Dallas is the king of steakhouse cities

Michael Hiller | EscapeHatchDallas

We Texans love our beef. Many of us practically consider ourselves “second generation” vegetarians: the cows eat the vegetables, then we eat the cows.

It’s little wonder that many of the great steakhouses you’re familiar with have deep Dallas roots. Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and its Del Frisco’s Grille were founded here. So were Bob’s Steak & Chop House, III Forks, Nick & Sam’s, Al Biernat’s, Knife, and the Brazilian churrascarias Texas de Brazil and Fogo de Chao.

That domestic Wagyu beef you enjoyed in Manhattan or Las Vegas? There’s a good chance it has its Black Angus roots in Texas cattle ranches like 44 Farms, A Bar N Ranch, Rosewood Ranch or the Beeman “Heartbrand” Ranch.

“A lot of American cities have good steakhouses,” says Dallas chef Stephan Pyles, “But Dallas is the king of steaks. Everyone who comes to Dallas wants to eat steak. It’s an integral part of our Western culture.”

Top Chef star John Tesar also recognizes the draw of prime beef. He closed his acclaimed Spoon seafood restaurant and opened Knife, a modern steakhouse where he dry ages Texas beef for up to 300 days. Knife has proven so popular, he’s inking deals to open additional locations across the USA.

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Not to be outdone, Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse chef and co-owner Samir Dhurandhar added a 2.5-pound steak and imported Japanese Hokkaido, Ohmi and Hyogo beef to his menu. The Hyogo sells for a whopping $67 an ounce, and Dhurandhar says he has no trouble selling 30-40 pounds of Japanese beef a week. “We’re blessed that people want to eat the best beef in the world,” he says.

Bob Sambol, the founder of the Bob’s Steak & Chop House chain, agrees. “You go to New York to eat Italian and you come to Dallas to eat steak," he says. "Everything important gets commemorated with a steak dinner. No one says, ‘let’s go celebrate with chicken.’”

“Dallas is a steakhouse city,” Tesar says. “If you look up and down the streets here, you won’t see a lot of things growing in fields. But you don’t have to drive very far to see cattle. That’s the real farm-to-table food here.”

Which are the best steakhouses in Dallas? Restaurant critic Michael Hiller has eaten at every notable steakhouse in Dallas-Fort Worth and takes you on a tour of the best in the photo gallery on above. Follow him on Instagram @MikeHillerDallas.