We had 5 p.m. reservations for 4 on Mother's Day which we arrived 15 minutes early. Â We were seated about the time of our reservations. Â
4 Stars = Hostess Station
1 Star = Service - Took over 20 minutes for waitress to wait on us. Â Took another 30 minutes to be served - other tables that came in after us had eaten and were leaving when we were being served. Â Waitress' attitude was very rude and nasty. Â
1 Star = Quality of Food - Prime Rib was served cold - complained to manager who took our plates and microwaved the food instead of giving us fresh cuts. Â Making our food tough, dry and overcooked. Â We all had twice baked potatoes and they were frozen, not fresh made. Â No vegetables were served with the meal also.
1 Star = Out of horseradish
For the cost of our meal, I expected better service than as if I were at McDonalds. Â If I knew the manager's name, I would write him a letter and explaining everything in detail.
Went with a decent sized group prior to a Rialto concert at the end of December. Service was outstanding. Chicago steakhouse level of service. No lie.
There is no doubt, Al's Steak House is a throwback kind of joint. Brings back fond memories of supper clubs gone by, with banquette seating, dark decor...you half expect Steve and Eydie to step around the corner and burst into song at any minute.
The salad bar has shrunk from what Al's once offered, but I think most of it is house-made, not from deli tubs. I might be wrong, but the shrimp salad sure tasted fresh.
Entrees at our table ranged from beef to beef to beef, with a couple of pasta people and I think someone got fish. I had prime rib and it was done to the correct temperature and was moist, flavorful, and had just enough of that roasty prime rib fat that you eat even though you're not sure you're supposed to eat the fat. The mashed potatoes were merely OK and had me eyeing everyone else's double-baked with spud envy.
This is a fine place to enjoy a good meal in a retro environment at close to the same price point as a chain like Outback, with way more soul. Go, and commit to the experience. Have a Manhattan. Or a Grasshopper. Frank, Dean and Sammy would approve.
Maybe I am a little more nostalgic than the other reviewers, but I thought this place was great!
It's not Lonestar or Texas Roadhouse- it's better. Â You get a lot of food- and the prices are not as high as some other area steakhouses that we've been to recently. Â It seems at the chain restaurants, the prices are getting higher while the portions are getting smaller and everyone is in a rush all of the time.
Go to Al's when you want to have a nice relaxing dinner and a drink. If you want to get an overpriced piece of meat with cocktails named after celebrities in under 30 minutes- go elsewhere.
My husband and I both had the salad bar, which has a lot of variety. He had the New York Strip which was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. I had the Steak Diane, which was not- but it was the "special" that day, so I should have known better. The server was also nice and prompt.
We will definitely be back!
We ate here a few weeks ago for a rehearsal dinner, so caveat emptor - ordering off the menu as part of a regular dinner reservation may vary your experience somewhat (or not).
As noted previously, decor is 1970's Sears catalog Mediterranean: Â lots of dark, heavy wood and leather and I think I even remember metal trellises. Â Wine offerings by the glass were scary; it's no wonder the Midwest prefers beer. Â Food-wise, I may have fared better as a carnivore as I was served a frozen tilapia dinner. Â No joke. Â It was probably from the supermarket down the street. Â The fish was frozen and microwaved, as were the Birds Eye vegetable mix and Uncle Ben's success rice. Â I think canned, brined mushrooms could only have been an improvement on what I was served.
One star awarded for the rehearsal dinner - NO restaurant is at their best trying to serve 40 people simultaneously in a 250 SF room.
One star awarded for not eating red meat - most steakhouses are capable of serving a handful of perfectly acceptable options other than steak, but hey! Â I'm trying to be generous.
First visit to Al's was great..I had the Rib Eye my wife had Shrimp Scampi...both dishes were fantastic! Our waiters name escapes me however he was very knowledgeable and had impeccable timing.
I would put the Rib Eye right up there with the best I have had..the salad bar was fresh and tidy...I was impressed.
As for the decor..I would call it "throwback" steakhouse decor...dated but clean.
Every person we came in contact with from the Hostess to the Busboy were very friendly.
This place is a hidden gem!
I
This was an old school restaurant.
I had the top sirloin and salad bar and my wife had the petite filet and salad bar.
Both entrees came with sides.
Steak cooked just right.
The only negative was they had never heard of a corkage fee so they decided $20 was the price so we opted for a glass of wine each. This is not wine country.
A favorite for the geriatric set, Al's is old school fancy. Â The Sunday buffet often features a variety foods, all at the same, lukewarm temperature (regardless of mayo content), stale bread, and an inexplicably dark interior. Â However, grandma can get wine at 10am, so everyone is happy.
Review Source:I can't do anything but echo Carmella's review: everything in this restaurant is a perfect reproduction of late 70s steakhouse-- the dim lighting, dark wood paneling, the Muzak (Somewhere Over The Rainbow as a hammond organ/piano duet? Check!) the supremely depressing salad bar and aging clientele.
