Well, this used to be one of my favorite restaurants and I have recommended it to so many tourists. Unfortunately, this evenings experience was a huge let down. After waiting 10 minutes, we were finally given waters with no offers on appetizers (or even a chance to order them. Another 10 minutes go by and the rest of our group of 11 joined us- the server still didn't stop by for another 15 minutes to even take drink orders or appetizer orders. After waiting a total of 45 minutes, I tracked down a hostess and asked if we could have some bread for the kids and refills on our drinks. Next we got our salads. These sorry salads were so small with wilted yellowish lettuce (mainly iceberg with a small bit of romaine) as well as a soggy tomato slice and very watery ranch dressing. The macaroni and cheese was extremely dry and you could tell it was under the heat lamp for quite a while (super hot plate and Luke warm food). The dinner portions got smaller and the prices got higher. Most of the table sat with nothing to drink for most of our meals. To top it off, the bathrooms were out of toilet paper and smelled like stagnet sewer. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed. read more

El Corral - The salad was far worse looking in person - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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My wife and I decided to try out what was on offer at El Corral (against her better judgement might I add). My stubborn streak came about due to me having my T Bone napper on. We entered cowboy territory and were promptly seated in the corner which was fine by us, as the wee sweaty uncomfortable looking man sat up the back corner looked like Ed Gein sedated on Diazepam. We were then given glasses of water by a sour faced waitress, who gave off the dagger eyed stare of Evil Lyn from a bad He-Man cartoon. She didn't want to be there, and it appeared that there was an underlying feeling of contempt emanating from her tortured soul. Next up was a seemingly pleasant enough woman who took our orders... T Bone steak and fries for me, and the chicken breast with rice pilaf. Fair enough, this place isn't fine dining by any stretch of the imagination. Out came our salads within 3 minutes of ordering. Fine. The salad appeared to be fresh, although messy in presentation. Basically chucked on by a blind, arse scratching kitchen member (probably the kitchen porter). Our seemingly pleasant waitress became unpleasant as she zipped back again after approximately 2 and a half minutes saying "you've finished, mmhmm?" We decided to name her Passive Patty, due to her passive/aggressive personality disorder. Next up was our main meal, which must have taken all of 3 minutes to prepare. Doesn't the steak need a rest period? I expected something a lot better for $20.99. The chicken breast was criminally small and served with what looked like very bland rice that could have been boil in the bawbag Uncle Ben's stodgy worst. Seriously, the small single chicken breast, butterflied to make it look bigger, was shamefully small. 15 Dollars for a piece of pish chicken that wouldn't look out of place in a retirement home, or a Peruvian prison. Our waitress was one of those types who like to watch customers eat with a steely hawk like stare, which made this dining experience definitely the worst experience of my life. I would advise anyone who isn't of retirement age to avoid this place like the plague. The food is substandard, and the service is abysmal. read more

Our waiter (Micah?) was probably the most patient man I've ever met. My grandmother looked up and asked him 'what exactly is this Bone-in Ribeye?' He slowly and carefully pointed out it was a steak. I was laughing pretty hard without letting my 88 year old grandmother know. She then asked what her options were to cook, he gave her the a very basic Rare, Medium and Well-Done lesson. She then told me to order, which I ordered the Filet-mignon, M/R. She then said, "I'll have that too, but what is between Rare and Well-Done again?" We were treated very well, and I enjoyed my steak. Our steaks ended up being switched by accident, so we traded and didn't bring it up since it was an easy fix. I got the tamale pie for my side, and thought it was more like cheesy cornbread than a tamale. I'd take my grandmother here again. read more

El Corral is traditionally a Tucson must, but the handful of times I have been here.. I wasn't left wanting more and more until I couldn't eat no more, but because of the price this place gets a solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. The prime rib is my favorite thing here as well as their tamale freaking pies... oh my god the tamale pie is really my favorite favorite thing to eat here. I could kinda see how some people may be turned off by this place due to the "cafeteria" style serving of the food.. this place is nothing fancy and doesn't claim to be, but truthfully I like to tell myself its authentically Tucson the way it is. read more

