Drum roll, please.
Southern Arizona Guide Is Proud To Present
10/02/2015 – But first, a brief explanation. Tucson has two basic types of steakhouses. First, we have Cowboy Steakhouses. These are characterized by casual western ambiance and attire and are, relative to the other type, inexpensive. Our typical Cowboy Steakhouse barbecues their USDA Choice beef over a very hot, open, mesquite wood fire. Therefore, all of their meats so cooked have a definite mesquite flavor.
The other type we call Fine Dining Steakhouses. These are some of the most upscale restaurants in Tucson and are more expensive than any of the Cowboy Steakhouses. Here you will be treated to USDA Prime beef … the top 2% of all beef consumed in the United States. These steaks are broiled in an incredibly hot oven. So they lack the mesquite flavor.
While both types specialize in steaks, the experience is so different that we have ranked them separately. The links will take you to our original dining reviews. Read More
Note: In July 2016, we reviewed the new Charro Steak & Del Rey in Downtown Tucson. We now rank it #2 of the Cowboy Steakhouse experiences. Excellent!
Tucson’s Best Cowboy Steakhouses
Tanque Verde Camp Cook
1.Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. You probably didn’t see this one coming, did you? Tanque Verde Guest Ranch is probably the oldest continuously operated business in Tucson. Starting as a cattle ranch in 1868, it began hosting paying guests from the East in 1928. In total, Tanque Verde has 60,000 magnificently beautiful desert & mountain acres adjacent to Saguaro National Park East. While it is one of the top dude ranches in the United States and has wonderful western accommodations, they do open some of their dining to the general public, with reservations.
While TVGR is not strictly a “steakhouse”, on Wednesdays and Saturdays they hold a cowboy cookout experience down at their Cottonwood Grove. BBQ steaks & ribs, homemade cornbread, fresh fruit, salads, desserts and live cowboy music around an open campfire. It doesn’t get much more authentic than this.
Bar opens at 5:30 PM. Dinner from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. $35 per person if you are not a lodging guest. Considering entertainment, scenery, quality, quantity, and price, this is the best steak & ribs value in town. Tanque Verde Guest Ranch also topped our List of the 10 Best Sunday Brunches in Tucson. 
2. Silver Saddle Steakhouse. This restaurant in South Tucson is a local favorite, and understandably so. It earned a 4-Saguaro rating for a combination of quality, quantity, & service, plus a pleasant family-style dining room. We consider Silver Saddle to be one of the best dining values in Tucson. 
Why does Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse have all these chopped-off men’s ties hanging from the walls & rafters?
3 & 4. Pinnacle Peak & El Corral. Here we have a tie (pun intended). And it should come as no surprise. They are owned and operated by the Argo Land & Cattle Company since 1970. Pinnacle Peak has a strong Old West flavor and is located on the East Side in Trail Dust Town. Although their steak dinners are just OK, this is one of the places we suggest locals take out-of-town visitors just for the fun of it. If you want to temp fate, gentlemen, wear a dress tie.
The walls of El Corral are covered with Western movie posters, historic Western photographs and other Western memorabilia. If you go, enjoy the interior walkabout while they are barbecuing your steak. Note: El Corral’s specialty is not steak, but rather prime rib. We were not impressed with their prime rib …kinda chewy and not much flavor. Both El Corral and Pinnacle Peak earned 3.5 Saguaros: slightly better than average steak dinners, but overall an enjoyable Western experience. El Corral has been a Tucson favorite for 50 years. 
5. Cattletown Steakhouse. This is a pleasant cowboy steakhouse in a rundown mixed residential and light manufacturing neighborhood 2 miles from the airport. Their steaks are OK, but their Friday Fish Fry – all-you-can-eat Fish & Chips – is excellent and a huge value. Cattletown earned a 3.5 Saguaro rating. If we had only considered its steaks, they would have earned only 3-Saguaros. However, the Friday Fish Fry brought it up a notch.
Cattletown Steakhouse and Saloon
Unlike Daisy Mae’s, Cattletown was clean and well-maintained when we dined there. The service was very good, but at 6 PM on a Friday night, they were not at all busy. 6 & 7. Daisy Mae’s & Lil’ Abner’s . Another tie. Lil’ Abners was a stage stop, and should really be added to the list of Historic places. You will get a good meal here. Daisy Mae’s has the first dollar bill it ever made pinned to the wall, along with hundreds of others.
As for Daisy Mae’s, we’ve had a couple of good steak dinners here, and some “not so much”. Given its inconsistency; a somewhat run-down and not terribly clean condition, we don’t recommend Daisy Mae’s to our friends & family.
Tucson’s Best Fine Dining Steakhouses
Patio at Bob’s Steak & Chop House. Of those we reviewed, only Bob’s & Tanque Verde Guest Ranch have an expansive view.
1. Bob’s Steak & Chop House. Bob’s is excellent! With Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, these are the only two 5-Saguaro-rated steakhouses in the bunch. In fact, Bob’s is one of only twelve 5-Saguaro-rated restaurants in all of Southern Arizona. Excellent steaks, extra-fine service, pleasantly subdued interior, and a great golf course view. Fine cigars from $10 to $27.Good wine list. 2. Fleming’s Steakhouse. Fleming’s is also excellent! We rank it #2 only because (a) it is much more expensive than Bob’s; and (b) Fleming’s has no view. And, if it’s possible, we actually thought Bob’s steaks were tastier. One of the items that makes Fleming’s so expensive is the side dishes are extra. For example, a baked potato is $10 on top of a very expensive steak. Personally, I consider this gouging. But Fleming’s also has specials that make it possible to enjoy their dinners without taking out a second mortgage on your house. 
3. Sullivan’s Steakhouse. This is a very good steakhouse, but it did not quite measure up to Bob’s. Both Fleming’s and Sullivan’s offer a very similar upscale dining experience. We’d would not like to have to live on the difference.
4. PY Steakhouse. This steakhouse is located in Casino del Sol about 12 miles west of Downtown Tucson. If you are out for a concert at their AVA Theater and/or an evening of gambling, PY is a fine choice for dinner. Do read our review. PY can be pricey, but they often have discounts via Social Living, etc.
For a reservation at any of Tucson’s better restaurants, we usually use Open Table.
These “Best” lists may also be of interest:
