Steak night at the pub

For $18 on Monday nights, you can fork into a 10-ounce ribeye with fingerling potatoes or a 6-ounce filet with two bacon-wrapped shrimp and mashed potatoes at Hearsay's "Steakout." (Photo: Alec Lasar)

It’s no bull. Beef is what’s for dinner at many bars and taverns, where you can get a decent steak for less than $20 – compared to $30-40 at formal steakhouses. For these drinking establishments, steak nights rope in the crowds, especially on slow-poke nights.

The most popular steak night is Thursday, when the aroma of sizzling beef whets the appetite, extending happy hour into a down-home carnivores’ feast, says Cottonwood chef Daniel Ajtail. 

Beef reigns in Texas, the nation’s largest cattle producer, and in honor of the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, we’ve rounded up a schedule of tasty cuts at bars and pubs.

Monday

• Hearsay Gastro Lounge (218 Travis) $18 for a 10-ounce ribeye or a 6-ounce filet with two bacon-wrapped shrimp; includes potatoes, veggies and a salad. 4 p.m.-midnight.
• Under the Volcano (2349 Bissonnet) $17 for a 16-ounce ribeye or New York strip with chimichurri sauce, salad and mashed potatoes. 6-10 p.m.

Tuesday 

• The Derrick Tavern (1127 Eldridge Parkway) $16.99 for a 16- to 18-ounce ribeye with baked potato and endless salads. 6-10 p.m.
• MKT Bar at Phoenicia Specialty Foods (1001 Austin) $12.99 for chef’s choice steak cuts with chimichurri sauce, salad and twice-baked potato or za’atar-seasoned fries. 2-10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 
• Front Porch Pub (217 Gray Street) $15 for 16-ounce ribeye and baked potato. 6-10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Wednesday Night

• Oporto (3833 Richmond) $19 for a 7- to 9-ounce hanger steak with a side and a glass of Portuguese wine. 5:30-11 p.m.

Thursday Night

• Cottonwood (3422 N. Shepherd) $18 for a 10- to 14-ounce steak (chef’s choice of ribeye or New York strip), Mexican rice, shrimp-and-cheese enchiladas and salad. 4 p.m.-midnight.
• Hunter’s Pub (10549 S. Post Oak Road) $13 dine-in and $13.50 to go for a 13 -16-ounce New York strip or two pork chops with baked potato and salad. 6-9 p.m.
• Little Woodrow’s (720 Shepherd Drive) $16 for a 16-ounce ribeye, baked potato and salad. 6 p.m. until supply lasts.
• Little Woodrow’s (4235 Bellaire Blvd.) $15-18, depending on size of cuts from a freelance chef and her outdoor grill; includes a baked potato or salad. 6-9:30 p.m.
• Red Lion British Pub (2316 S. Shepherd) $24 for an 8-ounce filet mignon with two sides, such as sautéed spinach, brussels sprouts, baked beans and mashed potatoes. 3 p.m.-kitchen closes. 
• PJ’s Sports Bar (614 W. Gray) $31 for two 16-ounce cuts of chef’s choice of ribeye, T-bone or New York strip. Serve with two baked potatoes and two salads, plus a pitcher of beer. 6-10 p.m.

Saturday

• Hideaway On Dunvale (3122 Dunvale Road) $12 for a 16-ounce ribeye, baked potato and salad. All day long Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and longtime restaurant writer. Her visits to restaurants in our Buzz Dining Guide were anonymous, and she paid for her meals to maintain objectivity. We’d love your thoughts too. Write to [email protected] with your own dining opinions and suggestions. Also, you can contribute in the Comments section under the online version of this story at thebuzzmagazines.com.