Peter Luger Las Vegas Review

For steak lovers, a visit to Caesars Palace should include a visit to Peter Luger Las Vegas Steakhouse, one of several luxury restaurants located in the resort.

Ambience, service, and of course the quality of the steak put this culinary experience on an elite level for my wife and I. On the last night of what was a five-day visit earlier this month, I topped off a day wandering and playing slots in the casinos with a full-on dinner at Peter Luger Las Vegas, followed by a Robaina cigar at the Montecristo cigar lounge at Caesars Palace.

Score? 8 out of 10.

Appetizers, led by their renowned bacon strips, 12-ounce rib steak for me, Dover sole for her, California chardonnay, orders of asparagus, broccoli, then cheesecake and a chocolate sundae for desert, so a veritable nutritional orgy – around USD $350 in total, not including tax and tip (more details on the menu here).

What is a Peter Luger Steak?

This refers to the signature porterhouse steak served at the iconic Peter Luger Steak House, that opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1887. I had passed it there several times during my trips to New York, but had never eaten at the restaurant. It’s a legend, referenced in some of my favourite TV series, like Billions. The porterhouse, which is USDA Prime beef, and dry-aged in-house to boost tenderness and flavour, is typically served for two or more people. The steak is presented to you on a sizzling platter with butter, with a charred crust and a pink, juicy interior.

There’s a controversy attached to it, as the Brooklyn restaurant was the subject of a scathing New York Times review in 2019, focusing on the quality of the food, and lost its Michelin Star in 2022.

I don’t pretend to be a food critic, but I am here to tell you I didn’t experience any of that at the Las Vegas restaurant.

For those who go to Las Vegas over a few days with gambling as the big focus, especially high stakes players, you’ll need places to go and re-charge. A massage in one of the Palace Court rooms, the high stakes slot machine or table games areas, or The Poker Room at Caesars Palace, open 24/7, is one thing, when it comes to staying alert. Maybe a workout in the resorts gym, or a sauna, or maybe a swim at one of the seven pools, will give the gambler a real boost.

Eating well is a big part of staying sharp and fully enjoying the experience as well.

“We want people staying in the casinos, gambling, enjoying the amenities,” say Lora Green, one of the managing partners at Casino Marketing Group in Toronto, an exclusive service, where her Toronto-based company puts together white glove, exclusive trips for her network of high-roller gamblers to luxury casinos like Caesars Palace. “Having a good meal, at the right time of the day, helps keep your energy up, so you are more alive and alert, and that makes the gambling experience more rewarding.”

She’s right. I speak from experience. With the casino experience, plus all the amenities, you’ll fly home re-charged. At Peter Luger Las Vegas, you walk in, there’s jazz in the background, a relaxed, breezy vibe. It’s definitely a well-heeled crowd, but certainly not exclusive, or stodgy.

Appetizers Before the Steak

I don’t know about you, but whenever I go to a fine restaurant, and I am ordering a steak, I hesitate to go for the appetizers. I want to be in full starve mode when they bring the meat over. I remember going to a steakhouse in Hamilton, Ont., called Shakespeare’s, which has elite-level toasted garlic bread, loading up on that and almost ruining my meal.

Peter Luger Regular Buns and Onion Buns

They have regular white buns at Peter Luger Las Vegas, which you can dip in olive oil and balsamic, but try the toasting warm onion bun (carmelized onion on the top). That’s when we first tried the famous Peter Luger steak sauce, when we dipped the buns in there.

Peter Luger Bacon

I had several people at the Caesars Sportsbook I was doing some business with telling me that my wife and I absolutely had to try the bacon at Peter Luger. It’s not a fatty bacon, but there’s still enough that makes it flavorful, with a slight crisp when you bite into it. It’s definitely the thickest piece of bacon I have ever had (the order comes with three strips).

The bacon goes back to the origins in original Brooklyn Peter Luger Steakhouse, opened in 1887, with a back story that comes with it. The employees back then would have bacon with their meal, on a bun, with the Peter Luger sauce. Then customers wanted to try it. It was a hit, then made its way to the menu.