These sorts of places take me back to when I was a wee tot, when I was shoved into hard shoes, uncomfortable clothes and dragged to a smoky, dimly lit place without a kids menu by parents who wanted to have a nice night out. Well, Al's is all of that-- sans tobacco smoke and unpalatable food. The service was fine, the steak was decent and the salad bad (EDIT: whoops, freudian slip?) was, like I said, depressing-- iceberg lettuce, potato salad, chicken salad, beets and mushroom? Oh dear. Yeah, it IS directly out of my memories!
Take this place as a perfect example of a theme restaurant-- it's taking the 70's steak joint concept to the bitter end, but without the obvious put-on facade of a theme restaurant-- no, this isn't a "concept" put together by a marketing firm of 20 somethings looking to cash in on hipster irony, it's a perfect relic of the age of the three martini lunch.
In town, so stopped in for another try. Â Food was about the same - pretty good, nothing extraordinary. Â Very disappointing service. Â After we were seated, it took 15 minutes before anyone paid us any attention. Â We would have left, but there's not a lot of choices for steak in Joliet, so there we sat. Â Finally asked a busboy to track down our server. Â Went pretty good initially, but then we made the mistake of saying that one person needed another minute to look at the menu - she was gone for another 15 minutes. Â Had to track her down again. Â This time the owner comes over and, in his best goodfellas voice, asks us if there's a problem. Â Knowing right answer, we say no. Â Then we eat, tip well, and leave - not to return.
Review Source:No offense to any other reviewers, but seriously spekaing here, you just can't take this place seriously! Â I go to Al's for fun because eating here is what I imagine the restaurant scene from a Sinatra-Martin-Davis ratpack Ocean's Whatever movie would be like and that makes it totally unintentional kitsch. Â The food, however is decent with prices to match. Â No, it's not Morton's or Gibson's or Ruth's Chris, but it's also not the Sizzler! Â So understand what you are walking into, and then sit back, sip a martini and enjoy the outdated decor, the vintage-style salad bar and the 5-star service. Â After all, there's very few places like Al's left on the face of this earth!
Review Source:We had a terrible experience here, but I'm going to try to give a fair review given the other hit and miss reviews.
As a Canadian, we really don't have any "good" restaurants with decent salad bars - or maybe we do and I just don't know where they are. Â The salad bar gets a 3-4 star rating, with good selection and relatively fresh options.
Quick note about the mushrooms: Yes, they are terrible, and taste like they're from a can as others have mentioned. Â If you like canned mushrooms that have a light pickled/vinegar type taste, then by all means order them. Â I didn't get them on my steak, but was curious and tried a colleagues.
On to the steak. Â The second our steak was brought out, I was disappointed. Â I had ordered rare, and both sides of the steak were charred to a disgusting crisp. Â Thankfully, the steak itself was rare - why they burnt the steak is beyond me. Â Unfortunately, I was with a client and did not want to send it back for fear of appearing difficult. Â It was unfortunate, as they really did ruin what could have been a decent cut.
My last complaint with the establishment was that the room was extremely cold when we dined in January. Â Normally, I wouldn't mind this and would put an extra sweater on. Â But what it did was make the meal much worse. Â Within a few minutes, my steak was cold - as was my colleagues, and he ordered his medium.
Overall, not a good experience - but I'm not sure there is much else in the area when it comes down to finding a steak house. Â So go at your own risk. Â But I've learnt my lesson. Â If I find a restaurant with extremely varying reviews, I'll avoid it.
How does this place stay in business? Â The service is the only thing about this place that is remotely good.
If you think I'm lying, I dare you to go order the Steak Diane at this place or ask for mushrooms.
Apparently, Steak Diane= Steak with Disgusting Gravy completely covering it, and Mushrooms = Canned mushrooms on your steak.
Wow. Â Can a place get any worse?
I used to love this place. Â The steaks were good, the double baked potatoes were awesome, and I liked the salad bar. Â That was 10 years ago. Â The last two times my husband and I went to Al's, the food was not good. Â The cuts of meat were laughable and I seriously thought they put expired sour cream on my potato. Â Yuck! Â We won't be back.
Review Source:Go back in time 20 years and this place would get 4 or 5 stars. Â I like it, I have fond memories of family dinners here. Â
But it's pretty dated, life has passed it by. Â The food is good but it's just not a place I would seek out anymore. Â My wife and I like to go out to dinner on the weekends and we haven't gone here but once lately as the restaurant is so dated.
Maybe the heyday of Steakhouses is over. Â But, if you are in the Joliet area and really want a good steak and don't care about the atmosphere, go for it. Â Just don't be surprised if you feel like you should be wearing a leisure suit.
I had not been to Al's steakhouse in like twenty years! Easter brunch 1990! I missed the place! Me & Alixx were out driving around, passed by, and decided to stop in. It looks great inside this place, very warm and cozy!  I had the seafood buffet which is 18.95.  The salad bar is included with the buffet, and also for non buffet dinners.  The salad made me wanna slap my mama! I made a great salad with romaine lettuce, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, kidney beans, fresh salmon (there was a huge salmon on the salad line still in tact, you just had take your meat off of the fish!)  The dressing I chose had a pink tint to it.  Might have been orange because I think the  dim lighting was playing tricks on my eyes!  The salad was delicious!  The croutons were great!  The actual seafood line had fried shrimp, fried smelt, some kind of baked fish which was seasoned perfectly, a pasta dish with shrimp and pasta and cheese(good), BBQ ribs, another fried fish, London broil steaks, Au gratin potatoes, roasted chicken, vegetarian lasagna, and I think I am missing something else! I had everything but the steak.  I'm not really much of a red meat eater anyhow. Everything was so fresh! They also bring you a pound of crab legs!  I got down!  Ate everything on the seafood line plus peppermint ice cream & chocolate cake for desert! Check em out!
