LongHorn Steakhouse — Restaurant in North Brunswick Township

I was worried when I walked in last Friday night that I had not made reservations. Turns out that they don't take them. I sat at the bar and had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc while I waited for my friends. Turns out it is Robert Mondavi and fine for my taste.

This is not fine dining, but the food and staff win you over.

My friends arrived and we were seated in a booth. Oscar showed up promptly and was very personable. The room was a bit too bright for me, but I was having a great time seeing friends that I had not seen in a long time and really didn't care. Oscar took the orders and was attentive with the drink orders.

Our lobster tail side orders arrived with the mushroom cap appetizer which was not great timing, but the lobster was perfect. My porterhouse arrived (ordered medium-rare) and it was really FABULOUS. No, really. I live in Chester and am used to paying too much for a steak that is either overcooked or grossly undercooked (think Gladstone Tavern). I can't recall the last time that I really enjoyed my steak so much.

Here are my gentle suggestions for the staff as we stayed a bit late (but not beyond closing - we left at 10:30 pm)...

1. Don't sweep next to our table when we are busy having fun. Yes, I know you want to get the place tidied up and go out and party, but it is my night to party, not yours.
2. Have Remy on hand. Hennessy is good, but I wanted Remy.
3. The bathroom floor was a bit sticky when I walked in. You know, that feeling that your feet are sticking to the floor. They are probably using the wrong detergent, I hope.
4. Hang on to Oscar!! He is great!!

So a reader might think that this is an underhanded compliment. I say, 'Not so!'

The hostess was great. The bartender at the bar was great while I was waiting for my table. Oscar was great. The manager was great (yes, I asked him to ensure that the cleaning stopped while we were dining).

The net of it is this: The food was great and the people were great.

I really can't remember having had so much fun at a restaurant in quite a long time.

My...

My husband and I arrived at 3:30 to a nearly empty restaurant—no rush, no chaos—yet it still took our server 15 minutes just to acknowledge us and another 10 to bring drinks. The pacing only got worse. Our appetizers arrived, and five minutes later, so did our entrées, because apparently, staggered courses are a foreign concept.

Then came the real disappointment. My sirloin was comically small barely the size of my palm and the baked potato wasn’t much better. Fine. Whatever. But when I went to take my shrimp off the skewer? Ice cold. Not lukewarm, not slightly under temp—cold. By the time our server finally reappeared, my husband was already done eating. Her response? Indifference. She casually offered to “heat it up” as if that was an acceptable solution. Absolutely not. Then she asked if I wanted them to make another one. As if I had time to sit through a redo when we had a movie to catch.

And here’s the kicker: when the bill came, she graciously took off my meal and the appetizer acting like she was doing me some huge favor. Honestly my whole meal should have been comped, no question. But instead, she waited until the very end to suddenly become attentive ,right when she was angling for a tip she absolutely did not deserve.

Most nights, I would’ve just gone somewhere else. But it was Valentine’s Day, and every decent restaurant was packed. So instead, we left, went to our movie, and I got home and ate cereal. Because nothing says “special occasion” like paying for a miserable experience and still...

So let me first say that I visit this Longhorn all the time with my wife. We've never had an issue with the food and service has always been extremely polite and respectful. However, today I took my wife for a late lunch/early dinner. I ordered the salmon and shrimp. She ordered the large grilled chicken fruit salad. As she went for her 1st bite she found a bug in her salad. I discreetly called over the host who was right there and told her. She got the manager. She did apologize and asked if they can replace the dish. My wife who is extremely nice felt bad didnt even wanna tell them there was a small bug in her dish. Said she would take the replacement. Im extremely turned off however that for something to the magnitude of a bug in a chicken salad dish and as calm as we were about it that they didnt even offer to comp our meal. This was not a dish cooked incorrectly, it was a bug!! She did offer to comp the one salad and a soup. We did not even get to eat together because her dish had to be replaced. We come here atleast twice a month but will not be returning I should make a complaint to the board of health and think I will. Be appreciative that we didn't make a scene like most others would have because if we made a scene we would have been offered a comp for the meal and i guarantee a voucher for a future meal. Very sad because I loved this place and now I won't be returning. P.S. our waitress was extremely nice so I did leave her...