Common Cuts: Steak for the People (and the Splurge)
Melbourne has always had steak restaurants. The old-school chophouses in the CBD, the suburban RSL counter meals, the high-end dining rooms where a wagyu rib-eye costs more than your phone bill. What Melbourne has lacked is a steak restaurant that deliberately spans the full spectrum – where you can eat a genuinely good steak for under $30 or spend $395 on a dry-aged showpiece, and both experiences feel like the restaurant was designed for you.
Common Cuts, which opened on Russell Street in the CBD, takes the French bistro steak-frites model and stretches it across a price range that accommodates a Tuesday night dinner for one and a Saturday celebration for eight. The entry-level steak frites at $28.50 is not a token cheap option designed to lure you in before upselling. It is a proper cut, properly cooked, with hand-cut fries and house-made sauce. At the other end, the dry-aged premium cuts are for the table that wants to turn dinner into an event.
The Russell Street strip has been gaining momentum as a CBD dining destination, with Ginza Kagari and other openings drawing foot traffic that bypasses the more established blocks around Flinders Lane. Common Cuts adds to that pull with a concept that works for a broader audience than most CBD steakhouses attempt.
What to Expect
The fit-out channels French bistro without costume. Dark wood, leather seating, white-clothed tables, and warm lighting that makes the room feel smaller and more intimate than it is. The kitchen is partially visible, and the smell of searing beef and rendered fat greets you before the host does.
Lunch service is quieter and more casual – the steak frites special at $28.50 is designed as a fast, satisfying midday meal. Dinner shifts into a more considered pace. The wine list is presented properly – leather-bound, organised by region, with a depth of French and Australian reds that suggests someone on the team cares about the pairing side of eating steak.
Service is professional without being rigid. Waiters know the cuts, can explain the difference between the grass-fed and grain-fed options, and do not push the expensive end of the menu unless you ask. Dinner for two without drinks runs $80 to $140 depending on cuts; add a bottle of wine and it climbs from there.
What to Order
The menu is built around beef, with enough around the edges to satisfy anyone at the table who is not in the mood for steak.
- Steak frites ($28.50) – the foundation dish. A grass-fed rump or flank (changes based on sourcing) with hand-cut fries and bearnaise. Cooked properly – ask for medium-rare and you will get medium-rare. At this price in the CBD, the value is strong.
- Grain-fed scotch fillet 300g ($52) – richer marbling, more flavour, the mid-range option that most regulars order
- Dry-aged rib-eye 800g ($165) – for two people. The dry-aging concentrates the flavour and the size makes it a shared centrepiece.
- Cote de boeuf 1.2kg ($395) – the top of the card. A dry-aged bone-in rib, serves three to four. This is an occasion order.
- Bone marrow ($18) – roasted and served with sourdough. The correct way to start a steak dinner.
- French onion soup ($16) – traditional, with a thick gruyere cap. Better than most CBD attempts at this dish.
- Beef tartare ($22) – hand-cut, with cornichon, caper, and egg yolk. Clean and precise.
- Fries ($10) – if your main does not come with them, order a side. They are good.
For a first visit: bone marrow to start, the $28.50 steak frites or the scotch fillet, and a glass of the house red. You will know quickly whether Common Cuts is for you.
The Details
- Address: Russell St, Melbourne CBD VIC 3000
- Price range: $28.50-395
- Best for: Steak dinner that fits any budget
- Hours: Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 10pm
- Bookings: Recommended, especially dinner service
- Dietary notes: Limited options for non-beef eaters; fish and chicken available as alternatives
Why We Rate It
The genius of Common Cuts is the pricing structure. By anchoring the menu at $28.50 for a legitimate steak frites, the restaurant removes the anxiety that comes with most CBD steakhouses where you are mentally calculating the bill before you have finished reading the menu. You can eat here on a budget and feel like you have had a proper steak dinner. Or you can order the cote de boeuf and a bottle of Barossa shiraz and treat it as a celebration. Both are valid, and neither feels like it is compromising the other.
The execution matches the concept. Steaks are cooked on a grill that runs at serious heat, and the kitchen has the discipline to hit temperatures accurately – a common failure point at restaurants that try to serve steak at this volume. The fries are hand-cut and fried twice for crispness. The sauces (bearnaise, peppercorn, cafe de Paris) are made in-house. These are not groundbreaking details, but getting them all right at the same time is harder than it looks.
Common Cuts is not the most innovative restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD. It does not need to be. It is a steak restaurant that does steak well across a range that makes it accessible to almost anyone, and in a city where good steak often means expensive steak, that is enough to earn a recommendation.
Getting There
Russell Street is in the heart of the CBD, accessible from Melbourne Central, Flagstaff, and Parliament stations. The free tram zone covers the area. Metered street parking is available on Russell and surrounding streets but fills quickly during dinner hours. Public transport is the most convenient option.
Related
Information compiled from venue websites, Google Maps, and public review sources. Prices and hours may change – check with the venue before visiting.