Old Range Steakhouse — Restaurant in California

American Playwright Margaret Edson wrote “We all inevitably must leave this world, and sadly, none of us can be spectators to our own eulogy." Margaret, it would appear, was not familiar with Old Range Steakhouse in North Lake Tahoe. Good for her. Old Range once represented the best of the Lake Tahoe Basin - understated yet overachieving, warm, comfortable; a place to forge memories over a simple yet well-executed menu. This is a distant memory. I don’t know exactly what happened, but ever since Old Range closed for ‘renovations’ over the late summer / early winter ’22 period, the once loved institution survives in name only. The familiar low-lit interior of Old Range has become a coffin… worms silently gnawing at its corpse, while dead-eyed staff dispassionately reenact a life that once was.

Checking my credit card records, I’ve been to Old Range a total of 12 times. The first time I visited ‘post renovation’, I gave them the benefit of the doubt - one bad experience wouldn’t sour my nine prior, spectacular, visits. But having now visited three times post-renovation, it’s clear to me that something has systemically changed in the operation of the restaurant. I’m not sure what - new ownership? - new budgeting? - but I can confirm that it’s no longer worth a visit, and I strongly suspect that it’s only a matter of time until we say goodbye to Old Range forever.

The steak, previously the star of the show, has become mushy and flavorless. The cooking temperatures are unpredictable. On my second most recent visit it was obvious that our thinner cuts (e.g. ribeye) were overcooked, whilst our thicker cuts (e.g. NY Strip) were undercooked (at any given temperature specification). And so, on our most recent visit we tried to compensate by ordering our thicker cuts medium and our thinner cuts medium rare. The result was better, but ultimately non-deterministic; all over the show. Mushy grey flavorless meat next to undercooked commercial cuts. None of it even remotely seasoned. The chef - ostensibly - is proud of not seasoning the meat, ignoring the fact that table seasoning simply can’t achieve what can be achieved in the time prior to cooking. The sides are pathetic. I wouldn’t serve this food to a guest in my home, and I’m not a professional chef. The ‘mashed’ potatoes are like curdled milk - unsightly lumps floating in liquid. The whole affair is embarrassing. This may sound facetious, but in all seriousness, it’s not clear to me that the (new?) Old Range owners have ever actually visited a good restaurant.

The staff are doing their best, but they don’t know what’s going on - unable to answer basic questions about the ingredients going into the food. Rudimentary knowledge of cocktail making, given that we’re talking about a relatively high-priced steakhouse. There’s not a single glimmer of dedication to hospitality or cuisine. From the very beginning of your experience at Old Range (the front of house is consistently rude) to when you’re running toward your car shortly thereafter, you’ll wish you went somewhere else. Is there any worse feeling on a night out?

The only saving grace is the fact that the cheesecake (which is awesome) has not changed meaningfully, if at all. Good work, team.

To be clear, this is a legitimately sad series of events. As a local, it sucks when a formerly great Tahoe establishment goes to the dogs. The only consolation is the great work being done nearby - Great Gold and Pianeta in Truckee, Spoon in Tahoe City, and more. If only we had more establishments near King’s Beach with the same respect for their customers and their craft. And please, please, one day, I hope to see a great new steakhouse that can replace the Old Range of old. For now, keep driving. You can get a decent steak at Lone...

Old Range Steakhouse – A Truly Disappointing and Disrespectful Experience!

My husband and I were on vacation and decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner—just the two of us—something we rarely get to do without our kids. Unfortunately, our evening at Old Range Steakhouse turned out to be the worst restaurant experience we’ve ever had…and we didn’t even get a chance to eat!

