Excellent prime rib as always. Service was a little bit slow but the house was packed so it was understandable. Always a Tucson favorite.

Wait time to get in was about an hour, not bad for not having a reservation & being rodeo weekend! Our server, Carol B, was amazing! She was juggling a lot of other tables & still made us feel welcome & made sure to check on us often. Our waters never ran too low without getting refilled & our food/drinks were brought out fast, especially while seeing how many other guests she was serving at the same time! The prime rib was amazing & we definitely recommend the Cactus Wren & Pale Rider for those looking for alcoholic drinks. Will have to check out again! Thanks again Carol for a great experience & your hard work! read more

El Corral - El Corral Cut Prime Rib with Tamale Pie. - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Steaks were good, baked potato was great. Bread and salad was terrible. Server was sweet and quick, hostess was grumpy and a bit rude. Great location, they sat us in a room closed off to the rest of the restaurant which was terrible! May give it another try but was not a great experience. read more

Not impressed. Prickly pear margarita was too sweet - could not drink it. Steaks were ok. Disappointed with the $30 ribeye. Very little steak for the price. Bread was dry. Salad was good. Enjoyed the homemade dressing. read more

Service was good the wait staff is fantastic. I have been going here since I went to college years ago. Was always a favorite, but apparently new owners, prices are way up, just a year ago was really good but not anymore, quality of the beef is marginal at best. The potato was not cooked All the way. The prime rib was smaller than ever and did not have a lot of flavor expected more for $30. Ambiance than as as good as ever. But the price and quality of the food just is not worth it anymore. read more

OMG super delicious steak and everyone that works here is so friendly. If your in TUCSON, AZ you must eat a juicy steak from El Corral!! read more

El Corral - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

It's been a couple of years since I've been to El Corral. We were seated in about 10 minutes but weekend are very busy with a long wait time. We had an experienced server, AJ, who greeted us right away and took our drink orders. The food came out promptly and it was cooked to order. The bread was different. It used to be sliced bread but now it's rolls. I had the El Corral cut if prime rib with tamale pie. The meat was cooked as ordered and it was moist and tender. The tamale pie was good and cheesy. Great service, he checked on us frequently with drink refills. read more

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El Coral is a really near place for a good dinner. The bar selection is solid, and the two gents behind the bar were great to chat with. I had the pr8me rib and n6 wife had the beef stroganoff. Both were good but not great. The tamale pie is tasty, but again doesn't live up to the hype. The best part of the meal was the delightful personality of our server. read more

I really think it's time to upgrade some of the food on the menu here, especially the head lettuce salad and white buns with margarine. Prime rib was not tender, and that is the main reason we decided to dine here. My entree of a stuffed poblano with corn was less than desirable and thought it should be more of a side dish than an entree. I do not consider it a value at $15.99 either. Maybe because it's cowboy food you're supposed to overlook these things, but we expected more from such a well established restaurant in the foothills. Our server was very kind and attentive. Can't say we would return. read more

Food was very good! Reasonably priced menu. Cute place inside and out. Service was excellent!

Where do I start. Broken glass in our drinks. Hair in the rolls and in the salad and the service is better at a fast food restaurant. Walked out. The manager literally tried to blame us for putting glass in our drinks claimed they don't have glasses in the place with that color. Pointed at the bar and said really. Old Tucson institution that might as well close. What a sad state of affairs for a locally owned place with old school ambiance. Can honestly say I WILL NEVER RETURN. Just a side note the staff doesn't know the meaning of hospitality (all need training) and we would have by far been the largest ticket of the night. read more

Excellent service, food , drink, and music! I highly recommend El Corral to all my friends!

El Corral has the finest grilled steaks with exceptional service, El Corral is where Tucsonans and visitors go for the best steaks and celebrations. read more

We have been to El Corral many times. It is one of our favorite steak houses. It's always delicious from the salad to the steak to the cobbler. Today they were definitely off. Salad drenched in dressing barely could eat, waitress offered another salad, but she never brought it out. I ordered butterfly filet mignon well done I emphasized well done. I always must have it that way due to medical reasons. Steak was not well done and it was cold. My husbands ribeye was good that we will say, baked potato and tamale pie were good too. Desert, peach cobbler I do not know what happened, they used to have such good cobbler!!!! The crust was tasteless and peaches was bitter, also got coffee ,which was cold. Our waitress nice, but not attentive at all. One more thing my husbands ribeye menu priced $27.99, we were charged $29.99. read more

El Corral - Ribeye charged at 29.99 - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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This used to our go to place for steak back in the day. My mother and son went and I asked them to bring me a farmhouse salad with steak no tomatoes. I got a salad with no onions, no egg, no dressing with tomatoes. The steak smells like liquid smoke. Disappointed! So disappointed I actually decided to write a negative review. read more

Just a follow up to my review of 3 months ago where my daughter and I were given horrible service. A business manager posted and said we were to receive a follow up about the service. Have not heard one word from this man. After a review like that he provided even worse service. Shame on you and we won't be returning. Please, in the future, don't lie to your customers to make yourself look good. read more

Had dinner at El Corral while in Tucson for a golf event. The price to value was excellent. This is a non-fancy place with good, not great food. The salad and baked potato were excellent. The large cut prime rib was ok but not tender. Good for a lower cost meal and I would go back. The photographs and memorabilia were fur to look at while we waited for out table. Service was fine, not exceptional by Sam. read more

Mediocre overpriced food. Prime rib was warm to cold by the time it reached our table because the server carol was overwhelmed with the amount of tables she was handling. The bread they served was cold and dry. The salad was store bought and precut. We ordered a pitcher of sangrias which was watered down and tasteless. Drinking a glass of fruit Juice would have been better. Then we decided to have some margaritas. Which were very tasty so after we are we decided to move to the bar and have a few more. We had one more and ordered another and the bartender said it was house policy not to serve more than what we had. What? Cut off? Really? We spent over $120 for food and drinks then are only allowed one drink at the bar? Even with a Uber and not being intoxicated. "House policy" she said, I say great way to prevent repeat customers. We will be going some where else for our next anniversary. read more

My family and I recently dined at el corral on a Sunday night the wait was quoted 30 to 40 minutes and we ended up waiting over an hour for a table. There was indoor seating where we could grab a drink while we were waiting and let me tell you the blue cheese olive martini I had it was absolutely fantastic. I would come back to have it again and again. When we are finally seated it took a while to order food. I ended up ordering the ribs and prime rib as well as a T-bone steak. The steak was extremely overdone when we ordered it medium rare. We did end up sending it back because it was just so chewy and over cooked. The replacement steak and it up being cooked perfectly. The ribs that we got were the highlight of the night the sauce was fantastic and they were fall off the bone perfect. We also ordered a side of sautéed mushrooms as well, the flavor was good but they were just covered in grease. The atmosphere of this place is fun and western and my kids loved dressing up in their cowgirl boots to go out for dinner. I'm giving three stars because the service was lacking and the food on the first go around was a big disappointment I'd like to say that maybe on another night things would be better so I'm going to have to give them another chance in the near future. read more

So visiting Arizona I was looking for a good place to get a steak. The bartender at the hotel I was staying at highly recommended this place. It was a significant disappointment. Starting with the fried zucchini as an appetizer which was tasty and a good sign. Next was the Cesar salad and the dressing tasted like generic bottled dressing. Then came the ribeye steak - a disappointment. One step above "The Cattleman's" chain steakhouse. I like a real good steak which this wasn't. Not coming back here. read more

The prime and the house salad are great. Avoid he petite fillet mignon. It was so tough we asked the waiter to cut it.

A Tucson favorite! El Corral shows off their love for good food, culture, and good times. The place gives you a nostalgic and inviting feeling of home and offers up a tasty menu. From their drinks, to appetizers, to steaks done right, to dessert, this place always has us coming back!! Also highly recommend for those visiting outside of Tucson. Cheers! read more

