No matter how you like your steak cooked, these spots are well done
Dublin is in its steak era, and frankly, we’re not mad about it. Between Hawksmoor landing with a sizzle, Boeuf multiplying like protein-rich rabbits, and Capel Street getting its own full-blown steakhouse, it’s clear something’s stirring in the jus. Maybe it’s the salt in the air, maybe it’s the rebrand of red meat as sexy again—but either way, the city is leaning hard into the beef.
But a great steakhouse is more than a slab of cow and a ramekin of pepper sauce. It’s a place where the service is sharp, the sides are indulgent, and the Béarnaise makes you consider licking the plate when no one’s looking. It’s about leaning into the luxury of it all.
So if you’re planning your next steak pilgrimage, these are the spots that actually deliver on the hype.
12. Host
Ranelagh
Host is steak with a side of intimacy and zero faff. No velvet, no chandeliers just a bustling room, staff who actually seem sound, and plates that get straight to the point. Their steak isn’t messing around: charred on the outside, perfectly rare (if thats your thing) inside, seasoned like someone actually tasted it before it left the kitchen. It’s the kind of dinner that sneaks up on you. Simple on paper, but when you’re there and someone’s pouring something natural and red into your glass, it suddenly feels like the best meal of your month.
Go For? Steak with the girlies
11. Eleven
Bray Road
Eleven is one of those spots where the steak hits like a jump into the sea from Vico. The kind of place where the beef is Irish, obviously, and cooked with such smug precision that you start questioning every mediocre sirloin you’ve ever paid for. The crust is properly crusty, the inside is blushing like it’s just been flirted with, and the fat content is nothing short of filthy. In the best way. Everything around it is designed to serve the moment: sharp sauces, salty sides, the sort of lighting that makes everything feel a bit cinematic. It’s steak that feels like main character energy. Best enjoyed when you’re a little lifted and ready to get emotional about meat.
Go For? Steak and a Hike
10. Tomahawk
Temple Bar, more info here
Tomahawk is a polished spot with a relaxed atmosphere. Wher you can get serious steak without having to pretend you’re on your best behaviour. The big open kitchen crackles away in the background, flames licking the air, meat hissing like it’s got something to say. It’s got that easygoing vibe that works perfectly to make the place feel more like a very competent friend’s gaff than a steakhouse temple. No pressure, just good steak and a gentle descent into the meat sweats.
They’re drawing from Argentinian grill energy and a bit of American showmanship; fire and flex. The cuts range from the approachable 12oz flank at €26 (a proper Dublin bargain) to the fancier dry-aged numbers that top out around €55, but the quality across the board is legit. Sides do tip into “cheeky” territory price-wise—looking at you, €7.50 broccoli—but they earn their keep. They’re dialled all the way up.
Go for? The 34oz Tomahawk steak for two
9. Boeuf
Multiple locations, more info here
Known for serving prime cuts of Irish beef with a French flourish, Boeuf has been open since 2017 and keeping bellies full with their steaks and many variations of mashed potato. All their classic French cuts (fillet mignon, rib-eye, strip-lion and prime rump) are 100% Irish beef and the team uses a hip-hung method (hanging the carcass at a 90-degree angle by the hip) for a minimum of 28 days. Steaks are served on a seasoned cast-iron plate with sautéed French onion crouton- oui oui.
What might be most impressive about Boeuf however is its sides menu, of which there are 31 – yes, 31, divided into seven categories: mash, croquettes, salads, gratin, potato gratin, frites, and sauces. The sides are also super reasonably priced, you’d truly be within your right to order ten.
Following their success, Boeuf have opened two new restaurants in the last year, Boeuf & Coq on Suffolk Street, and more recently Boeuf & Frites in Temple Bar, of which we have a whole review on-site.
Go for? The six different kinds of mash
8. Hawksmoor
College Green, more info here
Perhaps the most hyped opener of 2023 is none other than the world-renowned steakhouse Hawksmoor and we can’t help but agree with the hysteria around it. The impressive space certainly adds to the dining experience, a meal here feels special. Hawksmoor is a glitzy New York steakhouse through and through, from the interior finishes, and the cocktail list to the calibre of service.
Naturally, the steaks take centre stage with prime cuts coming from the likes of grass-obsessed farmer Ronan in County Meath, and Bronagh and Cathal whose Angus and Herefords roam the wilds of the Burren eating a diverse range of grasses and herbs. Impressive Chateaubriands and Porterhouses are priced per 100g and served up cast iron platters to share, with smaller cuts of sirloin, rib-eye and rump available too. The seafood offering is also amazing – Hawksmoor definitely makes the most of what’s available on Irish shores with Kelly Gigas and Flaggy Shore oysters, Duncannon smoked salmon and native lobster baked with Micil Inverin whiskey.
Everything on the menu has a story, and the servers are well-versed and ready to chat through the detailed background of each dish.
Go for? An occasion meal where you need a good feed
7. The Saddle Room
Stephen’s Green
The Saddle Room is pure theatre. It’s the kind of place you end up when you want the drama of a big night out, but you also want to eat like a Victorian coal baron with great taste and a cholesterol death wish. The steak here is unapologetically extra, thick, glossy, seared to hell and back, served in an atmosphere that feels like Gatsby’s got a thing for red meat now. There’s something about sliding into one of those velvet booths, the lights dimmed low, a martini sweating gently beside you, that makes the whole thing feel faintly illicit. You don’t nibble here. You feast, and you go home full, flirty, and half-considering buying a robe.
