Louisville's Best Steak Restaurants

The wife & I are big fans of great steak & need some advice. We don't eat it very often, but when we do, we like to indulge.

We're contemplating a visit to Del Frisco's for Valentine's Day. We've been to some of the other high-end steak establishments in town - Jeff Ruby's & Stoney River are our favorites, but I must admit we haven't tried Pat's or Morton's. How would you compare Del Frisco's to those places? What about a restaurant with a more diverse menu (like a Jack Fry's) that doesn't specialize in steak, but happens to serve a great one?

Interested to see what others have to say. Thanks for the feedback!

Best I've had in town: Palermo Viejo.

I personally don't put Stony River in anywhere near the same category as Jeff Ruby's. As far as the others steak restaurants you mention I definitely think Morton's is the best, I really don't like the atmosphere at Pat's or Del Frisco's but they both have pretty good steaks. Also have you considered Z's Steakhouse and Oyster Bar? They have wonderful steaks but also all have some other items on the menu that are very good and they have two of my favorite appetizers Steak Tartar and Escargot!

My rankings of the top five steakhouses would be as follows:
1. Jeff Ruby's
1. Z's (tie)
3. Morton's
4. Del Frisco's
5. Ruth's Chris

Jeff Ruby's
Z's
Pat's Steakhouse

For me, I don't care for Ruth Chris or Morton's

This is of absolutely no help, but I really miss Dillon's. For less than a stratospheric price, you could get a truly great steak dinner there.

I think, if you want to revisit the past, try out Pat's. Great steaks which include rolls, salad and 2 sides. Be aware you need to bring cash (their website says they accept cash or personal checks, I think I'll stick with cash as I don't write checks anymore) and that you're stepping into the past by about 50 years. And that is a good thing, trust me. Just take a look at this link and take a trip back to a simpler time.

http://www.patssteakhouselouisville.com/





Here's Robin's review from a while back. Still valid in my opinion. Actually, based on his review, it seems the score should've been higher.

http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/pats.shtml

Actually we like Stoney River, Ruth's Chris, and Z's.....I don't care for Morton's and I can't specifically point to one reason. I don't like eatting in a basement I suppose.

Jeff Ruby's is on the list to try....we don't eat steak out all that much but when we do, there certainly isn't a shortage a fine options.

I hate to give chains that much credit but stoney river has by far some of the best steak. Since Im on the subject, J. Alexanders has some amazing prime rib... Not mention onion rings that are the size of my thigh. Jeff ruby has a great fillet. Jack frys is up there in the top3.

seriously, pats is awesome. ruth chris's steak was amazing, but i found the sides to be pretty weak other than a lobster bisque. z's was good, but i didn't feel was worth the money.

i've been to stoney river multiple times and i've never been impressed. stoney river is overpriced and you can go to logan's roadhouse and get the logan for 13 bucks and have a better time, with better sides.

I love Pat's. But, I have found that newcomers who are used to steak places like Ruth Chris or Morton's don't care for it. It is very southern in style. It serves traditional Louisville style food: long and slow cooked green beans with ham hock, cauliflower with cheese sauce, hash brown potatoes, simple iceberg lettuce salads, etc. In addition to steaks, they have great fried chicken. The sides are served family style if your party is four or more. They only take cash. They do offer USDA Prime beef, but it is not seared on 1,000 degree burners like major steakhouse chains. It is truly one of my favorite restaurants in town, but it is not to everyone's taste.

-If you want a traditional steakhouse, complete with that signature clubby atmosphere, you can't go wrong with Z's Oyster Bar. Everything there is made with the freshest and finest ingredients possible. Great place.
-If you want an atypical "steakhouse", you should definitely go with Palermo Viejo. I have extoled its virtues many times on this forum, so I will spare you that this time. Just go. Its an amazing restaurant.
-Last, if you are wanting a non-steakhouse restaurant that serves a great steak, Jack Fry's is tops in my book. I had the filet last Saturday and it was an amazing dish. Marty Rosen gushed about it in his review of JFs a few weeks ago, and I have to say that all of the praise was well deserved.

Scott Shreffler
Schlafly Beer

I loooooooove steak.

For Jeff Ruby's prices with much (much!) better food, go to Z's. They also have great seafood options. If I want to spend a big pile of money on chared cow flesh, this is the place I go. IMO, best steak in town and priced like it.

Pat's has good steaks, but is very "like grandma used to make it". WELL cooked veggies, iceburg salads... it's not for everyone (me).

Ruth's Chris and Morton's charge too much for average food. Morton's has the better food, Ruth's has the better view.

I haven't been to Del Frisco's in years. Last time I went it was meh, but I've been hearing good things again recently. The green funk used to be a favorite of mine.

For non-traditional options :

Palermo is a great choice, and they have excellent steaks, plus a huge variety of non-steak choices, but it's not a super upscale place. The food would qualify, as would the service, but prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is more comfortable than upscale. It's a favorite of mine.

The skirt steak (Churrascos de Argentina I think) at Seviche is as tasty a piece of meat as any in town. It comes with wonderful mashed potatoes and chimicurri on the side. They also offer a good selection of both steak of non steak options. (This is my favorite restaurant, period).

Club Grotto used to have a great steak, but I haven't been in so long I don't know if it's still on the menu or not.

I've heard the filet at Jack Fry's is great, but I can't stop ordering the pork chop.

If you go to Del Frisco's let us know how it is!

I love Pat's. My husband and I both order the "lady" portion since we don't eat gargantuan amounts, and the waitstaff doesn't bat an eye. We order medium-rare, and it comes out perfectly cooked. The meat is tender and tastes "beefy" in a way a lot of meat doesn't these days. I've had Longhorn and chain places that are favorites of some folks here, and the meat tastes like some kind of saline injection/marinade. If you want unadulterated meat, go to Pat's.

As for the sides, they are indeed Southern style, and the salad is totally unacceptable for this price point. However, I forgive all that for the good meat (and the sweet old-school atmosphere).

- Liz

I eat steak very infrequently so I'm not an up to date expert but the last really good steak I had was the filet at Jack Fry's.

I love Pat's. My husband and I both order the "lady" portion since we don't eat gargantuan amounts, and the waitstaff doesn't bat an eye. We order medium-rare, and it comes out perfectly cooked. The meat is tender and tastes "beefy" in a way a lot of meat doesn't these days. I've had Longhorn and chain places that are favorites of some folks here, and the meat tastes like some kind of saline injection/marinade. If you want unadulterated meat, go to Pat's.

As for the sides, they are indeed Southern style, and the salad is totally unacceptable for this price point. However, I forgive all that for the good meat (and the sweet old-school atmosphere).

- Liz

I admit . . . I love the salad. There is some guilty pleasure about eating iceberg lettuce with loads of homemade thousand island dressing on it.

We recently ate at Del Friscos and had and excellent filet there. It was extremely tender and one of the best steaks I've had in Louisville. I would put it up there with Ruby's in terms of quality of steak, but I liked the charred flavor of the Jeff Ruby steak a little better than the sizzling plate style of Del Friscos. I have also had good steks from Z's and Stoney River, but would put Ruby's and Del Frisco above them for my taste.