Izzy’s Steak House and Chops

I guess others agreed… it’s now closed and replaced with a wings restaurant.

Food was good… and decent service. I would go back!

******************THIS LOCATION OF IZZY’S IS CLOSED ******************
Sorry to see Izzy’s leave San Ramon! We had many good meals and good times here. heard some great music here and we will miss it!

I am very remiss in writing reviews and at some point will start to catch up. A few weeks ago, the husband and I decided we were starving for a real meal (this was before we moved but the first or second week construction had started on the new house) and though I was sporting yoga pants and pigtails, we still came here for an early dinner.
I will say that dinner is pricey and spot on with steakhouse prices. The place itself is bright instead of dark and what not like my steakhouses but the food is pretty good. Kevin started with a Louie salad and had the filet rare with the house potatoes and the creamed spinach. The steak was perfectly cooked to his liking, he liked the salad and hated the creamed spinach (we both did). He was positive about the potatoes and liked the house made rolls.
I had the Caesar salad to start (pedestrian and sadly lacked the flavor I would have expected) and my steak (ribeye I think) was delicious though the baked potato was boring compared to other steak places or even Outback, but overall, I was pleased with my meal.
Service was friendly and large parties started arriving as we were leaving and the Cougars from the Happy Hour bar scene were starting to gather to have their during/​post drink cigarette and chat about the possibilities (or lack thereof) at the bar. I bet this might be the hippest place in all of San Ramon before heading to that stupid night club Shbooms.

…as an open minded steak lover (once and a while I do indulge!), I consider this a pretty good place to eat at… now it wasn’t over the top, but it was good. Let’s get down to it… I had the porterhouse (special — bone in). the sweet potatoes and the asparagus for side dishes… all of this was joined by a nice bottle of a 2008 Napa Valley Cab.
All and all, my steak was good and the dishes were good also. I’m not raving about this place, but I will recommend it against the other steakhouses in the tri-​valley.
Bottom-​line– You don’t need to drive very far to enjoy a pretty good steak. No need to go to Danville or Pleasanton. Stay right here, and enjoy something that is a notch better than the others.

Very good for a special event. A little out of my price range for regular dining. The overrall vibe is pretty casual. We both ordered the specials (I had the porterhouse and my wife had the special surf and turf — prime rib and lobster). My wife’s dish comes but it looks like steak kabobs and shrimp instead. The waitress came over and after a little conversation, she realized we wanted the special surf and turf, not the regular surf and turf. She indicated it would be just a few minutes because the prime rib was ready to roll. About 3 minutes later we were all set. Izzy’s potatoes were great and I love creamed spinach. Bread was abundantly available. Since we were stuffed, we passed on dessert.
Even with an order mix up, Izzy’s came through. Definitely keep it on the special occasion list.

This place certainly knows how to cook a meal… but, thats about where their expertise ends. If you go here, you should expect awful service. I realize that may be harsh for 1 visit, but a meal snafu + a less than apologetic manager = a place that doesn’t value it’s customers.
We ordered 2 appetizers; the first took 25 minutes to get to the table and the 2^nd never arrived. After the first appetizer arrived, we didn’t see our server for 20 minutes and when we made mention of the missing appetizer, she said she would go check into it. Minutes later, our main meal came out — then they asked if we still wanted the other appetizer. The answer was an obvious NO. The Manager came over and apologized and offered a complimentary glass of wine, but his apology did not feel sincere and was nearly rude. Ultimatley, the Manager’s visit to our table actually made the scenario WORSE. As a saving grace, luckily our server was super sweet and understanding of the blunder.
On the bright side, the food was amazing. I had the crab cakes (appetizer), the 20oz bone-​in ribeye with creamed spinach and the Izzys potatoes — all of which were phenomenal. It was obvious they knew what they were doing in the kitchen. Additionally, we sat near the bar-​room-​area, which had live music. Definatley added a nice ambiance and setting for the establishment.
It is really too bad that we will not return, because the food was excellent even if the service was downright poor. When we first sat down, my wife and I thought we possibly found a new place to frequent because of the ambiance and the live music. Unfortunatley, due to the lack of service, I’ll spend my $ 150 on a meal elsewhere next time as we continue to search for our new «favorite» spot.

First time I came here with my parents-​it was crowded and VERY noisy. The food was so-​so. Still had that sports-​bar smell. (Was converted from an irish sports pub).
The wife & I came here on a weeknight and it was NICE! It was quiet, smelled nice, very classy place now. We relied on the suggestion of our waitress for wines to go with our dinners and were pleasantly surprised. I had the prime rib with creamed spinach and the mashed potatoes. The prime rib was very good. The creamed spinach could use bacon, but it was one of the better prime rib dinners I’ve had in a while. A place in SF still holds the #1 spot for me in Nor Cal. Lawrys in So Cal is THE spot for Prime Rib if you really want to know! :)
The wife’s dinner was also very good.
We avoided coming here because of our first experience with this place, but now I wouldn’t hold back from coming here.
Johnny

Meh. we’re serious carnivores and this place just doesn’t cut it on our steak scale. Decent price for an average steak. Cute ambiance though. Large and very accommodating.

