Best Live-Fire Steakhouse: RÒ Steakhouse

RÒ Steakhouse brings something different to the Coral Gables steakhouse scene. Located inside Alhambra Tower, RÒ builds its identity around fire, using open-flame cooking as the foundation for a menu that combines serious steaks with seafood, raw preparations and dishes influenced by the culinary traditions of Mexico and Latin America.

Steak is still very much the main event. The menu features cuts including filet, New York strip and ribeye, along with larger and premium selections. But RÒ isn’t content to simply put a steak on a plate with familiar steakhouse sides. Ribeye chicharrón arrives with guacamole, fire-roasted tortilla and salsa cruda, while bone marrow, grilled seafood and other dishes extend the kitchen’s fire-forward approach throughout the menu. It makes RÒ particularly appealing for a table where everyone wants the steakhouse experience but not necessarily the same steakhouse dinner.

The supporting menu is equally ambitious. Diners will find seafood and raw-bar preparations alongside dishes such as branzino, hamachi, scallops and rock shrimp, with sides including truffle potato gratin, garlic mushrooms and grilled vegetables. There is also a substantial cocktail program and wine selection, making the bar an important part of the experience rather than an afterthought.

Then there is the room itself. RÒ is dramatic, dark and contemporary, with an immersive atmosphere that feels designed for an evening out. It can work for a family celebration or business dinner, but it really comes into its own for birthdays, date nights, special occasions and those evenings when dinner is meant to be the destination.

What makes RÒ distinctive is that it doesn’t treat the steakhouse format as something that needs to remain frozen in time. Fire may be one of cooking’s oldest tools, but here it becomes the starting point for a decidedly contemporary restaurant. For its premium steaks, open-flame cooking, creative menu and striking Alhambra Plaza setting, RÒ Steakhouse is the Coral Gables Gazette’s selection for Best Live-Fire Steakhouse.