Al’s Steak House

This resturant gives an old world vibe.
Atmosphere was cozy lots of exposed brick which was pretty.
Food was ok not what I was expecting from this restaurant. We were here as a celebratory dinner on Saturday night. Service was good but however our server seemed over welmed with the amount of tables she had. Hubby ordered oysters for app and it took over 30 min to get, not sure why? Restaurant was steady but not packed. Salad bar was well stocked and clean but some of the items were warm when they should of been cold. Had steak asked for medium and we’ll it was more rare, pool of blood on my plate. Daughter ordered frog legs and they were still bleeding, gross! Like I said not what I was expecting from this restaurant, and for the price we paid the food should of been outstanding.
Don’t think we will be dining here again anytime soon.
Really disappointed overall, best of luck to this restaurant in the future.

I am going to start by saying that I have been a lover of Al’s Steak House for ever and ever. It has always been a place for those «special» occassions. Two months ago I called to reserve a space for 25 people or so for my son’s college graduation, a «Very special» occasion. I was told to call back a week before the date with the official count, and everything would be taken care of. I was informed that it might not be in a private room– but maybe a semi private room, depending on the head count. I did call a week before and gave the count– all is supposed to be fine!
Wrong!!! I got to Al’s 15 minutes early and the hostess looked at me like I had 10 heads! We were sent to the waiting area– which was a hallway in between the bar and the restaurant! 35 minutes later, after the entire party is standing around in this waiting area, the manager comes and asks me how many people! We get seated after that– in the middle of the restaurant– no semi private about it! Smack dab in the middle with 2 long tables side by side! Such a joke for making a reservation for a party!
The manager came over and spoke with me when we first sat down and all I thought was– this guy is nothing but a sleazy salesman! I didn’t fall for his line and neither did my sister or Uncle who heard the whole conversation! Sleazy with a big capital S!!!
I didn’t want to cause a scene– this was my son’s big day– but the price of the food, and the lack of quality of the food– mixed with the horrible treatment we received, we would have been better off across the street at Golden Corral!!! My son summed it up best with his words, «mediocre at best!»
I am sad– this was always the best in town– now I will never give another penny of my money to this business!!!

Friends took us here for dinner this week and it was divine! First, the décor and ambiance inside took me back 40 years to the era of white linens, professionally dressed and manicured service staff to the perfectly cooked food.
They had a salad bar but we preferred being served a salad and the lettuce was awesomely fresh. The soup was a bowl, not a tiny cup — again, impressive.
The filet mignon was perfectly cooked, huge portions on the veal dish and the stuffed potatoes were over-​the-​top delicious.
I think the prices were good for everything that came with our meal.
Kudos to our server (unusual name, maybe Deveta — tall lady with her hair piled high and ruby red lips!!).
We are from AZ where you’d pay double for a meal like this. Thanks for a perfect evening.

Don’t judge this book by its cover. The outside looks run down, but it is beautiful inside. The food was amazing. We ordered the Ribeye steak with twice baked potato the steak was cooked perfectly and the baked potato was delicious. They have a full bar for drink selections, and a nice salad bar. We will definitely visit here again.

the brunch is really good and the prime rib is very good. The prices are bit high. I went in on a random day to order soup to go. It was $ 15 dollars…

My party and I visited to Als on a Sunday evening. Initial impressions while walking into the establishment were positive but I my friends and I would soon learn these feelings would be unfulfilled. Soup was good. Salad was satisfactory. Drinks were made well. The actual food was abysmal. I am from the area and could not believe the low quality food we were served. Tasted as though I was at an IHOP at 1 am. My friends steak was not good, the medallions were poorly cooked and covered in what she said tasted liked canned sauce. My chicken Marsala was NOT chicken Marsala. The sauce tasted like canned gravy and mushrooms with a broccoli garnish. For about $ 350 dollars I would expect much more. I would advise others to not waste your time, money, or taste buds on this food. I just want my money back.

Great steaks and service, including authentic Greek style. Beautiful décor, reminiscent of a style of a bygone era of Chicago. Al’s ages and cuts their own beef and includes a complementary salad bar. There is a separate Lounge and several private party rooms which accommodate various group sizes. I’ve been enjoying Al’s Steak House for forty years and highly recommend it.

Having driven by this place for over a year now and having read all the reviews here on Unilocal,I was very excited to hear that my fiancé wanted to go here for dinner one night. Walked in on a Friday night just after 630pm with no reservation and were seated immediately. Décor is a little dated — they could probably do away with the giant flower vase in the middle of the dining room, but other than that the ambiance is great. Big red pleather booths, brick walls and iron gates mounted to the wall. Service was outstanding, and so was the food. My fiancé and I both ordered the 16oz NY strip and a twice baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Delicious all around! Also had the «death by chocolate mousse» for desert and it was truly «to die for!» Manager even came around at one point and asked us how everything was. We will be back!

