Where to Get a Great Steak in Houston, Texas

When I first passed through Houston on my road-trip of discovery in 2000 I remember thinking that now that I was finally in Texas, I'd be able to eat a good steak any time I wanted. Earlier in my travels I had been consistently disappointed with sub-par offerings in one town after another along the Eastern Seaboard. Texas is cattle-country, and I had high hopes for mouthwatering steak.

I learned something interesting though. Here is a state where if you hit a cow on the highway with your car, you have to pay the owner of said cow for the damage. Yet Texans seemed to be more interested in BBQ brisket and TexMex than steak. All my friends in Houston wanted to eat was Mexican! I was shocked. Where were all the great steak restaurants I'd been dreaming of?

After seven years living in Houston and trying hundreds of restaurants, I offer up my personal list of favorites where you can get a delicious steak exactly how you like it.

If price is no object and you want a truly amazing venue, you want to eat at Vic and Anthony's downtown (near the Toyota Center). The story goes that Tilman Fertita, who runs the massive Landry's chain of restaurants hereabouts, and his father Vic, toured the country to learn what makes a great steakhouse, and then started this one in the middle of Houston. I don't really care what the background is, what I care about is the great steak. The preparation of my personal favorite, a bone-in Ribeye, is flawless. The plate comes sizzling hot and the meat is cooked exactly right and tastes better than anything I've ever eaten before. The wine list is huge and ranges from "affordable" at ~$100 on the low end to incredible bottles that cost more than my car. Very nice place for a couple if they want a quiet and romantic meal that includes a great cut of beef.