Al's Statehouse on the Landing in St. Louis just celebrated 100 years -- and you feel every bit of that history in the best way. What started as a sugar mill factory, then became a deli, has grown into this old-world, time-capsule of a fine dining spot. The ambience feels like you've stepped onto an early 1900s steamship -- rich wood, fascinating early American artwork, massive oversized chairs (low to the ground, but honestly perfect if you like a roomy throne). Pam, the only daughter carrying on the family legacy, is fascinating. You can tell this place means something. And the bold move? No written menu with prices. It's part mystery, part adventure. (We had a $150 gift card... so we'll see how brave we really are.) Bonus: the Museum connected through the bar adds even more character. There's art everywhere -- the kind of place that makes you wonder what stories these walls could tell. Mafia? Politicians? A few dramatic breakups? Who knows. It's a little hard to find, the area gets quiet late at night, and by 10:30 you might wonder if you're the last people left on the Landing -- but that just adds to the intrigue.If you think you've "done" St. Louis, think again. This place is an experience. Here's to another 100 years. read more

Al's Steak House - Main dining room- 2/13/26 - Steakhouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Do not come here ever. ALs is a complete. S*** show. We came for V-Day and let me tell you.. 1) they wanted a $100 deposit via credit card. 2) you get to an empty restaurant and they ask you if you have a reservation. 3) the wait staff is rude as heck. 4) they have no menu, so everything is verbal. No pricing out loud. 5) the drinks tasted old as in the wine. It was vinegar tasting. I was given a drink without asking for it. 6) literally no one asking me how I like things or if I want anything. 7) they added 20% gratuity automatically! 8) a couple tried to leave and they were told they would be charged a $50 fee ! That's their policy! I am appalled. Do not come here. Their food is likely to make me sick. So sorry to come here. What a shame with this historical building. read more

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So this was an interesting experience. Our waiter Bob seemed to be the only one working there. There was a couple, a single and our table of four. We got there at our reservation time of 6:30. Bob said he has worked at Al's for 45 years. The ambience is nice but strange. Bob said it would be a long night and boy was he right. 3.5 hours later we paid our $350 per couple without desert and got the hell out of there. The food was actually pretty good, but you would expect that for the prices. So be prepared for spending money and having a long evening if you go to Al's. The tip was gratuitous included by bob, but at least he let us know it. read more

This restaurant should NOT have these negative reviews. There's truly a miscommunication. Know before you go... Al's is a historic gem that we need to appreciate in our community. Al's is not for everyone. It can't be changed inside or outside because it's on the STL Historic Landmark list so it is old, dark and nostalgic. There is NO menu. The servers explain what is available for courses 1-6. This is a table side, fine dining, top of the line food restaurant. It is expensive. Men must wear a jacket. It's old school. The servers have been there 40 plus years. Al's opened in 1925 so it's almost 100 years old! There are 130 historic landmarks in St. Louis. The Eads Bridge is #1 and Al's restaurant is #130. Frank Sinatra had his own table. Henry Fonda had a table. The list goes on. This spot is right on the riverfront and frequented by passengers via the river before the use of highways. Al's is the only restaurant to ever win an Emmy Award under the documentary category. It's the oldest family owned restaurant in the same location in STL. It's in its only 3rd and 4th generation of ownership. I had the lobster bisque, table aside Caesar, Chilean Seabass, Al's Potatoes and Broccoli! All was delicious. #stlouispescatarianapproved Stop in and see my new buddy Gary. He's a peach. read more

Al's Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Someone referred us to this restaurant but they must have eaten there years ago when there were different owners because they described it as fun especially on a game day, casual for dress, great bar and good food. The food was good but the experience was....weird...so much that I can't explain it. We were the only ones there and apparently they only ever take 10 people on any given night. Not 10 tables, 10 people which makes for an awkward night especially if you are the only ones in the entire place like we were. Food was decent but this is a one and done experience for us. Don't go expecting to sit at the bar for a drink--apparently they only open it for bigger names. Read the reviews -- no one is exaggerating. read more

100 year old formal restaurant with a made to order menu and table service, located just north of Lacledes Landing near the St Louis riverfront. Service, and food is "old school" formal with historic decor that is a stand out. If you want a different experience at a $cost$, this is your place. The food is good and you will feel taken care of. Recommend read more

