We came here for restaurant week and we were quite impressed Our waitress Misty is top notch Excellent service very friendly and just really nice I ordered the restaurant week menu I picked chopped salad 6 oz filet german potato salad and for dessert lemon tart My hubby got new york strip and creamed corn The steaks were seasoned perfectly and the german potato salad the best Usually I am not a sweets person but loved the lemon tart The restaurant is located in the Hard Rock casino read more

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What a hidden Gem! This place is perfect for a quiet night out during the week. Or a lively night out on the weekend. The service is impeccable, from the Host to the food runner, the Manager was warm and hospitable, the waiter was engaging, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about making our experience enjoyable. read more

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Came with a group do 8 for a birthday. Service was pretty good but for the price, they are not trained like Ruby's. It was a little all over the place and clunky when serving and clearing. Also came for restraint week but the group like to order lots of stuff so was able to try many things. The smoked manhattan was delicious. Shrimp snaps was overall my favorite thing. Had a bite of the calamari, sauce Was very good. Burrata was just ok. Lobster bisque was a bit salty but overall decent and would get again. Steaks decent too, not anything you'd remember. The star was the dessert. The special for restraint week was so amazing. We were all full but could stop. Might go back but not rushing to get there ...3.5 read more

Service was superb. Food was just okay. Brussels sprouts were mushy and burnt, creamed spinach was more creamed than spinach and husband's well done strip was so burnt that the bone was warped and crumbling. Ate here several times and enjoyed it, but this time was a game changer. Excellent service and cleanliness but Food was bad. read more

Food and Service is on point, if there is ever any issue with the food the staff is more than happy to remedy your disliking. I've never had any service issues here. I've had business meetings, large parties, and intimate dates here and never have I been disappointed. The ambiance during the week is relaxed and quiet, good for intimate dinners or business meetings. On the weekends, its hopping, especially if there is an event going on. Staff is knowledgeable, the Chefs are seasoned. Executive Chef Matt Polanka has decades of experience from Jaggs to Boca. Chef de Cuisine/Sous Chef Jordan Brauninger is a protege of Cincinnati's Legendary Restauranter Jean Robert De-Cavel. Brauninger is an artist and brings welcomed flavors of decadence to Council Oaks offerings. The Bar staff is experienced and can make you just about cocktail you can think of. Their cocktail list is well rounded, as well as their wine selection. They have a half price wine list on Thursdays that easily is the best value in the city. If you are looking to experience genuine hospitality and unmatched culinary adventures, go to Council Oak at the Hard Rock Casino. read more

Came here last Friday and, honestly, the experience was below average at best. Several people in my group had to send their food back because it was that overcooked--one steak in particular could've doubled as a hockey puck. The server? Practically MIA. And the man who brought our food? Decided selective hearing was the move, blatantly ignoring multiple attempts to get his attention. The real kicker? It took 40 minutes for the manager to come approve the untouched, overcooked steaks so they could be taken off the bill. I get it--it's Cincinnati, and maybe you're used to people trying to finesse free meals. But when plates are full, untouched, and cold after nearly an hour, maybe just accept the L and move on. To top it all off, the manager offered us dessert--on the house--as a sort of apology for the disaster they called dinner. Appreciate the gesture, but no thanks. If the meal was any indication, we weren't about to risk dessert. Absolute mess from start to finish. These employees could very much ALL use training. read more

The service was great. Ambience was nice. I went light and had soup, salad, and crab cakes. I know it's not steak and all that. However, the French onion soup was excellent. The salad was OK. The disappointment was that the crab cakes were burnt -- far too overdone. Especially when you get two small crab cakes for $33. And the lettuce served with the crab cake was browning (ick!) -- not enough sauce and no lemon. Verdict? Overpriced. Wayyy overpriced. Good service and meh-to-mediocre food. I won't be returning. read more

Fantastic food! Great service! And very clean! Had the chicken and it was fantastic. My wife and friends had various cuts of steak and they felt the same about the food. It is a little pricey, but very good. read more

This place is a glorified Outback Steakhouse. Couldn't have been more disappointed. Don't waste your time and money.