We arrived about 45 minutes early for our reservation and asked to sit at the bar while we waited. Despite at least eight open seats, the hostess told us the bar was for walk-ins only and not available to those with reservations. There was no option to sit at the bar for a drink. She said she might be able to seat us early, then disappeared for more than five minutes before returning and attempting to seat us in a dark, cramped corner booth with very little lighting…it literally was almost fully enclosed, walls on 3 sides with just a small opening to step into the booth area. We politely declined stating that the dark corner booth was not exactly what we had in mind for our dinner by the lake, and asked if we could sit at one of the open tables by a window—three of which were completely empty. She refused, saying those tables were being held for later reservations (including ours). We were not thrilled, but said okay, and told her we’d return at our scheduled time.

When we came back at 7:45, we were met by the owner/manager, who informed us—in a shockingly rude and pompous tone—that we no longer had a reservation. He said, “I canceled it and sold it to someone else.” When we questioned if he was serious, he doubled down, claiming that because we left earlier and didn’t like the table we were originally taken to, that he made the decision to cancel our reservation all together. Despite our telling him we told the hostess we would return, he smirked and said, “and I told her you wouldn’t.”

We again asked to be seated (noting that there were still open tables), and he said, “I could seat you if I wanted to, but it would be the same table as before, and you just wouldn’t like it, and we’d have a problem, so…” At that point, my husband asked about our reservation deposit, and the owner said we weren’t charged because he had canceled our reservation himself. When we asked for his name, he responded with, “You don’t need my name.”

Frustrated and appalled, I finally said, “Fine, if you don’t want our business, we don’t want to patronize your establishment.” He actually laughed and replied, “Good.”

We’ve never been treated with such blatant disrespect—especially by someone in hospitality. We arrived early, hoping to spend more money on pre-dinner drinks and enjoy a nice evening. Instead, we were dismissed, talked down to, and laughed at for simply asking for a different table. This place may call itself “fine dining,” but there’s nothing fine about how it treats guests.

To the owner: customer service matters. You’re not just serving food—you’re creating an experience. And unfortunately, this one was unforgettable for all the...

This is the worst experience I've ever had at a steakhouse. I saw the other reviews saying not to go, but I told my wife we would try for ourselves. Big mistake. I didn't say steak, I said mis-stake.

First off, the waitress that was helping us acted like it was such a burden to get us booster seats for our 1 and 2 year old children. Next my wife didn't know what cocktail she wanted to order and asked the waitress to surprise her. The waitress said no and told her to pick something, or drink water. I ordered one for her and after she left we bagan to discuss how rude she is.

After that we tried to order a couple of salads for appetizers. She told us one salad was enough for 4 people and we didn't need 2 different salads. Ok... Whatever. So we got one. Come to find out one salad isn't even enough for 2 people. Next we ordered our food. I asked her what the difference was between the ribeye and the double cut ribeye. She said she didn't really know, but thinks the double cut is bigger. I asked her if it was twice as big, she said no. I ordered the double cut anyways. My wife ordered the prime rib, still no significant issues.

Our food comes out and looks amazing! It's not until we actually try to taste it and realize there is no seasoning on the meat. The prime rib had the little seasoning that was applied to it before it was roasted, but the ribeye literally tasted like they ran it under water before they cooked it. It was the most bland steak I've ever eaten. And it's so sad because it was such a good cut of meat. It was tender and juicy, but there was no care taken in ensuring it was flavorful in any way.

When I tried talking to someone about the issues, I was told they had been doing it this way for 27 years and they aren't still in business for no reason. When I tried asking for a manager, I was told that no manager is on staff and all employees are managers. I didn't even want any money off my bill or anything. I was more than happy to pay the entire price. I just wanted to talk to someone who could prevent the same thing from happening to another person.

It's sad that an establishment like this can serve sub-par food and have terrible customer service and stay in business because they are the only steakhouse available in North Lake Tahoe.

I've eaten at some terrible places before, but have always been treated decent or at least listened to. This is the first place that treated me like trash. This is also the first time in my life I have never left a tip when visiting a restaurant. THE FIRST TIME EVER. They were that terrible. Please save yourself the time and money and find another place. I wish I would have driven the 20+ miles to south lake Tahoe to find a...