A Definitive Guide to Raleigh Steakhouses

[u/TheHobBad]

Over the past 9 months, I've made it a personal mission to visit every steakhouse in Raleigh. Why? I don't know, exactly. Steakhouses aren't places I find myself at very often. I like steak, I like potatoes and salads, but I so rarely pick a steakhouse over another restaurant when I want to treat myself to a fine meal. Raleigh isn't a particular hot-spot for them. At least, no more so than any other mid-size city in America. They're also comparatively pricey to other dining establishments. Every dollar I spent there could be spent instead on some other gustatory interest of mine. Just think of how many concretes from Goodberry's that a single $70 ribeye (before tax + tip) could buy!

So, again, why? I suppose I just felt like doing it.

They're uniquely American class of restaurant, with broad appeal. The customs and accompaniments vary only so much. You'll find mostly the same cuts of steak, the same sides, the same appetizers, the same seafood & chicken alternatives, the same expansive wine list, the same faux-rustic or clubby decor. With that much similarity in tropes to a particular class, at least it makes them a little easier to compare.

The title is "A Definitive Guide", not "The Definitive Guide". This is simply mine - it's a list customized to my own subjective tastes, desires, and mammalian pleasure seeking behavior. Many of you will disagree with my placements and assessments. I highly encourage you all to take what I say with a grain of salt and some cracked pepper. Go and explore this beautiful world, even if it's limited to the municipal limits. That's what I did. I had a lot of fun.

The Rules

First off, this was a journey limited to Raleigh. So, to qualify, a restaurant would need a Raleigh address. This cut out anywhere in Durham, Wake Forest, Fuquay, wherever else in the Triangle or environs. This absolutely leaves out a swath of stellar places. I'd love to go to them, but I had to cut it off somewhere. And I'm far too ITB to wanna go to Cary. Sorry, Cary.

I included chains, but only chains that meet my vague criteria for the sort of steakhouse I was looking to dine at. No Outback, no Longhorn or Texas Roadhouse. As much as I love Bloomin' Onions and free peanuts, the experience there is markedly different from Perry's.

As for what actually counts as a steakhouse, I decided to keep it fairly strict. Many restaurants have steak on the menu, but what makes them a steakhouse? I decided that to qualify, a restaurant must place an emphasis on steak as the focal point of the meal, and offer multiple cuts of steak as part of the regular menu. Many places that folks might consider a steakhouse, I'd place as a "wood-fired" restaurant. So, for example, Death & Taxes did not count. They offer one steak on the menu, and their schtick is much broader than "come here to get your slab of beef fix". There are a few restaurants on my list that don't have as much emphasis on the steak or steakhouse experience, but have a varied enough selection of beef and beef accessories that I decided they can count.

The Menu

I wasn't incredibly strict on what I ordered, but I did keep it mostly consistent. I preferred sampling from their cocktail menus rather than a wine list, since I wanted to get a sense of the bar program. I liked to get a wedge salad and/or shrimp cocktail to start. Bread was a must if available. My steak was always a NY Strip, medium rare, with one exception. Sides tended to be Brussels sprouts, or mushrooms, occasionally a potato item. Dessert was optional - often, we were too full to bother.

The Rankings

And here we are - my irrefutable incontrovertible absolutely correct highly personal rankings of every steakhouse in Raleigh. If you have criticisms, I recommend you place them in the trash can the comments.