Outstanding on every level. The menu choices the presentation, the taste and portion sizes were all spot on ! The servers detail to the menu and how attractive he was was extremely well done. We loved our evening and dining experience. Will share with everyone to make this their next fine dining! read more

Positive: Wait staff was great. A+ for attention. We had reservations but got in 15 minues early. Caesar salads were large and very good. Negative: You are no Jeff Rubys or Capital Grille. To charge prices like theirs I would expect quality. My Porterhouse steak ordered medium rare was very rare in the center. My sons filet nailed the medium rare. Provide your patrons steak knives. Lobster bisque we both ordered. It was light on sherry and my portion was significantly less than my sons. Charthouse and Capital Grille significantly better. Calamari was acceptable. Wine prices are very high. 400+% of retail for bottles and light on glass options. 6 ounce and 9 ounce pours on the high side. 20 dollars for a glass of wine is high. Specialty drinks were 15 dollars which are on the high side but more reasonable. Macaroni and Cheese average at best to a lower level restaurant. Mushrooms and pearl onions the same. We were too full for dessert. Tab was 250 and not worth it. read more

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Our 26th Anniversary dinner--It's gorgeous inside. People aren't overly dressed up but they're not lying about the Lobster Bisque. It's to die for. Best ever. My husband had a tasting menu Fish grilled plus a delicious cheesecake dessert. I had snapper it was a bit dry - best asparagus I ever had- smoky & delicious hollandaise. Not overly priced. Really enjoyed the experience! read more

Great food, service and ambiance. Very clean. Knowledgeable staff and ready to answer all questions about their food and prep. An amateur chefs delight. read more

OMG...this place is wonderful. I was lucky to snag a seat at the bar because they were on a wait. But so glad I did. The BEST Cosmo I've ever had. The bartender told me she had a secret ingredient. I would kill to know what that was. I had a bowl of onion soup and it was everything onion soup should be. Thick cheese topping, croutons and plenty of onion in a very rich bone broth. Then I had Oysters Rockafellow, and these were so good with pork belly in the sauce as a bonus. Oysters weren't overcooked, which so many times they are. The price was extremely reasonable for the level of food and service. It's a good way to spend comps...on the food. Not allowed on adult beverages. You can bet I'll be at this place often. Can't wait to move around the menu. read more

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Late night snack turned into a full course meal. The lobster bisque I ever had! The ambiance is great, the aged steak in the window is cool. The sea bass is a must try, I dint eat steak but my husband says it's the only he beat he had . Take from that what you will. I didn't care for the Mac and cheese because I like it baked in cheese, not just in the cheese reaux. Our waiter Pete was funny and engaging. It's worth the visit if you're in downtown Cincinnati! read more

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Per usual, very good dining experience with very good service. I had the surf and turf and both were cooked just right. For sides, the brussels and loaded potato are my favs but I bet you can't go wrong with the others. read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Our server Karla was a delight and the food was pretty good, it's definitely on the pricey side - which surprised me b/c it's in a casino! We ordered the salmon, the braised beef and a side of Brussels sprouts, we also had the lobster bisque (which didn't wow us like it should have for that price). We enjoyed our food and I was able to take my glass of wine with me around the casino. Would love to come back but we had stopped in by chance so it's unlikely that we do! read more

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To start: hostesses were very nice and welcoming and sat me promptly. Bread was excellent and the butter as well. East coast oysters, delicious. Great liquor left in the oyster. Served with cocktail sauce, great horseradish, mignonette, tiny Tabasco, and lemon, all over ice. Charred octopus. Given it's the first time I've tried octopus, really outstanding. Plating was fantastic. Great flavor and a true complimentary bite when you pair everything together. Chilean Sea Bass: paired perfectly with caramelized shiitake mushrooms and potato and leek cream purée. Great bite. The bottom of the sea bass was little to charred for my liking. Service is impeccable. Attendants/assistants are always around to refill waters and bus/clear tables. Woodford Old fashioned was solid too. Ambiences and atmosphere is clean and elegant without being over the top snootiness. Although it's in the casino. It's still a restaurant worth visiting. Definitely recommend. read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Chilean Sea Bass - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Amazing food and service! Absolutely can't wait to go back. Meatball appetizer was great for sharing. Steaks were cooked perfectly. Great desserts! read more

