10 Steakhouses Serving the Best Beef in KC

KC steakhouses are to the Midwest what bourbon distilleries are to Kentucky. Prepare to be very satisfied with the steaks served at these 10 award-winning steakhouses.

You can’t purchase the beef you’ll enjoy at these steakhouses at grocery stores or butcher shops because Midwest suppliers reserve only their best beef for wholesalers who serve high-end steakhouses like those listed below.

The beef you eat in steakhouses is much thicker and aged for longer than most retail beef, butchered on-premises, and at volcanic temperatures that you won’t be able to muster at home.

Fareway Meat Market is Kansas City’s go-to meat market if you want to grill a juicy steak at home. According to its owner Nick Casey it sells 5,000 pounds of meat a week, all sourced from Midwest Best Beef or Greater Omaha.

“Our top-selling beef cuts by far are our filets,” says Casey.

Casey recommends visiting Hereford House, Capital Grille, or Stock Hill for a superb steak while in Kansas City.

1. Golden Ox (Stockyards District)

1600 Genesee Kansas City, MO 64102    www.Goldenoxkc.com

Golden Ox isn’t understated about its golden steaks. Etched in a window beneath its logo reads, “The real reason Kansas City is famous for steaks.”

Golden Ox uses custom show broilers fueled by Pecan and White Oak hardwood to achieve the flavor its customers have come to worship since 1949. You can choose from eight signature steaks on its menu, ranging from the 8-ounce Flat Iron is $29 all the way up to the 56-ounce Drover ribeye for $132.

 

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For a few bucks extra you can add one of seven sauces to your order, including horseradish-parsley cream or green peppercorn Demi-Glace.

KC Pitch Restaurant reviewer Liz Cook once wrote:

“The Golden Ox excels as a mid-century time capsule, one that’s dusted off old favorites and treated them with the sincerity and gravity they deserve. The Ox isn’t trendy. It’s traditional. And in this city — in this moment,that can feel downright revolutionary.”

If you want to taste steak perfection embedded in the ambiance of the Historic Stockyards District where farmers came to sell and trade their cattle for 120 years, visit the Golden Ox.

2. Hereford House (Zona Rosa)

8661 N. Stoddard Ave., Kansas City, MO 64153 / www.herefordhouse.com

Hereford House steakhouse tops our list of best places to enjoy steak because it’s locally owned and part of Kansas City’s dining scene since 1957. What sets Hereford House apart from others on the list is that its steaks are aged for 21-days, hand-cut daily, and cooked over charcoal.

“Charcoal enhances the flavor of our steaks, “said Nick Hanf, Hereford House Representative.“

Hereford House is one of only two Kansas City restaurants getting its beef locally from Certified Hereford Beef. Pierpont’s is the second.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the prices of Hereford’s houses weekly steak specials, which range from $26 to $36 for a sirloin, filet, KC strip, ribeye, or tenderloin medallions. The most frequently ordered cuts at Hereford House are prime rib and filets. Regular menu prices for a 12 oz KC Strip are $36 and $40 for a ribeye.

You can enjoy a reasonably affordable, terrific steak at one of four locations around the city, including Zona Rosa (north), Independence (east), Shawnee (west), and Leawood (south).

Diners who dine early in the week, get the steak deals. Sundays and Mondays Hereford House offers prime rib specials and 25% off select wines.

3. Jess & Jim’s Steakhouse (Martin City)

517 East 135th Street, KCMO 64145 / jessandjims.com

Jess & Jim’s has the national awards to move it to the top of your must-try steakhouse list in a town known for a great steak. Family-owned and operated since 1938, this no-frills, casual steakhouse lets its steak sell its sizzle, not some PR firm.

The beef is from Wichita-based Sterling Silver, and is hand-cut daily (trimmings are ground into meat for world-class burgers). It’s served without any seasoning, which is testimony to the quality of the meat.

Order the KC strip or the Playboy strip; both cuts are menu favorites. Calvin Trillin named Jess and Jim’s the country’s best steak house in Playboy magazine in 1972, thus the name of the Playboy strip –a two-inch-thick, 25-ounce sirloin.

