The 6 best locally owned steakhouses in Charlotte

Charlotte’s steakhouse scene is dominated by the national names, Steak 48, Del Frisco’s, The Capital Grille, Chima and the rest, and they do what they do well. This list is the other half: the locally owned steakhouses and steak forward restaurants that belong to the city. Six rather than ten, because that is how many there are that earn it, and the chains get a mention at the end. Hours are current as of this writing.

1. Beef ‘N Bottle Steakhouse

The oldest steakhouse in Charlotte, on South Boulevard since 1958, dark, low ceilinged and candlelit, one of the city’s 30 best restaurants and the one that has changed least. Filet, strip and ribeye, filet and lobster for two, a spicy shrimp cocktail and a cheddar ball to start. Wine is half off on Mondays, prices are reasonable for a steak dinner, and reservations are essential even midweek.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 4538 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209

Why it made the list

• The original.
• Half price wine Mondays.
• A room frozen in the best way.
• Book ahead, every night.

Directory listing: Beef ‘N Bottle Steakhouse

2. Supperland

Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown’s Southern steakhouse in a restored historic church on The Plaza, with wagyu pot roast, a steaks section built for sharing, miso mac and cheese and wood oven Brussels sprouts, a speakeasy beneath the cocktail bar and a weekend brunch buffet. The most dramatic room a steak is served in anywhere in the city.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for dinner hours; brunch Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Address: 1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• A steakhouse in a church.
• Wagyu pot roast.
• Sides that steal the table.
• Plaza Midwood’s occasion restaurant.

Directory listing: Supperland

3. Dressler’s Restaurant

Jon Dressler’s flagship in Birkdale Village, the anchor of the group behind Fin & Fino and Chapter 6, and the Lake Norman area’s special occasion steakhouse for more than 20 years. Steaks cooked to order, seafood, a deep wine list, a private back room and servers who improvise a candle when a table asks.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 8630 Lindholm Dr, Huntersville, NC 28078

Why it made the list

• The north side’s steakhouse.
• A private room for celebrations.
• From Charlotte’s best hospitality group.
• Worth the drive from the city.

Directory listing: Dressler’s Restaurant

4. Bentley’s Restaurant

The French leaning fine dining room at Piedmont Row in SouthPark, formerly Bentley’s on 27 Uptown, with tableside Dover sole, bananas foster flamed in the dining room, a steak tartare regulars call the best they have had, steaks, scallops and a long wine list. Service from another era, and the most old fashioned dinner in Charlotte.

Hours: Monday to Saturday 4:30 to 10 p.m.; closed Sunday

Address: 4620 Piedmont Row Dr, Unit 110, Charlotte, NC 28210

Why it made the list

• Tableside service.
• Steak tartare.
• A wine list to linger over.
• SouthPark, closed Sunday.

Directory listing: Bentley’s Restaurant

5. Leluia Hall

The Tonidandel-Brown restaurant inside the former Bonterra church on Cleveland Avenue in Dilworth, a bright, rebuilt room with a steak and seafood forward New American menu, a serious wine list, a bar that has become its own destination and an upscale surf and turf brunch on weekends.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for dinner hours; brunch Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Address: 1829 Cleveland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• Surf and turf in a rebuilt church.
• A polished wine program.
• Dilworth’s newest occasion room.
• Weekend brunch.

Directory listing: Leluia Hall

6. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

The wood fired steakhouse chain that started in Charlotte, with locations in SouthPark, Stonecrest, Northlake and Huntersville, steaks over a wood grill, a long brunch cocktail list on weekends with $7 Bloody Marys and mimosas, and a brunch burger. The home grown chain on a list of local independents, and the reliable one for a big group.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for hours by location; brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.

Address: Multiple Charlotte locations; SouthPark is the original

Why it made the list

• Charlotte born.
• Wood fired steaks.
• Weekend brunch cocktails.
• Four locations for convenience.

Directory listing: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

The chains, for the record

Steak 48, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle, The Capital Grille, Chima Steakhouse and Fogo de Chão in South End all operate in Charlotte and all deliver what their names promise. We have left them off the ranking because this list is about restaurants that belong to the city. If a local steakhouse deserves a place here, tell us.