Unless you are vegetarian or vegan, there is something incredibly irresistible about a juicy steak – and just any steak, but a premium, quality piece of marbled meat. And unless you’re a gourmet chef, the only place to find perfect steak is in one of the many steakhouses and restaurants that Sydney has to offer.
But to save you the search, we’ve done the searching for you and created a list of the ultimate places to find the best steak in Sydney. Before we start carving into where the best steak is, which cuts should you keep an eye out for when browsing the menu and what exactly makes the perfect steak?
There are many types of steak cuts out there, and even though the ‘best steak cut’ may be subjective, there are a handful of popular cuts that can objectively claim the title:
Obviously, great flavour can come down to factors such as personal preference and the cooking method. But when it comes to the natural flavour of the meat, cuts of steak that have rich marbling are going to give an incredible flavour once the fat has been rendered. Cuts from the top part of the steer are ideal, such as scotch fillet steak.
The filet mignon cut is without a doubt the most tender steak. It is taken from the thinner end of a tenderloin, which is the most tender part, and features a distinct round shape. It has a more subtle flavour, but is incredibly tender and melts in the mouth when cooked to perfection.
For the most expensive cut of steak available, that would be the Japanese Kobe steak. This is because of a strict grading process that only picks the best of the best every year, resulting in each Kobe steak featuring a signature marbling throughout each piece of steak. Although, the price of just one authentic Kobe steak alone can easily range in the hundreds!
Now wipe the drool from your mouth, because here is where to find the best steak in Sydney and why these places made it onto our list:
Image by Dominic Loneragan
This American-style steakhouse, from the team behind Bistecca restaurant and The Wild Rover, has become incredibly popular with Sydneysiders who know their steaks! The Gidley features an old-school atmosphere and charm to offer a lavish dining experience that is hard to beat.
Their ribeye steak is a strong contender for the best steak in Sydney by far. It is a succulent ribeye on the bone that is delicately chargrilled over charcoal and ironbark to give it a rich and smokey flavour. You can choose the 300 grams option, which is served as thinly sliced pieces, or go all out and choose the whopping 700 grams option, which is one massive steak!
As The Gidley is one of the few restaurants in Australia to serve spinalis steaks, it’s definitely worth a try if you want an incredibly tender steak. It is the cap of the ribeye and is very similar to a filet mignon steak in terms of appearance and tenderness.
Website: https://www.thegidley.com.au/
Address: Basement/161 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
When locals in Potts Point talk about where to find tender, juicy and soft steak that melts in the mouth, Bistro Rex is the first (and only) restaurant brought up for discussion. This sophisticated take on a Parisian bistro demonstrates just what is possible when using the best Australian ingredients and produce.
Their head chef Leigh McDivitt and his skilled team have mastered the art of preparing and cooking the best steak, well exceeding the level of perfection. If you are dining with an extra person or wanting the ultimate indulgence, then you should order their house fat aged côte de bœuf.
This cut is from the fore rib with the ribs being french-trimmed and the main backbone removed, featuring a succulent rip cap of fat with rich marbling and incredible flavour. At Bistro Rex, they use a 1 kilogram cut of black Angus T-bone steak which is served with a delicious side of sauce au poivre (peppercorn sauce).
Website: https://bistrorex.com.au/
Address: 50 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011
With venue locations across Sydney including Parramatta, Bella Vista, Circular Quay and Barangaroo, The Meat & Wine Co specialises in serving up some of the most scrumptious and premium steaks using only the best locally sourced meat.
We highly recommend ordering their wagyu ribeye steak, which features exceptional webs of marbling throughout the meat, is loaded with flavour with every bite and will fall apart in your mouth. The intense flavour is due to being dry-aged for 450 days, which is The Meat & Wine Co’s not-so-secret weapon.
Dry ageing is a very expensive and comprehensive process that not many steak restaurants do – but it’s extremely worth it. Their steaks are first hung in a dry ager fridge between 1 to 3 weeks, then encased with infused butter, and then refrigerated in a dry ager before being prepared and cooked. The result is the most delicious piece of steak with a flavour that is ineffable!
