Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga

I hosted a table of 8 people for a business celebration on a Saturday night at 7pm. I called ahead weeks in advance to ask about:

1. parking: park in their lot and not at the meters.
2. corkage fee: $25 each for the first two bottles, and $50 each for the third and fourth.
3. a semi-private room: since I wanted to be heard and to hear others at my table but didn't have a large number of guests to justify getting a private room all to ourselves.

We ended up taking two bottles of wine to pair with the steaks we anticipated ordering.

Since we arrived a few minutes late, my guests were already seated. As soon as my wife and I stepped foot into the restaurant, it was as loud as a sports bar during Superbowl, and I felt relieved to have called in advance to reserve a semi-private room. I didn't see my table in the private dining areas, and unfortunately, they did not seat us in a private room because they claim they were just too busy.

That was minus one star for service and ambiance. I ended up having to speak very loudly only to be heard by one side of the table and had difficulty hearing regular conversations unless my guests spoke loudly as well.

Most of my guests ordered blueberry lemon drops to start while I took our waitress Rebecca's recommend on the spicy mezcalita with premium Ilegal joven mezcal, which was fantastic.

After ordering a number of appetizers, I knew they couldn't accommodate all of our appetizers at this small table, and yet multiple waiters brought all this food only to look at me with a "why did you order all of this food" look on their faces while I replied aloud, "why are you bringing all of this food out at once after you seated us at this tiny table?" They ended up taking half of the appetizers back due to lack of space.

The appetizers I ordered included the large chilled shellfish tower, sweet chili calamari, pork belly, crispy maitake mushrooms, crab cakes, and Fleming's salad. I was so busy working on the first three that by the time I made it to the last three, they were gone. Rather than order more appetizers, I decided to hold off and wait for dinner since we wanted a variety without overeating. The seafood tower and calamari were fantastic, while the pork belly was less memorable and was not enjoyed by any of us, really.

I would have given 5 stars for food, but the tomahawk steak was trash at over $100. It seems they don't know how to make a medium-rare steak. The first one that came out was medium well and burned on the outside. I reluctantly took one bite and sent it back. To add insult to injury, more than 1/3 of the tomahawk was pure fat on either end and was inedible. And the presentation was laughable at best. It was the sorriest looking tomahawk I have ever seen.

The second one came out a few minutes later and was cooked medium-plus, but we were too hungry by that point to send it back again. I ordered it with the lobster tail and caviar, and the presentation was great after they added the two.

My guest's chipotle mac and cheese was very tasty at the expense of being very creamy and fatty. The brussels sprouts with bacon that were served with my tomahawk steak were a big fail. The brussels sprouts were undercooked, underwhelming, and were not crispy. Lackluster overall.

After complaining to the manager, Jacob, they saved face by bringing us two fabulous plates of dessert with samples of 3-4 desserts per plate. We were blown away by the presentation and the taste.

Would I be back? I honestly don't know unless they follow through on the semi-private room. At $1700, I think there are better options out there, but do those options exist in...

I usually read reviews before trying a new restaurant. I’m actually surprised by all the 5 stars because my experience certainly was not 5 stars for what is supposedly a fine-dining restaurant.

Atmosphere- We arrived during peak dinner time on a weekend, so it is expected for the restaurant to be busy. It was truly quite loud especially with the choice of music in the background, giving it more of a mess hall/pub vibe rather than a elegant, upscale restaurant. It was difficult to hear my husband who was seated across the table from me. It definitely felt like a pricier chain restaurant. The overall restaurant was clean. Bathrooms were decent.

Service - We made reservations prior to arriving. The young woman who assisted with check-in was not very friendly and didn’t bother to help correct the name on the reservation. But the young gentleman beside her was kind enough to offer to help correct the reservation details. Our server and the waitstaff were all nice, welcoming, and attentive to our needs. They truly are the best part of this restaurant. We were impressed to see the skilled servers balancing multiple plates on their arm as they served them!

Food - They started us off with their sourdough bread with their tasty butter concoctions. The two different butters were delicious. However, the bread we were first served was hard and seemed like it was a day old. They served us another piece and it was definitely warm, soft, and fresh.

Wait time was minimal from the time we had our appetizers to the main course. Probably less than 20 minutes.

The best dish out of all that we ordered would be the Chilean Sea Bass. It was cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of flavor. The citrus notes and pickled garnish elevated this dish. The NY steak was decent, but not so much of a wow factor. You’ll probably be better off making your own steak at home. The appetizer (onion rings) were large, tasty, and paired well with the sauce. But after a few bites, they taste like your basic diner type of onion rings. You’ll probably be better off choosing a different appetizer. As for the sides we selected (Brussels sprouts and broccolini), they were way too overpriced for the serving size and the way they were prepared. Truly disappointing. The Brussels sprouts were described as “flash fried” but they were rather soggy and had a unpleasant aftertaste. These side dishes were unfortunately not well executed as compared to the other fine dining side dishes we’ve tried in the past. Even casual dining restaurants have a more palatable and creative way of serving their side dishes.

I think I came in with high hopes/expectations for this restaurant since I have heard many good reviews. But unfortunately, I do not think it would be worth it to spend as much as we did to consider even...

Extremely Disappointed by the Ending to What Started as a Magical Night

We had high hopes for our anniversary dinner at Fleming’s in Rancho, and at first, it truly felt like a perfect evening. The welcome was top notch—warm smiles, a beautifully decorated table with red flowers, and a sweet handwritten card signed by the staff wishing us a happy anniversary. Honestly, it was such a thoughtful and heartfelt touch that set the mood for a special night.

The starters were phenomenal. The Fleming’s salad was fresh and flavorful, and the sweet chili calamari? Out of this world. We followed that with the truffle lobster and the sea bass, both of which were absolutely delicious. The food overall was excellent—except for one major letdown.

We ordered the filet mignon medium well, and what came out was completely overcooked, charred on the outside, and well beyond well done. It was dry, hard to cut, and just plain burnt. For a steakhouse, this was a shocking miss. Our waiter didn’t seem to pay much attention when we gave specific instructions, and unfortunately, it showed.

As a lovely surprise, we were offered a complimentary welcome drink—sweet tea—which we appreciated. So naturally, we assumed the dessert would follow the same thoughtful tone. We ordered the chocolate lava cake, and while it tasted fine, it came out on a plain plate with zero presentation. Meanwhile, we watched several other tables around us being served the same dessert with “Happy Anniversary” or “Happy Graduation” elegantly written on the plate. Ours? Nothing. And to make matters worse, we were charged for it.

To top it all off, this night cost us a whopping $400—for just me, my wife, and our two five-year-old kids. For that price, we expected not just great food, but also a consistently excellent experience. Instead, we left feeling ignored and let down on what should have been a joyful celebration.

To sum up: amazing food (except the steak), beautiful welcome, but careless service and a lack of consistency in how celebrations are handled. Attention to detail matters—especially on nights that are meant to be...