Steakhouses›Steakhouses in New York›Peter Luger Steak House
American chophouse · Williamsburg · New York
Peter Luger Steak House
Founded in 1887 at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, bought at auction in 1950, and still run by the family that bought it.
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By Hugo Ledger · Steakpedia editorial voice · Who writes
Why go
In 1887 a café with billiards and a bowling alley opened at the Brooklyn end of what would become the Williamsburg Bridge; Peter Luger owned it and his nephew Carl cooked. Few American steakhouses can show a longer unbroken line on one corner. The house still does one thing: USDA Prime that, by its own account, is hand-selected and dry-aged on the premises, served as a porterhouse for one to four. Its record with critics reads like a ledger of New York taste, from four stars in The New York Times in 1968 to zero in 2019, with a Michelin star in between.
What to order
- Porterhouse (steak for two, three or four)
- Rib steak
- Thick-cut bacon
Not published: fire, breed.
01What to order
- Porterhouse (steak for two, three or four)The house cut, sliced on the platter; The Infatuation's 2024 advice is to order one steak fewer than the number at the table.
- Rib steakSold for one or two, per the same 2024 review.
- Thick-cut baconSold by the slice; amNY gave US$7 a slice in 2019.
- Sliced tomatoes and onionsThe standing starter; regulars chop it and mix it with the bacon, per The Infatuation.
- German fried potatoes and creamed spinachThe two sides that both Time Out (2026) and The Infatuation (2024) recommend.
- SchlagWhipped cream, served with the gold chocolate coins that come with the check.
02The beef
The menu is short because the buying is the point. The house says its USDA Prime is hand-selected and dry-aged on site. For decades Marsha Forman chose the beef herself in the West Side meat markets; in 2019 amNY reported that a family member still picked every piece. Daniel Turtel, of the fourth generation, called the aging method secret and "very stridently controlled" for humidity, temperature and time. No source gives the number of days, and Steakpedia does not guess it.
03The fire
No source names the broiler, the fuel or the heat used at Broadway. The steak arrives sliced, in its own fat, on a platter.
04The story
Peter Luger died in 1941 and his son Frederick ran the house until 1950, when he closed it and put it up for auction; Sol Forman and Seymour Sloyer bought it, building included, for US$35,000. Craig Claiborne gave it four stars in 1968, Ruth Reichl three in 1995 and Frank Bruni two in 2007; Pete Wells gave it none in 2019. The James Beard Foundation named it an America's Classic in 2002, and the first Michelin Guide to New York, in 2006, gave it a star it held until 2022. Branches followed in Great Neck on Long Island, in Ebisu, Tokyo (2021) and at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas (November 2023); Wikipedia lists Amy Rubenstein and Marilyn Spiera as owners. Sources disagree on the Great Neck year, 1960 or 1968, so Steakpedia gives neither.
05The practical
178 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-387-7400. Time Out gives daily hours of 11:45 to 21:45 (April 2026); bookings are on Resy, which the house adopted in October 2019 after counting some 6,000 calls a day, and large parties can write to Reservations@peterluger.com. Payment is the old rule, softened: no credit cards in Brooklyn or Great Neck, but the Peter Luger Card, US checks with ID, US debit cards and cash are accepted. The burger is served only at lunch.
- Address
- 178 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
- Phone
- +1 718 387 7400
- Website
- peterluger.com
- Directions
- Google Maps ↗
Does Peter Luger take credit cards?
Not in Brooklyn or Great Neck. It accepts the Peter Luger Card, US checks with ID, US debit cards and cash; credit cards only for online orders.
When did Peter Luger open?
In 1887, as Carl Luger's Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley. Sol Forman and Seymour Sloyer bought it at auction in 1950.
Does Peter Luger still have a Michelin star?
No. It received one star in the first New York guide, in 2006, and lost it in 2022.
How do you book Peter Luger?
On Resy, since October 2019; large parties by email at Reservations@peterluger.com.
06In New York’s selections
07Sources
peterluger.com · en.wikipedia.org · timeout.com · amny.com · theinfatuation.com
Last verified Oct. 29, 2026.
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