Great place for groups! Stand around the grill cooking steaks or pay an extra $2 to have it cooked for you. I would recommend cooking your own, even if it's not something you do usually. I had someone cook mine and my girlfriend's the first time I went there and they switched our orders (well-done on my filet and medium on her kabob). All you can eat salad bar looks a bit cafeteria, but is pretty tasty. You choose your meat from a fridge. I recommend the teriyaki seasoned steaks. Servers can be a bit flighty because they cover fairly large areas - may have to flag one down. They serve Pepsi products (and Mountain Dew, which I love). read more

Excellent food for Friday lunch. Reasonable price. Loved the steak kabobs, cooked just right! Staff friendly. Will definitely go back!

All the ambience of a Ponderosa with the prices of a Ruth's Chris. I had a filet shish kabob that was gristly, though well portioned. The baked potato was also on the large side, but what benefit is that if the taste is not there? And yet, the place was packed on a Sunday night. Go figure. On the odd chance that I happened on a bad cut of meat, I still will not go back primarily because I don't see why one should pay so much for a meal you have to cook in an establishment that lacks character. read more

Great place to grill great steaks for yourself with your friends and not have to clean up afterwards! Did I mention great steaks?

I thought the food was really good. Atmosphere is OK, kind of 70's/80's look, but I enjoyed cooking my own steak and the wait staff was really friendly. I would definately come back. read more

Probably one of the better steak houses in town. I've been twice and both times it was delicious. You can either cook your steak yourself or have someone cook it for you. One time I had the filet and the other I had a ribeye, and they were both great. Kind of expensive but pretty standard pricing for a steakhouse read more

Ate here for my birthday. The waiter was not enthusiastic or friendly. The steaks had absolutely no flavor. When I asked the waiter he said they just put salt and pepper. He then brought the seasoning from the grill it yourself area to the table. This made no sense because steaks are usually hand rubbed with seasoning before grilling. When he checked back with us it was clear we did not enjoy the steak and were not eating it. He never asked what else he could do. I guess we were not a big enough tab for him to worry about. It was our first and last time at Alexanders. read more

yeah, you pretty much supposed to cook your meat yourself. Makes for a good group experience though.

the girl seating Saturday for lunch was the rudest person I have ever seen and the manager let her i don't recommended this place at all notcat all read more

I have no idea why this is a "B/N staple." The meat is pretty good quality usually (unless you let them pick out and cook your steak, because they seem to unload the gristly steaks that way). However--the "fresh salad bar" praised by so many other reviews is NOT FRESH--dried out veggies, rarely refilled, rarely tidied up. The bread is just cheapo white bread. The restaurant decor makes it seem dirty, too. It is dark inside, the carpet looks greasy and dirty, the plastic picnic tablecloths on the tables are worn and usuall feel sticky or greasy to me. Go to Lancaster's if you want a good independent steak restaurant in B/N... read more

People seem to bitch about the dumbest things on here. I understand it does not look like much from the outside, that is true. However I don't go to a steakhouse to stare at the walls or how the tables match the carpet. It's about the food. If you've ever been to a major city you would know some of the best food places look like shit. For example Paradise pup and johnnys beef near Chicago. I also agree I don't go to a restaurant to cook my own steak but that is purely a marketing strategy. It's an innovative idea that appeals to a certain group of people and it allows you to save a few bucks. ALSO YOU DONT HAVE TO COOK YOUR OWN. If you're bitching about paying the two or three dollars for them to cook it then you should just leave. Who goes to a decent to superior steakhouse thinking they're not gonna pay at the bare minimum $15 a plate. The service I had was good. Nothing great but I don't need people to wait on me hand and food. Once again its about the food. The person who seated us was a bitching though. Finally I rather enjoyed the actual food. The steak was cooked medium just how I ordered, the salad bar was above average, and everything else tasted good. A bit pricey but after eating here, Red Lobster does not compare. I paid seven dollars less for my inferior steak there. Alexanders fills me up and left me quite happy P. S. someone posted about them using wonderbread for the garlic toast. I didn't care for the fact they used wonderbread. However if you trying to cut carbs at a steak house, you're not very bright read more

The food is always great. I've had a variety of the steaks/filets offered as well as salmon. I don't know if it's just top quality food or mad skills of the person cooking the food:) The #1 beef I have with this place is that it can be completely packed and they seat everyone around one grill and do not turn the second on. It's fun to go and drink a beer while cooking your steak, but not as much fun when you're rubbing elbows with everyone else in the restaurant. read more

Dave J. Had a family Christmas party here on 12-15-18. Ordered a sirloin steak knowing that is not a prime cut of beef, but figured a highly rated place like this would still provide a decent piece of beef. It turned out to be the worst, most tough piece of beef I have ever had (my father ran a cold storage locker plant in Illinois for 40 years and I know a good steak!). Very disappointed and will not be back! read more

