Food is always fresh and seasoned really well. Very friendly service every time. When wife and I go to Claire we always eat here

My son and I eat here all the time. Pleasant service, excellent food, and an enjoyable atmosphere make Ponderosa a place we go to all the time. read more

My husband has very fond memories of our local Ponderosa as a child on visits with his grandparents.the locations in our area closed long ago, so I scoped one out on our recent road trip. I was immediately transported to the 80's when I stepped in. This location has done a wonderful job of brightening up the walls, fresh paint, fitting decor... all while holding on to the aesthetic that made them popular. The store still featured booths and wood panels and the buffet, but was appropriately updated. It was clean and kept up well I was elated to find that the Buffett options hadn't changed much from my memory. The crispy chicken wings, breaded shrimp, and mashed potatoes met every expectation. Service was friendly and helpful. The price was great and I left feeling satisfied and almost giddy. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Or should I say 'happy trails?' read more

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The Clare, Mi Ponderosa is our go to place each Wednesday. Wonderful team of employees. So friendly and personable. The servers we have experienced are right on top of things. Most especially Melody, who has our drinks on the table for us when she sees us come in. What a caring soul, as are her associates. The variety and quality of foods we favor are very good. Good people, good food, clean facilities. We love our Clare Ponderosa! read more

What to my surprise in Clare, MI we came across a Ponderosa Steakhouse. I have NOT seen once since my childhood and just had to check it out. Large parking lot close and around the entire building. Walked in and through a long hallway to the register where we meet Joanne who was pleasant and knowledgeable of the items offered on the menu posted. Loved that at age 93 and up you can eat for FREE! I ordered a ribeye with loaded baked potato and it came with the buffet. My husband just ordered the buffet. $57.00 later we were at our table and getting our beverages Pepsi and Dr Pepper delivered by Samantha. She was fast, friendly and super helpful especially when it was time to get acceas to the ice cream machine. No one is allowed back so you grab a staff member and they help with all the fixings. I got a he chocolate and vinalla swirl, strawberry topping and sprinkles with a side kocker of apple crisp. Still a casual dining restaurant with Old West theme, affordable steaks, and expansive buffet that touched on all the senses. Salad bar, sldeswrt bar, chicken wings, meatloaf, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, brussel sprouts, garlic break, soup.. the list was endless. All the food was well displayed, fresh, and the facility clean. Could not have asked for a better stop for lunch on this Sunday! read more

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One of the last ones I have seen and still the same. Get there early before the skin forms on the pudding and someone spreads corn kernels all over the buffet! read more

Absolutely Horrendous - Stay Away! This was, without a doubt, the worst buffet experience of my life. It was falsely advertised as a steakhouse, but calling it that is an insult to actual steak. The food was beyond terrible--one bite, and I was out. I felt so nauseous I thought I was going to vomit. The so-called "meat" was unidentifiable, completely flavorless, and had the texture of something not meant for human consumption. A tongue scraper was necessary just to recover. The only redeeming quality was the friendly staff, but not even their kindness could save this disaster of a meal. Avoid at all costs! read more

The place is always stupid good. And Given today's restaurant prices, a real bargain. Great staff

Food is very good wait staff is very good. Our favorite waitress Melody is there on Sundays when we stop on the way home. She is wonderful

This place has excellent food and service! I was treated like a wanted guest and had to wait only slightly for servers help!

Ponderosa has always been my favorite restaurant specially as a kid with my grandparents. As there is only a few of them left in Michigan, I stopped in today on my way up north with my dad. This by far is my favorite one. The food is amazing it's clean and the staff is great and friendly. I didn't get pictures but man I'm so impressed!! Kevin was our server, he is the best server I have ever had in my life!!!!!!! If I could give this over 5 stars I would give em 10! read more

This is a legend of a restaurant! All the memories of your childhood and the ponderosa favorites are right here. The salad bar is plentiful and fresh! The Ribeye was cooked perfectly and our waiter was absolutely amazing. If you leave here hungry it's your fault as the selection and service are wonderful. There's plenty of room to enjoy times with friends or even if you like to have a intimate evening. I would recommend if you're ever in Claire Michigan to visit ponderosa! read more

Ponderosa Steak House - Great atmosphere - Steakhouses Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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I stopped at this place for lunch. This food was good and I got the buffet that was 17$ that was worth it but you got to pay for a cup that is 55c to go and there is no waitress so I got a Dr Pepper but no one was there to get a refill so I snuck in a Dr Pepper in a can and when no one was looking I pored that in. I would recommend the coconut pie dessert. read more

