TV Restaurants

Is Bern's Steak House Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Tampa, FL)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Bern's Steak House is listed open on bernssteakhouse.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
bernssteakhouse.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The restaurant's own website, checked 2026-09-08, showed a 2026 copyright notice, current dinner hours, and working reservation and gift-card systems for the South Howard Avenue location.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

On "Old School" (btiea-s5e7), Bern's Steak House featured its dry-aged steaks and the restaurant's landmark wine program, built around the extensive cellar chef Bern Laxer began assembling when the restaurant opened on South Howard Avenue in Tampa in 1956. Bern's wine list has long been cited as one of the largest in the world, and the restaurant is known for its Harry Waugh Dessert Room, a separate dining area for dessert and after-dinner wine service. According to the restaurant's own website (bernssteakhouse.com), checked 2026-09-08, the site carried a 2026 copyright notice, listed current Tuesday-through-Sunday dinner hours, and offered online reservations and gift-card purchases. The site also referenced Bern's upcoming 70th-anniversary programming, consistent with its 1956 opening date. The 2026-09-08 check turned up no notice of closure, sale, or relocation.

In this same "Old School" segment (btiea-s5e7), the episode also toured Bern's Steak House's Harry Waugh Dessert Room and wine cellar, highlighting the restaurant's dessert-course tradition of pairing sweets with late-harvest and dessert wines after the main steak course. The segment noted the cellar's scale, drawn from the collection chef Bern Laxer began building when the restaurant opened in 1956, and showed the dessert room's private booths, separate from the main steakhouse dining room.

This episode returned to Bern's Steak House, the Tampa institution known for its extensive dry-aged steak menu, its Harry Waugh Dessert Room, and one of the largest restaurant wine collections in the country. The segment highlighted the restaurant's steak offerings and its South Howard Avenue dining rooms. The restaurant, founded in 1956 by Bern and Gert Laxer, remains family-owned. According to the restaurant's website, bernssteakhouse.com, checked 2026-09-08, the site displayed 2026 copyright dates, current hours, and marked the restaurant's 70th anniversary; Google Places lists the business as operational at 1208 S Howard Ave. This location matches the existing btiea-0454 record for Bern's Steak House, so this entry is logged as an additional appearance rather than a new listing.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 5, Episode 7
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Old School
What was featured
Dry-aged steaks and the restaurant's extensive wine cellar and dessert room
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bern's Steak House
Season / episode
Season 5, Episode 7
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Old School
What was featured
The Harry Waugh Dessert Room and Bern's extensive wine cellar tour
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bern's Steak House
Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 12
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Steak Paradise 2: A Second Helping
What was featured
Extensive steak menu with a famed dessert room and wine cellar
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bern's Steak House

Frequently asked questions

Is Bern's Steak House still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Bern's Steak House is listed open on bernssteakhouse.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Bern's Steak House after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

On "Old School" (btiea-s5e7), Bern's Steak House featured its dry-aged steaks and the restaurant's landmark wine program, built around the extensive cellar chef Bern Laxer began assembling when the restaurant opened on South Howard Avenue in Tampa in 1956. As of September 2026, Bern's Steak House is listed open on bernssteakhouse.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Bern's Steak House located?

1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Bern's Steak House?

Season 5, Episode 7 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Old School”.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
bernssteakhouse.com

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Record btiea-0454 · last verified .