Go For? Dinner
6. Bovinity
Capel Street, more info here
Much has been written about Capel Street and its continued growth into being one of the best foodie streets in the city. The addition of Bovinity (sis restaurant to All Bar Chicken) last year has only added to the mystique and the spot is fast becoming a new location on the city’s ever-growing steak trail. The steakhouse is a cavern-style space, perfect for enjoying an intimate dinner and drinks, FX Buckley-sourced steak and Bar 1661-twinged cocktails. Sharing is caring at Bovinity; the sharing steak is a special that changes day to day, and while you’re already sharing, we advise getting some bites or a series of sides to accompany your main – as with all premium steak spots, Bovinity has a great selection, from crispy sriracha potatoes to onion strings, to oyster shooters at just €3.50 a pop.
Go for? A casual Friday night dinner and drinks date
5. Marco Pierre White
Donnybrook and Dawson Street, more info here
Both Marco Pierre White’s Dublin locations have been open for over a decade, which is a testament to the beloved place they have in the heart of their customers.
Marco Pierre White was the original “Celebrity Chef” but perhaps more importantly, he was the youngest chef to ever get 3 Michelin stars, and has also trained hundreds of chefs, including Gordon Ramsay. As such, the prices at Marco Pierre White are somewhat steep – there is a 7oz Wagyu Fillet that will set you back at a staggering €110, and is subject to availability – but your chips are included, which is something that is not a guarantee in other establishments. At heart, MPW is a simple restaurant, but does each of its dishes well, cooking with elegance and intention, placing emphasis on the cuts of meat, the freshest fish, and classic sauces. It’s the kind of place you could bring a couple of generations of your family to and they’d all walk away fed and happy.
Go for? That celebrity chef experience
4. Big Mike’s
Blackrock, more info here
While many spots claim to know their way around a cow carcass, owner/head chef of Michael’s Gaz Smith has basically written the book on it and it’s called And For Mains. Known for their often hilarious social posts and marketing, Big Mike’s in Blackrock marries together super fresh seafood, and aged steaks, with a class wine list to boot. No trip to Michael’s in the leafy environs of Mount Merrion is ever the same and each meal invariably ends in a Jägerbomb or five which tbf pairs great with the disco toilets.
Smith has built up an incredible relationship with some of the best suppliers in the city (and beyond) and as a result, gets truly some of the best cuts and catches available. Not a slave to a menu he chops and changes based on what comes through the door, his signature Surf n Turf is never the same two days in a row. It’s the kind of place where you leave your preconceived notions of what to have at the door, and just ask the incredible staff what’s in and what’s good.
Go for? The best quality beef and seafood around
3. The Butcher Grill
Ranelagh’s 92 Main Street, more info here
From the people who brought us the much-beloved 777, Dillinger’s, and Amy Austin, this spot on Ranelagh’s Main Street has reached nothing short of cult status at this stage. As the name suggests, The Butcher Grill is a grill restaurant specialising in great big slabs of meat designed for sharing. While the steaks are not cheap here, you do get one side for a single steak serving or two with the to-share serving.
The sharing steak will set you back a minimum of €78 for the perfectly seared Cote du Boeuf, but you are getting a 24oz piece of meat, so when you divide that by two it costs less than getting one of the single servings, and you get more bang for your buck. They’ve got some healthy-sized sides, with the likes of cauliflower cheese, beer-battered onion rings, smoky black beans and bacon, as well as bone marrow butter mash all in attendance.
Go for? A helluva lot of meat to share
The Butcher Grill is based in Ranelagh and opens Monday to Saturday for dinner, and on Sundays for a roast.
2. Featherblade
Dawson Street, more info here
The team behind Featherblade (and sister restaurant Mister S) are definitely some of the most unassuming in the Dublin food scene, but they constantly serve up some of the best food in the city. Despite being numbered as one of the best in the city Featherblade is one of the most affordable, and thankfully the team don’t scrimp on quality, using some of the country’s best suppliers. It’s a small restaurant, and as such books out quickly, with a more casual vibe than most steak places, but that gives it somewhat of an exclusive edge and ensures you’re taken care of quickly and efficiently.
The featherblade cut is my favourite and costs a very reasonable €14 – if you want to fancy your meal up a little, I recommend spending the extra €6 to add a skewer of grilled prawns. As for the sides, Featherblade has an elite line-up. We’re talking creamed spinach, truffle mac n cheese, beef dripping chips, and my personal favourite, the grilled broccoli with garlic, chilli, and dukkah (trust me, you don’t want to miss out).
Go for? Quality steak on a budget
Featherblade opens seven days a week.
1. FX Buckley
Multiple Locations, more info here
There’s a reason that FX Buckley has recently been voted the sixth-best steakhouse worldwide. They have long been established as providers of Ireland’s finest, premium quality meat, perfecting their craft for over six generations. Unusually, FX Buckley sources all their meat from heifers, and dry-age the beef for 28 days in state-of-the-art meat lockers to add flavour, and seal in those juices in high-temperature charcoal ovens. Naturally, the most important part of a steakhouse is the steak itself, but as I’ve made abundantly clear throughout this article, the sides can make or break a restaurant, and with ten to choose from, including sautéed mushrooms, caramelised onions, creamed spinach, as well as your classic mash and beef dripping chip offerings, FX excels in this area too. Add in the premium level of service you receive, and it’s no wonder that FX Buckley secured the top spot in our eyes.
Go for? The whole-package steakhouse experience
Have we missed any? Let us know on [email protected]
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