After a long day at work I wanted to treat myself to a really nice dinner and saw this place across from my hotel and I said I've got to go check it out. To be honest, it was a little hard to figure out where the restaurant was cuz there are three different restaurants in the building, so I went through the front door and then found the entrance. I decided to sit at a table rather than at the bar, and I'm glad I did. My waitress, Sadia was awesome! He was attentive, made great suggestions. And was very very gracious. I started off with fried calamari, which was a little bit underdone, but still very tasty. Tasty. Next up was a side Caesar salad, which was very good and on point, on to the main course which was the steak frittes which was cooked perfectly. I also had dessert, which was the lemon tart and that was the perfect capper for a meal. Bottom line? This was one of the most delightful meals I have had, perfectly paced, well cooked, and served with a smile. I will definitely be going back anytime. I am definitely coming back to this restaurant when I'm in the area! read more

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Chose the restaurant for a holiday party for the team of 35 people. The reservation experience was great with good menu choices and good communication from the restaurant. We had a private dining area with Michelle, as our Host with Mary & Lauren in her team. She made sure all our needs were met, provided exceptional service and was attentive at all times . Everyone in the group enjoyed the evening with delicious food, tasty appetizers, great wine and delectable desserts. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, several dining areas and a central bar with an inviting atmosphere.All dishes including Chicken, Salmon and prime rib were delicious as the Main course and the chocolate brownie and crème brûlée were decadent. The soup and salads were on point. read more

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I'm from and grew up in this city in Ontario Canada and been coming here all my life. I no longer live in Canada but was in town for a family event so I took them here. At least I get the almost 40% USD discount :) They always have good service; typical (expensive) steak prices and probably the only 'classy' place in Kitchener. They are not short on customers though. The NY steak is good; tender enough and I just had a white wine with it. The escargot were goo appetizers. Definitely a place to try if you're in this city and want a steak read more

Each night I visited was definitely good. The only problem that I had was that the waitress didn't engage too often. Food was great and service was decent. Will I go back absolutely! read more

A fabulous steakhouse for a special occasion. We were celebrating my father-in-law's birthday and an early Father's Day celebration. He is in a wheelchair and the staff were lovely and accommodating. We had an amazing dinner and really enjoyed two 7 oz Filet Mignons (one with the twice baked potato and one with a garden salad...both came with veg on the side as well), the Ribeye (14 oz steak was split with an add on each of a shrimp skewer and a twice baked potato), a skillet of wild mushrooms to share and a lovely bottle of Argentinian Malbec. I loved how the tables are not crowded/close together. The staff was attentive and the food was delicious. Our faves were the filets, the mushrooms and the twice baked potatoes are phenomenal! read more

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Food always good, good menu variety competent staff. I like the ribs with half BBQ and half brown sugar.

Should've just come here instead of garbage Gyubee to begin with At least they are professional here. If you can't get in, they won't lie about it and screw up your entire night Thank you for your reliable service read more

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I ordered the pig tails as an appetizer. It was my first time ordering them. They were very tasty and seemed to be cooked well. For an entree I ordered the ribeye. I like my steak very rare and sure enough, they cooked it perfectly. The waitress and staff were very pleasant. The meals came out in a timely manner. The restaurant was tastefully decorated and the acoustics were spot on. read more

I chose the Charcoal for my recent birthday because we had good past experiences. However, our dinner was disappointing. My favourite appetizer - beef wellington - was not the same, just not as tasty. My main - ribs - were a huge disappointmen. These had been baked in the oven rather than grilled. Soft and mushy with no texture, and drowned in sauce. Around the table, our consensus was that most items very very salt. We will not go back. Sad. read more

We had a very fine dining experience here. Great service, atmosphere and food! The ribs were fantastic...rival our hometown Kansas City, USA ribs! Steaks were great as well as the wine selection. Very nice place for a quality meal and overall experience. read more

The food was AMAZING!!! We took our family here for a birthday dinner and it did not disappoint. My sons are still thanking us 3 days later! Ambiance was great. The Service/Waitress was attentive. Great night. Thank-you. read more

Great food, awesome service and a really nice ambience. What's not to like about this place?

