MELBOURNE | My list of best Melbourne steak covers an assortment of steak spots available in this town. Whether it’s lean or fattier cuts, wagyu or angus, or steak that’s been cooked over fire versus on a skillet, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to enjoying the best steak in Melbourne.
In this city, we’re blessed with several great places to enjoy a variety of different steaks. My list, updated as at late 2021, reflects my experiences eating steak in Melbourne, plus a bit of input from some people who I trust dearly. I’ve placed them in alphabetical order, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
What’s your cut of meat when it comes to steak? How do you like your steak cooked? Are any of your favourite spots listed below? Are there any places that you think should be on the list?
Angus & Bon
This double entendre named steakhouse in Prahran is modelled off the classic New York-style steakhouse. At Angus & Bon, it’s all about the best cuts of meat sourced from Australia’s top suppliers, cooked over fire. All steaks are served with your choice of fries, salad, or potatoes.
Bar Margaux
This hidden Paris meets NYC style basement bistro is from the folks behind The Everleigh and Heartbreaker. As you’d expect, the drinks are exceptional. So too, is the food. The menu at Bar Margaux features classic French bistro-style food, served late into the night. Their steak frites, and Tournedo (eye fillet, bone marrow, potato gratin) are both excellent steak options.
Entrecôte
This French steakhouse is inspired by Le Relais De L’Entrecôte, the famous one-dish steakhouse that opened in 1959 in Porte-Maillot, Paris. Recently relocated to Prahran, Entrecôte is still at the top of its game, offering delicious French cuisine made with the best Melbourne produce. There’s a variety of steak options on the menu, a highlight of course being the signature steak frites.
Fitzroy Town Hall
Fitzroy Town Hall was restored to its former glory by owners Sean and Natalie Donovan in 2017. Classically French trained chef Sean and his team offer up an unpretentious menu of pub classics, and rustic European-leaning dishes made using local produce.
The excellent steak frites come in the form of your choice of four cuts/sizes of meat. It’s cooked over a red gum fired open flame grill, with mustard & cabbage remoulade, fries, and your choice of béarnaise or pepper sauce
France Soir
A stalwart of Melbourne’s dining scene, France Soir has been serving up delicious French bistro style food since 1986. It’s unpretentious food in an space that channels the classic neighbourhood bistros of Paris. Beef is sourced from O’Connor Ranges, in South East Gippsland, and is offered up in a variety of ways, including fantastic steaks.
L’Hôtel Gitan
The most casual of owner Jacques Reymond’s venues, L’Hôtel Gitan describes itself as a pub. And that it is, but with an undeniable French flavour. The menu features and assortment of French bistro favourites, including steaks sourced from Cape Grim and O’Connor Ranges. The bavette is a particular highlight.
La Luna Bistro
Adrian Richardson’s Carlton bistro, La Luna, has long has a reputation as one of the best places for steak in Melbourne. The restaurant has an in-house butcher that does the dry ageing of their meats in a dedicated cool room. The flame grilled Victorian grass-fed, 80 day dry aged steaks, live up to the hype.
The Lincoln Hotel
The Lincoln Hotel has been operating as a pub since opening in 1854, and oozes character and charm. The offering is simple – unpretentious pub meals and quality drinks that champion the best that Australia has to offer.
There are two steaks on the menu. The melt in your mouth, salty charred crust 300g Vintage Cape Grim sirloin, served with triple cooked hand cut chips, rocket & pickled shallot, and salsa verde, is unbeatable.
Meat Maiden
Meat Maiden opened as an offshoot of the now long closed American BBQ restaurant, Meatmother, in 2014. Its lineage led many to believe that the restaurant was all about American BBQ. The restaurant does have a smoker, but it’s about a lot more than American BBQ.
Steaks are sourced from some of Australia’s best farms, and dry aged on site in a cabinet that you can see from the dining room. Cooked over fire and served with your choice of sauce, they’re fantastic.
Rockpool Bar & Grill
When chef Neil Perry opened Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne in 2007, he raised diner’s expectations about what a premium steak should be. Perry might no longer be leading the charge (he’s a shareholder in Hunter St Hospitality, who now owns all Rockpool restaurants), but there’s no doubting the continued quality of these steaks.
There are a lot of cuts and options here. Meat is sourced the likes from Cape Grim, Minderoo and Blackmore Waygu, butchered and aged on-site, and grilled over fire to perfection.
San Telmo / Palermo / Asado
When San Telmo, inspired by the Argentinean barrio of the same name, opened in 2011, Melbourne was in the early days of learning about South American food. The centrepiece parrilla was something that many in the city hadn’t heard of before, and the flame grilled O’Connor Ranges steaks that came off it quickly became known as some of the best steaks in Melbourne.
These days, the San Telmo team have several other restaurants. Two of them, Palermo, and Asado, offer Argentinean style steaks on par with those at San Telmo.
Vlado’s
I haven’t actually been to Vlado’s before, but it would be remiss for me to not mention this Melbourne dining icon. Family-run Vlado’s opened in 1964, and has remained essentially unchanged since. Michael Gregurek, son of original owner Valdo, runs the show these days. It’s a set menu, the main being your choice of prime ox eye fillet, porterhouse or rump cooked to your liking. Still busy to this day, the Gregurek family is clearly doing something right.
Have you tried any of these best Melbourne Steak spots before? Check out my Melbourne City Guide for more tips on where to eat and drink, and what to do in Victoria’s bustling capital.