- Attraction: Bern’s Steak House
- Location: 1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
- Industry: Steakhouse
- Website: https://bernssteakhouse.com/
Few dining establishments transform a simple meal into a theatrical four-hour journey through culinary mastery.
Since 1956, Bern’s Steak House has been creating gastronomic adventures that define dining not as a meal but as an experience.
Built in what was once an ordinary strip mall containing a grocery store, barber shop, and dime store, founders Bern and Gert Laxer transformed this humble space into Tampa’s most legendary restaurant. Today, their son David continues the family legacy, operating what has become one of three locations that annually host “Winefest,” the second largest private fundraiser for charity in the Tampa Bay area.
You’ll discover that Bern’s transcends typical steakhouse expectations with its extraordinary combination of perfectly aged steaks, one of the world’s largest wine collections, and an internationally famous dessert room.
The restaurant has earned recognition from Michelin, James Beard Awards, and Wine Spectator, cementing its status as a true culinary landmark that attracts both locals celebrating special occasions and visitors seeking an unparalleled dining experience.
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Keep Exploring →Prime Steaks & Signature Specialties
The Legendary Steaks: You’ll taste the difference immediately when your USDA Prime steak arrives at your table. Every steak is dry-aged in-house for 5-8 weeks, then cut to order by their butchers and charbroiled over natural hardwood lump charcoal. The Delmonico, Porterhouse, and T-bone cuts showcase this meticulous aging process, delivering tender, flavorful meat with exceptional marbling. Many guests opt for larger steaks meant for sharing – like the impressive 30-ounce Chateaubriand that easily feeds four people with leftovers.
Complete Steak Experience: Your steak entrée transforms into a feast with included accompaniments that rival appetizers at other restaurants. Every steak comes with French onion soup au gratin with garlic & spelt toasts, house salad with choice of housemade dressing, baked potato with sweet butter and sour cream, crispy onion rings, and the vegetable of the evening. The French onion soup alone receives rave reviews for its rich, perfectly melted cheese and robust flavor.
Caviar Collection: Bern’s showcases one of America’s most extensive caviar selections with 21 different varieties ranging from Paddlefish to Royal Osetra. The Sasanian Caviar Tasting and Bemka Ossetra Tasting allow you to sample multiple varieties, perfect for special celebrations or adventurous palates.
Elevated Appetizers: Beyond caviar, you’ll find sophisticated starters like black truffle steak tartare, BBQ short rib potato skins, house-made potato chips, foie gras, and fresh oysters on the half shell. The escargot and lobster bisque consistently earn praise from guests seeking refined flavors before their main course.
Seafood & Other Entrées: While steaks reign supreme, Bern’s offers exceptional seafood options and elevated cuts for those seeking alternatives. You can enhance any steak with Oscar-style preparation (crab, asparagus, béarnaise), roasted shrimp, or half Maine lobster.
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Discover MoreWorld’s Largest Wine Collection
Unprecedented Selection: Bern’s houses over 600,000 bottles and 6,500 labels from around the world, stored both in their on-site 50-degree cellar and temperature-controlled warehouse. The wine list reads like a collector’s dream, featuring everything from depression-era French red wine and pre-war Sauternes to 17th-century Madeira. Some bottles command astronomical prices, including a $49,000 bottle of 1845 Chateau Gruaud-Larose Bordeaux.
Accessible Wine Program: Despite the impressive collection, Bern’s makes wine approachable with 200 varieties available by the glass, making it an excellent place to sample something new. In 2016, the restaurant won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program. Knowledgeable servers provide wine samples before you commit to a bottle, ensuring perfect pairings with your meal.
Wine Cellar Tours: The guided tour through Bern’s underground wine storage reveals treasures like a $30,000 bottle of Chateau Latour from 1947 and a 1957 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estimated at $25,000. The walls are covered with insulation made from newspaper to maintain temperature control, and the entire collection has never been fully catalogued – staffers sometimes find surprises in the stacks.
Harry Waugh Dessert Room Experience
Intimate Private Booths: The upstairs dessert room feels more intimate than the main dining rooms, with each of the 48 private tables enclosed in repurposed wine casks made of California redwoods. Old-fashioned phones allow guests to control the type of music playing at their tables, with Broadway, classical, contemporary, and jazz options. This creates an incredibly romantic and personalized atmosphere perfect for special occasions.
Extraordinary Dessert Selection: You’ll face the delightful challenge of choosing from nearly 50 dessert options ranging from classic bananas Foster and baked Alaska to innovative creations. The macadamia nut ice cream, dulce de leche bread pudding, and pineapple upside-down cake consistently receive rave reviews. Build-your-own sundaes featuring Malted Milk Chocolate Valrhona ice cream with hot fudge create indulgent experiences.
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Keep Exploring →Dessert Wine & Spirits: Dessert wines account for 1,000 labels in Bern’s collection. You can pair your sweets with everything from vintage ports and sherries to creative cocktails like the Steakhouse Irish Coffee or “Just One S’more” featuring Michter’s Bourbon and campfire s’mores tea cordial.
Live Entertainment: The dessert room features live piano music, adding to the sophisticated ambiance. You can request songs through your booth’s phone system, creating a personalized soundtrack for your evening.
Atmosphere & Historic Charm
Old-World Opulence: Diners dress to impress amid the garish vintage opulence, matched by a slickly ceremonious suit-clad service team. The interior features old-school, over-the-top design with dark red and wood interiors, golden accents, and numerous paintings reminiscent of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. This dramatic décor creates an atmosphere unlike any other restaurant in Tampa.
Multiple Dining Rooms: Bern’s expanded over the years to encompass eight dining rooms with 350 seats. Each room maintains the restaurant’s signature dark, romantic ambiance while accommodating different party sizes and preferences.
Kitchen Tours: After your meal, you can tour the bustling kitchen to see staff at work cutting steaks, frying onions, chopping vegetables, crafting soups, and pulling espresso shots – all without bumping into each other or guests. This behind-the-scenes glimpse adds educational value to your dining experience.
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Discover MoreHistoric Significance: The restaurant preserves Tampa’s dining history while continuously evolving. The present-day “Bordeaux Room” sits on the site of the original Beer Haven Bar where Bern and Gert first started their restaurant venture.
Other Considerations
Premium Pricing: Expect to invest $300+ per person for the complete Bern’s experience including dinner, wine, and dessert room. While expensive, most guests feel the quality, quantity, and unique experience justify the cost. Wine bottles range from the high $20s to a whopping $42,000. You can control costs by choosing moderately priced wines and sharing larger steaks.
Reservation Requirements: Book at least one month in advance for weekend prime-time dining, as popular time slots fill quickly. The restaurant takes last reservations at 10 PM weekdays and 11 PM weekends but never rushes guests – they’ll stay open until every customer completes their experience.
Time Commitment: Plan for 3-4 hours if you’re including the dessert room, as a complete Bern’s experience isn’t meant to be rushed. This makes it perfect for special celebrations where you want to savor every moment.
Dress Code: Business casual to semi-formal attire is recommended, though the restaurant won’t turn you away for wearing t-shirts, sneakers, or shorts – you may just be seated in the lounge rather than the formal dining room.
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Keep Exploring →Parking & Location: Valet parking is required at $8 per car, though the Hyde Park location makes rideshare services easily accessible. The restaurant sits in Tampa’s trendy SoHo district with the Epicurean Hotel conveniently located across the street.
Service Excellence: Servers undergo extensive training – only 1.5 out of every 10 make it through their program, and it can take years to become a full-service waiter. They train for one year working at almost every station, then another 8-12 weeks in dining rooms. This investment shows in their exceptional knowledge and impeccable timing.
Bern’s Steak House
📍 1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
