Saltgrass Steak House — Restaurant in Tulsa

⭐ Anniversary Dinner at Saltgrass Steak House – A Balanced First Experience

As our anniversary approached, my wife and I began the usual back-and-forth of trying to decide where to eat. This year, our cravings weren’t exactly syncing—I was in the mood for a good steak, while she was leaning toward seafood (but not the kind I’m fond of). After some consideration, we decided to try Saltgrass Steak House.

I remembered seeing this place years ago from the highway during my daily commute. People often spoke highly of their steaks, but for one reason or another, I never got around to visiting—until now.

First Impressions:

We arrived on a Friday evening, and to my surprise, there was no wait. Texas Roadhouse nearby had a crowd outside, but Saltgrass was calm. I couldn’t help but wonder if price, location, or something else was a factor.

We were greeted with a smile and promptly seated. That’s when I noticed something that personally bugs me: carpeted floors in restaurants. Just not my favorite—it feels like an odd, less-than-sanitary choice. But I brushed it off and focused on enjoying the evening.

Our server was kind and soft-spoken, quickly taking our drink orders. I went with water and a Modelo—wanting to experience my steak without competing flavors. My wife ordered a featured margarita, which turned out to be fantastic—flavorful, not overly sweet.

Then came the bread and butter. Wow—fresh, warm, and delicious. We followed that with an appetizer of cheese and brisket chips, which were excellent. Background music played at a reasonable volume—my wife thought it was loud, but I found it perfect. It gave us privacy without drowning out conversation.

The Meal:

I ordered the Texas T-Bone steak with sweet potatoes, cooked medium rare (I just can’t do well-done!). My wife chose the chopped steak with fries, cooked well-done to her liking. While waiting, I checked out the restrooms, which were clean and nicely maintained.

When the food arrived, I was already pretty full—those appetizers and half a beer had done their job. Still, the steak looked great. I took a bite… it was cooked perfectly, but lacked seasoning. It seemed intentionally under-salted, perhaps to allow diners to adjust to taste—but for me, this was a miss.

I believe a properly seasoned steak should have the salt worked into the meat, not just sprinkled on top afterward. I added salt and pepper, which helped, but couldn’t quite reach that flavorful center I love. That said, the sweet potatoes were a beautiful complement—soft, slightly sweet, and a great balance to the steak.

My wife enjoyed her meal as well, noting that both her steak and fries were on point, and her margarita remained a highlight.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was an enjoyable dining experience with only a few minor drawbacks. Aside from the carpet, one thing that stood out was the odd access to the restaurant. Google Maps routed us through a gas station lot and a sharp left onto a narrow lane. When we left, we saw others doing the same. Apparently, the easier entrances on 50th Street or Skelly Drive aren’t prioritized by the GPS. Not the restaurant’s fault—but definitely worth noting.

Lastly, I was surprised at how quiet the place was for a Friday night. Not empty—but not packed either. I’m still scratching my head about that. Maybe I just caught it on an off night.

Would I go back? Absolutely. The food, service, and overall atmosphere made for a solid anniversary dinner, and I left with very few complaints.

Thank you, Saltgrass, for a...

