This Strip Mall Steakhouse In Las Vegas Was One Of Elvis' All Time Favorite Restaurants

"All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel, Viva Las Vegas!," crooned The King — but we might also add "a hearty appetite" to that list. Elvis Presley was an outspoken fan of the city, and ribs and burgers were famously among Elvis' favorite foods. When he was hitting Las Vegas, no trip would be complete without a meal at the Golden Steer Steakhouse. Elvis became a regular at the steakhouse during his late 1960s residency at the nearby International Hotel.

The restaurant promises "The Best Steaks on Earth," and nowadays, a 12-ounce filet mignon à la carte runs for $94. However, according to the official Golden Steer website, Elvis' go-to order at the steakhouse was off-menu: A burger formed from filet trimmings. Presley's actual last meal focused more on chocolate chips than steak, though. But in '60s Vegas, Elvis was enjoying his signature burger, and he was known to sit in one specific booth every single night he dined there.

The singer's seven-year residency at the International Hotel began on July 31, 1969. At the time, the hotel housed the largest showroom in Las Vegas with a capacity of 2,200 people (that's a lot of Elvis fans). The King performed a whopping 636 concerts over this period (from 1969 to 1976), coming into Vegas in four-week increments and cranking out two shows a night (an 8:00 p.m. dinner show and another set at midnight) every single night – then heading to the Golden Steer post-show.

The Golden Steer first opened in 1958, the same year that Elvis' career-launching run with Sun Records and RCA ended. By the time his residency began, Elvis had already served in the army and become a Hollywood movie star. The string of Vegas shows marked a new chapter in his career, and his first show at the International attracted A-list audience members, ranging from Fats Domino and Pat Boone to Dick Clark and Paul Anka. 

Elvis' residency is heralded as one of the formative events that put Las Vegas on the map as an entertainment destination in the first place. The King ignited a golden age for the entire city, arriving before Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," in which the city serves as the backdrop for the quest to find the American dream, and before Scorsese's "Casino" (which was set in the mid-1970s, and chronicles the gradual downfall of Vegas's heyday).

In fact, the Golden Steer served as a key inspiration for the film, as Mafiosos regularly held meetings at the steakhouse during this period. Perhaps fittingly, over the years, the restaurant has taken on as much Old Vegas symbolism as the King himself. Today, the Golden Steer has endured as the oldest continually operating steakhouse near the Strip. Inside, the dining room is outfitted in red leather booths and dark wooden features, embodying old-style Vegas charm.

Other famous patrons over the years have included Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack, Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, and Chicago mob boss Tony Spilotro. But, even decades later, the Golden Steer is still paying devoted homage to its equally devoted regular. An Instagram post from the Golden Steer social media account shares a clip of Elvis singing "I Got Lucky" and writes, "Happy birthday to The King of Rock n' Roll!! Elvis Presley was born on this day in 1935." Another post by the restaurant raves, "Elvis Presley's version of 'Always On My Mind' is an all timer!!!"

In partnership with the Elvis Presley Estate, the Golden Steer is actively running a promotion in honor of what would have been the King's 90th birthday. For the entire year of 2025, the two forces are collaborating to deck out the singer's go-to booth with official memorabilia as a tribute. "This collaboration means a great deal to us," writes the Steer on its website, "not just because of who Elvis was to the world, but because of who he was to Las Vegas, and to the Steer." The Elvis Presley Estate has lent the steakhouse two of Elvis's authentic gold records from his personal collection — "The 50 Greatest Hits" and "Blue Hawaii" — both of which are framed and on display in the booth. Hungry for more? Here are eight other restaurants across the U.S. that Elvis Presley loved.