11 Dublin Steakhouses Worth the Hype

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.