This place is a classic that always hits the spot! My favorite salad bar ever and the chicken is always amazing. Brian gave us the best service and made our experience, we will come back everytime we're in town! read more

When I'm in the area I absolutely love to eat here, steaks are great and they have a spectacular salad bar.

Tried The Ribeye eight years after moving to Champaign. Mixed feelings about it... Stopped by Saturday night at around 7PM. I ate alone. Waited for about 10 minutes. Lots of parties of more than 4 people, so it appeared to be a good place for hanging out. Ordered 8oz ribeye with extra sautéed mushrooms, and rice as the side. Wanted the ribeye cooked medium rare. The steak was cooked exactly to medium rare, which was pleasing (many steakhouse franchise overcook my medium rare steak). It tasted aged to the right extent. It was juicy -- fresh juice bursted out with a strong flavor of quality beef. That's as far as I could tell, of course. The sautéed mushrooms were fine. But the food quality ends there, I guess. The self-service salad bar is a great perk, but the food on the salad bar was, uh, mediocre. The veggies were fresh, but the pre-made salads were mostly pretty awful. I tried one potato salad, it came with a strong taste of spoiled milk; also tried a slaw, it came with a strong smell of bleach! The salad with fish (?) was so terrible that I spit the fish chunk it out immediately. It almost ruined an otherwise good dinner. It's not I didn't like the place, but I probably would choose Texas Roadhouse or Outback over The Ribeye next time when I have craving for steak but don't want to spend a fortune. read more

we went to the ribeye for our 21 anniversary with a gift card our give us a couple of years ago, we was told they wouldn't honor it because the ribeye was under new ownership and there is nothing they could do. a place like the ribeye cant afford to refund $50 ? read more

Asked for a bread saucer, was told to get one from the salad bar, which were frozen together. Not conducive for keeping the bread warm. The bread was dense & dry! Ordered a Bloody Mary which was the worst I ever had, watered down & lacked flavor! Ordered a 10 Oz ribeye, not sure what they served me. It was 3/8" thick, grainy, and lacked flavor! Looked more like a round steak, not even choice at best! I sent it back and got a filet, it was better. The baked potato was good, and so was the salad bar, but overpriced at $12.95! The worst insult came at the end. The "new owners" have changed the large group size to six from the usual eight and included a 20% tip, rather than the standard 18%! The service was erratic, however the server was quite pleasant! Not a 20% er! The atmosphere was poor! At these prices they could have afforded some decent chairs, without torn seats! This was one of the go to places in Champaign. Now it's on my never ever list! Should have went to Texas Roadhouse, better food, prices, & service! Very disappointed for a venue to celebrate my Mom's 90th birthday!!! Sure miss the Round Barn! read more

While the service was very good, I can not say the same for the food. An 8 oz ribeye is only about 3/8th inch thick. Asked for medium rare and got mostly medium. Steak was bland and without any flavor. Had mushrooms with it and for the price I would have expected Portabella mushrooms instead of canned button mushrooms. Again not much flavor. Overall, this is not a return to restaurant for me. read more

The Ribeye - Steakhouses Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Welcome to 1980, nothing has changed since then in here. The inside is quite dated. The salad bar is decent. The steaks come out on a sizzling cast iron skillet. Due to this, they always come out over cooked. Always order your steak one temp level below what you want it and get it off the skillet as soon as you get it. This place is okay, but there are better options for the price. read more

Blah steak, disgusting decor, and a salad bar right out of the 1970's. No idea why this place is so popular. Will not be back.

Atmosphere-This place needs a serious facelift. It's trapped in 1984. Even the photos of the new Illinois staff on the walls were made to look old! The tables aren't actually tables. They are pieces of plywood with a tablecloth covering them. Old dingy Tiffany style light fixtures and everything is maroon. Reminds me of my great grandparents. Even the old people say it needs an update. Come on now. Food-They have the absolute very best salad bar in the area. Everything is fresh and delicious. That being said, they only have 3 items in their menu. Steak, chicken, and shrimp which is fine IF (big if) they do all 3 items exceptionally. But they don't. I come here fairly regularly for the salad bar. Sometimes we get their Sunday/Monday steak special (which is a fantastic deal) Every time we order our steak medium. Every time we get something other than medium. Went 2 weeks in a row. Once got a steak that was rare, almost blue. Next week got medium well/well. I brought it to the attention of a manager one time on a Sunday and he told me the cooks on Sunday's aren't as good as the other days and offered us a discount. Um, what?!? Who says that??? Either way, the salad bar is delicious and the Sunday/Monday steak special is good so I guess I'll be back. At least I know what to expect. read more

