Iron Steak and Bar by PAN Collection — Restaurant in City Centre

2025 Update: the selection has increase, the staff are fantastic, courteous and attentive, vibes are nice. Steaks are still terrible, literally choked trying to chew my first bite. Sharp knifes on hard plates is a sin. Everything that isn't steak is pretty amazing.

2023: -"...Something had to die for this level of mediocrity to be passed off as excellence and that's disgraceful."

A beautiful display of the steaks. Vacuum sealed and on a shelf bellow the refrigerator extraction vent.

Nothing says R600+ steak like a wet aged, on a shelf, in a cold room, still vacuum sealed from the supplier, prime cut of cow

I arrived to extremely friendly waitstaff & bar staff without reservation, I chilled at the bar having a good time

I had a Dewars 12 year whiskey sour, I was warmly welcomed with some beef dripping cooked popcorn that was an epic little snack.

I then wanted to see if they had some well prepared steaks. Like the usual things you would do to high quality meat, dry aging, minor curing maybe even a dry aging room, who knows.

Only the picania, rib eye off the bone and a sirloin off the bone is dry aged. The rest might as well come from woolworths.

It was a great aesthetic choice putting the walk in along the one side to give the idea there is a dry aging room. But everything is vacuum sealed. Wet aged.

A fancy way of saying. In a bag for a minimum of a certain amount of days. No enzymatic process, no natural nuanced funk, no reduction of moisture or focus of flavors. Just product, in a bag.

The drinks are exceptional as is the vibe, the staff and functionally every thing besides the actual meat they serve you is wonderful

It's to be noted, a place that will serve you waygu prepared into mince is functionally scamming you.

You can control the fat ratio regardless, there is literally no difference besides minute nuances in making mince from SA Wagyu

A steakhouse where you need to deeply enquire about what is dry aged and then the sirloin on the bone is specifically "not recommended by the chef" but is on the menu for some reason at R600+, is pretty questionable

So I ended up going for the flat iron with char grilled veg & fat finished chips since that's apparently their flag ship, the flat iron is a weird cut since they only really started existing after we figured out how to grow cattle to the sizes they are. You can get two or 3 of these servings from one cow.

Guys

Anyone who gives you a straight edged blade, to use on a flat hard piece of rock, should stop and quit food.

If the chef is gonna cut the steak for you, they best atleast finish the job, so I don't have to use some ridiculous micro cleaver on a solid piece of rock to cut it properly

The steak clearly didn't get up to room temp before being cooked on the one side properly, and the other sort of reminded what a warm pan could feel like

I get it, it's a flat iron, but I dispute the idea that this hit 50' inside cuz it was still sinewy

It's good but, it's still just a steak out the fridge, out the bag, with one part having a good time with a pan.

Something had to die for this level of mediocrity to be passed off as excellence and that's disgraceful

Presentation was spectacular though

This place is a show house, a great one at that filled with great people and a well made menu, where the higher end of the menu is made to exploit ignorance.

I cant fault this as a business, but atleast try be a real steakhouse atleast a little bit.

All in all this is a spectacular steak themed bar with a brilliantly crafted menu with friendly and well trained staff. But what they actually do to steak only serves to drive down the treatment and quality of animal product in the industry and is a shameful misuse of a respected product.

To summarize. An incredible concept, where everything is well thought out and executed, except the preparation of their name sake product.

And the issues are straightforward to solve, but will affect bottom line, so while I love the place and the concept, the disrespectful way they exploit the main ingredient...

Steakhouses in Cape Town are a dime a dozen, but Iron Steak & Bar on Bree Street is in a league of its own. On a sunny afternoon without a booking, we strolled in, half expecting to be turned away. Instead, we were met with warm smiles, a quick seat, and the kind of welcome that instantly sets the tone for a good meal.

Our server — and I say this without exaggeration — might just be the MVP of the Cape Town service industry. Not only did he know his ribeye from his picanha, but he spoke about steak with the passion of a sommelier describing a rare Bordeaux. Cuts, origins, ideal cooking temps — he knew it all. You could tell he genuinely loved his craft, and that enthusiasm was infectious.

