Al Biernat's Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Story That Starts on the Slopes

Al Biernat's origin is anything but conventional. At eighteen, Al left his native Detroit and headed west to Aspen, Colorado, supporting his passion for skiing by working the oyster bar at the famed nightclub Paragon. That early post led him to New York, then to the Hollywood Palm restaurant, where he worked his way from busboy to manager. The Palm's expansion brought him to Houston — where he met his future wife Jeannie — and then to Dallas, where he ran The Palm through its power-lunch heyday of the 1980s and into the 1990s.

In 1998, a restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue became available. Al and Jeannie took the lease, claiming a spot perched on the edge of Highland Park and Uptown Dallas. The first years were, by their own account, dire. Hard work and perseverance carried the day, and decades later Al Biernat's stands as the premier steakhouse in Dallas, drawing guests from around the world.

The Food: Steak and Seafood Without Compromise

The kitchen's commitment to sourcing is specific and unambiguous. Steaks come from premier providers both nationally and locally — a Gearhart Ranch Texas Wagyu New York Strip, an Allen Brothers of Chicago tomahawk ribeye — each singular in quality, taste, and preparation. The seafood program is equally serious: premium Osetra caviar, live Maine lobsters, Chilean sea bass, Australian cold-water lobster tails, diver scallops, oysters, and tiger prawns, all flown in from around the world. For a steakhouse and seafood destination of this caliber, the range is rare.

Wine, Atmosphere, and the People Behind It

The dining room carries what the restaurant describes as old-world elegance — warm greetings from the moment guests arrive, service delivered with genuine care rather than performance. That warmth, Al insists, can only come from the heart, and it is reflected in a team of hospitality professionals he has assembled around a shared vision.

The wine program earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence in 2023, a recognition that reflects the depth and curation behind the list. At Oak Lawn, sommelier Miguel Arias personally selects each bottle; at the North Dallas location, Brian Hardin does the same. Both lists span a broad range of vineyards, varietals, and vintages from new and old-world producers, with hard-to-find selections throughout. Wine dinner events are hosted regularly, adding another dimension to what is already a complete dining experience.

More Than a Steakhouse

Al Biernat's own words put it plainly: the restaurant is "more than a great steakhouse." Whether the occasion is a business lunch, a celebration, or simply a well-earned dinner, the Oak Lawn location — now well into its second quarter-century — continues to deliver on a promise built one guest at a time.