How to order a steak

Consider the cut

Before you get to the step of ordering your steak, you need to be able to make sense of the menu. Not all steakhouses offer every type of steak, and some have their own special twist on the classics. This guide should give you a good overview of a few common cuts of steak and their characteristics to help you choose. 

Filet Mignon

This cut is synonymous with white tablecloths and maitre d's. A tender muscle, Filet Mignon has a “buttery” texture that is easy to cut with a knife, but this steak has very little fat, so can sometimes fall flat taste-wise. It’s often wrapped in bacon or served with a special sauce to help bring out the meaty flavors. This cut is also called beef tenderloin or tenderloin steak. 

Ribeye

This cut comes boneless or with a rib bone still attached. When the bone is left in, the marrow and fat make this steak a winner among meat-eaters. It’s just as good sans bones, and you’ll be able to navigate the juicy cut much easier with a knife and fork. Either way, this steak is marbled with fat and provides a nice softly chewy texture. 

New York Strip

This cut is typically a less expensive choice on the menu. Normally cut in strips and served boneless, it’s not the most tender steak but its marbling brings the meaty flavor you’re craving. The New York Strip is people-pleasing and can be cooked however the diner likes without sacrificing too much flavor. 

Porterhouse Steak 

Similar to the T-bone steak, a porterhouse is a New York strip and a filet mignon that are separated by an appropriately-named T-shaped bone. It’s typically a large steak so can be expensive (maybe plan to share this one with someone else at the table). The porterhouse is not a steak for novices: it takes a little more nuance to prepare in the kitchen, so it may be best to order this one at a restaurant rather than attempt it at home. 

Sirloin

Sirloin is a lean and juicy meat with very little fat and no bones. Due to this, it can be easy to overcook, but is typically an easy steak to get right. This cut is generally more affordable than other options on the menu. 

Decide how you’d like it cooked

Now that you’ve decided what kind of steak you’ll be having, you have to determine how you want to order it. 

Most steak experts will say that ordering a steak medium-rare is the safest option for the regular customer. This is a good middle-ground for ordering a steak at a restaurant you’ve never been to before or if you’re just getting into steak. Though there are temperature guidelines for how steak is cooked, every chef is different and may have a different idea of what constitutes “rare” or “well done.” 

Ordering a steak medium-rare will ensure that the steak that arrives at your table isn’t too done or too raw, though if it is not cooked enough for you, it’s easy enough to send back for a few more minutes in the pan. You may also often find your steak is set in front of you in a state more rare than what you ordered: that’s because it’s much more expensive to throw away an overdone steak than it is to throw it back on the heat. 

A steak that is “medium rare” is brown around the edges with a reddish-pink middle. But of course, there are other ways to have a steak cooked. If you want your steak to be seared on both sides with a bright red middle, ask for “rare.” If you want it to be “medium,” it will have lots of brown outside and a pink center. “Medium well” results in a small amount of pink in the center, while “well done” means no pink and a firmer final product. 

Putting it all together

The most important thing about deciding how you’d like a steak cooked isn’t actually knowing the difference between medium-well and medium-rare: it’s knowing how you like a specific cut of steak to be cooked. 

Some steaks are best enjoyed after they’ve been cooked a specific way, so when you tell your server “how you’d like it cooked,” make sure you’re paying attention to the cut of steak you’ve ordered as well.

For instance, filet mignon is often cooked rare because it is such a tender cut; it’s an easy one to overcook. Strip steak is often cooked medium while porterhouse steaks can handle a medium to medium-well temperature and still be tasty. 

Unfortunately, there is no golden rule for ordering steak. You should trust that the chef will not  lead you astray in how the steak should be prepared, and as we’ve stated, you can always send a steak back to be cooked a little longer. Generally, as long as you think the steak tastes good, that’s all that matters.