This is not the Brass Door I remember. The food was tepid, the drinks wrong and the fish and chips came without both the balsamic and the Cole slaw. The waiter who seemed not interested finally brought the Cole slaw after the fish and chips were done. The balsamic never made it. The king burger was cold and without most of the listed ingredients. What a shame. Used to love this spot. Had heard the new owners were changing things. Guess they did. Bye bye Brass Door. read more

Had liver and onions with silky mashed potatoes and crisp tender green beans. Loved the perfectly sauteed onions but wish they were a bit more generous with the portion size. Had to ration the onion so I had some with each bite of the meat. Also wished they gave me more of the pan sauce. Mom had the fried chicken which she enjoyed. She liked the complimentary basket of hot buttered bread more than the biscuit that came with the chicken. We shared the molten chocolate cake. It was a mini bundt cake with lots of hot dark chocolate sauce poured into the center well. The cake was moist and chocolatey, maybe a Devil's Food cake. Not too sweet. We both loved it. The dining room reminded me of the 70's, like if Carol and Mike turned the Brady house into a restaurant after the kids moved out. Maybe that's why the place was hopping at 5:30pm on a Friday night with grandpas in sport coats and grandmas in pearls. Food was straight from an old fashioned menu, too. No fancy sous vide, essences or foams here, just hearty food that was hip decades ago. I brought my mom here for dinner and she felt right at home. PS: Came back to try their brunch this past Sunday. It was a lot quieter. Typical breakfast menu of eggs, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. They did have a prime rib hash that was intriguing. I got the eggs Benedict with crab cakes. The eggs were perfectly poached with a molten yolk that just oozed out when I cut into it. However, the Hollandaise sauce could have used lemon juice for some tartness and the crab cakes were too thick. The interior was cool and could have used a few more minutes in the pan to warm through. Mom enjoyed the blueberry pancakes. We requested the berries be cooked into the batter. The cooks kindly obliged and she got 3 huge, fluffy cakes in her short stack. She ate 2 and I polished off the third. PPS: The regular menu was also available. read more

Brass Door - Eggs Benedict with crab cakes - American Near Me - San Ramon, California

We went for a 92nd birthday party. The birthday boy loves to tell jokes. Our waiter, Jack, was perfect...laughing at all of his jokes and even telling a few of his own. He put candles on the dessert I brought and served it with glee and song!!! We couldn't have had a better waiter to celebrate!! The food was good too. read more

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This place is truly an institution. When we moved into the Tri Valley area back in the mid-70's, there were very few places for a nice meal. Except for Brass Door, we had to go all the way to Alamo or Walnut Creek for a decent meal. They were very successful until they had a disastrous fire that destroyed the place. They rebuilt and remained in the family with the son and daughter running the place up until just a year ago. They sold and retired and the new owners have not changed the menu, service or the physical facility. It looks, smell and operates about the same. Prices have gone up a bit and the food quality has come down a bit. Hence, the 2-star rating, down from 3-star before the change in ownership. The food is just OK. But, it's steady and consistent. The service is very friendly and the clientele and the servers are old timers and many know each other. The bar is a big money maker for them as it is a real drinking man's bar. There are several smaller dining rooms so they can handle various sized groups with ease. The decor is dated - looks like a place that might have been up scale back in the 50's The menu is pretty standard and runs the gamut from steaks, chops, burgers, salads and other American fare. They have some good deals on combinations of soup/salad/half a sandwich for lunches. Frankly, the place could use a face lift and a modernization of the menu and new life added to their repertoire with some modern cuisine. Jim read more

We decided to visit to celebrate a birthday and a going away dinner... and we had fond memories of eating here years before. We were not welcomed as we entered, a man just walked away and put our menus on the table no conversation or anything. We were the only ones to say thank you. After a few minutes Megan and a Liz who was in training came to our table to ask if we wanted drinks, we stayed with water. She then asked if we wanted to order as we had not even looked at our menus we asked for a few more minutes. As we waited and looked the menu over there were many different choices. When Megan returned she started asking what we wanted and we ordered three different meals, she started walking away and we asked if we could get appetizers... She said sure . And walked away. Portions were very generous: We ordered a Cobb salad to share, an order of fried mushrooms to start. A ribeye steak dinner, a seafood stuffed calamari steak and fried prawns were our main dishes. Steak was ordered medium and it arrived rare, no one came to ask if we were enjoying our meal or if anything was ok. We watched the duo help another table with far more patience and attention. And eventually they asked us if we wanted dessert... we said no thank you. We waited for to go containers( portions are still large) and eventually the check, when she tore the bank card out of my hand (my friend was going to buy but I wanted to sit because the exchange with the staff was so uncomfortable I do not want her to pay for that) and said the first card she sees pays. My friend felt insulted, and then the check was tossed on our table. We will not go back... thank you for the memories of our past experiences from long ago that made us consider eating here. read more