We went for my husbands birthday. We were super excited becWe went for my husbands birthday. We were super excited because he haven't been able to go since it opened & we rarely get to go out to eat do to my husbands crazy work schedule & kids activity schedule. When we got there the restaurant wasn't too busy. Which was great. We ordered the queso with brisket. We found a hair in it but pulled it out, trying to think it was once of ours. Although the queso was in the middle of the table and none of us leaned over or reached over the queso. We ran out of chips quite quickly & asked for more chips multiple times. Finally 10 min later the chips came out. The queso was hard & cold at that point. Then about 30 min later, mind you, the restaurant wasn't full at all at this point. Only a few tables. Our steaks come out. My Cajun sirloin came out with no Cajun sauce (sauce with scallops & shrimp) no problem, they put the sauce on & returned the plate. I took a bit of the tiny shrimp from the sauce & it was super fishy tasting. The waiter said it's from the scallops. I've had scallops before & they were fishy but whatever. I cut my steak then my husband, who ordered & was super super excited for, the smothered steak, cut his piece & went to take a bite, thankfully looking at his bite before putting it in his mouth a thick pubic looking hair was hanging from the steak. Intertwined in the mushroom sauce. We couldn't believe it. We told the waiter when he came back. He got the manager. The manager apologized. He offered to make my husband a new one. He was starving so he said ok but we needed to take it to go. We had already been there for an hour and a half at this point. It was 9:00. A school night & work night. The steak came out in 10 min. (Weird since we waited 30+ min for it the first time). This time what we got was a skirt steak at best. NOT A FILET. It was near well done & super gritty. Not round, thick & juicy like a filet. My sirloin was more round & thick than this piece of meat. The waiter apologized again & comped just that meal. Not the queso that also had a hair. My bad for not keeping the hair & showing him when we saw it.

We also had a free cheesecake coupon for joining the eClub. He gave us the free cheesecake & told us to keep the coupon. (As if we want to ever go back). We were going to get the cheesecake & then also get whatever dessert is offered for birthdays. Nothing was offered.

In all... It was my husbands birthday. A horrible experience & a complete waste of 2 hours. We could've gone to Outback or Texas Roadhouse & been way more satisfied & in & out in an hour.

** there was another lady a few tables down complaining about her food, while we were only on the app & I said, yikes, she's unhappy. Having no clue that that was going to be us next.

There were SOOO many items on the menu that sounded delicious. We were looking forward to going back prior to the hairy issues, lack of waiter attentiveness & customer...

I gave Saltgrass a second chance, but this visit was even worse than the first. Two weeks ago, I came for lunch—the steak was good, but the service was terrible. The waitress was constantly missing, and I had to track her down. To make matters worse, I was charged for items I never ordered or received, requiring a manager to correct the bill.

Tonight (Thursday, 5 PM - 6:40 PM), I returned, hoping for a better experience. The restaurant was nearly empty, yet we were seated right by the kitchen door. When I requested a different table to hear better, the hostess abruptly responded, "Let me see if that is okay." Not exactly welcoming.

We waited and waited before our server, Britt, finally appeared. Since we already knew what we wanted, we placed our order right away: one medium-rare steak, one medium-well, no cheese on one salad (due to an allergy), and mashed potatoes. Things went downhill from there.

The salads took forever, and when mine arrived, it was covered in cheese. I had to scrape it off myself. Immediately after, our steaks came out—40 minutes into our visit. The medium-well steak was cooked correctly, but the medium-rare was well done. With no server in sight, I got up to return it, only to find several servers standing around while ours was nowhere to be found. Another server agreed the steak was way overcooked.

When Britt finally returned, she argued that I should just switch steaks because the medium-well had a “little” pink. Absolutely not! A sliver of pink does not make a steak medium rare, and it was still cooking as it sat. Instead of fixing the mistake, she kept arguing. I was ready to leave.

The manager finally appeared but simply dropped off the correctly cooked steak without a word—no apology, no acknowledgment. The only person who showed any concern was the other server who had helped us. The mashed potatoes came with an absurd scoop of butter on top, but at this point, I was over it.

Once again, our server disappeared. When she finally returned, she announced we were getting a “free” slice of carrot cake. We declined but asked for to-go boxes and the check. Instead of listening, she insisted on bringing the cake. Then… nothing. No check, no boxes, nothing. The other server returned and admitted we had received terrible service and said he would talk to the manager.

It took another 20 minutes before our check and boxes arrived. By then, I was done. I told Britt I wasn’t waiting another half hour for her to process the payment and that I’d take it to the bar if needed. Suddenly, she took care of it right away.

This was an absolute disaster. The service at this location is completely dysfunctional. There will not be a...