A Florida Steakhouse With Its Own Dessert Room Makes Every Bite Worth The Bill
Dessert usually shows up as an afterthought. At this Florida steakhouse, it gets an entire upstairs floor.
Private booths built from giant redwood casks fill the room. Each one has a phone for requesting songs from a live pianist.
Who knew dessert could come with a soundtrack?
Nearly fifty desserts fill the menu, plus house-made ice creams.
Downstairs, steaks age for weeks before meeting a hardwood charcoal fire. Soup, salad, onion rings, a potato, and a vegetable come with each.
How do you even save room after all that?
Servers train for a full year before taking a single order. The same family has run it since the 1950s.
Few Florida dinners stretch into such a memorable evening.
So which booth would you call dibs on first?
Your Sweet Tooth Gets Its Own Private Booth Upstairs
Most restaurants hand you a dessert menu and a tired smile. Bern’s Steak House hands you a whole second floor.
The Harry Waugh Dessert Room opened in 1985. It sits upstairs and feels like a separate destination from the dinner rooms below.
Inside, 48 private booths are built from redwood casks. Each one creates a cozy little pocket for you and your group.
That privacy matters more than you’d think. Birthday wishes and anniversary chats feel easier when nobody is three inches from your elbow.
Here’s a smart planning move worth knowing. Dinner guests automatically get a table in the dessert room after their meal.
Only want dessert? Limited early dessert reservations are offered between 6:00 and 6:45 p.m. every day.
The room carries the name of Harry Waugh, a respected British merchant. It’s a nice nod to the people who shaped this Tampa institution over the years.
Give yourself time here and don’t rush the check. This part of the night was clearly built for lingering, chatting, and ordering one more spoonful.
Honestly, a booth carved from a giant cask beats a regular chair any day. Your sweet tooth deserves a little drama too.
Nearly 50 Desserts Will Test Your Decision Skills
Choosing one dessert here is like choosing one favorite song. The menu holds about 45 to 50 desserts, so good luck narrowing it down.
Ice cream fans get extra attention. Around 14 to 15 house-made ice cream and sorbet flavors rotate on the list.
The Macadamia Nut Sundae is a well-known name connected to the dessert room. Bananas foster shows up too, often prepared right at the table.
Not a cake person? Artisanal cheeses are also on the dessert menu for anyone who prefers savory endings.
Here’s a sneaky strategy for groups. Order several different desserts and share them, so everyone gets a taste of more options.
That plan also avoids the dreaded dessert envy. You know the feeling when someone else’s plate looks better than yours.
Save room during dinner if you can. The steak meal comes loaded with sides, and your stomach only has so much space.
Dessert at Bern’s Steak House isn’t an afterthought tacked onto the night. It’s practically its own event, with a menu big enough to prove it.
Bring a curious attitude and a stretchy waistband. Both will serve you well upstairs.
Steaks Here Spend Weeks Getting Ready For You
Patience is the secret ingredient downstairs. Steaks at Bern’s Steak House are USDA Prime and dry-aged in-house for a minimum of several weeks.
Aging takes roughly 45 to 58 days, depending on the cut. After that, each steak is hand-cut to order.
Cooking happens over natural hardwood lump charcoal. The kitchen broils every steak to the temperature you request.
You also get flexibility with size. The menu offers various cuts and sizes, and custom sizing is available too.
That’s handy if you’re sharing or have a smaller appetite. It’s also handy if you want to go big, which nobody here will judge.
Chateaubriand and Delmonico are names tied to the steak lineup. Ask your server to explain the cuts if you’re unsure where to start.
Servers train for a full year before working the floor. So asking questions is smart, not embarrassing.
A good rule for first-timers is simple. Tell your server how you like your steak and how hungry you are, then let them guide you.
Weeks of aging deserve a few minutes of thoughtful ordering. Your dinner will thank you for it.
Pick Up The Booth Phone And Request A Song
A telephone at your table sounds like something from an old movie. At this Florida steakhouse, it’s part of the fun.
Every booth in the dessert room comes with a phone and a stereo system. Use the phone to request a song from the pianist playing live.
That’s a delightful twist on dessert. You’re not just eating cake, you’re running your own tiny radio show.
Think about the possibilities for a moment. Your parents’ wedding song, a birthday classic, or that tune your best friend always sings off-key.
The stereo lets the music reach right into your booth. So you get privacy without missing the soft piano soundtrack.
This works especially well for celebrations. A surprise song request can turn a regular anniversary into a story you’ll retell for years.
A friendly tip before you go. Pick a few song ideas ahead of time so you’re not frozen when the phone is in your hand.
Kids at heart will love this part most. Grownups pretending they aren’t excited about the phone will love it secretly.