Sunday brunch at Al’s was just so-​so on my last visit. Breakfast items were good and fresh. However, other items weren’t as good as they had been in the past. The chicken was very dry and the cold shrimp salad wasn’t prepared as it has been in the past — not as good with so much celery and other items apparently mixed in it. It tasted off! Another concern is that personal omelettes aren’t offered — especially considering the hefty price paid here for the brunch.
Rather odd that after I made my first trip up to the buffet and just started to eat, the waitress put my check on my table and said, «I’ll leave this here now for your convenience.» Really? Seems like that’s more for her convenience. Even more odd, with the check and payment sitting there during my whole meal, she didn’t pick up the check and payment until past the time I was ready to go. Again, very odd…

Talk about an outdated 80’s gangster movie of an eatery. The portions are small. It’s over priced. And the customer service is terrible!

Pretty good dinner for totally selecting this place at random while driving through the area for work. The appeal was the giant neon side outside the restaurant. I had a steak sandwich and my boyfriend had some sort of steak and gravy. We got salads and potatoes with both and everything was really good. We were starving from a long day and it was just what we wanted. Old-​school dining experience that’s for sure. Vintage restaurant without being divey and dirty. On the contrary it was very clean, professional, and somewhat fancy — the servers were dressed very nicely. They were very attentive and kind. All the food came out at the right time. We opted to sit in the bar instead of the more formal looking dining room (we definitely weren’t dressed for the dining room since we had been working outside most of the day) and they even had football playing. It was perfect, no complaints here.

Went there this evening with my husband we should of left when it took our waitress 15 minutes to bring our drink order then left without taking our food order. We waited over an hour for our dinner. I tasted the French Onion soup to salty; I did not eat it and when the waitress took the full bowl I mentioned it was to salty she said nothing and walked away. Not can I get you some other soup but was charged for it. A couple of ComEd workers were seated after us but we’re served and finished eating before our meal came out. The dinning area was majority ComEd workers and getting the full service. We asked the waitress to put our food in to go containers so we could eat at home. For $ 85.00 I expected better service and food. Do not recommend this restaurant, the old Al’s Steakhouse was much better. Owners should remember what made their business famous.

My wife and I have been to Al’s many times over the 20+ years we have lived in this area. We have never been disappointed with the food or service. While they take and recommend reservations, they will always try to accommodate you without one, even when they are busy. There is not a meal item that is not prepared well. The atmosphere is both elegant and soft. You can have a normal tone conversation without feeling you have to compete with a neighboring table. I recommend Al’s among the best restaurants I have dined at.

I have visited Al’s Steak House a few times recently. It is a solid choice for a good meal. The décor and ambience reminds me of one of a supper club that would have been popular in years gone by. The salad bar is tops! There is something on it for everyone and full of things that you can no longer get elsewhere. The entrée selections are vast. Everyone can find something they like. Their steaks are good quality. I also noticed that they are offering some unique martini’s. The only reason I didn’t give it 4 stars are the vegetables served with the entrée. They remind me of frozen veggies nuked at home. I wish they would get a little more creative with their veggies. How about spinach under the fish or other good and different vegetables? Oh, I don’t want to forget mentioning… they have the VERY BEST booths for a cozy, romantic, dinner date!!!

I love it here from the décor, the service to the food. Al’s has got it going on. This restaurant is very special to my family and always will be. We had both of my grandparents receptions after their funerals here because this was their favorite place to dine. Al’s made the sad occasion perfect with their great service, atmosphere and food. I recommend the bbq baby back ribs with a baked potato and extra sauce on the side. It is heavenly. I will always visit Al’s when I visit Joliet.

Note: This review is only for Sunday Brunch.
I’m 34 and the only reason I’ve been at Al’s in the last 20 years was for a couple of funeral lunches. We used to come to the brunch when I was a kid with my grandparents.
I met my friends here for brunch yesterday 2÷15÷15. We had a group of 7, they were able to get us a table after a short wait without reservations. He told us it was our lucky day, so reservations are probably a better idea. I love the old style of Al’s. No complaints on the décor, they even had very nice valentines decorations up.
Our servers name was Elizabeth, and she was fantastic. She was probably the best part of our brunch. She was very helpful and always in top of our refills.
The brunch Buffett really needs some work. Pretty much everything I grabbed was room temp. There were only a few items that were really good, everything else was so so. The sausage links were great, as well as the hash browns (although they were cold). Everyone loved the cream of chicken soup.
The worst part of the Buffett was the pastries and deserts. Al’s should be embarrassed that these were even out for people to take. All of these items were beyond stale and old! My friend grabbed a slice of red velvet cake that was like a rock, I couldn’t believe that someone thought this was edible.
I don’t think I’d be back unless they figured out how to keep the food hot, and make sure everything in fresh including the pastries and desserts.
Otherwise it will probably be another 20 years before I return.

