We had a large gift card for this place and hadn't been here for a few years. We now go out to eat earlier than usual as we have a one year old, so we went around 4:30 for dinner and the place was packed. That is not a bad thing for a restaurant, this usually indicates quality. This particular location did not have many tables, but primarily had booths. We were seated in a very uncomfortable booth. After asking for a table, we were told the last one was just taken. I understand that, not a problem... I have been to Outback restaurants a few times before and always liked my food, but not this time... We had a bloomin onion and drinks... That was all okay. The bread they brought out as a stater was also good. Then came my food. I ordered the ribs and spring chicken. The fries were very soggy, not at all what I like. Of course the first fry I picked up was the most soggy of them all, and then my taste was ruined for them. Of the bunch, there wasn't a single good fry anywhere. My chicken was good, but a very small portion (6 oz.). They absolutely covered the chicken in melted cheese, which I normally would love. This was too much cheese, in a bad way. The ribs started off tasting good. Rib one was good, rib two was still good, but getting dry. The third and final rib was very meaty, but also very dry and tough to get down. I should have started on the other end of the rack so at least I could have finished the meal on a good note. While my wife and her parents ordered desert, I started feeling an upset stomach coming on. This is unusual for me as I tend to think I have an iron stomach. Over the next few minutes I was getting very uncomfortable and wanted very much to leave. It took them 25 minutes to get desert to our table. The best part of this meal was sitting with fun people, and then leaving was also a good thing. Almost every phase of this meal rubbed me the wrong way. At least the staff was courteous. I got home and was sick the rest of the night. Not sure if it had anything to do with the food, but it sure wasn't quality. I hope I never get a gift card to Outback again... read more

I would give them a negative value if I could. We just left there after ordering the filet Mignon and ribs. When taking the first bites it was apparent the steak was not the filet ordered and the broccoli was unwashed and as if I took a mouth full of dirt. We literally returned the food after being completely grossed out. I still feel like I have sand in my mouth. When we complained, I had the waitress ask was it as if it wasn't washed? Now I'm more grossed out. The manager approaches and says she heard we returned the food and we would need to pay for our drinks. How about no. How about we all pretend this never occurred and we'll just NEVER return. How about the health department pays a visit? Save your money or go somewhere of value. It's not as if they have lower prices than a good restaurant. read more

Wow...really an awesome place. Steak is great and reasonably priced for food of this quality. I've always had good service here too. There's not really much to write. They have great bread and appetizers. I always leave too full. This is the place I always pick to come to on my birthday. read more

Great restaurants-- awesome service, even better food! Love the Crystal Lake Outback!

Awesome service! Katelyn R. was a phenomenal server and the food was AMAZING- better than any Outback I have EVER experienced. She made sure we had a good experience and she came to check on at the perfect times. I am astonished at how great the service was and I will definitely be returning here again!! read more

This will be our last visit to this location. For the second time, they failed to activate our pager and we waited double the time we were told. We won't be going for a third strike. Next time we'll try the Rockford location or Outback. read more

We come here almost every Sunday after church. My Hubby loves the food especially the French onion soup. In fact we all do. We have always had great food, great service. So why only 3 stars? We had a horrible experience today. The waitress was rude and inattentive. Maybe just a bad day? Possibly. .... but we were the first ones in the restaurant when they opened. She came to our table with an attitude and when my husband questioned a price? She spoke very condascending In a raised voice. I was taken aback at her rudeness. Then in an hour of eating she came back to the table once..not terrible if the restaurant is full but we were the only ones for quite awhile. We like Outback and love their food and will try again . Fingers crossed for a better experience because this is our go to for after church. read more

Haven't been here in ages but we decided to stop by one weekend evening since everything else in Crystal Lake sounded pedestrian to us at the time. We lucked out with grabbing a table outside the bar before the dinner rush started; it seems this place was just as busy as it was on weekends back when it opened. The bread was not as good as I remembered, the softness was gone and this was one of the things we always remembered about Outback. :( Also long gone is the grilled meat and veggie kabob combos on rice with pineapple that I used to always get so I opted for a shrimp and flank steak combo. The meal was about what I expected, the steak there has never impressed me for a 'steakhouse' as I've had juicier flank at Friday's across the street sometimes. But the overall the experience was as expected. Big chain, friendly waitress, etc. read more

Why does everyone always want to go here? I'm never going again. Honestly. I've sworn off Outback. Why, you ask? Because as a person who puts some real thought, consideration, and caloric restraint into her food choices, Outback just doesn't measure up. Everything here is so salt laden I feel like a bloated freak for days after eating there. Safest bet: Steamed lobster tail with steamed broccoli and a baked potato. And even then you have to ask them not to dump a truckload of salt all over everything. Blah. I need some water just thinking about it. read more

