenos tend to prefer their red meat in Korean barbecue form, but there's nothing like a steakhouse to seal the deal on an important contract or impress someone after a great first date. These protein-heavy joints are the ideal spot to kick back with a martini or two, level up a relationship (or, you know, not) and find solace with other meat-eaters. Check out our list of the best steakhouses in L.A., and keep your knives at the ready.

RECOMMENDED: Read more of our guide to the best restaurants in L.A.

18 best steakhouses in L.A.

  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Hancock Park
  • price 3 of 4
Few restaurants can accomplish what Nancy Silverton's ode to Italian flame-grilled meats does on a daily basis. With one of the best charcuterie programs in the city and a stunning open kitchen, Osteria/Pizzeria Mozza's younger sibling flame-grills tomahawk porkchops, cures fennel salami and dry-ages massive Flannery Beef steaks so big they almost feel like they rock the table when they land. This is a rustic Italian steakhouse that’s worth the meat sweats, and it’s worth the splurge; you may be spending $200 on a steak, but don’t think about skipping the sides of roasted sustainable veggies—nor that focaccia di recco, which oozes stracchino cheese. The expertly trained staff mans the open grill like nobody's business, so whatever you order, you’ll be in good hands.
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Southeast Cities
At this well-preserved L.A. institution out in Pico Rivera, old-school dining traditions are alive and well, from classic dishes like lobster thermidor to tableside preparations of Caesar salad, steak Diane and bananas Foster. Since 1958, the Pico Rivera steakhouse has offered some of the city's best martinis along with a throwback menu that'll bring your taste buds back to the middle of the 20th century. We happen to think the Caesar salad is the best of its kind in all of L.A. County. Order the pepper steak if you're a first-timer, or the Chilean seabass alla Ben if you tend to pick surf over turf. Though L.A. has plenty of decades-old restaurants and bars, not all offer the same compelling blend of high-quality food and ambience as Dal Rae—so if you're looking for L.A.'s best retro steakhouse experience, this is it.
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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Manhattan Beach
  • price 3 of 4
Mad Men may be over, but the martini-drinking, steak-consuming era of the ’60s still lives on. In Manhattan Beach, it comes in the form of The Arthur J, a steakhouse by chef David LeFevre. Curved booths and geometric patterns can be found here, along with an equally decade-appropriate menu to go along with it. Steaks—big ones, so you’d be wise to share—are available in various cuts, wet or dry, with both obvious sauces (béarnaise) and ones that might make you pause (Vietnamese caramel). Kansas City strip, rib eye, wagyu, New York strip and more are all represented here, but you’d be wise to start with the popovers, which come with a strawberry butter that is thoroughly addictive. Once you’ve made it through the steaks, old-school desserts await on the other side: a banana split, maybe, or an apple fritter topped with ice cream cream.
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 3 of 4
There are steakhouses, and then there are legends. One of L.A.'s longest-running restaurants, Lawry’s is an institution and it’s the one that really put prime rib on the map. To say that the atmosphere is formal is putting it mildly: Meat is carved tableside on massive silver carts by men wearing tall chef’s toques, and the service is fantastic. The iconic meal may be traditional—choose what size cut you’d like, what temperature and whether or not to add a vegetable—but Lawry’s recently revamped its menu for the first time in 80 years, adding a slew of new dishes (some even vegan-friendly). So no matter what you order, a few bites in and you’ll know why Lawry’s has been around for nearly a century. By the time you leave, you’ll wonder why you don’t eat from silver carts every night.
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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Culver City
  • price 3 of 4
In and around Los Angeles, every restaurant that’s been around for more than a couple of decades seems to declare that Frank Sinatra was a regular. In the case of Dear John’s, this was actually true. The steakhouse was a haunt for the crooner and his cronies from the time it opened in the early ’60s. Now, chef Josiah Citrin and the couple behind Rockenwagner Bakery have given this Rat Pack era steakhouse new life, with an old-school-cool ambience and delicious menu of classics with a twist, including a must-order, cheese-stuffed chicken parm and “bougie” tots topped with creme fraiche, caviar and salmon roe. Just know that Dear John's is here for a good time, not a long time—the steakhouse narrowly avoided demolition for the upteenth time last May, and is likely to only be around for just a few more years.
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Beverly
  • price 3 of 4