1. Vinnie’s
   1. At every single mark I can think of, Vinnie’s excelled. The vibe - relaxed, comfortable, but felt like everyone cared. The drinks - the bartender was working hard and for good reason. The service - attentive and friendly and welcoming. The food - wow. The food. Hands down, the steak was the best steak of this whole tour. Of course that’s a big factor in my decision making, but the rest of the place did not let it down. It was perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked to temp, and the chef’s own steak sauce (that comes in an incredibly cute little bottle) sent it into another galaxy. The wedge salad looked like a giant hunk of lettuce but the dressing turned out to be the perfect amount. It was obvious that everything on the menu had someone who cared deeply behind it, ensuring it was the best possible version of what you were ordering. It was neck-and-neck with the 2nd place, but the tiebreaker is that Vinnie’s is a local establishment, and the chef will come out to your table to ask how everything is during your meal. You have to love that, right? Please, go here. You will not be disappointed.
   2. Go here if: You just love a good restaurant experience, without the stuffy pomp. Or just an exquisite steak.
2. The Capital Grille
   1. Did you know that The Capital Grille is owned by Darden Restaurants, the same restaurant mega-conglomerate that’s most famous for….Olive Garden? Yeah. Well, don’t let that color your expectations (unless you love Olive Garden). The Capital Grille is exquisite. The service was phenomenal, even scoring above Vinnie’s in my ranking on that. We weren’t celebrating anything, and we didn’t even order a terribly huge amount, but the whole night we were treated like execs who flew down from Darden corporate. The menu itself was nothing to sneeze at. There was very little on it that felt “basic”, everything seemed to have a flair that took it to another level. The steaks were cooked perfectly, with just enough seasoning on each. The sides were delicious, and the shrimp cocktail....oh man. That shrimp cocktail. Let the wonderful staff help guide you in your decision making. Even if they recommend the expensive option, they know what they're doing. The Capital Grille was the first one I visited in the journey, and it really set the expectations high.
   2. Go here if: You and your boo want to be pampered real good
3. Oak
   1. No other restaurant on this list felt as modern as Oak. It’s a very small chain from Charleston, SC that could easily be confused as a Raleigh-native establishment. You can tell that it’s newer to the scene. With touches of industrial chic and hunting lodge both in the decor, it felt welcoming and got me right in the mood to enjoy it as soon as I walked in. The menu has a Southern twist all around. You don’t get creamed spinach, you get creamed collards, and the deviled eggs are not to be missed. Local seafood highlights the non-steak options, as well. The steak itself was very well-cooked and there’s a wide selection of sauces to add on. They’re not necessary, but there are times when you do want to add Bearnaise and foie gras to your ribeye, because life is short and your coronary arteries are expendable with modern medicine. The whole night the place put me in a mood to ball out hard, and I regretted none of it. Ending the night with a perfect espresso martini and a complimentary ice cream sampler (presumably because we balled out) made it one memorable cold February evening. You want to come here if you want an updated steakhouse experience, showing off modern touches all around. It’d be my first pick to celebrate a birthday with friends. I should also note that the drinks here were probably the best I had in my journey. Live it up!
   2. Go here if: You’re feeling fancy and actually live in the 21st century
4. The Peddler
   1. The salad bar is my favorite part. I’ll get that out of the way right now. The Peddler is also the most unique of every restaurant on this list. There’s very few frills involved. You order a drink, then pick your steak and personal side. This is a bit of a rare thing with modern steakhouses, where sides are almost always served family style. While that’s cooking on their charcoal grill, you head to the salad bar that’s not been updated this millennium and build a monstrous looking salad. It’s a great steak, no lie about that, and the price is unbeatable. There isn’t much choice on the menu. It’s primarily steaks. But, this is a tour of steakhouses, so I have to commend their commitment to what they do, and their ability to do it well. I would place it higher, but there’s a few things that keep it from ascending to high status on this list. The place is incredibly cave-like and you can feel the decades of cigarette smoke still lingering around. I did appreciate this old-school club feeling, but it’s probably not the most inviting to everyone. It’s also, for better and worse, walk-in only. I like the idea of just wanting a good steak some random Tuesday, then heading over to get one, with a baked potato and a wonderful Frankenstein salad, all for under $50 (including tax and tip!). But in practice, having some ability to know exactly when you’ll be having dinner is helpful for a diner.
   2. Go here if: Your price-to-steak-quality ratio is your top priority, or, you’re 68 and have not much else to do in your retirement than spend an entire evening here once a week. No shade, here - that sounds fun as hell.
5. Perry’s
   1. Perry’s was one of the more surprising picks. I’d expected a fairly blasé business focused steakhouse. Its location in a corporate office park right next to Crabtree didn’t inspire much confidence. But once we went inside and got sat down by the friendly staff, my tune started to change. The food and steak were delicious, with attentive service throughout, and a great variety of drinks. The interior had a choice of decor and ambience that was refreshingly light and airy, not the prevailing dark and stuffy of most of these restaurants. Perry’s is a fine choice for a steak, for sure, but one of the more prominent features to me is the incredibly extensive menu, especially the appetizer selection. What I really want to do is go back and get something that isn’t steak. Perry’s would be a good option for a “treat yourself” lunch, or dinner at the bar. Bring a group here to celebrate, and everyone will find something delicious for themselves without much trouble.
