7 Chain Restaurants With The Best Steak, According To Professional Chefs

There's nothing better than getting all gussied up and heading to a top notch steakhouse for an exquisite filet. But every so often we want something a little more down to earth. A more casual place where it doesn't really matter what you wear and the menu includes seafood, salads, and of course a steak or two. Sometimes all we want is a chain. 

A place whose name we recognize immediately that has cache, guarantees a decent meal, and knows how exactly how to prepare a steak. There's just one problem: with so many steakhouse chains out there, how do we choose? How do we know if this well known restaurant really does serve the best ribeye? Well, to answer those questions, we asked the experts.

We spoke with several culinary professionals: Jason Dady (a San Antonio pitmaster behind Range, Two Bros. BBQ Market, and Lil' Bros BBQ Shack), Ed Cotton (the head chef at Jack & Charlie's No. 118), and Kevin Meehan (of Kali). Each works with steak daily, and they were nice enough to give us their favorite chain restaurants for steak. These are the places they head to at the end of a long shift, when they're craving red meat. And if these shops rank high enough to entice the chefs who cook beef over a hot flame all day, you know these chains make a good steak.

When Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp opened Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills in 1938, they had one idea: serve the public a perfect prime rib. And for over 80 years, that's exactly what Lawry's has done. A special cut of beef that was once typically reserved for the home, became an elevated dining experience where the waiters wheeled a whole prime rib to your table on a white linen covered-cart, let you pick how it was cooked from rare to well-done, and then cut and serve it right before your very eyes. 

While that sounds like something that may have been done to garner attention when the restaurant first opened 88 years ago, Lawry's continues this tradition today at every one of its 13 restaurants. But Lawry's doesn't limit the tableside experience to its prime rib, the waiters make the Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad tableside as well. That showmanship is exactly why chef Kevin Meehan says it's a great place to go for a steak. "It's an institution — old-school, fun, and completely timeless," Meehan said. "The prime rib is unlike anything else, and the room has a great energy that still feels special."

As Kevin Meehan told us: "I've long admired Wolfgang Puck ... and his contribution to the chef community is extraordinary." Meehan strongly believes that Puck works hard at all his restaurants and maintains the same level of quality no matter which kitchen he's running. So when it comes to steakhouses, it's no surprise that Meehan immediately points to Puck's Cut for an exceptional steak.

Achieving a Michelin star in 2019 and again in 2021, Cut has several different cuts of beef to choose from including a New York Strip and a bone-in Rib Eye. There are even three different kinds of Wagyu on the menu from Japan, Australia, and the United States. But no matter which steak you choose, Meehan promises that the restaurant "delivers beautifully, not just with steak, but across the menu." That kind of attention to detail is important to Meehan. No matter which chain you choose to visit, Meehan wants us to make sure it's a restaurant that understands "craft, hospitality, and how to make people genuinely happy." All things at which Cut definitely excels.

The Capital Grille may be a chain with over 70 different locations across the United States, but there's a reason why we ranked it as the best steakhouse chain to dine at – consistency and flavor. The exact reasons Ed Cotton recommends it as the place to go for a delicious steak dinner.

Known for dry aging several of its cuts for 18 to 24 days, what sets The Capital Grille apart is the fact that each one of those steaks is then hand carved by the butchers on site. Having the steaks carved in-house is one more way the steakhouse can guarantee consistency and why we and several patrons consider it to be one of the absolute best places to go for filet mignon.

But we're not the only ones who think that. Chef Cotton does too. Those high standards really impresses him. See, no matter which location you pick for dinner, the chefs and butchers follow the same precise standards which leads to great flavor. Flavor that Cotton insists is "spot on" every time. While The Capital Grille has more than 10 different cuts to choose from on its menu, Cotton insists "the Porcini rubbed bone-in ribeye is great."

The Capital Grille isn't the only steakhouse consistently plating quality cuts for its patrons. Outback steakhouse does as well which is why chef Jason Dady is such a big fan of the steakhouse chain. "Any great restaurant is about consistency and I think Outback does it really well," the San Antonio chef declares. In fact, it's a quality on which the chain proudly prides itself.

