Sirloin vs Fillet: What’s the Difference?

This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter. It is a steak cut guide for home cooks in the United Kingdom.

Sirloin vs fillet is the classic steakhouse choice: two of the most ordered cuts on any menu, and two very different eats. The short answer is that fillet is the most tender steak you can buy, cut from a muscle that does almost no work, while sirloin is beefier, has a firmer bite and gives you more flavour for less money. Choose fillet for tenderness and texture; choose sirloin for flavour and value.

Sirloin vs Fillet: Where Each Cut Comes From

Fillet comes from the tenderloin, a long, narrow muscle that runs along the inside of the animal’s backbone. Because this muscle does almost no work during the animal’s life, it stays remarkably tender, and because there is only one tenderloin on each side, each animal yields very little of it. That scarcity is why fillet is the most expensive mainstream steak.

Sirloin comes from the loin, just behind the rib section and above the rump. In British butchery the sirloin is cut from the striploin, the same muscle the Americans call the New York strip. It works a little more than the tenderloin, so it is firmer, and it carries light marbling plus a strip of fat along one edge, which keeps it juicy as it cooks.

Sirloin vs Fillet: Full Comparison

Descriptions follow published butchery and cooking guides; individual steaks vary between butchers.

Tenderness and Flavour

Tenderness is fillet’s whole reason to exist. With almost no connective tissue and barely any fat, it cuts with the side of a fork and eats like butter. Sirloin is genuinely tender too, especially when cut thick and cooked well, but it has a firmer bite that some steak eaters prefer. If texture is your priority, fillet wins every time.

Flavour runs the other way. Fat carries flavour, so sirloin’s light marbling and fat strip give it a deeper, beefier taste than fillet’s mild leanness. This is the honest trade: fillet gives you texture without intensity, sirloin gives you intensity with a little more chew. Neither is a compromise; they simply please different diners.

How to Cook Each One

Fillet cooks fast and needs a gentle hand. A hot sear, 2 to 3 minutes per side, and a rest gives a medium rare fillet with a warm pink centre. Because it is so lean, cooking it past medium rare makes it dry, so use a thermometer and pull it early: about 52°C to 57°C for medium rare. Our rump steak cooking guide covers the searing and resting basics that apply to any steak.

Sirloin is a little more forgiving. The fat strip bastes the meat as it cooks, so it tolerates an extra minute on the heat. Sear it hard, rest it well, and it stays juicy even at medium. A medium rare sirloin is around 52°C to 57°C at the centre; medium is around 60°C to 65°C.

Which Sauces Suit Each Cut

The lean, mild fillet suits rich sauces that add the depth the meat lacks: béarnaise, mushroom sauce and red wine jus are the classics. Our guide to the best sauce for fillet steak ranks the top five. Sirloin takes the full steakhouse range, from creamy peppercorn to Diane, thanks to its balanced flavour. See our guide to the best sauce for sirloin steak for the pairings that suit it best.

Which Should You Buy?

Buy fillet for a special occasion or for a diner who values texture above everything: a birthday dinner, an anniversary, a treat for yourself. It is the showpiece cut, and its price reflects that.

Buy sirloin when you want a great steak dinner without the fillet price tag. It feeds a family or a crowd for far less money per kilo, and many experienced steak eaters pick it over fillet for the flavour. For a weeknight steak that still feels like a treat, sirloin is hard to beat.

If you would rather skip the cooking, our Miller and Carter main menu guide shows the steak lineup their restaurants serve.

FAQs

Is fillet more tender than sirloin?

Yes. Fillet comes from a muscle that does almost no work, so it is the most tender steak available. Sirloin is tender but has a firmer bite.

Does sirloin taste better than fillet?

Many cooks say yes, because sirloin’s light marbling and fat strip give it more beefy flavour. Fillet is milder and leaner. It comes down to whether you value flavour or texture more.

Why is fillet more expensive than sirloin?

Scarcity. Each animal yields only a small tenderloin, while sirloin is a larger, more abundant cut. High demand for the most tender steak keeps its price the highest.

Which is better for a barbecue?

Sirloin, for most people. It tolerates heat a little better and its flavour stands up to smoke and char. Fillet works on the grill too, but it needs careful timing to avoid drying out.

Cut information checked against butchery and cooking guides on 13 October 2026. This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter.