Columbia Steak House — Restaurant in Lexington

The best way I can describe our experience is slow, inefficient and bland. They are always slow, so I knew this going in but last night was one the worst restaurant experiences we have ever had. It started with the bar. It took 20 mins or so to get a drink. It is our fault for not heading the warning from a lady at the bar complaining about waiting an hour for a salad. We should have left at that point. I watched as the bartender and her assistant went back and worth trying to make drinks and serve the bar with no plan or any idea of how to bartend at all. I don't necessarily fault them, I assume this is just how they were taught. When I ordered my second beer, I saw a regular come in and get their drink and meal ordered, another 4 people come up to the bar and get their drinks and put in their orders to only then have the bartender remember that I had ordered a beer and brink it to me After waiting 45 mins or so we went to our table. Our waiter was very nice and admitted they were new. So I really do not fault them for our experience. The first round of soft drinks came quickly as did our salads. Another red flag was when our salads were given to us, one in a bowl and the other on a plate. We asked for bread and a refill and this is were the evening went South. 4-5 more tables were sat in our area that our new server now had to cover. They were trying there best but running around looking lost. An hour later we finally got our entrees. Still no bread or a refill. We asked again. I even asked again when I went by where the food was picked up. Still no bread or a refill. The steaks were grey and kinda warm but extremely bland. The garlic butter was just warmed grease, and again no flavor and barely warm. Still no bread or a refill. My fiance's steak fries had set in the garlic butter for so long they were basically mush. No flavor mush, I might add. Finally bread and a refill came. The manager had came buy and asked what we needed twice before we got the bread and refill. Also, 10 mins to get A1 to help with the bland steaks. At no point were we asked how our meals were or if we were enjoying our meals. We ate the finally arrived bread and a twice baked potato. Which is $2 79 extra for only a half a potato side. Where as a normal potato is usually huge. We maybe finished 1/4 of both steaks before we decided enough was enough. We asked for our checks. Another server came by with our checks then left and we did not see anyone for another 10 mins or so. Our server finally came back and apologized for the delay. Knowing that we had barely touched our meals. We paid and tipped and left. So that was our terrible experience. We will not ever be back to Columbia's nor will we ever encourage anyone else to go there. Again, I do not fault our server as they were new and also put into a bad situation. I have eaten at Columbia's since I was a kid. Service and the quality of the experience has gone down hill for years. This is the final time I pay for that lackluster experience. On the back of their menu they call themselves Lexington's signature steakhouse. Unfortunately that is false advertising and they have fallen very far down the ladder. We may have been better off going next door to...

Columbia Steakhouse By: Taste Exemplar Follow on Facebook

Sweet Tea and Bread Diego Salad Steamed Broccoli 12 oz. Ribeye (Med-Rare) Miscellaneous

The sweet tea was normal for the Lexington area - sort of sweet with a hint of a woody taste. Added a squeeze of lemon which greatly improved the flavor. The bread was generic - no defining flavor or aroma. It came with a butter lightly spiced with cinnamon. Normally, I enjoy the combo but this one just tasted off and left an odd flavor in your mouth.

The Diego Salad was an plain salad with celery and celery salt added. Oil and vinegar plus lemon juice to top it. Turned out to be a decent salad but nothing spectacular. I did like the celery salt.

The broccoli came in cup with a lump of butter on top. I like butter so that wasn't much of an issue; however, the broccoli had a hard time melting it so I had to rub it on. Tasted as you'd expect.

The star of the show - the Ribeye. Or so I thought... It was presented on a hot skillet along side the broccoli and a bonus potato (didn't ask for one). Steak was a medium (I'm ok with that but my guest asked for a med and got med-rare). I'm not sure how this was possible but it had no flavor. Even a minimally seasoned steak of the higher cuts has some flavor. There was a decent amount of trimmings so 12 turned to 8. If you can mar a ribeye, I'm sorry but you are not a steakhouse.

I didn't expect a baked potato but it was cool to get one. Just butter on top. Huge potato though. Again nothing special. The atmosphere was nice and dark with the timbre of fire (gas but well enough). Now for something positive - the service. Our waiter/server was very friendly without being overbearing or annoying. He was prompt, albeit a tad forgetful, but I think that was his personality.

Overall, with the sin of messing up a ribeye and all the food being lackluster, I cannot recommend Columbia Steakhouse for anyone. Perhaps, they were better back in the day or I got the wrong thing but I have the feeling any future visits would be better spend at...

If I could give them a -0 I would!! The service was horrible! It was my daughter and son in law anniversary, we've never been but have heard good things about the food. Obviously they were not talking about this one. Our waiter was extremely slow waited 30 mins for bread. When he finally brought it I was afraid to let him leave again so we placed our order. An hour went by still no food, mind you this was a Wed night. There was a table of 7 that came in after us who got their food before us. We asked a waitress who we later found out was the "manager" for crayons for my granddaughter since they gave her the coloring page. This racist women responded "we only have the ugly colors like brown, yellow, and white". coincidently that was the color of my family being a biracial couple with a beautiful baby girl. The waiter finally came back after the hour and had the audacity to say it was going to be a little while longer bc of the amt of tics that's up. I said I'm just going to pay for the salads and leave bc we've already been here an hr. To his surprise he says "an hour" he goes on to say let me go see how long. He comes back and says your food is being placed in the plates now. He comes back 2-3 min later with food. Looked good until...... my daughter was putting sour cream in her baked potato when she notice chunks of potatoes already in her sour cream?🤬 that was it!!! I got up to speak to the manager just to find out the manager was "lil Ms ugly colors" with out any apologies, or excuses given she just looked at me as if I was speaking foriegn language. I told her I would pay for the salads and they could keep their food. The waiter heard the tail end of the convo and rushed to say that he didn't put sour cream in her potato. I excused him from the convo then he says "oh here we go again" at that point my patients was done! I refused to pay for any of it and took my beautiful family to another restaurant. I've NEVER wrote such a long review before but this was worth it!!!!! I'll NEVER patronize that one again and I'll be sure to tell anyone who I know...