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Expected a true "old school" elegant dining experience. Instead greeted by empty restaurant (told immediately they only seat a total of "10 people" nightly.) The maître D, who was a complete name dropper and quite argumentative, tried telling the history of the restaurant and the fact of who sat where(Frank Sinatra and Henry Fonda). He rattled off the menu and took our drink order. We were told "6 course menu", drinks being the first course. We ordered escargot and lobster bisque. I will say escargot was delicious but lobster bisque was a small bite of lobster and flavorless creamy broth. Second round of drinks (dirty martini and cosmopolitan) were not acceptable. Upon telling the maitre D that drinks "tasted off", we were told they would remake the drinks but I had to get up to watch them make the drinks. I declined and said just please remake them(one sip out of each) he continued to tell me I should get up and watch them being made. Again, I declined and just requested them to be remade. Our guest at our table said "she has her own restaurant and knows her drinks". He asked me where and he said "out of her home". He questioned how I could have a restaurant out of my home and how did i pass my test. I promptly told him I have a family that I feed routinely and that's how I passed my test. He was quite argumentative and not accommodating to the request. Drinks finally remade and better. (3 dirty martinis (Tito's) 3 cosmopolitans $112 total) Salad was "3rd course"; expect iceberg and Al's 100 year old recipe of white wine vinegar with oil, no fresh ground pepper offered ($8/salad). Entree was the most enticing part of menu: lamb chops Ettinger ($50)were delicious, beef Romano ($57/serving) was very good, beef filet ($57), strip steak ($67) was average. Side course of twice baked potato was 7/10 ($16/potato), steamed asparagus was bland($11/serving) While we were eating the remaining 6 people to meet the 10 people quota. He told us one was NASCAR driver in town. (again, name dropper and totally inappropriate to mention fellow private diners). We happily accepted the tab to be done with the experience. Needless to say if you want a private dining experience this is your place with a maitre d who needs to retire(yes, I'm being polite). Save your money for 2 more logically priced, better atmosphere, better food! Love nostalgia but it's time this place goes into the history books...thanks for the memorable birthday! read more

f I could give this place less than 1 star I would. It was our wedding anniversary; we had reservations and the evening started out great. As soon as we arrived on the parking lot of Al's it started to go down hill. The parking lot is not secured, dark, gravel surface, limited and we saw a few unhoused and what looked to be a man and a child living in a car. We get inside the restaurant to not be greeted by anyone. A waiter from across the room said have a seat anywhere, we'll be with you. Needless to say there was one other table there of what looked like a business dinner. The same waiter comes over with less than a nice welcoming greeting and asked to take our order. We ordered drinks to start, (disastrous). The same waiter also made our old fashioned, which was horrible. It tasted like a blended fruit drink and looked like one as well. You can see the bubbles in the photo. I asked him did I hear a blender making these drinks, of course he lied and said no. We didn't finish it. We ordered appetizers that were equally horrible. My husband ordered Cajun shrimp that was simply shrimp cocktail. I ordered lobster bisque, which was microwaved canned soup. No lobster and no taste. You can see the skim on the top. At this point we had enough and were ready to leave. We told the waiter the food was horrible and we were not having dinner. He proceeded to argue with me and said we'll have to charge you a no entree fee. We argued back, he called the owner; which was no help at all. At this point to, salvage the evening; we said just give us the check. We'll go somewhere else to continue our celebration. Although this place has been around for the number of years as they have; it's time for them to close up shop. The place was a complete dive. The decor dated from the 60's and the 1 wait staff was not what he might have been 40 years ago. They charge the "no entree fee" as I'm sure their business must be slow and or customers just don't hang around to be treated horribly in addition to eating the tasteless, microwaved, dated and poor quality food. I have no doubt they make most of the money the same way the gouged us for ours and to boot the lousy POS had the nerve to charge us a 20% gratuity. We paid the check, left and went to a much better establishment to enjoy the rest of our anniversary. Please Please Please DO NOT GO TO THE PLACE!!! read more

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Might be 100 years old, and service shows it. Sat for 40 minutes, only got water and cold bread with spoiled butter or something. Tried ordering wine, didn't have it. Only 1 other table in place with two people, so being busy was not the reason. Charged me $201 fee for leaving because of slow service. It might be time for them to close, some places shouldn't be open if you're still living in the past. read more

For anybody that knows the wonderful service and food and atmosphere that Al's once had, know that that is gone. This is not the same place. We had a reservation for four on Friday evening and we were the only table in the restaurant. One party of two came in while we were there, but from what we could tell, they had one drink and left. There were only two people working, and I think one of them was probably the chef for the night. It was very creepy and also sad that it was just a shadow of what it once was. I would seriously reconsider checking it out. You will be sorely disappointed. I'm not sure if covid did it, but Al's for all intents and purpose is gone. read more