This restaurant has been our favorite go to place for birthdays, anniversaries and any other celebration or non celebration. It is the best and never disappoints. We love the ribeyes that are served to order. The salad bar is best in town. Kaytie took great care of us tonight. We have tried other steak places and always vote to come back here. Deserts are good, if you have room for them. Take it home for later. You won't go wrong eating at The Ribeye! read more

Have always loved The Ribeye. The best salad bar anywhere. Enjoyed the twice baked potato. Didn't even need the steak this time as I filled up with salad. Always ask for Brian as he is the best waiter around. Checked on us several times and never had to look for him! Good waiters are hard to find and he was the best! read more

These people are the worst. They will lie to you about having received an order if they don't feel like filling it, they will lie and say "someone called to cancel it", they will lie and say their grill is shut down and then say you can still come in onsite, and they will screw your postmate driver to boot. Their food is 5 or 6 on a scale of 10, but during the pandemic we frequently ordered from them to support local. We've spent between $1000 -$2000 with them over the last few months. No more. Don't patronize them. read more

I've been dreaming of a delicious Salad Bar for over 2 years!!! The chicken was great too! The owner stopped by to say hello. Loved my whole experience read more

I really don't get some of the reviews of this place. The salad bar is fabulous? Ok, you people need to get out of central Illinois more.... So here's what this place is about. It is called The Ribeye and that is a perfect name for it. Just about the only thing you can order here is a ribeye. You can get an 8 oz ribeye, a 10 oz ribeye or a custom cut ribeye in any weight up to 32 ounces. But you can't get any other cut of meat. All ribeyes all the time. They do have I think one chicken and one shrimp dish available if you don't like ribeyes. So you better like ribeyes if you come to this place. Now to the salad bar. What is good about it? The fact that they have iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, croutons and 8 different mayonaisse based salads? The salad bar is terrible. Where are the mixed greens or spinach? What about garbanzo beans or sprouts or candied walnuts or jicama or edamame or anything remotely interesting? I find rural midwest cuisine sorely lacking in variety and this salad bar is just about as vanilla as it gets. Lack of menu choices, a terrible salad bar, baked potatoes that only come with butter and sour cream options (a steak restaurant should ALWAYS have baked potatoes that come with the options of chives, bacon, cheese and ALL of the fixings) and a pretty dingy interior all leave you pretty underwhelmed with this place. Unless you want a 32 ounce ribeye. Then they've got you covered! read more

For all the hype about this place I was seriously disappointed. The 10 oz ribeye was bland as could be. I have had better ribeyes from Walmart. The waitress wasn't very attentive and when she asked how the food was, seeing 75% of it still on my plate and after I told her I was bland the waitress said "um well ok do you like want it to go then" I told her no thank you. She comes back a minute later and says well I told my manager and she said it looks like you ate about 6 ounces of it so we can give you a 3 oz piece as a replacement. Who in the hell would want that. We didn't ask for a discount so why would I want a small chunk of meat. So if you like plain steak with no flavor this is the place for you. Salad bar was decent and that is the only reason this place is getting 2 stars. Side note when paying your bill make sure you ask for a recipt because they just take your credit card and give you the wrong receipt back. read more

Whenever you ask someone about The Ribeye, their response is the same: "the salad bar their is FABULOUS." When the best thing going for a steakhouse is its salad bar, this should be a red flag. The service is stiff and hurried, but efficient. The wine list is basically two choices: white or red. The menu is basically two choices: steak or chicken. The steak is a decent cut, but hardly seasoned and served on hot cast-iron skillets that mean your medium-rare steak is well by the end of your meal (and your medium well is a dried-out hockey puck of jerky-like ribeye.) All this while dining in a windowless cinder-block building decorated wholly in orange and blue, and surrounded by senior citizens (equally decorated wholly in orange and blue.) But yes, the salad bar is good. read more