El Corral is the type of restaurant I love to visit: family-owned, historic, established, and full of character. I was predisposed to love this place, which makes the dinner all the more disappointing. The restaurant seems to be an old hacienda. There are a number of different rooms. The decor is Western throughout, with pictures of The Duke, and other stars lining the rooms. It really puts you in the mood for a slice of beef. El Charro claims to specialize in Prime Rib, one of my favorite preparations. So after being seated, the only perusal of the menu was to see what sizes they offered, and what appetizers to try in the interim. The prime rib is offered in three cuts, with the Catalina Cut ($30) being the largest. This was my choice, ordered medium-rare. I also ordered two appetizers: the corn fritters, and the Rocky Mountain Oysters. When the appetizers arrived at the table, I had my first misgivings. Both were fried very dark. This is a sign either the oil is at too high a temperature, or it is getting old. Since the interiors of both appetizers were still moist, I'll go with the latter. The fritters were sweet, and served with a sweet syrup. Really more of a dessert, and not what I wanted prior to dinner. There was also a bit of an off taste from the old oil. The Rocky Mountain Oysters (fried bull testicles) were a first for me, so I lack a comparison. The inner "meat" did have an oyster-like texture, and was a bit liverish in taste. Glad I tried them, but not a repeat order. The salad was next, your standard diner plate of iceberg lettuce, with a couple of other vegetables, and a plastic cup of dressing. The tomatoes were hard pink slices--odd, because I had noticed how fresh the produce was at other restaurants during this trip. When the entree arrived, I thought things were looking up. The prime rib slice was about 3/4" thick, and appeared to be about 20 ozs., a nice-sized slice. It appeared to be medium rare, and cups of grated horseradish and au jus came on the side. Upon closer inspection, there was no crust on the prime rib. Usually, there's a crisp outer crust, caused by the salt and/or herbs rubbed on the roast prior to cooking. The lack of crust made me a bit nervous. When I cut into the slice, I was disappointed. The prime rib was pretty tough, difficult to cut and very chewy. And the taste? No seasoning. None. I don't think a grain of salt had ever hit this roast--it was completely bland. I tried salting it heavily, but it's like salting pasta cooked in plain water. It's just not going to be the same. A slice of prime rib also usually has a layer of succulent fat under the crust, which slow roasting has turned into near gelatin. In this case, the fat was still hard, as was the line of gristle running through the meat. Neither were edible. As best I can guess, either the roast was pulled about 90 minutes early, or they are trying to cook the roasts quicker, by using a higher temperature. As you know, that doesn't work! You can't rush slow roasting, whether it be a humble pot roast, or an expensive rib roast. Rushing it ruins the meat. I worked my way through about half, then gave up. The accompanying baked potato was perfect, cooked to perfection. The skin was scrubbed, and the interior was flaky. Obviously not rushed. Because I was still hungry, and a slow learner, I ordered dessert, the blackberry cobbler. The cobbler was served in a ceramic cup like you get a cup of soup in at a diner. There was a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, melting over the warm cobbler. It looked great. Like the prime rib, the look was deceiving. I dug down in the cup for my first spoonful, and pulled out a spoonful of red fruit and sauce/syrup. By now, I'm into forensics mode: what is wrong in this kitchen? So I start picking apart the fruit. I find identifiable strawberries, cherries, and other berries. Didn't notice a lot of blackberries, but definitely a mixed berry cobbler. The berries tasted OK, so I went back in, digging for crust, to get that mixed bit with ice cream, crust, and filling. I got that, and the taste of raw dough. Back into forensics mode, spooning the filling onto another plate, to find a substantial piece of crust. The chunk of crust appeared to be the bottom crust, and was browned on one side, raw on the other. Cobblers usually don't have a bottom crust. First, because that makes them "pie", not cobbler, and second, because cobblers are wet. If you use a bottom crust in a cobbler, just like a pie, you have to pre-bake the crust, then add the filling. Otherwise, the outer side browns, and the inside remains raw, due to the wet filling. That's what happened here. Was this another attempt to rush the food, avoiding the pre-bake requirement? It's clear to see El Corral was once a fine restaurant. You don't stay open for 50 years (according to the menu) by being lousy. I wanted to love this place. read more

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Wow. So uh, mediocre salads and rolls make this a one star restaurant? GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. It's bullshit reviews like those that give Yelp a terrible name. I had plans to come here so I looked up the reviews and was astonished to find it rated three stars. I began second guessing my experiences here since it'd been a few years since my last visit. Well, I ate here last night and it was goddamn fantastic. Prime rib-delicious. Tamale pie-yes fucking please. Ribeye-melted in my goddamn mouth. Service-fast and friendly. Rolls and salad...meh, yeah that could be improved. But if I wanted some delicious bread before dinner I'd head to Olive Garden! Mmm...bread sticks... Anyway, I can be pretty sentimental about some of my hometown institutions but when it comes to beef, I'll cut you off if you ain't delivering anymore (cough Pinnacle Peak cough). El Corral delivered last night and it won't take me a couple years again to return. read more