Food is so amazing, the staff is very sweet and love their job. The pictures dont do this place justice because it's beautiful. I'm here on a Saturday night and there are only three full tables and an empty bar- please check this place out and their eight minute documentary read more

Al's Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I feel obligated to warn people before they go because it's an expensive meal that leaves you feeling deceived and taken advantage of. While the food wasn't bad overall, it doesn't stand up against any of the best steakhouses around St. Louis. The house special, Beef Romano, is not good though, steer clear. Way too much mozzarella cheese and the breading not being cooked, made it standout as amateurish. Everything else was good, but not standout good. It took just over three hours to get through the meal and get the check, while we were one of three tables in the place the day before Valentine's Day, Friday at 6pm. We were never asked for another drink after the first round. They did fill the water and poured more wine for the person drinking the wine. We thought it was closed pulling up to no cars. The spin was they take limited reservations and talk of the Emmy, but afterwards it felt like a cover story to keep the price high to makeup for the lack of patronage. Great history and I wish I could have experienced it during their heyday. My wife and I don't mind an expensive meal and experience, but $900 for Al's was not worth it. read more

Rude staff Lady on the phone lied to us. Said she wasn't onsite but could hear the rude manager in the background We arrived for our reservation at 6:30 @ 6:25 and there were 3 cars in the parking lot. Dirty dishes on the table we were sat at. Manager was loudly on the phone complaining about lack of staff and the way I was dressed. Open table had no dress code on it and the lady that confirmed the reservation didn't mention it either. I'd give 0 stars if it was an option. read more

STOP....DO NOT GO HERE. Twice baked potato was cold in the middle which tells me that it was a leftover from the night before. However, the steak cooked at table side was very Good. The sautéed mushrooms were good. The bread and butter wee so so. The chocolate cake was good. The house wine was not good at all. The owners husband who doubles as a waiter was not good at all. Acted like we were more of an inconvenience to wait on as. He does not care about the business that is very obvious. read more

We had no idea what we were walking into last night, so we were a bit freaked out at first. We were the only ones having dinner, so a little unsettling for a mom and her daughter in no mans land. Then we started to understand what a special place we found. Al's isn't for everyone, but if you want amazing food and the opportunity to support a 100 year old family business with staff that's been there longer than a lot of people have been alive, this is the place. Food is amazing and such sweet staff. Our waiter even walked my daughter and I out to our uber and waited for us to drive off before going back inside. Everyone in STL should experience this place at least once. read more

It was a step back in time. Unique in that it is still standing and giving Great service. The lobster was by far the best we ever tasted. Is it worth it $$$? It was for me read more

Food was prepared well, and as always, was delicious. Al's has always been known for its service and intimate atmosphere and did not disappoint. Some may say it's behind the times, however I enjoy the personalized service and elegant style. I much prefer this setting to the trendy, pack them in, uncomfortable seating "updates" that have taken over even some of the most well known restaurants and hotels these days. They may be enjoyable or appropriate on occasion, but replacing one with the other is a huge mistake in my view. I'll take the exquisite fine dining experience of Al's any day! read more

Great place for that special meal! Great food and service. Very attentive during our meal

We have been to Al's many times. Although the location is bad (the only standing building in a completely deserted downtown neighborhood, the food was always worth the risk. Unfortunately, this trip was the last time. First, they called in the middle of the day asking for a credit card to secure the reservation (it's fine to do that but do it through open table so it's not sketchy). Once we arrived, we were the only people in the restaurant. The host was immediately rude and we chose to leave. They still charged us as a no show. Very sad to see what this great old restaurant has become. read more

I felt compelled to write this if only to assist others avoid our situation. As others here mentioned, when we called to make a reservation we had to give a credit card to hold the reservation. We were told if we didn't show we would be charged. The other couple that we invited had to cancel. So instead of 4 we had 2. Got charged $50 per person, $100 total. I've never had that happen before so I guess I was surprised. Nonetheless, we stayed, had dinner and were told we were going to be charged for the no shows. When the bill arrived, the waiter informed us that they had added a tip for "convenience". Another $80!!! So we were charged $180 in fees for mistakenly believing this was a reputable restaurant. And the food was average. Huge disappointment. They made a big deal of explaining the history of the restaurant. I doubt it survives much longer with current management. read more

