Two Dallas restaurants have carved out spots in some global culinary rankings, earning places on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2025.
Knife, the popular concept from celebrity chef John Tesar, ranked No. 47, while Nuri, a creative newcomer with Korean influences, landed at No. 84. They’re the only Texas entries on the collective global list, which was topped by the Don Julio restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The annual rankings look at steakhouses, taking nine different standards into consideration, including meat cut quality, service, wine selection, and “transparency” in business practices.
Cote in New York, ranked at No. 10 overall, was the highest-ranked American steakhouse.
Knife, located inside the Highland Dallas hotel off Mockingbird Lane, has earned national acclaim for its dry-aged beef and bold takes on American steakhouse classics. Tesar, known for his progressive culinary style – and Top Chef fame, allegedly plans to move the restaurant into a new standalone space in Uptown later this year, per D Magazine.
Nuri, meanwhile, is barely a year old but already making global waves.
Backed by Wan Kim, the CEO of Smoothie King, the restaurant reportedly cost $16 million to build and occupies a visually stunning Art Deco space in Uptown that feels straight out of “The Great Gatsby.”
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Mario Hernandez, whose resume includes Gordon Ramsay North America and Del Frisco’s, and Culinary Director Minji Kim, a Michelin-recognized chef from Seoul.
The list described Nuri as a “luxurious” dining experience that connects classic steakhouse fare with a Korean culinary influence.
While it’s long been known for barbecue and Tex-Mex, Dallas is now being seen as a destination for upscale and award-winning restaurants, as previously covered by The Dallas Express during the recent MICHELIN Star Awards in 2024.
With Tesar’s Knife undergoing a reinvention and Nuri establishing itself as the ambitious Rockstar newcomer, Dallas diners have much to look forward to.