Appetizer came out cold. We were in a rush so we ordered everything at once. Took more than an hour to get the entree. Waitress came to the table one time and put down a bunch a bread plates and bowl of butter but no bread. For $15 calamari you would think they'd put the sauce in a nice bowl but it came in a plastic cup. Did I mention it was cold? Anyway, by the time the food came out, we had to go bc it took forever and we were late for our next thing. Waitresses gave us attitude about having to box everything up. Don't even bother with this one, you're better off going to Culver's. read more

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. read more

Timeless, this place is a gem! Mom loved bringing her friends for birthday lunches here and every time I would come to town this would be one night out or Sunday brunch. This kind of restaurant is becoming harder and harder to find. As an example - our favorite similar to this in Santa Monica CA was replaced by a fancy chain - and did not last a year - There is no replacement once a place like this is gone. If I lived in Joliet I would make sure to be a regular! You can show up fancy or in jeans - no pretense no awkwardness. Elegant yet welcoming. read more

Al's has been around since the late 1950s and is one of two restaurants in Joliet that the "Old Guard" would classify as "nice." It's more than nice -- it's a great place to eat. The atmosphere is great. The Christmas decor added a lot. The service was very good. The salad bar is well known, and for good reason. I grew up in Joliet and was fortunate enough to go to Harvard, travel the world, see a lot of nice things, and then settle back in this area. To all you pretentious snobs who say, "Al's is good for Joliet," or "I thought Al's was good until I got out of Joliet," I say, "You can go scratch." Al's can hold its own against anybody, anywhere. Our 5-person group had the calamari, various types of meats (I had the prime rib), and dessert. We also had a bottle of wine, plus several individual drinks. I had a gin and tonic. Actually, two. The entire bill was $200. You can't beat those prices. The crowd is a little on the older side, but that's because younger people are more likely to hit the chains than go someplace with old world atmosphere. A steakhouse under the power lines might not be the first place you'd think of when you're thinking about a good steak at good prices. But you'd be remiss not to give Al's a shot. read more

Not the best salad bar in the world, but the steaks are very good and cooked to perfection. A nice departure from the high end chains read more

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. read more

Was here a few days ago for my dads 70th birthday. We were seated right away our server was right over to take our drink order. Very shortly after we got our drinks and had our order taken. The food came out quick. All the food was great. My prime rib was perfectly cooked. I would highly recommend coming here to anyone. I will be back definitely. read more

I have visited Al's Steak House a few times recently. It is a solid choice for a good meal. The decor and ambience reminds me of one of a supper club that would have been popular in years gone by. The salad bar is tops! There is something on it for everyone and full of things that you can no longer get elsewhere. The entrée selections are vast. Everyone can find something they like. Their steaks are good quality. I also noticed that they are offering some unique martini's. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars are the vegetables served with the entrée. They remind me of frozen veggies nuked at home. I wish they would get a little more creative with their veggies. How about spinach under the fish or other good and different vegetables? Oh, I don't want to forget mentioning.... they have the VERY BEST booths for a cozy, romantic, dinner date!!!! read more

Walk in and you step back in time. Cocktails before dinner along with a breadsticks basket. The wait staff is attentive and friendly. The wine menu is presented along with the special of the day menu. Great selection of wines to choose from. I have eaten here several times over the past five years and have never had a bad meal. Filet mignon (my particular favorite) is superb, prime rib is tender and cooked to perfection, steak Diane is succulent, Greek chicken is excellent. The salad bar offers enough to choose from but you really don't want to fill up there because the meal portions are large. The delicious French onion soup is a meal in itself. This is an old school 60s type restaurant which in my opinion tells you immediately the food is prepared the way it used to be. With care and detail. read more

Having driven by this place for over a year now and having read all the reviews here on Yelp, I was very excited to hear that my fiancé wanted to go here for dinner one night. Walked in on a Friday night just after 630pm with no reservation and were seated immediately. Decor is a little dated - they could probably do away with the giant flower vase in the middle of the dining room, but other than that the ambiance is great. Big red pleather booths, brick walls and iron gates mounted to the wall. Service was outstanding, and so was the food. My fiancé and I both ordered the 16oz NY strip and a twice baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Delicious all around! Also had the "death by chocolate mousse" for desert and it was truly "to die for!" Manager even came around at one point and asked us how everything was. We will be back!! read more

