Auckland’s Best Steaks in 2026
Vicki Young
Freelance Sub-Editor | Urban List NZ
When it comes to steaks, the grills (and chefs) in Tāmaki Makaurau aren’t messing around. Whether you’re all about how it’s cooked (from charcoal to woodfired) or all about the cut, there’s a steak for every kind of occasion, big or small. We’ve rounded up our favourite steak spots (in no particular order), so you can spend less time searching and more time eating.
Here are our picks for the best steaks in Auckland in 2026.
Tempero
352 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Tempero | Website
Pan-Latin restaurant and bar, Tempero is the place to go for a transcendent picanha experience. From Chef-owner Fabio Bernardini’s Brazilian roots to working in some of the world’s top restaurants, Fabio is no stranger to outstanding cuisine and cultures, with his menu drawing from Brazil, Mexico, Portugal and Peru flavours and influences. The picanha, the rump with the fat cap, is a prized cut of beef in Brazil and grilled with the fat intact—giving way to a juicy interior and flavoursome char on the outside. Tempero serves theirs with a vibrant pico de gallo, farofa (toasted cassava flour), pancetta and rice—don’t forget to order their very snackable Pão de Queijo (cheesy bread bites) and a refreshing caipirinha too.
Bistro Saine
51 Albert Street, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Bistro Saine | Supplied (Photography by Babiche Martens)
I’m a sucker for steak frites—what better way to enjoy your steak than to dip piping hot, crispy golden chips into a sauce made with all the pan juices (and savour a glass of red in hand while you’re at it). Enter Bistro Saine, the chic French-forward bistro that will transport you to somewhere cosy that doesn’t feel like you’re in the city, while you savour your steak (frites and all). They’ve recently introduced their Wednesday Cut steak nights with local butchers Maple & Marble butchery from Ōrakei, highlighting grass-fed Speckle Park beef raised with minimal stress on a third generation farm owned by co-founders Scotty and Jeannie. Choose from chef-selected cuts like flavoursome bavette, tender sirloin or share the Speckle Park T-bone with two sauces (definitely peppercorn and jus gras) and sides (frites, and more frites I reckon).
Milenta
210/218 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Milenta | Website
I still haven’t forgotten the time I came here and shared the dry-aged rib-eye, tender and charred all at once from the South American-inspired asado. It arrived at our table, already perfectly sliced and with a large bone marrow accompanying it, laden with chimichurri. Back then it was a 500g cut, so I couldn’t believe my eyes (and the decent price) for their current steak offering, a massive 900g-1kg bone-in rib-eye with all the smoked bone marrow and chimichurri trimmings. It’s the ultimate sharing meat feast with the crew, and awesome seeing the chefs work the outdoor fire pit.
Gilt Brasserie
2 Chancery Street, Chambers, Auckland
Image credit: Gilt | Instagram
If you’re after a quick steak, you bet you can get one at Gilt Brasserie—their famous minute steak is a signature lunch special and perfect for that indulgent lunch for one. We’re talking 120g scotch, pomme frites (speaking of, have you seen their dedicated potato section—the parmesan beignets are another story if you’ve got time), plus a classic buttery and herbaceous entrêcote sauce. Make it on a Monday and indulge in their Martini Mondays while you’re there (extra olives please).
Wagyu Shogun
726 Manukau Road, Royal Oak
Image credit: Wagyu Shogun | Supplied (Office Fuji)
This is your chance to enjoy A5 Kuroge wagyu from Kagoshima, right here in Tāmaki Makaurau in an accessible, everyday format. From chef-owner Makoto Tokuyama (Cocoro) and Daizo Yamada (Group Director of Taste of Japan Limited), Wagyu Shogun was created, bringing the taste of real wagyu traditionally reserved for special occasions, now available as everyday set offerings you can cook yourself over the grill. Their A5 Kuroge is the signature go-to, prized for it’s finely marbled meat which melts like butter at each bite—giving way to a sweet and slightly umami taste. Along with thoughtful condiments to enhance the “aji-hen” experience (focussing on the wagyu flavour), fragrant red yuzukosho, fresh wasabi and house-made sauce is included, plus there’s also seasonal vegetables, unlimited miso and steamed rice too. They only have limited sets each day, so we recommend booking in.
Apéro
280 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Apéro Food and Wine | Facebook
Apéro is absolutely magic. It’s one of those spaces that makes you feel so welcome as soon as you walk in. It’s cosy, the service is always on point, and the food nourishing. It’s exactly what you didn’t realise you need until it arrives, and the same can be said of their steak offerings (as well as their vege offerings). Their current steak is an 850g (!) T-bone of beef served with agria potatoes (one of my favourite potatoes) and salad. The goats cheese croquettes laced with Kamahi honey are a must-add, their shatteringly crisp exterior just melts away to creamy, salty innards that go so well with sweet pops of honey running over the top. Chef Leslie has a way with food, and Mo will tell you just the sip that will go with your steak.
One Tree Grill
9 Pah Road, Epsom
Image credit: One Tree Grill | Vicki Young
I came to One Tree Grill for a very special celebration and was blown away by the food, the wine (and the cellar you see through the glass panel on the restaurant floor!), and the service—the art of hospitality. I love a white tablecloth and this is just the backdrop for a memorable steak dinner. We shared their Black Angus rib-eye on the bone, maître d'hôtel butter (compound herb butter) melting over each slice and into the jus gras (sauce made from pan juices) below—the perfect match with their smoked agria and chive-topped mash. Save half of your table bread for that sauce mop.