My mother-in-law, husband, my 8 month old twins, and I ate dinner here tonight. We had a very nice waitress who helped us get the twins in car seat slings (not every place has these). The food was fantastic- steaks were cooked perfectly. We all had a different steak cooked to a different temp and they were all perfect. Every time we go, the same gentleman comes and checks on us with the twins. We aren't sure if he is the owner or manager. It is quite nerve racking taking out two babies, but he always makes us feel welcomed, asks us if we need anything, and engages with the babies. Many places seem annoyed with young ones, but we feel super welcome here. Thanks for the great welcome! read more

Alexander's has a huge dining area, charcoal grills in dining area, salad bar and a great staff. I ordered a 13oz NY Strip, medium rare, and had it cooked for me. It was delicious, worth the money, but not how I like it. I love to grill but I dislike the pre & post grill activities. I like ability to pick your steak and cook it how you like over a charcoal grill. This is why I gave Alexander's 4 stars. read more

Have been to this restaurant before and always had a good experience but I went with my parents tonight to celebrate my mother's birthday and had the worst customer service experience I've ever had. We called ahead to check the wait and the hostess told us there was no wait. So we headed over to grab dinner. Upon walking in, we walked up to a host stand with at least 6 servers/hostesses waiting around doing nothing and multiple visible open tables. There was no greeting, just "reservation?" ...we didn't have one so they told us it would be a half hour wait, which is fine, I understand ppl come in but the restaurant did not appear to be busy. My biggest gripe was the blonde host that kept rolling her eyes at us and talking to us with impeccable condescension, like we had inconvenienced her by coming in. She snapped at my dad when he asked her if she knew why the wait time jumped so quickly. I worked in the restaurant business for YEARS and have never seen anyone treat someone so poorly. The host is the first impression your customers get and with someone like that at the front door, you will surely lose business...probably why most of the tables were empty. I will absolutely never return to this place after getting such a snobby, self-righteous, sour attitude treatment for absolutely no reason at all. read more

We don't come here enought. To be honest we kinda forget it's here. The steaks are always juicy and tender. They have a nice salad bar with many options on it. Some maybe put off on cooking your own steaks at the grill but that's just part of the experience. Check there website they do have a couples special where you share a steak and each gets a salad. The steaks are huge to start with. read more

Nothing on the dinner menu under 25 dollars so had to give one less star for that but I must add that my steak was great and still tender and juicy after I had them cook it well done and I loved the salad bar . read more

Haven't been in many years, however I was in the area and decided to visit this favorite restaurant of my college years. I was not disappointed. The food was fantastic, just as I remembered it. I used to cook the steaks myself, however for convenience and to spend time with my family I let the restaurant do the cooking. The food and the service were great and my visit reminded me of why this is one of my all time favorite places. Will be back next time I am in Normal. read more

I like old school steakhouses but this one is just old. Way over priced for the quality of the steak. Steak fries are wide fries not skinny ones and the place needs a serious update. Don't waste your money. read more

One of the interesting restaurants around Bloomington. Service staffs were very friendly. You get to grill ur own steak indoors. I am sure it will be a great catch during winter. They had quality meat and a good salad bar. I got to have free beer too ;) just got lucky that day. You must check it out if you are a steak lover and from around here Totally worth it!!! read more

This is my all time favorite restaurant. The whole idea of the place is 1. to get meat not fish!! 2. to cook your own meal. This is the ultimate place for grill masters like myself. Cooking the huge steaks is about a three beer process. The salad bar is awesome. The texas toast is also a treat. Love this place!!! read more

Steaks are great and perfectly cooked. It's worth a couple extra dollars to have the staff cook your steak. The salad bar is the best in town. This was a great dinner. We'll go back! Shannon, the gen mgr is a super nice guy and the staff is very well managed and trained. Nice people read more

Awesome meal and great friendly staff the salad bar is amazing we had the Kansas steak huge cooked to perfection

went there for dinner after looking at their menu here online..the prices on this site are not correct........it was good steak and salad bar but sooooooooo mover priced for cooking it your self.staff nice and friendly but its an once a year treat.... read more

My son enjoys coming to town at least twice if not three times a month to take us to Alexander's. The previous visits have been great and the waitress wonderful. Bailey and Breonna (spelling may be incorrect) Yesterday 6/8/2014 meal was not so great at all. We requested our steaks well done and they were rare. The steaks were sent back and one came back burnt and the other still not well done. Spoke with the manager and her attitude made the situation worse. Her demeanor and attitude was extremely rude and very unfriendly. As a manager I would have expected a much more pleasant and courteous attitude versus her saying that we wouldn't get sick from eating a rare cooked steak. Whether we would get sick or not was not the point. I would think twice before going back anytime soon simply because of the manager attitude. Also the cook looked as if he walked in off the street and was hired on the spot. He was very unprofessional looking and one would have thought he was an average Joe guest cooking his own steak at the grill. The cook had on an old worn tee shirt and a pair of jeans. Not a good look. Also the staff smokes where guest can see them as we are entering and existing the restaurant which is also not a good look. read more

