Golden Steer Steakhouse History: Rat Pack Booths, Elvis & Old Vegas Legends
Ask any longtime Las Vegas local where the “old Vegas” spirit still lives, and one answer comes up again and again: the Golden Steer Steakhouse on West Sahara Avenue. For more than six decades, this red-leather-and-dark-wood dining room just off the Strip has served prime steaks to entertainers, athletes, mobsters, and millions of visitors. But the real story of the Golden Steer is more interesting — and more complicated — than the legend printed on its menus.
When Did the Golden Steer Actually Open?
The restaurant’s signage proudly says “Est. 1958,” and that date appears in nearly every article written about it. Vegas historians, however, tell a slightly different story. Research compiled by the Vintage Las Vegas historical project and reported by Casino.org found that the Golden Steer opened its doors in January 1962, founded by Rex Littleton and Chuck Hensley. The strip mall that houses the restaurant wasn’t even completed until late 1960, and a different restaurant occupied the space before the Steer moved in.
Does the four-year discrepancy matter to diners? Probably not. Even at 1962, the Golden Steer is one of the longest continuously operating restaurants in Las Vegas, and its dining room is a genuine time capsule of mid-century Vegas glamour.
The Rat Pack Era: Sinatra, Dino, and Sammy
What made the Golden Steer famous wasn’t just the beef — it was the clientele. In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop were regulars, often arriving after their shows on the Strip wound down. Because the Steer sat off-Strip and stayed open late, it became a refuge where headliners could eat, drink, and hold court away from the casino crowds.
Today the restaurant honors that era with named booths. Booth 22 is famously “Sinatra’s booth,” and there’s a dedicated Rat Pack section where, according to the restaurant’s own history, the group would gather after performances. Elvis Presley had his own preferred large corner booth as well — and according to Chowhound, the King’s first order at his favorite Vegas steakhouse famously wasn’t even a steak.
Mob Ties and the Back Door
No old-Vegas story is complete without the mob, and the Golden Steer delivers. In the 1970s and 80s, Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony “The Ant” Spilotro — the inspiration for Joe Pesci’s character in Casino — was a known patron who reportedly used the restaurant’s back entrance to come and go discreetly. That blend of celebrity glamour and underworld grit is exactly the contradiction that defines vintage Las Vegas.
The Signorelli Era and the Modern Golden Steer
In 2001, Dr. Michael J. Signorelli acquired the restaurant with the explicit goal of preserving it rather than modernizing it away. It remains a family business today, run by his daughter Amanda Signorelli and her husband Nick McMillan. The formula hasn’t changed: tuxedoed career servers, a tableside Caesar salad that regulars call the best in the city, flambéed Bananas Foster and Cherries Jubilee finished at your table, and prime steaks from a menu topped by a 45-ounce Tomahawk.
The restaurant’s cultural stock has only risen. It has appeared in national “best steakhouse” lists, drawn modern celebrities from Drake to Mark Wahlberg, and in 2026 the brand expanded to Manhattan — a move covered by Time Out New York — bringing old-Vegas glitz to a new coast for the first time in the restaurant’s history.
Why the History Still Matters When You Dine
Plenty of Las Vegas steakhouses serve excellent beef. What you’re buying at the Golden Steer is continuity: the same booths, the same recipes, and in some cases the same servers spanning decades. Diners on community forums like r/vegas consistently describe it less as a meal and more as time travel — the closest thing Las Vegas has to a living museum where the exhibit brings you a rare ribeye.
If you want to sit where Sinatra sat, it’s possible — but not guaranteed. Booth requests are taken with reservations, though availability depends on party size and timing. (We cover exactly how to request a celebrity booth, what to wear, and how to plan your first visit in our companion guide.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Golden Steer the oldest steakhouse in Las Vegas?
It’s the oldest continuously operating steakhouse of its kind in Vegas by most common tellings, though historians note Bob Taylor’s Original Ranch House opened earlier, in 1955. Either way, the Steer is the one that kept its mid-century dining room — and its legend — intact.
Which celebrities ate at the Golden Steer?
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Elvis Presley, Natalie Wood, and Muhammad Ali are among the most cited historical patrons; modern visitors have included Drake and Mark Wahlberg.
Can you sit in Sinatra’s booth?
You can request it when booking, but it’s first-come by reservation and never guaranteed. Larger celebrity booths like Elvis’s are often reserved for bigger parties.