Either way, it’s hard to beat dessert with a personal playlist. Few places anywhere let you order music like you order ice cream.
Every Steak Arrives With A Small Parade Of Sides
Five extras show up with every steak entree. That’s not a typo, and your stomach should prepare accordingly.
Things start with French onion soup. Next comes a tossed house salad with your choice of house-made dressing.
Then the signature onion rings arrive. A baked potato with toppings follows, along with the vegetable of the day.
That lineup changes how you should order. You probably don’t need a pile of extra sides when the steak already brings friends.
Still curious about more? Options like Creamed Spinach and White Truffle Macaroni and Cheese sit on the sides list.
Here’s my honest advice for pacing. Enjoy the soup and salad, but don’t clean every plate if dessert is calling your name.
The included sides also make the meal feel complete. You aren’t left adding things piece by piece until the bill grows mysterious.
Some vegetables come from the restaurant’s own farm when available. Founder Bern Laxer started that small organic farm in the early 1970s.
Fresh produce from a family farm is a sweet touch. It shows how much care goes into even the side dishes at this Tampa favorite.
Take The Tour Through A Chilly Cellar And Busy Kitchen
Bring a light sweater for this one. The working cellar stays at a cool 50 degrees.
Guests can tour both the cellar and the kitchen. It’s a behind-the-scenes peek most restaurants would never offer.
The cellar is massive and gives you a real sense of the restaurant’s scale. It’s a big part of what makes this place feel one of a kind.
The restaurant has earned a top national dining award every year since 1981. That’s a long streak for any Florida dining room.
The kitchen part of the tour is just as interesting. You get to see how a busy, large-scale steakhouse keeps everything moving.
Timing matters here. The tour often happens after dinner, right before guests head upstairs to the dessert room.
So don’t rush out after your steak. Ask your server about the tour and let it become the bridge between courses.
Kids who love seeing how things work might get a kick out of it. Grownups who secretly love that too are welcome as well.
Few dinners include a field trip in the middle. This one does, and it’s worth the short walk.
Eight Dining Rooms Mean Your Surroundings Matter Too
Red flocked wallpaper might be the most famous decor in Tampa. It helps give this place its rich, old-school personality.
Bern’s Steak House has eight distinct dining rooms. Each one has its own theme and decor.
That means two visits can feel quite different. You might land in one room this year and a totally different one next time.
The building has grown a lot since the early days. Seating expanded from about 40 guests to roughly 350.
Plan your outfit with a little care. The dress code runs from business casual to semi-formal.
Very relaxed clothes could mean seating in a more casual area instead of the main dining rooms. A collared shirt or nice dress keeps your options open.
Valet parking is available, which saves you circling the block. It’s one less thing to worry about on a big night.
The decor leans dramatic and proud of its age. Think classic glamour rather than sleek and modern.
Honestly, that’s part of the charm. Some restaurants chase trends, but this one seems happy being exactly what it has always been.
An Old Sign And One Extra Letter Started It All
Back in 1956, Bern and Gert Laxer bought a small spot on South Howard Avenue. They reused letters from the old sign and added an S to make Bern’s.
The words Steak House came later. A phone directory requirement pushed that addition.
Before that, the couple ran a little luncheonette in Tampa. They had moved to Florida in 1951 after marrying the year before.
Today the restaurant still stands at the same spot, 1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606. That’s a lot of history at one address.
Their son, David Laxer, now owns and runs the place. Keeping a family business going this long is no small feat.
The restaurant celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2026. Plenty of trendy spots never make it seven years, let alone seventy.
I like that a recycled sign kicked everything off. It’s a thrifty, scrappy beginning for a place now known worldwide.
Next time you arrive, glance at that name out front. It carries a story that started with spare letters and big dreams.
Book Early And Plan A Long, Lazy Evening
Good things come to those who plan. Reservations here can fill up well in advance, so booking early is a smart move.
Hours run from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Friday and Saturday stretch until 11 p.m.
The restaurant is open every day of the week, with a couple of holiday exceptions.
Give yourself a generous time window. Dinner, the tour, and dessert can easily turn into a full evening.
That pace is a feature, not a flaw. Nobody comes to Bern’s Steak House hoping to eat fast and leave.
Want a shorter visit? Early dessert-only reservations are offered between 6:00 and 6:45 p.m.
Across the street sits The Epicurean, an affiliated hotel that opened in 2013. Staying close by makes a special night feel even easier.
Big celebrations fit here beautifully. Birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations all get an extra glow in this setting.
So mark the calendar, choose your outfit, and save room for upstairs. This Florida classic rewards anyone who arrives ready to slow down and enjoy every course.