Best Las Vegas Steakhouses

Best Vegas Steakhouses

 

Wet and Dry aged steaks appeal to different tastes. The only way to properly recommend Las Vegas steakhouses is by groups:

Wet Aged

Our top choices are:

 

• Del Frisco's
• N9ne
• Mastro's (Lunch)
• SW

Dry Aged

Our top choices are:

 

• Carnevino
• Craftsteak (Top Overall)
• CUT
• Delmonico (Lunch)
• Envy
• Strip Steak
• The Steakhouse at Circus Circus

 

Our top overall choice is Craftsteak, especially for a group with differing tastes. We like Del Frisco's for wet aged and Carnevino for dry aged.

 

Best lunch steakhouses in Vegas are Mastro’s if you prefer wet aged, and Delmonico if you prefer dry. Carnevino’s Taverna could also be considered but your steak choices are very limited for lunch—it’s better as a dinner choice.

 

For best bang for the money, Envy and StripSteak (with coupon) and the Steakhouse at Circus Circus are our top choices. A budget choice is the complete meal, off-menu $6.99 steak special at Ellis Island that features good beer or root beer and an okay 10 oz. steak. For a low price point, the 6 oz. steak and eggs for $3.99 at Arizona Charlie’s (either Decatur or Boulder) will do.

Wet and Dry Aged Steaks

 

Steak connoisseurs prefer dry aging which concentrates the flavor but introduces some gaminess. Wet aged steaks are more neutral tasting. If you like wild venison and strong flavors like blue cheese you might be a dry age fan. Milder tastes may prefer wet aged. A study found 45.8% preferred wet and 27.5% dry aged USDA Prime steaks. In silent auction bidding, 26.7% had no preference for dry or wet aged.

 

Dry aging steaks loses water which both concentrates flavor and makes dry aging more expensive. The resulting crust needs to be trimmed which also adds to expense. Dry and wet aged steaks are very similar in a test of shear force that measures tenderness.

 

 

 

Best Wet Aged Vegas Steakhouses

 

Del Frisco’s (3925 Paradise) is our top wet aged (21 days) steakhouse in Vegas. In 1 prior visit, seasoning seemed salty but has been corrected since. The steaks are a little more seasoned than some other wet aged shops which in turn may be more seasoned than some of the dry aged restaurants.

 

Prices are slightly below fine dining steakhouse averages in Vegas with a 22 oz. ribeye at $49.95. Side dishes are about a couple of dollars cheaper too at $6.95 to $11.95. The mac and cheese is a pretty good side.

 

A James Bond theme might appeal to many but we don’t rate this particularly special décor. However, the overall quality is excellent for a wet aged shop and the wine list at 1,400 is extensive.

 

N9ne (Palms) has the advantage of the best people watching of all the steakhouses with celebrities common. Steaks are wet aged 21 days with a very good side dish ($15) of lobster mashed potatoes—other sides are $11.

 

Steaks range from $43 to $60 with their 24 oz. ribeye at $54. Their bone-in filet is $60. It can be noisy here with bachelor and bachelorette parties in not-so-rare attendance.

 

Mastro’s (Crystals at CityCenter) is actually a seafood restaurant with about double the number of sea versus land entrees. Because they do 21 day aged steaks well we are sneaking them into this section for the best wet aged lunch recommendation as well as very good dinner. Steak offerings and prices are the same at lunch and dinner.

 

Their land menu (8 items) ranges from the petite filet $37 to $50 for the bone-in filet. A 22 oz. ribeye clocks in at $45. Sides range from $9-11 with their lobster mashed potatoes at least as good as N9ne’s and their butter cake is a top dessert in Vegas. Even though prices are high, they are a relatively good value for wet aged steaks in Vegas.

 

SW (Wynn) is our number 4 wet aged steakhouse in Vegas. It was rated a bit higher before a change in chef but is still very good. The steaks are 38 day wet aged with a good char on them and sides are better than average. Prices are also a bit higher. The 20 oz. bone-in ribeye is $52 as is the 9 oz. filet mignon. Side dishes are $10 and include a creamed corn that is one of the better side dishes in Vegas.

 

If your taste for steak sauce runs sweet and hot (instead of béarnaise, truffle butter, etc.) their Jalapeno sauce is unique among the Vegas steak houses. For appetizers, although we prefer foie seared, if you like it torchon (with cherry flavoring), it is pretty good here although non-steak house Bouchon (Venetian) is a bit better at torchon.

 

Décor, service and atmosphere are outstanding. However, you may initially like the frog and Lake of Dreams view but it might be tiresome towards the end of your meal.