Al's Steak House - 16oz NY strip and twice baked potato with butter and sour cream. - Steakhouses Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

This was a rare treat in today's world. Has a really old time family restaurant feel to it with nice wooden interior and linen on the tables. The food was very good, I assumed the steaks were good so I had the Fried Chicken meal with a baked potato and salad bar. The salad bar had just a few items but they were all great, try the french dressing it was excellent. The Fried chicken was some of the best I've eaten and Ive eaten a lot of Fried Chicken. The crust was great and the portions were very large and the meat was very tender and juicy. The wait staff is also very attentive. All and all a great place to eat. read more

Please people listen to me, this place is TERRIBLE!!! I've dined here twice and the second time was worse then the first. The service is so bad I wouldn't even give it 1 star. Waited 20 minutes just to see a server, ordered an appetizer immediately and didn't receives them for another 20 minutes and they were cold. At 7 pm on a Friday the salad bar was wiped I mean empty and the only item they were replacing was the lettuce, that's it. No more salmon, pasta dishes nothing just very wet lettuce which watered down any dressing you put on it. The steaks are something you used to get at Ponderosa, a $40 dollar rib eye which was and I'm not exaggerating about 1/2 inch thick with absolutely NO flavor. The best part of the meal was the double baked potato which isn't saying much. This is not a Steak House so don't expect a good steak. Stay away from this place read more

Great place to get a steak in Joliet. Sunday brunch you get to see the "important" people in Joliet.

After being born & raised in Joliet, I visited Al's for the first time the other night with a buddy from college. It wasn't a bad choice. The meals are a little pricey, but certainly reasonable for a steakhouse. 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. Cooked as requested, well seasoned & tendered. The service was good as well. After dinner, we spent some time catching up & were never felt rushed. read more

Don't judge this book by its cover. The outside looks run down, but it is beautiful inside. The food was amazing. We ordered the Ribeye steak with twice baked potato the steak was cooked perfectly and the baked potato was delicious. They have a full bar for drink selections, and a nice salad bar. We will definitely visit here again. read more

Al's Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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Very nice service and reasonably priced. The soup, cold slaw, and steak sauce had the appearance and flavors of being purchased rather than made by the restaurant. Rolls served individually wrapped in tin foil did not enhance their quality. read more

Nice ambiance, but pricey steaks that just aren't worth it. Improvement could be made if the steaks were seasoned. I got the filet, husband got porterhouse. Neither had any flavor. Management was sitting behind our table using profanity with our kids at the table. read more

Please be advised Do not go here!! Back in the day outstanding but that's been many many years ago. So overpriced 4 people couple of cocktails I had the 18 dollar famous Al's fried chicken what a mistake!!! anyway over 300.00 WTF . Their chicken was the worst chicken i ever had took home for the cats it's a damn shame!! Never again read more

Was disao=ppointed because there was no salad bar althogh one could order a salad. The double baked potato was not as warm as could be. The bill was somewhat expensive ($96.00 for petite filet and rib eye). There a was no vegetable offered. In the long run, it was far to expensive for what we actully received. It will be better when the covirus eventually dies down. The creame chicken and rice soup was ok--but could have been warmer. It was at 4:30 pm Sunday May 23, 2021. It was our 57th anniversary. read more

Was our Daughter's first Mother's Day and wanted to make it special and planned early since she had a new baby, we made reservations about five weeks ahead. When we got there the waiting area was shoulder to shoulder and our 4pm reservations turned into 5:15 which I understood you can't make people rush and leave so it is what it is. But then we get seated and it took about another 15 minutes before anyone even stopped at our table and when she did she said just give me two minutes. Well at least another 10 or more went by ( I think I am being nice time wise) then when she came back I totally felt like she was rushing us! Not even pleasant, just something to drink? Ready to order? We are out of twice baked....I said well so what are our choices and she said you get baked then took order and walked away. My son in law wanted his soup to bring home (which we didn't get) took long time to finally get our drinks, everyone around us got bread, we never did. When the food came I was so disappointed, my steak had absolutely no flavor and it was so tough, it was a ribeye and should of had plenty of flavor and not been tough! I was a server and I understand busy but I watched all around and it seemed like we were just always forgotten. I never even got a chance to ask for bread she would drop and go. We asked for a refill on drinks and they never came either. This was my first time there and I was really excited because my daughter and husband had been there before but for $200.00 plus tip I can think of other places to eat for less and better steaks and service. read more

Went here for a steak dinner. Baked potato seemed frozen and reheated which is gross. Should be freshly made. Vegetables were bland and greasy. Soup was decent I ordered the tortilla soup, definitely not made that day. Fries were cooked well but also seemed frozen not fresh. I ordered a 6oz filet mignon. Worst steak I have ever had in my life. Was smaller than 6oz I ordered medium rare. I received a well done steak. It was like a thin hockey puck. Very hard and almost no flavor. Bill costed over 100 dollars and for what?! I could have had a better meal at McDonald's for cheap. I was incredibly displeased with my entire meal. The waiter was over attentive and checked on our table way to much. He watched us constantly, made me very uncomfortable. Hovering over me when I was looking at the drink menu and was way too handsy with me. Overall this steak house is terrible. I wish I could put negative stars for this place! If you're considering going please save your money. It's an absolute joke. read more

Service and food were very good. We had a birthday last September and they have an awesome candle, it looks like a Roman Candle or huge sparkler. This made the birthday dinner even more special. read more

My fiancé took me and my mother to Al's steakhouse for Easter Sunday 2018 brunch it was very very disappointing very overpriced & the buffet was very small we were very upset not impressed at all just paying for what the name Al's it was garbage!!! He was pissed to pay $26.99 for each of us!!!! We would've done better and had way more to choose from across the street at Golden Corral!!! We really thought there would be more of a breakfast station with someone making omelettes or doing something I mean Golden corral does it every day of the week that's just a shame they couldn't do anything special for Easter!!!! NEVER GOING BACK!!!! read more

In the area for the weekend to get away from the city and we wanted steak. We ordered the Steak Dianne which is supposed to be steak medallions. Let's just say it tasted like a breaded steak sandwich minus the bread and smothered in brown gravy. Not even cut like medallions should be. Oh and it's supposed to be sautéed with onions and mushrooms. Didn't see one on either plate. Almost $25 a plate and didn't come with vegetables. Only got a choice of soup or salad with a potato. I got the soup which was chicken and rice. There was no chicken or rice, just broth and vegetables. $50 for what? The best thing about this place was the double baked potato. Other then that I definitely wasted my money here and wouldn't recommend it at all. read more

I love this place. Nothing makes me happier than an old school salad bar with all the good fixings! Was just there again today, had an amazing waitress and the food was excellent. My husband had the filet. And I had king crab legs, and I'm a huge fan when they are split open for you already. I recommend Al's! read more

We hosted a luncheon of about 60 people at Al's this Friday following funeral services for my father. Everyone at Al's did a wonderful job. The food was excellent and the service was exceptional throughout. Many thanks to George and his team for their personal attention. I'd highly recommend Al's for your your next gathering. read more

Wait time 1 hour or more when told 20 minutes. First time there and will never return! Everyone was super nice but, food was so cold when it came and the double baked potatoe they drained it in butter and sour cream. My husband had the chicken with greek potatoes and they gave him half of a potatpe wedge and said they ran out of potatoes then came and said they didnt have double baked so we sat with our even colder food waiting for our rice but the waitress came back and said ooohhh we do have double baked so here they are. Never in the menu did it state that it was a loaded baked potatoe because if it was in the menu, my husband would not have ordered it because he doesn't eat pork. After i found a piece of dry bacon bit i stopped eating it and told my husband to immediately stop eating it because it had pork in it. When i told waitress she didn't apologize but rather said aweeeeeee would you like a different potatoe? No! My busband was already upset because he ate pork an doesnt eat it because the smallest amount will make him very sick. My husband asked for the bill sp we could go. She never even deducted the potatoe. The owner came around and asked us how everything was and we explained to him that on the menu it doesnt have that the potatoe is loaded and that in many places we have had double baked but never with bacon. His response was we are known for the double baked but we cant put every single ingredient on menu. Sorry about that and walked away. Never intended to give a crap or return our money when he saw mu husband and i stopped eating after that because our food was all on table. Again, everyone nice but they don't care if a customer says THEY DON'T EAT PORK AND BECAUSE IT'S NOT ON MENU THAT IT IS LOADED WE ORDERED IT AND NOW HES SICK! He came home and was very sick throwing up and using bathroom like no tomorrow! read more

Another of my (extended) family's go-to spots for big family gatherings. 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. Not bad, it's just that it's been around forever so is legendary more based on legend than on reality. 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). Just don't expect anything nouveau or chic, necessarily. read more

