The Best Steak Restaurants in Melbourne

Australia raises some of the world’s best beef. Victorian farmer David Blackmore brought Wagyu here in 1989 and now counts Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, USA) and other high-profile international chefs as customers. Then there’s South Australia’s Mayura Station, Tasmania’s Cape Grim, Victoria’s O’Connor Beef and many other world-class cattle farms employing ethical, sustainable practices.

With so much top-tier beef in our own backyard, it’s no surprise Australia flaunts some of the best steak restaurants in the world. Better still, a bunch of them are right here in Melbourne. At these top diners, you can usually choose your preferred breed, feed (grain or grass), cut, ageing time, condiments and, of course, how you’d like it cooked (no more than medium, please). Whether it’s French steak frites at Entrecote or Argentinian cuts cooked on the parrilla at San Telmo, here’s where to find Melbourne’s best.

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Updated on 20 December 2024

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Maison Batard

Maison Batard is all about lighter takes on French bistro classics. Meanwhile, there’s some serious heft in the grill section, including a côte du boeuf with bordelaise sauce and a 600-gram rib eye.

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Victor Churchill

Anthony Bourdain called the Sydney original “the most beautiful butcher shop in the world”. Its Melbourne outpost has a dry-aging room where rib-eyes, T-bones, sirloins and rumps hang in a temperature-controlled cabinet.

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Rockpool Bar & Grill

For years, Rockpool has been the place to eat steak in Melbourne. And rightly so – the in-house meat program flaunts cuts from Cape Grim, Blackmore’s Waygu and more, and has tonnes of it dry-aging at any one time. Needless to say, this place has honed the cooking process down to a fine art.

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Entrecote

Entrecote is inspired by a legendary one-dish Parisian steakhouse. As well as impeccable steak frites and steak du jour, this lavish brasserie’s roving caviar trolley and raw seafood bar are equally good reasons to visit.

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Railway Club Hotel

All prime cuts of beef go through a rigorous ageing process at this Port Melbourne staple. Key supplier Cape Grim first ages the meat for up to six weeks before it’s dry-aged at the hotel in a dedicated ageing room for 20 days or more, depending on the cut.

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Grill Americano

Venetian elegance, New York energy and Melbourne nostalgia collide at restaurateur Chris Lucas’s lavish brasserie and grill. Settle into the grand dining room for charcoal-fired bistecca, show-stopping tiramisu, quintessentially Italian cocktails and lots of tableside theatrics.

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Steer Dining Room

Explore the delights of top-tier Wagyu beef matched with Japanese-style accoutrements. True carnivores can take part in the signature degustation, featuring multiple Wagyu courses highlighting different cooking styles and flavours.

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Gimlet at Cavendish House

Andrew McConnell's signature is evident on every plate at Gimlet. So, whether you choose the O’Connor T-bone or Blackmore’s Wagyu sirloin, know that your steak is in excellent hands, and will hit the table cooked to perfection.

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Bar

The Station Hotel

Before chef Sean Donovan moved onto the Fitzroy Town Hall, he set up this unashamed temple to beef. The menu has been consolidated since then, but still offers around 10 outstanding cuts. You get a choice of grass- or grain-fed beef here.

Restaurant

Cinder

The 150-year-old Terminus Hotel’s elegant dining room flaunts a wide-ranging selection of dry-aged cuts, all cooked over a woodfired Josper grill.

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San Telmo

Argentina loves beef like no other country on earth, and this acclaimed Argentinian steakhouse is bringing the fire with its custom Parilla charcoal grill. If you’ve got a taste for O’Connor Beef – good news. It’s served exclusively here.

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Meatmaiden

Westholme Wagyu, Coppertree Farms and O’Connor Beef all get a starring turn at this subterranean steakhouse. Naturally, this spot ages its beef in house.

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Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel

Three high-grade cuts to choose from, starting with a 280-gram sirloin and finishing with a 1.4 kilogram Cote de Beouf at the top end. All are treated on a red-gum-fired barbeque.

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Palermo

At San Telmo’s Italian-ish sibling, the team gives the parrilla and asado a workout. O’Connor Beef is king here – but the in-house butcher mixes things up on the specials board.

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Yakikami

Yakikami is a lavish dining experience focused on high-grade Kobe beef, which is sizzled over red-hot charcoal josper grills. You can really push the boat out with high-end omakase in the private dining room.

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France-Soir

Even Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger have tried the steak frites at this legendary French restaurant. Grass-fed O’Connor Beef is the steak du jour here.

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Angus & Bon

Hit this NYC-inspired steakhouse for a trio of cuts from Great Southern Pinnacle. If you’re splashing out, Wagyu options by Tajima and Eight Blossom will fit the bill.

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Reed House

The Reed House kitchen has fun with old-school British recipes, but plays it straight when it comes to steaks. Visit this charming bluestone spot for an expertly cooked Porterhouse, served simply with anchovy butter and mustard greens.

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L'Hôtel Gitan

The Reymond family might call this place a pub, but not many pubs offer O’Connor Beef steaks cooked like this.

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Grill

It's not just the French who know how to cook a good steak. The selection at Guy Grossi’s Tuscan-inspired diner is proof. Expect cuts from Union Station Farm in south-west Victoria, cooked over fire.

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Northern Git

The Git is your go-to for a steak on the north side. Owner-chef Michael Slade ages his beef in house for a minimum of 80 days, and gives you a fleet of sides and sauces to choose from.

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Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters

Alejandro Saravia’s acclaimed eatery brings the best of the entire state’s produce to the centre of Melbourne. That means burly O’Connor steaks to go with a 3000-bottle “wine library”.

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Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde’s O’Connor rib-eye is a showstopper. Perfect for sharing, it's served with guajillo-chilli butter and chimichurri, and goes dangerously well with a Tommy’s Margarita.

Restaurant

Marmelo

A Portuguese restaurant from a powerhouse Sydney hospo couple, with views out over Russell Street. Come for elevated takes on Iberian classics (with an emphasis on Victorian produce), then head downstairs to sibling bar Mr Mills for a nightcap.

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More Options

Middle Park Hotel, Middle Park
This smart suburban boozer has a formidable cast of Kobe, Wagyu and Rangers Valley beef on the elevated menu – including, last time we visited, a 1.4kg tomahawk dry-aged for 150 days.

MPD Steak Kitchen, Caulfield
Cuts from Southern Ranges, Red Gum Creek and Sher Wagyu hit the Josper grill at this south-side hotspot, led by a former Vue Du Monde executive chef.

Charcoal Grill on the Hill, Kew
A suburban grill specialising in Wagyu and wines from France’s Burgundy region. If you’re chasing a steak in the north-eastern suburbs, porterhouse perfection awaits on the Hill.

Steak Ministry Bar & Grill, Glen Waverley
The east was crying out for a good steakhouse. The Ministry answered with top-tier Wagyu from Sher and Mayura Station. Carnivores also come for proper American barbeque from the smoker.

A Hereford Beefstouw, CBD
To call this Danish steakhouse a chain restaurant feels remiss. But that’s exactly what it is – just with sleek Nordic design and premium beef as standard issue.

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