The Best Steak Restaurants in Canberra

James Viles from award winning restaurant Biota in the Southern Highlands has teamed up with head chef Brendan Hill (formerly of Sydney's Aria and 12-Micron), for this new 200-seat barbecue restaurant.  Step inside to discover the moody dark interior contrasted with pops of tan banquet seating as the waft of fire scorched meats and veggies make their way from the flame to the table. The inspiration behind the menu is modern Asian cuisine meets the primitive cooking method of using coal and wood to infuse the flavours.

Terra can be found in a little laneway off Marcus Clarke Street in Canberra's CBD. Known for its smoked  meats cooked over charcoal, there is that aroma as you walk in. During the day it's takeaway breakky,  then lunch featuring brisket meat sandwiches with healthy salads and vegetables. For dinner, loosen your belt with hearty chicken, beef and pork options, again accompanied by market fresh salads and vegetables from local growers and providores in the district.

Open for breakfast Monday-Friday and lunch & dinner daily. 

Photography: Michelle Taylor

In keeping with its international presence, The Meat & Wine Co Canberra has spared no expense in creating this spectacular steakhouse restaurant. The Meat & Wine Co brings South African flavour and game meats to Constitution Place in the Canberra CBD. Ideal for dining adventures of the corporate nature to something more romantic, the ambience is intimate and inviting. For a bespoke dining experience why not enquire about the private dining room facilities to create a memorable and impressive meeting.

Marble and Grain is the house restaurant of Braddon's Avenue Hotel and it impresses with its stylish fit out and sophisticated approach to food. The bar tables at the entrance allow for a casual drink before you delve into the dining room. The menu is driven by the meat cabinet, with generous, flame grilled steaks the order of the day. The kitchen is serious about technique, making most of its ingredients in-house, including salami, bread and butter.

With all the charm and finesse of a European bistro, Otis Dining Hall in Kingston brings an atmosphere of old world charm with a menu full of reinvented European classics. Dark timber fittings, mellow lighting and plush leather seats add to the romantic ambience, that is refined yet relaxed. Classics like beef tartare are paired with ingredients like smoked eel and sesame, whilst the mains explore combinations of roast chicken with fresh chervil. Great for date night or just grabbing some late night drinks at the bustling bar.

Charcoal Restaurant is a traditional European-style steakhouse, which has changed little since it opened in Canberra in 1962. The nightly-packed tables are the strongest evidence of the restaurant's quality food and amiable service. As its name suggests, Charcoal's specialty is premium meats on the grill, paired with award-winning wines. The restaurant is also well-known for the freshness of its seafood dishes.

Designer hotel brand QT, is well known for being one of the most stylish hotels in Canberra . Their signature restaurant Capitol Bar & Grill offers wining and dining in the nation's capital with style. Slide into a booth with a glass of wine or take a seat at the chefs table for wood fired theatrics or an impressive antipasto table mix followed by Mediterranean favourites teamed with prime steaks from the wood-fired grill. Executive chef Michael Box brings you the ultimate in farm to table dining and offers culinary creatives with exceptional quality and flavours.

On the corner of Marcus Clarke and Edinburgh Avenue in Canberra’s trendy New Acton, Rebel Rebel is creative restaurant from husband-and-wife team chef Sean McConnell and Jenny Harders. After impressing customers at Monster Kitchen and Bar, Chef McConnell takes full reigns of the menu to create unique breakfast combinations and exceptionally executed dishes from lunch through to dinner. The rustic chic space makes the transition from trendy breakfast hotspot to moody dinner location seamlessly.

Celebrated Australian chef Matt Moran's Italian steakhouse Compa is the hottest new place to be in Canberra. Meaning friend in Italian, Compa offers relaxed all-day dining coupled with Moran's signature paddock-to-plate ethos. The menu highlights top quality grilled beef from some of Australia's best producers alongside ingredients from Moran's family farm. The drinks list features a great variety of  Italian wines as well as local wines and a few hand selected drops from Moran's very own private cellar.