As one of the world’s wealthiest cities, Dallas knows how to show up and show out. From the city’s ongoing “Dubai-fication” and champagne-taste culture, there’s no shortage of ways to flex your appetite or your wallet. Sure, it’s not hard to find a pricey piece of meat or shellfish soaring above a Benjamin, but if you’re looking to drop serious dough, the dining scene doesn’t make it hard.
From prime cuts to a menu with a Ducati, these are the crème de la crème, the most extravagant dishes in the D, the kind you order when you’re trying to seal a deal, seduce a future ex-wife or flex simply because you can. So, while you’re toasting to the high life with The Mexican’s $250 Pancho Villa margarita (citrus gold salt included), save room for Nick & Sam’s legendary 7-layer cake — a casual $35 a slice or up to $165 for the whole tower of temptation. Here’s where to find high steaks and even higher tabs.
Emperor’s Platter at Nick and Sam’s, aka The Stairway to Heaven.
Courtesy Nick and Sam’s
Kagoshima Bone-in Ribeye at Nick and Sam’s: $1,600
It’s tough to choose the most indulgent plate at Nick and Sam’s. The Emperor’s Platter comes with eight cuts of wagyu tenderloin, including Black Hawk Reserve, Australian, Japanese (Kumamoto), Miyazaki, Ohmi, Hokkaido, Hyogo (Kobe), and Sunuki Rib Eye, served on a tiered platter — the Stairway to Heaven — rings in at $850. But the Kagoshima is $16 per ounce and is widely considered the most luxuriously marbled steak on the menu. From Nick and Sam’s, “If cooked medium, all the wagyu markings become a little melted. If guests want to snag one for the table, Nick & Sam’s offers a cut that is over 100 ounces, making this menu item around $1,600.”
40-Ounce Porterhouse at Nuri Steakhouse: $350
Featured in The Wall Street Journal’s “Steakhouses Actually Worth the Splurge,” Nuri is anything but the stuffy white-tablecloth spot traditionally found on these lists. What they describe as an “Art Deco–steampunk fever dream covered in hand-painted wallpaper,” the Korean steakhouse unapologetically leans into its $16 million-plus buildout with price tags to match. The crown jewel is the 40-ounce Texas Wagyu porterhouse, sourced from Heartbrand Reserve’s “Emperor’s Breed,” that’s served with an entourage of banchan, ssamjang (Korean soybean paste), kimchi butter, miso peppercorn sauce, and a wagyu candle for flavor and flair. If that feels a touch too indulgent, there’s always the 36-ounce tomahawk for $299 – the same drama, slightly less meat.
Signature Steakhouse Smorgasbord, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille: $275
If your love language is red meat and regret, Perry’s signature platter is basically a carnivore’s delight. Designed to feed four, it piles on all the greatest hits: a 40-ounce porterhouse, pork chops, lamb lollipops, BBQ bacon-wrapped shrimp, mini crab cakes and seafood-stuffed mushrooms with a delicate touch of truffle Merlot demiglace and beurre fondue. Really, it’s quite reasonable at $69 per person in boy-math world.
Golden Osetra Caviar Service, Evelyn: $270
A self-proclaimed love letter to Old Hollywood opulence, Evelyn imports its signature steak straight from Australia, because Texas cows aren’t couture enough. The 38-ounce F-1 (it moves?) Wagyu Tomahawk ribeye is $225. Still not impressed? Top it with roasted bone marrow or lump crab Oscar for an extra $24. Or, for more drama, the 5-ounce Miyazaki A5 Wagyu is cooked tableside on a hot lava rock for $190. Pair either with a Price of Fame martini ($150 for one or $275 for two), complete with black truffle bitters and caviar-stuffed olives. The Golden Osetra caviar service for $260 takes the cake, though. It’s served with 1 ounce of potato chips, warm blinis, creme fraiche, chives and cured egg yolk. We’ll cheers to that.
Iced Seafood Tower, Crown Block: $230
That iconic view from the top of Reunion Tower comes with a price tag, but so does the seafood tower. A feast for six, it stacks Maine lobster, snow crab claws, jumbo prawns, salmon ceviche, and East and Gulf Coast oysters. There’s also a smaller version for $110 if you’re feeling modest. More ravenous? The menu also features a $240 48-ounce tomahawk and a $185 dry-aged porterhouse. Or if you prefer a morning splurge, the $80 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch includes indulgences like Fried Chicken and Waffles with caviar, Wagyu Croquetta Benedict, and a lavish candy and dessert bar so over-the-top you’ll need a nap before noon.
32-Ounce 240-Day Ribeye, Knife Italian: $215
Chef John Tesar, lauded for his dry-aged steak methods, took his wares to the Ritz in Irving after years in Dallas. At his Italian-focused restaurant, you can still get the 44 Farms steaks he made Dallas-famous years ago. Some may find a steak aged more than half a year a bit much; there’s a 45-day for $125. If we had an expense account or a sugar daddio, this is where we’d go. Yes, we’re accepting applications for both.
24-Ounce Westholme Wagyu Porthouse, Catch: $205
The cattle ranch Westholme in Australia allows herds to roam “millions of pristine acres covered in native grasses” in Northern Australia. Get a tasty steak at Catch for just $205, which is a real steal considering that one ounce of the A5 Kobe beef costs $68. Olive beef (yes, the cattle are fed olives) is $55 per ounce and snow beef (no, the cows don’t eat snow — the steaks are snow-aged) is $49 per ounce. But you’re not really going to Catch unless you’re going for Sunday brunch, which is $95 per person and a glass of Krug Grand Cuvee ($96).
