Saltgrass Steak House — Restaurant in McAllen

I took my wife here for our 6 yr anniversary and what a definite disappointment. We had wanted to try this place out for such a long time ...we should've waited longer.

If you ask me to name one good thing about our experience...I'd be hard pressed. The beer was cold?

We ordered Ranger Rattlers....jumbo jalapeños stuffed with shrimp, cheese, and cilantro. First warning sign is how quickly they came out...too quick. Are they kept frozen back there? We've ordered similar food at other places and they come out piping hot but tastes fresh. The shrimp didn't taste so fresh and the jalapeños tastes pickled...like from a can. Bad start...

We both had tortilla soups for a side...and we received a watery type of soup that had tortilla strips already inside. Seriously lacking in flavor... barely any chicken...no cheese. The veggies in the soup were these diced up tiny bits of food... didn't feel freshly made. Another star lost...

Now our meals...my wife had the sirloin w/ a baked sweet potato and I had a ribeye w/ sweet potato fries. Her plate looked ridiculous...a gigantic baked sweet potato next to the steak...the presentation is awful. The steak looks tiny next to the sweet potato... switch up the plate so it doesn't look so empty. Her steak was nothing to rave about... basically checked off the "X"s.

My plate was a huge disappointment for the price. First it wasn't hot...the steak felt lukewarm along with the fries. My gut says they waited for my wife's baked sweet potato to come out so my food started getting cold. On top of that...I ordered my steam medium and to me it didn't feel like a medium steak, it was closer to medium-well/well-done. The steak had nice taste to it but for it's price...?

Service was also lacking...the server would come and go. He was very curt...felt like he wanted to leave already. And to top it off...when he brought my wife's plate, he grabs my beer and tells me he needed to grab something cold because the plate was extremely hot and his hand felt burned. So you decide to grab my beer mug?

In the end I asked for my check. He came and dropped it off...I was literally about to hand him my card to pay and he just turned around not even paying attention. I then saw you can pay using a code attached to the receipt...which is how I paid. But seriously...maybe you should inform the customer "you can pay this way if you like" before just turning your back on them.

Glad we tried this place because now we know to avoid it...if you want a perfectly cooked steak with attentive staff, Longhorns is right down...

My recent visit to Saltgrass Steakhouse was a mix of pleasant surprises and disappointing moments. Arriving at the not-so-busy time of 3:30 pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was less than half full, which set an expectation for quick and attentive service given the visible abundance of waitstaff preparing for the dinner rush.

The immediate seating was a welcome start, signaling a potentially smooth dining experience. However, the restaurant's temperature was uncomfortably cold, presumably due to an overly enthusiastic air conditioning system. This minor discomfort soon became a recurring theme affecting not just the ambiance but also the dining experience directly.

Our waitress, while promptly arriving to take our order, embodied the awkwardness I've come to notice at this location. Service missteps, such as forgetting straws and needing multiple reminders for simple requests, hinted at a lack of attentiveness or perhaps training. Service speed also left much to be desired, as tasks seemed to take longer than one would expect in a less-than-busy setting.

The culinary experience further mirrored this inconsistency. The decision to butterfly a medium-well filet mignon without consultation was perplexing and unfortunately resulted in an undercooked meal. Additionally, the chilled environment hastened the cooling of our dishes, detracting from their enjoyment.

A glaring issue was the lack of follow-up service. Our waitress's absence post-serving, especially to check on our satisfaction or even when refilling drinks, felt neglectful. The missed opportunity to correct or address our concerns, such as the forgotten condiments requested from another staff member, compounded the feeling of neglect.

Observing our waitress struggle to manage merely four tables raised questions about either her capacity or the establishment's operational efficiency. This observation was hard to reconcile with the otherwise buzzing activity of the staff preparing for the evening.

In conclusion, while Saltgrass Steakhouse offers the promise of a delightful dining experience with its quick seating and potentially great food, the execution falls short in service and attention to detail. The ambient temperature, service lapses, and food preparation issues suggest a need for management to reassess both the staff training program and the restaurant's environment...

I have to say not only disappointed, but ripped off. I ordered the Salmon Oscar. The menu says Jumbo Lump crab, lemon caper sauce. There was no Lump just Chump, me for not sending it back. I know Jumbo Lump Crab meat when I see it. Heck I would have been satisfied with regular lump crab meat. There was literally no crab meat what so ever. There should have been these nice large, white chunks of crab meat atop my bland Salmon. None I tell you, definitely more capers than Crab for $ 26.99. We ordered tea but the flavor was off, like the urn needed cleaning, so we exchanged it for diet cokes.The bread tasteless with no texture, to dry for me, and served on a plastic cutting board that was so scratched up, and faded, it should have been replaced a thousand cuts ago. The salad mediocre, iceberg mostly, diced tomatoes with a sprinkle of shredded cheese. I ordered blue cheese, worst dressing I've ever eaten, tasted more like Ranch, probably was because it's the only thing they serve with all their appitizers. We ordered the Shrimp poppers, they have some catchy name, but to me it's 4 little overpriced breaded shrimp and jalapenos, served with soggy onion strands that were cold and greasy. The best part of this meal was the bread pudding with candied pecans, served with ice cream. The bread pudding could have been over the top if it would have had raisins, or anything besides just bread by itself. Honestly, I felt the ambiance lacked something to make it more inviting, it had more of a saloon vibe than a restaurant feel, and I wasn't feeling the paint stains or whatever it was that was on the table, Also, our server never checked back with us after we were served by a runner, he did stop by at the end of the meal, to late to be called good service. I hear they have good Steaks, but after being taken for a losing ride, and over all not impressed, I probably...