New York on Tap 2008
Archive · modern edition Every bar New York on Tap knew, as it stood around 2008, with a 2026 check on each one. This page in the 2008 edition

No photo of this bar survives from the 2008 site.

A New York on Tap pick

Peter Luger

They say it's the best there is

178 Broadway · btwn Bedford and Driggs
East Village, Manhattan

In 2026

Still pouring

Checked October 15, 2026.

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Overview

By Chris Lukic

Rated #1 steakhouse by Zagat readers 20 years and running. Make your reservations well in advance.

More an institution than a steakhouse. Peter Luger's has been delivering their own unique brand of dry aged prime USDA prime since 1887 and has been rated #1 steakhouse in New York by Zagat's readers for 20 years. With that kind of clout Luger's can afford to do things their own way. Expect service which is efficient but crochety, sturdy but bare wood tables, and steaks the Luger way - selected for their rich marbling, dry aged, and then cooked fast and hot.

Why you should go

  • Peter Luger's is the New York steakhouse. It's second only to Outback in terms of name recognition.
  • Thanks to their aging process Peter Luger's steaks have a rich and unique flavor.

What you should know

  • Cash only!
  • The plates come out at roasting temperture, so if you don't want your steak to get tough get it off that plate fast.
  • The steaks are cooked hot and fast, charred on the outside and cool in the middle.

History

The best there is, minus a Michelin star

When Peter Luger died in 1941, his son Frederick took over1. In 1950 it went to Sol Forman and Seymour Sloyer, who owned a metal giftware factory across the street1.

The James Beard Foundation named it one of America's Classics in 20021. Our old headline was "They say it's the best there is," since Zagat readers had rated it the top steakhouse twenty years running, and we told you to book well in advance. It lost its Michelin star in 20221.

It's still at 178 Broadway in Brooklyn1. Its own site tells the story from the beginning: established in 1887, at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge2.

Sources

  1. en.wikipedia.org
  2. peterluger.com

Researched October 2026.

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