That came from one of our waiters. We got another version of the bacon story from another waiter after I asked about the history of the steak sauce and it segued into another version of the bacon story. That aside, I am with my Caesars Sportsbook friends – don’t miss the opportunity to try the bacon if you go to Peter Luger Steakhouse.

Peter Luger Las Vegas Main Course

I had the California Chardonnay and the single steak off the menu, but with a bit of a curveball. Steaks at Peter Luger Steakhouse are USDA Prime Beef, dry-aged on the premises.  Off the menu the single steak was priced at USD $89.95, but I ordered a rib-eye, not on the menu, and priced a little more – USD $99.95. I ordered medium rare, and it arrived within minutes, perfect and sizzling on the plate – nice and crisp on the exterior, succulent pink interior, lined with fat. It just melted in my mouth.

My wife ordered the Dover sole (USD $98.95), which included the cool tradition of having the fish de-boned at tableside. The woman charged with the task was an expert, and did an immaculate job, even with us talking to her, and recording the de-boning process on my phone. The whole skeleton came out. No bones were left in the fish. The fish itself was light, tender and flaky, more on the mild side, my wife said, with a crispy exterior.

We balanced out the meat, fish and protein with an order of asparagus and an order of broccoli – you’ll probably be surprised by the bounty with both. Asparagus was barbecued with olive oil, priced at USD $19.95, with the broccoli priced also at USD $19.95.

Peter Luger Steak Sauce

The original Peter Luger steak sauce, which they also sell in bottles at grocery stores, hits you with a tangy, savory flavour. We dipped everything in it – bread, bacon, steak.

What’s the Peter Luger Steakhouse recipe? Tomatoes, vinegars, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, grated horseradish roots, molasses, water, caramel colour, onion, garlic, eschalots, spices, anchovies, natural flavour (contains soy), and tamarind.

Peter Luger Steakhouse Menu

There aren’t a lot of items on the menu. There’s a simplicity to it. But what they do here, they do really well. I am not looking to be blown away by presentation and variety when I come to a steakhouse. Everything for me gets boiled down to the quality of the meat.

Peter Luger menu prices

Steak for two is USD $169.90, with the rib steak for two at USD $199.90. If you’re out with friends – steak for four is USD $320.80. Peter Luger Las Vegas also offers shellfish towers, with jumbo shrimp, oysters, and Maine lobster, priced at USD $125.95 for 1-2 people.

There’s also two double thick extra large lamb loin chops at USD $69.95, broiled chicken at $47.95, and grilled Atlantic salmon priced at USD $49.95.

Can You Wear a Cap To Peter Luger?

I wear a cap a lot, but whenever I dine at a higher-scale restaurant like this one, the cap comes off. I always remember a scene in Sopranos when Tony gets pissed seeing a guy two tables over at a fancy restaurant, gets up and walks over, tells the guy to take the cap off. The guy says no, but then looks over at Tony, who’s glaring down at him, like a bull. Ballcap comes off.

That said, the rules are a little looser at Peter Luger, it seems. I saw one older gentlemen take a seat wearing a ballcap. Plus a table over, four people were wearing cowboy hats.

Dessert Menu

The cheesecake (USD $17.95, which comes from S&S cheesecake in the Bronx) with schlag whipped cream – another “must-do” we were told, going in. I don’t eat cheesecake, but my wife does, and she loved it enough to package half of what she didn’t eat, bring it back to the room at Caesars Palace and finish it off the next day. One thing she said – the schlag whipped cream hadn’t melted by next day. It was as good as when the waiter dished it at the restaurant.

I surprised by myself by somehow ordering another food item Peter Luger is renowned for – the “Holy Cow” hot fudge sundae (USD $18.95).

Just elite, overall, topped off by exceptional, attentive service.

The only negative – a photographer came up to us after we were seated, wanting to take our picture, a package that cost me around USD $50. We didn’t know where to go with it. We didn’t know if it was part of the restaurant experience they were offering. I am respectful of people looking to make a living, but I was surprised she was allowed to operate in a restaurant at that level.

Then again, the cowboy hat-wearing folks at the table next to us embraced getting their photos taken. So to each their own, I guess.