I have enjoyed the El Corral for years. From the awesome steak, to the COWBOY atmosphere, its a must for my family year after year. My kids like to go for the ribs, I always enjoy the Steak. Of course they are known for the Prime Rib, which makes my mouth water thinking about it. If you haven't went to the El Corral, bring the whole family for the event. It has gotten better year after year for my family. read more

Save your money ... Over priced steak house . Wanted prime rib .. No taste, old tasting . It's an old place with an old taste . Basically to sum it up it was gross .... read more

My wife and I ate at El Corral in May, 2015. Being new to the Tucson area, we were looking for an excellent steak or prime rib. My wife had lived in Tucson years before and remembered how her family enjoyed El Corral, so we tried it for dinner during the week. I had the prime rib which was a bit over-cooked (I ordered rare) but worse, it was tough and tasteless--a disappointment. My wife had a small filet, which she said was very good but not excellent. The service was very good. We would probably not return. To be fair, by now (Sept. 2015), I have tried many of Tucson's and Oro Valley's steak houses and have found all of them wanting in the area of an excellent filet or prime rib. I have not tried Sullivan's or Flemming's as yet. I'm still on the quest........... read more

Haven't been here since 2002. Decided to go back with out of town guest looking for a good steak, and a place with a western feel. Well, what a mistake that was! The quality of the food has dropped significantly! Green salad was iceberg that had been sitting in the bag way too long in a way too cold fridge. Slimy!!!! itOrdered the petit filet that was flavorless and left me wondering where it came from. Not even "Choice" by US standards. I chose steamed broccolli which came swimming in water and overcooked. My husband and guest had the NY Strip which was also mediocre served with what looked and tasted like boxed mashed potatoes. Warm rolls came prior to dinner and they tasted like they came out of a blue can, if you know what I mean...... read more

since moving to tucson in july, my wife&i have driven past this place dozens of times and it is always packed. reading up on the history here, we were looking forward to finally trying it. sad to say it was completely forgettable. $20 for filet mignon sounded too good to be true, and it was...an over-cooked, tiny cut. the artichoke spinach dip struck me as frozen and microwaved. the prime rib sandwich was fine, but its au jus was completely flavorless. the soft drinks were flat. as far as atmosphere, there was none. a disappointing experience that provided absolutely no reason to return. read more

A family-run restaurant with reasonable prices, El Corral is cowboy grub with steaks prepared over mesquite wood. I ordered a porterhouse and unfortunately it was cooked unevenly over an uncontrolled flame as the sides of my steak were burnt. My order came with a choice of soup or salad and a side dish. I recommend the Sonoran Green Chili appetizer and a bottle of sasparilla with your meal. read more

Ahhhh El Corral, if you haven't been yet, GO! It is an amazing piece of history tucked next to River Road. El Corral has been around for 60 years and has enjoyed incarnations as a working ranch, a guest ranch, and now a restaurant. The place goes on for miles! I've never been sat in the same section twice, but I love sitting where I can see the grill master working the grill. The pricing at El Corral is fantastic. You can get a filling amazing steak dinner for less than $20. You're not going to get frills here, but the food is good, the services is swift, and the atmosphere is straight comfy cabin! I usually order the small filet mignon ($14). It comes with a salad and a side. I heartily recommend the tamale pie as your side. It's a delicious tex-mex dish with little spice but lots of flavor. Also, make sure the table orders the house salad. It's nothing fancy; iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, dressing, and crotons. They mix it at your table and for some reason it just feels like mom served you comfort food. The steaks I get have always been grilled to perfection, and as many out of towners as I've taken there, no one has ever had to send anything off that grill back. The half rack of ribs ($14) are my second favorite order. In fact, my now husband took me there for our second date, he still has a picture of me with a rib in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. What can I say, I'm a classy lady! El Corral is the perfect place for a quick dinner with the family, a place to take visitors to experience a Tucson classic, or to just tuck in for a filling meal. read more

