Izzy's Steaks & Chops
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
264 reviews
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
"Pretty much if you can give me a steak as rare as possible in a down-to-earth atmosphere with entertaining waiters, I'm golden. I came to…" read more »
23 Reviews for Izzy's Steaks & Chops
I haven't been here since the change in ownership, but thought I would give it a try. We had a really nice server. Steak was cooked well, but hardly seasoned. It seems they changed the recipe to their creamed spinach, it just wasn't as tasty as I recall...pretty bland, actually. The thing that I really don't get is the prices. I could have eaten at a one of the most highly rated restaurants in the city for close to the same price! They overprice EVERYTHING here....Average is $30 for a steak dinner. Dinner for 3 with drinks and tip was pushing $200. Crazy. My advice? Go to Boca in Novato or go simple and visit Cattleman's in Petaluma. Both places will give you more bang for your buck (and less bucks!!!).
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Oh Snap! I didn't know they changed owners? That explains the creepy artwork, inconsistent service, and portion mishaps last night. We went for happy hour and were slightly distracted by the Marin Cougar at the bar. Make no mistake, the Marin Cougar is an entirely different animal. They have more money, longer claws and worse taste than the average breed.
This particular feline had on white terry cloth pants adorned with a large gold chain that was wrapped through 1" size rivets around her waist. The result was a large gap near her fanny where male passer bys could get a could look at her aqua blue g-string. I'd say priceless, but every cougar has a price.
We were very distracted by the wildlife, but not enough to notice they shorted us 2 sliders! We ordered 2 orders of three, they brought 4 sliders total and the cheese wasn't even melted. Lame.
The bartender was cool. He would walk out and check on us even though we had a waitress! Maybe she was new, too bad Izzy's is old hat, don't waste your precious happy hour.
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I had a craving for potatoes. What else goes with that? STEAK!!
My boyfriend took me here the other night. Everything on the menu sounded yumm-eee. I order the bacon wrapped filet medallions with their house potatoes (Izzy's Own Potatoes - think au gratin style) and a Baked Potato... Yes I told you I was craving potatoes! Our waitress was cute, she thought I was crazy. I could tell by the questionable look on her face. haha
They were prompt with bringing out drinks and the bread and butter to munch on. My dinner was fantastic! The steak was cooked perfectly. The meat was tender and juicy. My potatoes were just what I wanted.
The atmosphere is okay. I thought the dining area would've been a bit larger. They had a live musician which was slightly annoying because the man sounded like he had his lips stuck directly onto the microphone and it wasn't very clear at all.
Overall, it was a nice evening with good food!
Saturday night, the place is empty, service is horrible and unattentive, and the food has gotten absolutely terrible over the past couple of months or so.
Additionally, our favorite waitstaff have quit, and staff levels seem to be getting lower and lower.
This is a clear sign that the lights of Izzy's of Corte Madera (in no way affiliated with Izzy's of San Francisco!) are rapidly going dim.
Save your time, money and stomach - this place will be turning out the lights very soon 8-(
WOW.
WOW.
Wowy wow.
I really had no idea Izzy's was so great.
I'll preface this with the fact that I'm often confused with George Clooney (a natural mistake, at least among infants and those with seriously bad eyesight). But when in LA, we both frequent the famous Smoke House Restaurant in North Hollywood. George likes it so much he named his production company after it. I liked it so much it often made me disappointed in other steak houses, even fancy ones.
Not Izzy's!
It was my birthday. I wanted steak. Drove by while going to see Indiana Jones (another "wow"), decided to try it.
And then, surprise, surprise, this was one of the best meals I've had in years. Everything was perfect, from the bread and butter (why was this butter so good?) to the service (they even held our reservations for 15 minutes when we were late), to the entrees.
I haven't had a steak this good since the memorable one I had at the Ritz Carlton Dining room back in the Gary Danko days.
I had the bacon wrapped filets and they were so tender I almost didn't need the 4 pound razor sharp steak knife.
They were in a Bearnaise sauce that was exceptional.
Izzy's potatoes (au gratin) are fantastic (mac 'n cheese only so so).
This was all on a busy Saturday night, the place was packed, and it was an exceptionally good meal all around.
Expensive? Not really by today's standards. My steak was $33, my wife's superb shrimp scampi was $19. Reasonable given the exceptionally high quality of everything.
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This was my first time at Izzy's and my goodness was I disappointed. My boyfriend and I ordered our dinner and were told that we could not have what we wanted because they were out of crab, by 6:00 on a Tuesday night...So after a few minutes we decided to begin with oysters on the half shell, an arugala salad split and a 9oz. Ribeye special and Salmon entree from the menu. We ordered the Salmon medium rare and with the sides it came with (mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) and the Ribeye rare with asparagus and mac n' cheese.
