The French have their bistros. The English have their pubs. And the Americans have their steakhouses.
Going out for a steak has been a pivotal part of American culture for more than a century, but it wasn't always considered a high-class, expensive meal. In New York City in the 1800s, working-class folks would down pints of ale and feast on slices of beefsteak (usually without utensils and atop white or French bread) for celebratory meals. Sometimes, the "beefsteak banquet," as it was known, would be put on as a political fundraiser.
Soon, fine-dining establishments opened up to take those steak dinners up a notch, like Delmonico's in 1837, Old Homestead Steakhouse in 1868, and Carl Luger's Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley (now Peter Luger) in 1887. One thing has remained the same though: Dining at a steakhouse is still synonymous with celebration. It's the kind of meal used to mark milestone moments on the path to the American dream—get a job, buy a house, go out for steak.
The steakhouse experience has certainly modernized from the days of eating beef with your hands and slugging beers. Ordering a steak involves choosing the best cuts, like rib-eye, filet mignon, and New York strip. Then there are the starters—a shrimp cocktail, oysters Rockefeller, or a classic house salad with your choice of dressing. And of course, you can't forget all of the accouterments—the potato (baked, mashed, or au gratin?), the vegetable (creamed spinach, sautéed asparagus, or roasted broccoli?), and a slice of classic New York cheesecake to finish it off.
More than a century after the steak dinner got upgraded in New York City, chain steakhouses started bringing this central part of the American culinary tradition cross-country in the 1980s and '90s with spots like Texas Roadhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, Outback Steakhouse, and The Capital Grille. Today, with so many steakhouses to choose from, it takes high-quality service, top-of-the-line cooking, and of course, the best cuts of beef to stand out from the rest.
How will you choose where to live out this iconic American meal? To help, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated steakhouses in Madison, according to diners' reviews on Yelp as of January 2024. Only restaurants with at least five reviews were considered.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