Jess & Jim’s Awards:
* 20 Best Steaks in America List (Esquire)
* America’s 50 Best Steakhouses in America 2015 (HuffPost)
* Best Steakhouses in America 2016 (Travel and Leisure)

4. Stock Hill (Country Club Plaza)

4800 Main Street, KCMO 64112  /  stockhillkc.com

Nothing Stock Hill buys or prepares is average or stock. Not even its restaurant location is stock. It resides in Kansas City’s old board of trade building just south of the Plaza. Nothing about the interior is stock. It’s over the top, va  va voom. Just like the “on-fire” entree photo below.

Stock Hill sources its meat from Halpern’s Purveyors or Omaha, NE. Stock Hill’s relationships and consistency with its beef providers have landed it on the steak “it” list of national publications such as the Thrillest for four years running.

 

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That consistency is what you want when you’re investing $50 – $75 per person for the steak of your life.

Since it opened in 2016, all Stock Hill steaks are hand-selected and aged 30 days. According to Stock Hill employee Alan Gaylin, “All our beef is sourced from the Midwest. Almost all from Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. Allen Brothers Steaks provides cuts and ships to us from Chicago.”

Hat tip to Stock Hill’s Executive Chef Kelly Conwell for leading Stock Hill to greatness since 2017. Conwell earned her chops at Bluestem under the guidance of Chef Megan Garrelts before spreading her wings and landing at Stock Hill. Unfortunately, Bluestem closed because of the pandemic.

Stock Hill Awards:
31 Best Steakhouses in America (Thrillist 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
AAA Four-Diamond Winner

5. Capital Grille (Country Club Plaza)

4760 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64112 / thecapitalgrille.com

Fareway Meat Market Owner Nick Casey says Capital Grille is one of the top three steakhouses in KC. Darden Restaurants owns 59 Capital Grille locations in 20 states, with two in Missouri (Kansas City and St. Louis locations).

Darden Restaurants’ numbers show they know how to delight its customers. Darden’s fine-dining brands experienced a profit of $33.5 million in the first quarter, versus $10.2 million and $20.3 million in 2020 and 2021.

The restaurant owners of Capital Grille (Darden Restaurants) saw a whopping 24% increase in dining sales versus pre-covid. Source: FSR magazine.

Capital Grille has made a name as a premier steakhouse primarily because of its steak sourcing and preparation. It purchases its Certified Angus Beef from Colorado and Kansas.

Before its steaks hit the grill, they are meticulously dry aged 18-24 days on-premises. Steaks are dusted with a proprietary blend of seasonings and broiled at 1,200-1,400 degrees. Capital Grille’s beef is hand-carved by in-house butchers with high-brow standards.

What we like about Capital Grille is they aren’t wasteful. According to Home Perch, whenever there is a surplus of frozen and stored food, Capital Grille treats it with the responsibility of a large franchise. All outlets combined, the Capital Grille franchise has donated more than six million pounds of food to local food banks, shelters, and other charitable organizations since 2007.

Want to know Capital Grille’s secret sauce? If you subscribe to the restaurant newsletter, you will receive recipes from Executive Chef Michael LaDuke.

For an extra punch of flavor, order the Delmonico, which is a bone-in ribeye.

6. 801 Chophouse (P & L District)

71 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 / 801chophouse.com

Located in the Power & Light District, 801 Chophouse gets dibs on the top 1% prime beef produced in the United States. If you’re a picky beef eater, this is your steakhouse.

801 Chophouse launched its first restaurant in Des Moines in 1993 and has added seven restaurants, including its posh, leather, elegant Kansas City location.

Enjoy aged USDA prime cuts that are both wet or dry-aged or select Japanese and domestic Wagyu beef. A 16 oz. Prime rib will run you $58 or the 24 oz. Bone-in Delmonico, $78. See the full menu.

If that’s too pricey, visit 801 Chophouse for its three-course Sunday Supper. Sunday Supper includes a salad, main entrée, and dessert for $49.

7. Sullivan’s (Town Center Plaza)

4501 West 119th Street, Leawood, KS 66209 / sullivanssteakhouse.com

Sullivan’s Steakhouse is located at the corner of Roe and 119th. It is part of the Dividend Restaurant Group, which owns 13 restaurants across the country.

Popular dinner steaks include the 22 oz. Bone-in ribeye cowboy cut for $44 or the 18 oz—Waygu bone-in strip for $69. Or you can go for happy hour and try three Signature Beef Sliders for $7.

