Bern’s Steak House photo
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Business Insider just published its list of the most iconic steakhouses in every state, and when it got to Florida, the pick landed north of Miami.
Tampa’s legendary Bern’s Steak House, a steakhouse institution that has been dry-aging beef and amassing wine since 1956, was named the most iconic in the Sunshine State. The title was based on customer reviews, local history, longevity, and cultural significance.
Although Miami and Broward are filled with gems, South Florida did not make the cut. However, this would sting more if Bern’s weren’t one of the most decorated restaurants in the country.
Seven Decades on South Howard
Bern and Gert Laxer arrived in Tampa in 1951 after a cross-country trip that was supposed to end in California. In 1953, they opened a small luncheonette. By 1956, they had purchased a bar called the Beer Haven on South Howard Avenue and converted it into what would become Bern’s.
The restaurant grew from there, buying up the properties on either side, knocking through walls, and adding rooms until it got to its current size of eight dining rooms and 350 seats. Bern died in 2002, and Gert passed in 2020; now their son David runs the restaurant alongside other spots: Bern’s Fine Wines & Spirits, Haven restaurant, and a partnership with the Epicurean Hotel.
The famous wine cellar holds more than 500,000 bottles from over 6,800 labels, and it has been awarded a Grand Award by Wine Spectator every year since 1981. Fewer than 100 restaurants worldwide receive it annually, and Bern’s is the only one to have gotten it every single year since the award launched. The James Beard Foundation added its Outstanding Wine Program Award in 2016.
Bern’s Steak House photo
The Famous Dessert Room
Dinner ends with a trip upstairs to the Harry Waugh Dessert Room. The room is a separate operation from the dining room below, with its own host, staff, and menu.
The 48 private booths, built from California redwood wine casks, have been there since 1985.
About 45 desserts are on the menu, including 15 house-made ice creams and sorbets, plus the classics Business Insider flagged, like Bananas Foster and Baked Alaska.
Bern’s Steak House photo
Why Not South Florida
Business Insider noted that Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach predates Bern’s by about a decade. However, the publication picked Bern’s anyway. Nothing beats the strength of its longevity, cultural weight, and what the Laxer family has built for nearly 70 years.
Forbes named it one of the world’s best steakhouses in 2023. Plus, it’s on the Florida Michelin Guide, and OpenTable put it on its Top 100 restaurants in America lists for both 2024 and 2025.
South Florida can debate its own steakhouse candidates. The trophy, for now, is in Tampa.
Bern’s Steak House. 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; bernssteakhouse.com.
