These 11 Seafood Chains Serve The Best Steaks

Seafood establishments might house some of the tastiest proteins the ocean has to offer, but there are times — even when sitting in a restaurant specializing in fish — that the craving for cow's meat comes knocking. And when that happens, you might tear your eyes away from the section of the menu reading crab, salmon, or lobster and begin perusing the segment that lists the steak options, instead. But then, you stop your red meat consideration as an oft-repeated phrase used by fellow foodies reverberates in your mind: "Never order steak at a fish house!" Discouraged — yet figuring the saying presents a valid point considering beef is the restaurant's sub-specialty — you stifle your craving and turn back to the fish section, convincing yourself it wouldn't have been enjoyable anyway. You can scratch the itch for a ribeye at a place concentrating on red meat (such as an established steakhouse) some other time. 

And while there may indeed be some seafood eateries lacking the ability to produce a quality steak, this truth does not ring true for every chain. When it comes to the following fish restaurants, consumers brave enough to dip their forks into the red meats have reported particularly appetizing, mouth-watering cuts that can hold their own against any steakhouse slab. From prime ribs to tomahawks to skirts prepared in the churrasco style, here are 11 seafood chains that serve up some of the best steaks.

In 1998 Orlando gained a new exciting eatery courtesy of owner, Darden Restaurants, Inc. It was called Bahama Breeze, and it promised authentic Caribbean taste and cocktails to whisk you away to an island paradise as you nibbled and sipped. Fast forward to 2024, and Bahama Breeze has expanded far beyond that single fun-loving location in Florida. While you can snag some delicious jerk shrimp, glazed salmon, or seafood paella in whichever of its 44 locations you find yourself dining, you can also expect to find churrasco-style steak. And according to consumers who've tasted it, this latter dish is incredible.

In a Reddit post titled, "Best Churrasco Steak in Orlando?," some of the responding users were caught in a battle between the local Bahama Breeze location, and another Florida-based restaurant, Agave Azul. "I've had this multiple times at both locations," said one of the responders confidently. "Bahama Breeze beats Agave Azul in the skirt steak Churrasco battle hands down." This attitude regarding the quality of the chain's spiced and fired steak, which is often served alongside flavorful piles of rice, beans, chimichurri, or fried plantains, is shared by consumers across platforms — so you may want to consider adding this beef pick to your own personal "to-try" list.

McCormick and Schmick's started back in 1974, and unlike most restaurant chains which tend to specialize in either seafood or steak, the chain originating in Portland, Oregon has kept both land and sea proteins at the heart of its identity from the very beginning. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that customers rave about its red meat dishes across online platforms.

"I had the ribeye," begins a recent review on Tripadvisor. Though the user pointed out a slight critique over the meat being prepared with what they felt was a different cook than originally asked for, the finished product was so delicious, it more than made up for the minor discrepancy. They described it as "cooked to perfection ... melt in the mouth with such glorious flavor." This praise is echoed by additional consumers across sites such as Yelp and Facebook, sufficiently convincing us that a steak at McCormick and Schmick's is more than a safe bet the next time you're stopping in for a bite to eat. 

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, a family-owned franchise that has been serving up gumbo, snapper, catfish, and crab since 1976, also offers filet mignon and aged ribeye options for its red meat-craving consumers. But if you were skeptical of this seafood chain's ability to whip up a decent steak, never fear. Pappadeaux's beef is, according to consumers who've sampled it, completely unforgettable — in a good way.

"The best rib-eye steak that I have ever had!" reads a shining review on Tripadvisor in which the poster goes on to describe a flavorful slab seared to magnificence. Further evidence of the superiority of the chain's beef exists in a 2023 post on the company's official Facebook page, in which online users flooded the comment section of a photograph of a mouth-watering cooked steak sitting beside a baked potato on a plate. "Years ago, my mom ordered the ribeye at the Pappadeaux's in Albuquerque," admitted one of these commenters on the post, "and said it was the best ribeye she'd ever eaten!" Pretty incredible praise, we'd say — praise sufficient to encourage us to expand our culinary horizons beyond the fishy dishes the next time we're debating what to order from Pappadeaux, for sure. 

You might be wondering what happened to Cousins Maine from "Shark Tank." This varied company — that got its big break on the hit reality TV show — has a slew of food trucks and restaurants under its belt, along with an online seafood-to-order catalog. While its sit-down locations and kitchens-on-wheels serve up ocean-forward delicacies like lobster tacos, lobster grilled cheeses, crab rolls, or clam chowders, they do not serve steak. However, Cousins Maine does offer up some incredible beef cuts via its online to-order food catalog for those who prefer to cook and dine at home.

Alongside the option for wild-caught, delivered-to-your-doorstep live lobsters or sample packs of fresh scallops, there are also 8-ounce beef tenderloins available for delivery via the Cousins Maine website. The steaks are available as both a solo two-pack of filets or roped in alongside lobsters with the company's surf-and-turf family meal bundle — but whichever selection you opt for, the beef is a total slam dunk according to on-site reviewers. And it's not hard to believe when one considers the company's assurance regarding the meat's origins: the cattle from which the steaks are drawn are locally sourced in Maine, exclusively grass-fed, and free of any hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. Happy cows certainly make for good quality steaks — it's just science.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood is a fine-dining restaurant chain present in 14 states with 31 locations in total. Its menu is impressive, offering distinctive from-the-sea bites like The Shellfish Tower, Tableside Steak Tartare, Chilean Sea Bass, or South African Lobster. With an entire section of its menu also dedicated to steak dishes — such as the 22-ounce Prime Bone-In Ribeye or the 18-ounce New York Strip with Chili Rub — the consumer certainly won't be disappointed in the way of choices when they find themselves craving red meat at Eddie V's.

According to consumers, they won't be disheartened in the way of taste, either; the seafood chain's filet mignon and tomahawk steak dishes in particular are repeatedly praised by patrons across the board. From being referred to as "outstanding" on Yelp to earning a product-specific review titled, "The Tomahawk Steak was Crazy" on Tripadvisor, ordering steak at Eddie V's Prime Seafood appears to be not only a safe bet but an advantageous one. Seeing as the chain's red meat has the potential to make your taste buds sing, what is there to stand in your way when it comes to trying one? 

To determine which seafood chains serve up a decent steak dish, the writer's own tasting experience, as well as consumer reviews via Tripadvisor, Reddit, Yelp, YouTube, and Facebook, were taken into account. All of these elements helped contribute to what we believe to be a well-rounded and accurate list of fish houses in the United States with some of the best steaks. However, food is subjective, and it is important to note that individual taste preferences and experiences may vary.