Best steakhouses in metro Detroit? 9 top spots for premium cuts, sides
Steakhouses, like diners — and in Detroit, coney islands — are pillars of American dining.
Great chophouses were at their height in the mid-1900s, along with supper clubs. They were gathering spots so see and be seen, to smoke a cigar, to enjoy live music and have a stiff drink.
Today, the steakhouse remains a fixture of hospitality. It has maintained its role as a place where guests can celebrate their most momentous occasions, and indulge in one of life's most decadent dishes — a great steak.
From Core City to Clarkston, we're rounding up the best steakhouses in the Detroit area.
Steakhouse Sunday's starts Dec. 15 at Barda restaurant in Detroit's Core City.
Barda
Chef Javier Bardauil has brought a taste of Argentina to Detroit’s Core City neighborhood. Barda, an old radiator shop where heat from a wood-fired grill radiates from an open kitchen, serves top-quality meats flavored by the kiss of live fire and pungent Latin flavors. A New York strip gets glossed in an herbaceous chimichurri butter and a hefty tomahawk is encrusted in coriander. The sleek and edgy vibe here draws a cool crowd on any given night for a modern approach to the old world parrillas of Bardauil’s native Buenos Aires.
Barda, 4842 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 313-952-5182; bardadetroit.com
The Clawson Steak House
Opened in 1958, The Clawson Steakhouse has remained under continuous ownership for more than six decades, making it one of metro Detroit’s oldest steakhouses. With its classic menu and live entertainment, the family-owned restaurant maintains the feel of the popular supper clubs of the 1950s. All steaks, including its signature 30-ounce porterhouse, are cut in-house. There are also French staples, battered and fried frog legs and garlicky escargot.
The Clawson Steak House, 56 S Rochester Road, Clawson. 248-588-5788; clawsonsteakhouse.com
Double bone in lamb chops at El Asador.
El Asador Steakhouse
In Spanish, "el asador" translates to “the grill master.” As its name implies, El Asador is a place where cooks masterfully sear beautiful cuts of meat on the grill. Much like its southwest Detroit neighbors, El Asador is rooted in Mexican cuisine, drawing inspiration from central and coastal regions of Mexico. Expect affordable steaks, such as a 10-ounce ribeye buried under a poblano pepper sauce for just under $30, and a filet mignon draped in a mildly spicy chili butter for a kick. In addition to a range of steak varieties, you can also find grilled meats stuffed into tacos, burritos and various Mexican staples. In reverence for Detroit’s Muslim population, all meats at El Asador are halal.
El Asador Steakhouse, 1312 Springwells St., Detroit. 313-297-2360; elasadordetroit.com
Inside of the Highlands on the 71st floor of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Saturday Nov. 23, 2019.
Highlands
The post at the top of the RenCen has a long history of steakhouses. From the 1970s to the early aughts, The Summit dazzled diners with a rotating floor that offered 360-degree views of the city and the ripples of the Detroit River. For more than a decade, Coach Insignia served juicy steaks with precise grill lines. Today, Highlands is continuing the tradition. A three-course menu allows diners to build up to the modern steakhouse’s most substantial meats. Start with a light beet salad, or Hamachi crudo, then work your way up to an 8-ounce New York strip. While many steakhouses have made sides an a la carte option, Highlands serves that strip with dense whipped potatoes and a seasonal vegetable such as a sweet delicata squash in the fall. If you want to splurge, there are reserve steaks, like dry-aged meats and wagyu filets that are worth every penny.
Highlands, GMRencen, 400 Renaissance Center, Fl. 71, Detroit. 313-877-9090; highlandsdetroit.com
The London Chophouse
In its prime, The London Chophouse was a swanky steakhouse for Detroit’s elite. When it opened in 1938, it became a meeting place for auto industry power players and celebrities alike. Today, more than 80 years later, the dimly lit underground restaurant continues to offer star-quality treatment to everyday diners. Choose among leather banquettes nestled into corners dimly lit by wall sconces, floor seating steps away from live jazz performers or high tables along glass cases of sketches of the celebrities who have graced the Chop House with their presence over the years. The menu here is exactly what you’d expect of a traditional steakhouse — think oysters Rockefeller and chilled shrimp cocktail with fresh horseradish, crab cakes and caviar service. And of course, there’s a wide selection of steaks served with au poivre, chimichurri or bearnaise sauce. There are multiple varieties of strip steaks and ribeyes, as well as veal chops, pork chops and lamb chops. An Oscar-style side tops asparagus with bearnaise sauce and lump crab meat for a vegetable dish fit for a king.