Dined here recently while on business in the area. A larger group of 15 or my peeps went here for a co-workers birthday dinner. The server had an attitude from the beginning when I asked her if we could have separate checks. She mumbled something under her breath and when I said "excuse me, I don't I heard what you said" she gave me a dirty look and walked away. Most of up opted to NOT grill your own steak which you can do if you want to and the trip to the salad bar was very marginal, reminded me of Wendy's salad bar. Nothing special, limited toppings. The steaks were just ok, again nothing special and pricey. We told the hostess AND server we were celebrating a birthday and she did nothing about it although there was a large party near us that they all sang and celebrated so I'm not sure if the separate check thing upset her heaven forbid. Overall a very "meh" experience and highly unlikely any of us on her next trip back there will dine there. Too many other good places with happy not crappy wait staff! read more

We love Alexander's when going out with a group. Their filets are the best in town IMO and hubby loves the top sirloin. The salad bar is fresh, with a wide variety, and of all the times we've been there, we've only had bad service once. read more

Atmosphere is a gas station refrigerator full of steak, a giant charcoal grill, Wonder Bread, rubber tablecloths, and cafeteria salad bar. The steak is surprisingly good, considering they have no rubs or marinades (other than the Teriyaki steaks). It is high quality and slow cooking on a charcoal grill adds its own flavor. Service is decent. Drink list is disappointing. Probably the second or third best steak I've had in town (the Filet Medallions special at Reality Bites was the best and the porterhouse at Baxters is the second best). read more

Pretty darn good. Cook your steak the way you like it on a giant coal grill. With a fresh salad bar, baked potato, even toast your own bread on the grill. This place does get busy, and is popular with groups. Reservations strongly suggested. read more

I have been to Alexander's in the past, and always thought of their food to be OK, but nothing special. After the service me and my group got this weekend, I will NEVER go back. We made reservations on a Monday to be there the following Friday at 6:30 with 10 people. They said no problem, even though it was a holiday weekend (we even asked to make sure because of the holiday weekend). We arrived around 6:20 and waited for the rest of our group. They said we would be seated shortly. Around 6:45 we were still waiting, and another group of people (around 8) had come in after us. At around 7:00, those people were sat and we were still waiting. Obviously we were not happy and asked what was going on. She said it would be a little longer they were really booked. WHAT!? At around 7:15 we over heard that there was another party that had been waiting since 6:30 as well. Needless to say we left and went else where. If you are wanting to go on a busy night, don't even try. Apparently reservations won't even get you a table. read more

Our company Christmas party was a huge success. The food was delicious and the service was great. Upon arrival our table was not as requested but they quickly fixed it and more than made things right. Before leaving I made reservations for next year if that tells you what we thought :) read more

Had mold on a bun for a child's meal about an inch in diameter. Contacted the company and the manager was suppose to call me - it's been almost two months and nothing. Extremely high priced and obviously the quality of the food is poor. I would NOT go there again - there are plenty of other restaurants in the area with good food and reasonable prices. read more

My husband and I along with daughter and son-in-law went here this evening; it was our first visit. The food was actually pretty good; salad bar, potato, fries, meat....we did cook ourselves. Our cons...a bit pricey considering we cooked our own food. I'd say comparatively to comparable places, by about $4-5 an entrée. Our service was not that great. It was a long time between visits from our server from the time we ordered our drinks to the time she picked up our payment when we were done. Like another reviewer commented, it was as if we were only a turn for the evening that had to be checked on periodically. The place was busy but definitely not full, perhaps 75% occupied. There is not enough grill space available for patrons at all. We were constantly pushed, reached around, moved over, etc. by others who were also vying for a place at the grill. However, the reason we won't be returning....our waitress was talking to us when we first arrived. My daughter had mentioned she wasn't good at cooking steaks and the waitress commented it wouldn't be hard....she herself can't cook s**t and she gets good tasting steaks here when she cooks. We all four were a bit shocked that she would use this language with a customer. Another server was extremely rude to two younger kids, telling them they had to sit at the other end of the table because they were in her way at this end. No explanations, no niceness about it at all, just a flat our demand. Later at the salad bar we heard another staff employee use profanity and then at the grill, a server came by muttering under her breath, J**** C*****. That's pretty much it. If the control of the attitudes and language is this lax by the management, then we aren't interested in spending our hard earned money here. read more