Okeechobee Steakhouse

For a restaurant to sustain for over seventy-five years you know they are on to something.  In the case of Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach, it simply is doing things right.  Does this sound like a puff piece in the local paper? Trite? But my take has been shared by countless carnivores over the decades.  There are several fancier places to get a ribeye in town, but this one does its old school thing without concern for trends.

And you will see a diverse mix of diners any given night.  I love that.  The haves, have-nots, and those in between (there are still of few of 'em out there).  Many different cultures and ethnicities.  Folks who had to save up for the meal and others for whom this night out would barely register on their AMEX Blacks. Yes, the menu is pricy. Other high end steakhouses around the county tend to mainly have a homogeneity of white bread WASP clientele, some from Palm Beach ("The Island"), others from the Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter area.  Also, the Boca Raton crowd but I'll take the fifth on that one.

What can I say? I've had the bone-in filet mignon, the Delmonico, the Kansas City strip.  I've shared the twenty-four ounce porterhouse with friends and family.  The wait staff do a real show with replicas of each prime cut on a tray.  I've never been disappointed with the food or service.  The sides are very good, too.  I always get mushrooms with my steak. 

There is an impressively comprehensive spirits menu.

Happy Hour is fine when you just want a bite.  Sliders run about $6.50.  Beers are $5.00.  Martinis, $9.50.

If you sign up for their V.I.P. rewards program, you'll get a free eight ounce sirloin on your birthday.  With the purchase of another entree at similar or greater value of course.  That has been popular.  My wife has taken advantage a few times.

Okeechobee Steakhouse, which was originally called Okeechobee Drive-In and sits in the original location, had a seafood offshoot (Okeechobee Prime Seafood) just behind the main restaurant that only lasted a few years, and it was quite good.  I miss that, though you can get many of its offerings these days at OSH.  More successful is the still running Okeechobee Prime Meat Market across the street.  Some good BBQ to be found there.

The main establishment has been in the Lewis family since 1947, when they had an open pit over lump wood charcoal and the site was considered to be located in the boondocks (you can say the area has grown a bit).  Third generation owner Ralph Lewis currently runs the main restaurant and OPMM.  I raise a Glenfiddich to many more years of fine dining. 

Okeechobee Steakhouse 

2854 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, FL  33409