I myself can't recommend Ribeye for a meal, and gave it a low rating, roughly 1 1/2 stars. Because Ribeye has many happy customers, as well as fellow Yelpers who are fans, and who are marking Ribeye higher, I will try to describe Ribeye as well as I can as I relate my single dining experience. That way, you, the reader, will know what to expect if and when you go. Ambience and Decor: Let me first describe the restaurant's ambience. The restaurant is a dark, windowless interior space. The decor is simple, something like wood or wood-like tables and chairs along with booths. When I was there the restaurant was very busy and extremely noisy. TV's were visible from most seats of our table, so watching a TV show or event while eating is part of Ribeye's draw. I imagine drinks and dinner while watching a football game would be an example. There is a full bar in a space connected to the dining area. Food: The food at Ribeye is not to my taste. The ribeye steak is low quality meat. Eating the steak is not a pleasant or satisfying experience. Perhaps a hamburger or meatloaf type order would be safer. Ribs are on the menu but I just know that the barbecue sauce would not be better, and might be worse, than that offered by McDonalds. The salad bar comes with most dinners. The salad bar has a mediocre selection of items, and the quality of each item is basic. Coleslaw would be on par with that available in a chain supermarket deli. Freshness of the salad bar is variable by item, depending upon how it turns over. Overall, the salad bar is not worth ordering. It just is not very good. Bread is a hot, fresh loaf, but mediocre nonetheless. Also, Ribeye does something to its butter. The butter is whipped up for sure, but they might add sugar or something to it. The vegetables, and items like baked potato or mashed potatoes are edible, but mediocre. These don't appear to be prepared to order. Unfortunately, potatoes and vegetables lose much of their appeal if they are not eaten when freshly cooked to order. I can't comment on dessert. None of us ordered dessert, and I don't remember what was on the dessert menu. Summary: Overall, Ribeye leaves me with the impression of being an upgraded (albeit, a much upgraded) version of Sizzler. It also has the feel of a sports bar. Prices are pretty much in line with what Ribeye offers. That is, prices are neither too high nor are they particularly good values. Service is adequate but unremarkable either way. For me, this all is about 1 1/2 stars on Yelp. Ribeye is targeted to, and evidently, successfully fills, its own niche in the market. The other reviewers have different opinions, but all of us are evaluating the product that I have tried to describe to you above, in my review. I hope this will give you some idea of what to expect if you visit Ribeye. read more

Every now and then, you find a restaurant that does one thing and they do it so well that they never need to change. This is not that kind of place, although it thinks it is. The menu offers three options: ribeye, chicken, or shrimp. Seeing as they specialize in ribeyes, I would think they would know how to cook one. I ordered mine medium, expecting a juicy, pink center. I ended up with a very well done steak that was mostly devoid of flavor. Part of the problem is due to the fact that the steaks are served on a hot skillet-plate, which obviously continues to cook the steak as it comes out to you. If you plan on ordering a steak here, I recommend asking for it rare so that by the time it arrives at the table, it's not completely over-cooked. I understand that the salad bar is a big draw for some people. There is a huge selections of different "salads" that you might find at a church potluck (i.e., all sorts of salads that involves pasta, mayo, and other things that are not lettuce). If you want a lettuce salad, there is a large bowl of crisp iceberg with tomato slices carefully arranged in a cylinder, stacked like citrusy bricks. I imagine the baked potato is fine, because you can't really do a whole lot to mess it up. I ordered the steak fries, which weren't seasoned at all. One of my dinner companions commented that they tasted a lot like the frozen french fries that you bake in your oven at home. The decor was hilarious incongruous with the prices. From the look of the place, you'd think you were at a small town seniors restaurant that served plain chicken with a side of canned corn. Then you look at the menu and the three dinners cost between $16-23. It didn't bother me a lot, but it was amusingly awful in terms of ambience. I don't mean to trash this place too much though. The service was great, and the staff were very accommodating. I was there for a graduation party, and I called in advance to see if they would allow me to bring in cupcakes. I've seen other Champaign-Urbana restaurants add a plating charge for any outside food, if they allow it at all. The Ribeye said it was no problem. I have to give them props for being cool about everything. Overall, I can't really recommend this. You can get a mediocre steak for a lot less. If you do end up going, just make sure you either order the steak less done that you want it, or be very clear with the waitress as to what medium or medium rare means to you (and be prepared to send it back). Oh, and don't order the fries! read more

