Chop Steakhouse Toronto is a sprawling new Financial District spot where you can dine like a baller without breaking the bank.

Founded in 2006, in Edmonton, Alberta, Chop Steakhouse is now a family of 18 locations, with five restaurants in the GTA.

"From a brand perspective, Chop needed to have a flagship and it needed to be in Toronto. It kind of worked its way out to in," explains Suhani Kapadia who, along with Steve Tokos, owns Chop downtown Toronto.

"Location is so key," she adds. "You have the right location, you have the right people, you have the right food and service, you're winning. And we wanted to win. We wanted the odds to be in our favour."

Opened in early December, the glitzy new steakhouse, by DesignAgency, is a sprawling restaurant with room for hundreds of carnivores (and their peeps) across its two floors.

Divided between a richly-appointed dining room, intimate private rooms, two expansive patios and a sizeable lounge, it's cozy and warm, effervescent and vibrant, polished and suave, depending on where you land.

"Certain steakhouses, you can walk in and it's very overwhelming," says Kapadia. "Either, it's 'I don't belong here.' Or, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to be so pricey.'"

Despite the plush fabrics and glimmers of gold, the statement art pieces and extravagantly-sized booths, at Chop, she continues, the goal is to appeal to all demographics.

"We want it where a guest can come in, you know, after having run a marathon on a Sunday. Or, a guest can come in because they want to celebrate a very special celebration," she adds.

"Same thing with our menu and our pricing. Just because we're part of the Toronto zip code, we didn't want it to be, 'We're going to charge you XYZ.' We wanted it to be really affordable."

With a menu designed for diners of every ilk, Chop's includes as many non-beef options as it does prime cuts. There are dressed-up salads, birria spring rolls and wings, pastas, tofu steaks and a notable number of dishes derived from the sea.

Similarly, cocktails range from steakhouse classics, including a number of riffs on an Old Fashioned, to modern sippers, like the Tony Mendez ($18). Frothy and smooth, peppy and brisk, with Casamigos Reposado Tequila, maraschino liqueur, lemon, egg whites and toasted rosemary, the easy-sipping elixir's popularity isn't hard to understand.

From the Zero-Proof list, a lightly-sweetened Berry Shrub ($9) shot through with fiery ginger is sure to make friends with teetotalers — and their booze-loving buddies.

Then again, Chop's exclusive partnership with Moët & Chandon means that, with just a simple wave of your hand, you can nuzzle a chilled glass of straw-coloured Champagne and half a dozen oysters for a song (or, to be exact, $45).

Not interested in the bubbles? A combination of fresh-shucked PEI and Fanny Bay Oysters ($22 for six) is also available solo.

Nutritious without being dull, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad ($15) is a colourful jumble of pickled beets and arugula, roasted squash, crispy squash, pumpkin seeds and creamy blobs of mild goat cheese tied together with punchy lemon vinaigrette.

Side it with an order of Crab Cakes ($26), for a stimulating duo of starters. Tender and fat with seasoned red crab meat, the stocky little pucks are encrusted with panko and served with basil aioli for a finished dish that's satisfying and flavourful, and, yes, hard to share.

Considering the kitchen's generous portion sizes, though, sharing is key to making it through to dessert.

Perched atop a bed of wild rice pilaf and slick of tarragon-scented white wine sauce, Pistachio-Crusted Cod ($36) easily proves that the kitchen can deftly cook more than meat.

Still, Chop is a steakhouse. If tearing into an expertly-cooked slab of red meat is your final goal, you won't be disappointed.

"We use 100 per cent Canadian beef. That's something we're really proud of," says Kapadia. "We also source CRSB (Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef)," she adds. "We're committed to sustainability and we're committed to Canadian."

Cooked at 1800°F on a Montague broiler (nicknamed "Monty," by the team), steaks at Chop have "this crunchy, crispy outside and this perfect interior," says Kapadia. Of course, the beef-tallow finish and sprinkle of signature steak spice doesn't hurt.

Sided with seasonal veg and a hulkingly large loaded baked potato, a 7-ounce Filet Mignon ($49) is tender and savoury, and is a meal big enough to share. Particularly, if you opt to side it (which you should) with the team's ultra-luxe Lobster Mac & Cheese ($20).

At this point, dessert is a frill that you might not necessarily need but that you will certainly want. Especially, in the case of a nostalgia-inducing Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($13) that's moist and pillowy, its crown of fruit refined by the simple process of heat morphing sugar and butter into sticky, sweet nirvana.

At happy hour or on Saturday night, for shared starters with beer or bone-in rib eye and sumptuous sips of cabernet, Chop Steakhouse offers a surprising number of experiences.

"I don't think our competitors are doing a job as good as we are," states Kapadia. "I just know we're going to blow it out of the water and, as we continue to grow, people will really start recognizing us as the place to go for premium casual."

Chop Steakhouse is located at 181 University Avenue.