Filet mignon was definitely overcooked and I was NOT happy about that. I like my steak BLOODY, duh! My bad, though, I shouldn’t have been a wimp and I should have sent it back. I was starving, though!
Izzy’s potatoes are their version of scalloped potatoes and are BOMB. A lot to take with steak so I was unable to finish my whole meal (GASP) even though I got asparagus instead of creamed spinach (DOUBLE GASP)
Will probs never return because, again, I LIKE MY STEAK BLOODY and to not prepare it as such is an offense punishable by death!
HELLO, you’re a steakhouse! Get it right, get it tight!

Food is great, except filet was medium well instead of medium. Server was new… She wasn’t too up on all the menu items. But, manager was awesome and comp’d one of the meals! Wow!
A must!

Came here on a Saturday night with reservations from OpenTable…
To Hostess: If you use an outside reservation site then actually use it. If you know we made it to our reservation… then click YES we’ve arrived!
*(they failed to click «yes», resulting in a message from OpenTable the next day inquiring why we didn’t honor our reservations.)
Food: Jumbo Prawn appetizer was incredible. Bread: Delicious.
My friends plate was great. Whipped potatoes was fluffy and perfect seasoning. my broccoli was eh. and my steak. was on the tough side. I’m not a huge meat eater but when I crave Steak. I know how I like it. A little disappointed.
Service: The staff was cheerful enough and more then willing to help us when we asked for it. But our waitress was a little forgetful. She took our utensils and never replaced them. Took our drinks and forgot to refill them. Took my order and had to come back to ask for confirmation. I’m usually a very easy going diner. but she just needs to remember to follow up with the customer.
Over-​all. okay place. but not the best I’ve been to for the price they were charging. On to the next.

It’s odd to me that so many steakhouses in this area are rated so low, usually around 3 to 3.5 stars. It leads me to wonder if other reviewers are having a different experience from the one I’ve had, or if they’re comparing these establishments to those found in large cities such as San Francisco and L.A.
Our party of four arrived ahead of our
reservations and were seated immediately. The restaurant looked nice and service was friendly. Tables were not packed so tight that you rubbed elbows with your neighbors. There was live music coming from the bar area that was pleasant and not obstrusive.
The timing of the food from the kitchen was appropriate, not too fast or slow.
The bread was warm and the butter was soft and we inhaled them both. We ordered 3 salads (cold and crispy) and the crispy calamari appetizer, which came with both marinara and aioli for dipping.
For entrees, two prime ribs, one bone-​in ribeye and a combination shrimp and crab Louie salad. The meats were cooked as ordered (rare, medium rare). Fresh aparagus was in season and cooked to perfection.
Used plates were cleared quickly, water kept full and service was good without being annoying.
We’ll be returning.

Let me preface this by saying this review is not based on the food as we didn’t taste it. We left before a waiter ever came by our table. This review is on the awful service we received after walking in the door.
My husband, sister-​in-​law, 5 y.o. daughter and I walked in here around 7:15 p.m. Saturday night after attending the Maker’s Faire. Being pregnant I pretty much have only been able to stomach eating steak. Weird, I know. Anyway, we walked in behind a party of four who had reservations. The hostess greeted them, checked their reservation and sat them. As we were waiting a party of 3 walked in and stood next to us. The hostess came back and said she would be right with us. When she came back she was interrupted again and before she could ask us how many in our party one of the women in the party of three stood in front of her and said they were a party of three, did not have reservations and could they be seated. The hostess didn’t even blink an eye, never glanced in our direction or informed the woman that we had been waiting before her party she just took them back and sat them.
As we were waiting she walked by again, mentioned she would be right with us and kept going. A man walked in behind us, walked around us and literally stood in the 2 foot space between my husband and the host desk as if we were invisible. His wife remained behind us and when the hostess returned he tried to get her attention, but she finally acknowledged that we were there ahead of someone. We asked if there was anything available as we also did not have a reservation. She said there was she would just get a table ready.
However, before she could do that another 2 top walked in. Both parties of 2 didn’t have reservations. Before she left to ‘get our table ready’ she asked the man who stood in front of us the number in his party and then the other duo and sat both of them, returning about 5 minutes later to seat us.
Already with an unpleasant experience behind us we sat at our table and waited. And waited. And waited. A busboy dropped off some water and bread, but in the 14 minutes we sat there (and I did time it) we never saw a waiter.
We got up, my husband left $ 10 on the table for the busboy and we left. We went to Birk’s where we were seated immediately by a smiling and friendly hostess and greeted by both our waiter and the busboy dropping off bread within 2 minutes of sitting down. The restaurant was busy and full yet they were able to provide us with exceptional service. The only reason I could find for the complete lack of service Izzy’s offered? Well, let’s just say that we were the only non-​whites that had to wait in the lobby.