We selected this restaurant based on an internet search of St. Louis steakhouses, we neglected to read the Yelp reviews. It is as bad as all the 1-star reviews say. It was definitely a weird experience. We drove up to a building that looked abandoned with only 1 car in the adjacent parking lot. We enter a dim, stale space and see only 4 other diners in the entire area. It reminded me of my folks 1970s wood-paneled basement with fake Spanish decor. We're seated by the lone waiter who is assisted by an older man, the only two workers we ever see. The waiter is oddly formal and stilted. We all ordered different items with medium-rare steaks, but one came to the table on the rare side, mine was medium, and my husband's was leaning towards well-done. He flagged down the lone waiter (who said that the cook's been doing this for 50 years) and took my husband's plate back to the kitchen. We could hear muffled raised voices and then, "I served it immediately!..." The steak returns, now cut in half showing a barely, barely pink center and the declaration that it WAS medium-rare but the edges are more done than the center, so here you go, the steak you complained about you still get to eat, no concessions. Waaaa? After that, we really just wanted to get outta there. The food was ok, definitely not worth the unspoken price, put not even as flavorful as a Lone Star Steakhouse. And here is what we paid, so you know: lobster bisque $19.95 We just got back from Iceland. Skip this... 14 oz NY strip $59.95 Just ok, nothing special 8 oz filet Oscar $112.95 The steak was teeny at about half the size of the filet Romano (how can that be?...), but the lobster was good. 8 oz filet Romano $65.95 Ok w Marsala sauce $6.95 Ok Al's pasta $14.95 Ok Al's potato $9.50 Hard pass twice baked potato $10.95 The best thing on the table. bottle of pinot noir $38.00 4 Roses cocktail $10.95 Tip was included. Gary was our server (said the receipt). We made our reservation through OpenTable and "somehow" the reservation was cancelled after we arrived which meant we couldn't write a review on OpenTable's site. We contacted OpenTable and got it fixed. We won't return. We can't recommend. read more

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First thing, was there was no menu, the husband of the owner was our waiter and he told us the menu. This is difficult when you are trying to figure out what you want with several choices so asking him to repeat it was awkward. Second, I ordered an appetizer and the lobster bisque. I was so full from this I didn't want to order anymore food. I was then told if I didn't order an entree there would be a $50 fee for not ordering an entree!!! I then ordered something and didn't eat it. Last, no one was in the restaurant. Now I know why. read more

We walked in no one greeted us, there was a 2 top, a 6 top and 2 wait staff. We waited for a bit then a guy in a tuxedo, came out of nowhere and asked if we asked if he could take our coats. We sat there for a bit when the guy in the tuxedo started to rattle off appetizer and salad options. We both decided on the Lobster Bisque and a Al's House Salad. We each ordered a glass of wine. I believe my friend got their best house boxed Franzia. Mine was a Piesporter wine that tasted like it had been open for about two weeks. The bisque came out so hot the plate couldn't be touched, it had obviously been microwaved as evident by the curdling around the edges. There was a small nugget of lobster, smaller than a quarter in the bowl. It took a while before we could even attempt to eat it. While we were still waiting for the bisque to cool off, tuxedo guy, who we figured out was Gary the husband of the owner, comes back out with the protein portions to have us make our choice for our main course. We listened to all the choices, he never made eye contact with us and talked down into the platter. He seemed annoyed that he had bother with us, it was then this started to become really odd. I decided on the NY Strip with creamy peppercorn. My dinner companion chose the Beef Romano, Al's Signature Dish. Gary then gave us the side options, we asked if the side portions were shareable, as from our experience with these types of restaurants sometimes they can be larger portions and we didn't want to over do it. He said he wasn't sure if they were shareable size, then proceeded to start belittling us saying, you could have shared the bisque if you really wanted to. Eventually the 2 top that was there left, then the 6 top. We were the only ones left in the entire restaurant. Out comes the meal. There is no creamy peppercorn. I cut open the steak and at least it was medium. That's about the best I can say about it. They reach under the serving table and grab my dining partners main course. It looks like a blob of fried breadcrumbs on a plate and a gravy boat of Marsala sauce. We ate as much of the meal as we could, all the while talking with the wait staff about the history of the place still. Mind you, we hadn't seen Gary since he took our order for the main course of the meal. Here is where it took a dark turn. Keep in mind we've spent a lot of money and have spent a lot of time in restaurants and we never asked about pricing ONCE during this meal. Gary the owners husband, finally emerged from somewhere while we're were talking about the bill and asked how dinner was. We politely said it was ok, even though it wasn't, we just really were ready to pay and leave, but we casually questioned the market pricing for the bowl of microwaved Lobster Bisque. They charged $20 a bowl, so yes we had $40 alone in bisque. This was the only thing we mentioned. Gary went dark and aggressive. He started with how they only use cold water lobster for their lobster bisque and cold water lobster is more expensive than warm water lobster that most other restaurants use. That market price for cold water is more expensive. Knowing food pricing, my companion stated I believe your wrong about the pricing I could get a whole lobster for what you charged for the 2 bowls of bisque and then stated the obvious about the restaurant being empty. It was on for Gary. He started about how it was tough to staff the restaurant. He proceeded to go on about how Frank Sinatra's table was in the corner and how Henry Fond ate there. How Bon Jovi, Erin Brockovich, Hall and Oates all ate there. How they were the only restaurant that had an Emmy. We said an Emmy for the food? He said an Emmy for a documentary on the restaurant. (Turns out it's for an Emmy for an 8 minute spot on PBS done by a local news channel.) We asked how this was all relevant to the pricing of the bisque? He then said "Obviously you two don't know anything about fine dining. It's evident by the way you're dressed." We looked at each other in disbelief. I still really hadn't said much to this point. He kept going. I pushed away from the table said to my friend, THAT'S IT! Obviously, this guy knows nothing about us or who we are, LET'S GO! Gary, then proceeded to keep verbally assaulting me so I said F. This place I'm never coming back and headed for the door. Gary then chases me through the restaurant to the first door screaming at me that I'm banned from Al's and that I cannot ever come there again. I said why would I come back? I go out the second door he's now right behind me screaming at me still while I'm on the sidewalk trying to get to our car, I'm feeling extremely nervous, not knowing if he's going to physically assault me now so I flipped this guy off while looking forward to the parking lot and he said "Is that your IQ or your sperm count". I said I am a woman you dumbass, which he obviously knew. So not only is he an major jackwagon he also seems to homophobic. read more

