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Alexander's Steakhouse
Category: Restaurants Steakhouses Steakhouses [Edit]
202 W Anthony DrChampaign, IL 61822
(217) 359-1789
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Alexander's Steakhouse
16 reviews in English
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Review from Kevin S.
Champaign, IL
2/24/2012
Alexander's is a good place to go if you're looking for more of an experience than just eating dinner. They have 2 large grills where you cook your own steak after selecting it from the fridge. You can also grill up as much garlic butter toast as you want while standing at the grill. Not a good place to go if you just want to sit and be served. The salad bar is good but not great.
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Review from Rnadom L.
DeKalb, IL
5/5/2012
Overall, this place is good. There are so many varieties of meat to choose from. I especially like the cook your own steak. The only parts I don't like is the decorations, which are old and how they change the charcoal at an time that I don't like, which is when I'm cooking my steak.
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Review from Cameron R.
Champaign, IL
5/22/2011
As other's have mentioned this is a "cook your own steak" place with a large grill for guests to cook their meat, texas toast, and baked potatoes at.
The inside is very dated, I feel like for as much money they must make off their extremely high steak prices, surely they could invest some back into the restaurant.. but it still looks the same as it did the first time I went probably 10 years ago.
I for one don't make a habit of coming here, but it's a popular place for birthday parties and special events so I sometimes have no choice. It is unique but if I wanted to grill my own steak I would go start my own grill in my backyard and save about 20 bucks.
The meat selection is good, and the cuts are definetly the weight you pay for if not more. The worst part of this place is simply the insane price for a steak you cook yourself.. the salad bar not being all that great (the lettuce was very low and picked over quite a bit when I was there), and the fact you are sweating when you get back to the table from standing by a hot grill for the past 15 min cooking your steak.
It is a cool place don't get me wrong.. and the food is good.. just can't justify the cost. -
Review from Grimace B.
Champaign, IL
5/23/2011
Perhaps my experience left me feeling bitter simply because I was not aware that you are supposed to cook your own steaks.... Wait, restaurant... cook my own food????
Me and my dad went here because we were hungry for a steakhouse steak, but imagine our surprise when we walked in and our waitress explains how the restaurant works. Oh, you can have the house chef cook the steak for you, but its $3 or something extra.... Pretty ridiculous if you ask me... Well, we didn't come to cook, so we bit the bullet and got the chef to cook our food.
But putting aside the whole "cook your own steak" deal, the restaurant was still very poor to me. The prices are absolutely ridiculous. Every entree was above $20 and we didn't exactly get a ton of food. My platter was a medium sized steak, a small baked potato, and a very small serving of veggie mix. The salad bar was very poor. Very limited selection, and the food looked old and wilted.
Our waitress was rarely around the whole night, and we even were placed on a side of the restaurant with barely any people. This was especially troublesome based on how we were never given silverware, needed drink refills, and more napkin quite a few times. Still, our waitress was never around.
To be honest, most of the people in the restaurant weren't even eating... It was mostly bar goers and people sitting around for drinks. Not a good sign for the quality of food to say the least.
All and all, I won't be going back here. Food wasn't bad, but it was very under-portioned and ridiculously over priced. The service was bad at least on the night I went, the salad bar was very sub-par, and most of the people in the restaurant were just there for drinks. I can't get into the "cook my own steak" deal either. Hell, I just would have stayed home and made my own steak for a 1/4 of the price. -
Review from Mark W.
Chicago, IL
4/15/2011
Ive always enjoyed coming here. My mother lives in the area and this is one of our go to places if im visiting.
The meats seem good, you get your salad bar , texas toast and a baked potato.
Now, for the not so great part... dum dum duummmmmm!!!!....
The thing is, i simply dont care for the "cook it yourself" thing. If im going to a steakhouse, i want to sit at my table and enjoy some conversation with family/friends, Not stand over a giant fucking grill cooking my own meal. If i wanted to grill a steak, i will go to the jewels or dominick and buy one. Then i will light my grill, grill said steak and veggies to perfection, and enjoy it either in the comfort of my own home or patio. I mean, seriously?? I have to cook it???
So yeah. Its always been decent.. But if it wasnt, i would only have myself to complain to... I mean, i cooked the damn thing!
If you want to go to a steakhouse, pay steakhouse prices, then cook it yourself, sure, this is the place. i guess. -
Review from Jay n.
Plainfield, IL
4/17/2011
Great concept - pick your own, cook your own steak. Unlimited salad bar, baked potatoes, bread. Steaks are huge......
Sure, the decor is circa 1984, and could use a little updating, but the food is good, and it's a fun place. -
Review from Deanna C.
Chicago, IL
10/27/2008
Omg, so much meat (yes, yes, that's what she said).
A group of us went to Alexander's on a Friday for dinner because they have this crazy student deal where you get steak, baked potato, texas toast, salad bar, etc. for $9.95.