I went to Als with my beautiful girlfriend to celebrate our anniversary. Had an amazing steak dinner and drinks. Beautiful establishment and our waitress was fantastic. Found out the next day, one of the busboys slipped my girlfriend his phone number!!! I will be speaking with management on Monday!! She was so embarrassed!!! read more

Went for Sunday brunch. Food was the best buffet food I've ever had. I would go back again. Also, extremely affordable given the type of food they have on the buffet. Only downside is that the prime rib was sub par. It was very tough. Everything else, amazing! Will definitely be back!! read more

One of the best places around to get the best steak! Staff is great and so are the adult beverages!

The outside building is not very pleasing. I was worried we picked wrong place. But we went in anyway. The steak was good, steak salad was good too. The service was great in the beginning, but soon it got more crowded, we didn't get our drinks refilled. read more

Horrible service, old outdated everything, food is mediocre at best and yet still overpriced.

I think the only thing that keeps this place going is nostalgia. Easter brunch was awful....that is unless you like cold turkey and gravy, cold steamed veggies soaking in water, almost raw prime rib, and some of the nastiest ribs on earth.....that were also cold. The bloody mary was so watered down that it had absolutely no flavor. Not even tomato. Turned that wreck away pretty darn quick. Nothing "kid friendly" except mashed potatoes, donuts, cookies, and jello. Baffled on how there isn't even bread or rolls available. read more

First time visit last night. Seen it fir past 30 years and finally went. I should have gone sooner, was very good. It was traditional steakhouse but the staff cared about quality control which isn't seen often. Had the prime rib which was delicious and not fatty or tough. The stuffed mushrooms were huge and great. After my Dinner I knew I'd be back. read more

The steak Diane is pretty gross. Covered in a wine sauce that has a consistency of a gravy. My experience with this place is close but not quite. The wait staff was nice however. My wine glass was dirty and she replaced it immediately. All in all I would never come back. The gnats flying around my food sealed the deal on coming back. I can see it's appeal to the older generations though. read more

A trip back in time. Al's is locked sometime in the past. Something that cannot be achieved when trying. As you walk in you are greeted by a smile, an expansive dining area, and dim lighting. I went to the bar which was fancy, yet small. Liquor bottles adorned shelves up above with small lights. The bartender was chatty and friendly. She immediately set a linen napkin on the bar in front of me and got me a glass of ice water and real silverware with another linen napkin. The menu was expansive which makes sense for the crowd this place probably attracts. I first ordered a gin and tonic which was mixed well. Next up was my entree order. Prime rib cooked medium, a twice baked potato (no shame), and salad bar. Yes a salad bar. The salad bar wasn't too big, normal ingredients to make a house salad and some pasta salads, beans, etc. The dressings were the cheapest forms of each, French, Golden Italian, Ranch, and a Vinaigrette.The prime rib, was really good, not the best I've had, but top notch. The potato was a twice baked potato, not much to screw up there. Overall I really did like the place. Sure it wasn't some hip new restaurant with a cool chef and a small menu. What it did have was a comfortable vibe, good food, and nice people. read more

Omg I am kicking myself that we've waited years to eat here!! Starting with the calamari appetizer; it was so flavorful and plentiful and came with a delicious horseradish cocktail sauce. Their salad bar was a great variety and almost too filling. Then... The prime rib came. It was so juicy and flavorful and the A Jus was the best and the prime rib was so tender and with the fresh horseradish, it completed the meal. We were also so pleased with our server Donna too, she was amazing and super friendly and extremely knowledgeable about where the food comes from & how it is prepared. Two thumbs up!! read more

Had appetizers last night. Clam chowder was passable, nothing you couldn't get out of a can of soup purchased at your grocery store. I also had the calamari. Other customers said to order it crispy or it wouldn't be cooked enough. I looked good when it came to my table. It was very tough and rubbery. I might as well tried to eat the rubber wheels off of my kids toy Hot Wheels car. I'm sure it wouldn't be any different and might even be more edible. This was by far the worst calamari I've ever had. I took most of it home in a doggy bag and later decided to put it down the garbage disposal. Do yourself a favor and don't even think about ordering it. read more

Wonderful dinner! Fantastic service! Great menu! Splendid cocktails! Imaginative desserts! Thank you so much for a fantastic meal and evening! read more