was sadly disappointed. My medium rare steak was overdone, and hard to cut, but maybe its just the rib-eye cut? sadly no other steak cut options. The pickled beets and freashly baked slight deepfried bread are awesome. Other than that, I just wasn't really feeling the pasta and buckets of mayo salad bar. The decor is more than slightly dungeony from the moment you walk in. Menu options is basically rib eye and some insignificant chicken option and 3 pieces of shrimp for 20 bucks. However, the place was busy the whole evening, so they must be doing something right for others. read more

My grandparents are long-time fans of the Ribeye, and I have joined them at the Ribeye on two separate occasions. Both times, the hostesses and the servers were extremely nice to them - treating them like local celebrities - and anyone who is that nice to my grandparents is okay with me! The Ribeye has a relatively limited menu and their specialty is the ribeye (surprise, surprise). The salad bar and baked potato are included with the ribeye dinner, and both are pretty good. The overall ambiance of the Ribeye is relatively casual, and they have a lot of Fighting Illini memorabilia. I think some of the reviewers who were disappointed with this place may have been expecting something along the lines of Morton's or Gibson's in Chicago - the Ribeye is not that. read more

If you understand what the Ribeye is and go in there with the right mindset, you will not be disappointed. I grew up (and never really left) C-U, so the Ribeye will always hold a special place in my heart for its sentimental value. The decor hasn't changed in 20+ years, I'm sure. When you go in there, you feel like you are transported back to the 80s. However, the restaurant itself is very clean. The salad bar is my favorite -- always fresh, crisp and cold. I can't overstate the freshness -- you constantly see employees changing the salads. All of their salads and salad dressings, to my knowledge, are made in-house. I'm a huge fan of everything on that salad bar, especially the cucumber salad and the herring salad (but you just might have to be Eastern European to appreciate pickled herring with onions in mayo). For being a Ribeye lover, I actually don't like the steaks at the Ribeye. I really like thick-cut steaks cooked med rare, and you will never get anything below a med well steak at this place. However, the steaks are always juicy and full of flavor. They're served on a hot skillet (which I find questionable, but again, it's part of the experience). I always get the grilled chicken with extra barbecue sauce. It's seriously the best out there. I don't like twice-baked potatoes anyways, and their's is no exception. I usually order steak fries or rice pilaf. They have drinks, but they appeal more to the older crowd. No biggie for me, I usually order iced tea or wine anyways. I wouldn't say any food from the Ribeye is out of this world, but it is very, very good. The quality of the food and service is consistent. Go in with an open-mind. The Ribeye hasn't changed a bit in decades, and there's always a wait -- there's definitely a reason why they haven't changed. They do what they do very well. read more

I love that the menu is limited... Makes the decision process easier! Our steak was VERY good, cooked exactly as we ordered it, medium rare. The salad bar was good too. Not as great as the one at the Mascoutah Moose's once a month Steak Saturday, but good. Our server, Ashleigh, was attentive and personable. All in all, well worth the money. read more

Old time sports atmosphere and old decor but AWESOME food! The salad bar is amazing and very well kept! Of course, we got the ribeye and it was cooked perfectly! Highly recommend the twice baked potato as a side! Would definitely recommend! read more

The Rib Eye is solid and unpretentious. You come for meat, you will get meat. If you are on a college student budget, it might be a good place to go with your parents. Personally I like it better when I'm not picking up the bill. The main dishes are right there in the name - different sizes of rib eye. I'd heard great things about the salad bar, and it is pretty good. There's a lot of x salads - pasta salad, bean salad, egg salad offerings. The vegetables are reasonably fresh and there's a fair amount of toppings. Even so, this is not a good place for a vegetarian. My girlfriend's family took us out to eat here and one of her sister's friends was a vegetarian. She had very little luck with the menu and I think had to get the salad bar only. The rib-eyes are meaty and well cooked, not too overseasoned. They come out on a hot metal plate that will continue to cook them a bit as you eat. I have ordered rare steaks each time I've been there, and they actually brought out properly rare (chill in the middle and bright red) so I didn't mind too much. It was moist and delicious. The steak fries are big and crispy but just a little bland to me. The price does seem a bit high to me when paying, and the decor is absolutely outdated. A lot of the popularity of this place is rooted in nostalgia, I think, but it delivers the Rib eyes it promises. read more

