The Equestrian Grill — Restaurant in Ocala

I never leave bad reviews. Mostly because I know how hard it is to run a small business and the restaurant business is difficult. We picked the equestrian grill to celebrate my uncles birthday. I got there early and noticed garbage strewn about in the parking lot. The cook sitting outside talking on his phone and no cars. I almost left but gave it a shot. No one greeted me. The place looks okay inside although the music is too loud. I sat down and the young man greeted me. He was nice, but this kid has never been trained and was oblivious. He brought me coffee as I waited and it was burnt and had been sitting. No big deal. I ordered fried provolone and chorizo. The provolone was very chewy. Too chewy. The chorizo was over cooked but edible. My family got there. We ordered some coffee and he said he'd make a fresh pot. We placed our orders and 20 minutes later I said, hey we never got our coffee. So I said can you bring our coffee? He said sure. 10 minutes later as we're 30 minutes waiting for our food still no coffee. So I said you forgot our coffee. 10 minutes later still no coffee or food. Mind you only one other couple there. The kid would disappear for long stretches. Then show up and still no coffee. I finally said exasperated, can you bring our coffee ? We finally got our coffee. It gets worse from here. 1 hour and we were about to leave. Which I've never done before. My aunt said if the food doesn't come out we're leaving. The food came out. My Churasco was tough and cold. My wife said her half chicken was warm. I tasted it and said that doesn't taste right. Had a twangy taste. I asked my uncle to try it who owned a restaurant and he spit it out. Chicken was bad. (This was right after Hurricane Milton) That was the last straw. I said we're out of here. An hour and 20 minutes we spent there. Never again. I left the waiter $40 because I didn't feel right to leave without paying something and we left and ate prime rib at the loft grill. I hope the owner gets more involved. I honestly hate to give a bad review because everybody has a bad night. But this...

We arrived at about 6:20 on a Friday and it was really busy. Our hostess told us 20 minutes at least and we were pleasantly surprised that it was about 10 to be seated! We knew they didn’t have beer, so brought our own.

First the pros - our food was good. The chorizo sausage was fabulous. The Beef Milanesa was very good. The short ribs were only so-so and the serving was small and not “medium” and kind of tough. Got regular fries instead of the side I ordered. I will probably order something different next time - perhaps a special or a pizza. Food delivered around us looked appetizing and generous portions.

The not so good - Service was really, really slow - I tried to catch our server’s attention for about 15 minutes to let her know that she only brought one salad of the two ordered. Clearly the staff was overwhelmed and as a party of two instead of 4 or 5, we were pretty low on the attention list. No one ever checked to see if our meal was good. Tables around us, seated after us with more guests got more attention and free pastries. Our server tried, but Friday night was probably not the night for us to go.

We ordered dessert to go and we were in the place for a bit over two hours for just dinner with no appetizer or drinks. :(

We will try again sometime, perhaps midweek and order simpler food. I really want this place to succeed. We NEED better choices and more unusual options in Dunnellon. The menu is versatile and looks really interesting.

Also a note, uploaded a current menu on Google, will do so on Facebook too. Prices have...

My hubby and I dined here on Valentine's Day and it did NOT disappoint. Our expectations were exceeded beginning with our friendly and very informative server Martha and culminating in an excellently prepared churrasco (skirt steak) at the perfect temperature. The red beans ordered by myself and my husband were also deliciously seasoned, as was the churrasco. I enjoyed the chimichurri which comes with the steaks and loved the level of garlic used (the more, the better). My husband fell in love with the mashed potatoes (from scratch also). We'll be back for MORE food and although it may be considered higher priced than other steak houses, I did noticed they had a phenomenally priced lunch menu at under $10 for those who prefer lunch, from scratch and delicious. Nowadays I see that you'd pay MORE for unexceptional fast foods that that lunch price, so eat here instead, if my recommendation. We'll be back on Easter Sunday because it looks like they'll be open that day (as of now but I'll call ahead to make sure). A+ and DO give it a try. It will...