Review Source:Well, now that I have grown up I realize the Al's brunch really does SUCK. Â My god, is this my college dorm food line? Â A bunch of metal kitchen trays full of greasy food.....greasy eggs (sitting in some oily mixture), greasy bacon, greasy sausage, some type of veggie lasagna and beef something or another that you could hardly recognize. Â This brunch was absolutely TERRIBLE. Â I wish I had a camera to take pictures....this place SUCKS. Â Once all these 70-80's year olds hit the nursing home this place will surely go out of business.
Review Source:Was egged on by my parents to go with them on a Friday night since it was seafood (including crab legs) buffet night. Â The place has an old folks home clientele but, with nice exposed brick walls inside. Â The seafood wasn't anything memorable. Â There was also other premium foods like steak & barbecue ribs, which were good, but, not anything memorable. Â Next came the crab legs, which the server gives you & isn't on the buffet table. Â Now of course, you can't say anything bad about crab legs doused in butter, it didn't make the occasion perfect. Â First of all, they failed to inform us that they DON'T GIVE FREE REFILLS & we got 7 refills between the four of us. Â I'm not saying its a big deal, but I found it weird that they didn't give us those mini forks to fish out the meat in the crab legs. Â Also, they don't allow you to take your leftover crab legs home. (which is most likely to be thrown in the garbage behind the restaurant if you don't finish them) Â Bill came to about $100 for 4. Â I'll only come back with someone pushes me to go & if they pay.
Review Source:Another of my (extended) family's go-to spots for big family gatherings. Â I don't think the food is all that special, nor is the ambience, but I guess I'm comparing both to newer places in the city, which probably isn't fair. Â Not bad, it's just that it's been around forever so is legendary more based on legend than on reality. Â Kinda has that this-place-was-classy-in-1975 feel to it.
They do, however, have a pretty awesome brunch buffet on weekends, so props for that (go hungry). Â Just don't expect anything nouveau or chic, necessarily.
I grew up in Joliet. I thought that this is what steak was and that I didn't like it. In Joliet, if you want a steak you go to Al's. If you like steak that your grandfather used to make on the grill and a truly bad "homemade" dinner... go to Al's. I would definitely rather go almost anywhere else for dinner. This place is solely responsible for me not discovering how amazing a great filet mignon is until I ate at Wildfire.
Can you imagine the O-face I made after my first bite of a properly prepared and aged filet for the first time after years of eating tough, charred, Al's Steakhouse steaks? I felt cheated. How could everyone keep this secret from me? Then I realized... people that go here just don't know any better. I couldn't stay mad at them for their ignorance.
Back to the review. This place was never that great but my parents always loved it. When my dad passed away we had his funeral dinner here. My steak was so overcooked (I asked for rare) and incredibly fatty that I could hardly find any meat worth cutting off. To their credit they did give me another to go after my mom made a fuss about it. She couldn't believe what it looked like and that they would have served it to me.
The atmosphere tries to be dark and classy but they don't pull it off well. It has a cheap feeling to it like they just didn't go the extra mile. It's hard to mess up exposed brick but they managed.
Anyways, I've been here a dozen times and the only thing I was ever fond of was the salad bar. Worse, they are under new ownership since many of the reviews shown here and I can tell you without a doubt that they've went downhill from where they once were.
When I think of all the cows' lives that people waste here it keeps me up at night... crying. Â Cows want to taste delicious for you. Â Don't take that away from them.
After being born & raised in Joliet, I visited Al's for the first time the other night with a buddy from college. Â It wasn't a bad choice. Â The meals are a little pricey, but certainly reasonable for a steakhouse. Â The mushrooms are pretty weak, and I wish they had a better beer selection, but the steaks (the main reason we were there) were pretty good. Â Cooked as requested, well seasoned & tendered. Â
The service was good as well. Â After dinner, we spent some time catching up & were never felt rushed.
Dad asked my sister and I, "Where should we have Mom's funeral luncheon?" Â Mind you, my dad likes steak and restaurants he's gone to for years. Â We said, "Al's--we can have an open bar." Â He obliged. Â
Al's gave dad the bill for the excursion and he looked at Kathy and I, drunk as hell and not sobbing, and gladly signed the credit card receipt for $1,200.00. Â His daughters weren't in a heap on the floor crying. Â They were wine-soaked and calm. He would have paid double.
Thanks Al, for helping us weather the storm, making some mean manhattans in memory of Mom, and keeping our wine glasses full as we schmoozed that afternoon. Â Ya did good!
p.s. Â The food is good too....try the baked halibut....to die for!
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