The best steakhouses in Raleigh

Raleigh takes steak more seriously than most cities its size, and the evidence is a News and Observer bracket that ran the local steakhouses head to head. The result was an upset: The Peddler, open since 1969 and still family-run, beat the Angus Barn with 70 percent of the final vote, which the paper said had never happened in its restaurant polls.

Both of them are here, ranked in that order, alongside the national-brand rooms that do this well and one local newcomer. Nine of the ten are in Raleigh proper.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

The Peddler Steakhouse

Open on Glenwood Avenue since 1969 and still run by the Barefoot family. You pick your cut from a cart at the table, which is the whole experience and the reason it beat the Angus Barn in a head-to-head public vote. Four nights a week only.

Hours: Tue-Thu 5 to 9 p.m. Fri 5 to 10 p.m. Sat 4:30 to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Address: 6005 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27612

Why they made the list

• Won all four rounds of the News and Observer's Triangle steakhouse bracket, taking 70 percent of the final vote against the Angus Barn, which was a first in the paper's restaurant polls.
• Fifty-seven years in business and still family-run.
• You choose your steak from a cart at the table rather than off a menu.
• Only open four nights, so it books up.

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The Angus Barn Ltd.

Opened in 1960 by Thad Eure and Charles Winston and still the restaurant people book for the anniversary they will talk about. An enormous barn on Glenwood with a wine cellar, the Meatlocker dining room, and the Wild Turkey Lounge running earlier and later than the kitchen.

Hours: Mon-Fri 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sat-Sun 4 to 9:30 p.m. Wild Turkey Lounge 3 to 10 p.m. daily.

Address: 9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27617

Why they made the list

• Named North Carolina's best locally owned restaurant in Southern Living's Best in the South reader poll.
• Sixty-six years in business, the oldest restaurant on this list.
• Open seven days, which no other steakhouse here manages.
• The Wild Turkey Lounge opens at 3 p.m., so you can drink there long before dinner service.

See the full directory listing

Sullivan's Steakhouse

More than two decades in Glenwood South, historically the room where Hurricanes players turned up after a game. It is the only steakhouse here that runs a real lunch, and the bar bites make it the cheapest way into a Raleigh steakhouse.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Happy hour Mon-Thu 3 to 6 p.m.

Address: 410 Glenwood Ave., Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024.
• Open seven days from 11 a.m., the widest hours of any steakhouse on this list.
• Bar bites from ten dollars during happy hour, Monday through Thursday.
• Glenwood South location means you can walk to it from a downtown hotel.

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Oak Steakhouse

The Charleston import inside The Dillon, and the most modern steakhouse in the city. Creamed North Carolina collards as the signature side tells you they thought about where they were opening rather than transplanting a menu.

Hours: Mon-Thu 5 to 9 p.m. Fri 5 to 10 p.m. Sat 4 to 10 p.m. Sun 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 417 W. Hargett St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Creamed North Carolina collards as the house side, which is a local dish on a national-standard steak menu.
• Open seven nights, including Sunday.
• Inside The Dillon, so it is walkable from the whole Warehouse District.
• The newest room of the four legacy-tier steakhouses here.

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Fleming's Prime Steak House & Wine Bar

At Crabtree Valley, doing aged prime beef and lobster tails with a wine list built to be the point rather than the accompaniment. The rye old fashioned is the house cocktail and the bar is a legitimate destination on its own.

Hours: Mon-Sat 4 to 10 p.m. Sun 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 4325 Glenwood Ave., Suite 5004, Raleigh, NC 27612

Why they made the list

• The wine program is the reason to choose it over the others in this tier.
• Open seven nights.
• Aged prime beef, and they will tell you the grade without being asked.
• Crabtree Valley parking, which beats hunting for a downtown space.

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Perry's Steakhouse & Grille

Opened on Creedmoor Road in 2021 and the steaks arrive still sizzling in butter, which is either the best or the worst thing about it depending on your view. Friday is the day to go because the famous pork chop runs at lunch.