40-Ounce Wagyu Tomahawk Chop, The Saint: $195
Another maximalist Italian steakhouse, The Saint’s signature chop comes brushed with Calabrian chili compound butter and is big enough for two to four. But there is a way to get it for less. Their “Texas Tomahawk Tuesday” offers three courses for two at the same $195 price tag, with starters like Wagyu tartare or saffron risotto, sides such as wild mushrooms and Italian fries (tableside bone marrow is an $8 splurge), and seasonal desserts to seal the deal. Because who doesn’t love a bargain disguised as decadence?
Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Monarch: $190
Ask a dozen people what the priciest restaurant in Dallas is, and more than a few will say Monarch. Perched on the 49th floor of The National, this temple of opulence delivers on every decadent promise. The butcher’s reserve meats are the crème de la crème, and the Bistecca for two is undeniably the star of the show. Seasoned simply with salt, a sprig of rosemary, and the bone proudly on full display, we can confirm it lives up to the hype. Other notable splurges include a 45-day dry-aged Omaha ribeye for $110, a 5-ounce Japanese A5 Filet Kagoshima for $180, and housemade pastas like the Fire Roasted Lasagna Diane for $60 (full portion) or a Whole Maine Lobster Spaghetti for $72.
16-ounce Rosewood New York Strip or Ribeye, Georgie: $180
Originally opened by Curtis Stone, Georgie has been described as both “swanky retro meets chic” and “a contemporary Southern blend of Texas roots with West Coast finesse.” To some, that may sound like an identity crisis, and to others, a celebrated rebirth. Since ditching the celebrity chef, Georgie has found its stride, earning a Michelin nod for creative takes on the classics (think creamy potato “churros” with smoked fish dip) along with some seriously luxe steaks. Their signature cut, grilled and served with Padrón peppers, G1 sauce, and Dijon, proves they’ve still got plenty of star power.
King Crab Legs, Dakota’s: $175
Dallas’s famed underground steakhouse wasn’t always serving surf and turf — it was once a church that couldn’t legally sell alcohol on holy ground. Yet a loophole allowed liquor sales below street level, so they excavated and never looked back (perhaps to keep prices buried, too?). While the menu leans meaty with a decadent $152 36-ounce tomahawk and a $164 porterhouse, the true splurge is a simple pound of king crab with drawn butter and lemon for nearly $200 — making the half Maine lobster for $43 feel like a downright steal. It’s all about perspective, right? It is worth noting there is quite a lengthy dress code, and kids under five are politely uninvited for dinner.
3.5 lb Maine Lobster à l’Orange, Town Hearth: $149
Steak and swagger define this Design District hot spot, where dry-aged, white oak–seasoned, mesquite-charcoal-grilled prime cuts are legendary. Think: 42-ounce porterhouse “Bistecca” for $176, 32-ounce ribeye “Rogge’s Battle Axe” for $149, and the Lenox, an open-fire-roasted prime rib carved to order for $106. But their seafood also deserves some of the spotlight. The priciest catch is a 3.5-pound Maine lobster fried with ponzu and blood orange, though for $10 less you can go the wood-roasted route with simply “lots of butter.” And if you’re really looking to drop some coin, they also playfully have a market price ’74 Ducati Sport on the sides menu. Yolo?
Whole Roast Peking Duck, Tango Room: $140
The menu at Tango Room reads like a name-drop list of indulgence: caviar, lobster corndogs, foie gras, steak tartine, and honestly, you could close your eyes and land on a flex. Sure, there’s the $180 New York strip and the $150 ribeye, but if you’re tapped out on steak, the whole roast duck is another baller move. Served with garlic hoisin, bibb lettuce, miso mustard, fried rice, and crispy confit, bird’s the word here.
Dover Piccata, Carbone: $145
One bite of Carbone’s signature spicy rigatoni vodka and you’ll see the hype is real. But the priciest dishes aren’t the famous family-style pastas or even the market price charcoal-grilled steaks. It’s the seafood that might give you sticker shock. The top-dollar contender is the Dover Piccata, deboned and finished tableside in a brown butter lemon caper sauce, followed closely by the whole branzino for $135. Because nothing says luxury like fish that costs more than a monthly car payment.
Veal Cordon Bleu, Mamani: $135
One of the hottest new tables in town, Mamani is already flexing with its showstoppers on the share menu. The veal “Cordon Bleu” comes dressed in sauce Mornay with greens and pommes purée rich enough to make your cardiologist twitch. Other indulgences include a whole duck “the Mamani way” for $169, Wild Dover Sole with spinach, lemon, and brown butter for $135, and a 22-ounce dry-aged ribeye topped with foie gras and truffle for $149. Because moderation clearly didn’t make the cut.
Lobster Shiitake Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing, Nobu: $69
Ever thought about dropping nearly $70 for a salad? Yeah, us either, even if it is topped with lobster. A cooked alternative for those who side-eye sashimi, it’s layered with mushrooms, fried garlic, sesame, and greens. Feeling inspired? Epicurious actually published the exact recipe from the Nobu cookbook if you want to try to recreate the delicacy home. But if you’re ready to splurge, there’s also a King Crab Leg with panko crust and truffle sauce for $125, and a $75-per-person Sunday brunch that’s supposedly worth rolling out of bed for. Because if anyone can make lettuce luxury, it’s Nobu.