Man goes to Mastro’s Steakhouse in Houston. Then he orders the $78 New York strip: ‘I said medium rare’
What, pray tell, does a steak aficionado have to do to get some proper steak in Houston?
Well, one man is going viral for attempting to answer that question himself. He chronicled an evening out at Mastro’s Steakhouse and things apparently did not go well.
In a video that has over 236,000 views, comedian Jad Moussa (@jado506 on TikTok) discussed Mastro’s Steakhouse in an expletive-laden review.
“Holy [expletive], this was the biggest [expletive] waste of time,” Moussa said in his video. “So far, taking [expletive] ages to bring me anything. Starving. I’m thirsty as hell. Haven’t brought me nothing. It’s been like 10 minutes.”
“78 bucks for a [expletive] steak, that’s outrageous,” Moussa added. “Outrageous even for Mastro’s. Then they brought out the bread.”
Taking bites of the different kinds of bread, Moussa said he “wasn’t a fan” of one. He thought another was “pretty good” but said it had the consistency of a “cheese cracker.” Then the waiter brought him his steak.
“That’s the $78 New York strip,” Moussa said, showing the exterior and interior of the steak to his camera. “All right, let’s see how it was cooked. They did OK with the cooking. I prefer, you know, I said medium rare. That’s more medium. I tried it … I was [expletive] let down, man. That [expletive] was like [expletive] mediocre at best.”
Moussa said that he expected far more for a $78 steak. He was therefore unamused when he later got some mac and cheese that “tasted like nothing.” He ended up sending the mac and cheese back, untouched. The final bill was $103.
“[Expletive] Mastro’s,” Moussa said, finishing his video. “I’ve eaten a thousand [expletive] steaks in my life. Every single one of them I’ve made better than that place.”
The verdict: Do diners think Mastro’s menu is worth the prices?
While Moussa made his position on Mastro’s quite clear, steakhouse fans may be wondering whether others agree.
“Roadhouse and longhorn way better,” one commenter asserted. Another commenter echoed, “A 14 ribeye at Texas Roadhouse is 30 bucks with 2 sides and unlimited bread. A beer is like 7-8 dollars max. 40 bucks plus tip and tax. Great price.”
In contrast, Eric Norcross, a writer for Leonetti Living, praised Mastro’s in 2020 as a “top choice when it comes to fancy steakhouse dining.” He applauded the Los Angeles location’s “romantic” ambiance, drink selection, and food “sent from the heavens.” One foodie discussion forum participant also described the Los Angeles Mastro’s as “[their] favorite steakery.” In the same vein, the New York location has 4.4 stars on Tripadvisor.
Steak aficionados have mixed reviews. The comments of one Reddit post discussing a location in San Francisco encapsulated the divide.
“It’s a really solid steakhouse that I’ve enjoyed at several of their locations,” wrote one commenter. “If you’re ok with the fact that it’s not specific to SF, you’re going to have a great time enjoying the food there.”
“If you want a steakhouse with good portions, I think you’ll be good,” echoed another person.
Most people online seem to agree on a middle-of-the-road take. Mastro’s gets the job done, but there are generally higher-tier alternatives.
Buzz News has reached out to Moussa and Mastro’s via email.
@jado506 No bueno