 

Best Dry Aged Steakhouses

 

Carnevino (Palazzo) features beef purveyor Adam Lang’s (formerly Robert’s of New York) 42-56 day dry aged beef. For the purist dry ager, this is the best Vegas steakhouse but keep in mind that many prefer wet aged steaks to dry. Owner chef Mario Batali also has very good pasta and other meat and seafood dishes on the menu.

 

They offer ribeye and porterhouse for 2 (28-34 oz.) that go for $135 and $145. Their 16 oz. New York strip is $51 and the 21 day wet aged 8 oz. filet mignon is $39. They also offer 10 other meat entrees. Even bastions of dry aging such as Carnevino use wet aging for filet mignons as there is very little outside fat to protect filets during aging and trim loss would be expensive. Sides are all $9 with the chanterelles and cippolinis an excellent side dish.

 

There are no other steak items on the menu—just 4. This contrasts with steakhouses such as Craftsteak and Cut that offer a variety of cuts and breeds. Carnevino has almost 3 times as many pasta as steak choices on their menu.

 

Off menu, they offer super aged beef that is currently 9 months old. This Riserva is not always available.

 

Although we attest to the excellence of their dry aged menu items (and a very good black fettucine), we have not tried Riserva. However, those who have, described it as utterly unique in texture and excellent flavor and strongly recommend it.

 

We can only speculate about the technique(s) that may be used to massively extend the aging time. There is no recorded health issue with Riserva that we could find—which is our reluctance to try it.

 

Dry agers sometimes use short wavelength (under 280 nm) UV directly on the meat and/or on the air which circulates over the aging beef. The UV blacklights that make some items glow are long length UV. Other possibilities include ultrasound (2.4Mhz), pre-slaughter antibiotic or enhancement solution injections, carbon monoxide/helium holding atmospheres, aging room walls lined with salt, etc.

 

The maximum theoretical aging of meat might be fairly long. Dried/salted Odka from Somalia, Biltong from South Africa, etc., stored correctly in oil or refrigerated, last over 12 months.

 

Riserva pricing is based on a minimum inch cut of the part of the carcass that contains individual steaks which results in roughly 18 oz. thereabouts for around $100 to $150 per inch. Ribeye, NY strip and a porterhouse are usually offered but calling ahead especially for a weekend reservation is advised.

 

Craftsteak (MGM) is Tom Colicchio’s Vegas outpost and our top overall choice. Menu includes dry aged steaks (28-56 days) and wet aged. Often there are grass fed steaks (might include bison but varies), plus a strong selection of Wagyu beef—both domestic and Japanese. Although we believe a strong char or charred crust from high heat grilling enhances flavor and juiciness, some find the char hard to chew through, bitter and a health risk for carcinogens. Craftsteak offers the usual grilled but also roasted steak. If you have a large dining party with different tastes, Craftsteak is the solution.

 

Because Craftsteak offers Wagyu and sometimes grass fed, here is a summary of both. Most tasters prefer corn and/or grain fed beef to grass fed but we prefer the gamier grass flavor. Most of the time, barley, sorghum, potatoes, and wet or dry distillers grains (DDG) substitute for corn without noticeable flavor changes though barley may make beef metallic tasting sometimes.

 

 

 

Wagyu (the Kobe beef breed) come from several prefectures in Japan and produces highly marbled steaks that can grade well above USDA Prime (3.2% of USDA graded beef). This marbling or intramuscular fat (IMF) is the flecks of white fat inside the steak, not around it or elsewhere such as backfat or KPH (Kidney/Pelvic/Heart). IMF is the flavor fat.

 

 

Craftsteak has a good selection of Wagyu. Japanese A5 Wagyu (grade of 12) with their 2 person minimum 3 course meal is $255 per person for about 11 ounces per person. The Japanese rating system goes up to 12. USDA Prime (which has 3 classes) is around 5 to 6 on the Japanese scale.

 

The cheaper domestic Wagyu 3 course meal comes in at $130 per person, 2 person minimum, for about 11 ounces each. Although the grade is only 8, it is well above Prime and tasty for the money.

 

Cross-bred domestic Wagyu are similar in flavor if grades are the same as Japanese Wagyu. However, Japanese Wagyu is typically offered at only the highest grades so you see and taste a difference. Australian Wagyu may be processed in Japan, then export labeled as Japanese Wagyu which explains why pricing seems more reasonable than a few years ago.

 

In addition to offering variety for the steak lovers, Craftsteak has good side dishes although at a higher than average price. They range from $12 up to $24 for a very good mushroom sampler. Non-Wagyu steak prices are a bit higher too with a 16 oz. ribeye at $50 and a 10 oz. filet mignon for $56. An 18 oz. T-bone and 16 oz. New York Strip are both dry aged and $54 and $48 respectively.

