What a shame, what a shame. I drive past El corral all the time and I finally decided to give it a shot for dinner. On paper, everything looks great. I like the ambience, the history of the restaurant, and the menu. I really wanted to like everything but you seriously need to make some changes or you will be out of business. I've been in the restaurant industry for a long time and I'm surprised to see that people still eat there. The most important thing will always be the quality of the food. The server was friendly. The bread rolls were decent. The salad probably came out of a bag but i liked the dressing. All of the steaks at the table were overcooked and dry. The prime rib was also over cooked and just didn't have a good flavor. For the managers and owners, stop buying low grade beef. It's really easy to make a good prime rib and to grill a delicious steak. Go for Choice grade beef, and hire a better chef. You have all of the essentials to be a great steakhouse. read more

Favorite Steakhouse to come too! The T-Bone is delicious and so is the Tamale pie. The staff are super friendly and the service is always great! Since this is mine and my now Fiancès place to eat, we had our Engagement Dinner here! You won't be disappointed! read more

El Corral - Very simple, if you love Steak, come here! If you love Tamale Pie, come here! - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

You will wait at least an 1.50 hours to eat if you do not make a reservation. They only allow reservations of large parties. Silverware is dirty and wait staff does not listen. Food is good if you can over look everything else. read more

Steaks and prime rib were good. Ordered Mac and cheese for kids and it was cold and watery. Server never asked if we wanted our bar beverages refilled. Front hostesses are rude. So ... beef dishes are acceptable service is eehhh read more

Well, I was disappointed again. Went there about 7 years ago and was served cold prime rib. Went again two weeks ago to have a good meal with the family before going to Texas to help with the freeze. Our server was Wendy who did a great job but, three of us had the prime rib and it was cold again. Didn't say anything because Wendy, our server was very busy. Not her fault at all. We will never go back. There will be no strike three. Thank you Wendy you were great! read more

Basic middle of the road restaurant. The interior is kinda fun in a western old time-y way but food was just so so. Prime rib was fatty and under seasoned. My steak was fine. Ribs fine. Sides all pretty good. So it may be worth a visit just for the atmosphere but we won't be regulars. read more

I decided to try a them for the first (and last) time last night. We walked in and the place looks just run down. I do have to say the service was very friendly and fast. I ordered the porterhouse. The salad was small and just so-so at best and served far to cold (my wife couldn't eat it) the bread was not fresh and had little teast . The meal came very fast (to fast) . Both steaks where understand cooked and though as shoe leather, I had to saw at it with the dull knife, I should never have to saw at anything much less a porterhouse. The French fries where nothing special, from the freezer to the fryer. I will not be back. read more

El Corral - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Sadly we went there after a great prime rib dinner a week ago just to try their Mud Pie. We heard it was OMG!. Well really gummy and tasted frozen. Maybe just a bad day? Great service. There were very kind. Gave us 2 pieces to try. Took the cost off our bill. We will still go back for dinner. Prime rib very good! read more

We ordered Fillet Mignon and received something less than rump roast, which was poor cooked as well. This is the restaurant that time passed by. Maybe in 1959, this sort of quality might have passed for a meal but today, it's a disgrace. Avoid at all costs. This place truly sucks. read more

We have been coming to El Corral for many years for our annual New Year Dinner. We were a group of 10, that dwindled down to 8 due to illnesses. We were seated at a large table one room away from the restrooms Every so often we would get a stench, (sewer smell) . We noticed the room adjacent to the restrooms was empty...now we know why. We ate our delicious dinners, but could not stay and chat over coffee due to the unbearable stench. As we left i mentioned this to the hostess, who was not surprised, but did apologize. I'm sure if the stench was noticeable to is, it had to be with other patrons. Management I'm sure is aware of the problem and should have not seated us or anyone in the vicinity of that stench! Not a way to start the New Year! read more

We visited here on the 16th of January, 2018. I had the ribeye and my wife and her friend had the T-Bone. First of all our service was excellent, very attentive! All of our steaks were cooked to perfection! The meat was tender, tasteful & well aged! I love to come here when visiting Tucson, as this is one of the old "classic" steakhouses that wears that mantle proudly. Try the tamale pie and the loaded baked potato! read more

I want to love this place! I visited with my family a few times growing up and have great memories there. The ambiance is so fun, and it's such an old restaurant with a neat history. But the food was just not impressive. I got the prime rib (my first ever prime rib, actually!) While it was juicy perfectly cooked, the flavor was pretty bland. I'm not a big fan of horseradish, so I settled for lots of au jus, salt and pepper to flavor it up. My husband got the T-bone steak and was also unimpressed. I did read some reviews before going and was hoping it would be better than what I'd read, but it wasn't. Service was great, and the tamale pie is excellent, but we probably won't be back for a while. Sad. read more

Well this place has definitely gone down hill. The bread omg, how can they serve a wrinkled, cold, hard-roll, I'm so confused ? And the tamale pie was cold,mushy and flavorless. The chicken and filet were meh. And I must add both our meals were free due to an awful meal the last visit. If a free meal is terrible how can you go back? Welp we won't! read more

Sunday evening our family of four came for dinner, after a long Covid absence, we all had prime rib medium rare, salad and side, with house margaritas, it was just as good as in the 'old days' albeit the price (up but not excessive). The service and presentation was also good. Don't let the recent negative reviews keep you away, just complain if things are not good. They now have a loyalty program. David read more

