In South Florida, only a handful of establishments have stayed the course with the same steak-and-potatoes format, while others have innovated this classic concept with a new approach to meat.
This list covers it all, from a Palm Beach landmark that's been in operation for more than 50 years to a new spot that offers a sexy supper-club vibe. Here are the best steakhouses in Palm Beach County:
6. Rachel's Palm Beach
2905 45th St., West Palm Beach; 561-616-9600; rachelspalmbeach.com.
Rachel’s Palm Beach features an award-winning restaurant that rivals some of the finest steakhouses in the world. It just so happens to be housed inside a strip club. The menu includes eight choices of prime USDA cuts of steak as well as prime rib, lobster, lamb, and veal, paired with an extensive list of wines, cognacs, and champagnes. Eat your meat inside the sophisticated dining room or in the middle of the strip club, with barely clad ladies dancing on the stages. On Wednesday, the place offers "prime rib special" buffet. You'll get just that: a juicy piece of meat for just $5. And yes, we're still talking steak.
5. Raindancer Steakhouse
2300 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-684-2810; raindancersteakhouse.com.
Open since 1975, Raindancer Steakhouse is one of the area's most enduring steakhouses. The warm wood interior makes it a romantic place to dine out, and the salad bar is one of the last few surviving in these parts. This West Palm Beach brand offers all the classic steakhouse combinations, from French onion soup and lobster bisque to an iceberg wedge salad and escargot. When it comes to meat, a number of popular cuts are dry- and wet-aged in-house. Try the tender, 28-day dry-aged Porterhouse, a heavily-marbled Delmonico, or the 24-ounce bone-in cowboy rib-eye, dusted with a house blend of spices, for an explosive meaty flavor. You can get it any way you like, but you haven't lived until you've ordered it Pittsburgh-style: a heavy char on the outside, but red and juicy inside.
4. Flagler Steak House
1 S. County Rd., Palm Beach; 561-653-6355; thebreakers.com.
At the Breakers Hotel, the Flagler Steakhouse provides a refined, country-club ambiance in the heart of Palm Beach. Located in the golf clubhouse near the main building, the dining room presents a panoramic view of the property's well-known fairway. As for the food, consider this restaurant a hole-in-one for any steak-lover with signature dishes like steak au poivre and colossal prime rib. Just make sure to bring that black Amex along — these cuts come at a steep price. Like any temple of meat, the Flagler Steakhouse also offers seafood including broiled twin lobster tails or a different type of red meat with rack of lamb.
3. Cut 432
432 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-272-9898; cut432.com.
This is a modern steak house, make no mistake about that. While Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue is famous for having a little something for every culinary and nightlife craving, in the heart of it all you'll find the city's only steakhouse with Cut 432. The restaurant provides an upscale space to enjoy a variety of America's favorite meats like pork, chicken, and — yes — steak. Cuts include everything from filet and New York strip to megasize tomahawks. The restaurant also cellars more than 300 varieties of wine to pair with your food, 50 of which are available by the glass, while the spirits menu offers over 60 single malts along with a solid collection of Kentucky bourbon, whiskey, scotch, rum, tequila, gin, vodka – even moonshine. An ever-changing cocktail menu offers inventive selections that reflect the kitchen's focus on seasonal ingredients.
2. Okeechobee Steakhouse
2854 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-683-5151; okeesteakhouse.com.
The Lewis family founded the Okeechobee Drive-In back in 1947, a restaurant with a remote location in western West Palm Beach. In 1974, the owner's son, Curtis, decided to change the name to Okeechobee Steakhouse to promote their main dishes. Today, three generations later, the family-run business takes pride in operating a place where everything is still done in-house and from scratch — just like the old days. The folks here use a unique dry-aging process, and they cut their own steaks, portion their own fish filets, and prepare each sauce and dessert by hand. On average, the kitchen cuts up to 3,000 pounds —about a ton and a half — of steaks per week.
1. Meat Market
191 Bradley Pl., Palm Beach; 561-354-9800; facebook.com/meatmarketpalmbeach.
Behind every great restaurant, there’s a creative, talented force that brings passion, dedication, and excellence to every bite. The partnership between Miami chef Sean Brasel and co-owner David Tornek exudes such dynamic force that after 13 years together, they're still running the hottest contemporary American steakhouses around. Based off his original Miami location, Brasel has created an impressive place designed to draw more than just the carnivores with a diverse menu that includes a solid selection of seafood and an impressive crudo/raw bar. If you came for the meat, however, you're in luck. A list of ultra-premium "reserved" cuts range from a 30-ounce Australian Kobe beef Tomahawk ribeye and 32-ounce center-cut dry-aged porterhouse to a seven-ounce A5 Gold Label Kobe filet mignon. Enjoy the beefy flavors on their own or pair them with Meat Market's signature house-made butters and sauces, served a la carte. The list includes picks like atomic horseradish truffle sauce, roasted pepper chimichurri, Jack Daniels Pasilla garlic sauce, and au poivre peppercorn as well as bacon bourbon butter, A-100 barbecue butter, and chili mole butter.