A self-proclaimed "old school" guy, Dady knows exactly what he wants when he enters an Outback. "You give me an Outback special, a sirloin rare with the ceasar salad and a bloomin' onion, that takes me back college," he says with a laugh. If you're not up for a sirloin steak or a bloomin' onion, don't fret. There are several alternatives from salads to seafood on the menu as well. But it's the nine prime cuts of beef that keep us and Dady coming back.

Our first choice is Victoria's Filet Mignon, a cut we happen to think is hands down the best steak you can order at the chain. But Dady admits he's sticking with the sirloin because he knows exactly what he's getting: "it's a little tough, it's a little chewy, but it's seasoned right and it's cooked properly." And if it brings back great college memories, that's definitely a steak worth savoring.

If you aren't just looking for a good steak but want an experience as well, Kevin Meehan says you can't go wrong with Manpuku, an authentic Japanese Yakiniku (barbecue). Unlike the other chains on this list, Manpuku, which just happens to be one of the best Japanese steakhouses in Los Angeles, doesn't simply serve up its steaks on a pretty plate. Each table comes with its own grill so every visitor can prepare their own meats and vegetables exactly to their liking, allowing patrons to go from simple foodie to Japanese grill master in one sitting. It's an aspect Meehan loves and why he says he keeps going back.

"On my days off, I genuinely love Manpuku on Sawtelle," Meehan declared. "It's one of those spots I keep coming back to because the meat quality is excellent, everything is marinated and grilled to order right in front of you, and the whole experience is simple in the best way: salad, garlic rice, and a cold beer." While the meats and garlic rice are noteworthy, there are plenty of other dishes on the menu including a few different types of noodles, seafood, and even beef tartare.

If you just can't decide and want a little bit of everything, though, there are two different Omakase menus, as well. There is the traditional and the premium, which comes with four different Wagyu cuts for only $98 per person as of this writing. No matter which meal you choose, Meehan promises you'll be happy with your order.

When Jason Dady has a craving for prime rib, there's one place he goes: J. Alexander's. He says he orders it rare with raw horseradish (the horseradish crèma) and the au jus. Biting into the thick slab of meat always makes him happy because it immediately scratches that prime rib itch.

The San Antonio chef isn't alone in his fandom of J. Alexander's prime rib. The chain consistently gets rave reviews for this particular cut, making it one of the best chains to visit for prime rib. But the reason Dady prefers it over other chains that serve prime rib is because the chefs at J. Alexander's know how to make it the way he likes it: rare. He believes chefs who slow roast the cut all day usually struggle with temperature control. But when it's cooked rare, Dady claims the cut is "soft and kind of unctuous." He also noted the two horseradish options elevate it. "I can put the raw horseradish on top and the creamy horseradish and then dip it in the broth ... it's awesome," Dady exclaimed with a grin.

You might think the best side to pair with J. Alexander's prime rib would be the smashed potatoes or the loaded baked potato. But Dady recommends the grilled artichokes instead when ordering this chain restaurant steak.

Another restaurant known for its consistency, Hillstone is not your typical steakhouse chain. Unlike other chains where dress isn't necessarily as important as the menu, Hillstone actually requests its patrons "dress for the occasion." That means no sportswear, no gym clothes, revealing clothes, and absolutely no flip-flops. Sure, Hillstone may serve a hauntingly good French Dip sandwich, but the steakhouse also has a prime filet, tuna tartare, plenty of sushi, and an impressive wine list. All stellar reasons to get dressed up for dinner. Yet the menu options aren't the only reasons why Ed Cotton prefers it.

Just like with the Capital Grille, Cotton appreciates the restaurant's uniformity across all its locations. "The quality and consistency is very impressive no matter what location you find yourself in," Ed Cotton explained. In other words, no matter which city you choose to dine in or which steak you choose to eat, Cotton promises you'll have a wonderful meal. He suggests The Hawaiian, which is a USDA prime rib-eye with a pineapple-soy-ginger marinade that Cotton insists "is next level."