Coppermill Steakhouse & Lounge — Restaurant in Nebraska

Probably the worst dining experience I have ever had......First date night out in a while and we were so excited to go out Friday December 30, 2022 and enjoy a nice meal and cocktails. To our disappointment it was a nightmare! We made reservations for 7:15 arrived at 7:05 and were seated immediately. Not too many people in there and it appeared that it would be a cozy nice evening. 30-40 min later we finally were greeted by a server after asking the hostess several time why no one was waiting on us and all three couples that came in after us had been waited on, and were already receiving food and drinks? As we were getting ready to get up and leave, someone finally came over. Apologetic, he said that no one had informed him that he had a table. OK, that being said, this is not a big place! Many of the employees walked by us several times and no one said a word! As we continued to sit there it was amazing watching what was happening! More and more people were becoming angry with the poor service, (or lack there of) sending back their meals, complaining that there glasses were filthy and we were beside ourselves. We ordered a drink and I said that I would assume that the drinks would be on "Coppermill" since we had endured the wait. He obliged and said that he would see what he could do. We then ordered and yet another wait..........food finally arrived warm at most and my shrimp was so overcooked that I could hardly cut through it with a steak knife..........my boyfriends pork chop was so salty and not cooked as ordered. We needless to say filled up on bread and salad which were the only things that we didn't have a complaint about. I even asked the couple sitting next to us if they had had a bad experience, because they looked so disgruntled. And they were also very disappointed and were sorry they wasted their time on what they thought would be a great dining experience as well. This is the second time that we have tried to give this restaurant a chance due to having had poor service in the past but the food had been good so we thought we would try again. I at the very least expected that the manager would come talk to us knowing that we were so upset, but to no avail. I guarantee, that we will never visit again! I am quite certain that there were more customers lost that night as well. The thing that disappoints, is that this is a lot of people's first impression of Kearney as there are lots of visitors that stop through and that will be there lasting impression of our dining in Kearney. Very sad...... so to those visiting, Please do not waste your time or money...there are much better places to eat at and that will make you...

So, traveling across the Country is an interesting experience. And when you LOVE good food, it can be sometimes frustrating, sometimes "Yeah, OK", sometimes good... And then there are those RARE experiences that just WOW your socks off!!! The Coppermill Steakhouse, in (of all of the out of the way places - Kearney, Nebraska) was one of those WOW experiences that I believe EVERYONE who LOVES EXCELLENT FOOD and a hometown feeling should experience!!!

I started at a different restaurant that was recommended by the Hotel I was staying at. They ran out of Jameson (my drink of choice). What recommended restaurant does that? Bad move!! Anyway, I chose to go to the second restaurant that was recommended by the Hotel, cause, they HAD to have my drink of choice if they had a REAL Bar, Right?!? Well, they were fully stocked - poured a great drink - and I was lucky enough to be there on a night that the Bartender was the owners wife, Jamie! What a sweetheart! And what a GREAT Bartender - Head on swivel, quick, attentive, personable - would hire her in a second!!

I ordered the Calimari - it's not the frozen, bagged, quick fry-it-up kind!! Fresh, hand breaded - AND oh by the way, the Marinara is In-House Made!! SO GOOD!! Calimari, crisp, yummy - dipped in the sweet scratch-made Marinara!! What a way to start a meal!

I ordered the Rib-Eye Steak, Crispy Brussels and upgraded to a Wedge Salad. I knew I would not be disappointed!! AND I was SO right! The Wedge Salad filled a plate of it's own. The Blue Cheese Dressing was HOMEMADE! The warm bread and butter that accompanied it were also both homemade!! Where does this happen?!? (Only I think at my Grandma's House and the Coppermill Steakhouse!!)

The Steaks are In-House Dry Aged, and hand cut by the owner himself!! He is also responsible for most of the grilling, since I am told he has standards that are impeccable. AND I can vouch for them personally. My steak was cooked to perfection and was possibly the best I've had! And I eat a lot of steak!

I cannot leave out the Brussels... If you are a fan of crispy brussels, you will absolutely LOVE these!!

So, I want to encourage those who love a great In-House Aged Steak, In-House Homemade Fixins (bread, butter, brussels, salad dressings, marinara, AND MORE), Family Owned and Run Restaurant, with an Artist for an Owner/Chef... You Just Must Go To CopperMill Steakhouse in Kearney, NE!!!

I promise you will not be disappointed!!

These places are so few and far between. SO worth whatever it takes to experience!

Thank you so much for creating this Food and Experience!! I hope to travel here...

I Googled, "most fancy restaurant in Kearney NE" and the Coppermill was the very first result. It looked nice from the website pics and reviews, so I decided to take my wife there for the date night special. Upon arriving for our reservation time, the entryway was flooded with high school students from a nearby conference that were trying to get seated. It was annoying having to wait to speak with a hostess while the high schoolers goofed off and were loud (as we all were at that age). When we were finally seated, we noticed the atmosphere looks like a saloon and the music blaring classic rock, made the restaurant so noisy you could not have a nice dinner. The people seated around us were dressed in hunting/fishing gear and the entire place definitely was not upscale or romantic for the date night special on the menu. The food, atmosphere, and server felt more like what you'd expect from Applebee's, but with a heavily inflated price tag. The food was not "upscale dining at its finest" (per their website), featuring items like grilled cheese sandwiches, fried onion straws, and carrot cake. My advice for this restaurant is on Thursday evenings, when they offer the date night special menu, they need to place all date night customers in the private dining area, away from the loud music and customers so they can have a better dining experience. Also, add more upscale options to the date night menu, even if you have to increase the price, or add upscale food options they can choose from at a premium. Offering three different priced tiers of the date night menu would be great, allowing customers to choose if they want something more high quality or more comfortable. The date night experience was not good, but I assume the regular menu items are...