Some of the best ribs ive had in Tucson. Literal fall off the bone tender ribs. Atmosphere is exactly what you'd expect of a wild west ranch. Ive always been very satisfied when Ive gone. read more

Great service. Good steaks. Nice homey ambiance. Their table-side salad is great. Just wish they had more side veggie options like green beans or asparagus instead of the standard frozen veggie medley. read more

Like so many other reviews say, the service is absolutely terrible, and it starts with the vindictive and rude hostesses. The food is mediocre at best and not worth the price. I won't ever be returning here and hope you all don't either. McDonalds is a dream compared to this place. read more

5:30 and so far so good! Seated by a very friendly hostess, our waitress came quickly to take our order. Already have a sangria that tastes great ( would have liked a cocktail napkin with it ) and my salad!! Would have appreciated a larger plate for the salad. A nice amount of greens but the small plate made it hard to eat without spilling on to the table. Good job so far. The decor is great. Would not change a thing to the look except maybe change out the tables and chairs for newer ones. 5:50 food is here. That is fast service, very appreciated when in a hurry. Fly in our food was not a good thing. Our waitress, although very nice with a wonderful positive attitude, had her hands full, she was taking care of the whole room herself and always smiling!! Kudos to her. It did take a while to get her to notice that I wanted another drink. The food however, I ordered the prime rib, seeing as the menu said 50 yrs experience in prime rib, was not that good. Prime rib was Bland, had no flavor, the string beans had nothing to say in terms of flavor either. Would not return based on the food ordered today. Let's see dessert. 6:08 finished w entrees. 6:1Plates picked up. Dessert ordered! Dessert was good, nothing really extraordinary. Maybe will go back with our family and try another selection just because the service ( Carol )was so good. They deserve another chance. The ambiance is very relaxed , which I liked. For now only three stars. read more

Loved the atmosphere, food and great service. Just my speed! The little vintage shop across the way was great too.

I have been coming here for about 10yrs or so, 3 to 5 times a year.It is on the rotation when I am in town Always loved the place,thought it great value for good unpretentious food.Loved the surroundings with all the cowboy memorabilia Well,today might have been my last time My husband and I usually get the same thing- a full rack of ribs and the rib eye We share and there is enough leftovers for lunch Not this time.The ribs were incredibly fatty and not as good as usual My steak was very fatty also-despite the size I left half of it on my plate as waste Now the steak that was meat tasted fine so i have no complaints there.But the quality has slipped quite a bit.About 5 yrs I chatted with a server about the meat.it came from local AZ ranches.The server I had today said the beef came from the midwest or Colorado-so essentially feedlot meat I did express my concerns to the server and he communicated them to the manager on duty No one came to talk to us which was very telling.They obviously don't give a damn read more

Was very busy on a Monday night...a good sign! The prime rib was excellent...the middle size - Arizona cut - was huge! Service was friendly and fast. Party of three - we all loved our meal and drinks. Great historical restaurant. read more

Worst service in the world. We arrived at 5:30 and didn't leave until 8:00. The chairs are hard and uncomfortable and the ribs are dry. Go somewhere else. read more

We just had a great meal at El Corral. I had the prime rib and I like it with very little pink. My server suggested that they grill a medium cut. It came out perfect. It's great to have a server understands how you like your prime rib. My wife enjoyed her prime rib and she was very happy that she could get a sweet potato for her side. read more

Excellent steaks! Reasonably priced menu is offered to their patrons. Our server was very fast and had a wonderful personality. I highly recommend this restaurant if you like very casual, relaxed steakhouse atmosphere. read more

El Corral - Expert on the grill. - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Was able to get a medium rare prime rib after 8:00 pm. Excellent with the fresh horseradish. The tamale pie is great. Salad ok- I'll be back next time in Tucson. read more