Just went there for my birthday dinner. Overall, I was disappointed. Especially since my 18 yr old son spent his own money on this meal. We ordered the blooming onion. That was good, though way too oily. My son ordered the special sirloin, medium rare. It came out pretty rare.... and still managed to be on the tough side. The flavor was pretty bland. He had fries, which were just barely warm when they arrived. He also had the French onion soup; the best part of the meal. I ordered the Tilapia w/crab. There were 2 or 3 mushrooms on top, and only enough crab to cover that... probably only a total of 2 tablespoons. The fish had decent flavor, not great. The crab was almost flavorless. How can crab be flavorless?? SMH. I also had garlic mashed potatoes... decent flavor but not hot enough. Doubt we'll be back. read more

Pretty common but if you are going on a Friday or Saturday night you are going to wait I you don't call ahead! So... Word of advice... Call Ahead! Personally I have never had a bad dinner. My favorite is a toss up between the Alice springs chicken and the teriyaki marinated sirloin. The honey mustard salad dressing is one of the best of all time! Seriously try it! read more

I have always enjoyed the Special Sirloin and homemade bread at Outback. While the menu lacks creative food choices, the smaller appetizer versions are a nice way to enjoy an Outback specialty between two people. My only reservation is the price related to the amount of food in the meal. Sometimes it is nice to take home leftovers and that is a rare happening at Outback. In addition, you are not able to make traditional reservations (just call ahead), so I rarely plan to eat at Outback with a group of more than four people. If you want to have an excellent steak in Crystal Lake, this is absolutely a great option. read more

We used to enjoy Outback, but the last three visits were dismal. One bad meal can be overlooked, but after three bad experiences, we're done. On each of those visits, the steaks were mostly grizzle and fat. On the second visit, the steaks were again cheap, thin cuts with grizzle and the bread was stale and cold. On the third visit, the steaks were once again cheap cuts and the service was lacking (clearly attributed to the staff gathering in the bar and kibitzing with each other throughout our visit). Fortunately, there are other neighboring restaurants that can provide quality meals with adequate service so that another disappointing visit to Outback won't be be necessary. read more

Outback. Sorry, but I'd rather have my stake just walked though the kitchen, then over cooked. Everything else, the salad, bread, blooming onion, were wonderful. The cheese cake, fantastic. So just an opps moment. And of course we'll be back to order again. Why? Because you guys make great food, even during a pandemic. read more

Enjoyed a wonderful meal this evening. Started with some big blokes and the seared ahi tuna appetizer. I love the seared ahi and the dressing - this is one of my favorite apps. Tonight I had the filet mignon. They always cook mine perfectly. Our dessert pushing waitress (Lyndsey - who has been awesome and very attentive) persuaded my husband to try her favorite - the salted Carmel cookie skillet. There goes the diet. LOL read more

Terrible. Food sucked. Better steak across the way at Texas road house. With way better waitresses to look at. My waiter was a fucking idiot. Took 3 hours in and out. Who the fuck has that type of time, especially on that type of food. Waste of time money breathe all the above. I would have rather ate dog shit. I hope the place goes under read more

Probably not coming back. Horrible service. Horrible steaks. The meat was all fat. Grizzle. While I realize a ribeye has marbling, this ribeye was complete fat. Un-chewable. The manager could care less. We sent my husband's meal back twice and he left feeling very dissatisfied. She was very non-chalant about it also. Bye bye Crystal Lake Outback. This has been going on for quite a while. Do better. read more

Been there a few times, ordered Burgers, Quesadilla's Shrimp, Steak. It's all drenched in grease and oil. It tastes manufactured and dead-stale, lifeless. One kid likes the place, so we go. Fries are wet, soggy and flaccid. It hopes to reach the culinary heights of a Sizzler from the 1970's, but falls well short of this lofty goal. The service, however is always great! Unfortunately, there are far more cheaper and superior restaurants in Crystal Lake. But if you must go to a corporate chain uber profit head em up move em out kinda place, go next door to Chucky Cheese. Sure Chucky is a friendly 6 foot tall rodent, and you'll get stares if you don't have a kid in tow... But a burger and pitcher of beer there is no worse and costs a heck of a lot less than one at Outhouse Steakhouse. read more

How can you be a hater!!! Seriously, pacific rim salmon, wallaby salad, shrimp on the barb! Come on, live a little!! With all seriousness this place is pretty good. I've been coming up from Chicago for work several times per month and this is my "go to". The food is consistently good with great flavor. The staff is friendly and everything comes out of the kitchen in a timely manner. If you're accustom to chophouse style steaks come knowing that you may be a bit disappointed but overall very happy with the experience. Ride the wave baby!! It is what it is!! read more