I last ate at Izzy’s in SF about 15 years ago and remember a fabulous meal.
Unfortunately something got lost when they expanded in my view. Went there on Mothers day with wife and father. My father had the prime rib and said it had almost no flavor. My wife and I had the new york steaks. They were a very nice portion of beef with decent flavor but failed to meet my memory of my earlier experience.
My dad and wife had the broccoli. The cook failed to steam the broccoli enough. I know how to steam broccoli, someone failed to attend to it. We were very disappointed particularly because of the price. You expect the kitchen to quality check the food particularly on Mothers day.
I wish I would have read the Unilocal reviews before going.
Drive past this place and go elsewhere.

My company held a quarterly meeting at this location. Back room was sufficient for the occasion.
The lounge was awesome for the times I was able to sneak out and catch glimpses of the Giants game. The bartender was slow and unattentive though.
The food was mediocre at best. Prime rib was a huge portion, but nothing to write home to mom. Creamed spinach and scalloped potatoes upset my stomach! I would not come back here again.

Review for happy hour only.
Food: Pretty tasty; nothing fantastic, just okay. A friend and I shared the pork sliders, grilled asparagus and breaded shrimp. For drink options, we were allowed to choose from well drinks, chardonnay, cosmopolitan and one other drink (cocktails are excluded).
Value: Not bad. Items ranged from $ 4-​$ 6 during happy hour.
Service: We had to flag down a waitstaff to take our order; we felt a bit neglected. But after than, they were appropriately attentive.
Ambiance: Very nice and cozy. Got a small booth tucked away in the corner which is perfect for chatting without having to worry about talking over other table conversations.

Hands down the best steak I have had in the Bay Area so far! This includes direct head-​to-​head comparison with Ruth Chris, Fleming’s and Harris.
The setting may not be as modern or upscale as some of the other steak spots… but it still has its own relaxed, saloon-​style charm. To date, the only dish I’ve tried is the Prime Rib. Given how extremely satisfying the Prime Rib is, it’s probably the only dish I’ll ever try here!
I like my meat cooked to a nice pinky medium. Prepared perfectly here, the Prime Rib is served with fresh horseradish. I cannot say how much I appreciate this. The horseradish here was truly born to go with each juicy bite of Prime Rib.
As if perfect PR and horseradish weren’t enough, you get an extra bonus with yummy fresh-​baked bread, awesome cocktails (get the Sidecar) and delicious hearty sides. I highly recommend the creamed spinach.
If carnivorous instincts begin to cause your stomach to growl, head over to Izzy’s…I guarantee you won’t walk away disappointed (or hungry).

Good place, solid, décor isnt great. But food is solid. The sides are the best the izzys potatoes are a must have.
I like the strip and crab cakes. This place wont ring your bell but will keep you interested if you are in the area.

For a luncheon event, this is the place.
An organization that I belong to met here and we pretty much had the building to ourselves. Plenty of room for a Power Point Presentation to be given. The seating was kind of tight and I think we could have been spread out slightly more.
The décor inside seems to be a mixed bag. There’s condiments lining little shelves like on a belly band around the room. I thought that looked slightly out of place for the rest of the décor.
Dark paint colors and drapery mixed with bronze statues and rich wood.
I didn’t immediately see the bar area until I left and they have a very large bar and lounge that is kind of hidden as you walk in. I actually got excited because I wanted to come back and lounge and have a drink.
Now to the food. Everything was great. First course was a Hearts of Romaine Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Feta Cheese Crumbles. Second course was a Skirt Steak with Creamed Spinach and Potatoes Au Gratin.
The steak was perfect and had a delicious marinade on it. The creamed spinach was slightly bland but it was spinachy good. I didn’t eat the potatoes because I’m cutting carbs.
Dessert was a mixed Fruit Cobbler with a delicious crust and a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Caramel drizzled on top. OK, I will admit I had a few bites. I didn’t eat the potatoes so I’m good right?
The service was excellent. Water glasses filled promptly and they were quiet and efficient. They were very good. They also provided me a box for the half of steak I couldn’t eat.
I will absolutely come back on a non working day to enjoy a drink and check out the rest of the menu.