Georgia Restaurant Association Awards Owner of McKendrick’s Steak House “Lifetime Achievement Award”

Congratulations to our very own Doug McKendrick, who was recently honored as a restaurant industry leader in the 9th annual GRACE Awards!

Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence 2014

Hary R., Top Contributor

“This is a very upscale restaurant with superior service and steaks. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to. My KC strip steak was outstanding as were the side dishes…”

Mckendrick’s Is Beyond Excellent!!

“Oversized cutlery” comes with the territory at this “celebratory” Dunwoody protein palace where the chops are“absolutely excellent” and the “fish is as good as the steak;” look for “plenty of “dealmakers” seduced by the “manly,” leahter- and wood-lined digs and “cheerful” staffers who “treat you like royalty,” and though all the “attention to detail” comes at “big, bold prices,” deep-pocketed diners declare it’s “worth every penny.”

Atlanta Best Steakhouses

Atlanta Magazine

…The bread carrier, the water pourer, and certainly the main server all disarm with their genuine warmth…The kitchen, led by executive Chef Thomas Minchella, values master of classics over groundless innovation. Owners Doug and Claudia McKendrick opened the restaurant in 1995 (it remains a single-location venture) and they’ve cultivated a gracious, personal style of hospitality that no franchise steakhouse in Atlanta has ever come close to duplicating… McKendrick’s is a favorite destination for Sunday dinner.

One Of The Great Steak Houses Of North America

Independent Retail Cattleman’s Association

Year after year patrons and critics have consistently rated McKendrick’s Steak House one of the country’s finest steak houses since its opening in 1995. McKendrick’s warm, club-like atmosphere invites diners to unwind with ample. Plush leather seating, solid oak walls, art deco lighting and soothing tunes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The unpretentious, attentive service makes it easy to relax and enjoy.

The Independent Retail Cattleman’s Association seeks out independently owned and operated steak houses in America who are passionate about the prime beef they serve, the service they offer, and the ambiance that distinguishes their establishments. Prospective member restaurants are nominated and vetted by their peers. This commitment to the highest standards of dining excellence earns them recognition as one of the Great Steak Houses of North America®

There are more than 970,000 restaurants in the United States of which more roughly 7,350 are steakhouses. Only a select few have The Original Great Steak Houses of North America® logo attached to their steak house.

Mckendrick’s Fires On All Fronts

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Now might be a good time to acknowledge that some of our best dining destinations are steakhouses. The word means so much more than slabs of beef loin cooked in a high-temperature broiler. It signifies top-quality meat and seafood prepared with recipes that make sense, a wine list that shows depth and commitment and a service corps that takes its mission seriously.

I had almost forgotten how brilliantly McKendrick’s fires on all fronts.

Chef Thomas Minchella does such a smart job with his menu, giving it a gentle contemporary spin. For a recent lunch special he offered a rib eye cap (that flavorful crescent on the north end of the fat stripe) with two fat grilled shrimp and a drape of bearnaise sauce for a canny take on surf and turf. Then again, a simple wet-aged New York strip is the tender beaut you go to steak houses for.

His side dishes also thrill. Look past the creamed spinach to the fat cubes of butternut squash that had apparently been deep fried and blotted dry until they turn to vegetable custard.

Service feels so geared to anticipating the customer’s needs. When I walked in with a laptop slung over my shoulder, the hostess asked if I needed a table near an outlet.

The Very Best…Mckendrick’s Rates AAA

Open Table

“Having visited most of the top steakhouses in the US, I measure them all against Sparks in NYC. Sparks is the “bellweather” steakhouse in the country. The very best for the steak itself, atmosphere (ambiance), and service. And I rated McKendrick’s as A, A, A. The first time I have ever given that grade to any steakhouse, other than Sparks. Enough said.”

America’s Finest Prime Steak Houses

Steaks with Passion

“…Only the absolute best steakhouses qualify to be among America’s Finest Prime Steak Houses. Those that provide fabulous dining experiences and serve the most flavorful and tender USDA Prime Mid-Western Corn Fed Beef…and pay attention: the bartenders mix a mean martini.”