When the food came out, the steak was medium well, not at all red, almost entirely brown. We flagged down a busboy and asked him to exchange it. A few minutes went by and the new steak came out, with the exact same sides as before, which is fine, but it would have been nice if we had recieved fresh asparagus and mac n' cheese. The salmon was cooked medium, but was still fine, but the buerre blanc sauce was not really a buerre blanc sauce, it was more cream and butter mixed together...but the oysters were excellent and the salad was okay, it was supposed to come with golden raisins but came with regular ones instead.
For dessert we ordered creme brulee, which was okay but had a really thick sugar coating, which made it more chewy than chrunchy. My boyfriend ordered a Muscat and I ordered a Kahula and cream...which ended up having a fly in it. My boyfriend asked them to take it off the bill, but instead they brought us another one, and kept it on the bill. Which at first was fine, but then...the second kahula and cream had a fly in it also...so we flagged down the manager and she took it off the bill, but by that time our night had been ruined. I'm sorry, but I am also a server and I would never charge a guest for a drink that had a fly in it. I would take it off thebill, bring them a new one, and probably buy their dessert as well. But instead, Izzy's expected us to pay for something with a fly in it, and replaced it with something else with a fly in it...DISGUSTING. We will NOT be going back.
some lucky duck was hankering for steak and a................
GOOD COMPANY!..
so i cross the 70 years old bridge that evening to give what he craves.
it was obviously that this place has a better ambience than the sf and san carlos location. the set-up is more comely & spruce up.
the condiments that are usually sitting on the ledge by your table is not available for you to grab here, instead they are neatly line up by the cooking area and you have to request it from your server.
i noticed that their steak (izzy's cut) has a smaller cut compare to the two locations previously mentioned.
the crab cakes that i ordered was quite "bready", though delicious and the aoili sauce that came with itwas pretty bland.
the two sides that we both had, have the same consistency, flavor & texture just like the two other places......just pleasing!
the vodka/cranberry that was asked for was strong and definitely it has more grey goose than ocean spray in that simple mix!
the service was awesome...really friendly & attentive...
so at the end of a satisfying and satisfactory meal the beau was delighted and gorged.
and of course, i'm glad i brought him here and i'm also pleased that i made someone special elated.
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Man ohhhhhhhhhhh man... I love Izzy's. We did take out of lunch today from our office.... ohhhhhhhhhhhh gee wiz it was fantastic.
I had the Prime Rib French dip that had huge portions of meat on a french roll and also I had the creamed spinach and had to just had to do it got a side order of the potatoes.... How do I love Izzy's let me taste buds count the ways.....
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We ate here Friday night, 7pm reservation. A small fumble from the start sort of set the tone for the rest of the meal.
Our very cute and very sweet hostess seated us in a great booth. She got my son settled in-menu, crayons, etc. Which was great, always appreciate a place that can balance adults and children! So BF and I are settled in and realize she forgot to leave menus for us, kinda funny.
We ordered our pre-dinner cocktails and salads. All of which we good. though-my salad was over dressed. But--my fault i know this. Should have been one of those "dressing on the side" people.
Dinner arrived, the boy had mac-n-cheese (duh). I was super pissed because the plate was _SO_ hot it burnt my old calloused paws. The waiter said "hot plate" when he set it down if front of a 5 y/o. I am not in any way one of these mothers that is all "my child my child my child"-but this was totally uncalled for-considering my plate was cold-as was the food!! and if you're going to have a kids menu---hello! And just from a liability stand point-this is California! I could see the headline in the Chronicle. Who knows, perhaps I could own the Izzy chain? Um, no thanks.
So they did promptly turn my plate back out, sides hot as a tin rood in the Mojave desert in August. And killed my steak. Yes-i know technically its already dead. But they destroyed it. went from med-rare to med-well. and it was an expensive cut of meat. At this point I felt I had used up all my "um excuse me's" and sucked it up. Slathered that leather flesh and ate up.
My BFs was perfect, of course. At least he shared his steak with me. Thats love.
We did receive a comp desert. And we ordered an additional desert. Very very good. We had the banana cream pie (which was more of a deconstructed pie in a bowl-xoxo banana pudding) and the key lime pie. All very very good.
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Izzy's was practically empty (with the exception of a couple of stragglers at the bar watching the nice flatscreen TVs) on a Saturday night. I felt silly considering I had made reservations the day before. For this location I would not recommend making reservations, although I could be wrong...
I wouldn't consider this "fine dining" as the interior of Izzy's reminds me of Buca di Beppo with all of the weird paintings and knick knacks on the wall.
