Alexander's Steakhouse Peoria — Restaurant in Peoria

Review Date: May 3rd, 2014

Cook your own steak?! No thanks.

Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria is known for two things. It’s legendary salad bar and the ability to cook your own food. Yep, you can go out to eat and cook your own food.

I have some cooking ability but nothing that would produce a steak on the level as a professional. Not even close. So, it’s my humble opinion that if you go out to eat, you should have someone else do the cooking for you. That’s just how I feel. I’ve been to Alexander’s quite a few times since 2014 and have seen a lot of people cooking their own steak. To each their own. I’m not sure the process on cooking your own steak but it does seem like they supply everything you need and you cook your food along side the chefs cooking my food.

My first time here was to treat my dad for his birthday. We took a seat, we looked over the menu and we placed an order. My dad has a similar view on having your meal cooked for you versus doing it yourself. He picked out something meaty and I picked out a Santa Maria sirloin. The spices it was cooked with sounded too good to pass up. We placed our orders, sipped on our beers and were swimming in an olfactory overload of cooked meat. Once the chefs get cooking, the smells permeate everything. It’s nearly impossible to not drool at the savory smells. The food came out and my dad and I dug in after being taunted by the scents lingering in the air.

Each bite was bliss. I have and will use steak sauce but I don’t go out of my way to get it from the waiter. The Santa Maria sirloin was cooked to perfection and each bite made you want to say ‘Santa Maria’ with an Italian accent while kissing your finger tips. I could tell my dad was also really enjoying his meal as he had the same smile on his face that I am sure was plastered on mine. The steakhouse fries that came with the meal were actually a bit of a disappointment. They tasted like they were either not fully cooked or sat out too long. The insides were cold, at best. That didn’t put a damper on things but was still a bit of a bummer as I love some good steakhouse fries. Our bill came to about $100, which is what I was looking to spend. This place isn’t cheap but it’s not entirely outrageous, either.

In fact, they have amazing lunch specials. That’s what I normally come here for. You can get a sandwich, side, and a beer for about $10-12. Just think of that. A steakhouse where you can get a lunch special for $10-12 that fills you up. I’ve been here many times with my friend Maria to take advantage of that deal. It does change once in awhile so keep an eye on the website for their current specials. My go-to was and is New York Strip Sandwich. It’s absolutely delicious except for the first time I had it. The bun was scorched a little too much for my liking. The fries that come with it weren’t disappointing like my first time here. And the beer is beer. Can’t really mess that up too much.

If you happen to be a vegetarian/vegan, you are in luck. This place has a massive salad bar. Alexander’s is legendary for their salad bar. I got it on a whim during one of my lunches here and I thought it was alright. There is a million things to put on your salad should you option for that.

Alexander’s is indeed a steakhouse and it’s prices reflect that but the whole attitude of the place is pretty laid back and casual. This isn’t a suit-and-tie place. You can roll up in your Tuesday Best and not be turned away. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen pajama pants during their lunch specials. (PSA: Do not go anywhere in pajama pants. It’s not a good look.) I could go on more about Alexander’s but I think you get the general gist of the place.

Whether you are on a tight budget or have a company credit card burning a hole in your pocket, you can find something delicious to eat at...

Went to dinner Friday night around 5:00. Wasn't busy at all. They told us it would be 45 minutes so we went up to the bar on the left when you walk in. No one was downstairs and only one table up top. She got a drink and we decided to eat at the two top at the bar. We waited, finally ordered our food. We hit the salad bar like normal. Then we waited and waited. A few people had filtered in by this time. Another couple was eating at the bar. The bartender finally after 30+ minutes brings four plates of food. Trying to figure out who's is what. She put one down in front of my wife, walks over to the bar, give that couple a plate, then comes back to me and says here's your sirloin. I told her I had a ribeye not a sirloin. I didn't find this out until we got in the truck because my back was to the couple but my ribeye was sitting in front of the guy at the bar. She took the plate in front of me and the plate in front of him and swapped them. My wife's steak was rare, she ordered medium. The bartender takes it and goes back the kitchen. My food was cold. Not warm. Cold. I told her when she came back and she said ok, I'll have it and walked off. After 8 minutes I said screw it and took it to the grill myself. It was already overcooked to start, I heated it up just enough to be warm, which cooked it even more. I get back and my wife's was still not at the table. Finally when her filet came back it was well done. The bartender told us she spoke with the Manager Steve and we would be taken care of. I said well Steve should have come over on his own but since he didn't I want to speak with him. She told me she let him know. Steve never came over. We had to wait for our check. He had more than enough time. The girl that took our order final showed up to give us the check but had to go talk with Steve first. After all that, we paid $7 for a half order of mushrooms, $15 for my wife's salad bar since they took her steak off, and full price for me. It was still over $80 for a cold steak that sat in front of another person. That's unacceptable. People work hard for their money to not be wasted on service like that and Steve should have the backbone to go talk to...

Always a treat when we can dine here. Arrived approx 2:30, no crowd or wait at all. ONLY disappointing aspect of our meal was, I'd looked forward to their marvelous Teriyaki Marinated Top Sirloin Steak & it's no longer a menu item(tho they still have kabobs& chicken breasts). However I was informed IF you know your coming, call a day or 2 ahead & tell them that's what you'd like & they will gladly marinate 1 for you.(sure wish i'd've been aware of that before hand) HOWEVER, the meal was marvelous (I got the regular top Sirloin & spouse the early bird 1) BOTH steaks cooked perfectly as requested & melt in your mouth flavorful!! Our waitress Lacey was "Johnnie on the spot with drinks", personable & efficient. We had a great meal, great prices for the quality & look forward to our next visit. You can't ever go wrong going to Alexander's!

UPDATE march 2025

Went on Saturday 1st time since my prior review. Prices have definitely risen, like everywhere else to the point the servings are smaller (steaks that were 20 oz now 14 or 16 depending perhaps less as there are only a couple I was aware of previous serving sz) we end up ordering off the lunch menu due to current prices. If money is no object, the steaks are fantastic off any menu, the lunch menu 7oz top sirloin was cooked perfectly & the other 2 meals on my side of the table all agreed theirs was done as requested. 1 of party was celebrating their birthday & accepted the "free peice of birthday cake" but asked if it could be "to go". Everyone was anxious to see what it looked like to decide if anyone else cared to order a dessert. We were shocked to see an inch n a half to 2inch square peice of cake & not a "slice" of cake. At those prices today, they surely could afford to offer someone a true serving after they'd just ordered a meal off their regular menu. Nobody ordered a dessert after that. Our waiter was excellent, our food cooked perfectly, it's just now priced on the higher end for casual dining. I'm going to miss my previously favorite place to dine out when in Peoria for a...