The Hunter's best pub steak: where to find a cut

If you have spent any time in a Hunter pub, you know the steak is usually the thing everyone is really there for. Right now, the region is actually letting you have your say on it: Newcastle Weekly launched 'Newcastle Weekly's Best Pub Steak 2026' on 7 August, and it is open for you to vote for your favourite pub steak across Newcastle and the Hunter. Every vote puts you in the draw to win a A$200 Visa Gift Card, so it is a decent excuse to make a night of it and support a local venue while you help crown the Hunter's best pub steak for 2026.

If you are looking for a place to start, Warners at the Bay is the one most explicitly known for its steak, sitting at 320 Hillsborough Road in Warners Bay. It is a proper pub setup with a bistro, a sports bar with live sport on big screens, TAB and Keno, an outdoor terrace with a pool table, a kids' play area and a bottle shop. The bistro runs lunch from 11.30am to 2pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 2pm on Sunday, with dinner from 5.30pm to late Monday to Saturday and from 6pm on Sunday. The main venue stays open late, from 10am to 3am Monday to Saturday and 10am to midnight on Sunday.

Over in Newcastle's East End, The Lucky Hotel on Hunter Street turns steak into a weekly ritual. Steak Night runs every Thursday from 5pm, where a 200g rump steak cooked how you like it comes in at A$20 with your choice of mash and veg or chips and salad. It is part of a busy weekly line-up that includes Schnitzel Wednesdays, live music on Friday, DJs on Saturday and a Sunday roast from opening until it sells out. The pub also has 30 renovated hotel rooms if you want to stay the night, and all-day pizza from 11.30am till late.

For something a bit different, The Greenroof at 71 Tudor Street in the city does a rump steak sandwich with lettuce, tomato, caramelised onion and cheddar cheese, and it is worth noting the kitchen is run by chef Isaac Hense. It is a big venue, with 200 seats and a bar that stays open until 1am on weekdays and 2.30am on Friday and Saturday. If you would rather eat by the water, The Dockyard at the Honeysuckle Complex looks over the harbour and serves modern Australian food with al fresco dining, with chef Glenn Ellis and sommelier Sabrini Lorsen at the helm.

And if you do not mind a bit of a drive, the Wollombi Tavern is the oldest of the lot, standing since 1868 at 2994 Great North Road. It is home to Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice, created in 1929, and while the menu leans more towards burgers, schnitzels and beer-battered barramundi than a dedicated steak night, it is a piece of Hunter history worth knowing about. Between the voting and the venues, there is plenty of reason to get out and sample the region's pub fare over the next few weeks.