Prime Steakhouse Niagara Falls — Restaurant in Niagara Falls

I had a terrible experience at Prime Steakhouse, and posted my original review on TripAdvisor. The people who run Prime Steakhouse aggressively solicit for five-star reviews, to the point that their waitstaff hand out cards with instructions on how to do just that. As soon as a negative review (like mine) appears, multiple five-star reviews from users with no previous posts and accompanied by fake and/or stock photos are miraculously posted- knocking the negative review down the line. In my view, no positive review of this venue should be trusted. Be aware of their tactics.

Here is a portion of my original review, as it appears on TripAdvisor. I have edited it down so as not to exceed the character limit:

Turns out, our hotel (the Crowne Plaza) is also the site of Prime Steakhouse, which advertises itself all over town as “the Number One ranked restaurant in Niagara Falls, according to TripAdvisor”. What better place to take our young man for his (birthday)? Well… we found out that practically ANYPLACE would have been better…

When I booked the reservation… I specifically requested a table by the window, so we could enjoy the view of the illuminated Falls and the evening fireworks show at 10 pm. When we arrived promptly at 8:30 pm, the manager seated us at a table that most definitely did NOT have a window... I politely mentioned to the manager that we had asked for a window table in our reservation, and her reply… was that “every single table in the restaurant is full…”

Please note- this was a total and purposeful LIE on the part of the manager. There were three tables less than 10 feet from us, all situated by windows, that remained unoccupied for the entirety of our stay… I have photos of the empty tables next to us, that I am posting to accompany this review…

Our waiter… apologized profusely… We tried to move on from our initial disappointment, and anticipated a night of stellar food… and service. We got neither…

We ordered starters and mains- the starters arrived at the table by 8:55 pm. They were very well-prepared, if oddly plated- for instance, the calamari was served on a dish with a Chinese food carton on it… It then took AN ADDITIONAL HOUR for our entrees to arrive. (Our waiter) apologized multiple times for the delay… He brought us a bread plate in the meantime. Three rolls… for four of us. That part did make us chuckle a bit. We wondered out loud which one of the four of us was invisible…

Finally… our entrees were able to escape the black hole in the kitchen and reached our table. And shock of shocks… were ice cold… My wife’s scallops might as well have been cooked in an iceberg. They were inedible, and there was no choice but to send her dish back. When the “re-fired” scallops were brought to her, they were once again not even lukewarm…

The rest of us ordered steaks… by the time our dinner arrived, I was personally ready to chew off my own arm. (Our waiter) acknowledged the abject failure of the kitchen and offered to take the steaks back. But we were all too hungry to wait any longer, and ate them cold… Oh, and… all of our side dishes were also chilled to imperfection... The fireworks began promptly at 10 pm, and as expected, were not visible from our table… My son then apologized to all of us for the lousy (birthday) dinner we had- as if it was his fault.

To his credit, (our waiter) felt terrible… and said he would talk to the manager and see about getting us a discount. The manager… felt that being denied a view in a restaurant where the view is EVERYTHING, and despite having ample advance notice of our desire for a window table and several options at her disposal, and then being served entrees that were (maybe) a step up from a Swanson’s Frozen Dinner, and basically ruining my son’s birthday, was worth 15% off the bill.

“Number One Restaurant in Niagara Falls”? PLEASE. Number One Rip-Off is more like it... Prime should be ashamed for allowing such a debacle to occur on so...

CHOOSE ANOTHER RESTAURANT to eat at as Niagara has better options... I wish I did.. Massimos, Hard Rock Cafe, Uber Eats etc..

Don't get distracted by the falls view.

Note: normally all my reviews for other restaurants etc are very positive as I am a foodie and proud.... however this really left a BAD taste in my mouth, and I wasted part of my evening.

I was warmly greeted by the hostess and it went downhill from there. I waited 10-15 minutes for a server to come and give me a menu (she walked by me multiple times, and no I did not leave my table). Party of 1. I had to smile at her and make eye contact to be served. How ironic and confusing. Shouldn't it be the other way around? It was not busy. Trust me..

