Black Angus Steakhouse — Restaurant in Castro Valley

UPDATE 11/25/24 (changed star rating) After my review I was generously invited to return for a meal at the same location via Felicia the manager. Although she was not present when we returned, we did have an exceptional meal. The steaks were cooked perfectly, the service was very friendly and attentive. The whole return experience was night and day difference from before and I'm just thankful they wanted to make it right. Once again my faith has been restored for Black Angus and it's ability to provide a good meal. Thank you again! We will definitely be back next time we are in the area.

Unfortunately we had the worst experience last night for my husband's birthday dinner. We work seasonally in the area and only have limited time off so we chose Black Angus out of convenience to try and have a decent steak during the week. We ordered the 36 Oz tomahawk meal for 2 and although the appetizer was decent, the rest of the food and especially the service was not. First, our salads both had multiple ice cubes in it. For it being just a handful of iceberg lettuce on a plate with ranch you would hope that the ice cubes they chill the food with could somehow be left off my salad plate that became ultimatley a watered down ranch. Not the biggest deal but I only mention cause I've never had that happen before so I thought it was strange. Now the steak, for $129 (the meal) you would really hope that at a steakhouse (regardless of price) they could hopefully cook a steak as ordered. Unfortunately our steak was so under cooked (and fatty) it was nearly inedible. Here's my biggest issue though, the server, name with a "K" never even came back to check in on us after she took our order. Bus boys picked up our app plates. The food runner brought our food. We sat for about 5 minutes waiting for her to come so I could talk about our steak temp. Because it was rare (ordered medium rare) the inside was not warm and we decided to eat the outter parts as they were closer to medium rare. Once we were done and needing to order the dessert that came with the meal- we had to finally flag down another server to ask where ours was. I kid you not, she popped around the corner and was what felt like surprised to find us sitting there waiting to go. She never asked how anything was, she just said what would you like for dessert. We ordered that to go and in my 20 years of waiting tables and restaurant management it is the very first time I left a zero tip. My bill was $153 and for the food AND service to be that bad, it left me in a very disappointed place, especially for a birthday celebration dinner. You'll see based on my Google reviews I usually take the time to leave the nice ones. However this atrocity deserved a...

Foods OK. Overpriced. Used to come here a lot. It changed, we left. Came back tonight. Same gnat came to visit us. Still can't catch him.

So, we are back, I think about 1 to 2 years later. Why? Lord knows. Those 3 stars up there... Make it 2. Overpriced .

So, here we are again. Just trying to have a nice evening. And, we are, at this moment experiencing the attendance of one of the most miserable waitresses I have ever encountered. Started out of the gait with a wrong cocktail. Be back in awhile to inform you of what seems to be her personal misery in waiting on us.

Don't need awhile!!! This waitress is an a**hole. Acting like I am interfering with her evening. Issues abound.

It is over. We moved and talked to John the manager. He is a great guy! Calmed us down and took care of the situation. Try again next week or later. Forgive and forget.

Margaritas tonight taste like sour lemonade! 11/21/19😯Happy Days?

Well, here I am again for what will be by last review via the following description of last nights final debacle at this worthless, inefficient “restaurant?” Let’s start with my girlfriends birthday dinner last night. The Angus being the only game in town, we phoned in for pickup. The campfire special, listed at $49.98 actually charged $54, plus a dinner for her daughter. Scheduled pickup for7:30. Got there, texted our arrival, they asked for car color and make. Waited 15 minutes, no deliver. Asked outdoor waiter for help and he says go inside. 10 bagged dinners on the bar. 6 people waiting in line(3with no masks). Finally the bartender calls out names. Got my dinners, back to the car and home I go. Missing prawn cocktail and salad. Go back. Wait 15 minutes to talk to the manager.. After a small spirited debate of their lack of work ethic, she gets my missing items. (Another 10 minutes) I thank them for ruining my girlfriends dinner and leave. I get home at 8:35. Had to reheat. Finally ate at 8:50. This place has been a pain in my butt for the last time. Screw them.✌🏼OUT 08/08/20

It is now 2023 and we decided to go to a special Patron dinner at the Angus, and were amazed at the transformation of the great improvement here. It was a great surprise that this place has become very nice restaurant. The dinner and drinks were spot on. The host was excellent at informing and explaining each course. They included a.raffle and many extra rounds of drinks. It has gone up in price but it is now worth it. So, I would like to amend my star rating to five...

Nah. Don't do it. I don't like leaving reviews like this, but it's a chain, so who cares. Here we go:

No wonder this place is disappearing.

Charging the prices they do for what I experienced is a war crime, in my opinion.

I'm a pretty dang good cook myself. The family cook, that's for sure, every event, it's my show. If I dropped the level of steak and sides we received in my own home, I'd fire myself immediately.

The steaks looked microwaved and then hit with a hot grill mark maker. I'm almost positive they're not, but sad I'd think that, they were very off-putting when looking at it. I don't understand how a steak house doesn't know how to fire a steak and create a crust or sear properly.

Steaks are a basic, in my opinion, over hyped on skills required to make a good one. Ours didn't even have a crisp on the fat. Or any real render of it at all. Was impossible to cut through the gristle level, and the fat was well, not good.

Caramelized fat on a steak is a massive selling point, and I knew immediately this "steak house" had no business firing steaks at these prices, maybe a dive bar, but not a steak house.

Anyway, our steaks were a mix of rare and med rare. I eat rare, and my wife is med rare. We traded steaks, twice, to eat the temp we ordered.

My Au Gratin potatoes came out, looking done, but had to have just been placed in the broiler because underneath it was ice cold. I'm not sure if it's a pre made frozen entree and just baked, or was simply misshandled in the kitchen.

Soup was good, salad was good.

I never send anything back (maybe under cooked chicken), but I had no choice but to send back the potatoes.

The green beans were "mid" at best.

We also shared a steak french fry. Again, it was a miss. The fries were basic, cheese fired under a broiler, some cold toppings and steak so well done if I thew one at a window it'd have broken it.

Server, she was nice but almost seemed forcibly nice. My tea remained empty for my entire meal, I asked twice for it to be refilled and was forgotten.

Pass on this place. If you wanna drop these prices, go to any other steak house. Heck, Texas Roadhouse could beat...