Abe & Louie's

Abe & Louie's at 793 Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay is one of the city's premier steakhouses, a Back Bay landmark for power lunches, anniversary dinners, and the kind of celebratory meals that demand reliable grandeur. The restaurant draws its identity from the American chophouse tradition — USDA prime aged beef, an extensive raw bar, classic steakhouse sides, and a wine list weighted heavily toward California Cabernet and Bordeaux. The steaks are the primary event: bone-in ribeyes, New York strips, and filets are all dry-aged and hand-cut, delivered to the table sizzling on heated plates with the classic steakhouse accompaniments. The raw bar at the front of the dining room offers oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, and occasionally crab preparations, and serves as both a pre-dinner waiting area and a destination in its own right. The dining room is warm and clubby — dark wood, dim lighting, leather banquettes, oil paintings — projecting the confidence of an institution that does not need to update its aesthetics to attract its clientele. The wine list has been consistently recognized for its depth and reasonable markup relative to retail, which makes it a genuinely useful tool for the serious wine drinker. The service is formal and experienced; the floor team includes longtime staff who have been with the restaurant for a decade or more. Back Bay on Boylston Street places Abe & Louie's steps from the Prudential Center and a short walk from Copley Square.