My filet mignon was good (not as good as Harris') and cooked exactly the way I asked. I devoured the potatoes, but barely touched the creamed spinach as it didn't taste like spinach whatsoever. I like my vegetables tasting like vegetables!
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Every time I go to Izzy's, I get laid. True, it rarely occurs on the premises, but this isn't Manhattan in 1986 so no ratings deductions will be taken.
Sometimes you don't have to overthink it to do something right. Izzy's is a great example of taking a simple formula - good meat + good service + flatscreens = good restaurant. I actually added the flatscreens part on my own, but sometimes the little things can be really strategic - especially if you want people to enjoy the time they'll spend in the bar while they wait for their table. And enjoy it I did.
For some reason I always arrive at Izzy's about a half hour before my reservation, and the place is always pretty packed so I end up sitting at the bar for a few drinks before sitting down. The bar is beautiful, the beer tastes like beer, and my wife says the wine list is satisfactory too. (for further evidence of this fact, please see the lead paragraph)
One quick thing you should know about me - standard outfit is a t-shirt and jeans with a blazer. I'll dress up the t-shirt appropriately depending on venue, but that's about as far as I'll take it. Izzy's atmosphere is classy without being stuffy; upscale without stifling casual diners. Good times.
The food is always a strong 4 out of 5 stars. For starters at the bar, an order of calamari. Honestly, it would be nice if the fried part didn't always slip off the squids as I dip them in the tartar sauce, but calamari is like a hand job - pretty hard to totally mess it up, it's not really what you're there for, but when done right it gets things off to a good start.
Once seated, I prefer to start off with a bowl of lobster bisque, and Izzy's makes a good one. Nice tender chunks of what I presume to be lobster, and a piece of sourdough bread slapped in the middle like a huge sailboat in a backyard pond. Tasty. Then it's on to a choice filet that's cooked very nicely to my specifications - and the petit size usually fills me up, along with the two sides that accompany the meat.
The sides are what prevent Izzy's from achieving that coveted fifth star. They're too bland. I wish the chef would head over to The Buckeye and borrow a page from their book. The spinach tasted kind of like spinach, and the macaroni and cheese didn't taste like my mom's does. Admittedly this is a tough measuring stick, and a total unknown to the chef, but I'm not here to be fair. Mom's is better.
The service is always fast and friendly, and the check is never as bad as I expect. And like I said earlier, after dinner I get laid. That's pretty hard to beat. Got a date? Head on over to Izzy's. You won't be disappointed.
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Let start by saying I had one of the best fish dishes here...
I had petrole sole stuffed with crab and avocado and my boyfriend had the cajun filet. Both were exquisite. I highly recommend the scalloped potatoes and the mac and cheese.. i know lots of carbs but well worth it. Excellent service and very fulfilling!
The second time we dined here (which is why i gave 4 stars instead of 5) was still good but not quite up to the par of the first trip. We brought our 14mo. son with us and a friend. Service was great and so very accomodating. My son had their mac and cheese and he was one happy kid. I had the fish again, which was not even being offered that evening but I asked the server about it, she checked to see if it was on special on not and then returned to tell me it wasn't their special but would be happy to make it. My fish was very good but not quite as good as our first visit. My boyfriend had the bacon wrapped filet edallions w/ bernaise. Our out of town visitor had the small filet. We both ordered the 'famous' creamed spinach and was pretty dissapointed, it was very bland. Her filet was a great cut of meat and cooked to perfection but lacked seasoning.
For dessert we took home banana cream (a little white cake covered in bananas, banana-vanilla cream and chocolate sauce) and a chocolate dessert. Both were excellent!!!
I am hoping to go back again soon to revise this to 5 stars! Happy dining!!
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I was a Izzy's devotee until it fell under new ownership and they moved Micheal the manager to SF. The new owners raised the prices, cut the portion size, and seems to purchase cheap ingredients. Its really too bad because we used to eat here about twice a week. Now if we want a good steak we head up to Boca in Novato.
Good Steak, quite expensive. Service? Take it or leave it. The Kicker? The kitchen staff was cleaning the kitchen while I was eating dinner, and this HORRIBLE smell of chemicals filled the air. It ruined my steak, thats for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Went for Valentine's Day 2007 dinner with my BF. I had to call them to see if they were even still open because their website was down. The guy that helped me over the phone was very nice and said he would give us a special "romantic" booth when we arrived. I was disappointed when we arrived for our reservation and the two of us were seated at a 4-person table - about 5 feet across from each other. We were excited and hungry, and they were very busy, so we didn't complain. The restaurant in general wasn't the most romantic setting - we were too close to the bar, which was filled with loud, drunk people.
