A friend from Seattle will be visiting Houston around the 4th of July. He asked me I had any information about the best Houston steakhouses. His only criteria is that it not be too formal; no ties. I’ll be there in three weeks, so I told him I’d investigate, but I thought I’d check here for ‘expert’ opinions.
I’m not sure anyone can cook a steak better than me so I don’t frequent steakhouses. But to answer the question…
The easy answer is Pappas Brothers. Intense wine list with great service. I have been less than impressed with their meat, but enough people say great things so that I assume we had really bad luck on our visit. Jackets and ties are not required, but most men will be wearing them. Lots of expense accounts here.
If someone was treating me to a steakhouse, I’d probably choose Vic & Anthony’s in downtown. Some real gems on their wine list and great meat. The last time we went we stayed in the bar area and we enjoyed the atmosphere there, pretty relaxed.
Fogo de Chao is also a great choice. Yes, it’s a chain, but I’ve always found the quality of food to be good. It’s not formal at all, I’ve seen shorts and flip flops here. You don’t have to whisper, you can feel free to laugh and be a little loud. Not a great wine list, but some decent options.
Similar concept to Fogo, Nelore is a smaller scale Brazilian steakhouse with some more adventurous cuts (organ meat, etc.) plus the usual suspects of filet mignon, ribeye, picanha…
And if you can think outside of the box in your definiton of “steakhouse” I’d say consider Underbelly. They have varying day-to-day “butcher’s cut” options. It’s hard to get night-of reservations here, so what I’d suggest is make a reservation and call the day of to see what the butcher’s cut is. It may not be steak, but it may end up being a 16oz Texas wagyu strip for $35. If it ends up being leg of lamb or pork collar you can cancel and move to a more traditional steakhouse. Really well thought out wine list (1998 Dunn Howell Mtn was on there a couple of weeks ago) plus they have a $15 corkage, which no other steakhouses have (no corkage allowed by law if the restaurant serves liquor).
I’ve also heard good things about Taste of Texas but have not been myself.
Taste of Texas is a tourist trap that has a three hour wait on the weekends with no option for reservations. Wine list is typical TX inflated price structure. Food mediocre at best.
My fiancee took a picture of the wine list less than a year ago and most options were 1.5x retail, much better than any other steakhouse. But if the food isn’t good it’s still not worth it.
Bob,
I haven’t been anywhere recommended, but I will add that I have read great things about Chris Shepherd, chef and owner of Underbelly. He also made a good showing on Knife Fight, and looks like he does an excellent job developing flavors.
My friend is not a wine guy so the wine list won’t matter. He’s going to be visiting a friend and wants to treat him to a good steak dinner. They like pretty straight forward food. A traditional or western setting with the best meat is what he’s after. Price isn’t an issue but they’re casual guys so a place where they’d be comfortable dressed that way, not just tolerated.
Thanks for all the info so far.
Killens is the best and fits the criteria perfectly. Only caveat is that it’s about 30 minutes outside of town.
In town I like Pappas Bros, which has the added bonus of having an awesome wine list.
My vote is for Pappas. I live two exits from Taste of Texas and still make the drive down to Pappas for a good steak. Vic and Anthony’s is pretty good too and works well for dinner if we are downtown for an event.
Underbelly was great the time I was there but it is a long way from a steak house. Pappas seem like a perfect choice. I’ve never felt awkward weary jeans and presentable shirt.
Taste of Texas is a dump.
Jason
Killen’s is exactly what you are looking for. Great steaks, nice wine list and casual.
Marilyn
Yep, Killen’s is a gem. Their new BBQ joint is awesome too. If you’re willing to drive to Pearland, it’s a no-brainer. And you should be willing to make the drive.
He’s going to go to Killens. I haven’t looked at the map but he says that it’s close to the airport and they’re going there right after he flies in. Thanks all for the suggestions. It’s great to have a resource like this. When I get there in three weeks on my motorcycle I’ll be looking for the polar opposite. Cheap, dives, ethnic etc.
Houston is excellent in this category (probably Houston’s best category comparatively). Let us know what you’re looking for and we can make some suggestions…
When we went to Killen’s BBQ we were thoroughly underwhelmed by the brisket and sausage. The turkey, beef rib and pulled pork were outstanding. Make sure he gets to try those.
I am sure I have not been to the right places (a bit out of my control) but “underwhelmed” is how I would describe all bbq I have had in Houston.
Jason, I more or less agree. The only good BBQ in Houston proper is Gatlin’s. Like most good BBQ spots, their hours are weird and some meat options sell out periodically. Killen’s is great too but I don’t really consider it Houston. I hear there are some good places in Katy, but again, not Houston in my eyes.
From a look at their website and a quick browse of reviews it seemed like they are more noted for the quality of their steaks than their BBQ.
It’s two separate restaurants. Steakhouse is much renowned for their steaks. Killen’s BBQ just opened recently after months of pop-ups. There has been great fanfare and long lines. Killen’s bread and butter is the steakhouse and the BBQ is more of a side project. There is no overlap.
FWIW, I agree that Killen’s brisket is only good, not great, but the beef rib and bone-in pork belly are fantastic. Not Louie Mueller quality beef rib but damn tasty.
The steakhouse is excellent as steakhouses go.
Thanks. that clears things up.
Heading to Houston tomorrow. Might give Killen’s a spin.