I have been to other steakhouses and this location hands down has the friendliest staff, great service, and great food. Will for sure be returning often! read more

We had the special for dinner, 5oz sirloin and shrimp for $15.99. Don't waste you money on this !!! The beef was so tough I had trouble cutting though it. I think it was the worst piece of beef I have ever had. The shrimp (the crisp shrimp was better than the garlic shrimp) was good, it was all you could eat. The service was very good and they did give my husband $10 off our bill because he told them his steak was tough. read more

Love this particular Outback. Their all good in my opinion, but this one even better. Friendly staff extra bonus. We had the filet mignon, baked potato, plus veggies.Everything was great! The filet was like butter, veggies cooked perfect not to hard, not to soft. Even my raspberry ice tea was just right. Usually its to sweet or not at all. My fiance got cheesecake, he said it was very good. I got the carrot cake. $7 is worth it. Its enough for 2 people, and was amazing! Moist, and not full of raisins. Best Ive had yet. Yum.. read more

The location in Crystal Lake, Il. actually lost my business after I'd been patronizing their establishment for 15 years. The quality of the food and the service have declined horribly over the past few years. I've now been served uncooked food, FROZEN-yes, frozen food, and wrong orders by rude, nasty, bored servers time after time. I only returned as much as I did because my best friend absolutely loves Outback. But in my experience, Outback Steakhouse is a cheap, disgusting, poor excuse for a restaurant. It's really too bad that it's declined so much over the years. I used to enjoy our trips to Outback. ***Recently, my food was delivered to my table frozen and when I asked for it to be re-cooked, it came back to me and tasted horrible (I know what the pork chop and mashed potatoes are supposed to taste like-I ordered them quite often when I used to eat at Outback). I was told that everything was fine and that no one else had complained about that particular dish and that I had the choice to either eat it or not eat it, but that I wouldn't be getting anything else. I'd explained that I had heard two other tables in my waitress' section complain about the exact same issues with the exact same meal. The waitress kind of rolled her eyes and walked away when I asked for the manager, and the manager, although she was nice enough (unlike that awful male manager with the light brown hair), just gave us two coupons for a discounted appetizer each next time we came in. This was already the 4th or 5th time that I'd had similar problems at Outback. When we came in the next time, we used our coupons and had to complain once again when our food was cooked wrong, half of my order not having even been served to me at all. We had the same waitress as the previous time, and after paying the check and leaving a generous tip, we were accused by the staff of "trying to get free stuff"?!? I am absolutely finished with this restaurant. I have paid them thousands of dollars over the years of my hard earned money. No more. It has truly gone swirling right down the crapper (the money AND the restaurant). *** read more

I used to come the the crystal lake location ALOT, and let me tell you its shit now... the service is 2 star and the their food presentation as well. Order 2 drinks and had to ask the bartender if there was any trace of alcohol in said cocktail and she insisted there was a lot in there, well unfortunately I rarely drink as is and it was just sad. Awesome blossom is good and probably the only reason why id go back there...and if it was the only one left in existence. read more

Outback Steakhouse is usually fun and delicious but this place is unorganized and the staff is rude and uninformed. Apparently making a "reservation" doesn't mean having a reservation at all. It means, "You get seated 10 minutes sooner." Which is still a 20-25 minute wait. What bs! read more

Typical chain food. Steaks are way over seasoned, fish is tasteless, lobster is rubbery, and the veggies are mushy. The beer is over priced and the cocktails are under poured. Wait staff is always good but that's the only good thing about outback. Try Dukes or Giorgio's in downtown CL instead. read more

Went there with family on Sat 5/11/13 for dinner with family. Went to washroom and really thought "Do I really need to go?" after seeing the condition it was in. Wife happened to go as well and when we walked out commented about the conditions. Went back to the table and waited 16 minutes before deciding "Let's leave" because no one had taken our drink order even. Now this is the best part, while waiting outside the parking lot at the light I called the restaurant and asked for the manager. I pointed out what happened and was grilled as to whether or not I was actually in the restaurant? When I described every patron around our table she then remembered us. When I pointedly asked "Why should I choose Outback Steak House vs. continuing across the street to either The Squire or TGIFs?" my reply was "because I answered the phone?" OMG... That was her answer. So if you like chain restaurant frozen prepared appetizers with lazy waitstaff and a franchise manager that doesn't care about the customers that come in. This is your place to be. If you are a little more discerning with your budget dollars for a family dinner, keep going because this Outback is not worth the money. read more