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. The woman who answered the phone was just angry and mean and toxic. When I told her she was being rude she insisted she wasn't rude all the while , yelling at me that she was not rude. What a joke. This is NOT a customer oriented restaurant. I never got in the door because the person who answered the phone was SO incredibly rude, I refused to step in there. And now I see that they are under relatively new ownership. What a difference that has made, as I can tell from recent reviews. I will never recommend this place to anyone. If you can't be nice to your customers, then don't have a restaurant. Do not go here if you care about being treated with basic human respect. read more

Ordered the combination crab and shrimp Louie. Expensive but while worth it, it was excellent like the Brass Door's past. A few years past, the dish was changed but now it's back. Stan Matsuba read more

Took 25 minutes to have my order taken. Then walked to the bar to request the TV be turned on as the waitress told us the bartender had the remote (Martin) to turn it on. After sitting there for 10 minutes I was not only dismissed by the bartender who took orders from many customers who approached the bar after me but once he finally asked what I needed he told me he couldn't do anything about it as there was another customer sitting at the bar blocking it. It was when I asked if I could turn it on myself that I was astounded as he replied to me by laughing and saying "I'm not giving you anything" as if I planned to steal it or something. I was astounded and disappointed. read more

Hair in spinach.. yuck and after 3 person meal plus cocktails they brought a "free pc chocolate cake" I expected better compensation considering I got someone else's hair in my mouth. I wouldn't recommend, and we will not be back. ;( sad read more

Had dinner here tonight with family in town. The food was great, we all loved it and had a great meal together. However, I wasn't expecting a restaurant nowadays to have such a overwhelming smoke smell. My clothes reek of smoke still hours later it was that bad! The old building has a lot of character inside and out, but it's in desperate need of some renovations to update it and get rid of the horrible smoke smell! read more

Went to Brass door for Thanksgiving. First time Straying away from family dinners at home on a a holiday. We walked in NO HOST. Waited about 5 min til He got back. Didn't even greet me or anyone in line behind me. This place is in organized. Picked up the phone a couple times then looked up and said he'd be back. While we're waiting for him to be a host, I ran over to my hubby at the bar. He was getting us drinks. The Chardonnay I got was gross, so I brought it back to the bar and said this is not good, id like something else. I KID YOU NOT... This bartender who shall remain nameless smelled my wine, took a fat sip, swooshed it around in his mouth and spit it back in the wine glass and tried to jokingly hand it to me. While he did this, it was dripping from his chin. Ewww!!! Covid or not. This is nasty. Finally the host speaks to us about a reservation he cannot find. The new owner came up and found it. 45 min later we are brought to a small cut out near the bar and the owner we says to us... I have a 515 reservation so... she was trying to say we need to hurry up and eat and leave. I told her we were seated 45 min later and she said I now but I have a big reservation coming in. (Our party was 14 people) ok and?? On to our waitress She was a bit eccentric, dropped the F bomb a couple times (we had 6 kids present) she forgot one thing after another. Including one of the dinner plates. I get it. It was a holiday and she may have had more than she could handle. THE FOOD : Disgusting. I had salmon and mashed potatoes with veggies. Sounds good right? Well image a small thin dry piece of salmon, potatoes tasted boxed and the veggie... peas that were so dehydrated they looked like pruned bath fingers and pearl onions. Seasoned enough for an 80 year old. ( so not at all) others at my table had different meals, hamburgers, top sirloin, prime rib. Nobody was happy with their meal. We did hear from a fellow patron at the bar, the new owner has a revolving door and is very hard to work with. Maybe a manager could be hired to save the place. I'm sorry this review is so terrible. But it was a bad experience from the start. I won't return to this establishment. read more