Ponderosa Steak House - 55c cup - Steakhouses Near Me - Clare, Michigan

We went to the buffet and there weren't many options. Food wasn't hot or fresh. Also-prices listed here are way off. $16.99 for an adult Buffet. read more

We use to love ponderosa but this location in Clare is bad , filthy inside food all over floor and ceiling tile water loved falling down and the food was horrible, the salad bar was also bad.Will never go back. read more

Service was amazing food was good salad was so fresh and the cook will cook up fresh food on order Would definately recommend

Happy to see the Ponderosa Sign. Steak was good and salad bar was great. Desert s were fantastic! Our server Melody was outstanding. Food was the way I remembered it. The banana bread is made in house. It was worth the trip.If you never been to a Ponderosa, you should give it a try. read more

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Food was good problem was all staff did not wear hair net or hat nice feel to the place nice dinner and salad bar read more

Ponderosa Steak House - Sirloin tips baked potatoes - Steakhouses Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Couldn't believe i came across a ponderosa. Had to go just for old times sake. Salad bar was excellent, but they didn't have the fried wings like back in the day. Steak wasn't anything special. read more

We had a good experience here. Not from here, in the the area for hunting. Stopped here as last stop before cabin food all weekend. Service and staff are VERY attentive and made us feel welcomed. Salad bar was good. Bowl holding Leyte he should be drained better or more often. Cooked food had a good variety but everything was slightly too salty. Not badly, just a little... Overall, pretty good food. Staff more than made up for any other shortfalls. We will eat here again. read more

First time here and love the food. There is a seafood buffet today and I am in culinary heaven. Thirteen bucks is fairly inexpensive for the rustic yet flavorful faire that is offered and the service provided is exemplary. I would love to return and try the steak. Ponderosa, take my money! read more

great food. not for picky eater. service is slow. ambiance is busy. amazing ice cream tho

Was very disappointed everything tasted like it came out of can except the salad bar was fresh. The soft taco shells were dried up and hard so they brought out more and those were ice cold. Some of the deserts were ok. Waitress was nice I think we paid $11.99 per person and $6.99 for the 12 and under price on the buffet. I can see why all the ponderosas are closing they need to make some changes. I really hate leaving bad reviews but this was just disappointing. Would have been better off eating at a fast food joint. read more

Just finished eating here. Tammy was my server. She was great and I gave her an extra tip. My steak was cooked the way I like it and Tammy kept checking on me to see it I was doing alright. 5 star for food and service. It was a little pricey, but well worth it. Thank you for doing it right. I am happy. read more

The really short girl who gave me and my sister desert. It was amazing and the Man who made me the shrimp pasta in-front of me you know who you are! This restaurant is amazing and I would definitely go there again. read more

Best steakhouse in town it's great all their food cooked fresh and kept warm in the buffet or if you like steak, shrimp, salmon and many more options for a regular restaurant style eating. Food is amazing and there are so many options from a salad bar to breakfast dinner and dessert. The service is also great even when there overrun the servers are always at your table if you need anything and are very nice the price is sort of expensive but definitely worth it!!! read more

Ponderosa Steak House - Potato soup delicious!! - Steakhouses Near Me - Clare, Michigan

This Steakhouse was an absolute shit hole. I managed to come across 10 dirty plates in the "clean pile". If there was a no star option i would give it that. The food is way over priced. Not to mention the workers that have zero clue about what they were doing. They also sat us next to a booth that had trash and was a storage area. IN THE DINING AREA. The walls had food splatter on it. Definitely will never eat here again. Ps: While I was writing this review the server dropped a plate of food at my feet read more

Hard to believe it cost our family of 4 $48 (before tip) for a lunch buffet, & that's without ordering anything extra from the (fake) grill. Even worse when the buffet is so filled with cheap food - chicken quarters, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, 2 other pasta options, etc. Not the restaurant's fault, but I felt really creepy when I briefly looked behind me as I was fixing my tacos, & see 3-4 people staring at me like I'm taking the last of the taco meat before their turn. The salad bar was better, & the only reason they got 2 stars. The dessert options looked nice, too bad the main courses were such a joke. At least we know never to stop by here again, you know it's bad when McDonald's is considered a better option. read more