We have been going to El Corral since 1970. It seems as though since the Pandemic the quality AND size of their Rib Eye steaks dropped DRASTICALLY ! I ordered a bone-in Rib Eye. After cutting the bone, fat and gristle from the steak, there were about 4 good bites ! It was like we were at Denny's eating a small chicken fried steak ! And as far as getting a re-fill from the waitress, we would have had better luck going to the local Circle K Fountain for a re-fill ! We won't be back. We can spend $75.00 dollars else where and get a quality meal ! read more

Lots of People standing around at 6:45, but we called about 3hrs early and got straight in. Drinks were fast and strong, waitress was witty & attentive. I went with the classic Prime Rib rare with Tamale Pie. Careful with the Horseradish it's powerful nasal cleaning stuff. The Tamale pie is fantastic, I could eat that alone. Wife had the petite filet that was well past medium well but the Wife likes it that so no big deal but might bother others. read more

Old Tucson at its best. Warm service and great meat...i like it rare and they got it there.

So so service. So so food. But, the tamale pie was not only the tastiest thing I had, it was also the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm not in a good enough mood to write a proper review, so let's just say, with all the other, much better, restaurants around, I doubt I'll ever go to El Corral again. read more

Was surprised for a Father's Day dinner with my family. Arrived 10 minutes prior to our reservation and were promptly seated. The service was terrific and Gabriel did a outstanding job. He was extremely attentive and friendly. I am very fond of Prime Rib and having heard that this is a spot with a solid Prime Rib, I was eagerly awaiting to try their version. Although not the worst by any means definitely felt like could have been better. The flavor profile was lacking but the fresh horseradish was a great kick. We had onion ring and zucchini sticks which were adequate but nothing mind blowing. The side salad was mostly iceberg lettuce with one tomato and one cucumber. I would recommend reservations especially if it is a celebration as there were a large amount of people waiting but the restaurant did seem like they did a great job on getting people seated. Overall I wouldn't say it was remarkable but far from disappointing. The food was decent but again maybe could elevate the seasoning and flavor some. It was a great experience overall and if you haven't gone it's a site as it has a very old western vibe. read more

Ahh memories. What was 10 years ago is not today. Onion rings all crust and no onion, sslad poor presentation, prime rib a little tough, mashed potatoes covered in an inedible gravy, rolls plopped on your table in a basket without butter were left untouched. Good service and nice environment. Won't be returning. read more

A Tucson classic. This place is a beautiful trip to a time past. The prime rib is made in the classic way. So delicious.

Took some guests from out of town to enjoy the Tucson vibe. No issues with the food, but seated in the side room was a bad call. Pungent smell of sewer gas hurt the experience. We moved over one table to get out of the jet stream, but it was still noticeable. Also noticed others who moved as well. No sure what the problem is, but this should be addressed as soon as possible. read more

Awesome steak house! Very accommodating and caring about their customers dietary needs. I'm anaphylactic allergic to milk products and they took the upmost care taking care of my needs. I devoured two whole racks of their ribs... will definitely be back!!! read more

My wife and I finally decided to try El Corral after wanting to try it for a while and we were in the area. For a Friday night, it wasn't as busy as we thought it was going to be but it was 7pm. We got seated right away. The server came right away and took our orders. We ordered the spinach artichoke dip. My wife ordered the filet and tamale pie and I ordered the half rack of ribs and mashed potatoes. Both meals also came with a salad so we ordered the house salad with ranch. I also ordered a Moscow mule. The spinach artichoke did came with a side of tortilla chips and it tasted as expected. The house salads then came out with a side of warm garlic bread rolls. The salad looked and tasted like it came from a grocery store salad kit. The garlic bread rolls, however, were very good. We then got our entrees. The filet was cooked at the right temperature but it could've used a bit more seasoning. The tamale pie tasted great. Cheesy and spicy. No big complaints here. The ribs thought, I can honestly say we're the worst ribs I have ever had. They were so dry and reminiscent to dried meat or jerky. It was so dry and chewy. Not even the extra side of bbq sauce helped. It was as if it was a reheated half rack due to the 1/4in top layer of dried jerk. I could get a better half rack from Applebee's. This dish was definitely not worth the price we paid. My wife and I will probably not be coming back here again. It was a very disappointing experience. read more