My co-worker had his 40-year work anniversary luncheon here. They have a function room way in the back and that function room has an even smaller function room (boardroom style) attached. The room itself was cool it held 4-5 tables, but the restaurant patrons seemed to skew a bit older. The choices for food were Prime rib Salmon Chicken cacciatore All came with the green beans and mashed potatoes, dessert was a rainbow sherbet. Prime rib was good. A solid piece of meat. Not much crust flavor but the au jus had a lot of flavor to make up for it. It was definitely a filling portion. There was also some garlic bread which reminded me how my mom would make it: loaf of bread with a lot of butter and some slight garlic flavor. If you want prime rib, I think it's a good place to try, I can speak for the rest of the menu since I was at a luncheon though. read more

I've been here twice, once for a casual dinner and another time for Mother's Day. Both times I got the ribeye and it was good! But, I remember the first time being better. I also got to try my boyfriend's prime rib and it was delicious! The food is not as amazing as HOPR, but it is solid! Service wise, I have no major complaints. Everyone I've encountered was friendly, helpful and polite. The only thing I did not like was that service was delayed both times. Lastly, I thought the restaurant was cute! It's designed and furnished in a 1950's style, so it brings about a classic and traditional feel. Atmosphere is nice and quiet, and caters more towards mature crowds. I'm docking two stars due to the inconsistency of food and delayed service. However, that won't stop me from visiting in the future! read more

Brass Door - American Near Me - San Ramon, California

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Since The Begining of time Man has Craved Red Meat its a Primal Urge. I have been craving Prime Rib for about a week and I have had the Brass Door Bookmarked for a while . So I figured I would kill 2 birds with one . I jumped into the Down Low Speedster Whip and rolled it to the Brass Door . I was able to stash me my Whip in the ample parking lot. I rolled in to the Brass Door and was Greeted and Seated . My server Jo presented me with the Menu and 2 glasses of water. A waiter dropped off some Garlic bread. I perused the Menu and ordered the Cesar Salad , Prime Rib Huntsman Style 16ooz with 3 Broiled Shrimp with Drawn Butter. My Cesar salad came first it was good. But the True Superstar was the Prime Rib and the Broiled Shrimp Both were cooked to Perfection. The Shrimp was so flavorful oh my . The Prime Rib was so tender it just melted in my mouth Yummy and Heavenly . The Creamed Spinach was excellent also as was the Risotto. This has got to be one of the Best Prime Ribs ,Ive ever had . My Server Jo was an excellent Server very attentive . She suggested the Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream Dessert . I ordered one. Jo Brought me the Dessert it looked so decadent. It was so GOOD it was Light and Airy. Just Orgasmic. Jo brought my Bill , I paid by Discover Card and Rolled out to the Whip and Rolled out. read more

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Haven't been here for years and thought we'd try it for a mid-week lunch. Let's start with getting seated in one of the dining rooms with 2 other guests who fairly soon left. No one else came in (at least to the dining room - yes to the bar and more on that later) in the hour plus we were there. The bar scene was loud and they were playing Fox News at a very loud volume. Really? In a restaurant where the bar TV is feet away? Who does that unless they are actually preferring a specific clientele. So all through lunch we listened to Fox News broadcasting the Trump trial. Not the ambiance I'm looking for doing out to lunch. I don't care what station it was, it was loud, and inappropriate for a restaurant. Moving on...the busser brought our menus, took and delivered our drink order and no one returned for over 10 minutes. The place was empty! Finally a waiter came and took our order. And we waited and waited, then he came sweeping back in about 10 minutes later confirming our order (hadn't it been placed yet?). The busser then brought our meal and a bit later the waiter - get this - came back and said, the busser wasn't used to serving and he was filling in for him (the waiter), because he was sick, his head was spinning and he should be home in bed but was waiting for a replacement server! What? Sick and he's still serving? And he kept serving in the bar! Couldn't wait to get out of there. About the food - mediocre salads....would have thought maybe some bread or crackers would be included, but no. The plus was a really good bleu cheese dressing and the busser was working really hard. Not sure how they have survived all these years unless they have a very loyal (older), clientele that they depend on. With all the options for a nice lunch out, we'll take this off our list. read more

