“The Crab” and “the Steak” are just the ticket at Bobo’s, a jester-inspired dining destination on Lombard. It’s named for Boboquivaris, the Venetian court entertainer, in a nod to the Italian roots of chef/owner Andrea Froncilio. Bone-in filet mignon is a no-fail order here — add a half-order of crab for $34.95 more.

Izzy's, open since 1987 in the Marina, proudly serves aged corn-fed American beef, and at reasonably affordable prices. Get the filet mignon for under $44, and that includes two sides of your choosing. The restaurant also boasts one of the largest parklets in San Francisco, strung with twinkle lights.

This North Beach institution is still bustling with jacketed waiters bringing big plates of steak and pasta to leather booths with white tablecloths. Dating back to 1937, the original location suffered a fire in 2007, but Joe’s finally reopened five years later on Washington Square. The generous Italian-American menu includes flame-grilled New York strip, ribeye, or filet mignon, which come with a side of spaghetti or housemade ravioli. Or try the prime rib roast, which includes classic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

At Harris', you'll travel back to a time when steak with a martini was the go-to combo. And you'll like it, because the throwback quotient at this classic steakhouse is the best thing about it. That and the steaks, which are corn-fed and sourced from the Midwest, dry-aged for three weeks in the restaurant, and then mesquite-fire grilled.

This San Francisco classic (est. 1949) is a trip back in time. The restaurant's apropos name says it all — it serves one thing and one thing only, and it does that roast beef perfectly. The only choices you need to make are: meat temperature, cut thickness, mashed or loaded baked potatoes, and martini or Manhattan. Each plate comes with a salad prepared tableside, creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding, and potatoes — and of course a hulking piece of beef cut from roving carts. Take visiting friends and family, celebrate big life occasions, or just satisfy steak cravings.

As of September 2021, the Vault Steakhouse has returned to its sexy underground locale, where FiDi diners can order Black Angus steaks with sauces like black truffle bordelaise or bearnaise to add on — as well as a few luxe sides like truffled mac n’ cheese, if they please. But it’s not just steakhouse classics here; fresh options include beef fat fried rice and fancy potato pave tots.

Gozu is not technically a steakhouse — but it is an all-wagyu tasting menu, for those who love their luxuriously marbled beef. Chef Marc Zimmerman worked at Alexander’s for years before opening Gozu in 2019. It’s a dramatic black box of a space, with a horseshoe counter centered on a live-fire grill. The chefs pass steak bites across the counter, breaking down how they use all parts of the animal, and 9 to 11 courses currently start at $195 per person. Alternately, there is a four-course tasting menu for $105 and items available a la carte, as well.

The view of the shimmery Bay Bridge is the top draw here — perfect for impressing a date or clients — and the steaks and seafood are a close second. Sister restaurant next door Waterbar is seafood-focused, and that overflows onto Epic's menu, with lots of surf and turf options.

Another Japanese-focused steakhouse, Alexander's dry ages its Omaha prime beef for 28 days and offers imported and domestic wagyu from nine Japan prefectures. Its small plates go much further than Caesar salad, offering wagyu pate or uni toast. If you really want to go all out, you can do the five-course chef’s tasting for $211 per person, or the very meaty A5 Hitachi tasting for $275.

It’s one thing to order a steak entree for dinner, but it’s a completely different experience when various cuts of meat are paraded past your table and carved at-will, such as is the case at Espetus Churrascaria. There’s picanha, filet mignon, sausages, and yes, chicken hearts, all ready to be cheerfully eaten until you’re stuffed. A word to the wise: Don’t skip the grilled pineapple, it’ll be a nice sweet addition to your meal after all the protein.

The Omakase Restaurant Group’s steakhouse specializing in wagyu beef sets itself apart with its own in-house butcher next door, serving hard-to-find menu items like Mt. Lassen trout cured in koji; a wagyu meatball; and huge, dry-aged imperial tomahawk steaks. The facts that more than 100 wines are available by the bottle or glass and that the menu includes excellent non-beef items, put Niku Steakhouse over the top.

Restaurateur Adriano Paganini (Beretta, Super Duper Burger) puts his spin on the Argentinian steakhouse, offering top-notch food at fair prices, in a very sexy, boisterous room. Consider this restaurant for birthday parties, bachelorettes, and more, as it's the perfect celebratory spot with a modernized steakhouse feel.

It’ll take a little bit of planning to snag a table at Prime Steakhouse, the unexpected and permanent prime rib pop-up that burst onto the scene in late 2021. Owner and chef Edward Dang says he started Prime to serve all the people who can’t get a coveted reservation of House of Prime Rib or don’t want to leave the foggy Sunset streets just to get a great cut of beef. Now he’s serving thick slices of prime rib with sides like creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and corn three nights a week by reservation only.