Front staff was welcoming, friendly and professional. The ambiance inside was perfect; upscale but not pretentious or stuffy. The food was delicious from start to finish. Both my daughter and I had fillet mignon with truffle fries. We also shared a lobster tail. Everything was cooked to perfection. Dessert was crème brûlée for me and sticky toffee pudding for my daughter. Also delicious. Our server, Stella was wonderful, making sure that we were happy with everything. The manager even came by to say hello and make sure that everything was to our satisfaction. All in all, it was a great experience and I will definitely be back.. BTW, I never give the top marks to anything because I believe that nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. However, this is the first time I confidently give a restaurant a 5/5 or A+! read more

It's not good to be starving in Kitchener!!! So, when you have a craving for a good steak, this is where you want to go!!! First of all, Sunday Brunch is wonderful, which runs until 2:00 pm with live music to give a very classy ambiance to the place. However, the Brunch menu, although extensive and full of delicious choices, we were craving a nice steak meal. Our kind server, Sarah, was more than happy to accommodate our wishes. We arrived at 1:15 pm and it was a tiny bit early for the regular menu to come out. When we asked about the regular menu, Sarah apologized and disappeared for a moment. Sarah soon reappeared with the regular menus and informed us that if we are willing to wait 10 minutes, we could then order a real steak meal!!! Yes!!! Sarah was our hero!!! When we placed our order at 1:35 pm, the only item still not available was the garlic mashed potatoes (a wonderful excuse for us to return again). The steak meals were delicious!!! I first had the FRENCH ONION SOUP with gratinated cheeses, caramelized onions, a veal broth and rusque crouton. It was the best French Onion Souo I have ever had!!! I then devoured the TENDER BLUE, bacon wrapped beef tenderloin steak with a danish blue cheese melt!!! The steak was a perfect medium rare with a pink center and so tasty and creamy. Wow!!! Sarah was very efficient and friendly. She even helped us out on ideas on where we can get souvenirs from Toronto. She was very kind and attentive!!! #ThankYouThursday (I was also impressed by the washroom having cloth towels. Very classy.) read more

The service is exceptional! The tuna bowl is amazing! You can't go wrong here!!! It has a full bar also!

Great experience with wait staff! Knowledgeable, fun, attentive and not obtrusive. Food was very good. read more

June 13/21: Steakhouse visit with Keith & Nancy. This was a perfectly....adequate experience. The outdoor venue was very nice. Great fake grass flooring & a nice table setting. Our server, Sarah was awesome. Very attentive, very talkative & was great at her job. Where the place lost the stars was in the food. Mine was the fish tacos. They were good but not great. The extra well done fries were simply reheated fries that were hallowed out. My wife's was salmon, good but not great. They messed up our fellow diners lunch completely & this threw off the table. I'd go again but I'd be more cautious with what I ordered. read more

Was pretty disappointed with dinner tonight, was out for my moms birthday which I noted on my reservations. Nothing was mentioned or acknowledged by our waitress.... We both had the tenderloin which wasn't very good- was dry and tough. Sent my sweet potato fries back because they were also dry and burnt tasting. For 160$ meal (without tip) we won't be returning anytime soon. Such a shame because this was one of the only restaurants we loved in KW.... read more

The food is absolutely wonderful and the service is great as well. I will definitely be back.

This place is somewhere between the Keg on steroids and Ruth Chris in disguise. If you are lucky enough to get Sarah as your server then it will be the best night in Kitchener you've ever had. Steak is better than great, service is even better. read more

Charcoal Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

Hadn't been to Charcoal Steak House for a few years. Decided to go for a special anniversary dinner and was kind of disappointed. I would rate the dining experience and wait staff at a solid 4 stars but the food for a restaurant that professes itself to be a high class steak house, only 3 stars. With regard to the steaks, to me they don't serve anything up-scale like T bone steaks, bone in rib eyes, dry aged, or noted as being locally sourced. I had oysters for a starter but there was only a limited choice of condiments to dress them up. I was also surprised to see that all the steaks come with French fries, you can't even get a baked potato with butter and sour cream. The seasonable vegetables included carrots that were akin to carrots used for feeding horses, who sources these? They used to serve nice upgrades like seared shrimps or scallops served in a herb and butter sauce but sadly they are nowhere on the menu now. The food to me seems like quick fix pub grub and not something that would be in a supposedly high end steakhouse. read more

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They carry halal options for chicken and steak. Will be going there for lunch today with the wife.

