Bern’s Steak House

Bern’s Steak House is a historic Tampa steakhouse founded in 1956 from a remodeled business block by Bern and Gert Laxer and built and outfitted by the family’s own craftsmen. It places exceptional emphasis on wine, storing over half a million bottles and 6,500 labels in a 50° working cellar and a temperature‑controlled warehouse, and it offers more than 150 selections by the glass. The founder’s maxim “We Do Things Differently,” upheld by owner David Laxer, guides service and hand‑selected purchases. Bern’s has received a 2016 James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program and other industry awards. Interiors convey a traditional, upscale steakhouse ambience with dedicated main dining rooms and a separate lounge for more relaxed attire, projecting a classic, celebratory tone. The menu follows classic steakhouse cooking complemented by broad seafood and classic preparations, including oysters and escargot, and is built to pair with the restaurant’s extensive wine and spirits program. Chef de Cuisine Brent Hunt, at Bern’s since 2006, brings a background shaped by a farm upbringing, practical culinary training and previous senior kitchen roles. Specialties include dry‑aged prime steaks aged 5–8 weeks and cut to order, the Harry Waugh Dessert Room, and 22 varieties of caviar.