15 Great Restaurant Steaks For $20 Or Less Gallery

As we all know, steakhouses are some of the most expensive restaurants around. If you've got a hankering for a nice dry-aged ribeye, you're going to have to be prepared to shell out for it. But this doesn't mean that you can't get a decent steak if you're on a budget, not by a long shot. We've found 15 restaurants from across the country where you can score a quality steak for dinner for 20 bucks or less.

It seems as if every restaurant, be it a hole-in-the-wall diner or an Italian trattoria, has a steak of some sort on the menu. But even though it's pretty easy to find a cheap steak if you really want one, it's far more difficult to find a restaurant that actually sells a good steak for 20 bucks or less. But believe it or not, some very good restaurants (and even some of the country's best steakhouses) are serving steaks that won't even come close to breaking the bank.

Some of these steaks are off-menu, some are only available one night a week, and some are only available until they sell out. Some are lesser-seen cuts like hanger or skirt, some are filets mignons, and some are T-bones. But they all have a few things in common: They're not from chain restaurants, they're all legitimately good steaks, and they all cost 20 bucks or less.

40 Steak & Seafood (which also happens to be the best steakhouse in North Dakota) offers dry-aged steaks that are always surprisingly inexpensive (like a 40-ounce porterhouse for $40), and three of their steaks are available for less than $20: a $19 hanger steak, a $19 petite filet, and a six-ounce flatiron that sells for just $15.

Bluestem is one of Kansas City's finest upscale restaurants (the dining room only offers a tasting menu), but the bar room offers a menu that makes it a destination in its own right. It's here that you'll find a grilled hanger steak served with chimichurri, greens, and fries that will set you back just 20 bucks.

Clanton's, a low-key, down-home country kitchen, has been a Route 66 destination since 1927, and it's best known for its breakfasts and legendary chicken fried steak. But its steaks aren't to be missed, either. An eight-ounce Kansas City strip will cost you just $13.99, boneless sirloins cost $11.49 (7 ounces) or $12.99 (10 ounces), and a 16-ounce T-bone will set you back just $16.99. And, of course, all steaks are served with potato, soup or salad, vegetable, and a roll.

This low-slung, no-frills Denver legend has been going strong since 1961, and Columbine's main claim to fame is how amazingly inexpensive it is. Fried chicken costs $8.75, a steak sandwich costs $7.95, pork chops $11.25. And most impressively of all, there are six steaks on the menu, and the most expensive one of the bunch, an absolutely massive porterhouse, costs just $20.75. As for the rest: the large fillet is $18.25, a T-bone is $16.25, sirloin and New York strip are $13.95, and a small fillet is $12.75. Tax is already included in the price, and all steaks also come with salad, potato, and toast.

Dunston's has been around since 1955, making it the city's oldest steakhouse, and it's also its least expensive. Six- or nine-ounce bacon-wrapped fillets go for just $13.95 and $17.95, respectively; an eight-ounce rib-eye costs $18.95, and an eight-ounce New York strip costs just $17.95. And if you want to try one of the city's finest chicken fried steaks, that will set you back just $8.95.

You didn't think we were going to get through this list without at least one Vegas steak on it, did you? In the land of super-cheap prime rib, one steak stands out — but you have to be in-the-know, because it's not on the menu. In order to get this steak at Ellis Island Casino you need two separate coupons (which aren't too hard to come by), but they'll get you a 10-ounce thick-cut top sirloin, garlic green beans, soup or salad, and potato or rice. The deal is available 24 hours a day (of course), and it'll cost you just $7.99.

If this low-slung steakhouse looks like a portal to another time, that's because it pretty much is: San Francisco's Geneva Steak House opened in 1942 and hasn't changed much since then. It's a quiet restaurant with a long counter and red leather booths, and it's insanely inexpensive: a New York steak costs $13.99, a rib eye club steak costs $14.99, and a T-bone clocks in at just $16.99, and all steaks are grilled to order and come with a green salad, baked potato, and garlic bread.

Guard and Grace, chef Troy Guard's modern Denver steakhouse, is regarded by many to be the city's best, and it's definitely not cheap, with a dry-aged bone-in Prime New York strip costing $59 and an eight-ounce fillet clocking in at $52. But there's one steak on the menu that's selling for a shockingly low price: a four-ounce Angus New York strip that will set you back just 19 bucks. Yeah, it's small, but if you supplement it with a $6 loaded baked potato we guarantee you won't leave hungry.

Lolinda, a swanky Argentinian steakhouse, cooks all of its meats on a wood-fired grill, and its wide selection of steaks, small plates, and South American specialties makes it one of the city's most exciting steakhouses. You can also eat very well here on the cheap: A six-ounce entraña (skirt steak) costs $18, an eight-ounce aguja (flatiron steak) costs $19, and a 12-ounce tira (cross-cut beef short rib) costs $18.

Pierpont's is one of Kansas City's premier fine-dining restaurants, specializing in fresh seafood and high-end steaks — if you're in the mood for a Kansas City strip, the $79 18-ounce dry-aged bone-in one here is the city's best. But if you decide to dine in the lounge instead of the main dining room you can take advantage of one of the city's best steak deals: a filet mignon with roasted garlic whipped potatoes, asparagus, and cognac demi-glace for just $17.

This casual Northern Virginia steakhouse offers some truly awesome steaks, cooked in ways you don't often see — Brazilian picanha (top loin cap) is served with a spicy sauce, for instance, and The Diablo is a top sirloin glazed with a smoky sauce and topped with garlic — and all steaks are rubbed with a secret spice mix and grilled over an open flame. They're also quite affordable; a 20-ounce New York strip costs just $38.99. L'onglet (a hanger steak) only costs $19.99, and all steaks are served with endless homemade mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

Redwood, a popular New American restaurant and lounge prepares all its dishes from scratch and takes its ingredient sourcing very seriously. It's also seriously inexpensive; the $19 grilled flat iron steak, served with herb roasted red potatoes, arugula, horseradish-dill sour cream, and tomatoes, is the most expensive thing on the menu.

The Hay Merchant chef/owner Chris Shepherd has made a name for himself in Houston with restaurants Underbelly and the shapeshifting One Fifth, but this casual gastropub isn't one to be overlooked. The burgers, brunch fare, and family-style dishes like half a roasted pig head are worthy of renown, but in-the-know locals drop by on Tuesdays, when an eight-ounce Angus sirloin from 44 Farms served with seasonal vegetables costs just $15.50. Get there early, though; they sell out fast.

Going strong since 1979, the spacious Mt. Washington Tavern is best known for its jumbo lump crab cakes, which are among the city's best. But if you drop in on Tuesday night you can take advantage of one of the best steak deals anywhere: a 16-ounce wet-aged T-bone served with a Caesar salad and roasted fingerlings for just $16. And if you come back on Wednesday, $16 will snag you one of the finest prime ribs you'll find anywhere.

Tin Roof Grill is a neighborhood favorite serving up an eclectic menu of made-from-scratch favorites including pizzas, hot smoked roast beef, Thai-style noodles, biscuits and gravy, and homemade breads and desserts at a very affordable price. Case in point? The most expensive item on the menu is a fine-dining worthy mesquite-rubbed eight-ounce flat iron steak, served with sautéed seasonal vegetables, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and horseradish-kicked au jus, for just $18. And to top it off, this restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!

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