Mr Beef Steakhouse and Burger — Local services in Krakow

The French Experience:

Short version:

You know what it's like when you go to France and don't speak the language? You end up getting served whatever, being overcharged and then everything is blamed on the language barrier. This experience was very close to it.

Long version:

Got a reservation for one person through their website. My table was still set for two guests though. The restaurant is pretty. They have different plants in pots hanging from the ceiling. (See included pictures) That's unfortunately the only nice thing I have to say about the atmosphere there. The background lounge music was really loud. I didn't know why at first. But, whenever the kitchen didn't have anything to do, you could hear loud EDM music playing from the kitchen. At least the kitchen team has good music taste, because I also heard "Zombie" from the Cranberries...

I ordered a filet mignon, medium rare, with steakhouse fries. (Menu informed me of a 12.5% service charge) Upon ordering, the server asked me, if I wanted ketchup and/or mayo with those fries. I declined.

Food arrived, I tried cutting the steak and the steak knife was dull. Told the server. Instead of getting me a sharp knife, he gets me ketchup and mayo. I repeat my request for a working steak knife and receive two additional knives. I guess the server wasn't sure, if there was a working knife among the two that he brought me...

I've always remembered a filet mignon to be very easy to cut and chew. This one had a big tendon in the center. (Included a picture, where you can clearly see the big white spot of "not-chewable") I guess they just cut up whatever was left from a previous order to the size of a filet mignon.

Remember the 12.5% service charge? I guess they do maths differently in Poland because I don't know how they managed to arrive at this amount. (I added pictures, you're welcome to check my work) Firstly: they don't add the service charge to the actual bill. I guess that's just to avoid paying taxes on it. The service charge only appears on the info and is then cancelled after you have paid. They then turn the service charge into a tip for themselves. Secondly: 12.5% of PLN 332 is PLN 41.5. (you're welcome to round up and I won't complain. But your system can do decimal amounts, so 41.5 would have been correct.) seeing PLN 43 added to the info is confusing.

Go somewhere where they don't take advantage of...

I had an extremely disappointing experience at Mr Beef Steak House in Krakow. The restaurant charges per weight of steak, but they fail to disclose this important detail before you order. We ordered what we thought would be a 100g sirloin steak for £36, but when the bill came, it was over £600—far more than we expected. When we raised this issue, they didn't offer to speak to a manager. Instead, the chef was sent out, which made no sense in this context.

While the food itself was decent, the lack of transparency about pricing completely ruined the experience. To make matters worse, when we tried to inquire further after paying, the woman in charge refused to give us the manager's name and even claimed there was no manager present. This left us feeling taken advantage of, especially as we were tourists, and it seemed like they tried to exploit the language barrier. As you can see on our receipt, we ordered the ‘rostbef wagyu’ it clearly states 100g and next to it shows 190 zloty. You can then see it states the total price was 946.20 zloty. This does not make sense and could not be explained to us when queried. I have attached the pictures of our receipt and menu. They threatened to call the police if we didn’t pay the bill however we we’re explaining to the chef that we are happy to pay for what we ordered and not the added extras they decided to put on the bill. We felt we had no choice here but to pay and leave.

Overall, a very frustrating and unsatisfactory experience. I won't be returning, and I strongly advise anyone visiting to be cautious and ensure they understand the pricing structure before ordering.I would strongly recommend you don’t visit and go to another steak restaurant, there are plenty to choose from with the same, maybe even better...

Part steakhouse, part waxwork museum, part meat racket. If one is in search of actual beef then consider Mr Beef only in times of great desperation. Our party of 10 arrived in search of a genuine dining experience and instead were exposed to the inner workings of a meat racket masquerading as a ‘restaurant’. A selection of steak waxworks were presented to us upon being seated, with weights and prices. This process could have served to wet ones beak for the meal ahead but instead cast a feeling of dread across the table. We were then told that a 10% service charge would be applied because our party exceeded 5. Bizarre policy. Management are clearly more concerned with rinsing diners than filling their stomachs. A number of dishes were ordered, including steaks, kebabs and calzones. The calzones that arrived at the table were substantial, approximately the same size as my chihuahua, alas sorely lacking in the taste department. But what does taste matter? Quantity over quality appears to be ‘de rigueur’ policy at Mr Beef. Meat quality, while not terrible, was low grade. I can only surmise that the cows used here are distant relatives of Aberdeen Angus Tenerife, who sadly endured the same fate of being carved up, cooked incompetently and schlepped onto a plate! The most remarkable feat performed by the chef was reversing the laws of physics. One of our diners ordered a steak medium rare and received a chewy, well-done slab of sinew. When they sent it back to the kitchen, the steak re-emerged rarer and more tender. How the chef/magician in the kitchen achieved this remains to be discovered. Ultimately he is a wasted a talent at Mr Beef, more deserving of his own magic show in Las Vegas, perhaps jerking the curtain for David...