Old school place, only a few things on the menu, because that's why you come here, the ribeye. Nice salad bar. It's not hipster, glamorous or pretentious, but the service is excellent to go along with the food. Embarrassed it took me so long to get there after living here for years. read more

It was what I expected, a place that claims to be a ribeye place. What I didn't expect was a thin cut of ribeye. I'm used to a thick narrow cut of beef. It was prepared exactly as I ordered but there wasn't much flavor. On the other hand, the salad bar was very good with a large selection. Service was good and its walking distance from the hotel. read more

Awesome old school steak house. Danica my server was very attentive and knowledgeable. Ordered a steak rare and she knew not to bring it out on a hot plate, which was the norm. Menu is limited to what they do best. Great salad bar and the twice baked potato was full of flavor. Being from the south I tried their sweet tea, big surprise of flavors and just enough sugar to make a southern boy proud. When in Champaign Illinois give it a try. Plenty on illini photos all around. read more

Don't know how to give 1-2 stars or I would downgrade the rating. If you're gonna name yourself after a cut of meat, I believe the meat shouldn't be substandard. Ribeye is my favorite steak but this did not cut it. Added sautéed onions and mushrooms to the meal and to my surprise they were button mushrooms. The small loaves of bread were hot coming to the table. I had one slice - average. The best thing going on was the salad bar and even it lacked. By that I mean the lettuce was tired. However a good variety of other things were there. Large portions - that's the best I can say. And that it was walking distance from the hotel. But if it's meh, who cares? read more

The Ribeye - Steakhouses Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Mediocre at best. The steak is cooked nicely but under seasoned as were the sauté onions I had to go with the meat. Our waiter raved about how great the twice baked potatoes were but I'd have to disagree. Maybe I don't have a taste for them in general but it tasted bland and very average. Plus the peal at the bottom was rock hard so I could eat it. Salad bar was pretty good and I enjoyed what they had to offer there but overall I thought that paying $30 for this and a single beer was a bit much for what I got. Our waiter did a great job and I kinda like the nostalgic feel of the decor even though I'm not really an Illini fan. Don't plan to visit again unless someone else is buying. read more

I like to play a game when I am traveling for my job with the hotel staff to help me find restaurants. The game is pretty simple and it cuts all of the crap that you get from hotel staff trying to be overly friendly. Ask " Where would you go tonight if cost didn't matter?" And if that doesn't work ask "What restaurant is your favorite?" "What would you get?" First time out of maybe a hundred i didn't get a good recommendation. The staff is very friendly so I gave two stars, but when I go somewhere for food I want good food. The quality of the steak is on par with almost expired meat from walmart. Harsh but true. I feed my dog steak once a year for his birthday and the low grade steak I get from my butcher for him is better than this. Also I am glad that I read some reviews on here before I went because they serve the steak on a frying pan that is cast iron and very, very hot. The result I ordered my steak rare expecting it to come out medium rare it was closer to medium and by the time I was finished with a 12 oz. it was going towards medium well. The salad bar was the only redeeming quality. It had a fairly decent selection of different salads; such as pasta salad, potato salad and so forth. The basic salad is a kind of build your own house salad with a few simple dressings and a large variety of toppings that are typical in the Midwest. (Sorry reviewer from Cali I know people from Cali and they are always disappointed by our smaller selection of vegetables offered for vegans in Midwest restaurants) The price for a 12 oz twice baked potato (mediocre and two hot to eat because it was served on a skillet so it didn't cool down) and a sprite. 29 bucks before the tip. This is DEFINITELY a favorite of the locals because of all of the Illini stuff on the wall but the rest of the decor was just covered up fake wood paneling from the 70's/80's will black painted drop tile. In short, find somewhere else there are plenty of places to eat in Champaign/Urbana. read more