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We were originally excited to eat here for the first time. Received a gift certificate and went here by recommendation from my parents who used to frequent ALs back in the 80s and 90s. It is like deja vu reading many of these negative reviews. 2 diners with 4 drinks from the bar. Mediocre, overcooked and oversalted fillet and NY Strip. "World Famous" Lobster bisque tasted like bland tomato soup with 1 small chunk of lobster. Cesar salad had way too much vinegar. Undercooked side of broccoli. Al's potatoes were pathetic. 2 sides of mushrooms with so much salt you could barely eat them. Only positive was the 3 shrimp in the shrimp cocktail were cooked correctly and the Lobster tail on the surf and turf was tender. It took 20 minutes of trying to get one of two waiters attention to get to get a second drink. Only two tables when we were seated and service was horribly slow. There were only 5 or 6 out of the 20 tables had patrons the entire 2 hours we were there and it was a Saturday evening. We would have sent our steaks back but we just wanted to get out of there by the time we were served. Besides it doe not sound like that would have worked out for us base on other peoples experience The head waiter seem more interested in showing off their Emmy then taking care of the customers. I do not give a damn about the Emmy. I want a decent meal and good service. The total crappy experience was $540 with tip. You can get a meal that is 20x as good for half the price at Ruth's Chris or Capital Grill and actually get good service. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Would have been better eating the gift certificate and dining at Ruth's Chris. If it was not so overpriced I may have given them 2 stars. If that is the best you can do just give it up. read more

Our experience was so strange and unusual that we thought it was unique, but now reading recent yelp reviews, our experience is eerily similar to other diners who posted. Terrible service and experience, the restaurant operates with a skeleton crew of 2 people and looks/feels like it is closed due to no cars, no people, and not many lights on. Showed up 45 min before reservation thinking we would sit at the bar and have a drink, bar was closed. The host/waiter seemed annoyed we had showed up early, did not make us feel welcome, and should have trusted our gut and left, but the place has clearly fallen on hard times, so wanted to follow through with our patronage. He said he could seat us but we would have to wait till he could get to us. Surveying the dining room of a 4 top and a 2 top we said sure as we were not in a hurry. Our drink order and drinks were timely, but we nearly finished the bottle of wine we ordered "with dinner" before the waiter told us the apps (no menus, no pricing) MORE THAN AN HR after we sat down. I mentioned to him wanting to order apps as we have almost finished the bottle of wine and had no food, and his response was a bit rude "you were early so that is what you get". We both ordered cocktail shrimp. Picked up first shrimp and it was warm, like it had just been cooked. Plate was chilled, checked out other shrimp which were less warm, but not cold, def not chilled. Even though the shrimps were warm on the outside, they were not fully cooked on the inside. We immediately put down the food and asked for the check. After spending close to 2 hours in the restaurant and spending over $300 on wine and shrimp we didn't eat, we left without eating dinner so that we could find a restaurant that was capable of serving us within the next hours as it was 9pm and we were hungry. The restaurant also marked our reservation likely to deter from leaving a bad review. I am sure this place was "the place" back in the day, but it has not kept with current times in terms of service level and quality of food. Strongly do not recommend. read more

