Charcoal still gets the final word on the steaks here.
This Virginia steakhouse has been working that way for decades, with real charcoal on the grill and prime rib holding its ground beside the rest of the menu.
The setup stays pretty old-school. Prime rib comes in two sizes, while ribeye and filet give steak eaters another direction to take dinner.
There are broader choices too, but beef is still the part that keeps pulling attention back.
Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday, so there is a little planning involved before you head out.
If real charcoal and prime rib are both on the table, what are you ordering first?
The Steakhouse Has Been Cooking With Charcoal Since 1969
New London Steakhouse has been serving the Forest area since 1969, when Bob and Shirley Hartman purchased the restaurant. More than five decades later, the restaurant continues to serve steaks, prime rib, ribs, seafood, and other dinner favorites.
Real charcoal remains part of that formula. The restaurant grills its steaks over charcoal rather than gas, a method it has used since 1969. That gives the kitchen a direct connection between the current steak menu and the cooking approach used decades ago.
The current menu reaches well beyond a single steak choice. Prime rib, ribeye, filet mignon, ribs, seafood, combination plates, chicken, pasta, sandwiches, sides, and desserts now give the table several routes through dinner.
You can keep the meal traditional with beef and a side, move toward ribs and shrimp, or start at the salad bar before deciding how large the main course should be.
That history still shows up in the food itself. Charcoal grilling and slow-roasted prime rib remain part of regular dinner service.
Slow-Roasted Prime Rib Comes In Two Current Cuts
Prime rib is offered in two sizes on the current dinner menu. The smaller cut is nine ounces, while the larger one is fourteen ounces. Both are served au jus, keeping the presentation straightforward rather than burying the beef under a long list of additions.
The size choice gives you room to plan the rest of the plate. The nine-ounce cut leaves more space for sides or dessert, while the fourteen-ounce version suits a larger appetite.
Prime rib also appears beyond the dinner cut. The Hot Steak Hoagie uses sliced prime rib with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. It comes with au jus and can be paired with horseradish sauce or mayonnaise, plus fries.
That makes prime rib useful in two very different settings on the same menu. One version keeps the classic steakhouse format, while the other folds the beef into a sandwich with vegetables and melted cheese.
If prime rib is the reason you came, decide first whether you want the traditional plated cut or the hoagie. The rest of the order becomes easier once that choice is settled.
Ribeye And Filet Mignon Keep The Steak Menu Focused
The current meat menu keeps the core steak choices easy to understand. A twelve-ounce ribeye gives you one of the larger single-steak options, while filet mignon comes in six-ounce and eight-ounce cuts.
That size range lets two diners order very different meals without leaving the steak section. A six-ounce filet creates room for a larger side selection, while a twelve-ounce ribeye puts more of the attention on the beef itself.
Charcoal cooking ties those choices together. The restaurant uses real charcoal for its steaks, so the ribeye and filet mignon share the same basic grilling approach even though the cuts differ in texture and size.
The menu also lists an eight-ounce sirloin among the current specials, adding another beef option when it is available. Because specials can change, the regular ribeye and filet selections remain the more dependable starting point.
The current menu also includes chicken tenders, grilled chicken pasta, steak tips, and a sirloin special when available, giving non-prime-rib diners additional choices.
Choose the cut before piling on extras. The side list is broad enough that it can easily turn a simple steak dinner into a much larger plate. If filet is the main attraction, a vegetable or potato may be enough.
With ribeye, the same question comes down to how much room you want to leave after the steak.
Ribs And Shrimp Turn Several Dinners Into Combination Plates
New London Steakhouse does not make you choose between steak, ribs, and seafood every time. Several current combination dinners put more than one of those categories on the same plate.
An eight-ounce ribeye can be paired with ribs or steamed shrimp. The New London Platter combines a six-ounce ribeye with barbecue ribs and steamed shrimp, while another combination pairs ribs with steamed shrimp.
That structure is useful when one main item sounds too narrow. The ribeye-and-ribs plate stays centered on meat, while ribeye with steamed shrimp adds seafood without moving away from steak. The New London Platter goes broader by putting all three together.
Pork barbecue ribs are also available as their own dinner, so you do not need a combination plate to order them. The same applies to several seafood choices elsewhere on the menu.
Before ordering the largest mix, think about what you actually want to taste more than once. A combination makes sense when variety is the goal. A single steak or rib dinner keeps the meal easier to pace.
The choices are broad without becoming complicated: steak alone, ribs alone, seafood, or one plate that connects several sections of the menu.
The Salad Bar And Side List Give The Main Course Room To Change
A fresh salad bar remains part of the current New London Steakhouse setup, giving dinner another starting point before the main course arrives. It can also steer the meal lighter when a large steak, prime rib cut, or combination plate is already doing most of the work.
The side list stretches well beyond one standard potato. Current choices include baked potato, broccoli, fries, green beans, mashed potatoes, rice, slaw, sweet potato, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, sautéed peppers, and sautéed vegetables.
Onion rings, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, and several other choices are also available, with some carrying an added charge.
That gives you room to build contrast. Prime rib with broccoli moves differently from prime rib with mashed potatoes, while ribeye with sautéed mushrooms keeps the plate centered on deeper savory flavors.
New London Steakhouse is at 4312 New London Rd, Forest, VA 24551. Dinner service begins at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
If the salad bar is part of the plan, start there and keep the first plate measured. A large steak or combination can arrive with plenty still ahead.
Seafood And The Steak Hoagie Broaden The Menu Beyond Traditional Cuts
Seafood has its own place on the current menu rather than appearing only as a small add-on to steak. Steamed shrimp, grilled shrimp, fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, oysters, crab cakes, salmon, and other seafood choices appear across the current menu.
That makes it possible to build a seafood-focused meal without ordering beef at all. It also gives a steak diner several smaller ways to add something from the seafood side.
The combination plates are the clearest bridge between the two categories. Ribeye can come with steamed shrimp, ribs can come with steamed shrimp, and the New London Platter brings ribeye, ribs, and shrimp together.
The Hot Steak Hoagie offers a different break from the traditional dinner format. Sliced prime rib is topped with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella, then served with au jus, a choice of horseradish sauce or mayonnaise, and fries.
That sandwich is useful when a full steak dinner sounds like more structure than you want. You still get prime rib, but in a format built around a handheld main rather than a plated cut.
For a table ordering several different things, this is where the menu starts to spread out. One person can stay with steak, another can choose seafood, and someone else can go straight for the hoagie.
Desserts And Five Dinner Nights Give You Room To Finish Slowly
New London Steakhouse is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Monday and Tuesday closed. Dinner service begins at 4:30 p.m. on each of those five operating days.
Dessert gives the final decision its own list. Current choices include homemade cheesecake, French silk pie, key lime pie, brownie with ice cream, chocolate sundae, vanilla ice cream, cornbread cake, and other sweets that can change with availability.
The cheesecake sits naturally beside a steakhouse meal when you want a fuller finish, while key lime pie moves in a brighter direction after prime rib or ribs. A brownie with ice cream keeps things simple and familiar.
Dinner can also end without dessert. A fourteen-ounce prime rib, ribeye combination, or New London Platter may already be enough, especially once the salad bar and sides are included.
The menu gives you several natural stopping points. Prime rib can be the whole plan, or it can share the evening with the salad bar, shrimp, ribs, sides, and dessert.
Choose the cut first, build around it carefully, and leave the final decision until the plate is nearly clear. That keeps a long steakhouse menu from turning dinner into a checklist.