For the last two decades, Suzanne Tracht’s Beverly Grove eatery has served a lightly Asian-inspired steakhouse menu that has kept Angelenos hooked thanks to a delicious char siu pork chop (once featured on the Cooking Channel’s Best Thing I Ever Ate) and the melt-in-your mouth signature pot roast. Traditional sides like blue cheese wedge salad and creamed corn get the white-glove treatment here, and every cut of beef, pork or chicken is worth an order. It's also worth noting the mid-century modern dining room has made several notable film appearances, including in La La Land, and for good reason: with a well-made cocktail in hand and delicious food in front of you, the dim-lit dining room feels downright cinematic. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Venice

Forgive the casual atmosphere: This Venice steakhouse serves some of the best wood-fired steaks and seafood in the city, plus an array of delicious, globally inspired starters and sides. The wood grilled flatbread with smoked honey and labneh is, quite frankly, out of this world, and the rosti-like stuffed hash browns (which comes as a giant potato pancake) pair well alongside any of their simply finished steaks. For seafood lovers, the must-order are the grilled prawns. Coming two to an order, they’re huge, sweet and delicious even before the side of lemon and herb butter enter the picture.

  • Restaurants
  • American
  • Venice
  • price 2 of 4

This Venice steakhouse is where dry-aged cuts and well-executed sides come from Josiah Citrin, the chef behind two Michelin star Mélisse. Charcoal's signature blackened cabbage is as good as ever; a few pastas, seafood and poultry dishes break up the meatfest for anyone who's not into steak. During nightly “glass off” (5:30–7pm, Tue–Sat), sit at the wraparound bar for an excellent $12 burger made with white American cheese and discounted cocktails. Seafood towers and other familiar hallmarks of the steakhouse genre might not be all that exciting, but Citrin makes a seriously good steak—not to mention the housemade vinegar that graces every table.

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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 3 of 4

From the same team behind Sugarfish comes this sleek Wagyu specialist in Beverly Hills, where relatively affordable prix-fixe menus demonstrates the many delicious ways you can enjoy this highly marbled beef. Exclusively serving grass-fed New Zealand wagyu from First Light Farms (this isn't A5-grade or richness, mind you), you'll find à la carte cuts of picanha, New York strip and ribeye as well, but the tasting menus here deliver the most value—all the better to order a couple more of their stiff cocktails.

  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 3 of 4

This luxe new over-the-top steakhouse from the family behind Mastro's offers top-quality cuts, enormous martinis and ultra-decadent sides, including a warm skill of complimentary bread that tastes like Pillsbury crescent rolls in the best way possible. Steak 48—named after Arizona, the 48th state in the Union—doesn't reinvent the wheel otherwise, but the five-star service and attention to details make all the difference. Every diner receives a hot plate (be careful), which keeps the slices of steak warm throughout the meal. There's not one or two, but five different potato sides, including an au gratin preparation with caramelized onions, plus gouda and mozzarella cheese. While we've found quality at Mastro's has flagged in recent years, Steak 48 offers the kind of consistently great upscale chain experience most diners can appreciate, including us.

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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Downtown
  • price 3 of 4
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This Downtown steakhouse from the Patina Group offers serious midcentury-modern flair, not to mention some of the best cuts in town. Coral blues, caramel and brass hues decorate the space, but it's the curation of quality meat that really speaks to the restaurant’s focus. Executive chef Megan Logan delivers beautiful cuts of beef, like a Tomahawk rib chop sliced right at your table. Also served tableside: a classic Caesar salad, crafted to the diner's specifications (extra anchovies, please). Decadent sides include an orecchiette mac and cheese, creamed spinach with bacon, and roasted mushrooms in shallot butter. If there’s any way you have room for dessert, a rum raisin chocolate cake will finish you off—and will most definitely have you rolling out of the restaurant.
  • Restaurants
  • American
  • Hollywood
  • price 3 of 4
In the last few years, celebrity chef Curtis Stone's Gwen has come into its own as a gleaming Art Deco-style steakhouse where high-end cuts of beef and delicious market-driven sides can be had alongside the city's best charcuterie. The excellent cocktails and dizzyingly long wine list are complemented by a water selection curated by famed water sommelier Martin Riese (yes, really). After ordering, choose your own steak knife from the velvet-lined box (each one has a story behind it) and dig into impeccably dry-aged steaks from Creekstone Farm and Australia's Blackmore Wagyu—the only place you can find the latter in the United States. Our only quibble? The pricey sides and appetizers are modeslty portioned—if you're with here with more than one other person, we suggest doubling up on both to get your fill.
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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Burbank

