401 Prime — Restaurant in Lancaster

Went here last night Oct 4th for a 5:30pm. reservation. We were running a little late because of traffic, so we called them to let them know, and they were very accommodating.

The issue was that when we got there, there was absolutely no place to park on the street as it states on their website that street parking is available. Most of the parking was neighborhood permitted parking spots. There were about 5 parking spots in front of the restaurant, but of course, those were all taken.

The Queen Street garage, which is also stated on their site to park, was also closed. After calling them back, they stated that they share a parking lot with a mental facility that is next door. The lady on the phone was not very clear on where it was, but after driving around for a few minutes, I thought I had found it, but it turned out I was wrong. Once we started walking to the restaurant, I saw the parking lot she was referring to, so had to go back and get the car to park in the correct lot so I don't get a ticket or be towed.

I think the restaurant needs to make it more clear where people are able to park with clear instructions as to where the shared parking lot is because it does not state it well on the website at all.

Once we arrived, we were immediately seated. It was not overly crowded, and in fact, they seated us in the back, which is sort of like a separate room away from everything and everyone. At one point during the night we were literally by ourselves with no other people around us which I thought was strange, but as the night went on, more people and couples started to arrive in the area we were seated.

The service was good, and our waitress seemed very attentive. However, there was one point at the beginning of our service when I thought our waitress got offended. I asked her if it would be okay if I ordered items from the surf and turf section. She stated that all items were on the regular menu. I corrected her and told her they weren't because the Live Maine Stuffed Lobster Tail was not part of the regular menu, only the African Lobster Tail was. I knew this because I had been studying their menu for a week because I knew I was coming here. After she knew I was right, she said, "No problem, I can mix and match whatever I would like."

From that point on, I thought the rest of the meal and customer service were not going to be good. For a few times, when she came back, it seemed like there was a little bit of animosity from her, but it went away after my wife started having a conversation with her.

The drinks were good and showcased well in elegant large glasses. My wife got a cosmo, and I got a Tito's on the rocks, which had a ball shaped piece of ice in the glass, which I love.

I got the bacon for the appetizer, which reminded me of Peter Lugers restaurant in Brooklyn. The bacon was actually very good. Some parts of it were very soft, and it literally melted in your mouth. Other parts of it had a nice chard, which made it a really good balance. My wife got a sald and it was huge. Probably a good two people would be able to eat it easily.

It took a while for the main course to come, but when it did, the presentation lf it looked great. I got the Live Maine Lobster Tail and 3 scallops from the surf and turk section of the menu. My wife got the scallops entree. My lobster was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was also very good. My scallops were also good, but they seemed to have been dipped into something on the top of them as the tops of the scallops were pretty crusted and hard.

We also got the rainbow carrots and mashed potatoes for our sides, which again were big portions and more than enough for two people to share and still have a lot leftover. I did not care for the fet cheese with the carrots as it made them taste a little bitter, in my opinion.

For dessert, we got the chocolate decadence, which was divine and a nice ending to our meal. The bill came out to $300 for my wife and I,which is what I was expecting.

Overall, it was a nice experience and ould eat here again. I wish...

Reading some of these reviews- blows my mind. People complaining about the prices, portions, speed of service- this is an upscale, fine dining restaurant. If you want food in 20 minutes and a cheap 20 oz steak go to Applebees.

My husband and I went here last night for our 10 year wedding anniversary and it was our first time. I was very impressed. It’s a beautiful, dimly lit romantic and upscale setting, you don’t “feel” like you’re in Lancaster. Which is nice!

We ordered the shrimp cocktail which was insane, and my husband had a glass of red wine. I had the garden salad, which was absolutely delicious.

My husbands steak was perfect, the scallops I had were the best I’ve ever had my whole life, and I highly recommend the rainbow carrots!

Our server was polite, patient, nailed our order, attentive, and very knowledgeable about the menu. Zero complaints!

Yes, the portions are small- IT IS FINE DINING.

Yes, the food can take a while, they’re making it TO ORDER, and it’s a dining experience, not a rush in rush out….

And yes, it’s expensive but it is friggin delicious.

While we won’t be eating here weekly, I can assure you when we next need to celebrate, we will be back. The service was great, the food was great, the atmosphere was great- 5/5 recommend!!!

UPDATE 4/22/25: Okay. I have to be honest. I HATE writing this review. 401 Prime is my husband and I’s favorite place to go to for any celebratory occasion. We ate here in September 2024 for our ten year wedding anniversary and again in January 2025 for new years and both occasions were wonderful. Last night we ate there for my birthday however, and it was incredibly disappointing.

For starters, the server was obviously very new, or just didn’t care. She didn’t introduce herself when she came to the table, and she completely forgot the bread. Further, I ordered what I always order- plain scallops with a side of the rainbow carrots and a house salad WITH dinner.

Instead, she brought me the salad before dinner. I requested she please come back with it when the meal was ready.

Second, the scallops came covered in some sort of red compote. I told her I had requested them plain and her response was “you didn’t tell me that, “ then she looked at my husband, “did she tell me that?”

I was a server for years. The customer is always right. A simple apology would’ve sufficed.

She took the scallops back, and here’s the sad part, she WIPED off the sauce and brought me the same scallops, which I found unprofessional. I’d expect this at an Applebees, but not when I’m paying $50-$75 a plate.

Second, they changed the sauce for the rainbow carrots from the lovely Dijon aoli to some sort of harissa Alli and it was horrific. So hot I couldn’t eat the carrots (which were also very dente, VERY raw) and the aoli had a nasty aftertaste.

Third the house salad was so meager. A few leaves of spinach or spring mix and half a cucumber. I’ve ordered the salad before and it’s lovely so it was disappointing to have it presented to me this way.

My husband had the filet mignon, scallops, and a baked sweet potato. His steak was overdone, and the sweet potato was nearly raw in the inside.

All in all, given our bill was $215? This was very...

I have attempted twice to email the restaurant with no response before posting this.

We got seated approximately 7:05 with a 6:45 reservation and was greeted by our server Kayleigh. She was attentive and got us our drinks and complementary champagne to celebrate the occasion. We ordered our appetizers and dinner, with the appetizers arriving at 7:49pm, both were very tasty. Here is when it took a turn for the worse. We sat there for over an hour with barely any communication while the table that was seated directly to my right which was seated after us, got both the appetizers and main courses as well as dessert before our main courses even arrived. Our main courses arrived at 8:57pm when that table was getting their check. Once the food arrived, the Manager Nicole came to our table to express her apologies. She admitted she knew there was a delay, but she waited to get the food out before she came to discuss it. At this point, we were tremendously frustrated with the entire experience, even though the food was fantastic and some of the best meat we have ever eaten the experience was ruined. By the fact, we waited so long for our food with no communication while watching the table next to us get their entire meal before we were able to get our main course. Our waitress was super apologetic and offered us dessert for free, but we were exhausted and my wife of 1 day was on the verge of tears because of the frustrating experience at such a high-end restaurant. We were comped two drinks and an appetizer, but with the frustration we had I was not going to sit there and argue with anyone at that time. We had the waitress pack up all of our sides because we were not even going to touch them. We understand that there are pacing times between courses but the lack of communication and watching others around us get food was frustrating. I attempted to speak to Nicole on our way out but she dismissed me with a vague apology. We would love to visit your establishment again, but we are hesitant due to the issues we experienced. The food we consumed was fantastic and Kayleigh was a great server but was dealt a bad hand.

Considering we booked this as a celebration of our wedding, it was a very...