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Dishes of London

Guide

Types of steak: which cut to order

The cut decides more about your steak than anything else on the menu. It sets how tender the meat is, how much fat runs through it and how strongly it tastes of beef. Cooking and sauce matter, but they work with what the cut gives them. Below: 9 types on one chart, then each with the East and Central London venues that serve it, 153 venues in all. Prices checked .

Steak tenderness chart

  1. Most tenderFillet
  2. Tender and richRibeye
  3. Middle groundSirloinT-bone
  4. Firmer, beefierRumpPicanhaFlat iron
  5. Most chew, most flavourBavetteHanger

Quick picks: what are you after?

How the tenderness scale works

Muscles that do less work are more tender. Muscles that work hard are firmer and usually have more flavour. So a cut from under the spine eats very differently from one off the shoulder or the belly.

Marbling matters too: the fat running through the meat adds juiciness and flavour. A lean, tender cut and a marbled, richer cut can both be good. They give you different things, so the scale is a guide, not a ranking of quality.

This guide sorts the cuts on East and Central London menus from the most tender to the most chewy and beefy. Find the name on the menu in front of you, read what it is, and pick the one that suits how you like to eat.

The 9 types, and where to eat them

Fillet

Most tender

Best for The most tender biteLeanRare to medium-rare

Fillet comes from the tenderloin, which sits under the spine. It is the most tender cut and the leanest, with a mild flavour. Chateaubriand is a thick cut from the centre of the fillet, usually served for two.

Fillet is best rare to medium-rare. Because it is so lean, it dries out if it is cooked well done. Pick it when you want tenderness over big flavour.

On East and Central London menus: 18 venues, 25 dishes; median £44, £14 to £135 across 16 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

  • Cơm PhốPho Soup - Fillet steak sauteed in garlic · £14Old Street
  • Gazette BrasserieThe Great Chateaubriand (Monday) · £25Clerkenwell
  • The Magdala8oz Prime Fillet Steak · £29.95Hampstead
  • HeraFillet Steak · £38Olympic Park
  • Big Easy250g Fillet Steak · £39.50Canary Wharf
  • AbenoTeppan-Yaki Fillet Steak · £40Bloomsbury

And 12 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Ribeye

Tender and rich

Best for Juicy and richMarbledMedium-rare to medium

Ribeye comes from the rib section. It is heavily marbled, with a fat "eye" in the middle, and it eats very juicy and rich. A tomahawk is a ribeye left on a long rib bone, usually a sharing steak.

The fat needs enough heat to render down, so medium-rare to medium suits it.

On East and Central London menus: 74 venues, 120 dishes; median £39, £10 to £170 across 87 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 68 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Sirloin

Middle ground

Best for Not sure what to orderTender with flavourFat along one edge

Sirloin comes from the back, behind the ribs. The UK sirloin is what the US calls strip or New York strip, and you may also see it listed as striploin. It has a strip of fat along one edge.

It is firm but tender, a middle ground between tenderness and flavour. If you are not sure what to order, sirloin is a safe place to start.

On East and Central London menus: 71 venues, 121 dishes; median £33.25, £13 to £110 across 85 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 65 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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T-bone

Middle ground

Best for Two textures in oneOn the bone

A T-bone is a cross-section cut with a T-shaped bone running through it: sirloin on one side of the bone and a smaller piece of fillet on the other. That gives you two textures in one steak.

A porterhouse is a T-bone cut with a bigger piece of fillet. The fillet side cooks faster than the sirloin side, so the two halves can end up at slightly different stages.

On East and Central London menus: 13 venues, 16 dishes; median £75, £19.95 to £180 across 9 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

  • Thai PieT-Bone Steak · £19.95Maryland
  • Andy's TavernaT-Bone Steak · £21.95King's Cross
  • ElyséeChar-grilled 14-day hung Jewkes & Dalby Beef - T-Bone (500g) · £48Bloomsbury
  • KaboomT-Bone · £48.90Royal Docks
  • Café Luca1kg Scotch T-bone · £75Liverpool Street
  • Trullo40-day aged Hereford T-bone with crispy polenta and gorgonzola fonduta (for 2-3 people) · £108Highbury

And 7 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Rump

Firmer, beefier

Best for Beefy flavourOften better valueUp to medium

Rump comes from the hindquarter. It is leaner and firmer than sirloin, with a stronger beefy flavour. It is often the better-value cut on a menu, though that varies from place to place.

Rump is best not cooked past medium. If you like a proper chew and plenty of beef taste, it is a good pick.

On East and Central London menus: 7 venues, 8 dishes; median £22, £16.80 to £34 across 6 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 1 more venue: every steak in East and Central London.

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Picanha

Firmer, beefier

Best for Rich fat capBrazilian churrasco

Picanha is the rump cap, a triangular cut with a thick fat cap on top. It is the signature cut of Brazilian churrasco, where it is often skewered, grilled over fire and sliced at the table.

The fat cap is part of the point, so expect a rich edge on each slice.

On East and Central London menus: 9 venues, 9 dishes; median £28.90, £23 to £130 across 7 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 3 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Flat iron

Firmer, beefier

Best for Usually good valueTender for a shoulder cut

Flat iron comes from the shoulder, from the top blade. A line of gristle runs through the middle of it and is removed before it reaches the plate.

Once that is gone, it is tender for a shoulder cut, and it is usually good value.

On East and Central London menus: 12 venues, 14 dishes; median £24, £18.90 to £38 across 11 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 6 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Bavette

Most chew, most flavour

Best for Deep flavourRare to medium-rareSlice against the grain

Bavette comes from the flank, which is the belly. It has a coarse, open grain and a deep flavour, and it is common in French bistros.

It must be sliced against the grain, across the lines of the meat. Bavette is best rare to medium-rare. Choose it when you want flavour over softness.

On East and Central London menus: 20 venues, 23 dishes; median £23, £17 to £32 across 21 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

And 14 more venues: every steak in East and Central London.

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Hanger

Most chew, most flavour

Best for Rich flavourRare to medium-rare

Hanger hangs from the diaphragm, and there is only one per animal. In French it is called onglet. It has a rich, slightly iron-like flavour and a loose texture.

Hanger is best rare to medium-rare. It gets tough if it is cooked any further, so it is not the cut for anyone who likes steak well done.

On East and Central London menus: 3 venues, 3 dishes; median £23, £23 to £23.50 across 2 priced dishes. Each venue's lowest plate price, cheapest first:

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How to order steak

  • A steak keeps cooking for a few minutes as it rests, so medium-rare can drift towards medium by the time you cut into it. If you are between two stages, ask for the lower one.
  • Ask if the price is for a set weight, such as 250g. Two steaks with similar prices can be quite different sizes.
  • Sharing cuts, such as chateaubriand or a tomahawk, are priced for two or more people. Check how many the price covers.
  • Sauces and sides are often charged separately from the steak.

Every steak in East and Central London See them on the map

Where to go: steak by area

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How this guide is made: the descriptions are general food knowledge, checked by hand. Every venue, dish and price comes from the venue's own menu as we read it, and nobody has paid to appear. How we check.