Medium Rare’s straightforward menu is perfect for budget-conscious diners. There are now three locations (Cleveland Park, Bethesda, Arlington). For $25.95, guests get a prix-fixe menu of rustic bread, mixed greens salad, and a top sirloin steak served with hand-cut fries. The steak is bathed in Medium Rare’s super-secret sauce (the recipe is in a bank vault). The restaurant was a superstar during the pandemic, delivering free meals to individuals in need. Reservations, carryout, and delivery info here.

Virginia’s Great American Restaurants family has a crown jewel steakhouse in Tysons Corner. The classy addition to its portfolio delivers boutique meats to mahogany tables lined with green mohair booths. Find high-end cuts like wagyu ribeye cap and blackened prime rib on the bone. Book a seat online, with carryout and delivery available too.

Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse in Dupont Circle was one of five restaurants from around the country year to receive the 2019 James Beard’s “America’s Classics” award. It comes after more than 70 years of business as a family-owned steakhouse that’s also a landmark for D.C.’s LGBTQ community. Much of the menu, including its huge helping of fries and steaks, remains the same as it was decades ago. On a popular restaurant strip on 17th Street NW, Annie’s has one of the most impressive sidewalk patios in the city. Open for all-day dining, with carryout and delivery info is available on its site.

The high-end steakhouse chain is one place to spot a politico or two while dining over red meat. Regular customers also have their cartoon caricatures pictured on the walls. This steakhouse has long been a favorite for administration and Capitol Hill types, and the go-to order is the prime double-cut New York strip, sliced table-side. Order carryout online here, or get delivery through third-party apps. Another area Palm sits at the foot of the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons.

Mega restaurateur Michael Mina’s classy and contemporary steakhouse within the Four Seasons hotel is known not only for its luxe meats and dry-aged Japanese wagyu, but for its scene-y lounge (always get the burgers and the trio of duck fat fries) with carefully made cocktails and a pretty, stone-lined patio. Last year, the D.C. stalwart got an added edge with the appointment of Hazel alum Robert Curtis as executive chef.  

The Prime Rib prides itself as an old-school steakhouse. The mood here is classic and swanky: There are dark leather booths, leopard print carpets, bow-tied servers, and a piano player at lunch and dinner. As the name implies, the number one order is the prime rib, which comes served wet and pink and takes up the entire plate.

Rare comes to Washington by way of Wisconsin (hence the delicious fried cheese curds on the tavern menu). The dual restaurant reads as a casual tavern downstairs and a formal dining room up top. Some of the choicest cuts include the Delmonico steak and dry-aged New York strip; there’s also a charcuterie bar downstairs. Pick-up options are available.

One of the busiest restaurants in the city, Joe’s is a prime-time favorite for happy hours (at least, in non-pandemic times) followed by large-format steak dinners. Order up the filet Oscar, which comes with a filet mignon, Alaskan king crab, asparagus, and side of Béarnaise sauce. The restaurant is also open for takeout and delivery.

This family-owned and operated steakhouse that opened in Arlington’s old Ben’s Chili Bowl space last summer is gaining notice for its delicious cuts of ribeye, New York strip, and (bacon-wrapped) filet in various preparations (blackened, “fuego” style, and peppercorn crusted). Its in-house specialty is a tomahawk for two, flambeed tableside in brandy with red wine herb butter and rosemary ($145). The steakhouse is named for owner Jackelin Barrera’s grandfather, Ermides Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant who loved his steak.

This timeless stalwart of the D.C. steakhouse scene serves lavish dishes like a prime seafood platter with oysters, clams, shrimp, mussels, lobster, and crab legs; a 30-day prime dry-aged porterhouse for two; and twice-baked potatoes stuffed with bacon and truffles. The rooftop terrace overlooks the Capitol and top Republicans and Democrats are known to dine there regularly. Order pickup or delivery here. Its beloved Beefsteak event is back on Tuesday, September 23.

This new addition to the Southwest Waterfront came on the scene right before the pandemic, in February 2020. From the team behind nearby Mi Vida, the focus is on wood-fired cooking, and many menu items are offered simply grilled with a choice of sauces. A customizable martini menu includes an extensive selection of vodkas and gins. There’s patio seating, and pickup ordering is available here.

Though playing poker at the MGM Casino during a pandemic may not sound like the most appealing idea, for those who go that route, a marquee dinner option is the steakhouse from chef brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. Luxe ingredients abound here, from seafood towers to King crab legs. There’s even a grilled cauliflower steak for non-meat eaters. A new “Wagyu & Whiskey Wednesdays” special includes an 8-ounce local wagyu tenderloin filet and Catoctin Creek whiskey ($95). Use MGM’s app to order grab-and-go food from various restaurants, including this one. There’s also a patio available. Following their departure from downtown’s Estuary, the casino steakhouse is the celebrity brothers’ only local project left.