This is an update to my previous review... I was contacted by management regarding our disappointing experience at ElCorral. I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine concern they had about the subpar service and food that we received there. I was very impressed with their response. A restaurant that strives to improve and does not make excuses deserves another try. I hope to have a better experience next time and to be able to give them a full 5 stars after that. Previous review... I should have listened to the other reviewers. This has been by far the worst restaurant I've been to in Tucson. Between the unhappy hostess/manager to the inedible food, I am amazed that it is still in business. I ordered prime rib, salad with ranch, and Tamale Pie as my side. The salad was wilted and soggy and the Tamale Pie was hard and room temperature. It was not edible. I ate only the prime rib, which was ok at best. Since I was with a friend we also got apple cobbler for dessert. Wow, that was also horrible. It was cold in the middle and hard in the edges. There is no way that any of the food was worth the high prices you pay. It is cheap diner food quality without the diner food prices.. read more

Here visiting from San Diego and my step mom recommended this place to us, it was soo good I got the Tuscan chicken, husband got the filet with a side and salad best steak he has ever had!! Might have to go again before we head home. Very nice and friendly staff thank you!! read more

El Corral - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Ribs and prime rib are definitely their best product. I had the 1/2 slab of ribs and tucson cut prime rib. The ribs were very good. They were tender and very good flavor. The prime rib was very good and the horseradish was great with a hard bite. The portion size was very good and ended up taking home two thirds of the ribs. We also ordered an onion ring appetizers and the meal came with buns and salad. These were just average. I thought the onion rings had a crispy outer coating but the center was mushy. The salad looked like a bag salad with an addition of mushrooms and sunflower seeds. Service was okay. It was fun for the experience of eating in a rustic venue. The meat was the best part and what they do great. read more

El Corral - Onion rings - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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I was so looking forward to eating here. I purposely was choosey about what I ate all day in anticipation. I just moved back to Tucson and wanted to take my friend for an authentic mesquite grilled steak dinner. The outside and inside decor is the best part of El Corral. We arrived and were grumpily greeted and seated. No direction to walk this way or please follow me. We were given the option to sit wherever we wanted as if it didn't really matter. The waitress arrived and her service was ok. Food on the other hand was something to be desired. We were apologized to because it took so long to get out food. It seemed like a normal time to me. What was off putting was the waitress said they had to fire a second round of steaks because the first ones got burnt. She apologized. Honestly, we wouldn't have known. We went to cut into our T-Bone steaks and discovered the toughest steak and gristle and no mesquite flavor at all. We had both ordered medium rare. My friend got medium well & I received a rare steak. I chose to send it back and my friend didn't. We weren't even half done with out food and the waitress was asking if we wanted boxes for out dinner. The check was put on the table at this point with out a folder for it. We just looked at each other and thought well, OK. Part of our meal was comped for the under cooked steak, that was nice but wasn't necessary. I was pondering weather or not to write a review but the kicker was this morning, I woke up with what I've determined is food poisoning. I thought it was just a funky morning but had to ultimately leave classes I'm taking so that I could be home. I won't be going back. Sorry, El Corral, you may have been a staple in Tucson since 1939, I think you might need to rethink some things and maybe do some housecleaning; literally and figuratively. read more

Went to El Corral tonight for the first time ever. The food was very delicious but the server really made the difference for the night. Little Gabe was our server and he was incredible! He was tons of fun and made us feel important while we were there. If you go there I would recommend you even request him he was that good! read more

This was my first time eating here after quite a few years. Our server was great. He was in training but already had many years of food service under his belt. It was really refreshing how he attended to our needs without being too intrusive. He noted that there was a card next to my mom and asked if it was her birthday. That was really cool. We called ahead and it was a good thing because we still had to wait for for about 20 minutes. It would be better if they actually took reservations but I guess this works for them. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender, he was quite funny. In our party we ordered 2 prime rib and one ribeye. The prime rib was served perfectly. The prime rib was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Both prime ribs were served with tamale pie. Well, my mom really liked the tamale pie, me not so much. Not that there was anything wrong with the tamale pie, it was just not my cup of tea. I would have enjoyed my meal much more with some mashed potatoes. The ribeye on the other hand should have been sent back. The meat was extremely gristly and tough. It was heavily mesquite smoked which made it hard for my SO to stomach. It's not like we are not use to mesquite smoke as we grill often and use mesquite to cook, so for him to say it was too heavily smoked it has to be really heavy. He had mac & cheese with his steak which was very cheesy and well seasoned. Would we go back? Maybe, not sure, but we would not order steaks or tamale pie again. read more