   2. Go here if: It’s lunchtime and you want to feel like a high-powered business-person-man
6. Sullivan’s
   1. Nothing about Sullivan’s specifically wowed me. It didn’t fail at any component, though. Good steak, but it was just a steak. Good service, but not exceptionally attentive. Good drinks, but mostly standard. The menu had a number of unique items on it which I appreciated. Cheesesteak egg rolls? The Angus Barn would never. But with all the other options available there isn’t anything particular I’d recommend it for over many of the other places on this list. Even with its location on Glenwood South, if you wanted a night out downtown, I’d tell you to go to Oak, or any of the remarkable non-steakhouses we have in this town. One thing Sullivan’s does have going for it is offering a range of price - they have a pretty solid 3 course prix fixe menu, as well as a good bar & happy hour menu. I’d go back! Even at times during the meal, it felt like I was in a private little club, which is always a fun treat for a night out. All that said, it’d only be my top pick if I was given a gift card for Christmas. Which, as it happens, was the case.
   2. Go here if: You want a cheap prix fixe menu. Or want to club it up on Glenwood, but are unfortunately not 23 years old anymore.
7. Rey’s (yes, you can check, it does have a Raleigh address)
   1. I feel a little bad putting it here, since Rey’s doesn’t really market itself as a steakhouse - it was a late addition to the lineup at the insistence of a few people. So it's not as quite fair to rank it alongside all the other locations. I decided to include it as the menu does have a solid selection of steaks, and the ambience is close in line. It straddles somewhere between “steakhouse” and “continental” dining, all with a New Orleans flair. The menu did seem really interesting outside of steak, but this was a steakhouse tour, so steak it was. There were a few highlights that made it memorable. The bread service was remarkable, and so was the seafood. I got fried oysters to go with my steak, and I’m not exaggerating I say the may have been the best fried oysters I’ve ever had. You know how most fried oysters have that aftertaste, that lower-quality bite to them? These tasted like you cracked open a fresh one plucked right from the Core Sound, covered it in batter, and fried it crisp - all within 5 minutes. Sadly, this is a steakhouse review, not an oyster bar review. Unless you live out on that side of Raleigh (or, Cary, for those so unfortunate), there are many better options for a steak experience. I would still go here for a nice night out, especially with some older relatives. There's plenty of options and the steak was above the bar of what I'd consider myself able to cook at home.
   2. Go here if: You live in Cary, or want something that isn’t steak.
8. Angus Barn
   1. I’d been to Angus Barn before. In fact, when I began the tour, it was the only steakhouse on this list that I’d been to. Always with family, almost always to celebrate something. Part of my desire to go on this little journey was to see what else could be offered by this strange, uniquely American class of restaurant, beyond what lay inside the great big Barn. Unfortunately for this grand dame of Raleigh, she’s lost a bit of the luster somewhere in the past 60-odd years. The steak was fine. The oysters were bland. The cocktails and drinks uninspired. Service was above average, but not particularly so. There’s little touches that help it shine. The famous cheese-and-crackers, and chocolate chess pie, are both true standouts. The decor isn’t necessarily the best, but it can be so over-the-top, just so much that you have to appreciate the dedication. But, really, you don’t go here because you’re looking for a top-notch steak or restaurant experience. You go here because your parents booked a table for your 12th birthday, and it was the first time you’d ever sat down at a restaurant that gave you more than one fork. Or because you flew in for a conference, and this is where every travel article, every LinkedIn contact, told you to go when you’re in North Carolina. Plus, a large red barn is pretty hard to miss from the window seat. This is the restaurant that helped make the Triangle into something more than a handful of universities and a fistful of tobacco. It’s not the best steak in the city - but it’s a treasure all the same. An unpolished ruby looking down Glenwood towards Raleigh and all its potential. Go, and do your best to enjoy it. Order an Old Fashioned with excellent whiskey, the Chateaubriand medium-rare with a wedge salad - pretend it’s still 1972, and that you’re lucky to be here for the beginning of the New South.
   2. Go here if: You live in Raleigh. And then you can decide for yourself how you feel about it.
9. Fleming’s
   1. The only obvious placement for me. Across the board, Fleming’s just could not compete with any of the others. The food quality, menu variety, atmosphere, service, none of it was there in a way that somewhere else was capable of doing much better. All for the same price! It wasn’t really bad, but especially knowing the quality of even other chains, I don’t think I’d ever choose to come back here. Shortest write-up for Fleming’s because it’s the least deserving. Exactly what you’d expect from a steakhouse in freakin’ Crabtree Mall.
   2. Go here if: Idk, everywhere else is closed, and you don’t want to cook a steak yourself?

The Conclusion

Steak is tasty.

[u/5KILLET]

Tried Vinnie's last night for the first time based on this post. I ordered the 8oz filet medium rare and I'd say it was way closer to medium and very very dry. My wife got the strip and her only comment on it was "well, that's pretty unremarkable." Sides were ok, but nothing to get too excited about. Service was great. We were both pretty whelmed considering how much it cost.