I remenber when this place opened. It was great. Staff was fun, and service was very good. Obviously, things changed. Bar staff needs to be motivated. They need to act like they appreciate customers. The food is still good, but that alone does not make a restaurant. read more

Wow o wow was this good! Anticipating a wait upon arriving in the parking lot, we were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately. The server greeted us right away and started our evening off on a nice note. Ordered a Bloomin Onion.... Deliciously good. One negative would be, we wished it was drained off a bit more as there was a lot of oil on the bottom side. My husband and son each ordered a different cut of steak, one 8oz and one filet and lobster tail. As for me, I ordered chicken on the barbie. First up was the house salads for my son and I. The lettuce was so crisp and good! My husband ordered a blue cheese wedge salad. The salad came out, all 1/8 of a head of lettuce... He loved it. He actually didn't stop talking about that salad for days, it was that good. The main courses were out next, and there weren't many words exchanged during dinner as we all were too busy eating. We will certainly be back, the total bill however was 2x what we normally spend on a Saturday night. If my family has another need for steak, this will be our go-to spot. I better start saving now. ;) Convenient location off of 31 and 14. Check out their Outback 365 app on Android or iPhone. They have promotions that can be used on your next visit, as well as a mobile menu. Good stuff! read more

So I decided to come here for my birthday, first impression of walking in was very appealing to the eye. Sat down ordered some food and it was going great. soon as my drinks arrived it all went down hill. Waiter forgot to give us straws, Failed to mention her name, Steak was undercooked, My girlfriend had to ask for ranch 3 times!!! And by the time the ranch came the fries were cold, by then my birthday dinner was a mess and to make matters worse I didn't get a single refill even after shaking the cup of ice obnoxiously. Highly do not recommend. read more

I so want to give this place 5 stars, but just can't. Every time I visit it seems like the waitstaff is in hyper-drive and can't wait to move onto the next table or task. I go to a restaurant to eat and relax, not gobble my food up and leave. The food is good here and worth the money you spend. Have never been disappointed with the quality of the food. Get the Bloomin Onion! read more

Well I have been coming to outback for awhile. Most times good food with fair prices. Prime Rib not a Fan but management made great on my bill. Thanks again for great service read more

Actually the food was okay - the service though was a turn off....I really felt rushed. Hadn't had time to pick up the menu when kept getting asked if I knew what I wanted...food served before salad was done...trying to clear plates before we were done...I had a salad - very good and tuna appetizer. Both decent... read more

Great service and good food. The only reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the recipes on some of our favorites changed (apparently this happens periodically), but we got no warning. My husband used to love their chicken fingers until the last time we went there. They were not as good and it sounds like the old recipe is gone for good. read more

Lunch was ok. It seems the portions have gotten smaller. Celebrating a birthday in our group and most places comp the birthday person with a desert. Nothing. Waitress was told as we were seated and again nothing. Overall, I do not feel the value equalled the cost. We had the mushrooms for an appetizer and the were ok but again pricey for the amount. Prime Rib size has shrunk. I notice even the plates are smaller to give the impression the portion sizes are the same. It's hard to go back when you have a family of four and you are trying to maximize your budget. read more

Once a great place, the Kitchen completely falls apart under pressure. On New Years Eve we ordered take away and were very disappointed. Of five meals, only one was correct... that was a plain hamburger well-done. Everything else was cooked either wrong, didn't include the advertised stuff, or included something that wasn't supposed to be in your food at all!!! Thankfully they are building building a Texas Roadhouse across the street.... read more

Just had dinner there tonight with my GF. Horrible! Ordered the larger prime rib, have of it was fat. Mashed potato side was definitely smaller than in the past. Took a bit to pre bus the table. 15 minutes to process my CC. And they were very slow for a Friday night. Put your money to better use at another local steakhouse which is priced better and offers soup and salad. read more

What an amazing dinner we had. The steak was flawless... cooked perfectly. Our bartender, Steve was on top of it. The service was like a well oiled machine. I don't usually frequent chain restaurants but this was a pleasant surprise. I'll be (out)back, mate! read more

Used to be a go to steak place for us,but past few visits has us going elsewhere. Server forgot to bring one of our sides, didn't arrive until meal almost completed. Manager took 45 minutes on a not busy night to process our gift card order. Gave her two gift cards. She only processed one. She had to do a second time, no apology, no coupon for your time and trouble. It should not take 45 minutes to process gift card payment. They could have had almost have turned the table again with the time it took for us to pay! read more

We've been several times in recent months to find the service & food outstanding. From drinks & appetizers to even dessert at times, we've found the staff very good. read more