Wow! This food is amazing! Kudos to the chef! I don't think anyone wants to miss out on this delicious feast. The people are so friendly and amazing! Love it here read more

OK we have been to a LOT of restaurants inside of casinos. We just moved to the area and decided to give Council Oak a try for my wife's B-Day weekend. It helped that I gamble a little and got a few dollars off-not comped yet. It never ceases to amaze me that (high end) casino steak houses will let anyone come in wearing anything. Shorts and t-shirts are welcomed here FYI. (and that alone pisses me off) The table settings are really nice. We went to order and the waitress didn't get out a pad and so I figured she was going by memory? So gave her my order and then had to repeat the whole thing again as she DID need something to write on. Told her about it....and she didn't seem too pleased I called her out on it. We had the crab cakes, NY Steak, salads, mushrooms and a few other things. Service was IMO lacking for the prices that they are charging here. I mean at these prices, you can eat at Jeff Ruby's and dress up (mandatory). Plus JR's is a step above here and just about every other restaurant in Ohio. The waitress took about 5 minutes to greet us and get waters. The water girl said she would bring bread...never did. Got our drinks and the crab cakes and finally got some bread. Then I was trying to use the PEPPER on the table and it had ZERO pepper in it!? So not that big of a deal and they brought me a new one. Then entrees took a while. Hadn't seen waitress or anyone in a while. Then I guess our waitress was busy and some other guy brought out everything. Plopped it on the table and started walking away. I said "hey sir....hey sir louder" and was ignored. I actually followed him towards the kitchen and grabbed a manager. He HEARD me, but maybe our waitress said we were difficult to him/others...IDK...IDC....I never got a freaking steak knife for my STEAK...and he was acting like he didn't hear me? I SW Josh the GM after the manager and he apologized. I was just being honest with him. "At THESE prices, it should be better and smoother. We told him we weren't trying to get a discount/free food or anything...we just are used to better service for THIS kind of $$?!" He agreed and we let it go. They did comp us a B-Day dessert. And I still tipped almost 20% on the entire bill! THAT was gratuitous IMO for the service we got. The GREAT news is that the FOOD made me still give them a 5 star rating! Everything was fresh and fantastic! We will be coming back for another experience to see if this was just a bad night for us there? read more

One of my favorite restaurants for a date night. The French onion soup is delicious. Steak is always made to perfection and the service is always phenomenal. read more

This is my second bad experience here so I had to write a review. I ordered the filet medium. The food took almost 40 minutes to arrive and came out well done. Nobody came by to check how my food came out. I would normally send it back but because of being in a time crunch and how long it took to get the food in the first place, I decided to eat the driest piece of steak I ever had. The last bad experience I had here was due to the steak being overcooked and too salty. read more

