The restaurant doubles up as an art gallery

05:00, 22 Aug 2025Updated 07:07, 22 Aug 2025

The sirloin steak at Steak of the Art(Image: Bristol Live)

Welcome to the best steakhouse in the city – that’s the bold statement on the website homepage of Steak of The Art. I’m sure a few of Bristol’s other steakhouses might have something to say about that claim but after 12 years, this Harbourside restaurant certainly has a loyal following.

Steve Bowen opened Steak of the Art in October 2013 and although a second site in Cardiff closed earlier this year, the Bristol original is still pulling in the punters.

Lavishly furnished (our booth table was flanked by ornate wooden carvings not unlike the walls of a hobbit house), the restaurant on Cathedral Walk also doubles up as an art gallery, with local artwork for sale to diners. It all makes for a pretty unique setting for a meal and staff are smiley and knowledgeable about the menu.

And it’s not entirely about the steaks, although they do form the main bulk of the menu. Under the ‘not in the mood for steak?’ heading, alternative main courses include a burger (£17.95), pan-roasted truffle chicken (£23), black garlic short rib ragu and pasta (£19.95), and a vegan beetroot Welllington (£17.95).

The quirky interior at Steak of the Art(Image: Bristol Live)

But, of course, steak is the main reason people still make a beeline here and they range from the 200g flat iron steak (£18.50) to the whopping 500g T-bone (a fillet and a sirloin) for £47.95.

And for those happy to share – or simply people with Desperate Dan-size appetites, perhaps – there are the larger cuts including a chateaubriand (500g for £70 or 1kg for £125), cote du boeuf (£75 for 750g) and a 1kg tomahawk steak for £90.

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We started with some burnt ends (£9.25) – bitesize crunchy and chewy pieces of roasted beef bits with crispy leeks, silky avocado mayo and sriracha aioli – and a cool and creamy burrata (£10.95) with spicy nduja, warm tomato and caper fondue, candied jalapeños, basil oil and toasted bread for dipping and mopping.

The burrata starter at Steak of the Art(Image: Bristol Live)

Both our steaks – the 250g sirloin (£31.95) and the 200g fillet (£34.95) – were cooked precisely, medium rare as requested, the criss-cross grilled crusts revealing pink, juicy and seriously tender meat that required minimal work from knife or teeth.

Of the two sauces (£3.20 each), the tarragon-flecked béarnaise was our favourite – the chimichurri had a great herby flavour but it was just a little too oily.

The chips (extra at £5.95 per portion but we shared one and it was plenty) were crisp, golden and properly seasoned, and the smoked garlic spinach (£5.95) was, thankfully, restrained in its smokiness and pleasingly garlicky.

To finish, muscovado Basque cheesecake (£8.95) with Chantilly cream, espresso gel and chocolate ‘soil’ was rich, indulgent and so generous that we struggled to finish it between the two of us.

It’s also worth noting that Steak of the Art offers a couple of tempting deals during the week, which certainly keep final bills down.

The first is the lunchtime (Monday to Friday 12-5pm) offer of a 4oz steak and chips with a drink for £12.95. The other is the 8oz sirloin, chips, sauce and drink for £19.95 available in the evening, Monday to Thursday (6pm until close).

With its striking and quirky decor and worth-a-detour steaks, Steak of the Art is still a cut above many steakhouses after 12 years and although it may have slipped off the radar for some, it was good to be back.

Steak of the Art, Unit 1, Balmoral House, Cathedral Walk, Canons Way, Bristol BS1 5LW. Tel: 0117 9297967.