Peter Luger Steak House
“We also had their signature creamed spinach, which wasn't bad, but not incredibly noteworthy either.”
“Unless you're a baller like Latrell Sprewell make sure to call two months in advance to make a reservation.”
“I had been waiting to eat at this restaurant for a long time and all the hype and accolades are well deserved.”
Peter Luger Steak House
Takes Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Solid steaks (not amazing). Solid sides (not amazing). "Signature" sauce is overly sweet and saucy (nothing special). Service is every bit as rude as you'd expect, though I was disappointed with our waiter, because he smiled at us … twice! Drinks menu and selection are dated (nothing special). This place could use with a serious freshening. I will say the two things that are amazing on the menu are the bacon appetizer and the lunch burger, though it would be nice if the burger came with more cheese options. Also, in typical tourist trap fashion, adding the signature bacon to the burger is the same price as getting the side of bacon. Nice volume discount there. Lunch for 4 people? $240. Come with a wad of bills.
If you think NY steakhouse, Peter Luger is thee steakhouse!
Old school steakhouse. Probably still has some of the same stuff when they opened in the 1800s. The vibe is very old school as well.
Cash only. Service was good. They take reservations.
Bread – Complementary – Love that they have different types of breads.
Prime Rib – $32.50 – Pretty simple straight forward prime rib you find at your local old school steakhouse. Nothing fancy. Seasoning was lacking. Small cut for $30+ bucks, I get double the size at Lawry's. Comes will badly cooked veggies.
Chopped Steak – $18.95 – Terrible dish. It was a small ground beef patty that had no flavor at all. Tasted like boiled bland beef. All the steak sauce they gave could not save this dish.
Bacon Slice – $4.95 – Yum! Best part of my meal. Thick sliced pork belly with the nice grill char. Was not expecting much from a piece of sliced bacon but it was pretty legit.
My review is skewed because I only ate from the lunch menu since I was still pretty full from breakfast and still wanted to eat here. I kick myself now for not trying the famous steak for two. Next time I come, I will eat the good stuff and hopefully my review changes.
Hands down one of the best steak house experiences I've ever had!
We were on vacation in New York and had to stop here, as steaks are one of my favorite foods and not to mention the history and reputation of this restaurant.
We came in around lunch time to avoid any long waits, and were seated very shortly after arriving.
The service was impeccable, and not one ounce of pretension or "snootiness" you might expect from such a classy/reputable place. Our server was awesome, and friendly and was more than happy to give us his recommendations.
We ended up sharing the "Steak for Three" and it was amazing. They brought the massive plate to our table and basted it with the butter and drippings before he serving us. The German fried potatoes were amazing, and the salad the gf ordered was excellent as well.
The steak was cooked PERFECTLY, with a nice crispy outer char, and perfectly medium rare/rare inside. So much perfect marbling and fat along with the tender juicy steak.
Overall, an obvious recommend and perfect score. I'll be back next time I am in the NY area!
My husband and I had dinner at Peter Luger Steakhouse. It was great, not the nicest or best restaurant we have ever been to, but very good. Unfortunately, it is insanely expensive. My husband's steak (without sides) was $55. His salad was about $15, and his ice cream sundae for dessert was almost that much. The real kicker was that each of his gin and tonics was $14.
I loved the grilled Atlantic salmon. I asked for it to be cooked through and it came out well done. It had an amazing sear without being burned or dry. I would order it that way again.
I would like nicer atmosphere and more reasonable prices, but I did love it.
Reservation system and process: 1 star – They really need to get over their desire to remain authentic (aka antiquated) and just use something that doesn't involve calling 13 times and talking to someone with zero customer service skills.
Wait Staff: 4 Stars – they do a decent job but who wouldn't when the average price per table is well over $100. They do a decent job earning a decent wage – imagine that!
Food: Honestly- 2.5 stars at best. While the steaks are ok, the price points of sides are way overpriced for what they deliver. A few of their sides are okay, but nothing else is worth the money. The porterhouse for 2 could easily be split 3/4 ways but with the price point (over $100) it really is not worth it! I can buy the finest dry aged beef money can buy (even 100+ day) and still make a steak that is better than what I had there. It's just not that hard to obtain quality beef and cook it well.
It pains me to say this but skip this place. This place is stuck in a low quality rut that relies on tourist business or one time transactional business. Go to Minetta Tavern instead.
One of the most amazing experiences of my life! Luger's is an institution and credibly so.
Lunch on a Saturday during an 8-hour layover at JFK.
It was well worth the trek out to Luger's. The Old Fashioned had crushed ice in it … unpardonably so in my very strict and anal-retentive Book of Acceptable Tipples, though the barman was quaintly and charming gruff.
I came all this way out for the beef and was not disappointed at all. All the helpful adjectives have been co-opted by my fellow Yelpers in describing their individual experiences at Luger's. Unctuously juicy, prodigiously marbled, opulently aromatic, texturally complex, luxurious on the palate, broad umami-ness, comprehensively satisfying with eyes rolled back into the head are maybe just a few of my own.
This cannot be one of my verbose reviews. I have not the words nor the prose equal to the task of describing what it is to have a portion of well-tended meat, respectfully, and caringly prepared. Nothing will ever adequately describe what you must certainly experience for yourself.
Everything everybody else has said is true including the cash only policy and no online reservations.
…. but I cannot love another after you, Peter Luger's.
Finally made it to this institution. Had a lunch reservation and I'm glad that I did. Even at opening time, people without reservations had to wait for even an hour or more. But whatever, sucks to be them.
Medium rare steak was good, not phenomenal, but just loved the juicy fat on every bite.
Bacon was worth it. Maybe next time I would skip it just so I can finish my steak. Bacon is huge.
Shrimp cocktail is nice and chilled. Great starter.
Hot fudge sundae is good enough for two. I'm glad I still had some room leftover for this.
Service was great. All the staff were on their game. Couldn't ask for anything more from these guys.
Peter Luger is no longer the best steakhouse in America.
There, I said it. We went on a Friday, reservation in hand. My wife had been 3-4 years ago and remembered it as THE best steak she's ever had, and she doesn't even like porterhouse (she likes ribeye like a real steaklover). Me…I'd been waiting for this moment for what seems like a lifetime.
We started with the bacon. As good as advertised, I would get that again and again. We ordered the porterhouse for 2 medium rare with the creamed spinach and german hash. The steak comes sizzling hot, and the first thing I notice is that there's really only a sliver of pink in the middle. Now, that pink sure was medium rare, but the outer layers of flesh were cooked through. A perfect steak should be pink from end to end, with only a layer of seared crust. Now, I understand they cook these at like 1800 degrees or something like that and it's hard to achieve that result, but this steak ended up a bit chewy, not melt in your mouth like so many have reported. Also, the steak was SEVERELY underseasoned. We both had to use the table salt. Not to mention, the age on the steak really didn't come through. I'm not sure if that's because it wasn't properly seasoned, but I was expecting a good amount of funky, nutty, dry aged flavor with this steak.
So I went on a Friday, the following Monday I went to BLT Steak in DC and another steakhouse called Del Campo on Wednesday. Yes, I went to three steakhouses in a span of 5 days. I would say that both steakhouses served a better steak than Peter Luger. I'd also say Capital Grille and Smith and Wollensky serve a better steak.
Perhaps the cook just mishandled this steak and we were just unfortunate. Honestly we should have probably sent it back, but we were in a hurry as we had plans the rest of the day. Regardless, I think I've had better prime dry aged beef elsewhere.