It should be better... Totally underwhelmed by Council Oak Steak & Seafood at Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati. While ambiance and service is top tier the food just didn't live up to the hype and cost. Wife and I each had one drink (Cosmo and beer), Ceasar salad (meh - 2 of 5), baked potato (fine), mashed potatoes with red wine demiglace (close 4-5 - demiglace was underwhelming), cauliflower steak (wife wasn't feeling anything else (char was good but White Bean Puree, Chili and Cucumber, Chive Pesto were again - underwhelming 3-5) and I had the 8 oz Filet Mignon ordered medium rare, served rare. Without time to refire the filet I ate it and it was underwhelming as well 3-5. Bill was $165 - 20% tip = $198. I've had much better meals for less and expected more of a top-tier restaurant. Won't return. read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - as dissapointing as it looked. The bean puree was out of place, the chili, cucumber and pesto missed the mark, - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Calamari, pear salad, short ribs, and espresso martini were phenomenal but our server, Greg, was top notch! MERRY CHRISTMAS! read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Irish coffee and espresso martini, just missing Greg!! - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This is an upgrade, for sure! I've eaten at Prism many times but was very excited when Hard Rock Casino announced a new upscale dining experience as part of their grand opening. Council Oak Steaks and Seafood features an open flame kitchen, an in-house butcher shop, and some of the most luxurious dining in Cincinnati. Ludo, our server, and his assistant Kemar were delightful. Ludo has returned with the new brand; he's a true professional, remembers my preferences from visit to visit, and genuinely made my friend, and I feel valued. He seemed happy to see me. I know I was thrilled to see him. The food was stellar. Our meal started with the complimentary bread service, warm from the oven and served with salted butter, to the oversized Caesar Salad. Kemar and Ludo both checked on us and were very friendly. We caught up with Ludo since it'd been forever since we'd seen him, and we got to know a bit about Kemar, his home country of Jamaica, and they were careful not to be intrusive while being personable. Our 8oz filets came, cooked perfectly. My friend requested no black pepper on hers; that request was honored with pleasure. The char on the steak from the open flame might make it my favorite steak to date. We split the Mac and Cheese, which is creamy and spiced excellently. I also assembled my Loaded Baked Potato, which was huge and came with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and butter. Everything was perfect. We had a visit from the manager, as well, and just truly felt as if we were VIPs. I suspect everyone leaves feeling the same. Go check out Council Oak; it's not-to-be-missed dining! read more

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My husband is big in the Poker scene, so we travel sometimes up here to Cincinnati to the Hard Rock Casino from Southern Indiana. This weekend we made reservations for the Council Oak Steaks and Seafood restaurant. First, I just want to take a moment and tip my hat to the service. My server: Tasia-polite, professional & absolutely courteous. She delivered phenomenal service & was very punctual and attentive to my needs/wants during my dining experience. Tasia is a true asset to this particular Council Oak steakhouse and indubitably a great example of what service should be-across the board everywhere! And of course, I can't forget to mention the quality of the food. I ordered the filet Minot and let me just say Wow!! It literally melted in my mouth. Everything was incredibly delicious and cooked to perfection. We will be back in the short future. I hope we have the privilege of being served by Tasia again! Tasia-thank you for an awesome first-time experience with this establishment. You rock girl!!! read more

The restaurant appearance and ambiance was lovely but other than that our experience was poor. Positives: we were seated quickly even without a reservation. Service was friendly. The steaks we had (filet and ribeye) were delicious! Negatives: they ran out of basic items such as bread and whipped potatoes. The delay in receiving our food was significantly longer than expected, especially since we came late when there was not a crowded full restaurant. Service was attentive until our it was obvious our food was delayed, servers then avoided our table. Two of our group ordered the exact same steak cooked the exact same way. One was perfect... the other was very under cooked. Since the servers were avoiding our table, there was a delay in sending that steak back. Even after it was taken back to the kitchen, it still did not come out correctly. While our steaks that were cooked correctly were delicious, the side dishes were just ok, except the maple sweet potatoes.... Those were amazing! We do not recommend the mac n cheese and the fries were very salty. Given the expense of this meal, I would have expected better. read more

Tasia is the absolute sweetest server! We come from time to time for desert and to listen to the live piano playing and she always treats us to a nice time. Tonight, we got the Baked Alaskan special, which included flambéed meringue on top of sponge cake and Greaters ice cream. Her table side flambé skills are excellent and it was a delicious desert with an entertaining show! Tasia has such a vibrant and energetic personality that we always want to sit in her section and come Saturday nights when she is working. She knows how to light up the room with a smile! read more