I also agree with the previous reviewer who said the sides were bland. I had a baked potato that showed up naked, with a little dollop of sour cream on the side - no butter. I used the butter from our bread. I also had some plain, albeit perfectly al dente, broccoli. My BF had the Izzy's potatoes, which were basically scallopped potatoes and were pretty tasty.
Now to the good parts....... We had an EXCELLENT waiter who was very nice and attentive. Our beef was great - I had a nice cut of prime rib with some REAL horseradish. My BF liked his cappucino and I had a great glass of champagne. And the dessert.....my heart races just thinking about it....was the absolute best dessert I've ever had anywhere. I am a fool for chocolate, and this was a V-Day special chocolate mousse cut in a heart shape, with a chocolate covered strawberry on the side. The mousse was absolutely decadent! The texture, taste....perfect! It was crystallized at the bottom (seemed intentional), which gave it a kind of crusty finish at the bottom. I was told by our super cool water that the mousse is a regular dessert. I believe it's called the Chocolate Obsession. I am definitely obsessed!
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Izzy's is now open mid-day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., thanks to the new owner. Can't imagine a better place for a three-martini lunch!
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Best steak in Marin, very tender and perfectly done. Haven't tried anything else on the menu, I just can't pass on the steak. I wish they would publish a cookbook or something so I can figure out how on earth they make it taste so great.
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mmmmm. traditional fine dining at its best. This place is up there with Ruth's Chris, Harris and all the others. (cougars extra)
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grand looking steak and chop restaurant north in marin county...with elegance and professional staff to match...welcoming to all...while izzy's in sf has always left me a bit sour....izzy's in marin earned some extra points....
cheesy izzy's potatoes are grubbin' good....and the steaks cooked to my desire...and done right....ultra friendly and sincere staff in this handsome classy look joint made the dining experience something the sf location sure lacked...
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We had a lunch here today that can only be described as huge portions of wonderful food. Truly a caloric paradise. We both had the lunch specials, mine was a huge portion of baby back ribs (they call it a quarter rack but sure seemed like more to me) and sides of the wonderful Izzy's Potatoes and creamed spinach. There was so much food that I had to take some home in a doggy bag. (So that I could have that great Key Lime Pie.) Husband had a wonderful and what looked to me to be much larger than the advertised 7 oz Prime Rib done as rare as he likes it and he had same sides. We also enjoyed the rooms ambiance having fond memories of the same space when it was the Savannah Grill. The place had quite a few customers for such a blustering raining Tuesday at lunch time day.
We enjoyed it and it took our minds off of all the recent problems in our lives, what a good relaxing meal should do.
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We were a once a week patron of Izzy's until the new owner took over. Previously, we would make reservations and easily have our booth ready. Great service and excellent meal. Don't know what happened with the servers, but the last time we were there our order was not put in. We waited one hour. Everyone around us was served and having coffee. Only because we were with an out of town friend who had much to catch up on did we not react sooner. Finally, after no one paid us any attention, I went up to the greeter and ask that they cancel the order. The manager then came over and said that it was a busy night but that it was coming coming out now. We stayed as it was getting late . The offer from the manager for the inconvenience was a free desert which I declined.
That, with the big jump in prices was the last time we were there this year. On the price increase, I know restaurants have had to add increases due to increase transportation charges due to gas prices, but the jump was $5.00 more per entre. It was as if there was a sudden shortage of beef!
There's more. My daughter had always liked Izzy's but was not a regular. This past Saturday she and her son had dinner and seated on the Patio., it was busy. A very loud and drunk man was adjacent to them and they put up with that. What happened next was a shocker. When the bill came, she didn't look at, knowing what it should be. She gave a $100 bill and the server asked if she wanted change. Surprised, she looked at the bill and it included a 20% gratuity...added on. This was a party of two! Presumption or mistake? Had she said keep the change, the server would have walked away with a $40 tip.
I am very sure she will no longer be going back. It is unfortunate, that this once very enjoyable restaurant has soured me on it and now my daughter.
For everyone with who enjoy Izzy's, great. But, check the bill. No stars.
izzy's potatoes!! steaks are good here as expected from a steakhouse. the location is kinda tucked away from the main streets of corte madera. actually, it's at an ackward location. for the size of the restaurant, it's rather empty every time i go there. as i mentioned before, izzy's potatoes!!
Let me recount some of the "improvements" Izzy's new owners made literally overnight. The bread on the table, no longer great French bread, now tastes like it's from Denny's (the lowest thing I can think of). They have also reduced the portion of the lobster bisque to that of a Nazi concentration camp. Even our beloved Izzy's burger has been marred by cheapness! No more french fries, just soggy cold "potato wedges". They did away with the fine doughy bun too in favor of what can only be Rainbow Bread. I could slam the new ownership all day but it's not going to bring back my favorite steak house. They are obviously very greedy and very stupid.
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