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The Forkstrike 19, Steakhouses: LA County's Oldest Dining Rooms Are Still Winning

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Forkstrike's steakhouse reading for Los Angeles County is in, and this week it runs as a 19, not a 25. These are the best steakhouses in LA County by Strike Score, a number built entirely from what diners have written in their reviews over the last six months.


BOA Steakhouse in Santa Monica leads at 98, scored as of November 2. H&H Brazilian Steakhouse on 7th Street in Downtown Los Angeles follows at 95.


Then the list does something none of the earlier cuts in this series did. It turns into a history lesson. Six of the 19 rooms trace their roots to before 1960, and the oldest opened in 1922.


These Rankings Come From Reviews, Not From Our Table


Nobody from Food Journal Magazine and nobody from Forkstrike ate at these steakhouses to build this list. The Strike Score is calculated from publicly available review data over a rolling 180-day window, weighted so recent opinion counts for more than old opinion.


That makes it a reading of how diners feel about a room right now. It is not a critic's verdict, and it is not FJM's. A steakhouse that nobody has reviewed lately will not show up, however good the dry aging is.


How 94 Steakhouses Became 19


Forkstrike shared the full funnel for the steakhouse category, which here means a primary listing of steak house or Brazilian steakhouse:


  • 19,078 scored places in Los Angeles County

  • 94 of them steakhouses

  • 55 with 40 or more reviews read inside the window

  • 33 in the $$$ or $$$$ band, or at 300 or more reviews read, the rule that lets a packed room in

  • 21 after the no-chain rule

  • 19 after one seat per brand, and all 19 shown


The lens is strict for this category, and only 19 rooms cleared it, so that is the list. Black Angus, Fleming's, Outback, Ruth's Chris and STK are out as multi-location brands, and Forkstrike was clear that this is not a judgment on quality.


LA's Oldest Steakhouses Are Still Winning


A score with a 180-day memory has no room for nostalgia. A restaurant cannot coast on what it meant to someone's grandparents. Which makes it striking how many of these 19 have been feeding Los Angeles for generations.


Tam O'Shanter on Los Feliz Boulevard in Atwater Village scores 87. Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp opened it in 1922, and the Lawry's company history calls it the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles still owned and operated by the same family in the same location. The same two brothers-in-law opened Lawry's The Prime Rib on La Cienega in 1938. It scores 90. One family partnership holds two seats on a list built on the last six months.


Damon's Steak House on North Brand Boulevard in Glendale also scores 90. It was founded in 1937 on Central Avenue, as the Glendale News-Press recounted, and has served steaks under its tiki murals on Brand since 1980.


The Clearman family holds two seats as well. John Clearman opened Clearman's Steak 'N Stein on Whittier Boulevard in Pico Rivera in 1946, then the first North Woods Inn in Monrovia in 1958, which moved to its current San Gabriel home in 1966, according to Mountain Views News. Clearman's North Woods Inn scores 88 and carries a Smoldering trend. Both Clearman's rooms are also this week's two biggest climbers.


And Chez Jay on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, a designated Santa Monica Historic Landmark, has been serving steaks and seafood since 1959. It scores 87, and it climbed a point this week.


Beyond The Old Guard


BOA's 98 is the high-water mark for the category, and H&H gives the Brazilian churrascaria format the second seat. Brand Boulevard in Glendale places two rooms a few blocks apart: Damon's, and Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina at 82.


The list also reaches well past the Westside. Broken Bit Steakhouse in Lancaster ties at 90 with Lawry's and Damon's, the Antelope Valley holding its own with Beverly Hills. Gaucho Grill Pasadena on South Lake Avenue joins that 90 tier carrying a Striking trend, and Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse in San Dimas lands at 87.


The Forkstrike 19, Steakhouses, Los Angeles County


Scored on the last six months of reviews as of November 2, compared with the October 27 reading. Each name links to its Forkstrike profile. Where no trend word appears, the place does not yet have enough recent movement for a verdict and the score stands on its own. Where no price band appears, Google lists none for the place.


  1. BOA Steakhouse, 101 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica. 98, Steady.

  2. H&H Brazilian Steakhouse, 518 W 7th St, Downtown Los Angeles. 95, Steady.

  3. Lawry's The Prime Rib, 100 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills. 90, Steady, $$$$.

  4. Gaucho Grill Pasadena, 455 S Lake Ave, Pasadena. 90, Striking, $$$.

  5. Damon's Steak House, 317 N Brand Blvd, Glendale. 90, $$$.

  6. Broken Bit Steakhouse, 41955 50th St W, Lancaster. 90, $$$$.

  7. Steak 48, 9680 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills. 89, Steady, $$$$.

  8. Clearman's North Woods Inn, 7247 Rosemead Blvd, San Gabriel. 88, Smoldering, $$$.

  9. Nick + Stef's Steakhouse, 330 S Hope St, Downtown Los Angeles. 88, Steady, $$$$.

  10. Tam O'Shanter, 2980 Los Feliz Blvd, Atwater Village. 87, Steady, $$$.

  11. Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse, 269 Foothill Blvd, San Dimas. 87, Steady, $$$.

  12. Chez Jay, 1657 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica. 87, Steady, $$$.

  13. Meat On Ocean, 1501 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica. 86, $$$$.

  14. Castaway, 1250 E Harvard Rd, Burbank. 85, Steady, $$$$.

  15. 555 East American Steakhouse, 555 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach. 85, Fading, $$$$.

  16. The San Franciscan, 2520 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance. 85, Steady, $$$.

  17. Clearman's Steak 'N Stein, 9545 Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera. 83, Steady, $$$.

  18. Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, 237 S Brand Blvd, Glendale. 82, Steady, $$$$.

  19. La Boucherie, 900 Wilshire Blvd, Downtown Los Angeles. 76, $$$$.


The Week's Climbers


Across the whole steakhouse set, not only the 19:



What Is Next


The Michelin cut follows in the November 13 issue. If you missed the earlier installments, start with the Forkstrike 25 Hottest, then the sushi cut led by Redondo Beach and the seafood cut led by Downey.


About The Data


This week's steakhouse cut was provided to Food Journal Magazine by Forkstrike, which scores restaurants using publicly available review data over a rolling 180-day window, weighted for recency. This edition covers Los Angeles County, scored as of November 2, 2026 and compared with the October 27 reading.


Qualifying rooms carry 40 or more reviews read in the window and sit in the $$$ or $$$$ price band, or clear 300 reviews read. One location per brand, and no multi-location chains. Addresses and the confirmation that each restaurant is currently open were checked against Google Business Profile on November 4, 2026.


Food Journal Magazine has a working arrangement with Forkstrike. We did not visit these restaurants for this article, and the scores and rankings are Forkstrike's rather than ours. Every score is public at forkstrike.com.

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