From the outside, The Ribeye doesn't look like much and it honestly doesn't get a lot better once inside. The decor is very cozy, much Illini pride but don't let that stop you. The menu is simple but the food is fantastic. They've got a wonderful salad bar that (I'm almost positive) comes unlimited with an entree purchase and all of the options are tasty and fresh. The steak was brought out on a hot skillet and it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I was very much impressed so I decided to stay for dessert. Do yourself a favor and order the piña colada. Amazing! read more

I understand that this is Champaign, IL and you have to keep your expectations reasonable, but the salad bar here is extremely unimpressive. Most of what is available is pre-mixed "salads" covered in mayo or sour cream. The selection of fresh, undressed vegetables was limited to iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. Ruby Tuesday has more variety for a better price and is FAR more comfortable. The ribeye was good but pricy. It was served on a hot skillet, which helped keep it warm while I got my potato prepared. The ambiance was awful with narrow, hard chairs, too much sports memorabilia, and too crowded (my wife was hit several times by staff and other customers). Our waitress was extremely attentive without hovering or getting talkative. Very happy with the service. Overall, not bad, but slightly overpriced, and keep your expectations reasonable. read more

I had not been to The Ribeye in years. I had dinner with family on April 29, 2016, and was expecting the same good food and service I had many years ago. Unfortunately, that was NOT the case. I ordered the fried shrimp and twice baked potato. My shrimp was over cooked, it was so tough I couldn't even chew it. My twice baked potato was like paste. It wasn't even hot. I was so embarrassed to bring my family members to The Ribeye especially after I was bragging how good it was. BTW: the salad bar is still the best in the area IMO read more

Excellent local landmark restaurant. Love the salad bar! A modest but flavorful wine selection is available. I got the 10oz ribeye and it was a perfect medium rare. Service was good no real complaints there. If I had to say something negative it would be that there are way too many old people here! read more

The Ribeye - The salad bar! - Steakhouses Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This place is fine. Despite those negative reports, we tried it. We both liked the salad bar, and our steaks were ok. Definitely not Morton's or Ruths Chris, but it was priced fair and the service was good. read more

I will concur with the other reviewers that the decor is completely drab and dull however, I really enjoyed my meal last night. We arrived around 4:15. Noticed there were quite a few people already there. We were told they would let us have a table as long as we could eat and be done by 6:00. That not being a problem we were promptly seated. My daughter and I usually share a meal and I asked our server if that would be OK. She told me that the kids buffet was only $3.00 so we opted for that. And she certainly ate her worth of $3.00 salad bar and more. When will it stop snowing here????? Anyway, I ordered the 10 oz. Ribeye medium. When it came out on the sizzling skillet it was more like well done. It was hard to cut and totally dried out. My server noticed that I wasn't happy and offered to get another one. I am not one of those people who likes to send food back to the kitchen for obvious reasons but this time I did. She brought me back that best Ribeye I have had in a very long time. When I cut into it bleed and that grosses me out but here the skillet is still cooking the steak and therefore it was soon medium and perfect!! So, my advice would be to order your steak under what you would at other steakhouses. They make the ranch dressing and that is always a plus in my book. The salad bar was good. They have real bacon bits. That along with homemade ranch dressing is the best in my book!! By the time we left there were so many people waiting to get a table it was crazy. I advise go early (they open at 4:00) or make reservations. Yes, they only offer Ribeye steaks. No deceiving there. Hence their name, read more

Nice place nice atmosphere, and great service. Not over the top expensive but, it's not cheap. Great salad bar, and good warm bread. A must try if you're hungry for streak. Some good wine too. read more

The Ribeye is the best place for steak. The salad bar is awesome and can't be beat. I have never had a bad meal or left the place hungry.

To refute what others have said, I do not think that this place is superior to Beef House in Indiana. That being said, this is probably the best place you can get a steak in the entire county! Salad bar had a ton of different options and the give you a ridiculous amount of bread. I really enjoyed the steak and shrimp (which were huge!) Also really like the fact that everything comes out on a sizzling hot plate. Be sure to go in hungry - you certainly won't leave that way! read more

Service was a little slow...our waiter Jamie was spread thin when we first arrived but stayed at his own slow pace. The food did come out very hot and delicious. Will try again... read more