My husband and I went to this restaurant on a Thursday evening. Place was empty except for one other couple. There are no menus and no prices. The server tells you what they are serving. Very slow getting food to the table. Took almost two hours to get our dinner. Our bill was outrageous. We ordered soup, an appetizer and two pasta dishes. Almost 200.00. The food was good but the place , to me, is creepy. Very dark inside. Not worth the money. read more

Al's Steak House - the dining room - Steakhouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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It was awful and abysmal in every aspect of a restaurant. Dirty silver and stemware. The waiter/bartender/owner's (Gary) tuxedo had food on it. Oh, and he was a rude heckler. Al's potatoes came out hard and cold, as if freezer burnt. My beef Romano was purple on one side and the cheese was rubbery. The Caesar salad was okay, but Gary interrupted us to do the whole tableside spiel, which was asinine. (I've made a Caesar salad before--it's not a total eclipse--we'd like to finish our conversation.) Service was so slow that dinner took 3.5 hours, and we weren't trying to extend any part of it. Coffee came out cold. He bragged about how everything they serve is the best quality in the world, and you can't get anything like it outside of Italy, and other ridiculous claims. He also told us that the wine lockers rent for a grand per month each (riiight). I don't care about that, or your Emmy. Make better food, clean dishes better, and/or be less of a bell end to your customers. I love old St. Louis nostalgia, and I don't care how sketch the area is, as long as the food is decent, which it used to be here. Now it's just exorbitantly expensive. Time to hang it up... read more

Manager was rude, no marked accessible parking. Terrible location, smells horrible outside restaurant, front door drags on broken sidewalk making it hard for a person in a wheelchair, reservation cancelation policy is a joke, the food was decent overall, my steak was overcooked and another was undercooked but the lamb chops and the lobster tails were very good as was the twice baked potato. Our two waiters were very nice and professional ( minus the manager) . This is a historic place that is unfortunately a dying relic of the past, and therefore I don't recommend it. read more

I would have given Al's a 5 star review but the owner's husband has significantly degraded the dining experience. He is either a leach at your table telling Mass Mutual stories or being rude and inflexible (e.g., one tab without exception, rushes you to order after he verbally tells you the menu, etc.). 5+ years ago this place rivaled Tony's in my personal opinion. Such a shame... P.S. they still have the best surf and turf in town read more

Al's Steak House is a treasure to behold. The history behind it is amazing. Part of the building was built in 1872. If you have a chance to go to their website, go to Living St. Louis - Al's Restaurant and view the delightful history of Al's as told to and by Paul Schankman. This piece earned this restaurant an EmmyW. That's right, an Emmy. The only restaurant to receive one and it is prominently on display. Walk into Al's and your pretty sure you have stepped back into time. The bar area in the back has a beautiful mural of a riverboat theme on the back wall. There is rich wood all around. The pictures on the wall are beautiful including one of Al with his beloved dog. Make sure they tell you the story about Frank Sinatra coming in and who sat with him at table number eight. This is the place to wear you fancy clothing. On with the food. No menus here, everything is recited by your waiter. We decided to have the lobster thermidor and no sharing, we each got our own. Lobster in the best sauce I have ever had. ake sure you save some bread so that you can mop up the sauce. When it's time to order dinner, a large tray of meat and fish is brought out and each selection is described by your waiter. A house salad or I believe a Caesar salad accompanies your dinner. The salads were just the right size and the house dressing was perfection. We each went with the filet although we chose different sizes. (I am definitely getting the rack of lamb next time.) Along with it we ordered a side of potatoes au gratin. Our steaks were cooked to perfection and the potatoes were delicious. I cannot remember what type of sauce he got with his steak but I could have eaten it like soup. Yes, we will have dessert. A piece of melt in your mouth chocolate cake that we shared which I will not do next time. Would I come back here? Yes, I already know what I am going to get. I'll catch you on the flip side. read more

Classic old-school St. Louis restaurant that the same family has owned for 93 years. Eating here makes you feel like you are in a different time period entirely. In a run down area of the city without anything around it (near an abandoned factory, the Mississippi river, and the casino). Very quiet, old-fashioned dining room attached to a very cool bar that is shaped like a boat. Amazing service. When my family and I first got there our server told us the history of the restaurant and gave us a tour of the whole space. Waiters also tell you everything that is on the menu instead of actually giving you a menu. They also display all of their cuts of meat and fish table side before you order to help you choose and prepare all of the food next to the table. The food was all fair, but the experience was like none other. It is pricey, but is a cool place for a special occasion. Apparently are known for their Chocolate soufflé, which you have to order at least a day in advance when you make your reservation, but we didn't get a chance to try it. read more

