We were recently invited to visit a gem of a restaurant with some serious history behind it, The Top Steak House in Columbus! While all of our food and drinks were covered for the evening, all opinions and thoughts are purely are own.
I’ve lived in Columbus for pretty much my whole life and have always heard about The Top Steak House but never got the chance to visit. It looked yummy enough and we aren’t scared of the prices but we just never made our way over to Bexley.
I’m regretting that in my almost 28 years of life, I’ve never been here. Not only is the food AMAZING, the entire setting is from another era and makes you feel all those throwback good feelings. If you read any part of this blog post, the major takeaway is go to The Top Steak House immediately, if not sooner.
A little bit of history straight from their website – “The Top Steak House, a 1950s supper club-style fine dining restaurant, opened its doors in April of 1955. The Top was originally owned and operated by Lee Henry and Bill Sapp, well-known Columbus restaurateurs who also owned the legendary Polynesian palace The Kahiki as well as beloved hot spot The Wine Cellar.”
I should have known I would love it when it has history with The Kahiki.
It’s now owned and run by a lovely married couple with a few of their kids thrown in too as various employees. We had the chance to chat with one of the owners, Regina Adkins, and you can see her passion and commitment for great food and great service within 30 seconds of talking with her. Their care for making quality food with fresh ingredients and making just about everything from scratch is something to admire these days.
I’m still blown away by the amazing food we sampled throughout the evening. We go to a decent amount of restaurants and there is usually something I don’t love but I’m totally serious when I say I would come back and order everything we tried this night.
First up were some signature appetizers at The Top Steak House. We enjoyed classics like the jumbo shrimp platter ($39.95) and sampled (devoured) the caviar and curry deviled eggs ($14.95).
My favorite was a tie between the deviled eggs and the lobster salad. I couldn’t stop eating them! Luckily, my fellow blogger friends are good sharers. Since I don’t eat pork, I didn’t try the ribs but I was tempted! I heard only amazing things from my dining partners.
We took a little bit of a lull to sample some cocktails too! Their bar is awesome. Since the restaurant used to be a drive-in movie theatre (!!!), the layout isn’t too typical but works perfectly for this atmosphere. The bar has the original copper countertop and large rotating stools that take you back to another era!
Especially when your well dressed bartender serves you up a Manhattan or French 65, your cool factor will go up about 5 points. That’s a lot for this suburban mom.
The Top Steak House also has live music every night! Our hosts told us that there is one lady who plays here every week that’s been playing for decades, DECADES. The bar opens at 4pm, an hour before dinner service so you can get a cocktail before your steak.
Okay so technically this is a steakhouse in Columbus so we should probably talk about the steak here! I can say with 100% certainty this is the best steak I have ever eaten. I’m literally drooling while writing this recap.
They have a great “from our Char Broiler” menu with options like a New York Strip Center Cut ($39.95), Veal Chop ($42.95), a Porterhouse ($47.95), and a Pork Chop ($25.95). My favorite part of their menu is this – “The Top is not responsible for well done steaks.” Please don’t ever order a well done steak, it’s insulting to the cow.
Then, you can “enhance your entree” with “Roasted Garlic Butter ($3.95) Hollandaise ($3.95) Sauteed Onions ($3.95) Red Wine Demi-Glace ($3.95) Oscar Style ($11.95) Sauteed Mushrooms ($4.95) Bearnaise ($3.95), or Bleu Cheese ($4.95).”
I love a good onion ring ($9.95) and these were no exception. They were fried to perfection and sprinkle with some sea salt that gave them an extra layer of flavor. We also sampled The Top Mac and Cheese ($9.95) and the Au Gratin Potatoes ($9.95) and both were spectacular.
The Top Steak House also has some side options like a Twice Baked Potato ($8.95) and Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise ($8.95) which both sound like things I need to try immediately.
Another dish that I couldn’t stop eating, the Escargot ($15.95)! They are like little garlic bombs of flavor with cheese and butter, seriously divine. Pro tip – if the baguette is a little too crunchy, let it sit in the garlic butter and it gets nice and delicious and softer.
Next time I’m definitely trying the French Onion Soup ($8.95) and Crab Cakes ($18.95) of The Top Steak House menu.
Last but certainly not least, dessert! There isn’t a dessert menu on their website so I apologize for not knowing all the details and prices for these. But, they were delicious and that’s all you need to know.
I love creme brûlée so it was a given that this one would be my favorite. The sugar layer on top was the perfect crunch to the creamy custard inside. This cheesecake is straight from a deli in New York City that I don’t recall but everyone at the table seemed to know and raved about! Our last dessert was a filo dough filled with fresh pastry cream and covered in a berry compote of sorts.
It was phenomenal, they all were! While the menu can obviously amazing, make sure you also save room for dessert. The Top Steak House is definitely a spot you want to get an option for each course!
In this world of flashy and “trendy” restaurants every other week – it’s incredibly refreshing to visit a place like The Top Steak House that has a knack for quality while holding on to their history. Whatever occasion you have next in your family, I can’t recommend this restaurant enough. Heck, just come here for the deviled eggs, a Manhattan and some live music – you won’t be disappointed.
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts on This Recipe!