What does chophouse mean?
A chophouse is a restaurant that specializes in chops — thick single-cut portions of meat such as lamb, pork, or veal — along with steaks and other hearty, meat-centred dishes. The term dates back several centuries and originally referred to establishments where cooked chops were the signature offering, making it one of the older names for a meat-focused eatery in English. Today the word carries a distinctly traditional, even old-world connotation: chophouses are typically imagined as wood-panelled rooms with leather seating, generous portions, and a menu built around grilling rather than delicate cooking. Although largely superseded in everyday speech by 'steakhouse', the word survives prominently in the names of established restaurants, particularly in Britain and the United States, where it signals classic fare and a sense of heritage. It remains a useful, evocative term for describing a no-frills establishment devoted to well-cooked meat.
nounA restaurant that specializes in serving chops, steaks, and other cuts of meat.
- A restaurant specializing in chops, steaks, and grilled meat dishes.
"After the theatre, they stopped for dinner at an old-fashioned chophouse near the river."
"The city's oldest chophouse has been carving prime ribs at the same mahogany bar since the 1890s."
"Business deals in the 1920s were often sealed over cigars and porterhouse steaks at a downtown chophouse."
Regular plural formation; used when referring to multiple such restaurants.
"Several historic chophouses still operate within a few blocks of the old stock exchange."
Despite the shady-sounding name it shares with 'chop shops', a chophouse has never done anything illegal — unless you count grilling a truly enormous ribeye.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chophouse
The word 'chophouse' is a straightforward English compound formed from 'chop' — a cut of meat containing a rib or bone, itself derived from the verb 'to chop' meaning to cut with quick blows — combined with 'house'. It emerged in English by the early modern period to describe eating houses whose specialty was cooked chops. Its components are native Germanic-derived English words, so its closest relatives are other compounds built on 'chop' and related cutting terms, such as 'chopstick' and 'chopper'.
How chophouse is actually used
The word carries an old-fashioned, somewhat traditional or upscale connotation, often evoking dark wood, leather booths, and classic meat-and-potatoes fare. It is more common in American usage, where many historic steakhouses retain 'chophouse' in their names. The plural 'chophouses' is standard.
Easily confused with chophouse
A chophouse is a restaurant serving meat chops and steaks, whereas a chop shop is an illegal garage where stolen cars are dismantled for parts.