Then came the complimentary Wagyu beef-dripping popcorn. A snack so addictive it should come with a warning label. Salty, buttery, rich — the kind of “freebie” that makes you think, “If this is the starter, what’s coming next?”

When the specials were explained, we were hooked. I went big with the Tomahawk steak, lured in by the promise of a table-side chef performance. My wife went for the Angus Board — a carnivore’s dream offering a variety of cuts. The drinks list was equally impressive — my wife’s cocktails were spot-on, and the wine selection could easily keep you browsing for far too long. My only gripe? The sparkling water was a little flat (I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the machine was sulking that day).

When the food arrived, it looked every bit the part. The steaks were presented simply, on wooden boards, allowing the meat to take centre stage. The Tomahawk “show” was good fun, though perhaps I’d hyped it up too much in my head. Still, the chef was engaging, and there’s something undeniably cool about having your steak carved at the table.

Taste-wise? Flawless. Both the Tomahawk and Angus Board delivered flavour in spades — juicy, tender, and perfectly cooked. The mac & cheese deserves its own paragraph. Creamy, rich, indulgent, with just enough cheesiness to make you feel like royalty — hands down the best I’ve had in Cape Town. Fries were spectacular, onions sweet, sauces sensational. My only nitpick is that my steak might have rested a tad too long before serving, arriving slightly cooler than I’d have liked (cowboy butter prefers to melt, not sit politely).

Dessert was an artistic masterpiece — the chef clearly doubles as a dessert Picasso. And that quirky poker chip they give you at the end? You exchange it for their salted-caramel designer ice cream rolled in Valrhona dark chocolate shavings. A classy, delicious finale.

By the end, we were stuffed, happy, and lighter by about R5k (including a takeaway mac & cheese for round two at home). Yes, it’s not a budget meal, but as a once-in-a-while treat or celebration, it’s money well spent.

Verdict: If you’re a steak lover, Iron Steak & Bar should be on your must-try list. Come for the meat, stay for the mac & cheese, and leave plotting...

Visited in December 2024. South Africa. Capetown.

While Iron Steak's reputation precedes it as a formidable steakhouse, our visit centered on their Wednesday burger special – a siren call too tempting to resist for avowed burger aficionados such as ourselves. The restaurant itself is boasting a spacious interior complemented by a pleasant outdoor terrace where we secured a table. The décor is stylish, a harmonious blend of green colour and warm woods punctuated by an attractive bar area offering additional seating.

The Food:

The food was the star. Our primary objective was, of course, the burger, but we also sampled a couple of appetizers to gauge the kitchen's broader capabilities. The burger’s presentation was exquisite: two succulent Wagyu patties nestled within a soft brioche bun, complemented by a perfectly melted cheese slice and a restrained, yet effective, sauce. This is a burger built on the unshakeable foundation of exceptional meat; the Wagyu patties were cooked to perfection, retaining a delightful juiciness and an intense, meaty flavour. The bun and sauce served only to enhance the experience, framing, not overpowering, the star of the show. This is a burger that demands to be tasted. Our accompanying appetizers included an apple and fennel salad, refreshingly crisp and vibrant, although the dressing proved a touch too heavy; a separate dressing would have allowed for greater control. The deep-fried oyster mushrooms were expertly executed, their light and crisp breading perfectly highlighting the inherent sweetness of the mushrooms. A complimentary popcorn snack, served while we awaited our order, proved a surprisingly delicious touch.

Service: Service, while friendly and informative (our server was able to articulate the menu options with clarity and enthusiasm), suffered slightly from the restaurant's considerable occupancy. The pressure of a full house resulted in a slightly less polished service experience than we might have otherwise expected. Food preparation time was approximately 25 minutes.

In conclusion: While we have yet to sample Iron Steak's eponymous steaks, they are now firmly on our agenda. Our purpose for visiting was singular – to assess their burger – and it exceeded all expectations. It comfortably claims a place among the very best burgers we have encountered in Cape Town, and our experience has been considerable. This restaurant is highly recommended; advance reservations are...