Murphy Telegraph Building, 155 W. Congress St., Detroit. 313-962-0277; thelondonchophouse.com
Mr. Paul’s Chophouse
Since 1968, Mr. Paul’s Chophouse has been a sought-after destination for steaks and a show. Here, the portion sizes are colossal, meats are swimming in jus or drenched in butter, and servers are known for a good tableside performance. Watch as they toss Caesar salad in a giant wooden bowl to your right, or carve a flaming chateaubriand to your left. The French influence here is prominent without pretense, offering a take on canard à l'Orange, a roasted duckling in an orange glaze. There are also nods to Italy with chicken piccata and veal Marsala and distinctly American dishes, like baby back ribs in a bourbon barbecue sauce, and a Michigan salad filled with dried cherries, apples and blue cheese crumbles.
29850 Groesbeck Highway, Roseville. 586-777-7770; mrpaulschophouse.com
Prime and Proper Steakhouse
This luxe steak house has garnered such a following that it recently spread its roots, expanding with a second location in Nashville, Tennessee. Its home base in Detroit’s Capitol Park is dripping in opulence. The space has exposed original marble and patinaed brass from the early 1900s, and the team has spared no expense with heavy crystal drinking glasses, tufted velvet seating arrangements and an in-house aging room lined in Himalayan sea salt. Prime and Proper butchers cut and dry-age prime beef for at least 28 days before serving to diners. That means the Australian wagyu strip, the32-ounce porterhouse and the whiskey-aged ribeye were all aged to perfection under the same decadent roof.
Capitol Park Lofts, 1145 Griswold St., Detroit. 313-636-3100; primeandproperdetroit.com
Rudy's Prime Steakhouse merges old-world traditions with a modern approach.
Rudy’s Prime Steakhouse
Rudy’s Prime Steakhouse delivers a modern voice to Clarkston, a small city with old world charm. The space itself is consistent with the Oakland County village’s overall vibe. A stone façade blends into the row of quaint boutiques and small dining establishments. Inside, vaulted ceilings and contemporary lighting create a warm and cozy but sleek feel. As for the menu, chef Joshua Stockton has designed something entirely new. Sure, there are steakhouse classics — a range of prime meats in individual servings or large formats to share. But unlike most steakhouses, at Rudy’s, the menu is ever-evolving as Stockton cooks with the seasons. A fall salad features grilled radicchio, butternut squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. And in summer, a panzanella tossed heirloom tomatoes and juicy cucumbers in a roasted tomato vinaigrette. There are also creative sides that nod to the favorite pastimes of the standard steakhouse. In place of crab cakes, Stockton has crafted crispy arancini stuffed with blue crab meat and garlic confit for a gooey burst of flavor, and loaded potatoes are translated into creamy mashed potatoes topped with a sweet bacon jam and tangy sour cream.
9 S. Main St. Village of Clarkston. 248-625-3033; rudysprimesteakhouse.com
Wilder’s
From the team behind Leila in Capitol Park and Forest and Phoenicia in Birmingham, comes Wilder’s a new restaurant influenced by old-time steakhouses and supper clubs. The highlight at Wilder’s is its design. The dining room is stunning, its walls lacquered in green and lined with artwork. A jungle motif decorates booth seating and warm lighting reflects off of a mirrored wall. The menu is simple, with its prime steaks, oysters and seafood entrees. But the bright spots are even simpler — Wilder’s martini and bread service are the restaurant’s unsung heroes. Try one of six martini options, and always say, “yes,” to hot bread with olives baked into the dough and a hunk of stellar butter flecked with sea salt.
458 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham. 248-771-0900; wildersbirmingham.com
