With a slew of new openings during 2018, it’s safe to say that San Diego is having a steakhouse revival. With a revolving door of tourist crowds, late-night crowds, conference-goers and old school fine dining fans in town, there’s a steakhouse for every kind of carnivore in town. Whether one is looking for more of a party atmosphere or just wants to stick to the classics, here are the best places to eat steak in San Diego.
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Where to Eat Steak in San Diego
These are the best steakhouses in town

Larsen's Steakhouse
New to UTC during 2018 was Larsen’s Steakhouse, an upscale steakhouse chain that opened its first San Diego location in Westfield UTC.
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Donovan's Steak & Chop House
One of the OGs of eating steak in San Diego, Donovan’s has two locations in La Jolla and the Gaslamp. Fire pits and an outdoor patio round out the La Jolla location, providing the best ambiance about of the two.
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The Butcher Shop
When one walks through the doors of this old-school restaurant, serenaded by 1950’s hits and enveloped into the dark interior, it feels like a step back into time. This classic Chicago-style steakhouse is perfect for both a decadent family meal or a special night out. Regulars know the prime rib is the thing to order.
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Dae Jang Keum Korean BBQ
In a section of the city awash in Korean barbecue places, Dae Jang Keum is the best for the high quality of meat served as well as the charcoal grill—everywhere else uses gas grills.
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Saska's
After a massive interior renovation, which was completed in early 2017, The Patio Group’s Mission Beach steakhouse is back and swankier than ever. The menu serves a variety of dishes, but the main focus are its steaks.
Bully's East Prime Bistro Sports Bar
Bully’s is a true stalwart in San Diego’s restaurant scene—it’s been open since 1967 and is still going strong. The interior is mix of cocktail lounge and sports bar and the extensive menu offers a good variety of meat dishes, like the filet mignon, top sirloin, prime rib, rib eye steaks, and porterhouse steaks in cuts ranging from 8 oz. to 38 oz.
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Born and Raised
The flashiest steakhouse in town is undoubtedly Consortium Holdings’ Born and Raised, which opened to great fanfare during the end of 2017. Known for its high-end cocktails and dry-aged steaks, this is one of the places to see and be seen in San Diego, as well.
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Island Prime
With tables that look across to the downtown skyline, this bayfront spot wins best steakhouse with a view by a mile. Bonus feature: Their “Dock & Dine” program allows guests to conveniently dock their boats at the adjacent Sunroad Marina and head over to the restaurant to eat.
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Turf Supper Club
Steeped in history, the Turf Supper Club is San Diego’s original DIY steakhouse with its self-service communal grill. The place oozes old school charm and serves potently classic drinks alongside food specials like a $14.75 marinated garlic New York Strip steak, top sirloin for $8.75, and Surf and Turf for $13.25.
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Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
Del Frisco’s is an east coast upscale steakhouse chain that opened its first west coast location in San Diego during 2018. The flashy, two-level restaurant is in the new Intercontinental San Diego hotel and is particularly known for its Double Eagle chop, which comes with a numbered medallion.
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Rei Do Gado Brazilian Steak House & Seafood
With such a large Brazilian community in San Diego it’s no surprise that the city has a number of solid Brazilian steakhouses. Rei Do Gado is the oldest and consistently earns high marks for its high quality cuts.
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STK San Diego
With a years-long anticipated opening, STK finally opened in the Gaslamp during 2018. The lounge-slash-steakhouse concept arrived to San Diego via New York, Los Angeles and other locations around the country.
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Cowboy Star Restaurant & Butcher Shop
Many steak-lovers in town will unabashedly claim Cowboy Star as their favorite for their high quality chops, creative cocktails and top notch butcher shop, which is inside the restaurant.
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Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Flemings is one of the core old school San Diego steakhouses—this location, right near Petco Park in the Gaslamp, is ideal for business dinners.
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Lou & Mickey's
Lou & Mickey’s has added a state-of-the-art dry-aging room to allow it to dry-age its primals on-site. The Gaslamp steakhouse is now aging cuts onsite for 30, 45 and 60 days in its pink Himalayan salt block-lined, temperature controlled room. The meat is also now butchered daily on premises, with three butchers employed at the restaurant to do so. The steaks are from Double R Ranch, located in the Okanogan region of Washington State.
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