This Restaurant In The Suburbs Of Atlanta Is An Underrated Gem For Steak Lovers

When checking for signs that you're dining at a bad steakhouse, you can look out for issues like uninteresting side dishes and uneducated servers. But what indicates that you're at an above-average establishment? In an effort to find the most underrated steakhouses in the U.S., Mashed consulted with David Rose, former "Food Network Star" contestant and executive chef at Omaha Steaks, to get his professional recommendation.

According to Rose, Little Alley Steak hits all the right notes, from its delectable cuts of expertly prepared beef to its classic steakhouse ambiance. Based in Roswell, Georgia (which is located about a half-hour drive from Atlanta), this establishment originated in 2012 and expanded to include a second, larger location in Atlanta's Buckhead district in 2018.

According to Rose, there's a lot to love about Little Alley Steak. Specifically, the chef praised the "mild nuttiness and butteriness" of the restaurant's 60-day dry-aged tomahawk steaks, especially when paired with the foie gras butter, a combination that Rose designates as "phenomenal." You also have to love the "old-style classic steakhouse" setting and "generous helpings," said Rose, which makes the dining experience even more memorable. If you're still not convinced, take a moment to consider the Little Alley Steak menu, which features items like twice-baked loaded potatoes, crispy Brussel sprouts with yuzu bearnaise sauce, broiled pork chops, ahi tuna, iceberg wedge salads, and a selection of dry- or wet-aged steaks like porterhouse, New York strip, and rib eye.

Little Alley Steak is no stranger to accolades. Forbes named it one of the 100 best American steakhouses in 2016, and the restaurant received the OpenTable Diners' Choice award in 2022. The restaurant also has quite favorable reviews online. For example, on Yelp, one reviewer described their experience at the Roswell location as "Utter perfection ... 10/10 would go again." Another Yelper proclaimed, "By far the best restaurant EVER!!!! Every bite [of food] melted in your mouth I mean it was an out of body experience."

In the event you're lucky enough to dine at this establishment, which dish will offer the biggest bang for your buck? You can always take a page out of chef David Rose's playbook and go with a dry-aged steak, which differs from wet-aged steaks with respect to preparation and taste. Robustly flavored dry-aged beef is exposed to the open air in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment, while wet-aging involves vacuum-sealing steaks and storing them in a refrigerator to age them in their own juices, which creates a milder flavor.

You can also peruse Little Alley Steak's Roswell menu to see ratings for each item. For instance, the restaurant's Bresaola charcuterie board (which features dry-cured eye of round beef) currently has the most likes among the American charcuterie selection; just keep in mind that rankings can fluctuate often as new customers leave reviews.