The Ribeye

I took my girlfriend out for her birthday here. We had never been before, but we made the assumption that it was fancy-ish. The exterior is a little misleading because the inside definitely had more of a 'fine dining' atmosphere. I had made a reservation earlier about an hour ahead of time, so we just about walked straight to our table. The waitress was very polite, and the menu, though small, didn't disappoint. Obviously a place called "The Ribeye" is going to prize its steaks, so we ordered them. It, like any of their entrees, came with a side (I got broccoli and my girlfriend got the baked potato), house-made bread (the white was good and I'd like to try the wheat), and the unlimited salad bar. All of it was great. Plus, the choice of ice cream flavors for my girlfriend's birthday treat was nice; it came out in a cocktail glass with whipped cream, a cherry, and an Andes mint. It was definitely more expensive than I'd go for (8oz ribeye and 4 (large) jumbo shrimp, and a 16oz ribeye was ~$94 before tip) but it was well worth it. It's one of those places that paying a lot just makes sense, plus it gave me a "I'm not in business but I want to do business here" sort of feeling, so I love that.

Stopped in for an early dinner after the football game. Great old school atmosphere with a very nice salad bar. Lots of great university of illinois sports photos on the walls. I got the steak and shrimp. Shrimp was excellent but don't kid yourself. This is not a fancy big city. Downtown steakhouse. Steak was fine. Great! Salad bar and service was awesome.

The Ribeye is an amazing taste adventure in a nostalgic environment. The servers are always friendly and the service attentive. We fest on the salad bar and bread while usually having main course take-home the next day. The price is fine dining level but you get what you pay for. You might bump into UI student-athletes and coaches before a big game. If you are really adventurous, you'll try the pickled herring at the salad bar.

Really enjoyed our meal. All the staff do a great job. Reservation was honored! I felt kind of guilty as there was a crowd waiting and we were seated promptly. Our meal was prepared correctly and served very timely. Flavor and quality were very good. While we didn't order them, they have a dessert drink menu that looks great.

We found this place when we were hungry for ribeye, a little disappointed that they don't have a lot of choices on ribeye, no bone-in ribeye. I love their salad bar. It earned the extra stars. The steak was thin and was not as hot as we expected. But the service was great, our waiter checked on us every time he walked by. The drink was weak.

This is our usual spot for steak. We have yet to have an issues with any of our visits. The salad bar is a meal in of itself. I will forever add the twice baked potato to my meal. My son loves the Mac and cheese. If you looking for a great special I recommend Sundays and Mondays!! They have a 2 can fine special with or without wine.

This was my first time visiting The Ribeye. Located off South Neil Street, it's very easy to get to. The parking around the building is a little tight, but there are plenty of spaces. The inside is more on the dimly lit side with seating that's a little close, especially around the salad bar area. Starting with the salad bar, it's amazing. As a complimentary addition to entrees it's a great deal. The salad was fresh with plenty of options for toppings including real bacon bits. There are a variety of pasta salads to choose from as well, though I did not try any of those. The bread loaf that comes with the table is also amazing. The white bread is soft, but what makes it so great is the heap of butter that comes with it. It's SO good! I went with a 20oz ribeye, medium rare. First cut it was perfectly cooked, which was impressive considering how thick this monster was. It lacked salt for the size, but table salt was available. After salting it was delicious and tender. Unfortunately, not everything stayed so great or this place would have gotten 5 stars. The food is delivered on a hot plate, still sizzling when it comes from the kitchen. Don't touch it or you will be burned. I think this could be mitigated with a handle sleeve, an easy addition, but one overlooked. However, the biggest issue here is that it continues to cook your food while it's just sitting there. My massive medium rare steak was medium well by the time I got 3/4 done with it. When you're paying $50 for a steak, that's the last thing you want. The baked potato was unfortunately overcooked from the beginning and by the time the meal was over I couldn't even cut through the skin due to the continued cooking. The sauteed mushrooms were not impacted by the hot plate and were great from start to finish. The waitress was attentive and very polite, being the first time here she was happy to make recommendations on her personal favorites. I will be back and I do recommend giving it a try for a special occasion, especially if you enjoy a good salad bar. However, I will be asking for a separate plate that doesn't continue to ruin my food.