Morton's Porterhouse Steak Is Really Nothing Special. Here's Why

Coming from the steer cut where the tenderloin and top loin intersect, porterhouse steak is a prized cut for a reason, known for its generous portion size, tender texture, and ultra-savory beefy flavor. But not all porterhouse steaks are alike or prepared well enough to help the cut shine. In Tasting Table's definitive ranking of 12 porterhouse steaks from steakhouse chains, the offering from Morton's The Steakhouse fell to last place. This "prize" cut left us feeling less than rewarded.

According to our reviewer, the 45-day dry-aged Morton's porterhouse "creates a deeper, richer, beefier taste that doesn't always appeal to everyone." This isn't to say that every steak on the Morton's menu falls short. Online customer reviews reflect high praise of the New York strip, ribeye, filet mignon, and wagyu steaks. However, multiple Yelp! reviews that specifically mention ordering the porterhouse steak share a common criticism: inconsistent cooking temperature. That's right, the one factor that can ruin the dining experience at a steakhouse.

Due to its sheer size and the fact that it combines both strip steak and tenderloin in one, porterhouse steak can be notoriously tough to nail with a desired cook temp. Still, Morton's pricey, distinctively flavored porterhouse doesn't deliver anything especially memorable — which would be more forgivable if the price were lower. At a Morton's location in Manhattan, the 36-ounce dry-aged porterhouse steak costs $139, with the sides served a la carte.

Elsewhere online, foodies seem to be echoing these sentiments (or lack thereof). Reviewing a New York Morton's location, one Yelp user wrote, "We spent triple here compared to our other visits, and the food was no better than LongHorn or Outback." Indeed, we ranked the porterhouse offerings from more affordable, accessible steakhouse chains like Texas Roadhouse, Outback, and LongHorn far above Morton's in our taste test. Foodies craving porterhouse may be better off swinging by a local, standalone steakhouse, or pretty much any other steakhouse chain that serves dry-aged meat, which will likely cost far less.

Morton's steaks are made from USDA prime-aged beef, representing a high-quality, consistent inventory from the same suppliers since 1978. Although, in execution, the chain's fare might be a bit less consistent than that. In one Reddit thread, a foodie writes, "Never had a bad steak at Morton's." Importantly, as the poster notes, they ordered the New York strip steak and the fillet (no porterhouse here, officer). The top comment made by another user, with more than 40 upvotes, reads, "Glad your Morton's is good. Mine isn't." Another disgruntled commenter agrees, adding that, "For the prices high-end steakhouses charge, you should be getting the best steak you've ever had every single time."