In January 2026, Houston restaurateur Benjamin Berg dialed it back. Prime 131, his near-Heights steakhouse and sushi bar, closed for Sundays and Mondays. Staff at the restaurant said the foot traffic on those days was significantly lower than the rest of the week. But at the start of October, Prime 131 decided to flip the script again and try something new.
On Oct. 5, Prime 131 unveiled a Monday steak night special. The industrial, New York City-inspired meat haunt offers guests a full-on steak dinner complete with grilled sourdough bread, a house salad and a choice of french fries, ricotta stuffed mac-n-cheese or grilled asparagus on the side. The prices range from $39 to $145 depending on what you get, whether it’s a strip steak, a burger or an 18-ounce ribeye.
It’s a novel concept for Prime 131, which has positioned itself as a destination versus a neighborhood hangout. The live-fire steakhouse at 2505 W 11th St. is in a developing section of Lazybrook and Timbergrove, simultaneously butting up against old industrial zones and newer residential areas.
When I visited Prime 131 for its inaugural steak night, Berg Hospitality COO Arthur Mooradian told Chron the steakhouse’s main draw has been for corporate events and special occasions. But the new Monday special is a kind of telegraph for the business as a whole. Prime has always been a long play for the restaurant group.
“The surrounding area is experiencing significant new residential development, and Prime 131 was planned with that long‑term growth in mind,” said Jakaline Rios, Prime 131’s general manager. “Expanding our operating schedule is an important part of meeting that demand as the neighborhood continues to evolve.”
Prime 131’s grand experiment coincides with both larger and more subtle shifts in the beef and steakhouse world. The looming backdrop continues to be the nation’s historic cattle inventory shortage, which has led to soaring prices—both for restaurant operators and customers. There also happens to be Brian Reinhart’s excellent essay on the static state of Dallas’ steakhouse scene. D Magazine’s food critic had some sharp criticisms for many of the restaurants he visited, lambasting them for their lack of innovation and evolution.
“Not all the world’s ideas are practical or desirable in Dallas, and I’m not advocating for a specific innovation. I just wish our city had any ideas, at all,” Reinhart wrote.
Mooradian said the Monday steak nights will continue through the end of the year, after which the hospitality group will likely decide whether it should be a permanent fixture or go the way of its Korean barbecue menu, the vestiges of which still remain in the hot pot tables towards the back of the restaurant.