Website: https://themeatandwineco.com/sydney-restaurants/barangaroo/
Address: International Tower One, 100 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000
Surry Hills is home to some of the best places to grab a delicious steak, and Porteño is one of those places. Having earned legendary status amongst locals, Porteño features a festive environment, magnificent architecture and of course, some of the best steak Sydney has to offer.
Designed by their chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, the menu at Porteño showcases the strengths of traditional Argentinean cooking. However, an absolute standout steak on their menu is the corte de carnicero! It is a hearty 300 gram piece of thick black Angus Denver steak, which features a marble score of 5 and is drizzled with rich onion gravy.
You also have to try their bondiola, which is a large 400 gram piece of free-range pork scotch fillet that is slowly flame-grilled over ironbark and served with whey and apple sauce and drizzled with woodfired lime!
Website: https://porteno.com.au/
Address: 50 Holt St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Probably the best way to describe Fire Grill Sydney is that it is a meat lover’s Valhalla. Co-founded by restauranter Dah Lee, every meticulous detail of Fire Grill has been carefully considered, from the fun and luxurious dining atmosphere to the spectacular steaks on offer.
Fire Grill’s kitchen is run by George Fransisco, the chef de cuisine and recipient of an impressive 7 Chef’s Hat awards! As one of the world’s most prized cuts of meat, wagyu again makes an appearance. You absolutely have to try their 170 gram Hokkaido wagyu scotch fillet steak, which holds an A5 grading and a marble score of 11.
In the Japanese grading system, an A5 is the best possible rank a wagyu steak can score. The Australian marbling score caps out at 9, but in America, a marbling score of 11 is considered a prime grade, crème de la crème piece of marbled steak!
Website: https://www.firegrillsydney.com/
Address: 151 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
Situated on Carrington Street is Bopp & Tone, offering some of the best steaks in Sydney with an elegant, classic interior decor, warm and friendly dining atmosphere, and a Mediterranean-style menu. If heaven is a place on Earth, then the entrance to Bopp & Tone is the pearly white gates.
Head chef Sa Va’afusuaga has designed a menu that offers a mouthwatering selection of tender, flavoursome steak. To get the full Bopp & Tone experience, we highly recommend trying their 300g grain-fed rump cap steak, which has a marble score of 4.
Their rump is also sourced from Jacks Creek and is highly regarded as one of the best premium steak producers in Australia. This is also cooked in their mighty 900 kilogram wood grill and charcoal oven, giving the steak a heavenly smokey and charred taste.
Website: https://boppandtone.com.au/
Address: 60 Carrington St, Sydney NSW 2000
Having called Woollahra home for more than 27 years, Bistro Moncur is a French bistro that proudly serves fresh, seasonal Australian produce with the elegance of fine French cooking. Establishing itself as an institution when it comes to the best steaks, Bistro Moncur offers a no-fuss dining experience with all the trimmings.
For a must-try item on their menu, order the prime fillet steak. It is an utterly tender and flavoursome steak that is served with a side of their famous homemade béarnaise sauce with a pinch of tarragon. It also goes perfect with a side of broccoli and almonds and a serving of crunchy French fries.
The steak at Bistro Moncur reflects the confidence of their chefs in the kitchen. Another menu highlight is their char-grilled sirloin steak, which comes with a knob of café de Paris butter on top that slowly melts and mixes with the juice of the steak to create an incredibly delicious steak sauce!
Website: https://www.bistromoncur.com.au/
Address: 116A Queen St, Woollahra NSW 2025
When it comes to the best steak in Sydney, these restaurants and steakhouses are worthy contenders. The next time you are craving a piece of steak, you will know exactly where to go!
There are certain restaurants that didn’t feature on this list, such as Firedoor and Rockpool Bar & Grill, but you can read all about them in our Sydney’s most Michelin Star-worthy restaurants article.
