Outback Steakhouse — Restaurant in Harrisburg

An solid dinner night out at one of the more iconic and high-end franchise eateries.

The wait staff was phenomenal in getting us seated, getting our orders, getting everything we needed for our meals.

The restaurant itself has some issues, certainly. As of February 4, 2022, the house lights kept flashing off and on periodically (once every 2-3 minutes) and sporadically across the entire restaurant, so bear that in mind if you have any photosensitive or seizure-prone members of your dining group [hopefully this is fixed by the time you're reading this review]. The floors at 5pm on a Friday evening out were entirely sticky or entirely slick in certain areas, with any extra space on the floor crammed full of additional waiting crew supply boxes. It was a mess.

We ordered some fairly pricey meals and they came across decently repaired, but nothing to write home about. Both of our steaks were cooked too hot, too fast and came out overcooked. My partner had ordered the filet mignon and lobster tail, so this bothered me a bit, but she didn't mind as the cut was still soft to cut and eat. I ordered a medium 8oz. sirloin steak and it came out a hard medium well. A little more chewing than anticipated, but ultimately still delicious, even with a hard char on the outside. The sides were the winners on the evening, though. The lobster tail, aussie fries, and steakhouse mac n' cheese were phenomenal.

Overall meal with bloomin' onion starter, our two meals, and two alcoholic mixed drinks came out to just over $90, so be prepared if you're planning a date night here. Ultimately expected, but just to make you aware of their pricing.

This place has the food and the staff to really be a hit in such a busy area, but desperately needs a refurbishment and better cleaning and storage. Better/more quality checks on outgoing food wouldn't hurt either. I'll definitely be back, but only for a special occasion.

Pro Tip: Reserve a table for your party online. Look to do it a couple hours before you arrive, otherwise expect a long wait.

Parking is atrocious since they keep cramming restaurants next to each other in the mall parking lot (and it's only going to get worse with another new restaurant being built nearby). Plan ahead to be patient with parking and be hypervigilent of other cars while parking. I would just plan to go elsewhere if it's the weekend. You'll never find a spot without removing some hair and years from your...

I don’t usually leave long reviews, but this experience absolutely deserves one. From the moment I sat down at Outback, I was greeted with such a warm, genuine smile from Bre that I already knew I was in for a good time. Little did I know, this would be one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.

Bre is, hands down, the best server I’ve ever had — not just at Outback, but anywhere. Her energy is infectious. She’s the kind of person who makes you feel instantly at ease, like you’ve known her forever. She’s personable in a way that isn’t forced or over-the-top — just real. It’s rare to meet someone in customer service who seems to truly love what they do, and Bre is one of those rare gems.

She checked in the perfect amount — never too much, never too little — and somehow knew exactly when I needed something without me even having to ask. My drink never even got close to empty before she was there to top it off. You’d think she had a sixth sense for it. And don’t even get me started on how smoothly everything went. It was like she was managing the entire restaurant with how calm and in-control she was, yet so friendly and relaxed at the same time.

Now let’s talk about the food — I’m very particular about how I like my steak, and somehow, they nail it every time I come here. Perfectly cooked, juicy, flavorful, and exactly how I ordered it. That level of consistency is something you rarely find at any restaurant chain. It shows the kitchen is doing something right — and I have to believe Bre being the one running the show at the table keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes too.

Because of her, this Outback has become my go-to spot. I could honestly eat here every single day and never get tired of it, and it’s not just the food — it’s the atmosphere that Bre creates. You can tell when someone takes pride in their work, and she absolutely does. She made me feel like more than just a customer. I left feeling full, happy, and genuinely taken care of.

If you ever go to this Outback and are lucky enough to be seated in Bre’s section — consider yourself blessed. She’s the kind of person who turns a regular meal into something memorable. Outback, if you’re reading this: hang on to her. Servers like Bre are rare, and she’s the reason I’ll keep coming back again and again.

Thank you, Bre, for making my night....

I normally try not to write a review like this....however after a service like this I will NEVER return to this location...to start with...everything seemed to be a normal dinner evening..we were seated and our order was taken and we were asked if we would like bread.....and then...this is where things took a worse...my fiancé and I had a pretty simple order, a blooming onion, filet mignion (to celebrate a special occasion) and queensland chicken and shrimp pasta. Blooming Onion came out within 5 minutes however the app was exceptionally greasy...following that my fiance requested a castaway cocktail (bartender...excellent job good sir you are exempt from this post). This was brought out by another member of staff...(frequently happened throughout the entire experience because for some odd reason our waitress could not be bothered to show up until later on in this lovely escapade...) had to wait over 30 minutes for our main dish, the entire time while we were waiting our waitress did NOT visit even once to check on our drinks, bring bread (spoiler alert! never got it)saw one waitress TALKING to customers for over half am hour during a busy dinner whilst multiple other servers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off! other staff interacting with us more than our own server...finally after getting our food..filet came out lukewarm...vegatables that came as a side practically nuclear (fitting considering they were microwaved to hell and back. ) My shrimp were throughly over cooked, not properly shelled...noodles were not cooked properly and had to practically crunch through a few sections. Promptly after recieving our food our waitress showed up asking how everything tasted (we hadnt even taken our first bite ) after working a way through some of our food my fiancé was wanting another drink...however for the remainder of our visit...that was left unsatisifed finally after seeing a host walk by I called out to him requesting our waitress at this point. I promptly requested the check and will be calling corporate tomorrow morning...NEWS FLASH WAIT STAFF.....The floor is not a place for Idle chitchat especially when you all gather in a cluster beside the bar cutting up while multiple customers had issues with their food....we easily overheard 3 or 4 of the surrounding tables...