The Grill
Located in Horizon by SkyCity, 85 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD
Image credit: The Grill | Vicki Young
Another one for the celebration books—The Grill had a very memorable steak too, choosing from their extensive selection of Aotearoa Angus steaks and Kagoshima wagyu steaks. While I opted for Aotearoa, an eye-fillet and bavette from memory—it was the bavette that took me by surprise (the image doesn't do it justice). With more of a chew (which I personally enjoyed), it’s an underrated cut delivering on big (and dare I say it, “beefy”) flavour. It comes with sauces or butter but you honestly can just enjoy it as is. Their incredibly talented grill chef came out while I was admiring the dry-age fridge, and explained the exact cook and temps—and the secret is to rest the steak after first sear in it’s own fat (game-changer). For those who can’t decide, let the chef choose the three favourite cuts of the moment with their “Study of Beef” selection.
Cazador
854 Dominion Road, Mount Eden
Image credit: Cazador (Feast menu) | Vicki Young
If you’re going to Cazador, then let the Feast menu and coal-grilled Wapiti venison change your tastebuds. With a savoury, almost roasted-crayfish-like cauliflower purée and preserved sour cherries, it’s all you need with the melt-like-butter venison, wild-shot from Fiordland down South (and did you know are culled for conservation, protecting Fiordland National Park). Served with refreshing radicchio with mint and creamy, pancetta-dotted saffron polenta, I have never ever had venison tasting like this, and prepared this way with such a mouthwatering combination of flavours. It was one of those quiet food moments of pure joy.
Ragtag
162 Garnet Road, Westmere
Image credit: Ragtag | Website
For when you feel like steak with tacos (and as they say, 100% non-authentically so), then make a beeline to Ragtag. Charred over the coals for that smoky exterior and rosy medium-rare interior, sliced and set back in it’s beautiful T formation along with a vibrant red hot sauce and about-to-pop soy yolk (what a condiment combination), with their signature Sonora-style duck fat tacos—it’s the best kind of vehicle for this steak and runny, eggy-sauce combo. Sip on their collab rosé with Three Fates on tap, and save room for their toffee-sauce drenched sticky toffee pud with ice cream (you can thank me later).
Lillian
472 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn
Image credit: Lillian | Instagram
Steak all-day at Lillian. From their tasty bavette with bone marrow bordelaise and duck fat potato (a steal as part of their Express Lunch menu on Wednesdays to Saturdays), to their Porterhouse cut (T-bone) offered in the evenings. The latter, pictured, dry-aged for four weeks and brushed with smoked beef fat, with roasted bone sauce. Don’t forget a blistering wood-fired bread or two to mop the juices.
El Sizzling Chorizo
136/138 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
Image credit: El Sizzling Chorizo | Instagram
From Argentina where asado (barbecue) culture is more than just ‘eating meat,’ but a time and space for catch-ups with friends, El Sizzling Chorizo is delivering just that vibe with their space in Ponsonby. Choose from wagyu, Scotch fillet or Sirloin for beef steaks, or go for a selection showcasing other meats like pork belly and lamb with a flavoursome flank steak. Check out their recommended wine matches for each steak—they have some exciting reds from Argentina and Chile as recommended wine matches. They have a weekday lunch steak special with their homemade chimichurri too.
Wynyard Grill Steakhouse And Wine Lounge
6/12 Jellicoe Street, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Wynyard Grill | Website
The name says it all—Wynyard Grill is a steakhouse go-to having made its mark in Tāmaki Makaurau over the last five years. With a dedicated grill section showcasing NZ wagyu flank steak, 28 day dry-aged rib-eye, grass-fed eye fillet, an exclusive chateaubriand cut (a buttery tenderloin centrepiece), Kagoshima wagyu, as well as a range of other meat options, you can customise your steak with addtional sauces and toppers like bone marrow (we’ll take two of those, thanks). They’ve recently moved around the corner (earlier this year) to their new spot, and as always have a great line-up of live music performances—keep an eye on their socials for when to plan your next steak dinner with live music entertainment.
Tapestry Grill & Bar
Located in Pullman Auckland Hotel & Apartments, Princes Street, Auckland
Image credit: Tapestry Grill | Vicki Young
Honestly speaking, I didn’t come here looking for steak—the steaks found me. What better way to kick off a steak dinner than to start with a steak entree, and Tapestry Grill at Pullman Auckland has exactly that. If you spy the marbled hunk of beauty that is their wagyu A5 (only the best from Japan) in the dry-age meat fridge, then you’ll be stoked to know they serve it as a carpaccio. Thinly sliced sirloin, melt-like-butter pieces with mini cucumber circles to refresh your palette, dressed in a sharp, mustard-infused ponzu. The wagyu striploin is also on offer as a main grill option, along with standout Aotearoa beef cuts. From dry-aged Waikato eye fillet, Angus sirloin to ribeye—there’s even an off-menu ‘Meat Platter,’ for those serious about their grill offerings (just ask Chefs Johnny and Luis nicely and they may just make it happen).
Tony's Original Steak & Seafood Restaurant
27 Wellesley Street West, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Tony’s Wellesley Street | Website
A part of the fabric of the dining institutions in Tāmaki Makaurau, Tony’s has been the O.G. Steakhouse since 1963 and it would be rude not to shout-out to one of the ones that paved the way (there was once seven Tony’s across the city, back in the day). Step into the retro space where the red leather booths and dim-lighting will transport you to the cosy nostalgia of the ol’ Tony’s days. With dishes that put the restaurant on the map, like their ‘Carpet Bag,’ a.k.a. tender eye fillet filled with juicy oysters—it’s the ultimate surf n’ turf (literally in the ‘turf’).
Main Image Credit: Wagyu Shogun | Supplied (Original image from Office FUJI)
Still hungry?