I had seen the reviews on Yelp and wasn't sure how this place was going to be (as the reviews appeared to be kinda mixed). But I will say I loved it! My partner and I went for our anniversary. We decided to start with some oysters and get a bottle of wine. We asked for a recommendation for the bottle and the beverage manager recommended a couple. We chose the most popular and it was probably my favourite wine yet. Neither of us had had oysters before, so we checked with our waitress to get her thoughts before ordering and decided to go for them. They don't have a lot of flavour but the accompaniments made it a very good experience! We then both decided to get steaks for our mains, me the filet mignon and him the wagyu. Both were very good steaks but the wagyu was unbelievably tender. It is a very pricey steak but I would recommend trying it at least once. The veggies and truffle fries we had as sides were also very good. To finish the meal off, they gave use a free brownie because we were celebrating. All in all, we had great food, experienced a nice upscale ambiance and received fantastic service. I would recommend this place for a nice dinner in Kitchener any day. read more

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4 months later. I went to the charcoal for dinner with my family. It's still the same. Like it's nice,fancy,good service and Cleanliness. Our waitress name Chantel. Took us to our table and me and my family liked the table that she gave us. When we were getting food my family ordered the Beef Wellington for all us. Then I ordered the charcoal burger with the truffle fries. When the Beef Wellington came. I tried one. It's OK but it's nothing to fall for. Then when my burger came with my fries, it came with garlic Aolioi sauce. I tried the truffle fries. Their not that good, somehow decent. It's nothing special about it. The garlic sauce was so good and the best sauce I tasted. Then the burger. It's still the same but the bun was dry. But I still enjoy my vist. read more

Charcoal Steak House - The charcoal burger with truffle fries - Steakhouses Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

Ordered the Tomahawk steak and it was fantastic! Service was great and the drinks were delish. Sat sousing and it was nice and cozy. Would definitely go back for more. read more

First off, I been to Kitchener a few times and seen Charcoal across from Fairview Mall but never went in. I came here on Valentines day lunch and boy did I make the right choice! The interior reminds me of Baton Rouge. Decent enough for a steakhouse. The food and service is where this place shines. We ordered the steak frites and prime rib. For app, we had the calamari. It was so delicious! So many fried goodies to go along with it. The dipping sauces were superb. The mains were cooked to perfection. No over cooked and dried steaks here. They were exactly the doneness we wanted it to be. You could tell they went the extra mile and infused the rice with flavor. The prime rib rub was really good yet simple. Sarah our server, was amazing! What a delight. Amazing service. She was always around when we needed her and she left up alone with we wanted to enjoy our food. She was attentive and a pleasure to be around. Skip The Keg. Go to Charcoal. I cant say enough about how good this place was. I just hope this quality is kept up when it gets busier! 5 stars all the way! ***** read more

Charcoal Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

One of the finest restaurants in the city, and well worth a drive from afar. There's something pleasantly nostalgic about Charcoal, without it feeling dated. The sophisticated decor and ambiance creates an elevated experience quite rare these days; you get the feel that a night at Charcoal isn't to be taken for granted and like the menu items, should be savoured and appreciated. I also enjoy the acoustics; it is pleasantly quiet compared most other restaurants. The relatively peaceful environment is as refreshing and satisfying as anything you'll eat or drink. The food is about as good as it gets while keeping things familiar and delicious. Every trip to Charcoal is special and I can't wait for the next chance to go. read more