Hours: Mon-Thu 4 to 9 p.m. Fri 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat 4 to 10 p.m. Sun 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 4509 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh, NC 27612

Why they made the list

• Friday lunch service from 10:30 a.m., the only steakhouse here open for a weekday midday meal.
• Steaks finished in butter and served sizzling at the table.
• Newest of the national-brand steakhouses in Raleigh, open since 2021.
• Open seven days.

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Vinnie's Steak House & Tavern

Independently owned on Six Forks Road since 1987, and the North Raleigh steakhouse that regulars treat as a club. The bar opens an hour before the dining room and stays open an hour after, which tells you how the place actually works.

Hours: Tue-Thu 5 to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 5 to 11 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. Bar opens at 4 p.m. and runs to 11 p.m. Tue-Thu, midnight Fri-Sat.

Address: 7440 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh, NC 27615

Why they made the list

• Thirty-nine years independently owned, which in this category is unusual.
• An OpenTable Diners' Choice pick in 2024.
• The bar runs later than the kitchen, to midnight on weekends.
• Closed Sunday and Monday.

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The Capital Grille

On Six Forks Road, where the mushroom-rubbed ribeye with balsamic and the strip au poivre with cognac cream are the two plates worth knowing. Opens at 11:30 a.m. six days a week, so it covers a business lunch as well as a dinner.

Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 4242 Six Forks Rd., Suite 110, Raleigh, NC 27609

Why they made the list

• Open for lunch six days a week, which most steakhouses here do not attempt.
• The mushroom-rubbed ribeye is a signature preparation rather than a plain cut.
• A deep wine list and private dining, which is why it gets the corporate bookings.
• Hours come from two agreeing third-party sources because the brand page renders them in JavaScript only.

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The Mill

Urban Food Group's newest restaurant, open since April 2023 in Old Raleigh Village. It is the only place on this list that runs lunch, dinner and a Sunday brunch, which makes it the most flexible steakhouse in the city.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat same, to 10 p.m. Sun brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 3201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 153, Raleigh, NC 27612

Why they made the list

• The only steakhouse here with a Sunday brunch.
• Split lunch and dinner service six days a week.
• From Urban Food Group, a local restaurant group rather than a national chain.
• Newest restaurant on this list, open since April 2023.

See the full directory listing

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill - North Hills

The North Hills location of the Charlotte chain that is about to open its Wake Forest store at Grove 98. Wood-fired steaks, a FIREBAR happy hour running four hours a day on weekdays, and weekend service from 10 a.m.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 4350 Lassiter at North Hills Ave., Raleigh, NC 27609

Why they made the list

• A four-hour weekday happy hour in the FIREBAR and on the patio, from 2 to 6 p.m.
• Steaks over a genuine wood fire rather than a gas grill.
• Open seven days from 11 a.m., and from 10 a.m. on weekends.
• Wake Forest readers get their own location at Grove 98 shortly, so this is the preview.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best steakhouse in Raleigh, NC?

The Peddler Steakhouse on Glenwood Avenue won all four rounds of the News and Observer's Triangle steakhouse bracket, taking 70 percent of the final vote against the Angus Barn. It has been open since 1969 and is still run by the Barefoot family. The Angus Barn, open since 1960, was named North Carolina's best locally owned restaurant in Southern Living's Best in the South reader poll.

Which Raleigh steakhouse is open for lunch?

The Capital Grille on Six Forks Road opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Sullivan's serves lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, The Mill runs a split lunch and dinner service six days, Firebirds opens at 11 a.m. daily, and Perry's serves lunch on Fridays from 10:30 a.m.

What is the oldest steakhouse in Raleigh?

The Angus Barn at 9401 Glenwood Avenue opened in 1960 and is the oldest on this list. The Peddler followed in 1969 and Vinnie's Steak House & Tavern has been independently owned since 1987.

Is there a steakhouse near Wake Forest?

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is opening a Wake Forest location at 1311 Grove Village Road in the Grove 98 development, which will be the town's first full-service steakhouse in a long while. Until it opens, the North Hills Firebirds and Vinnie's on Six Forks Road are the closest options.

Which Raleigh steakhouse has the best happy hour?

Sullivan's Steakhouse runs bar bites from ten dollars Monday through Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m. Firebirds at North Hills has a longer window, Monday through Friday 2 to 6 p.m., and its pricing applies on the patio as well as at the bar.