Ruth's Chris Steak House — Restaurant in Charlotte

My wife and I were very excited to try Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Southpark and it turns out the experience was unforgettable. We were greeted warmly by the hosts who verified our reservation and without delay led us straight to our table. It is a beautiful dining area, with perfect lighting, generous spacing and comfortable seating. Our server, David, was friendly, articulate and spoke passionately about the menu. Choosing drinks was made easy by simply perusing the picture-filled tablet at our table. This Ruth’s Chris mixologist made exquisite beverages for us - Lavender and Lace, Rosemary Raspberry Cosmo - both of which were crafted so well, all their parts joining together to create a flavor which was so well balanced we were saddened to reach the bottom of our glasses. In time, we studied the menu, a generous collection of chicken, pasta, seafood and, of course, a full array of steak entrees. First, we selected a stuffed mushroom appetizer. Four warm, plump mushroom tops, filled with a most delicious crabmeat stuffing, were a wonderful beginning. For the main course my wife decided on the rib eye, medium rare, with lobster tail. I requested the NY Strip, medium rare with shrimp pinwheels (our server’s recommendation) and a steamed broccoli side. In anticipation of our meal, I ordered a Copper pint, my wife, a Pearl of the Tropics - a warm-feeling, rum concoction. The main courses soon arrived, seemingly direct from the fire. All was set before us on what may have been nearly oven-temperature plates, the buttery seasonings still spitting and crackling. A most beautiful scene! It was a moment well beyond anything we could have anticipated. In our opinion, both steaks were exceptionally seasoned and prepared. Every piece I cut and ate, I repeatedly said to myself: “exceptional.” The lobster tail could not have been better, tender and succulent. The shrimp pinwheels, served atop my steak, might have been better removed upon delivery as they may have continued to cook slightly. Nonetheless, they were delectable. I’ll also mention the steamed broccoli was a wonderful side, a portion easily sized for two people. All along, our server stayed in the periphery, attentively noticing the appropriate moment to attend to us. At one point I made eye contact with the general manager, Mike, who introduced himself to us and voiced his eagerness to ensure our visit was the best possible. While exchanging pleasantries I mentioned this as being our first time to Ruth’s Chris, that it was all-around absolutely perfect. Mike graciously received the sentiments and offered us complimentary dessert! Not to say we couldn’t have finished our entrees, (we opted to take home the two remaining mushrooms and halves of our steaks) but all of the portions are tremendous! And, as we soon found out, desserts are no different. We ordered cheesecake, white chocolate bread pudding and coffee. We both were absolutely stunned by the cheesecake. Easily enough for two, it was smooth and delicious. I don’t know why we kept remarking to each other whether it was possible Ruth’s Chris could have someone in house that could make a cheesecake of that caliber! I suppose that question could be taken as an insult (in hindsight it was rather silly) but it was only meant to convey how incredible the cheesecake really was for us! The white chocolate bread pudding came with a Frangelico sauce option. Together, they were delectable, the bread being soft and full of flavor. The perk coffee was a perfect selection to complement the dessert choices. Afterward, in saying our goodbye’s, we left Ruth’s Chris Southpark with a take-home bag in hand, completely satisfied by a truly wonderful dining experience, top to bottom. It would be a no-brainer to recommend this location to anyone pining for an exceptional...

Where do I begin… went on Mother’s Day and it was a complete disappointment. Reservation process is AI and you can NEVER contact a human at the restaurant. When you receive your AI confirmation call a week before your reservation they emphasize that the dress is business casual. At least 80% of the patrons were not even remotely dressed appropriately. T-shirts, and whatever was acceptable. No matter what patrons were wearing they were seated.

My husband started by ordering an Old Fashioned with Evan Williams and they were out of it after it was recommended by our server. Next, we ordered calamari for an appetizer and requested that it be crispy. It was too chewy and not crispy at all bathed in a sweet chili sauce that rendered it anything but crispy. For his entree my husband ordered a petite filet au poivre, medium, and was then told they were out of au poivre sauce. Not even sure how that is possible since every chef should have the ingredients available for the generally 5 -6 ingredient sauce especially in a steak house. He settled for bearnaise sauce that was not remarkable at all. His steak was cooked more towards medium rare and undercooked for his taste. I ordered a $67 ribeye, rare, and it was barely cooked at all. Sent it back and got a new steak that was closer to rare and although it was well seasoned it was not really cooked properly. For sides we ordered the sweet potato casserole and au gratin potatoes. The casserole was literally a half inch of mashed sweet potatoes covered in a brown sugar crumble and the au gratin potatoes were mushy and had way too much butter. After dinner we ordered decaf coffee that wasn’t even drinkable…. It had no taste at all, basically tasted like old brown water. While waiting for the check, I used the ladies room, 2 out of the 4 stalls were OUT OF ORDER and the place was a disaster. Paper everywhere on the floor and the waste bins were overflowing. Disgusting. The only bright spot of the whole experience was our server, Greg. He tried his best to apologize when items were unavailable and when our steaks were prepared improperly. Our check was over $300 which was expected, but no one wants to spend their Mothers Day in this manner. To top it all off we valet parked because it was raining but although there were spaces right up front by the entrance, designated for valet, they didn’t use them at all, they were all empty and our car was parked in the regular parking lot away from the entrance for some reason. I would absolutely NOT recommend this Ruth Chris. Keep your money and go somewhere else. Not at all what we expected particularly for the price!! Certainly did not add to making my Mother’s...

Let me start by saying that my family and I have enjoyed dining at Ruth’s Chris in SouthPark for many years. The food has always been excellent, and we’ve celebrated many special occasions here—including a recent late Father’s Day dinner with my dad. As usual, the food did not disappoint. However, a few unfortunate issues with the service left us with a less-than-stellar impression, and I’m not sure we’ll be returning to this location.

On the evening we visited, it appeared that only one waiter was covering all six or so occupied tables, and as a result, service was noticeably slow. The service manager stepped in to help, which we appreciated, but it was clear the staff was stretched thin.

My dad was especially looking forward to ordering one of his favorite bottles of wine, which was featured on the menu as a highlighted selection for the evening. After ordering it and waiting about ten minutes, we were told the wine was unavailable. Understandably, my dad was disappointed and voiced his frustration about it still being listed on the menu. The waiter apologized, but the interaction left a bit of tension in the air, and after that, their visits to our table felt silent, awkward, and uncomfortable.

When our food finally arrived, the service manager brought it out and asked how we were enjoying the evening. My dad reiterated his disappointment about the wine, to which the manager replied that he understood my dad, but that it “wasn’t his responsibility” and added that if it were, “it wouldn’t have happened.” That response felt unprofessional and dismissive—something a manager should avoid, especially when a guest is trying to communicate a concern.

My dad suggested a way to make things right by offering a different bottle of wine at a discount. The manager said he’d need to contact the sommelier, who hadn’t shown up that night, and then left. Unfortunately, we never saw or heard from him again.

The steaks, as always, were fantastic. But the rough service throughout the night left a bad taste in our mouths. Sadly, I don’t think we’ll be returning to this location anytime soon.

TL;DR: Food was excellent, but service fell far short of expectations. Staffing issues and a lack of professionalism made for a disappointing experience—especially considering the...