Rube's Steakhouse & Lounge — Restaurant in Montour

I've eaten a lot of steaks in my life, from those "high end celebration venues", to those low end "family venues" (even working at a Bonanza many years ago, where much was sampled 😊). There's a LOT of meat out there...good, fair, and bad. It wasn't, however, until I moved to the midwest that I had an opportunity to enjoy a REAL steak. And, while it took me two years to visit, in October 2025, having heard plenty about it from locals, I finally made a reservation for Rube's. In honesty, the concept of "cook it yourself" was somewhat concerning, but I really wanted to try it.

The venue itself is in a very small, nondescript location...not a place you'd expect. The building itself is quaint and unassuming, and in fact plain...but hides an unequaled charm once you get indoors. It's clear that they are proud of and have maintained originality across the years; a private place, unfettered by windows, separated into several rooms, each with a large, open grille able to accommodate several people.

You are brought in and are offered to enjoy the bar prior to being seated, after which the waitstaff takes you to your table. You are told about "what to expect", then are led to a counter full of a variety of delightfully marbled and generously cut portions - including ribeye, strip, and filets - and are asked to choose your particular cut (I might add here that they have seafood as well, for those interested). The counter also includes a number of sides (including black garlic butter - YUM) which are all priced a la carte. The dinner itself includes a VERY nice salad (not your typical generic iceberg lettuce offering), thick slices of Texas toast (which you also prep on the grille), a savory roasted potato medley (with chopped onions and peppers), OR a baked potato, and optional baked beans. Wanting a "more expansive" experience, we indulged in the stuffed mushrooms and asparagus and (did I mention the black garlic butter?) 😉

Having selected your steak and sides, you are directed to the lovely (and quite hot) charcoal or gas grille (your choice) where you cook your food. Carefully placed olive oil, seasonings, and melted butter are all available at the grille sides to enhance your selections. This is a great time to share camaraderie with others around the grille as you all wait for the magic to happen! ...and viola! With steak and sides in hand, you sit down to excellent service (thank you Lexie!) and enjoy your meal.

FINALLY, cutting to the chase: maybe having had previous grille experience was a benefit, but this was THE BEST STEAK I have ever eaten. Which? The Steakhouse cut Ribeye, of course (Is there any other cut)? I might add that my significant other enjoyed a filet that she was kind enough to sample. WOW!! Like NO filet I've ever had. What flavor!!

A++++++. Seriously. Worth every penny...not in any way cheap, but absolute quality, flavor, atmosphere, and service. If you are in the area, do NOT miss Rube's. If you are NOT in the area, well...quit making excuses and...

The BEST steaks ever! Everything is fresh, beyond yummy and the service is top notch, too! 5 stars for this night back in September. But................ would only give one star for October 1st so averaging them out.

I normally wouldn't post a negative comment but I feel like the owners should know this... on October 1st, 6 of us went to Rube's for their hamburger night. The two young ladies greeting were not having a good night apparently and we all felt that we were in their way. One said the wait would be 20 minutes, the other walked away without answering when I asked if we could order appetizers. There was one other small group in the bar area so the six us sat and waited at a small table for four... We waited 40 minutes, were not allowed to sit at the larger open table and order anything and were ignored when asked about the extended wait. We were close enough to the front door that we could see anyone leaving... only a few left. Finally we were taken to a slow moving (but very short) line and got our burgers. We were then seated at a table for 10 when there were 4 tables for six and several other tables of various sixes completely empty. There was one couple at a table for 10, another couple at a table for 6, and a very loud table next to ours. *the luck! The burgers were okay but not outstanding and certainly not worth $15. The wait would have been understood / acceptable if there was an actual need for the wait. We came to the conclusion that we were made to wait due to two possibilities: 1)they expected us to buy more drinks or 2)the hosts just did not know how to do their job. Neither option is good and none of us will be returning for hamburger night (or any...

We came for a small company dinner. When we made the reservation we told (Rick/Rich) we would be there between 5:30-6:00. Although this was a group of 12, we had people coming from Minnesota and a few different directions near the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. We made this reservation 2+ weeks ahead. All but 3 people showed up by 5:45 p.m. They didn't want to seat us until we were all there. Then we were seated at 2 separate tables. We asked our waitress, Molly, if we could combine tables and was told NO. After making another suggestion and being told NO my husband went and asked the host/manager if we could all sit at a table together and was immediately accommodated. Then when she was tired of waiting for the last 2 people she said we needed to go pick out our food because your reservation was at 5:30. The tone was not great. The steak was great as always. However, there were too many people around the grill. Way too many. We have been there several times and never had any issues. But the services was the worst we have ever had there. Everyone at the table had unfavorable comments to say about her. We even overheard her complaining to another waitress. We are disappointed you no longer have the salad bar. The salad that comes to the table is bland. And the wall of pictures is gone from the Belly Buster. My husband was on there a few times. It was always a great topic of conversation. Bar staff was great. Host was great. We will return as we love the novelty of the grill your own steak and quality of the meat. Unfortunately, not the best experience...