The staff that greeted me was friendly. The person waiting on me was very attentive and friendly and the food was great, overall I had a great experience. I will eat there again next time I stay in Clare read more

Great place to go with the family, they make your plate for you while covid is going on. Waitress was GREAT!! They do not care if you wear a mask or not. The food was awesome, I knocked it 1 star because of the chicken it was really salty but other than that it was great! read more

I haven't had a meal at a Ponderosa Steakhouse in 20 years, since they have long closed in Canada. It was somewhat shocking to have to place an order the very second we set foot in the restaurant. Hastily, we ordered from the buffet, not realizing that we could get an à la carte cut of meat for a mere dollar more. The buffet had sufficient variety, probably 20 or so different options. There was a selection of veggies and salads for the more health conscious, but it was still a challenge to have a healthy meal. Many of the items were high in sugar or butter or a combination of both. It was better than ordering from a fast food menu, but only slightly so. None of our party of 7 was overly impressed with the meal. read more

This is my grandparents favor place to go. The buffet is fresh and hot. Clean place to eat.

My friend and I stopped in Clare Michigan, to take break with sit down dinner while on road trip. Bar none the worst place I have ever eaten. Food was obviously poorly made premade mixes that tasted horrible, my kids could have done a better job. Least my kids would have thought to add few spices to improve the taste and disguise the fact they were using cheap box mix. Pretty hard to undercook green beans, but you could tell they pretty much open the can threw in few bacon bits and threw it on warming table. Staff was plentiful, running around cleaning and doing "busy" work. Wait staff boldly ignored attempts to catch their eye to to get service and would run right past tables, their heads down, eyes at the floor. When I did manage to catch staff to asked for items, I did not receive them. Seemed pretty obvious they had been told to limit breads, condiments, cakes, deserts and some more expensive items by management as access to those items were strictly controlled and limited. Do Not expect to get an all you can eat buffet, I personally couldn't even stand to finish the first plate of food. I don't blame the staff, they seemed embarrassed to be forced to give shoddy service. It is a shame because this used to be a quality food chain that always had good meals and with the freedom to eat what ever pleased. I had happy memories of family dinners and girls days out at Ponderosa. I guess all things have their day, and this has become a faded memory. read more

Excellent experience. My steak was prepared as ordered- medium. It was tender and pink in the middle. Salad bar was stocked with fresh vegetables. The restaurant was very clean. Staff was friendly, courteous, and attentive. A great value for the price. read more

My fiancé and I decided to stop is as we passed thru the area this evening. We were both quite pleased with the food and the service. It was better than I expected for a $10 buffet. The food wasn't dried out and over cooked and surprisingly flavorful. I opted to add on the 6 oz. sirloin for a $1. I was shocked at how tender it was considering the price. We will definitely be stopping back in next time we pass thru. read more

This is where I go when I need a good sized meal for the money. The cost for my family to eat here keeps going up but we still get our money's worth. I don't think many things here are made from scratch. The quality of the steak is usually really good. This location I would say has the Best steak and buffet in town. read more

Kind of disappointed. Had to point it out that the pineapple and peaches on the salad bar were spoiled . My husband and I got the breakfast buffet. I have digestive issues and explain that to the waitress. I only went up one time and wanted to take the rest home because it's physically not possible for me to eat it all at once. Her answer was no even after I explained my situation . I could understand if I had made a few plates. So since I couldn't even eat one full plate I guess I don't feel like I got my money's worth. The food wasn't bad but I still give that a three stars too. read more

Way over priced for what you're getting. We spent nearly $100, just for buffets! We could have gone to a nice place and ordered off menus for less than that! Food was NOT hot, and much of it had obviously been sitting for a while and wasn't fresh. We stopped there with 6 kids, hoping to fill everyone up. Quite the opposite happened as the kids found the food disgusting. Husband and I also found it to be not good, going so far as to make my husband sick that evening. We will never, ever stop at Ponderosa again! So not worth the money! Very disappointed. read more

Our server was absolutely amazing!!! The food was cold. Health department states that food must be served at 160°. I'll be generous and say it was luke warm. We didn't finish our first plate and was offered 1/2 our money back. It was $47 for one adult and 3 children. I tipped the heck out of that girl though. It was not her fault and she was positive and sweet. read more

Not very many options in the buffet. Service was nice. Corn bread was very bad. Didn't order any steaks but looking at other reviews would probably raise this review 2 stars at least. read more