A Queensland Wagyu Fillet Is the World’s Best Steak for 2026

I’m usually a ribeye person. Fat, flavor, a crust that crackles when the knife goes in. So when the World’s Best Steak for 2026 turned out to be a fillet, I paid attention.

The steak is a Senku Pure Wagyu fillet from Paradigm Foods, a Brisbane company. It took the top title at the World Steak Challenge in Amsterdam on 10 September. The same steak also won World’s Best Grain-Fed Fillet and Oceania’s Best Steak. The competition is run by William Reed, the UK publisher behind Restaurant magazine, and the full winners list is up on the World Steak Challenge site.

Two raw wagyu steaks with fine white marbling in a black tray — Raw wagyu steaks in Japan. Not Senku — just what the marbling looks like. Photo: nesnad / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Some numbers, because they matter. About 470 entries from more than 30 countries. Judged blind, raw and cooked, by a panel of around 60 meat experts. And this was Paradigm’s first time entering. First go. Top prize.

The cattle came out of Central Queensland. Adam and Hayley Rea, fourth-generation graziers at Torrens Creek, bred the animal. It was finished at Sapphire Feedlot on a grain program built for it. I like that the farm gets named. Most nights the steakhouse gets the credit and the paddock gets nothing.

Australia had a big year overall. 27 golds, second only to Ireland with 29. Jack’s Creek & Albers, another Australian name, took World’s Best Wagyu. Last year the top title went to Ireland — Lidl and Dawn Meats.

Seared fillet steak with mashed potatoes, broccoli and green beans on a white plate — Not wagyu, not the winner — but roughly my plate. Photo: PattayaPatrol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Now the opinion part. Fillet is the cut I usually skip. Tender, sure. But lean beef can taste like not much. That’s exactly where wagyu earns its price. The fat runs through the muscle, so the leanest cut on the animal finally gets flavor to go with the tenderness. A wagyu fillet makes more sense to me than a wagyu ribeye that’s so rich you tap out after a few bites.

If Canadian beef is your yardstick, the grades there go Prime, AAA, AA, A — sorted by how much marbling shows in the rib eye. A good Alberta AAA striploin is a great steak. Wagyu is a different conversation. Not better for every night. Just different.

I haven’t had this one. Yet. If I do, here’s how I’d want it. Pink inside, no blood running onto the plate. A real good crust, dark and crisp, not grey. Mashed potatoes and some greens on the side. Nothing fighting the beef.

Brown and black beef cattle on dry grass under gum trees in North Queensland — Beef cattle near Ayr, North Queensland, 1989. Not the Senku herd — just Queensland cattle country. Photo: Iraphne R. Childs / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

If you’re in Brisbane, the local press says the winning fillet is going on at Fatcow on James St in Fortitude Valley, in limited supply. I didn’t see it on their online menu yet, so call ahead before you get your hopes up. BTW, mashed potato is on their classic sides list. Good sign.

Stay tuned… if this fillet shows up on a menu near me, I’m ordering it.