Tourists In Dallas Looking For Savory Dinners Should Visit These Iconic Steakhouses, Per Residents

Chili may be the official dish of the Lone Star State, but Texans certainly know their way around a good steak — so much so that most Texans lean toward steak over chili as their state-defining dish by a margin of 14 to 1, according to a survey of over 1,000 Texans by Beef Loving Texans and the Texas Department of Agriculture. "Not surprisingly, more than half of Texans eat beef two to three times a week, and steaks rule when it comes to our favorite cut to grill," Rachel Chou, Beef Loving Texans' senior manager of consumer communications, told Newswire.

While a sushi restaurant put Dallas on the map as one of the Texan cities to earn its first-ever Michelin star and a downtown Dallas restaurant invented Tex-Mex with its world-famous enchiladas, steak remains a well-loved staple across the state, especially in Dallas. Residents of the city overwhelmingly prefer steak to brisket, making local recommendations a valuable asset for tourists navigating the Dallas steakhouse scene. So who better to guide visitors toward the top steakhouses than the residents themselves?

For this article, we relied on the advice of locals discussing their favorite Dallas steak spots in spirited Reddit discussions, as well as TripAdvisor and Google reviews. With recommendations on ambience, sides, service, and — of course — the steaks, here's where Dallas residents head for a hearty steak dinner. Ready to dig in?

A Dallas institution since 1993, Bob's Steak & Chop House has prided itself on serving substantial cuts of flavorful, top 2% USDA Prime beef. There are several locations in Dallas, but locals recommend heading to the original restaurant on Lemmon Avenue — the other branches are owned by Omni Hotels. Founder Bob Sambol — who in 2019 reacquired the restaurant from the franchise owners after selling it nine years prior — heartily welcomes returning customers by name at the restaurant doors. Regular diners have praised the prime ribeye and the side dishes that complement the steaks: the famous side dish of a single carrot ("a weird but must-have accompaniment," a Redditor claimed) and the creamed spinach come highly recommended.

The ambience matches the meal. Locals are won over by the intimate, dark-as-a-movie-theater interiors, making it a great spot for date night. Service is top-notch as well, with diners in the r/Dallas subreddit rating it "impeccable." Given its popularity, the Dallas steakhouse can get crowded, so make a reservation in advance. If you want a relaxed dining experience, request a side room to enjoy a quieter meal, as the bar vicinity tends to be lively. Given the price, a meal here is best saved for special occasions, but the value of the meal and service combined is well worth it.

Praised for its classic, no-frills approach, Pappas Bros Steakhouse was mentioned many times over by Dallas residents. This establishment, opened in 1976 by brothers Chris and Harris, owes the success of its tender, corn-fed USDA Prime cuts to an in-house dry-aging process — a family secret that's actually stored in a safe. That said, come for the dry-aged steaks, which the restaurant deems "the stars of the show." 

Do the steaks live up to the hype? With a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews, it certainly seems so. A returning customer noted on Google that the perfectly cooked, flavorful steaks were "hands-down some of the best we've ever had," while another diner in r/Dallas described the meat as so tender, "I could cut it with a fork." Another loyal customer, who says they're now well into retirement, wrote in a Google review that they still make the 90-minute drive to Pappas Bros for special occasions, citing "first class service and food" as reasons for returning. 

Accompanying the steaks are extraordinary wine pairings courtesy of the restaurant's excellent sommeliers, with several of them working the floor during the dinner service. Though one Redditor agreed with the praise for perfect steaks and wine list, they summed up the sides and atmosphere as "just ok." Other diners have complained that the restaurant is very crowded, too.

Dallas steakhouse staple Al Biernat's has been around since 1998, serving locally and nationally sourced premium cuts in an upscale setting that exudes elegance. Texas Wagyu New York strips, tomahawk ribeyes, Miyazaki A5 Wagyu, and dry-aged porterhouse steaks are just some of the offerings on the menu, alongside globally sourced seafood options. Consistent excellence, as one patron put it in the r/Dallas subreddit, seems to be the reason why Al Biernat's often appears on lists of Dallas' best restaurants. Its menu, service, and atmosphere make it a local favorite for celebrating special occasions; the Texas Rangers, the Dallas-Fort Worth area's baseball team, came here to celebrate their first World Series win.

Returning customers are adamant that diners should head to the Oak Lawn branch. "The Addison location charges the same price for half the quality," one Redditor warned in r/askdfw. Sure, Al Biernat's can be a bit lively on occasion, but the overall ambience remains chic and refined. Be aware of the restaurant's strict dress code: Leave those baseball caps, sandals, and athleisure wear at home.

Chef Nick Badovinus' Town Hearth boasts a menu of wet-aged and dry-aged steaks and specialty meats — we're talking premium Mishima Reserve wagyu, bone-in chops, and Aussie grass-fed tenderloins, among others — seared to your liking over white oak and mesquite charcoal flames. While some patrons were left underwhelmed and unimpressed, Town Hearth's recent reviews from diners are decidedly positive. One Google reviewer noted that the steaks are "consistently outstanding, cooked to perfection with incredible flavor." The sides and appetizers garner thumbs-up from customers. "The service was top-notch yet far from pretentious," one satisfied diner commented on Google. A loyal Town Hearth patron shared in a Google review that a server's knowledgeable and enthusiastic recommendations led their party to deviate from their usual menu orders, instead discovering memorable new dishes they'd never have tried otherwise.

Adorned with 64 gorgeous chandeliers — one over each table — and the casual presence of a yellow Ducati motorcycle by the bar, Town Hearth seems hellbent on leaving an unforgettable first impression on its diners, putting it in contention for the most whimsical restaurant in Dallas. As one commenter remarked in r/Dallas, "It is a bit a bougie scene on the weekend, but chill during the week." It is by no means cheap — as of this writing, a 45-day dry-aged prime steak starts at $126 — but you have to splurge when indulging in Town Hearth, a place, as another patron wrote on Reddit, "to wow and be wowed with decadence and opulence."

To compile this list of Dallas steakhouses recommended by residents, we analyzed Reddit threads that discussed local steakhouse suggestions to the Dallas area. After identifying the four most frequently recommended steakhouse spots, we reviewed comments from local patrons and regular customers on Reddit, Google reviews, and TripAdvisor. We also checked out each establishment's official website and social media accounts to get an overview of each establishment's menu, service, and overall ambience. We cross-referenced these comments with features, reviews, and articles from websites including Condé Nast Traveler, Eater, Dallas Observer, Modern Luxury, and The Infatuation. The survey and infographic by Beef Loving Texans and the Texas Department of Agriculture also underlined the importance of steak in Texas (and Dallas in particular).