Steak & Tonic — Restaurant in Poquoson

TL;DR My wife and I dined here on our anniversary. It’s a special meal so we decided to go all out. Our total bill was more than $500 but we left feeling disappointed rather than excited by our extravagant meal.

When a restaurant costs $500 for two people to dine, it should blow you away. Steak and Tonic, while not a BAD restaurant, failed to meet any mark of a high end dining experience.

Service and Hosting Service was overall good - our waiter was friendly and attentive - but seemed somewhat lost on the food options. They were not studied up on their food profiles, pairings, or offered any constructive feedback on wine (other than up-charging to a more expensive bottle). At a restaurant of this caliber one SHOULD expect a career’d waiter who is well-versed on the restaurants food options and drink menu. As for hosting, they didn’t ask if we were here for a special event or to celebrate something. We were sat, and left waiting for a few minutes before our waiter arrived.

Food The restaurant was out of its signature dish, the Kangaroo and Camel steaks. While it is understandable to 86 a product, when it is one of your flagship items, it should have been communicated at the outset of the service process. Additionally, it appears that this is a recurring issue (as reported by the staff), so having it on the menu instead of as a special serves more as a marketing strategy than an actual offering.

The $16 alligator appetizer was overpriced and overhyped. In Blacksburg, you can obtain a platter of alligator bites for $10, so charging $16 for what was essentially four meaty chunks is a blatant rip-off. This restaurant is attempting to deceive its customers with an uncommon meat type.

The escargot was served with what appeared to be a Demi glacé instead of the Mornay sauce, as described on the menu and by the server. While the taste was acceptable as served, accuracy is expected at this type of restaurant for the price.

The mashed potatoes were overseasoned, with an excessive amount of salt.

The portions were appropriate for the type of meal. And plating was done to standard of this type of restaurant, all is to say, it was good.

Drinks The cocktails were satisfactory. While not the finest in town, they offered a pleasant flavor and a certain level of creativity. Although they were enjoyable when paired with dinner, I would not visit this establishment solely for cocktails. The wine selection was also extensive and of high quality. However, we would have preferred a more refined and knowledgeable waiter who could provide better recommendations.

Atmosphere Overall the restaurant was clean and decently kept up (except for the bathrooms). There would have been nothing to indicate the place was neglected or unsanitary. There was however, mold on the bathroom tiles - and a decent amount of it. Unacceptable in its own right, but does make you question the cleanliness and tactics of the kitchen.

Our booth was sat next to all of the extra chairs. THIs made the environment feel more like a convention center than it did a high end dining experience. This is unacceptable for a place of this caliber. Those chairs should be stored elsewhere, and out of sight.

Summary We wouldn’t return to Steak and Tonic and wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a victim of many restaurants these days that want to appear fancy. Instead of providing a meaningful dining experience, they offer “casual dining at an upscale price.” And when your meal for two (which we didn’t order extravagantly like French royalty) costs half a month’s rent, you expect to leave feeling a bit more excited than...

Good afternoon, on Saturday aug 9th my husband decided to surprise me with a date night to non other then Steak & Tonic city center location. Uppon walking in their was very minimal wait, the hostess was very polite and sat us according to our request. While standing at the entrance I noticed you can see into the beautiful big kitchen During your experience, my experience was very memorable. Four mins after we got seated our lovely server Nadia informed us she will be right with us while she filled out glasses with water. We said ok and wait only a few min. ONce she arrived back to our table I told her this was our first time and she immediately had a smile on her face, she proceeded to inform us of the dishes (exsotic) that was unavailable for the evening whitch in this case was understandable, IV always heard about the kangaroo and camel dish but no I won't be eating it 😂. Once we placed our drinks and starter we waited about five mins for the bread basket and she graciously went over the bread selection and butter options. Uppon sitting at the corner booth by the kitchen I noticed everyone in uniform and very busy , the kitchen looked clean and very presentable as well as all the servers whom came in and out. No servers where in the kitchen too long and the kitchen looked like it was running smoothly. I noticed a man ina tie dye shirt with an ice coffee 🤣, general manager I presume but he only stayed in their for short period of time. Once we placed our order Nadia informed us all the side that come with our meal we were very pleased. As for the SpeakEasy room that threw me off. At a glance it's a wine holder , then people started coming out he room and I was blown away. The room is very breath taking and definitely stands to its name. All servers did amazing at attending to their tables and nobody over did it. You all did an amazing job and my husband and I can't wait to come back for another amazing meal from Steak and Tonic. Entrance 10/10 Cleanliness 10/10 Bathroom 9/10 - one light is out n needs attention Service 20/10 Pricing 20/10 Food experience 20/10 Thank you and keep up...

I had a very disappointing and upsetting experience at Steak and Tonic. During my visit, with a diner party of 12 people (all Military), I noticed and personally experienced treatment that came across as disrespectful and discriminatory. The staff’s behavior toward guests of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community was noticeably different from how they interacted with others, which made the atmosphere extremely uncomfortable.

In my case, I was quoted one price by the manager, who assured me that certain items would not be added to my bill. However, when the bill arrived, those items were still included. When I called back to address the issue, the manager became dismissive, rude, and even hung up on me.

This kind of treatment is unacceptable anywhere—especially in a business that serves the public. Every customer deserves to be treated with respect and fairness regardless of race, background, or identity. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and provides proper training to ensure all guests receive equal and professional service.

I had a truly disappointing experience at Steak and Tonic in Newport News. During my visit, I felt that my dinner party and I were treated with a lack of respect and fairness. What made matters worse was my follow-up call to the restaurant the next day to express my concerns about the poor service we received.

When I called to share my disappointment, the manager was extremely rude, dismissive, and even hung up on me in the middle of our conversation. I was shocked by the unprofessionalism and lack of basic courtesy shown, especially from someone in a management position.

A restaurant should value all of its customers equally and handle complaints with professionalism and respect. Unfortunately, that was not my experience here, and I will not be returning. I hope the ownership takes steps to address how both management and staff interact with guests so no one else has to experience this type...