Extremely disappointed in the service I received. I don't understand what the point of calling ahead for a table is when you still have to wait the normal, if not longer, time to get seated. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. We were seated at a table and were blatantly overlooked by all wait staff. When the manager finally made it to our table, she had an attitude and was not interested in what we had to say. Not a good experience and it will be a very long time, if not forever, before I come back. read more

Highly recommend this spot!!!Delicious western themed dinner!!! Mesquite Chicken was fabulous! Salad tossed at tableside with Honey Mustard Itailian dressing was so very good. Waitress was extremely service oriented, friendly, knowlegeable & attentive. Hostess provided a fun history on the building as she seated us. Decor is western and cozy. A must dinner stop for locals and visitors!!!! read more

11-10-2019 First time to El Corral, from out of town. I just thought everything should have been better for a famous steak house. 12 oz, cut was thin like 1/2''thick. I would suggest getting a smaller rib roast in diameter to give your patrons a 3/4'' 12 oz. cut. Slow cooked, I don't think so. A good slow cooked prime rib will be more even in color. Cold Baked potato. read more

Would leave no stars if possible, waited TWO HOURS for a reserved table and the manager acted like we were unreasonable for inquiring about our table! Would NEVER come here again read more

El Corral - Waiting for two hours with no explanation or apology - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I have been coming here since I was a kid and I must say, I still loved it today. Decided to take my girlfriend as she has never been here. We walked in and decided to hang out at the bar for a few drinks. We both got the prickly pear marhariya, and I must say it was tasty, give it a shot. We then walked to go get a table, as it was Sunday we were seated immediately. My and her both got the filet mignon with a side, I got mashed potatos and gravy, she got the mac and cheese. Mine was cooked just like I wanted it(med) but hers was slight under(med well), it was still very very good. Our server was extremely nice and was on point with everything I needed. The decor is very old school ranch cowboy if you could not tell by the other photos. The think that lost them a star in my experience was the manager handling all the employee issues and customer compalints so loudly in front of everyone. All in all I say if you have never been, GO!!! read more

My wife and I decided to try the restaurant on a Saturday night after hearing from a coworker who enjoyed his El Corral dinner. The first thing we noticed was the shambles of a parking lot. There is not an even spot in it, mostly consisting of rocks and potholes. It is dangerous for someone like me with mobility issues. It is so bad, we saw a little girl fall and scrape her knees and hands. The handicapped parking is a long way from the entrance and offers no advantage for those who need to walk less. Once inside you notice uneven floors and dangerous level changes everywhere. Finally after being seated we had the spinach and artichoke dip, then both ordered the prime rib, with a side salad and the "renowned" tamale pie. The prime rib was OK not seasoned well, but cooked to a nice medium rare. The tamale pie was dry with little to get excited about. The salad was wilted, and we both removed brown bits before eating what we could. We were hoping for a much better experience. We may have picked a bad time, or day, but we will not be back to find out. read more

My sister and I had our Mom's surprise birthday party here because it's one of her favorite restaurants in town. Everything went fantastically! First, the staff was extremely helpful with keeping it a surprise. They let us sit at a small table with Mom until everyone else showed up in a group to surprise her, and kept up the ruse the whole time until then. When we were all seated, the salads and drinks came out promptly. Orders were taken quickly and the main entrees were delicious. They didn't fuss when fewer people showed up than we had said, AND they even let us split the bill with absolutely no complaining. Thanks very much for helping us give a special evening to our Mom! read more

The Prime Ribs is great! I wish the Salad more cold, I believe they leave in room temperature, Salad not taste good when it not cold enough. any one agree? read more

We left the movies about 6:30 Thursday night and were looking for a good place to eat. After kicking around the closest options we chose to drive over to the El Corral. We were seated quite rapidly and greeted by a very friendly waitress. We ordered the medium cut of prime rib, tamale pie and salad prepared at the table for my wife. I'm on a mission to find a great burger in Tucson so I ordered the half pound burger from the entree special box on the menu. I also ordered tamale pie and the salad. I was subsequently informed that the burger only came with french fries and the salad, no tamale pie for me. I could order a side of tamale pie but I wasn't that hungry. The french fries and the pie are the same price on the side menu. The french frys, the salad, and the dinner rolls were out of a bag (they used to have the best home made bread). The prime rib was delivered as ordered (rare) but the burger was also rare, I wanted medium rare and when was told they under cook I ordered it medium. I can eat a rare burger and did but didn't eat the frys. These folks are living off their reputation now and that can't last long. read more

El Corral - Burger, frys, but with out the ordered topping - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I went in at 9:30 before they closed and they denied service. They said kitchen was closed already. I dont plan on going back.