 

CUT (Palazzo) is Wolfgang Puck’s transplant from LA that is close to the original CUT’s high standards. The menu has both wet and dry aged steaks and domestic and Japanese Wagyu.

 

Pricing is about in line with other top steakhouses in Vegas. The 21 day wet aged 20 oz. rib eye is $59 while the 35 day dry aged version is $66 for 16 oz. An 8 oz. filet is $52. Sides are reasonably good ranging from $12 to a $21 Mac and Cheese but they have an add-on of $9 for bone marrow which is highly recommended unless you order a Wagyu steak.

 

Their A5 Ribeye (see the Craftsteak review for a discussion of both grass and Wagyu) is $140 for 8 oz. or $17.50 per ounce and the A5 New York is $140 for 6 oz. or over $23 an oz. Although these don’t sound very large compared to 20 oz. steaks, the richness of Wagyu becomes more noticeable the more you eat. Domestic Wagyu ranges from just under $10 to $12.50 an ounce depending on the NY, Ribeye, or filet cuts.

 

A NY sirloin sampler has corn fed prime, domestic and Japanese Wagyu for $145. By the way, the Japanese Wagyu wins the comparison and at only 2 oz. is not going to overwhelm you. This is a recommended way to compare different types of beef.

 

Service is excellent and the quality of meat is top notch. It is usually one of the very best steakhouses in Vegas. However, check doneness per your order as some visits have seen inconsistency.

 

Delmonico (Venetian) is one of the older fine dining steakhouses in Vegas and still one of the best. Their aging technique is 28 days wet followed by 7 days dry or 35 total. Combination aging is similar to dry in flavor although it does not seem to be as pronounced here as some other dry age restaurants. The char on their steaks ranges from average to lighter than average.

 

Like Carnevino, there are not many steak offerings but quality is high. The ribeye steak is $52 for 22 oz. and the boneless version is $46 for 18 oz. The NY strip is 18 oz. at $46 with the 9 oz. filet for $48. Chateaubriand for 2 is $105 and is prepared rare but finished tableside for preferred doneness. It is not available for lunch but the other 4 steak items are.

 

Sides are $9 and the potato chips are very good with an excellent banana cream pie for $10. The wine list is one of the best for any restaurant in Vegas, let alone steakhouses. Vegas steakhouses usually don’t open for lunch so Delmonico is a slam dunk choice for lunch and not a bad option for dinner for those who prefer dry aged.

 

Envy (Renaissance) offers 28 day dry-aged meat and can be one of the least expensive of our recommendations if a coupon is used. The 19 oz. ribeye is $42 and an 8 oz. filet is $32. Truffle fries and creamed corn are good side dishes and all sides fall within $7 to $11. They accept restaurant.com coupons so with a spend of $150 or more, a $75 off coupon can make a big dent in the overall bill. Coupons are not always available and range from $10 to $30 in cost.

 

Their steaks have as much or more char than some others. This can be either a positive or negative which we view as positive. Service and décor are at fine dining levels so the overall value is very good with the discount.

StripSteak (Mandalay Bay) uses a butter poaching method to bring the meat up to rare temperature which is then finished on a grill. An early sous-vide issue with butter poaching at other restaurants was a strong blue cheese flavor but this has been avoided here. They use up to 40-60 day dry aged beef.

 

The steaks are a bit more expensive than elsewhere with an 18 oz. ribeye at $51 with steaks starting at $40 going to $185 for 6 oz. of A5 Japanese Kobe. They offer an 8 oz. American Kobe ribeye cap steak for $65 which is highly marbled and very flavorful. It is one of their better steaks.

 

An advantage of StripSteak is that they accept restaurant.com coupons (when available) which can take up to $75 off the bill. They and Envy are the top steakhouses in Vegas that sometimes have this discount.

 

The Steakhouse (Circus Circus) offers 21 day dry aged beef cooked over a mesquite grill with an above average char to the meat. For a meat and potato type of diner (actually garlic mashed or baked or rice with a salad) it will still be one of the best steakhouses in Vegas. For those looking for fine dining, this 1980 vintage Steakhouse has been left behind by the other top steakhouses.

 

Because sides and salad are included, Steakhouse has about a $14 to $19 cost advantage over other top steakhouses and their half dozen very good quality steaks are also about $2-$13 cheaper than you would get elsewhere. They range from $32 to $46 with their small filet at $37 and their bone-in ribeye at $44. Expect to pay about $16-$32 total per person less here than other top steak places.

 

Service and décor are excellent and completely out of place inside the Circus Circus casino. When you enter the Steakhouse, it will feel as if you have reached a place of refuge. And you have.