Best Steakhouses in Charlottesville

Overview

What are the best steakhouses in Charlottesville? It’s a great question in a town that’s better known for vineyard weddings and morning-after brunches. Steakhouses appeal primarily to the committed, and Charlottesville has had a steakhouse renaissance in recent years. 

To be clear, the term “Steakhouse” is in transition and at risk of becoming an anachronism. Conceptually, a steakhouse is a banquet hall that evolved in the 2nd half of the 20th Century  to host medieval  steak celebrations. “Steak forward” is the term trending in the modern “foodie” lexicon. Either way, Charlottesville GUIDE is here to tell you the choices for prime beefsteak have never been better!

There’s something undeniably sexy about a steakhouse. Beneath the aroma of charbroiled meat slumbers a mink stole, a smoking jacket, and possibly a tortoiseshell cigarette holder. James Bond stands in the background, by the drape. A limousine idles out front. And while many fine restaurants tuck a steak or filet midway down the menu, a bonafide steakhouse charges forth with a curated selection of mouth-watering cuts.

Each of the steakhouses described below are committed to the highest standards of taste and service. Their technique is customized to each kitchen. The service staff know their stuff, and it’s clear that wood-fired grilling is on the rise.

The Best Steakhouses in Charlottesville

Aberdeen Barn

The grandaddy of steakhouses in Charlottesville is no other than the Aberdeen Barn. Founded by the Spathos family in 1965, “The Barn” is one of the oldest steakhouses in Ol’ Virginia and has a hallowed reputation for hospitality, service, and roast prime rib au jus.

For many years the Aberdeen Barn served as an informal reception space for UVA’s Athletic Department. Today that hallowed aura lingers. The interior flickers with red lantern-light. A murmur of clicking silverware and gustatory pleasure is audible.  Throughout the restaurant’s four dining rooms, historic Cavalier team photos and action shots present nostalgic revelations. Uniformed waiters bring trays of martinis to the step of weekend piano music and remind us that the traditional notion of an American Steakhouse will never perish.

The appetizer menu offers classic fruits of the sea, including scallops, Oysters Rockefeller and Shrimp Cocktail. The main course selection is loaded with premium cuts, including the Charbroiled Porterhouse, and The Barn’s specialty, Prime Rib Au Jus, in Regular, Princess, and Extra Thick Cuts. What are you waiting for?

Salads that arrive in wooden bowls, creamed spinach, and baked potatoes to make an Idaho farmer proud are sure to meet your appetite, to say nothing of a Key Lime Pie for dessert. All together, The Aberdeen Barn will always be the signature steakhouse of Dear Charlottesville.

Black Cow Chophouse

Started by savvy restaurateurs Daniel Kaufman and Greg Dionne, Black Cow Chophouse helped shape the rip-tide that draws diners to Charlottesville’s West Main Street.

Black Cow was the first in town to introduce wood-fired preparation that brings a complex flavor and aromatic depth to their meat. The oak wood, stacked high outside the front door, adds a signature flavor you can taste. Chef Dionne is quite selective in his sourcing, preferring high quality beef from local farms like Turton and Shadwell Farm. Their list of cuts changes daily, and is the most extensive in town, from Porterhouse to Kansas City Strip. The Black Cow servers are steeped in steak expertise. When your selection arrives at your table, you will experience a Christmas morning sensation of ultimate bliss.

With a lively bar to greet you just inside the entrance, and an elegant dining room that once serviced automobiles and now affords a tantalizing view of busy West Main Street, the dining experience here is as fulfilling as you expect.

The Jervey

The Jervey is an exciting new steakhouse entry with undeniable sex appeal. Launched by successful restaurateur Andy McClure and partners, The Jervey anchors Charlottesville’s charming Belmont district with a “refined dining” experience. “Refined” means “not white table cloth,” but certainly steak-forward in intent.

After a shining renovation, The Jervey is a unique space that exudes a pleasure principle. A central bar extends 40 feet from wall to open kitchen. Beneath it are Cville’s first “Art TVs,” capable of displaying Monet watercolor of tonight’s big game. Nimble bartenders await to fill your order while the aroma of searing sizzles nearby .

Adjoining the central bar is an indoor space with retractable windows that open into the loveable Belmont crossroads, and a patio that opens to the street like a Parisian dream. 

The Jervey serves dry-aged Waygu and USDA Prime Beef, frequently sourced from Snake River Farms in Idaho. Their offering is loaded with classics, including Eye of Ribeye, NY Strip, Hanger, Filet Mignon and Ribcap, all of which yield a bold, rich flavor.  

The Jervey also offers an expansive list of starters and alternative mains, from seafood to pork, along with an array of sides. Six choices of steak sauce, from Bordelaise to Truffle butter, are offered should additional flavor be necessary. And, of course, an extensive wine list completes the package.

Noble Argentinian Steakhouse

Noble is an exciting new entry in downtown Charlottesville for lovers of “the steak experience.” 

Tucked into the Glass Building, this restaurant is the brainchild of 34-year-old Enzo Segui who came to Charlottesville from Argentina and worked at Marigold before starting Noble. His dream was to create an open flame on a good fire for quality meats seasoned only with salt, like they do it back home. This recipe is a siren song for steak lovers.

Cross the tracks along “Soso,”(South of South Street) and approach the unassuming space through a patio anchored by an outdoor grill. Step inside and you’ll enter something of a sacristy, where candles flicker and a tall bar glows in darkness. Strains of tango, Argentine’s musical anthem, are audible. The room has the anticipation-quality of a community theater moments before curtain call. A more striking sensation, however, is the full, smoky aroma of steak on the grill. Around the corner stands a grillmaster station with an open top and windows that allow diners to watch chefs as they prepare your order. The experience in the 1,200-square-foot space, that seats up to 50, is intimate and exhilarating.  

The service at Noble is on Charlottesville’s high-end. Your waiter can describe the various cuts like a biology teacher and can decode a wine list with depth and breadth. All tables are only steps from the grill, a convenience understood well by gauchos on the high prairie. 

The menu includes several cuts from a juicy Entraña Skirt Steak to a robust Bife de Chorizo New York Strip, and Segui sources primarily from Argentenian importers. Should you be accompanied by an herbivore, the menu lists a number of plant-based options and sides, including a grilled cauliflower steak, rustic potatoes and roasted bell peppers. The dessert list is exotic and a malbec port awaits as the penultimate pleasure.

Outback Steakhouse

Outback’s Steakhouse’s heritage into the ancient history of Australian folk hero Crocodile Dundee. Remember that Crocodile Dundee achieved his celebrity with his distinctive twang, Subaru-driving skills and impressive Bowie knife. Charlottesville is fortunate to have one of an estimated 750 Outbacks. Ours is just north on 29 just beyond the bustling overpass between Stonefield and Seminole Square and near to many hotels. Outback excels with a menu of impressive breadth, capable of feeding the entire family from wings to signature steaks. Their kids’ menu assures happiness, as does the ever-tempting Bloomin’ Onion.