Treated poorly by staff. Charged for items that we didn't order and they refused to remove those items from the bill. Over priced food that was sub par at best. read more

My husband and I dined tonight on New Year's Eve. We were extremely underwhelmed. We thought this would be a top notch steak house based on the reviews. I think a lot of people are trying to protect this St Louis icon. We got there about 50 minutes early so that we could have a cocktail in the bar before dinner. The bar area had amazing ambiance, but was closed! What?? And the hostess seemed frustrated that we came early. We actually got a dirty look from her. We did get seated for dinner around 5:15. There were only 2 other tables seated in the whole restaurant on New Year's Eve! We left at 6:30 and still only 3 other tables seated. Something seemed very off! I was frustrated that there was no menu and no prices. Really?? Our filet and lobster was $112 per person. I'm prepared to pay for a nice steak dinner, but let your customers know the prices. And don't make them feel guilty for asking. Salads and sides were all extra. The salad dressings were very bland (ranch and house ordered). Our $400 dinner for 2 people was so disappointing. I've had so much better for way less. Definitely do not recommend. I hope they turn this restaurant around. The inside atmosphere was amazing and I imagine that it was wonderful back in the day! read more

This was the finest meal we have ever eaten. Everything was cooked to perfection from the steaks to the lobster. People in our party also had fish that was melt in your mouth fabulous. The shrimp cocktail had colossal size shrimp that were unbelievably great. Every dish is custom made to your desired specification. All sauces are delectable handed down from the generations. Must try Al's potatoes, the lobster bisque and Bananas Foster. Our server was premier, giving service like we have never had before. Every need was anticipated. She was so patient and kind. Take time to look at the art and bar area where the rich and famous have come for 98 years. Check out their history in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iP95xeYoGig&feature=youtu.be You will not be disappointed. Their wine selection was truly epic too. read more

The worst meal we have ever had! My husband and I arrived for dinner and the place was practically empty. A young woman made us a Caesar salad, which was good. After that, it was horrible. My husband couldn't cut his steak and it was flavorless. My pasta was so overcooked and also flavorless. Even my Chardonnay was awful. We spent over $250 and left everything on our plates. read more

Buyer beware! I don't normally leave reviews these days because I know how hard times are for restaurants with staffing problems, but for this one I had to put the experience we had out here for others to read and make their own decisions. We were 45 minutes early and thought we'd pop in and enjoy a drink at the bar. As we walked up we saw 5 cars in the lot, that was our first clue that this would be an experience! We walked in along with another couple with their kid, maybe we were just the start of the rush? We peeked in the bar, an old time dinning boat themed decor, but with no lights on and nobody manning the bar...2nd clue this was going to be a strange experience. We were greeted by the hostess, and we told her we were early for our 6pm reservations so we thought we'd sit at the bar and have a drink to wait for our reservation time if they were not able to take us early. At this point the hostess seemed as if she was a deer in the headlights, not knowing how to answer us. She finally said she could make us drinks, or find a table to seat us. Looking at the 20+ tables we saw 2 taken, and the rest empty. But what do we know, maybe they had a rush coming at 5:30? She seated us at a table basically next to the couple we walked in with, leaving about 15 other table empty between our table and the other table that had patrons. The waitress came rather quickly and took our drink order in a very timely manner. That's when we told there was no printed menu, everything was done verbally one course at a time. We thought it was a new experience, so we sat back figuring we would walk out later with full bellies and a good experience to speak of. Well, we did walk out with full bellies, but we also walked out feeling like we were in the twilight zone. The steak was good, not great. The salads and dressings left a lot to be desired, and in the end the thought of having a verbal menus being a new experience....that experience turned out to be an experience of being overcharged without knowing it until the bill came. I've had surf & turf plenty of times in fine steakhouses in Chicago, San Antonio, Evergreen Colorado, and a few other places, but I have never paid $113 for it, and all of the other ones had a wow factor to their steaks, but not this one. As we settled the bill I asked the guy in the tux if business was always slow, to which he responded "we are totally booked tonight". We left the restaurant at 6:30....the 2 other tables that had patrons at them were wrapping up their meals and one other table was beginning their drink orders....16 other tables remained empty. Did I leave out the part that when we made reservations they told us they were booked but they would take our number and call us if an opening came up...let me reiterate, we got there at 5:15, there was us and 2 other tables from 5:00 until 6:30, we walked out at 6:30 and one other table just showed up....and as we walked out we saw zero other people coming! All I can say is that it was an experience we would not want to repeat, EVER! read more

