Jim’s Steak House

Great food! Quality cuts done just right. The waitress was very nice, accommodating and would appear right on time every time. It was a nice and relaxing time.

Jim’s Steakhouse in Bloomington is the classic place for a fine dining experience in Bloomington/​Normal. I love their prime rib, its a large piece of meat and the key to the meal is the Au Jus on the hot skillet, just delicious. My wife loves their Yankee pot roast, fabulous mashed potatoes served along with it.
The Brittany dressing is also legendary.
Make sure to make a reservation on the weekend, place is always packed!

We have not been to Jim’s in years. We were surprised by how great our meal was. Our server was very knowledgable and friendly. The lobster mac and cheese side dish was heavenly. Really loved our meal and the atmosphere. Décor alittle worn and dated but service and food were perfect. We will definately go back more often.

I had really high expectations for this place but they were not met. We had a large group so our waiters had a lot to deal with but the food was not good.
Waiters were nice and gave us all a detailed description of the food and specials.
It also took what felt like forever to get our food and the steak was dry and unseasoned. It was also presented horribly. It was just a circle of meat on a plate with steak juices rolling all over the place. It just looked unappetizing. No garnishes or anything.
The twice baked potatoes were good though.
Overpriced and not good tasting food.

Traveling thru town, our hotel front desk sent us to Jim’s… Service from Shannon was expert and friendly. Specialty cocktails were very well made. Trout feature, Prime rib, and roast beef were all very well prepared. I had the steak salad which had a very generous portion of meat on it. I could not come close to finishing my entrée after having French onion soup too start. The décor, lighting and service was impressive. An unusual surprise was the carefully selected art work on the walls. Particularly the Tarkeys…

Stairs and obstacles in your way to the table might be annoying to some but the food makes up for it. Comparatively speaking to the rest of the world and the great steak houses it’s just below average but for this area it’s awesome. I highly recommend the cowboy cut. It is the best steakhouse in the area and

Went last night for my anniversary. Service was good. Food ok. My husband ordered coffee and the cup came out with a BiG lipstick mark on the side. Ordered dessert and the spoon was sticky and clearly hadn’t been washed! Strike 2. Asked to speak with a manager and he said sorry he would check with the kitchen. Never again! $$$$ Not worth the $

As a longtime resident of Bloomington-​Normal (15 years), I’ve given this place 3 chances and things have gotten progressively worse. The steaks are decent but nothing special at all, the seafood was mediocre at best and the sides were basic. The thing which has motivated me to finally write a review however is the horrible décor. Was there last night and eating was impossible due to the smell of bleach and urine emanating from the place. The dark, smelly and drab environment is horrible and I will never go back. I honestly do not understand how this place is still in business.

We went there last night to celebrate our 18^th anniversary. Dinner, service, and food were great. Chicago Chop House Steak at a central Illinois price.

I’ve had nothing but great food, excellent service, and a wonderful time here. I don’t understand the negative ratings.

The décor is shabby and it stunk of urine. We left before ordering. Yuck, one star is too generous.

Like many classic steakhouses, there is a dinghy smell, the servers are poorly trained on etiquette, the wine selection is weak. The filet and scallops was over salted and unimpressive. Everything felt chintzy and I would not go back.
Go to Destihl instead or maybe even Texas Roadhouse…

If I could give a zero or negative I would. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE.
1) Décor is just disgusting. It’s no longer «outdated», I think it’s a health hazard. Dust, dark, cob webs, mold, just nasty, nasty, nasty.
2) Price is outrageous for just mediocre steak. $ 99 for a «surf and turf» — 12 oz lobster with 8 oz filet. REALLY. Lobster was dry as the dessert and no amount of butter could revive it. Steak was … read on…
3) Service was ok, but the one guy we had for a table of 16 was just too much for him. Food came out and lots of missed orders, missing sides, and basically it was ALL cold. Probably because the poor server had to walk up and down a crazy stupid layout of stairs and fake wood paneling. Yuck.
4) Table setting. LOL. My chair was broken, chipped, and basically looked like a left over chair from a Perkins or 3am bar somewhere. Our tables didn’t even come close to lining up and there were huge gaps where we had a least one drink spill… which took about 15 minutes to clean up.
5) Restroom. There are tiles literally falling off the wall laying on the ground and the smell is just gross. The «linen supply closet» was left wide open. Nice when I’m getting ready for a meal. I usually use the bathroom and main dining room as a judgement for how clean the kitchen is. If I do that for Jim’s I’m afraid I may be sick all over my keyboard.
6) Appetizers. Greasy balls of snot — calamari and spinach dip with 4 pitas. The «grilled» ahem Microwaved mushrooms were filled with canned lobster bits that tasted so bad I wanted to gag. It was like they took it right out of the can, threw some dill on it and called it a stuffing. Then they were topped with a glob of some sort of cheese that was just more snot.
7) Steaks. Supposedly these are «aged» steaks. ha. Aged steaks usually have a rich flavor and require just the minimal seasoning. These had to be the least flavorful steaks I’ve had in my life. When people can’t pass the A-​1 sauce fast enough or order ketchup on the side, you know the flavor sucks. Plus the chef’s or short order cooks more like, couldn’t decide what Medium-​Rare was because they all came out Medium Well or Rare. Mine was actually well done near the edge and raw near the bone… don’t know how that’s even possible…
There was absolutely zero sear on the outside despite the warning on the 100 year old menus (they are so old the restaurant’s name has faded off the cover and the pages actually have black moldy looking grease stains on them) stating the steaks sometimes «char» due to the aging process. HAHAHAHAHA.
I will say the cut of meat was good, i.e. no gristle. It was juicy. It was just not cooked properly and had zero flavor. I wish I could have taken it home and cooked it myself.
Conclusion: AVOID THIS PLACE
We had been there 10 years ago and swore never to return, but this was a friend’s party so we said, maybe they have improved. Well no. We will NEVER return unless that place is demolished (yes, it’s that bad on the inside), and a new steak place put up in it’s place… a Western Sizzlin’ would be an improvement…
Again, WAY OVER PRICED and just not worth your money. You’re better off getting your own cut from one of the nice meat shops in town and cooking it yourself… the broiler in your over could probably do better.