The fridges stuffed with steaks, kabobs, and a tiny seafood tray also had a student steak section of smaller cuts which were still quite good.
I never knew a place like this existed where you get to cook your own steak on a big grill in the middle of the restaurant (or have them do it for you for an extra fee), and this way, you can make it as well done (or rare in my case) as you want.
It was way loud in there and I definitely didn't like how the smell of just... meat was oozing from my pores for the rest of the night, but I had a good time with my friends and left food-coma full. -
Review from Geoff B.
Champaign, IL
8/1/2008
The point of going to Alexanders is to cook your own food. If you just want a steak then go somewhere else.
That said, the experience that they create at this restaurant is wonderful. Albeit the salad bar is nothing special and the menu is somewhat limited, the atmosphere is lackluster, but if you like grilling in your back yard with the guys then you will love Alexanders. Also, Don't feel too bad about filling up on all of the Texas toast (it is kinda the point...and half the fun!) -
Review from Zewditu D.
Atlanta, GA
8/10/2011
My family goes here for special occasions. I love the food. You get to pick out your own steak which is pretty cool. However, you have to pay extra for the restaurant to cook your food- ya (which is why I knock them down to 4). With your meal, you get texas toast, a baked potato, and a salad bar. So you will have plenty of food. Never had a problem with parking. Service has always been pretty good. Good for groups. They have some kind of eating contest: I think if you eat their big steak you get it for free and your pic goes up on the wall.
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Review from Kevin C.
1/13/2008
Alexander's was the place to go when you want to celebrate anything. Back when I used to visit Champaign, I'd get invited to go there for birthdays, graduations or simply if you want to grill minus the clean up.
As mentioned by Melissa, they do have a variety of steak cuts with chicken and pork. If you're a steak lover, you should be able to find numerous nice cuts if you're willing to pay up. Back in the poor college student days, those nice steaks were difficult to avoid. Anyhow, once the steak had been picked out, you simply place it on the big grill, in the middle of the restaurant and you let it dance and sing. You also have the option of letting the waiters / waitresses to cook it for you. The grill is also used for garlic butter texas toast as well as potato-grilling.
Besides the grill, there is a salad bar with a decent variety of salads, ranging from typical greens to creamy mac salads or creamy potato salads.
Given a decent list of decent restaurants on the campus of U of I, Alexander's is actually worth while. I would recommend this place. Hell, go celebrate your birthday or better yet, your A's on your midterm with a nice big juicy rib eye (if you know how to grill) :) -
Review from Vivian W.
6/25/2010
Student and Early Bird (before 6pm) specials on weekdays (not including Friday) - steak (or pork or fish) and all you can eat salad bar for ~12$. Awesome!
This is the place to go for your steak fix on a student budget. -
Review from Brad W.
Greensboro, NC
7/26/2011
Little dated, little dirty and fun. Great place for a guys night out. I would call it a man cave. My wife would NOT like it! But I did.
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Review from bob m.
Schaumburg, IL
10/7/2011
I think it goes without saying that you can't expect the best steak in Champaign, IL. That being said, their steak is well above average and fairly priced. The whole "cook your own steak" idea is an interesting concept, but if that's what I wanted to do I would buy my own steak (for much less) and cook it myself at home. Pay the extra $3 for a chef to make it for you so you can relax and enjoy your meal. The service is always very friendly and they make themselves available. By far my favorite steakhouse in the Champaign-Urbana area and recommend it to all.
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Review from James O.
Philadelphia, PA
3/23/2010
Alexander's was definately the place to go for celebrating anything good during my time at UIUC. It's the perfect atmosphere for a small group of friends to hang out for conversation and fun around the grill pit, munching on texas toast.
As you prepare the meats yourself, there's really little to complain about the cooking, and I've always been satisfied with the meat cuts, and it's definately affordable on an every-now-and-again basis for a college student. -
Review from Melissa M.
New York, NY
11/27/2006
Alexander's Steakhouse is by far the most interesting eating you can get by the mall area. In the middle of the restaurant is a large charcoal grill surrounded by seasonings and buckets of what claims to be butter. Basically your pick out a steak and cook it yourself alongside potatoes and good old texas toast, dousing on the butter as you go. No, this is not health food. They have a variety of different steak cuts, as well as some chicken and pork selections. It's a rowdy crowd and expect lots of drinking around the grill and I had my doubts about sanitation with all the drunken butter use. If you want a backyard grill experiences in the dead of winter, this place is great, but it's very pricey, loud, and I found out the hard way about charges for sharing ($7!).
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Review from Carolyn U.
Elmhurst, IL
4/10/2010
Tasty beef you cook yourself at a large open vented indoor grill. Chef will grill your steak for your for an additional charge of $2.79. Salad bar respectably populated with the usual fare, e.g., red beets, shredded cheese, broccoli, cottage cheese, etc. Former site of the Round Barn Restaurant. Overall good dependable and tasty. Not fancy. Wear comfortable shoes if you plan to cook.
