Steak 48
Steak house · Rittenhouse
260 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Highlights
Prime cuts, seafood towers, and desserts in an elegant venue
Prime cuts, seafood towers, and desserts in an elegant venue
"Steak 48 is about 25 steps from the Kimmel Center, so there’s no better place in the area to ensure you won’t miss an overture. And since you’re dressed up for the opera anyway, you’ll fit right in with the golden globe lights and watches that cost as much as a box seat you’ll spot throughout the dining room. It has a classic steakhouse menu featuring oysters, crab cakes as big as a softball, and over a dozen cuts of steak. Plus, double-baked truffle potatoes, mac and cheese, and other comforting mains that will make you feel as satisfied as finding street parking on Broad." - candis mclean
"Since you’re dressed up for a swanky night out, you’ll fit right in with the golden-globe lights and watches that cost more than the bone-in wagyu tomahawk at Center City's Steak 48. It has a classic steakhouse menu featuring raw bar items, crab and avocado stacks, and over a dozen cuts of steak. Plus, double-baked truffle potatoes, mac and cheese, and other comforting sides that will make you feel as satisfied as hearing that someone else at your table is paying the bill." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"Steak 48 is one of the more opulent restaurants to dine in Philly. There are several tasty cuts of steak to choose from, plenty of fancy sauces and seafood to top it off with, and an innovative cocktail list to accompany it. Come for the bone-in ribeye, but don’t forget the Macallan Paper Plane (Macallan 12-year, aperitivo, amaro nonino, and pressed lemon)." - Annemarie Dooling
"It's fitting that an over-the-top Broad Street steakhouse is within walking distance of the Kimmel Center and that glitzy jewelry store with blue boxes. And Steak 48 is over-the-top, indeed—floor-to-ceiling wine bottles, white tablecloths, and globe lights included. The restaurant has multiple dining areas: a spacious dining room with cushiony booths and a private dining area surrounded by glass walls where you're treated like the mayor. But you're here for the steaks. We suggest either the bone-in wagyu tomahawk or the 45-day dry aged ribeye, and add the corn creme brûlée, creamy spinach, and the shells and cheese that get a little crunch thanks to the garlic breadcrumbs. And if someone you're dating brings you there and cracks open that Tiffany's box, have a classic martini or glass of champagne to celebrate (there are quite a few options for both)." - alison kessler, candis mclean
"Steak 48 has everything you’d expect from an upscale Broad Street chophouse: chandeliers and walls of wine, abundant menu items listed at “market price", and silver foxes in glass-walled private dining nooks telling their girlfriends that they once did Madonna’s taxes. But the Center City steakhouse also has thoughtful touches, like staff members who are happy to take a picture of your big group dinner, and remember your old fashioned order from the last time you dined. photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Pause Unmute We like gold fixtures and custom-stamped ice cubes as much as the next person, but none of these details matter if they can’t cook a steak. Turns out, they cook them perfectly, and the same goes for the crispy shrimp, pan-seared scallops, corn crème brûlée, and parmesan asparagus. The food is all high quality and well executed, though none of it will blow your mind (the shrimp cocktail at $12 a piece did rattle us a bit). Avoid the raw items, which are just okay, and expensive even amongst the steakhouse set. Stick to the cocktails, steaks, and any side you set your sights on, and you’ll have a dinner that feels worth it—even when the bill ends with a number that resembles a pin code. Food Rundown Old Fashioned There are four old fashioneds on the menu, and like most cocktails here, they’re well-blended and go down smooth. We like the orange rye option— the orange liqueur and bitters give the whiskey-forward drink a citrusy balance. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Oysters Basic. Sometimes watery. And unremarkable for a $5 per oyster price tag. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Caesar The gift is that the warm poached egg makes this salad richer and creamier. The curse is that the romaine here already comes super coated in dressing, making an already wet salad more slick. It’s not overwhelming, so it’s a tradeoff you can likely stand—especially when nothing but a salad will do to begin a meal. PlayMute video credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Crispy Shrimp What’s the opposite of spreading the wealth? You’ll want to do that with this batch of golden, perfectly crunchy shrimp. A syrupy sweet thai chilli sauce covers every inch. But they’re also fried perfectly, so we’d probably be happy to eat them bare. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Corn Crème Brûlée The servers talk about this side dish so much that you’d think they’re in competition to sell it—and the winner gets to take a vat of it home. It’s essentially sweet, creamy corn with a brittle, caramelized sugar crust. When our parents wanted us to eat our veggies, they should’ve cooked them this way. Steaks If you want a reliable meat fest, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you go for the New York strip, or crank it up a few ounces—and a hundred dollars—with the bone-in waygu tomahawk, you’ll get a precise and juicy cut that’s on point when it comes to the char and temperature. photo credit: Steak 48" - Candis R. McLean
