Grill 23 & Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Boston's Independent Standard-Bearer

Proudly independent since 1983, Grill 23 & Bar was born from a simple observation: Boston had no classic steakhouse worthy of the name. Ken Himmel, then developing Copley Place with partners from Chicago, set out to change that by opening a space in the old Salada Tea Building with one stated goal — to make it one of the best restaurants in the city. More than four decades later, the restaurant's reputation remains entirely its own, and Boston Magazine has noted that "few steakhouses have fed us for as long or as flawlessly as Grill 23."

Today the restaurant is led by the second generation of the Himmel family. Chris Himmel, a Cornell School of Hotel Administration graduate, oversees Himmel Hospitality Group with a philosophy built on exceptional hospitality and sourcing the finest ingredients. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Ryan Marcoux carries on that legacy. His path to Grill 23 ran through the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, UK, a stint under James Beard Award–winning chef Frank McClelland at Sel de la Terre, and the role of Executive Chef at Boston Chops — experience that shows in a menu that treats American steakhouse cooking with serious craft.

The Menu: Prime Cuts and More

The à la carte steak selection anchors everything — a 100-day aged prime ribeye, a dry-aged tomahawk, Grade A5 Wagyu striploin from Kagoshima Prefecture, and a prime porterhouse among them. Beyond the cuts, the kitchen offers a raw bar with a shellfish sampler, Norwegian king crab, and tuna tartare with lemongrass and finger lime; appetizers like Hudson Valley foie gras on focaccia with red wine demi-glace; and entrées ranging from Atlantic halibut in saffron beurre blanc to Ora King salmon with red curry and butter beans. Pastry Chef Stacey Cassie rounds things out with the restaurant's famous coconut cake alongside crème brûlée and a rotating sundae menu.

A Wine Program in a Class of Its Own

The wine list is what elevates Grill 23 from accomplished American steakhouse to something rarer. Beverage Director Paul Lee — an Advanced Sommelier and Master Sommelier candidate — oversees more than 2,600 selections, supported by Corporate Executive Beverage Director Brahm Callahan, one of only 279 Master Sommeliers in North America. Since 2017, the program has held Wine Spectator's Grand Award, an honor granted to fewer than 100 restaurants worldwide. Guests wanting a more immersive experience can book the Wine Room — a working second-floor cellar surrounded by hundreds of bottles, seating up to 18 at a long wooden table with open windows to the main dining room below.