Las Vegas has more destination steakhouses than any city in the country, and they divide into two camps: the polished modern rooms on the Strip and the old-school locals' institutions everywhere else. Here is the full spread.
Where to eat,
start to finish
The steakhouse is Las Vegas' default celebration meal, which means the city's best rooms are crowded, consistent and worth the reservation.
The pick depends on the occasion: the lake-view splurge, the old-school institution, or the downtown room with history on the walls.
CUT by Wolfgang Puck
The modern standard-bearer at the Venetian: impeccable beef, serious wine.
The 1958 institution that fed the Rat Pack: dark wood, tableside service, the city's best old-school experience.
Check it outThe Golden Nugget room, consistently named among the city's best and the classiest downtown table.
Check it outPeter Luger Steakhouse
The Brooklyn legend's Vegas outpost at Caesars: porterhouse, house sauce, no apologies.
Fremont-view steaks named for the mayor, with downtown history at every table.
Check it outThe three steakhouses by mood
Splurge and show: SW or CUT. Old-school and history: Golden Steer or Vic & Anthony's. Modern downtown: Barry's. Every serious steak city has its rooms; these are the ones Vegas keeps coming back to.
For the best value evening, the off-Strip classics like Golden Steer deliver the full experience at a fraction of the Strip prices.
Ordering like a regular
Ask the server what is selling out tonight, order the beef that fits your appetite (the porterhouses are real), and split sides, because the portions are honest.
And do not skip dessert at the old-school rooms, the tableside bananas foster at Golden Steer is half the reason people go.
Moving to Las Vegas? The food is part of the decision.
When clients relocate, the dining scene is one of the best ways to feel out a neighborhood. I can point you to the restaurants that make each corner of the valley home.