Had dinner here last night and all in all a good experience.The service was prompt and attentive without being overbearing. The decor was interesting and the place had a" friendly" vibe to it. The food was good but certainly not outstanding. Portions were generous and the prices quite reasonable. The salad was nothing special but seemed fresh and is included in the meal.Dessert was good and reasonably priced. I would give 3 and 1/2 stars if i could but ill round up to 4.Certainly a place to return to as long as you dont expect a gourmet experience. read more

Monthly chow down met at El Corral for the first time and it was very good. Wife had the ribeye which had a delicious flavor. I tried their prime rib which was a generous portion and cooked perfectly, but it fell a little short in the taste area. Definitely would go back but choose the ribeye. Please be prepared for a wait. A very popular place and since we had 8 people were able to grab the last large table. read more

Oh man... Another awesome steak house. The staff very polite, friendly, and attentive! We were in a large group, and no one had to worry about their glass going empty, the bread never emptied, and all together, just a great place to eat. I had an incredible view of the grill, so I watched all the food being cooked over the flames. I ordered the half rack rib combo with the filet. It was a fair price of $20.50. Definitely worth it. Of course you were offered soup or salad, and I opted for salad. Why? I don't know. As for my side with the dinner, was home style mashed potatoes. These would make my brother proud because he will not eat mashed potatoes if there are no lumps or sign of skin in them, Check and Check! I definitely recommend that if you're ever in Tucson, check this place out! read more

Our family of 5, including one child, had dinner at El Corral last evening. We all ordered the ribs which used to be good there. They were all over cooked and not tasty at all. The salads and baked potatoes were good. 4 of us had a drink and our bill was well over $150. Sure not worth it for a very disappointing dinner. We are done going there. read more

El Corral used to be one of our favorite places, until the last visit. We ordered our usual prime rib medium rare. They came out medium well, we sent them back and I received a smaller medium rare piece of leather. They have also increased their prices again, now its $21.99 for the small cut. I realized there is also an up charge for loaded potato.$3.98 for 2. I'm sad and disappointed with one of my old favorite places, been coming here for 14 years. Sorry to say my last time... read more

I rarely eat beef regularly. So when I blow a "Beef Bullet" it had better to better than average. This was most tasteless Ribeye I have EVER had. I I MEAN NO TASTE. Would not waste another Beef Bullet here. read more

I had to make an account just so I can review this place. I have no idea why it's only 3 stars. I have been here several times and the food is fantastic. I love their prime rib! The staff is always friendly and attentive, and they give you their tasty mud pie if it's a guest's birthday. It's honestly my favorite spot to take visitors from out of town too because the interior is decorated with cool western stuff--very Tucson! And they have this tasty tamale pie thing (also a unique Tucson dish). Overall, I always have a great time here; the food is great and not crazy overpriced, the people are nice, and the atmosphere is fun. I highly recommend stopping by! read more

Ya this place had alright food. however the service could improve on the speed or on prioritizing it seemed like our server didn't know what she was doing or needed to do. the whole western approach is cute and i get that it works with the menu (which is super simple, cant stress that enough) it didn't seem like the onion rings were made in house which is a little disappointing for a steak house, the salad was good with the house dressing but the dirty dishes sat by our table so that didn't make me hungry lol our server was nice tho and she did try keeping our drinks full, i wouldn't recommend going here if you are in a hurry but the food is ok however and reasonably priced so i will give them another shot read more