Ponderosa Steakhouse

My fiancé and I stopped to eat here since we had fond memories of what Ponderosa used to be. Horrible idea. We should have just left those memories alone since now they are ruined with how gross the food was here. AND stupid expensive. We paid probably close to 40 dollars for the stale buffet and a tasteless steak. Please don’t go here and save your money.

With a sign out front that says «Still open», like even they’re surprised. This place is bad. It’s dirty, old, and nasty. The food tastes bland like it’s been sitting under the heat lamps for years. I can’t muster up any other descriptive words other than nasty. Don’t waste your money here, get fast food, it’s cheaper and probably better for you.

This place is gross. Don’t eat here. Too expensive for the low quality of food they serve. I had Mac and cheese that tasted like it didn’t even have cheese in it.

When visiting Cincinnati, my husband asked me where I wanted to eat before leaving town. He named off a few options of items not found in Columbus (or in Columbus anymore), and Ponderosa was one of those options.
I remember going to Ponderosa as a kid, and I loved their food, so we decided to eat here before leaving town. What a TERRIBLE idea. When you first arrive at the restaurant, you’ll notice one thing: It needs upgraded, and badly. Not only does the outside of the restaurant need upgrading, but the inside needs a make over as well. There was a small waiting area presumably for lines (which there was a line when we arrived) that has 2 small benches. Lines for entering the restaurant and exiting are not identified, causing a cluster at the front. The register is extremely outdated, and I believe this caused for delays in entering orders and getting families through the line in a timely manner. This could be easily fixed with an upgrade of the system.
The restaurant was PACKED. We were able to find a table in the blinding sunlight, but that’s okay, because at least it was warm. My daughter and I headed up to the buffet and got our plates. Our waitress showed up with just napkins and straws, took a quick look at our receipt, then left. She came back with 2 of our 3 drinks, then quickly hurried off. My husband got up and got his plate all while my daughter and I are staring at each other due to not having any utensils. Finally, the waitress came back and we had to ask her for forks. She tried to drop off a lemonade, and I had to tell her that we didn’t order lemonade, but Pepsi. She seemed highly irritated the entire time we were there. When my husband got his meal, she asked him what his order number was. We had to look at the receipt to find it as it is not something they tell you when you order it.
I will not be going back. There are other places in Cincinnati that are not in Columbus with much better service/​more updated space.

It’s Ponderosa, not Jeff Ruby’s. Great first stop of the night if your next stop will be a bar! The food is better than at Golden Corral, but the selection is a little limited. The service was surprisingly good, especially at 8pm on a Friday night, when we were there. Don’t go for the steak — obviously. But if you want a plate full of starchy carbs before you hit the bar, this is the place to go!

OMG this place is nasty. I haven’t eaten at a Ponderosa since I was a kid. This place is nasty. The buffet is sparse compared to a Golden Corral. The buffet is $ 10 and if you want a steak that’s an extra $ 15plus The mashed potatoes are school cafeteria quality. The service was Horrible! Our waitress was in the back station laughing and flirting with the cooks through our first (and only) plate of food. She finally brought is out drinks. I kindly said I had ordered tea vs sprite. Without a word she turned on her heels, brought the correct drink but slammed it on the table. I will never be back. Food was so gross. Ponder-​GROSSA

The only things this place has going for it are the employees are relatively nice & they have an inexpensive lunch buffet.
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. The food tastes like bad cafeteria food. The Mac and cheese tastes like noodles and fake cheese, nothing else. All the cooked vegetable are overcooked. The potato wedges are potatoes cut into wedges and that’s it. No seasonings. They have the texture of baked potatoes that have been reheated in the microwave. The coleslaw was swimming in mayonnaise & vinegar. The «famous» chicken wings are okay at best.
The food was so bad, I feel compelled to write this while my kids finish what they are willing to eat. My children are adventurous eaters so that is saying something. My husband just walked out, saying he will be by the car and feels sick. He went outside, because he overheard the table next to us saying the bathrooms are the worst they have ever seen. We plan on going grocery shopping next and I really don’t want to look at more food.

The food was pretty good for buffet style dinning. The waiter and other staff was excellent and very helpful to every patron needs. I would dine here again.