Ask anyone in the Hills where to go for a proper steak and the same name tends to come up, and in 2025 that local reputation was confirmed in more formal terms when The Oakbank Hotel took home the Australian Good Food Guide award for Best Steak in the Adelaide Hills, an honour decided by the diners who eat here week after week. This article walks through what separates a genuinely great pub steak from a forgettable one, moving from the choice of cut all the way to the cook, and using our own kitchen as the working example throughout.
A good steak can look deceptively simple once it reaches the table, yet every stage of its journey from the paddock to the plate shapes the way it eventually eats, and understanding those stages is the easiest way to know what you are paying for and why the very best ones are always worth seeking out.
An award decided by the people who eat here
The Australian Good Food Guide Best Steak award is driven entirely by diner votes, which makes it a fair reflection of who consistently gets it right across months of busy service and the everyday experience of paying customers. Winning it for the Adelaide Hills in 2025 told us that the regulars filling our tables had been paying very close attention, and you can read more about how the kitchen reached this point over on our story page.
It starts with the cut
Every steak begins with a choice of cut, and that single decision shapes both the flavour and the texture long before anything ever touches the grill. A lean eye fillet is prized for its tenderness, a ribeye carries the fine threads of fat marbling that deliver real depth of flavour, and a classic rump rewards a hungry diner with a bigger and beefier bite. You will find all three of these on our steak menu, and the right one for you depends largely on whether you are chasing buttery softness or a more robust and satisfying mouthful. Marbling is the detail worth watching most closely, because those fine threads of intramuscular fat slowly melt as the steak cooks and baste the meat from within, keeping it moist and full of flavour right through to the last bite.
A steak is only as good as its supplier
One thing many people overlook is that even the most skilled chef will struggle to rescue a poor piece of meat, which is precisely why careful sourcing matters so much to the final result. Our award-winning steaks come from Austral Meat, an Adelaide-based supplier operating out of Gepps Cross since the 1980s and known across the state for its premium grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Working with a local supplier of this calibre keeps the supply chain short, the quality consistent and the individual cuts selected with genuine care, and when we thank Austral Meat for our share in the award we truly mean it, because the steak you enjoy begins with the work they put in long before it ever reaches our kitchen.
Ageing, seasoning and the cook
Good beef rewards patience, because a proper period of ageing concentrates the flavour and relaxes the muscle so that the finished steak eats far more tenderly than a freshly butchered cut ever could on its own. From that point onwards the approach in our kitchen is one of considered restraint, since a quality piece of meat asks for little more than a generous seasoning of salt, a properly hot grill and a cook who understands the precise moment to lift it from the heat. Resting the steak before it travels out to your table matters just as much as the cooking itself, allowing the juices to settle back evenly through the meat so the steak stays moist and full of flavour the moment it is cut, and while you are always welcome to order it cooked exactly to your own liking, it is well worth trusting the kitchen on that final rest.
Sides, sauces and a glass of something local
A great steak always deserves the right company on the plate, from crisp golden chips and a fresh garden salad through to a sauce chosen to lift the meat, whether you reach for a smooth peppered cream, a rich mushroom or a classic red wine jus. To round out the whole experience, our Adelaide Hills restaurant matches every steak with a hand-picked South Australian wine list, and settling on a Hills shiraz to sit alongside a well-marbled ribeye is one of the more enjoyable decisions you are likely to make all week.
Come in for a winter steak night
There is no finer season for a serious steak than the depths of a Hills winter, when the fire crackles away in the front bar and a properly cooked piece of beef is exactly where you want to be on a cold and quiet evening. Every Wednesday is steak night here at the Oakbank, with ten dollars off all steaks right through the day, which gives you an easy excuse to come and taste the award-winning version for yourself. If you happen to be planning something a little larger, our function room comfortably handles celebrations of every size, so book your table or get in touch and discover for yourself why the locals keep calling this the best steak in the Hills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the best steak in the Adelaide Hills?
The Oakbank Hotel won the Australian Good Food Guide award for Best Steak in the Adelaide Hills in 2025, an honour decided by diner votes, and you will find us on Onkaparinga Valley Road at Oakbank, just a short and scenic drive from Hahndorf, Mount Barker and Woodside.
Where does Oakbank Hotel source its steak?
Our steaks come from Austral Meat, an established Adelaide-based supplier known throughout the region for its premium grass-fed and grain-fed beef, and choosing a local supplier of this standard keeps the supply chain short and the quality reliably high from one visit to the next.
When is steak night at the Oakbank Hotel?
Steak night runs every Wednesday with ten dollars off all steaks right through the day, and you are welcome to browse the full range of cuts on our menu before you arrive, with the usual conditions applying.
Which steak cut should I order?
The right cut comes down entirely to your own taste, with the eye fillet offering the greatest tenderness, the ribeye delivering the richest and most marbled flavour and the rump providing a bigger and beefier bite, and our kitchen team is always glad to guide you towards the best choice on the day.
Do I need to book a table?
Booking ahead is always recommended, particularly on steak night and right through the winter months when our tables tend to fill very quickly, so we would encourage you to book online or call us on 08 8388 4267 to secure your spot.