Convenient parking. Host greets customers correctly by welcoming you to the restaurant instead of barking out "Do you have a reservation?". This positive greeting helps to begin the dining experience in a positive manner. We had steak, prime rib and liver. All of it was delicious and Server was attentive and professional. Will return many times and update the review. Menu had a wide selection with all the American favorites. Dessert was delicious. And the restaurant did not close early as is a problem all too often with Bay Area Restaurants. Highly recommended. read more

On the menu it's called "World Famous French Dip". I felt like yelling like Will Ferrell in Elf: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CUPDRnUWeBA Congrats Brass Door, you did! World Famous! A nice, low key restaurant with a full bar that serves decent all-American type food to an older crowd. As I mentioned previously they are famous for the Prime Rib sandwich and the Au Jus combo. French Dip Sandwich: (3 stars) it a generous serving of prime rib, my guess-timate is close to a pound. The bread is soft and perfect for dipping. It's served with either shoe-string fries or steak fries. I was decent, mind blowing or World Famous this sandwich wasn't but it was good. Chicken Wings: (3stars) we also ordered these which were freshly fried and piping hot when it arrives to the table served with celery, ranch, and buffalo sauce. Decent wings as well. The service was friendly and top notch. Couldn't ask for better service which is why I bump Brass Door stars from 3 to four. I would definitely return if in San Ramon. read more

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Great service, delicious prime rib! I love coming to this place! It's always bustling with people, but just one table open waiting for us . The ambiance is perfect, just dim enough lights for a date, but also great for family with kids (because it's loud full of joyous conversations) or a group dinner. We get the prime rib everytime. It always hits the spot. Very generous cut and the horseradish definitely clears your nostrils if you put too much on. Yummy! read more

Please love to go to the brass door when the old owner owned it but now it's sadly going down you gotta pay for your garlic bread they're making it because it's cheaper for them to make it certainly is terrible doesn't look like anything that you still don't know who go back to much anymore which the older owner still owned it read more

I've been going to the Brass Door for 40 years. When ownership changed so did the food. I paid $43 for a Halibut dish for LUNCH!!!! with a soda. First off the serving was less than half the size as it was a month ago, secondly I have never seen a cut of halibut less than a 1/2" thick so this flavorless dish must have been Tilapia or sole. The vegi's were steamed without even a little butter or sauce. Had to ask for lemon then tartar just to imagine some flavor. Egregiously over priced:( and I believe it was not even halibut but shame on me because it has happened before...The Cheer's atmosphere is the only reason I consider going there........ read more

Half Prime rib French dip is my favorite. $2 extra for a side salad at lunch. It's delicious! It's a little pricy, but a nice treat. So glad this place survived Covid! read more

Average American restaurant with traditional "buttery" kitchen and some bugs in a scotch. Cesar salad with shrimp turned out to be very good, however Linguini was floating in butter and Ballentine's we've ordered was soooo aged, had bugs in all tree different glasses. Service was good and fun, that's what gets it a stars. Will not be back. read more

Brass Door - Linguini (pasta with shrimp), waaaaay too buttery - American Near Me - San Ramon, California

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Some special days I drive to my husbands work and steal him for lunch. On these days I really crave a somewhat romantic environment as well as well made food and service quick enough so he can get back to work in a reasonable amount of time. Today I chose the Brass Door. We sat outside. Perfect. The inside was packed but we were alone on the shady comfy patio. (Smile) oh happy me. Our server was Susan. She was delightful. I wanted the club sandwich but hubby talked me into their lunch specials. I had sole and he had the halibut. I also had French onion soup as I can never pass up French onion soup. I also had a IPA. He had iced tea. Soup was great. Crispier bread not soggy at all and cheese oozing everywhere.. See. Pic. Hubby's halibut was in his words "outstanding". I liked my sole but was sorta full already with the beer and soup so I took most of it home. It will get eaten later. Only suggestion I would give is to maybe go lighter on the sauce over the sole.. Next time we our "special weekday lunch" we will return here so I can try the club or possibly the prime rib dip. And we will ask for Susan and if its nice sit outside again.. Ps. Both busboy and Susan made sure my husband never ran out of iced tea. And he was thirsty! read more