I had the 40 Day Dry Aged Rib Eye. I ordered Chicago Medium for my steak. When it first came out, I found it to be Medium Well, bordering well done. I raised this to our server who asked if I wanted it changed, which I did. The manager promptly comes out and apologizes for the steak and let's me know it will come out shortly. When the new steak came out, the manager personally served it guaranteeing that this should be perfect, and for me to check to be sure. It was perfect! The steak was so delicious and perfectly cooked now. I love the marbling on the steak. The chimichuri rub went great and brought out the steak flavour. He also offered if I wanted another set of sides to go with the steak. When we finally asked for our bill, the server said to hold on as the manager had something being made to make up for the steak. Out comes a dessert plate with maple ginger cheesecake, chocolate nemesis cake and house-churned pistachio and mango sorbet. The desserts were really good. I especially enjoyed the chocolate nemesis cake because of the chocolate soil. We were already full but managed to finish all of it, even though the server brought to-go boxes ready in case we couldn't finish it. I enjoyed my dinner and will definitely be back when I'm in the Kitchener area. Kudos to Mike D, our server - he was very attentive and very helpful with our order. He also made it easy for us to switch some sides around (e.g. the tomato side for sweet potato fries). He was also very knowledgeable on the menu they have. Also, kudos to Kevin, the manager - he immediately corrected the situation when I returned the steak. You can see him serving dishes out as well which is not common for a manager. read more

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We ordered the escargot, caesar salad, striploin and the ribeye both rare. Both apps were good and shared between us. The steaks were returned. Unfortunatly the ribeye still had a heart beat and was just too blue for me. I like rare, not blue. The striploin was cooked fine but she found it very tough and they forgot the seasoning. The replacement steaks were fantastic, tender and tasty. Loved the garlic mashed. Just as a warning...the ribeye included a shallot and red wine jam. I ordered it on the side...lucky for me. It was not to my taste at all. Service is excellent. Attentive without being intrusive. read more

Charcoal Steak House - Ribeye garlic mashed - Steakhouses Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

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I got the New York striploin cooked to medium rare and it was slightly crispy around the edges and juicy inside. Some parts were more well done and other parts were more rare but I'm not too fussy about how the meat is cooked; it was definitely one of the best steaks ever! I took off one star because I saw some water marks on the table that we were seated in. For a fancy restaurant to have this level of cleanliness was disappointing. Maybe they need to wipe more to keep the tables clean. I also found that the wait to get the bill was longer than expected. Overall, come here for the steak. If you're in the KW area, I would skip the Keg and eat here instead. read more

Was the misses and myselfs first time to the steak house, it was the misses birthday a few weeks ago an I diceded to treat her, just forgot to publish review on Yelp, it's a beautiful an welcoming place, the prices are as you expect, little pricey, but definitely worth it. We started off with wonton nachos, and let me tell you, I would most definitely go back just for those alone, then we each had the reg steak, I had loaded pattatos an she had mashed with garlic, both to almost die for. I was quite pleased for my first am most definitely not last visit to the famouse steak house! Complements to the chefs! read more

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Went there on my birthday wife made reservations when we got there they had lost our reservation and told us nothing they could do so we took off and went to chucks roadhouse you can never go wrong at chucks good price grrat service and very apologetic when it came to cold fries wiped up more right away read more

Husband made a reservation here on our wedding anniversary. The ambiance of the restaurant was cozy intimate especially since we we're seated in our own corner booth. There is a delicate piano playing in the background, I have no idea if it was being played in a grand piano or just from the sound system. It was definitely romantic since its dimly lit with votive candles floating on each of the tables. The only draw back was the noise of the other diners drowns out the background music. Hubby enjoyed his prime rib with baked potato, while I thought my salmon was over cooked and the risotto was nutty and raw to the bite. The only saving grace was the chocolate covered strawberry but who can mess that up really?! Would I have dinner again in this restaurant? Ofcourse I will, but I've had better meal elsewhere. read more

