Nothing beats a tender steak made just how you like it, with your sauce of choice drizzled on top and a glass of your favourite tipple to accompany - so we picked some of the best places in the Cotswolds to visit for this classic dish
• The Ox
10 Cambray Place, Cheltenham
Sumptuous red velvet curtains, candle-lit tables and stylish interiors make The Ox feel like a secret spot akin to a speakeasy. Inventive cocktails are seasonally changing (honeyed martini anyone?) but steak is the star of the show.
Thirty-five-day dry aged meat that comes from a local butcher in Winterbourne is cooked on the restaurant’s charcoal oven and served up to your liking with a choice of sauces and tempting sides including triple cooked chips, roasted mushrooms and mac ‘n’ cheese. Go the whole hog (and cow) and order the cured meat board to start with a 30oz T-bone sharing steak for main.
49 Rodney Road, Cheltenham
Although this basement-level restaurant is difficult to find, the hunt is worth it for what one diner describes as “the best steak ever!”.
The menu often has twists of French cuisine. You might find a starter of duck à l’orange pâté and dessert of crème brûlée to accompany the main attraction: a 28-day matured steak with mashed potatoes, Mediterranean vegetables and cherry vine tomatoes. Don’t forget a sauce with your choice of peppercorn, bearnaise, blue cheese, Diane, red wine and garlic butter.
20 Church Street, Wotton-under-Edge
In the pretty market town of Wotton-under-Edge is The Falcon Steakhouse. A favourite for walkers stopping for a pint of real ale, this rustically decorated restaurant is also known for its quality steaks made from the finest cuts of beef.
Beef is locally reared down the road at the family farm, Ozleworth which is just 10 miles from the restaurant.
7 Park Street, Stow-on-the-Wold
Although the Old Butchers restaurant typically specialises in tempting and fresh seafood dishes, there are a few steak options that will add the perfect turf to your surf.
Try a charcoal cooked aged Devon Ruby Red beef steak served with hand-cut chips, onion rings and bearnaise sauce.
• Chez Mal
Malmaison, Bayshill Rd, Cheltenham
The grand Malmaison is a luxurious spot to stay, drink and dine on the Bayshill Road in Cheltenham. The hotel’s brasserie, Chez Mal, is exuberantly decorated and feels like a treat whether you’re ordering a hearty Sunday roast or stopping for lunch.
Order from the meat and grill section of the menu for grain fed 28-day aged beef steaks all served with crispy onion rings and baby cherry tomatoes on the vine.
Sapperton, Cirencester
Proudly supporting Cotswolds producers with its ingredients, The Bell at Sapperton is the cosy country pub that also serves a killer steak. With plenty of comforting pub classics on the menu, this pub has a well-curated drinks menu including cocktails, craft beers and wines by the glass or bottle.
Find the perfect tipple to go with your steak then pick your sauce: bearnaise, peppercorn or blue cheese butter.
New Street, Painswick
Idyllically located and clad in Cotswold stone, The Falcon in Painswick is an attractive pub to enjoy a steak and a few drinks. The stylish interiors are bright and unobtrusive, and the big windows allow beautiful views across the Gloucestershire hills.
Order a sirloin or fillet steak – which have been described by customers as “gorgeous” and “not to be missed” - which come with roasted tomato, chips, onion rings and your choice of stilton or peppercorn sauce.
9A Southgate Street, Gloucester
For something a little bit different, head to the ‘hot rock grill and cocktail bar with an Asian twist’, Tiger’s Eye, which is housed in a pretty 17th century former inn in Gloucester.
Choose your cut – whether that’s rump, rib-eye or decadent wagyu beef – then your extras and wait for your steak which is served on a hot rock to preserve taste.
68-69 Mill Street, Oxford
A cool place to visit for a steak, the Porterhouse grill and (equally cool) rooms is cosy, stylishly decorated and serves some excellent vintage style cocktails with your food.
Pair a dry martini with a 10oz, 28-day aged sirloin served with chips, walnut salad and roasted tomato and drizzled with bearnaise sauce.
28 High Street, Wallingford and 53-55 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames
With succulent, fresh seafood – think Cornish oysters baked with smoked bacon or Fowey mussels in a provencale sauce – served alongside big sharing steaks, Shellfish Cow does surf and turf with elegance.
The two independent restaurants/bars - one in Wallingford and one in Henley-on-Thames - are quirky and welcoming places to indulge in a round of cocktails before plates of steak and shellfish.
• No. 131
131 Promenade, Cheltenham
Luxurious décor, attractive cocktails and an enticing food menu of seasonal British fare, No. 131 is a beguiling place to enjoy a steak. Beef is dry aged in house and can be ordered for one or ordered to share with a 32oz T-bone or big beef wellington.
Make sure to head downstairs to the speakeasy style Gin & Juice bar for a digestif afterwards.
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