What is it about Peter Luger that makes every other steak taste bland, or too tough, or too soft? Let’s see. Part of it is in the way, when they serve you, they bring out a hot plate with the steak already cut. Then they prop one end of the plate on a dish so that the fatty oils accumulate on one end of the plate. Then they serve each person with several slices of glorious (hopefully rare, or medium-rare, at most — if you like your meat well done, don’t bother going to Luger’s, cuz they will serve you the charred remainder of whatever was left in the back of their freezer) meat, and then (this is the kicker) then the waiter SPOONS the fatty juices onto your steak. Fat upon fat upon fat. A heart attack worth having.

Be prepared. Cash only. Take home the bread, and if you have any steak left over, make awesome steak sandwiches the next day.

Missing one star because even with reservation, you still need to wait for an hour for a table. However, once the steak is presented on your table, you know exactly why there is such a long wait. The steak is just simply …. GREAT. The big draw of the restaurant obviously isn’t the service nor the ambience, so don’t expect coming for a fancy / romantic dining experience. For some of us, that means skip the touble of dressing up (even it is in New York City).

Have been to Luger’s 3 times. Always get the shared porterhouse and various sides. First time ordered it the most common way, medium rare. Found it to be a little more cooked than medium rare, but still was good. Second time asked for rare, and came out a beautiful medium rare … best steak I have ever had. Third time asked again for rare, and it indeed was rare, needed to send it back to get it cooked a little more. So basically, when they’re on, I doubt there’s better steak you could get. But that’s if they’re on.

Sides are decent, typical steakhouse sides. Probably the best is the creamed spinach, and the German potatoes are noteworthy.

The famed steak sauce tastes more like cocktail sauce to me.

Haven’t had dessert. Have never had enough room for it.

And as mentioned previously, it’s cash only (or Luger’s credit card). The waiters have a reputation for being surly, but I have found them to be competent and friendly. But I could see some of them turning surly if you push them that way, haha.

Overall, a must-visit for NY steak.

While there isn’t much selection on the steak, they know their steak and they do it well. Just don’t wear your favorite shirt! I got mine oil splattered. What they do is cut up the steak then broil it for a bit and it comes out on a burning hot plate. It tastes fantastic. Oh and while you’re at it, you might as well get the bacon too :P

Nevermind that the waiters are notoriously “gruff” and unfriendly. Nevermind that it’s not cheap and cash only. Nevermind that it’s tough to get a reservation and all the way in Brooklyn. I don’t even care about these things. What I care about is their food and for all of the negatives, I expected their food to blow me away. I’m willing to endure social stigma and criticism by stating plainly that I did not enjoy my food experience at PL. I would also like to preface my detailed criticism by saying that I am a carnivore. I love steak and dislike steak sauce. At PL, their steak lacked in taste. I had to douse it in their house steak sauce just to give it some sort of flavor, which if I might add, tasted like ketchup and shrimp cocktail sauce. We did the steak for two, we wanted it cooked medium and it was given to us still breathing. They give you two cuts of meat with this order and the sirloin was good. But the other cut had a strange texture and weird aftertaste. The sides were unimpressive – creamed spinach and potatoes. I’m was really disappointed. The only upside was that I was I had good company and the SCHLAG, which is the basis of my two star review. Schlag is their homemade whipped cream which was fabulous!! They had a great hot fudge sundae too! So would I go back? I would give it another try, yes. I keep thinking that maybe I went on an off day. If it wows me the 2nd time, I’ll gladly come back here and re-do my review. If it doesn’t then, I’m sorry Peter Luger I’ll just have to concede to the fact that “you suck.”

The steaks are impressive but it’s the bacon that is truly mindblowing: imagine that bacon flavor, with the width, depth and juiciness of a big slab of ham… I’m getting excited just thinking about it…

Living in Los Angeles for as long as I have, my only glimpse into New York City was through Woody Allen movies. Since that was my only window, I was lead to believe that the many bridges and tunnels that connect Manhattan to the outside world surely lead to a cultural void or at best a culinary wilderness. Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn proves that one can find true greatness and perfection off the island. Peter Luger’s is no secret. It has been generally accepted as New York’s top steakhouse for decades but for a five year stretch that took me to NYC many times, the only reason I dared to breathe the air in Brooklyn was when I lowered the window in the cab taking me to and from JFK. I had always been tempted by all of the Manhattan culinary hotspots and have hit a lot of them but no place cares about and/or cooks a piece of Prime beef like Peter Luger’s. Take whatever reservation time is open. I went on a Saturday afternoon at 12:30 and am forever grateful that my desperation to be squeezed in was felt over the phone. (I guess saying “PLEEEZE” a million times can work) The servers look and talk like they all have a masters degree in Steakology. They appreciate a good, healthy carnivorous attitude and no offense, whether you’re a gentleman or a lady, you really should order your steak like ya got a pair! This is a no-nonsense place that’s serious about what they do so ideally you should have a clue before you walk in. Look at their menu on-line but don’t be afraid to ask them questions. Just don’t let words like “well-done” or “butter-fly” slip out. I mean, you wouldn’t ask Picasso to snap you a Polaroid. The Rib steak with a side of their thick bacon as an appetizer was my choice and my brain still can’t get them out of mind. The steak was charred on the outside, perfect on the inside as I tried to savor every bite as long as I could. What separates Peter Luger’s from other fine steakhouses is that I actually was able to taste how much they care about Prime beef and how it’s supposed to be prepped to finally arrive on your plate. It’s a feeling that if you are lucky enough to experience, you’ll want to tell as many people as you can

gonna cost an arm, a leg, your first born child, and a first round draft pick, but dammit they can cook a piece of meat.

Overrated. I had a medium rare sirlion. It’s not as good as they say.

best steakhouse in NYC…that first bite of their medium-rare porterhouse with their scooped up drippings could almost be described as poetic….worth the trip (just across the w’burg bridge) and the money…just don’t order any dessert

I got the opportunity to go here with a friend a few years back. The porterhouse was excellent, it didn’t even need steak sauce! It’s always a good thing when you don’t have to drown your steak. I didn’t like the side dishes too much as they didn’t compare to the steak. The service was prompt and friendly when I went there, but then again, I also went on a Wednesday. I also have to add that there are plenty of great steakhouses in Manhattan so being that this restaurant is located in Brooklyn (and one in Queens I think), is a minus for me.

The steak was very good when I went but it wasn’t as good as its reputation suggests. I didn’t feel like it was the best steak I’ve ever had. The decor is what you’d expect and the service is not good. I’ve had problems with their hostess putting down the wrong date and time for my reservation. In my opinion, it’s not worth the trip to Brooklyn once you’ve been.

Best steak in the world.

Disappointing! My medium-rare sirloin was really overdone (seriously, PL? come on), and drowned in butter with no flavor of its own. The burger at lunch is a good deal, though, and for that alone it stays on my list.