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So disappointed. How did this place get 4 stars? One star for seating us early. We had 11:45 a.m. reservations (Mother's Day 2016) but since there was zero traffic we got there super early. Unfortunately, we were seated at the worst table ever...right next to the kitchen. My chair was constantly bumped by their servers walking in and out of the kitchen, and at one point I got knocked in the head with a wad of butcher paper. Happy Mother's Day to me right? Not! Their food was bland. I've eaten better food at Denny's and for less too. I ordered the Calamare Almondine and it was like eating an omelet not calamari steak. Plus, it was unbelievably bland...TIP: a little salt goes a long way. The service was so bad too. Our server was so strung up that we sat there for 20-30 minutes before she even noticed we were done with our meal. The entire time she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. We could have walked out and she probably wouldn't have noticed. I was so disappointed with our Mother's Day Brunch here I couldn't wait to leave. This was the worst place we've eaten at in a while. Yelp failed us this time. read more

Brass Door - Calamare Almondine. Too much egg, not enough salt. - American Near Me - San Ramon, California

I prime rib was excellent. The service was good. Old style restaurant feel. Plus, it has parking.

Great Father's Day dinner! Great service and food! Wonderful ambiance! Highly recommend!

Devina was an excellent server. We had a wonderful experience and this is the best service that we have ever had in this restaurant. She made sure that we had everything we needed and more. She also made sure that our order moved quickly before the evening rush. Thanks Devina!! read more

My wife and I have been coming to the door for lunch off and on for years. Pretty much predictable...changed a bit from old owner but not enough to drive us away. We always split the excellent Prime Rib French Dip...a house specialty. Why the review after all these years? New daytime bartender - NADIA. Swift, efficient, engaging bright smile AND she asked if we would like the sandwich lean." NO ONE in the 35+ years we have been going there has asked that...and we always spend first 5 minutes trimming the fat before eating the sandwich - making it "lean" made a great sandwich greater! We look forward to many years of lunch with Nadia. She made our go to place even bette read more

I went to a much more expensive and hyped restaurant in Danville last night and the food was much better here. We drove past it on our way, so I decided to check it out today. It's super laid back and old school and I love that there is a senior discount on the menu pricing even though no one in my party was a senior. I really wanted to dive into the steaks but neither of us had the appetite for that. He ordered the half Manhattan Reuben with a cup of soup of the day (clam chowder) and I ordered the half French Dip Prime Rib with the French onion soup. The Reuben tasted great but was nothing like a manhattan style Reuben (not enough meat and not sliced correctly) but it tasted great and was enough to eat. I normally am iffy about French dip because of over cooked, chewy meat. But this was outstanding! Literally the best French dip I've ever had. The sourdough plus delightful medium rare prime rib was a flavor explosion, especially when adding jus and horseradish. The French onion soup was tasty and not overwhelming in size. I couldn't even finish my half of the sandwich, so the somewhat small Reuben was fine as he finished my sandwich. I don't know about anything else but if you want perfect prime rib for a reasonable price, this is the place. I would honestly come here instead of House of Prime Rib (unless I'm craving Yorkshire pudding). read more

Food was fine but nothing special. The service, however, was abysmal. The server made an error with my order (no big deal) but when I pointed it out she exclaimed "OH F*CK! I F*CKED UP!" and ran off with the plate. There was no need for that. When the bill came the incorrect item was included in the total and I had to flag her down to correct it. I also noticed there was a charge for soup when it was supposed to be included as my side. When I asked about that the server told me it was an upcharge on their regular soup but she never explained that when I ordered it. Just an all-around terrible experience. This was my first and last time. read more

Nice old school style restaurant. Good food. I come here for the senior menu that includes salad, entree, and dessert!

