Bern's Steak House is known for its wine list but also offers a selection of nearly 1,000 whiskies. PHOTOS BY PEZZ PHOTO
Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, Florida is so famous that travelers plan their entire trips around dining there. Boasting the largest wine list in the nation, Bern’s has been at the same location for more than 70 years, and while it has grown from one dining room to eight, Bern’s is known for how little it changes—the mirror from the former barber shop space where it expanded decades ago is still on the wall, and many of the uniformed staffers have been there for 30-plus years. It’s the kind of place where regulars order the same thing they’ve ordered their entire lives without opening the menu.
So, when Bern’s recently got a new bar, it was the biggest thing to hit Tampa since Tom Brady came to the Buccaneers and won the Super Bowl.
Given the focus on adult beverages—not just wine—there was always a bar, but in the summer of 2023, it closed for a total rebuild. When dinner service ended, staff quickly boxed up all the booze on the shelves, demolition began minutes later, and after a month of round-the-clock shifts, the new Bern’s bar debuted last August. This is a big deal not just because of Bern’s unbelievable wine and spirits selection, but because the bar is the way you can eat here without worrying about a reservation.
But some regulars always eat at the bar because they prefer the ambiance, many don’t eat there at all, coming just for a cocktail or a drink. You need a seat to dine but not to stand and drink, and when the doors open at 4:45 p.m., there are often enough hungry patrons to fill all the seats within five minutes.
The bar can hold about 75 and could be a freestanding small restaurant, though it feels much more like a cocktail lounge, and pales in comparison to the restaurant, which seats 350. It is much more modern than the rest of the place, yet classic, and would not be out of place in a Parisian luxury hotel, with slate blue/gray walls, sleek brass sconce lamps on the walls, red velvet banquettes with round marble tables. In a nod to tradition, historic photos are hung, and the back wall is made from the same California redwood salvaged from old barrels
Bern’s has always been known as a great value in fine dining, and is considerably less expensive than most high-end steakhouses, especially since steaks here come with an array of sides and starters for the same prices others charge for a la carte. This philosophy extends to wine and spirits, and scotch here can sell for less than well gin at some bars. Tasting flights of New Riff (Bourbon, Rye, Single Barrel Bourbon, and Single Barrel Rye), High West (American Prairie Port Finish, Grenache Finish, Malbec Finish, and Double Rye Oloroso Finish), and Macallan (Amber, 12 year old, Double Cask, and Rare Cask), are $16, $24, and $48 respectively, quite reasonable for a top restaurant (four 1/2-ounce pours).
There are about 70 private cask offerings, a staggering list, including Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Doc Swinson’s, Limestone Branch, Stellum, Wathen’s, Leopold Brothers, and local Old St. Pete, plus private rums and tequilas. These are all 1.5-ounce pours and start at just $13 (Compass Box Great King Street Artisanal Blend 2017 or Cathead Old Soul 2017) and run right up to the 41 year old Compass Box Bern’s Steak House Blend at $1,500. Many of these private selections are in the low to mid $20 range, like 10 year old Four Roses rye ($23) or WhistlePig 12 year old Bespoke pineau de charentes finish ($25).
“We’ve actually pared the spirits list down in recent years, but we have about 500 scotches, 250 bourbons, and 200 other whiskies, along with 350 cognacs and armagnacs” says beverage manager Nate Wilson. Several rare bottles are displayed behind the new bar, including those from an annual joint project they do with Compass Box to create a label exclusively for Bern’s. The latest is a 41 year old: “We actually went to Madeira, sampled, and bought a barrel of wine, brought it back, bottled that, then shipped [the barrel] to John Glaser at Compass Box to use to finish our whisky.”
For all the whiskies, almost everything above about $100 is also offered in a less expensive half-ounce pour, for those who are eager to taste rarities without breaking the bank, a customer-friendly touch.
The regular whisky list has scotches by region that goes on for pages, also 1.5-ounce pours, with blends starting at just $9-$11 (Ben Alder 5year old, McPhail’s 5 year old. Glen Calder 5 year old) and single malts from $11-$12 (Deanston 12 year old, Dewar’s Glenordie 12 year old). In addition to the hundreds of scotches, bourbons, and ryes, there are about five dozen domestic and Canadian “other whiskies,” two dozen Irish, 20 Japanese, and a handful from the Netherlands, India, France, and Taiwan.
Insider Tips – Bern’s is justifiably famous for its dry-aged, cut-in-house Prime beef, and they also make an exceptional steak sandwich and burger, both not listed on the menu. Order one and you’ll be an instant regular. The signature Bern’s Old Fashioned ($19) has been on the cocktail list forever, and they craft a proprietary simple syrup, but the seasonal bourbon changes quarterly and was most recently Green River.
