Head-to-Head · Dallas
The Charles vs Nuri
The Charles is the Design District's Italian scene; Nuri is the new Korean-American steakhouse in Uptown. Book The Charles for a night out, Nuri for a blowout.
The Verdict
The Charles is the Italian restaurant Dallas dresses up for. It sits in the Design District, a low-lit room of velvet and brass where the crowd is as much the point as the plates, and the kitchen sends out contemporary Italian: house pastas, a vodka rigatoni that rarely leaves the table, wood-grilled fish and chops. It is a scene restaurant that happens to cook well, and the bar runs late on weekends. In our review it scores 8.8 for food, 9.2 for the room and 7.5 for value, the highest atmosphere mark of this pair.
Nuri Steakhouse is the bigger swing. Opened in Uptown at 2401 Cedar Springs Road by Smoothie King's chief executive Wan Kim, it cost a reported 20 million dollars to build and pairs the Seoul chef Minji Kim, recognised by Michelin, with the executive chef Mario Hernandez. The cooking is Korean-American steakhouse: Texas Akaushi cuts, a 40-ounce porterhouse at $350, Korean-style lobster and tiered seafood towers. It is built for the expense-account blowout and the occasion that needs to land. It scores 9 for food, 8 for the room and 8 for value.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | The Charles | Nuri Steakhouse |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 8.8 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9.2 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Value | 7.5 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A buzzy night out | The CharlesThe Design District room, the bar and the crowd make it the better backdrop for a date or a group that wants to be seen. |
| Impress a client | Nuri SteakhouseThe build, the Akaushi steaks and the seafood towers make the larger statement when the meal has to do work. |
| A serious steak | Nuri SteakhouseTexas Akaushi and a 40-ounce porterhouse put it on the steakhouse map; The Charles is an Italian kitchen first. |
| Pasta and wine | The CharlesThe house pastas and the vodka rigatoni are the reason to book; Nuri's strength is the grill, not the carb course. |
| A celebration with a tab to match | Nuri SteakhouseTowers, premium cuts and a reported 20-million-dollar room are built for the blowout, and the bill will reflect it. |
Price and How to Book
Both sit at the top of Dallas pricing, but they spend differently. Nuri is the steakhouse blowout: a 40-ounce porterhouse alone is $350, and a table working through towers and premium cuts climbs fast. The Charles is a la carte Italian, where a couple of pastas, a shared main and wine keep the bill lower while the room does the heavy lifting. Read the The Charles review and the Nuri Steakhouse review in full, and see both in the Dallas dining guide.
Booking is easier at The Charles, which takes weekend reservations a couple of weeks out, than at Nuri, where the newest big room in town runs prime-time waitlists. For cuisine context, weigh Nuri against the best steakhouses worldwide and The Charles against the best Italian restaurants. For occasion fit, see our picks to impress clients and for a first date. More steak match-ups sit on the compare index, including 4 Charles Prime Rib vs Peter Luger and Gene and Georgetti vs RPM Steak.