Four popular Florida restaurants named among ‘The South’s Most Legendary Steakhouses’

Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·3 min read
60

While we Floridians love our famous waterfront restaurants and seafood restaurants serving fresh stone crab during season, there are also many great steakhouses here in the Sunshine State. They can be found from the Panhandle to South Florida, with the oldest established in 1947 and exciting new ones opening every year, including ones right on the water.

Recently, a popular national magazine dating back to the 1960s published an article about 30 of the most iconic steakhouses from across the South. States such as Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama all had multiple restaurants on the list, as did Florida.

Best waterfront restaurants in Florida: 15 favorites for food, drinks and fun!

15 of Florida's best burgers: From restaurants and food trucks to a bait shop and a boat

Fried chicken in Florida: Where to find some of the best from Fort Myers to Fort Pierce

4 Florida restaurants make 'South’s Most Legendary Steakhouses'

Last week, Southern Living magazine published an article titled "The South’s Most Legendary Steakhouses." Four of the 30 restaurants are found in Florida. "Some don white tablecloths and give you separate fork salads, while others are a little less buttoned up," wrote Tara Massouleh McCay, the Travel and Culture Editor for Southern Living. "One thing they all have in common is their nearness to our hearts."

Here's information on all four steakhouses that made the list, presented in alphabetical order.

Angelo’s Steak Pit

'Big Gus' the 20,000 lb. steer greets visitors and serves a a photo op location outside Angelo's Steak Pit in Panama City Beach. The restaurant opened in 1958 and seats over 700 diners.
'Big Gus' the 20,000 lb. steer greets visitors and serves a a photo op location outside Angelo's Steak Pit in Panama City Beach. The restaurant opened in 1958 and seats over 700 diners.

9527 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach; 850-234-2531; angelos-steakpit.com

Angelo’s Steak Pit, which features the 20,000-pound "Big Gus" outside, opened in 1958 and seats more than 600 people, according to our sister publication, Panama City News Herald. Southern Living notes that Angelo's is "also well loved for its hickory pit ribs and fried red snapper."

Want to eat like a local? Try these 7 iconic Panama City area restaurants including Angelo's Steak Pit

Bern's Steak House

1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; 813-251-2421; bernssteakhouse.com

A Tampa landmark, about 60 miles north of downtown Sarasota, that has been open since 1956 and with decor that has drawn comparisons to “Dracula’s bordello,” Bern’s dry-aged cuts of beef and legendarily large wine collection have attracted everyone from Mafiosos to at least one sitting U.S. president. "The experience you’ll have at Bern’s is unlike any other," writes Southern Living. "From the minute you enter the restaurant, you know you’re somewhere special."

Visiting Tampa Bay? Here are 10 famous places to eat, drink, play and stay including Bern's Steak House

Okeechobee Steakhouse

The Porterhouse steak at Okeechobee Steakhouse.
The Porterhouse steak at Okeechobee Steakhouse.

2854 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-683-5151; okeesteakhouse.com

"This is a place built on a family’s commitment to exceptional beef, well-prepared dishes, genial and polished service and rare consistency," writes my Florida Dining and Entertainment Team colleague Liz Balmaseda for the Palm Beach Post. Southern Living also applauds the steaks, which "range from a bone-in filet mignon to their trademark Palm Beach Sirloin cut."

Okeechobee Steakhouse: 75-plus years (now) of good steak, good service

Prime 112 Restaurant

112 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; 305-532-8112; mylesrestaurantgroup.com/prime-112

Located in the historic Browns Hotel on Miami Beach, Prime 112 opened in 2004 and bills itself as "the first modern steakhouse in the United States." Southern Living notes that "the vibes are more modern than nostalgic at this sleek Miami steakhouse, but that doesn’t make it any less of a classic."

Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.​​​​​​

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida restaurants named among South’s Most Legendary Steakhouses