We tried Al's for the first time for our anniversary. Set a reservation for 7 pm and we arrived early to have a drink at the bar, which we had been told was worth seeing. Due to COVID restrictions, the staff is greatly reduced (1 chef, 1 server, 1 bus person) and unfortunately the bar is closed because they don't have the capacity to sanitize after each patron. They did seat us early and did not rush us to start dinner. The food was excellent. The service was good. A very quiet old school atmosphere. It's worth reading their website about their history and decor. Sharing this review particularly for menu cost as it's difficult to find the information. The entire menu is a la carte with typical meat and seafood offerings. For a party of 2 our bill was ~$260. We had a 4 course dinner, 2 drinks, a bottle of wine and they comped our dessert for our celebration. Side note, they did have a bordeaux from France on the wine list for $4,950. Most bottles were between $45 and $150. read more

Al's Steak House - Receipt from Al's - Steakhouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Six of us dine out frequently together, mostly at St. Louis' better restaurants. Four of us had dined at Al's in the past and while it is not known as the best restaurant in St. Louis, it was always good. What we encountered last night was so bad, it is almost hard to believe anyone reading this is going to think it is the truth. Setting the table for this review, you should know that all but one St. Louis restaurant (Frank Papa's) allows customers to bring their own wine and all charge corkage fees ranging from $10 to $50 per bottle. Each couple in our group collects wine and we have extensive wine cellars with wines not found on any wine lists. We have dined at Al's in the past and always brought in wine. After we were seated our tuxedo-ed waiter greeted us warmly. Seeing the bottle of wine each couple brought, he proceeded to inform us of some new "rules" at Al's. Number one, guests may not bring wine and number two, one check per table (this was curious as no one had inquired about separate checks). We asked that, since this was our first visit since the new "rules" went into effect, that we be allowed to open our wine and pay corkage, as has been the practice when we have dined there during the previous 30 years. He let us know the request was reasonable and he would ask the owner. He came back minutes later to tell us the owner said no to our request. We politely informed him we did not wish to dine there under those conditions, and we left. We appreciated the fact he told us he did not blame us and that we were not the first to do this. We took our business and what would have been a $700 plus check including tax, tip and corkage and went down the street to Tony's, where we had an excellent meal, fun time and gladly paid the $35 corkage for wine (and spent our $732 there instead). I wish I had a business as successful as Al's where they allow long time seated customers to walk out the door without giving it a second thought. Oh, did I mention that when we walked out the door at about 7:30 p.m. there were exactly two tables of guests remaining... one table of two and one of four. That meant they let half of that night's business walk out the door in order to prove who is the boss of the restaurant. Not the customer, but the owner, who never even bothered to come to our table to discuss this with us and try to salvage our business. Not only did we not dine at Al's last night, we will never go there again. We all know that we will end up describing this experience numerous times to friends and relatives over the coming months. We had heard the restaurant was under new ownership and that there were complaints about how guests are now treated. Now that we experienced this first-hand, we can only suggest that if you are looking for a dining experience, similar to the "old Al's", where you are welcomed as a guest, try Tony's or Dominic's, where the food will certainly be better, and you will be treated as a valued customer and guest. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! This place needs to retire. It's hanging on it's last threads. They don't do Caesar salad any more, just a basic salad you make at home. Trust me it's worst than a salad that you can make at home. Got the lobster. Not very big- cost $105.00. Oh and you don't know that until you get the bill. The atmosphere is like being in a funeral parlor, with pop music playing in background ( literally). The wine pours are like five sips. The backed potato they are supposedly famous for, was salty as hell and was inedible. We dropped over $300 for the two of us. I've never felt so robbed. read more

Very strange experience and concerning. Arrived for our reservation and only two cars in parking lot. Man walked out and said they were open to come in in. There restaurant was very dark with two other patrons. The host was also the server and bartender. His tuxedo was ragged and white shirt was terribly. He have us no prices on anything. We ordered a glass of wine and decided we did not want to stay. We apologized that it was not what we expected and would be leaving. That's when it got a little scary. The man got very aggressive and told us we owed $100 - $50 each. He raised his voice and threw insults at us. He ripped the cash we were using to pay for the wine out of my husbands sand and followed us out of the place telling us he would sue us among other things. So bizarre. As I look at other reviews others have had similar experiences with the restaurant and the same man. So thankful we left. This restaurant should be shut down. read more