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Came on a monday night for my birthday and it was nice and quiet. Started off with a calamari and the portion was reaally small but it was nice, light, and crispy. I ordered the 6 oz filet mignon and bf ordered the prime rib. Filet mignon was cooked to my liking but nothing special in terms of taste and there could have been more vegetables for the side. The desserts were disappointing. They give you a free chocolate brownie for your birthday and it was dry and hard. The lemon cake that we ordered also wasnt that good as well - not worth it. read more

I visited this place twice in 2018, even though it's a half-hour drive from my home. The First time it was a wonderful and delicious experience.There were no complaints about food or service. I ordered my favourite french onion soup. It was very tasty. But we had to request paper napkins that weren't readily available. The Second time I was absolutely disappointed with this place. I ordered my beloved French Onion Soup again. It was terrible because it was completely over-salted! Upon our complaint, the manager stepped in and "solved" our problems: he just took our plates to the kitchen and when we got them back... it turned out we got (1) the SAME plates back, (2) the contents were merely diluted (most likely) water, and (3) the contents were barely warm. On top of all that, (4!!!) the soup was still as salted as before. The only positive moment was that manager said it's on the house, including our cocktails. (The paper napkins were not there again!) Unfortunately, I have no desire to go back. read more

Charcoal Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

Went here for my friends birthday was mediocre at best. When we went the restaurant was practically empty and we sat and waited for our server to greet us for about 10 minutes. The server ended up being great, super friendly and helpful. For apps we got the crab cakes and calamari, both apps were delicious. But the main dish is where I was unimpressed. My friend got the Steak Frites and tiny steak that had way too much salt and cold fries. I got the ribs as a recommendation and was highly unimpressed. Not much meat and bland. I had mash potatoes on the side and they were so dry and hard I had to order gravy because I couldn't eat them (the gravy was cold too). For the price the quality is similar to Moxie's or Wildcraft but double the price. Probably won't return. read more

Food was great. Ordered the Filet Mignon and it was cooKed to perfection. Garlic mashed potatoes were incredibly well cooked. Won't wow you with unique menu experience, but they do the tried and true menu very well. read more

Deceased service and food quality!! We went there for Valentine's Dinner, since Charcoal is always a place we love. I booked the seat in advance, got a great place when we first sat down, but then got moved to a cold and dead corner. So I requested to move again. And I'm really not sure if they did it because they are questioning our buying power (since we look young compare to the usual crowd) We ordered a Tomahawk. Comparing to last time, the cut was weird, the meat was way too hard to chew. It was such a disappointment. I'm really not sure if I'll come back to Charcoal next time. :(((( read more

Great food, great service! We went here three times so far. The first two times, I got a steak and it was so good. I never ever regret coming here, especially when I have that first bite. The prime rib is great too, I'm just not sure it's my thing. They used to have a normal baked potato as a side, but for some reason they got rid of that. They offer a twice-baked potato now, which is good too but I don't like it as much. I miss my beloved normal baked potato :( The side veggies are also interesting, I like how they feature something a little different and seasonal each time, like kale and beets. Yum. Mashed potatoes are a decent choice as well. Another note: there used to be these really awesome tiny dinner buns that came at the beginning of our meal and they got replaced by these flaky cheese pastry things. They are good, don't get me wrong, but it's like eating tasty air. Let them know if it's your birthday and they'll include a mint-chocolate chip dessert on the house. The creme brulee is relatively generous with its portion, a little on the eggy side. The flourless chocolate cake could be denser, but that's just because I love me some chocolate. For Valentine's day, they gave us little two macarons instead of mints with the bill. They were not very good macarons, but I really appreciate the gesture! Again, the service is great. They're never afraid to chat and share a bit of their own lives with you, but they give you your space. The manager always comes around at least once to ask how everything is going. You have to come here at least once. read more

Dry ass crab cakes. Dry ass hell. Should be called sand cakes... and they were primarily filler, to make matters worse, they had bits of veggies in them. Not anti veggie my any means, but you don't make crab cakes with veggies, ever... fairly certain these were previously frozen however, but that makes them being over cooked even worse, so yeah, if you're going to here anyway - just don't with the crab cakes. read more