The Brass Door was a great restaurant in past years; great food, excellent service nice vibe. Well, not no more. My wife and I visited the restaurant today, Tuesday, May 14, 2024 around 2pm. The place was basically empty; one person at the bar and a group of older men playing cards near the rear of the restaurant. The person in charge of the restaurant was on the phone; not once did she greet us or say, "Hello"", "Welcome", I'll be right with you", nothing-nada. Instead she appeared to move further to the inside area of the bar to continue her conversation. My wife and I decided to go elsewhere. People in charge of eateries need to remember that what makes a good restaurant stand out tis excellent food, good prices, excellent customer service, stunning menu, welcoming atmosphere and FRIENDLINESS!!! I hope the restaurant manager reads this post and makes changes soon...before it's too late for this restaurant to move forward. We won't be patronizing this business and longer. We will miss the good people who worked there. read more

Thanksgiving disaster... Over an hour to get a menu and order in. Then the server comes back about 20 minutes later to tell us that they are our of filet mignons, out of prime rib.??? Isn't this place known for their prime rib? Later, out of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving??? Understaffed and nobody assigned to our group. Traditional Thanksgiving dinner was cold, so disappointed. Who manages this place? read more

They need to say that they "used to be" known for their Prime Rib. Five people ordered Prime Rib between Rare - med well and ww were all served well done. Even after speaking to the manager and owner, the owner tried to tell us that it was rare. Really? Then after 3 attempts, they only replaced 1 dinner and still not rare when 4 dinners werenot as ordered. We've had many dinners here before, and the quality was better. This was a special birthday celebration with 12 people in our party and I was embarrassed and disappointed we came here. I should have checked these recent reviews before I booked our reservation. The bill came for the full amount but the owner never came back. Obviously don't care about the customers satisfaction read more

Brass Door - Med Rare Prime Rib?? - American Near Me - San Ramon, California

Terrible food! Yes thanksgiving is a tough time to dine out but they should be ashamed for what they served. The turkey was frozen tv dinner style. Not even real turkey, processed turkey. The sides were horrible did not even get a roll for $34. They were out to make money. I really want my money back. Who is that grumpy old man seating people? He was so rude. He needs to retire and this place needs to close. read more

My first experience at the Brass door was over 50 years ago... although I now live in Shell Beach, if I'm anywhere in the Bay Area I always make it over to the Door for a French Dip or Steak Sandwich, if it's dinner instead of lunch ... the Rack of Lamb is Always perfect. Great People Great Food and Perfect Atmosphere to just enjoy a break from the day... read more

If you are under 75, forget it. Made a 730 resv for party of 11 - out of state guests - last night. By 8pm they still hadn't seated us. We gave up (older folks are from midwest and were tired) and sat in bar -ugly CFL lights, oak wainscoting, dirty floors with two toothpicks on it, yuck - for dinner. Could you have at least picked the the food scraps and TOOTHPICKS up from under the table? Menu extraordinarily dated, not in a fun "retro" kind of a way but in an "oh dear, I haven't seen this in a long time" kind of way. Wine list - don't even order wine, it's not worth it. Service good, garlic bread very Midwestern, portions solid, meat reasonably good but not amazing quality. Very poor execution. Caesar salad #fail - croutons from a bag, cheese from a different bag. California salad #fail - drowned in a lake of dressing. Non-prime-rib meat uniformly was one level more rare than requested. The lamb chop was still saying "baa" and wandering around the plate. My medium rare steak was rare - cold most of the way through, with no seasoning on it at all, not even salt. Compare this to the green beans, which were overdone, with some of them being so shriveled you can't pick them up with a fork. The younger kids and the senior citizens at our dinner were fine - the rest of us were thinking "how does this place still exist?" And we were totally embarrassed that we'd taken our out of state guests here - what a horrible representation of food in California. $350 (18% gratuity) later, I gotta say - there MUST be better places in this area. Don't waste your time or your money here. read more

Ordered steak which was ok but potatoes and veggies were cold and no butter was with it. Water glasses were not refilled. Basket of bread was not served at our table but the other guests received it. read more

This place is terrible. Asked for a filet mignon medium rare and it comes blue rare, not even seared. Sent it back and it comes out just as rare the second time. You can hear the cooks in the back complaining about having to cook it again. Not professional at all. Was curious as to why this place wasn't busy on a Saturday night but after this visit I can clearly see why. read more

Love the French dip here. My mom loved the Salisbury steak. We aren't frequent Brass Door diners but we've never been disappointed. Yes the decor is outdated but I come for the food. Sometimes it's loud other times it's quiet. You just have to use common sense about when to visit. If you want quiet come midweek for lunch. Otherwise just try to enjoy yourselves and be grateful you can afford a nice steak dinner! read more