What to Order at Peter Luger

Peter Luger is the Williamsburg steakhouse that's been dry-aging and grilling porterhouses since 1887, and almost the entire menu comes down to one ritual: the server asks how many steaks your table wants, not how many people are eating.

What should you order at Peter Luger?

Order the porterhouse for one fewer steak than your headcount, the regulars' trick for getting through a full table without over-ordering, then build around it with bacon, potatoes, and the tomato and onion plate.

1. The porterhouse, ordered by steak count, not person count. A party of four orders "steak for three." The Infatuation describes this as the move regulars actually use, since the portions run larger than the menu's own labeling suggests.

2. Bacon, sold by the slice. Thick-cut and sizzling, at roughly $4.50 to $5 a slice depending on the source. The Infatuation recommends ordering it alongside the iceberg wedge, tomato, and blue cheese rather than on its own.

3. German fried potatoes. The classic starch side for the table, crisp and built to sit under the steak's juices.

4. Sliced tomato and onion with the house sauce. The Infatuation calls this the dish "true regulars always order," a simple starter that also doubles as a vehicle for Luger's steak sauce before the porterhouse arrives.

5. Creamed spinach or the wedge salad. Either works as the vegetable side against a meal this rich, and both show up consistently on regulars' orders.

6. Cheesecake or the "Holy Cow" hot fudge sundae, with schlag. Desserts run around $15 each and all come with the restaurant's housemade schlag, a whipped cream that isn't sweetened the way most American whipped creams are, at no extra charge.

Should you order the burger?

Skip it unless you're specifically chasing the lunch-only cult item. As of July 2026, the Luger-Burger is still served only until 3:45pm, and The Infatuation calls it "crumbly" and not worth the trip compared to the porterhouse itself. It's a real menu item with a real following, just not the reason to book a dinner reservation here.

How does ordering actually work at Peter Luger?

The porterhouse-for-N sizing is the whole system: a server asks how many steaks, sized for two, three, or four, and regulars order one steak fewer than your total headcount since the cuts run generous. As of July 2026, the Brooklyn and Great Neck locations still do not accept credit cards for in-person dining. You can pay with cash, US checks with ID, US debit cards, or the restaurant's own proprietary Peter Luger Card. That's a narrower rule than pure "cash only," but it still catches diners off guard, so bring a debit card or cash if you're eating in the dining room. Credit cards are accepted for online retail orders, and the newer Las Vegas location at Caesars Palace has a different, more standard card policy, so don't assume the Brooklyn rules travel with the brand. Reservations in Brooklyn run through Resy, Great Neck is phone-only, and online bookings carry a $40-per-person no-show fee if you cancel inside 24 hours.

How much does dinner at Peter Luger cost?

Based on menu prices rather than a single quoted total, a porterhouse for two runs about $148 to $150, with three around $210 to $220 and four around $270 to $285. Add a couple of bacon slices, one side, the tomato and onion plate, and dessert, and a realistic estimate for two lands around $220 to $250 before tax, tip, and drinks. A table of three or four ordering the same way lands closer to $320 to $360. Treat both as planning ranges, since third-party menu trackers disagree with each other by five to ten percent.

Frequently asked questions

Does Peter Luger take credit cards?

Not in the Brooklyn or Great Neck dining rooms, as of July 2026. You can pay with cash, US checks with ID, US debit cards, or the restaurant's own Peter Luger Card, but credit cards work only for online retail orders. The Las Vegas location at Caesars Palace runs on a different, standard card policy, so this rule doesn't apply everywhere the name shows up.

How many steaks should we order for our table?

Order one fewer steak than your headcount. A table of four orders the porterhouse for three, a table of six orders for five. It's the ordering trick regulars use because the cuts run larger than the menu's own labeling implies.

Is the burger worth ordering?

Only if you specifically want the lunch-only cult item. It's served until 3:45pm and has a real following, but The Infatuation calls it crumbly next to the porterhouse, so it's not the dish to build a dinner reservation around.

Is Peter Luger still worth it after the New York Times' zero-star review?

That review, from Pete Wells in October 2019, is dated at this point rather than current reporting, and it remains the most-cited criticism of the restaurant, faulting an uneven steak and tired service. Whether it's worth it still comes down to what you're ordering: the porterhouse-for-N ritual, the bacon, and the classic sides remain what regulars come back for, even with that review hanging over the restaurant's reputation.

Peter Luger doesn't run on the same 30-day Resy scramble as most of this list, but weekend dinner slots still move fast. Watch the Peter Luger reservations page on DinnerElite for the drop pattern we're tracking, and set an alert so you're not stuck choosing between a 5pm table and no table at all.