ATXGuide
The Secret Steak Nights of Austin
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Steak dinners are typically associated with romantic dates and special occasions—and for good reason, especially if you’re dropping some serious money. But sometimes you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a slab of meat that’s been dry-aging since the last time you got your oil changed. Sometimes you just want a steak that you can eat on a Tuesday night without getting dressed up. Enter: secret steak night. These are the steaks you can find (usually on weekdays) at dive bars and restaurants around town that don’t typically serve them. Steak night specials have always been a thing all over Texas—we just decided to highlight the best deals in town.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Nicolai McCrary
Murray’s feels like an homage to old-school taverns in New York City—it’s dimly lit with wooden walls and a carpeted back room where group dinners and underground business transactions probably happen. It’s a place we find ourselves often, most notably on Wednesdays when they offer a great steak and martini special. The cut varies (our most recent visit was a perfectly cooked sirloin cap), but it comes topped with chimichurri, served over a bed of fries, and paired with your choice of martini. At $35, it’s our top price-to-quality deal, and the best way to get the full Murray’s experience without dropping too much money.
When: Wednesdays, 5pm until sold out
The Deal: Steak with chimichurri and a martini (NA option available) for $35
photo credit: Nicolai McCrary
Usually when we find ourselves at Nickel City, we’re eating an unhealthy number of sliders or trying to do some quick math to figure out how many wings come in a pound. But once a month, we’re ignoring the rest of the menu and ordering the steak night special. Don’t expect any fancy cuts or even the opportunity to ask about a doneness level—they’re way too busy to take requests—but every steak we’ve had has arrived well-seasoned, cooked to an even medium, and served with A1 sauce and a plate full of crinkle-cut fries. To sweeten the deal, it also comes with a Lone Star and a shot of whiskey.
When: Second Thursday of every month, 6pm until sold out
The Deal: Steak, crinkle-cut fries, shot, and a beer for $19
photo credit: Nicolai McCrary
Texas Chili Parlor has been around since the ‘70s, in that time evolving into one of Austin’s best dive bar/Tex-Mex/chili parlor hybrids. And hiding on that long menu of burgers, hot dogs, and enchiladas are a couple of steaks. They’re a great value all the time—a little over $20 for a ribeye, a salad, and a fully loaded baked potato—but on Mondays, they knock it down to $19.
When: Mondays
The Deal: Ribeye, salad, and a fully loaded baked potato for $19
Bar Peached is an Asian-fusion restaurant in Clarksville that’s 90% patio—it’s actually built around a centuries-old tree. Here you’ll find all kinds of fun fusion dishes—like banh mi tacos and mapo bolognese—but on Tuesdays, you’ll also find the weekly steak frites special. It’s a bulgogi-marinated top sirloin served with nori fries, bok choy, and kimchi miso butter, and at $23, it’s reason enough to go out on a school night. Just make sure to get there early—steaks tend to sell out within the first few hours.
When: Tuesdays, 5pm until sold out (usually around 7pm)
The Deal: 7-oz. top sirloin with nori fries, bok choy, and kimchi miso butter for $23
photo credit: Nicolai McCrary
There are a few locations of Waterloo Ice House across Austin, and every Wednesday night they all fill up with regulars who know about the great steak night special. The deal kicks off at 5pm and runs until sold out—it includes a NY strip, a fully loaded baked potato, and a side of green beans for $25. If that wasn’t enough to get you out of your sweats on a weeknight, Waterloo also runs Happy Hour all day on Wednesdays, when you can get half-priced bottles of house wine and $5 frozen margaritas.
When: Wednesdays, 5pm until sold out
The Deal: NY strip steak, fully loaded baked potato, and green beans for $25
“Cute” is probably the first word we’d use to describe Hillside Farmacy, a former pharmacy in East Austin with cabinets full of vintage medicine bottles lining the walls. The menu leans classic American, featuring things like burgers, roasted chicken, and a very solid mac and cheese. And on Sunday nights, it becomes a steakhouse. You can choose from a few different steaks—at increasing price and fanciness levels—plus a side and dipping sauce, making this one of the more versatile experiences. Our favorite combo is a bavette (which also happens to be the cheapest) with mashed potatoes and demi-glace.
When: Sundays starting at 5pm
The Deal: Steak and a side, starting at $25
1417 is a French bistro in South Austin with a few solid plates and a great patio. Most of the dishes are a little too pricey for a casual weeknight dinner, but it’s a nice spot to pop in for a glass of wine during Happy Hour, or on Mondays when the steak frites gets the half-price treatment. This is a filet—making it one of the “fancier” cuts on this guide—and ours have always arrived cooked to a perfect medium rare, though we wish they had a little bit more crust on them. Still, it’s a hard deal to beat on Mondays.
When: Mondays
The Deal: Bistro filet with fries for $25
photo credit: Nicolai McCrary
The Jackalope is a semi-divey neighborhood bar on East Riverside, and a reliable place for great pub food any night of the week. But show up on Tuesday and you can get a 10-oz. strip steak with brussels sprouts and waffle fries. The cut is a little too thin to develop a serious crust, but this is also a steak that arrives on a small metal tray with two sides for $20, so we can’t complain too much. Pair it with a seasonal frozen cocktail for the full experience.
When: Tuesdays
The Deal: 10-oz. strip steak, brussels sprouts, and waffle fries for $20