I went here for lunch and was not impressed with the slight smell of mildue. Dinner is better!

I don’t understand why everyone raves about this place. Dark and old looking motiff. The main reason for my 1 star review is the food and the service. Took my wife out here for dinner on a friends recommendation. The dinner started fine but went south in a hurry. My wife ordered a steak after which I ordered the Ribeye medium as always. Her meal arrived and looked good. She gets hers medium well always. She said her steak was good but not great. My steak on the other hand looked like a charcol bricket. I cut one bite off of it and tried to flag over the waiter. He took his sweet time coming back to the table. When he came back I said the steak was totally unacceptable and tasted burnt. He said that it was seared on the outside and this was how they were always prepared. I said well take it back and I had lost my appetite so I did not order anything else. My wife finished her meal and once again we waited for the waiter to finally come back to our table. We asked for the ticket so that we could go do our other activities we had planned. Upon returning and handing me the check, I noticed that my $ 20+ dollar steak was still on the bill. I inquired as to why it was still on the bill. He stated you ordered it so I have to charge you for it. I said I took one little bite of it. He then said I am sorry sir but there is nothing I can do. I then proceeded to say go ahead charge me for it. This will be the last (expletive) time I will eat here. I will never come back and will tell my friends about my experience. We haven’t eaten here since.

We made 8pm reservations for Valentine’s Day. We were the last group of 8:00 reservations to be sat finally at 8:45. No one brought us menus or bread until we went and asked for a server after 15 minutes. We finally got food at 9:45. It was very poor service, good food, poor ambience. I had previously held business lunches there and I will never go again due to the really terrible customer experience.

I’ve eaten there 4 times — all for lunch. Good burgers and sandwiches… GREAT Brittany dressing!!!

I can’t believe Jim’s has only 3 stars. I wish we had one here in NH because I have never had anything at Jim’s I didn’t love. I get out maybe twice a year and always pay a visit. I love the house dressing, I’ve never had anything so good. I wish I had the recipe! I usually order the Bone-​in Fillet, best steak I’ve ever had, hands down. The oysters Rockefeller are great and the twice baked potato. They make a good kettle one dirty martini and one if the only places I can order Beaujolais. If you go on a piano night you will love it, I miss the other guy they uses to have but it’s nice to have entertainment. Prices are up there but worth it. I’d rather have a great meal for more than a mediocre meal for less. I have some great memories at Jim’s. They should be rated 5 stars. They also have very good lunch specials that are great.

The menu said the place has been in business since the 1960’s. Well, everything about the place still looks like the 1960’s. The menu was extremely worn and hard to read along with the wine list. I don’t get how restaurants can allow this when everyone has a computer and printer. The restaurant was extremely dark. I think this is to cover up the dirty ceilings and walls. I do give props to the staff. Our waitress was attentive and extremely on top of things.
The food was sub par. We had scallops and stuffed mushrooms for appetizers. Scallops were extremely salty and the mushrooms were rubbery. The salad was very good but this is a steak house. The salad should not be the main attraction. I ordered a filet medium rare. I got a medium well piece of steak. The mashed potatoes were cold and the «fresh» green beans were drenched in butter and bacon. The desert was good but nothing to talk about.
It is really sad because I was there on business with my coworkers. My project manager was scoping out restaurants for our team dinner. We would have brought in at least a party of 10+ people for dinner. After last nights meal, I don’t want to ever step back into that place again.

I am so torn on this rating.
This is a steak joint. The food, all around, was fab. I have been traveling a lot lately and have plenty of quality establishments with which to compare. The salad, as other Unilocalers mention, has a very creative sweet bacon dressing. The bread (possibly stock doughballs) was warm and sweet and wonderful. My baked tater was humongous and good. And the steak: classic. I had the New York strip. It was juicy and tender deliciousness. Oh, yes, deliciousness. I wish I had room left for dessert. They boast a housemade cheesecake.
On the other hand, the staff were not well trained. The building is, well, retro. As in they need help. Unilocalers talk about the low lighting which I learned is low so you can’t see the myriad of problems. The bathroom is downright scary. And the décor… For example. There was an odd painting of a nude woman in our area. The woman was wearing a doo rag style head cloth. I was so confused as to why she would be nude and wearing a head cloth. It was such an odd selection in this seating area. A party of 6 sat down next to us and commented on the oddness of the painting. That’s just weird.
The silverware is old cheap buffet restaurant silverware. The glasses are old and foggy. The steak dinners are in the $ 22 – 30 range for the most part. And the place was jammed full. Reservations only.
So you can see my dilemma on the rating. I settled on 4 stars because I value the quality of food over the weirdness of everything else. If nothing else, do come eat here because you will have a delightful story to tell later.