8. Anton’s Taproom

1610 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108 / antonskc.com

Anton’s Taproom opened in 2013 in a red brick building in the Crossroads. It quickly became a hot spot for a burger and a beer with 60+ beers on tap. Since then, Anton’s reputation has been built on its quality steaks that come from whole sides of beef butchered in-house and dry-aged on-site. Choose your cut from filet, KC Strip, ribeye, or bone-in ribeye.

9. Rye (Mission Farms)

10551 Mission Rd., Leawood, Kansas 66206 / ryekc.com

Chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts opened Rye, in the Mission Farms shopping center in Leawood in 2012. Given the Garrelts were raised in the Midwest, consider the restaurant their salute to Midwest and the fine beef they access, prepare and serve.

Rye’s menu features a strip, filet, ribeye, and T-bone steak from their menu, all of which are USDA prime and part of their reserve steak program.

Both Colby and Megan have been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Saveur. The couple co-wrote two cookbooks, Made in America and Bluestem.

Awards:
James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Midwest (2013)
Food & Wine Best New Chef (2005

10. The Majestic

931 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City MO 64105 / majestickc.com

Go to the Majestic Steakhouse in downtown Kansas City to experience what a night out on the town looked like back in the days of Prohibition. This is a locally owned, traditional steakhouse that proudly serves USDA dry-aged prime cuts, prepared just the way you like it with all of the traditional sides.

The restaurant has been open for decades and is a favorite for live jazz Tuesday through Saturday. The ambiance is pure Pendergast, thanks to the steakhouse’s home in the 100+-year-old Fitzpatrick Saloon Building.

As of the writing of this article, the price of a 10 oz KC Strip is $54 and a 14 oz. Grass-Fed prime rib is $58. The Majestic sources its beef from L&C Meats nearby in Independence, MO.

 

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If you’re a cigar smoker, be sure to tour the Pendergast Club in the lower level of the Majestic. It is the only place in Kansas City where members can enjoy a fine cigar indoors with a fully-stocked bar.

If you’re not a cigar smoker, enjoy a Flapper cocktail in the upstairs lounge. It’s made with sparkling Brut, Angostura bitters, and a bit of sugar, $7.50

Why Exclude Two KC Steakhouses?

I didn’t include Gordon Ramsay’s steakhouse—an anchor restaurant in Harrah’s Casino. We excluded it from our recommendation list for three reasons (1) it’s not a Kansas City favorite (2) it’s certainly not a locally owned favorite (3) it’s pricey as hell.

In fact, Jane Zelazny Belz of KC Restaurants Uncensored posted a favorable online review of the food, but her lack of motivation to return because of the $400 check and less than incredible ambiance and poorly dressed clientele.

I also didn’t include my favorite steak to order in Kansas City – Garozzo’s steak modiga. Why? Even though the steak modiga melts in your mouth and makes you crave another birthday celebration, Garozzo’s is an Italian, not steak, restaurant. Still, you must go enjoy two four-ounce tenderloin medallions sauteed in white wine and lemon butter sauce with mushrooms for just $37.

You can cut the steak with a butter knife. Prego.

Which Steakhouse Did We Miss?

Don’t agree with our 10 KC steakhouse recommendations? We know there are some fierce steak favorites in Kansas City. Probably too many to count.

Cast your vote for your favorite restaurant to enjoy a steak in Kansas City in our steak survey. We promise to round out this post with more KC steakhouse favorites based on your input.

What Steak Should I Order?

Here is a short description of the four most popular cuts of beef so you can order like a cowboy your next time out.

Ribeye: A boneless cut from the eye of the prime rib with excellent marbling and a one-quarter- to a three-quarter-inch ribbon of fat running through it. Ribeyes are usually the most flavorful steak.

New York strip (also known as a sirloin): It is a dense, slightly chewy cut, it is more tender than the ribeye and has a good deal of flavor. The bone-in version is sometimes called a Kansas City strip.

Filet mignon or tenderloin: The most tender, least marbled, and mildest flavored steak.

T-bone or porterhouse: A T-bone offers the filet on one side of the bone and the New York strip on the other. In the case of a Porterhouse, the filet portion must be at least two by two inches.

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