THE CHERRY ON TOP After waiting over 30 minutes for a simple medium cooked 7oz steak and 3 (three) scallops, I was told there was an error made and they're deeply sorry and will make it up to me......... The paper with my order written on it supposedly fell and they missed my order. I get it mistakes happen, but NOT this at a HIGHLY RATED #1 Steakhouse in all Niagara...... It's because the server was RUSHING... I came 1 hr 20 mins before closing, which is plenty of time as I didn't take a long time to be seated , or to choose my meal. The rushing caused an even further delay (like when people rush on the highway and end up causing a car accident.... You just delay further). She wanted to make it up to me by giving me a free dessert. LOL ma'am I am not waiting another 45 minutes for my food to be "missed".... McDonald's doesn't even make this type of error (because they're more modernized and don't use paper to take orders, get with the program......). I was close to walking out and not even eating my dinner, which literally was not worth the wait or cost.

I could've got a similar order from literally any other restaurant, but I decided to come here based on how highly it was advertised..

The food was NOT worth the cost.

Maybe I'd come here for drinks and a view but for a main meal... PASS. Trust me..I'm the kind to splurge whatever it is on a nice meal but this was NOT IT.

They gave me 25% off and honestly, if it wasn't for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I would've ripped that bill and got the rushing server to pay...

On top of that as a little test, I drank all my water and while servers were coming around to pour it, they just kindly did not fill mine.... They couldn't be bothered to check my table. If sight is an issue then turn up the lights in the restaurant. My cup was half full, then empty and not once in my over 1 hr of waiting did I get water poured.

Only good thing that improved my mood was the fireworks... I didn't even take a pic of the food as I normally do because of how disappointed I was especially after waiting so long. But the bread and butter they brought in the beginning was the highlight...

Please don't waste your time and money. We all know the importance of getting a good bang for your buck and this place is NOT IT.

Choose a...

One of the Worst Dining Experiences I’ve Ever Had at a Steakhouse (July 4th, 2025)

I don’t typically leave negative reviews, but this experience at Prime Steakhouse in Niagara Falls was truly disappointing — enough to warrant sharing, so others can avoid the same mistake.

We were celebrating my 30th birthday and had mentioned this when making the reservation. From the moment we arrived, things went downhill. We were seated far from the windows, and when we asked why, we were told it was due to having a toddler with us and that it was a “fire hazard.” That excuse felt weak and unwelcoming — especially from a place that promotes itself as upscale.

We ordered two 14 oz New York Striploin steaks ($72 each), truffle fries ($17), and garlic smashed potatoes ($17). When our food arrived, we were shocked. Both steaks had a thick layer of cartilage around them and an excessive amount of fat. The meat looked and tasted like it had been previously frozen. When we cut into it, it pulled apart like stringy pork — not remotely what you expect from a premium cut, let alone at this price point.

We asked to speak to the manager. He went back to the kitchen and returned to tell us that “this is how the steaks are cut in-house.” As someone who enjoys high-quality steaks and dines at steakhouses regularly, I can confidently say I’ve never had striploin this bad. No offer of refund — just that the steaks would be redone.

The second set of steaks wasn’t much better. We requested Chicago-style, medium-rare. What we got was nearly blue-rare and definitely not Chicago-style. Meanwhile, our sides had gone cold. The manager brought out fresh ones eventually, but by that point, the entire experience had soured our appetite. Our server disappeared during this entire ordeal — for over 40 minutes we were left without a single check-in or apology. It was like we didn’t exist.

When the meal finally ended, the server (not the manager) dropped off the bill — no accommodations, no acknowledgement of the terrible experience, and no mention of my birthday, which they had asked about in advance. No cake, no gesture, nothing.

We paid the full amount — $205 — and only after seeking out the manager again privately did he offer us a $40 refund, which honestly felt like too little, too late. The gesture didn’t come close to making up for the meal or the service.

Overall, this was hands down the worst steakhouse experience we’ve ever had. Between the subpar food, the lack of service, and the complete failure to acknowledge a birthday celebration, I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant. If you’re looking for a special dining experience in Niagara Falls, do yourself a favor and go...