Tasia makes this restaurant an absolutely memorable & enriching experience. She's so personable and relatable. The food & ambiance is also just incredible. Additionally, all of the other servers are just really kind. They make you feel important here. Even if you're just coming in for desserts. I highly recommend this restaurant to all!! read more

We came on a Wednesday evening for dinner. The restaurant wasn't real busy. Very nice decor looks like a fancy restaurant but people come in from the casino in T-shirts and shorts so must not be a dress code. You can see the wood fired grill were you can watch them cook your steak and on the other side a view of the Justice Center Jail out the window (I would put up some shears or curtains to block that eyesore). We started with the Wagyu Meatball appetizer. Amazing! It was so tender, came with grilled garlic bread and a little taste of ricotta in the sauce. Then we each got an 8 oz Filet Mignon and split an iceberg wedge. The Filet was cooked just right and so tender. The wedge was good, didn't care for the bacon it (reminded me of fatty uncooked chunks). We would definitely come back. read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Wagyu Meatball Appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Outstanding service. Even better food! Dominic was such a super hospitable hostess! Michael, the manager could not have been more pleasant or attentive. And then there's Greg...our waiter. Helpful and attentive. Steaks were awesome. Husband had lobster and it was amazing. Took a tour of the room where they age the meat; kinda cool to see!! Loved the atmosphere in the restaurant. Bar probably would've been too loud for us but a younger crowd would enjoy eating there. Had an amazing chocolate dessert too! We will definitely be back!! read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Amazing dessert! - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Went to the casino for a quick dinner. Had the shrimp cocktail and 5 oz Wagyu steak. Absolutely amazing!!

We made reservations for our anniversary dinner. It was absolutely awesome. In my opinion it gives Jeff Ruby a run for his money. The rolls were amazing. I got filet mignon and it was cooked perfectly. Our server Diana was hands down the best server around. Check this place out for a special occasion! read more

Everything was sooo good, down to the butter and bread. Came in for a birthday and was gifted a great cheesecake. Diana was great and connected with us and all the other tables in her section. I drank the pink Cadillac get the shrimp scampi!! read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Pink Cadillac - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This is exactly what I wanted as a steakhouse but I never knew I needed it until I went. The staff was excellent. Always keeping our party of 6 water glasses full. They had an extensive and exquisite wine list. Can't go wrong with a glasses of stags leap! Had calamari, loaded potato, 24oz porterhouse. My porterhouse was cooked perfectly how I asked. They were able to offer gluten-free soups as options for someone in our party which was amazing for us. The jumbo shrimp were indeed jumbo. We were seated in the back of the restaurant and I couldn't even tell I was in the casino. Overall experience was 10/10 and would recommend going. I didn't take any pictures besides a picture of the menu because I couldn't find one online anywhere. Prices may vary as meat prices market changes I'm sure. read more

Council Oak Steak & Seafood - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The food at Council Oaks was delicious. Excellent wine selection, I had a perfect merlot, my husband had an old Fashioned, said it was a 4.5/5. We had the special- surf and turf- 8 oz prime usda fillet with a large lobster tail. The char on the steaks is the right amount of smoke and crunch with a moist and tender center of the fillet. Absolute perfection. If you like Ruby's steaks... you have to try Council Oaks. The stealer of the show was the bacon jam Brussels sprouts! My goodness, none better. Overall great food, experience and staff. We will be back. read more

Always enjoy eating at the bar prior to hitting the casino. Met Brandon last night. Super nice guy. Have known Travis a while now. He's the best! read more

Nowhere does this restaurant advertise that "you have to be 21 to walk through the casino to get to restaurants". If that's the law/rule fine. But nowhere on open table or their website does it discuss this policy. Went to eat on Valentine's Day and was turned back. We were both 20 and asked them to walk us to the restaurant. They wouldn't . read more

Started with Wedge salad and french onion soup, midwest filet medium well and brussel sprouts with an espresso martini for dessert. Absolutely delicious. Travis and Duval were attentive and impeccable servers. Will be back!! read more