Eye of round substitutes

What to use when you can't find Eye of round at your butcher

Eye of round is the traditional name in United States. Outside that tradition, butchers carry comparable beef cuts under different names — sometimes the same anatomical piece, sometimes a close cousin. The alternatives below are grouped by country so you can match what your local butcher actually carries.

United States

Bottom roundapproximate

Both are part of the wider outside-round muscle group anatomically; eye of round is the small, cylindrical eye muscle within the silverside group, bottom round is the larger surrounding mass. UK butchery often groups them all under "silverside."

Italy

Bresaolaclose substitute

Same anatomical cut — bresaola is the cured product made from the eye of round (girello/magatello) or adjacent inside-round muscles.

United Kingdom

Topsideapproximate

Both are lean cuts from the round suited to slow roasting and thin slicing, but eye of round is more cylindrical, even leaner, and slightly tougher than top round.

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