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Lobel's

*Est. $53/lb. for strip steak
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Lobel's Of New York

Best steak overall, but expensive

Pros
  • Best steak in its price class
  • Dry-aged for several weeks, never frozen
  • Rich and complex in flavor
  • Tender and juicy
Cons
  • Price
  • Expensive shipping
 
 
Where to Buy
 
 
 
 

Reviews we read concur: Lobel's sells the best steaks available by mail order. Numerous reviewers say these steaks are nearly perfect in looks and flavor. We read enthusiastic reviews of the strip steak, tenderloin and porterhouse varieties. Reviewers say Lobel's does everything right: beef is hanged for four to six weeks, which concentrates its flavor. Steaks are never frozen and ship fresh. Reviewers indicate online ordering is hassle-free, and steaks arrive on time.

We found taste tests of Lobel's steaks in Cook's Illustrated, Consumer Reports, The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, CNNMoney.com and SeriousEats.com. We appreciate The Wall Street Journal's attention to the ordering experience. Cook's Illustrated is the only publication that has tested tenderloin, porterhouse, filet mignon and Kobe-style beef. We wish that Kiplinger's had named the steaks that didn't measure up.

Our Sources

1. Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Editors test nine tenderloins in this review. Lobel's is among the mail-order meats that they consider.

Review: Rating Beef Tenderloin, Editors of Cook's Illustrated

2. Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Editors taste-test six dry-aged, prime porterhouse steaks. Lobel's Dry-Aged American Wagyu Porterhouse Steak and Lobel's Natural Prime Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steak are among those considered.

Review: Mail-Order Porterhouse Steaks, Editors of Cook's Illustrated, May 2008

3. The Wall Street Journal

Charles Passy orders fresh porterhouse steaks from seven companies. Lobel's "juicy," "tender" steak is declared best overall. A steak from Stock Yards earns the best-value rating.

Review: Where's the Beef? Not in the Freezer, Charles Passy, May 20, 2005

4. ConsumerReports.org

Consumer Reports has a team of tasters sample eight filet mignon steaks. Steaks are listed in order of preference; interestingly, only one is recommended highly.

Review: Prime Steak, Editors of Consumer Reports, July 2006

5. Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Reviewers test eight strip steaks in order to answer the question, "Can you buy a better steak through the mail?" Two Lobel's products, the Boneless Strip Steak and the Wagyu (Kobe-Style) Boneless Strip Steak, are considered.

Review: Mail-Order Steaks, Editors of Cook's Illustrated, Mar. 2003

6. The Wall Street Journal

For this article, Passy ordered New York strip steaks from five companies. Lobel's was "the steak of our dreams" that "could have been cut with a butter knife."

Review: Finding Steaks That Make the Cut, Charles Passy, May 5, 2000

7. Kiplinger.com

Editors pitted Lobel's of New York against Niman Ranch of California in a head-to-head taste test. Lobel's "rich, nutty and complex" flavor wins the day.

Review: The Best in Shopping and Travel, Editors of Kiplinger's, Nov. 2006

8. CNNMoney.com

The top finisher in this review with a single tester is Lobel's never-frozen beef, and its Kobe beef is "meltingly tender, with a distinctive meat tang."

Review: Steak, First Class, Paul Lukas, Nov. 1, 2004

9. SeriousEats.com

Veteran food writer Ed Levine recommends Lobel's and Peter Luger beef. Lobel's Wagyu is "absurdly expensive but worth every penny."

Review: Serious New Year's Food Sources, Ed Levine, Dec. 27, 2006

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