Never again will I come here. NEVER. My friend and I were searching for a steak place on a Monday night and we ended up giving this place a shot. I should’ve known better when I saw the parking lot and how unkept it was but I tried to keep an open mind about things.
Upon stepping into the restaurant, I was impressed with the indoor décor. It was romantic, old style, but comfortable. I was excited to find what seemed like a gem especially considering what the outside looked like.
My friend and I wanted to order steaks but the prime rib was out so I ended up ordering the veal parmigiana at the suggestion of my waiter. My friend decided to splurge and get the steak and lobster dinner with the escargot appetizer. She comes from a French family and knows her escargot well and these were not good. The escargot came with a thick layer of soggy buttery breading on top that almost masked the flavor of the escargot. At first, I thought this was a bad thing until I actually tasted the escargot once I got past the topping. It was mushy and had a really bad aftertaste. We both stopped eating it after one bite — one bite was enough for a lifetime of that dish. We did request for the topping not to be added but was told by the waiter it couldn’t be done which meant that this dish was already pre-​made — perhaps that’s why it wasn’t good.
Our entrees came with a salad bar which was decent but didn’t stand out. My veal parmigiana came on a platter that looked like it belonged in an MCL Cafeteria. Sadly, the meal also tasted like it came from MCL too. I was so disappointed. The pasta was super soggy and was definitely pre-​made and reheated. The veal parmigiana had a super thick breading on it which made it hard to taste anything else. The tomato sauce wasn’t anything special and over all, I felt like I had wasted $ 18.95. My friends steak and lobster was even worse. The lobster was way overcooked– come on now. For such a fancy looking place on the inside, I would’ve thought the would and could do better than this. While her steak was cooked perfectly, she thought it tasted a little odd like freezer burn. Needless to say, her $ 80 meal was a bust and our night was dampened by unimpressive and uninspired food.

I’m torn on this one. I notice most people aren’t a huge fan of the outdated décor. I actually like it though. I’m weird like that. The huge booths were comfy.
Our server was excellent! She didn’t even rush us when we came in at 8:30 on a Tuesday night. She was friendly and had a great sense of humor. It’s exactly what we needed that night.
The food had it’s ups and downs. The salad bar and bread wasn’t good at all. The steak was good. It wasn’t great but it was good. The baked potato was good too but you can’t really screw that up.
The drinks were perfect! We each had a dirty martini and it was amazing! The prices were pretty reasonable. We had 2 steak dinners and 4 alcoholic drinks for $ 100. If I’m looking for dinner in Joliet again I wont hesitate to head back.

The best way to describe my experience at Al’s: It reminded me of a college dining hall. Seriously, the food was very reminiscent of that.
We came here for the Sunday brunch buffet (at my grandparent’s insistence). There was nothing that was downright nasty but also nothing that I would want to eat again. I didn’t even bother with the eggs because I stay away from large batch, fake-​looking food. The bacon was limp and undercooked. The fried shrimp was pretty good, but I assume it’s pretty hard to mess up something that arrives frozen in a bag and just has to be thrown in a fry basket. There was a strange Greek noodle bake that some of my dining companions said was good. I hear the beef that was being carved to order was decent.
One funny moment of the day was when a kitchen worker was bringing out new food to the buffet and a patron asked what it was she was refilling. «I don’t know,» the worker replied…
The décor wasn’t as bad as some people here have made it out to be. Our waitress was friendly and prompt.
I’m not well-​versed in Joliet cuisine, but seriously, if you live here and *this* is where you are going for a nice night out or a special occasion, it’s totally worth the drive to head to Naperville for some better grub.

This is one of the few decent places to eat in Joliet. It has a REALLY old school feel and I dig that. The food is good but nothing that really blows my mind. Just old school quality.
I do have to say if you are younger than 75 you will probably be the youngest person in the whole place. Not a negative, but I feel that my review would be incomplete without mentioning it.
I’ve eaten here many times for lunch and really think is a good spot for a bowl of soup or a sandwich. Definitely not corporate or chain feeling.
It is a solid place for meat and potatoes type food that «really sticks to your bones».