It’s fitting that butcher to the stars, Victor Churchill, has one of the most swellegant dine-in meat offerings in Melbourne. If steak frites is your Roman Empire, look no further than the 28-day dry-aged flank with café de Paris butter. If unique cuts float your boat, head to the rich and tender zabuton steak (from the shoulder of the cow) or the wagyu longissimus dorsi (hard to say, great to eat). And if your idea of a good time is going face down in a kilo of bistecca, here’s your chance (we’re told it’s meant for two – but who needs to obey the fine print?) 953 High St, Armadale victorchurchill.com

The dramatic flames of the asado fire pit and sizzle of the parrilla grill are the centrepieces of any visit to Palermo. A Little Bourke Street sibling to long-time city favourite San Telmo, its Argentinian steakhouse vibes are fed by the rugged fit-out of red brick walls and leather seats: consider it an excellent stage set for leaning into a steak selection. It flits from a Rangers Valley Black Market rump cap to an O’Connor’s eye fillet or Black Opal skirt steak. Whichever way you head, they’ll be keeping good company with the zesty house chimichurri. 401 Little Bourke St, Melbourne palermo.melbourne

Not even all the regulars at the Terminus Hotel are aware of the steak-centric restaurant nestled within the historic bluestone walls and accessed from the side street. While families are getting down with chicken parmas and pizzas in the MCG-sized courtyard, meat lovers are enjoying the mood lighting and getting friendly with dry-aged meat enhanced with the lick of flame and the perfume of smoke from the Josper grill. Around 18 choices – from a budget-conscious rump cap to a show-off shareable tomahawk – will keep you busy. And the wine list keeps up appearances with big names from the Barossa. 18 Brennand St, Fitzroy North cinder.melbourne

There’s a lot going on at this glamorous evocation of Paris on Greville Street. Belle Époque interiors, caviar bumps and rivers of Champagne, but at its heart, the 10-year-old Entrecôte remains a steak frites specialist. Modelled on the legendary Le Relais de Venise, its dedication to the steak-and-chips combo features grain-fed Black Angus with a thicket of crunchy, salty fries and a blanket of the herby secret house sauce. Alternatively, traipse off in the direction of Gippsland eye fillet with bearnaise sauce and watercress salad, or peer behind the mystery curtain of the ever-changing steak special. The cheeseburger’s pretty darn good, too. 142 Greville St, Prahran entrecote.com.au

If Vlado’s ever closes its doors for good, Melbournian steak lovers will hit the barricades. Luckily for its rusted-on crowd of fans, the 61-year-old family-run institution is nigh on timeless. Take a seat at a linen-clad table among a sea of memorabilia and prepare to dive into the world of meat. You’re in set-menu territory. Kick off with pork and beef sausages and segue into a grunty trio of liver, pork neck and burgers. Then the only decision to make is to choose between eye fillet, porterhouse and rump steak. Load up with slaw and salad on the side and call it balance. 61 Bridge Rd, Richmond vlados.com.au

You’ve got to love a steak restaurant where the raw product is brought to the table by a white-gloved waiter packing Mensa-worthy tasting notes. Yes, they take their beef seriously at Steer, an unapologetically upmarket South Yarra haunt diving deep into the world of wagyu. Primo Australian producers, including Sher and Mayura Station, do battle with the Kobe and Kumamoto big boys. Can’t decide? Try the six-course wagyu degustation that kicks off with tenderloin tataki and culminates in an Aussie-versus-Japanese wagyu steak showdown. Add pan-fried foie gras with mash and red wine jus and die happy. 15 Claremont St, South Yarra steerdiningroom.com.au

The modern philosophy of eating messy red meat but making it a capital-O for occasion is the only excuse we need to head to Andrew McConnell’s glamorous bower of power on Russell Street. Provenance and quality are the guiding lights of the choices from the grill. A 900g O’Connor T-bone arrives fanned out in a carnivorous display of excess. Or perhaps you’ll opt for Blackmore’s ultimate wagyu sirloin, with all the melting brilliance promised by its MB9+ marble score. We’re equally enamoured of the cheeseburger. A best in show number only available on the Friday and Saturday supper menu, it’s a good reason to head out after 10pm. 33 Russell St, Melbourne gimlet.melbourne

They’ll have you at the cuts of prime beef dry, hanging like works of art behind glass at the entrance to this venerable steakhouse. Neil Perry may have left the building, but Rockpool remains a reliable hangout for the steak-inclined. The menu is peppered with multiple cuts from Australia’s big names in beef, including David Blackmore and Tassie’s Cape Grim. Wood grilled to pink perfection, they deserve a host of sides, including the ridiculously crunchy onion rings. A limited number of 1 kilo chateaubriand is available each day, too: gather three friends for a worthy splash-out. Crown Casino, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank rockpoolbarandgrill.com

Let’s hear it for the classic Aussie virtues of the steak sanga. At Footscray gastropub The Plough, they pop their porterhouse on ciabatta (all the better to mop up the beetroot relish, barbecue sauce and gooey egg yolk, my dear) along with a crunchy strip of bacon. If you prefer to keep things traditional with a knife and fork, hit the Gippsland eye fillet with parmesan kipflers and broccolini. Put a note in your diary for Tuesday steak night, when $25 steak frites make the world a beautiful place. 333 Barkly St, Footscray ploughhotel.com.au

Sean Donovan knows his way around a steak, as he continues to show the world at his smart Fitzroy digs. The redgum wood grill coaxes the best out of a host of options, including a 1.4 kilogram côte de boeuf. Celeriac remoulade, fries and a choice between pepper sauce and bearnaise are part of the deal. We highly recommend adding the beer battered onion rings (because: vegetable). A minute steak with a fried egg flies an equally proud flag for a pub classic. 166 Johnston St, Fitzroy fitzroytownhallhotel.com.au