Steakhouses, Burger Joints, and Barbecue Shops We Certainly Don't Have Beef With
Image: Jenn Duncan
From steak to burgers to ’cue, here’s where to go when nothing but beef will do.
Feges BBQ
This lesser-known local gem is literally underground, in the Greenway Plaza food court. While the focus is very much on pitmaster Patrick Feges’s meats—from fatty brisket and beef-belly burnt ends to scratch-made boudin smoked in a J&R Oyler pit—the enticing sides made by his wife, accomplished chef Erin Smith, are not to be ignored. Try the Moroccan-spiced carrots, braised collards, and elote salad.
Image: Jenn Duncan
Doris Metropolitan
At this unique Montrose-area Israeli steakhouse, refreshing Middle Eastern flavors complement the top-notch beef, which has its own dry-aging showroom bedecked with a swanky chandelier. Go for the ribeye cap or the oft-scoffed-at tenderloin—outrageously flavorful here, thanks to the addition of succulent bone marrow. Pair it with show-stopping sides you won’t find elsewhere: beetroot with soft cheeses and pistachio, and sous-vide octopus over tzatziki.
Hankook Kwan
This strip-center Korean barbecue joint in Asiatown got a refresh when it opened under new management last year. Bring friends and load up on classics like beef bulgogi, galbi-jjim (braised short ribs), and haemul paejon (seafood and scallion pancakes). Barbecue dishes, which can be ordered individually or for the table, are served with rotating banchan that always include—but of course—house-made kimchi.
Image: Jenn Duncan
Rodeo Goat
This funky EaDo ice house is for those who like to get a little dirty. The Sugar Burger, featuring hand-formed 44 Farms patties topped with candied bacon, grilled peaches, and jalapeño jam, is messy in a good way, as is the Cheese Fries Surprise, blanketed in bacon, jalapeño, chili, and cheese. And don’t be put off that the place is an import from Dallas–Fort Worth: The 281-330-8004 burger is a tribute to local rapper Mike Jones.
Image: Jenn Duncan
Mastro’s Steakhouse
Billionaire mogul Tilman Fertitta brings the wow factor at his glitzy Post Oak Hotel steakhouse, full of the fancy set seeing and being seen as they select bottles from the 20,000-plus bottle collection, dig into icy-cold two-foot seafood towers, and take their pick from the impressive selection of meat—from Japanese A5 Wagyu served on a hot stone to a massive Australian Wagyu tomahawk chop. The blissful warm butter cake is impossible to resist.