"Fine food at a fair price": The neon sign outside Smoke House says it all. Since 1946, this Burbank institution located right across the street from Warner Brothers Studios has served generations of celebrities, studio execs and other industry folks of all stripes. Valley locals love the place for its affordable, perfectly cooked steaks, but we also love the funky, generously dressed wedge salad, the fact there's a dessert tray to pick from at the end of your meal and the steak Sinatra—a linguine platter topped with a mix of beef, peppers and onions once beloved by Ol' Blue Eyes himself. You can find better prime rib at Lawry's (or the Tam), but Smoke House serves that too, as well as a slew of crowdpleasing appetizers like spinach-artichoke dip and a "world famous" cheesy garlic bread. The red booths, wood paneling on the walls and live music on weekends add to the old-school charm, but wave away the house photographer that's likely to come around; that'll cost ya. 

  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Pacific Palisades
What happens when one of the Westside’s old-guard restaurants gets a modern rebirth? You get reimagined steakhouses classics all in the same sleek leather booths that defined the original Golden Bull. The team that brought us Margo’s took over the northern Santa Monica staple, a dark and charming old-school steak spot just blocks from the beach. Now you can find vegan-friendly options and excellent sides like sautéed corn, stuffed potato skins and Yorkshire puddings alongside the bone-in rib eye, filet mignon and other cuts that have made the Golden Bull a Santa Monica institution since 1949. Finish your meal off with the fudgy gluten-free brownie or the s'mores casserole, which will definitely leave a smile on your face.
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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Hermosa Beach
  • price 4 of 4
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In stark contrast to the casual, flip-flop tolerant sports bars and cafés in Hermosa Beach is Steak & Whisky, a tavern that oozes rustic elegance and channels the kind of atmosphere your well-to-do uncle might seek out with his squash buddies. Chef-owner Tin Vuong (who also runs Downtown's Little Sister) opened the masculine restaurant with longtime collaborator Jed Sanford, and South Bay’s well-heeled set have swiftly come calling. You won’t find the usual sides like creamed spinach and mashed potatoes here; S&W is too rugged. All cuts come with sides (like that prime porterhouse served with bone marrow and caramelized cauliflower), and you can supplement your steak and seafood with sides like charred shishito peppers or Brussels sprouts with slab bacon—like we said, it’s a little more rugged (and we love it).
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Koreatown
  • price 3 of 4

What’s an old-school steakhouse doing in Koreatown and La Cañada? Thriving. This place doesn’t look like it's changed one bit since it opened over more than 50 years ago: The menus still boast classics like shrimp scampi and French onion soup. The steaks here by no means the best in the city, but the affordable prices and sense of history still keep nights at Taylor's buzzing like it's 1953. Our advice? Skip the prime rib; instead, opt for cuts from the char-broiler such as extra-thick, prime top sirloin served on a sizzling platter. Taylor's may be one of the best-bargain steakhouses in town, and also one of the most comfortable. From the big leather booths to the decades-old menus on the walls, this is one Koreatown classic that's truly timeless.

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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • West Hollywood
  • price 3 of 4
With locations in Santa Monica, the South Bay and the Sunset Strip, BOA is the godfather of the glitzy chain steakhouse, a modern take that’s both sexy and satisfying. At either location, start with a fantastic garlicky Caesar served tableside, then pick your favorite steak—try a 21-day dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye and dress it up with signature sauces like the J-1 (BOA’s take on A-1) or a rich blue cheese crust. Celeb sightings are a given, so be prepared for the papparazzi outside the WeHo location. In Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, you’ll find a more subdued but sultry vibe, perfect for an oceanside dinner date.
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 3 of 4
First things first: Mastro's is not an L.A. original; founded in Scottsdale, Arizona, there are now locations in nine states. Despite flagging consistency in recent years, the Beverly Hills outpost is still packed to the gills every night, thanks to a charming supperclub space that feels like an old-school boys’ club. Excess is the name of the game here and Mastro’s wears it well: Servers in white dinner jackets bring mountainous seafood platters, gargantuan steaks and that mouthwatering butter cake. The two-story restaurant’s less formal Penthouse features an alfresco patio that caters to a younger, clubbing crowd, while the Malibu location is a bit more casual and breezy, literally—it’s right on the ocean, with a dining room view that can’t be beat.
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