New York's Best Steaks Under $50!
Eyval, Cafe Chelsea, Estela, Chubby Tan, Lori Jayne, Soledad, and more new steak reviews!
The Budget Steak List, 2026!
Pumping gas will set you back over $4 a gallon in New York.
Riding a Citibike to FiDi will cost more than two good slices.
And renting in Manhattan runs upwards of $4,700 a month.
Inflation is eating away at our paychecks. We’re acutely aware of this. And so it’s no wonder that a Greenpoint wine bar charging $40 for half a chicken is irritating more than a few folks. Or put differently: That pricey bird is serving as a flashpoint for the city’s overlapping affordability crises, including the cost of dining out, as my colleague Luke Fortney reported this week for the NYT.
Fortney also reminded us that it’s not hard to find lower priced rotisserie birds.
Of course, chicken isn’t the only dish commanding a few extra bucks these days. Over at The Lo Times, we’ve been tracking rising tasting menu prices, sushi prices, lobster roll prices, power lunch prices, and most of all, fancy steak prices.
But we also keep our eye out for deals. And so I’m happy to report that it’s not hard to find an affordable-ish steak frites or carne asada these days. You just have to know where to look. So welcome to our third annual Budget Steak Guide!!!
Here are some of my favorite steaks under $50.
That price tag is still a lot of money to a lot of people, but it’s not bad by New York’s ridiculous standards. And yes, that’s $5 higher than my limit for last year’s guide.
Inflation even affects listicles :)
Keep in mind that this isn’t just a guide to affordable steak frites. This is the place to learn about creative red meat options at Estela and Confidant, as well as where to get great Argentine parrilladas, Japanese beef tastings, Persian skewers, and Mexican carne asada.
You’ll also find quite a few interesting cuts of meat, the kind that don’t typically find their way into classic steakhouses. I’m thinking of chuck flaps, bavettes, short ribs, rib fingers, Denver cuts, chopped steaks, teres major, and tri-trips. And as a bonus, I’ve added a few upgrade options that go above our stated price limit.
Let’s get to it!!!
Behind the Paywall: New Steak Reviews, Including:
The flatiron steak frites from Café Chelsea
The creative steaks at Estela and Confidant
The tongue tasting at Chubby Tan’s
Lori Jayne’s $25 chuck flap au poivre!
The wagyu kabob from Eyval, and more!!!