Taylor’s Steak House: A Time Capsule That Still Hits Hard
📍 3361 W 8th St, Los Angeles

Push open the heavy wooden door at Taylor’s Steak House and you step out of Los Angeles 2025 and straight into 1953. The room is pitch-dark and windowless, the kind of place where time slows down. Red Naugahyde booths curve like horseshoes, European-style art hangs just off-kilter, and the crisp white tablecloths remind you this is still very much a steakhouse. There’s even a peek-a-boo window into the dry-aging room—a flex without saying a word.

We warmed up with the French onion soup, rich and layered, exactly what a steakhouse soup should be. My New York strip came out tender, perfectly cooked, and honestly didn’t need the oversized knife it was paired with. Across the table, the Kansas City sirloin landed with serious heft—half was eaten, half went into a to-go box that will make tomorrow feel like Christmas morning. Dessert? A slice of carrot cake that was moist, sweet, and unpretentious. No notes.

Drinks were a little less consistent. The Negroni leaned watery, but the Old Fashioned—nontraditional but bold—was the kind of surprise I’d happily come back for.

The service was warm and never hurried, that rare balance between attentive and laid-back. With cocktails, sides, and steak, our tab landed around $100 per person. For the size of the portions and the throwback atmosphere, that number feels right in a city where too many restaurants leave you wondering what exactly you just paid for.

The best part about Taylor’s is that it hasn’t tried to reinvent itself in 70 years. It isn’t playing at “vintage” or chasing steakhouse trends—it just is. And that confidence is exactly why it still works.