My family has been dining here for 40 years. I remember visiting as a child with my parents, for dates and anniversaries as a teen and adult, over the Christmas holidays when I lived in Wisconsin, and now for evenings out with my husband and meals to take home to my parents. I have read the Yelp reviews bashing my all-time favorite restaurant for prime rib. What I will say first is I come for prime rib or BBQ ribs. I've had the stroganoff and enjoyed it, and I've had chicken and salmon that were okay, but the prime rib is the best thing on the menu. I would not come here expecting a great salad or bakery bread. It's not that kind of place. Salad and bread are simply to keep you busy while you wait for your meal. But the salad is fine and the lightly sourdough rolls are pretty good. My advice is order what they are known for, ribs and prime rib. (We once went to a steakhouse. It looked like a steakhouse. It smelled like a steakhouse. It had a steakhouse named. My mother ordered a chimichanga. It was terrible. She was the only one that was surprised. . . .) El Corral is a Tucson institution. The decor is primarily historical and definitely Old West and always has been. It's not trying to be the trendy night spot. It's a place to get great prime rib and enjoy the vibe of a bygone era. Many come not only to enjoy a meal but also to remember meals, company, and celebrations enjoyed in the past. Tradition is a good thing! Our most recent order was for Mothers Day. We ordered takeout to enjoy with my mom and dad at home. I drove 45 minutes each way to get it and it was worth it! Orders included two full racks of ribs with tamale pie. Stellar, as always. Tender, smokey ribs with just the right amount of sauce. Tamale pie was creamy and cheesy deliciousness, as always. Three ordered the French dip sandwich. The sandwiches were filled with delicious prime rib, cheese, onions, and green chilies. Yummy! Fries were very good as well. One grilled chicken breast because I just didn't feel like beef that night. Chicken breast was just okay, better when used the extra BBQ on it. read more

We just had the most amazing dinner at El Corral! The steaks were tasty and cooked to perfection ... the mud pie was heavenly!

20 members of 1 of my Meetup groups had dinner here yesterday & it was my first visit & I was very impressed w/the food & the service. A huge restaurant w/many rooms & a cowboy motif. Carol, our waitress,was fast, efficient & quick with a smile. I started w/the Rocky Mtn "oysters", served w/cocktail sauce & crackers. Fried perfectly & tastier w/o the dipping sauce. However, for $10 bucks it was a very small portion. I also had a superb bone-in ribeye that was prepared medium as requested & it was tender & seasoned nicely. For my side I ate their famous tamale pie & it was 'muy delicioso'. I really don't understand why there are so many negative reviews..... read more

Interesting place, not busy on Thursday night. Fast service. Cost is high for the quality of steak. read more

El Corral - Pretty neat place. Prices are a little high for the quality of the meat they serve. - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

While staying at a near by resort to celebrate our 24th Anniversary and his birthday, my hubby and I thought to venture outside the resort and try a local steakhouse. To our dismay the T-bone steak accompanied with a Caesar salad that he ordered arrived cold and tough. Most of the steak had sinew and fat. I ordered a grilled salmon that arrived over cooked with a yellowish color due to a seasoning of some kind. Before the food arrived we requested some bread to eat before the meal. The bread appeared to be that brown oblong loaf with oat flakes on the outside that you get while at the Cheesecake Factory that is typically warm, and soft. To the contrary the brown oblong loaf with oat flakes on the outside was cold, stale and tasteless. Overall, we strained to give this place a grade of C. read more

Great food in a fun and friendly environment. Tamale pie is a must have! Place is large with multiple rooms and decorated very well.

The worst, bar none, on many fronts. Not even worth my time to review. Save your money and find another local steak house.

First time here, with a group of friends, and everything was good. Two of us ordered the prime rib--nicely roasted and my potato came w generous servings of butter, sour cream. The other prime plate was huge--come hungry. My partner got the salmon with Mac n cheese --she loved it. Great service and fun atmosphere in a touristy way. Drinks were tasty and strong. We will bring our families here! read more

I expected more out of this "historic" restaurant. It lies when it says usual wait 15 minutes We waited for 40 minutes to be seated. So 6:40 6:45pm we were in our seats. 7-7:10pm someone took our drink order. 7:15pm the waitress took our food order. 7:45/7:50 we got our salads [which were included in the price of the entree] And then some time after 8pm we got our food. I ordered a rare prime rib. Everyone else ordered medium rare to medium well and ALL were under cooked. I require communication with my server. I didn't know her name. I don't know why it took so long to get anything. She never mentioned there might be a wait. And my husband feels she lacked personality. With our experience tonight, my family of 6 will not be back. Nor will we encourage anyone to go here. It breaks my heart because I have been looking forward to eating at this restaurant for the last 4+years. For the life of me, I cannot understand why people enjoy it. You may try to blame it on a Saturday night, but give me Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Texas Roadhouse or even Chili's, and my food and service would have been better and faster; less expensive and definitely more enjoyable. read more

After a 4 year hiatus we decided to check it out. Prime rib was good and cooked perfectly but the little loaf of brown bread was hard which was a bummer cause it's awesome when hot out of the oven. The atmosphere is the same very simple western themed as it was 40 years ago and very comfortable. Definitely will be back. read more

My family has been going here for decades. Place has gone down hill. Prime rib was dry, overcooked and looked suspiciously like last nights leftovers heated in a microwave. Tamale pie was heavy on the cheese and light on the masa and a little soupy in the middle. What they passed off as bread would be better used to throw at pigeons. Bonus time was when my credit card got hacked shortly after using it to pay the bar tab. Skinny, tweaker dude tending bar set off red flags but I made the mistake of trusting this brand. read more

We picked this place for a special occasion, after reading a recommendation in the "This is Tucson" newsletter and discovering that they had been in business for 80+ years. Don't bother. Everything was highly disappointing. We both had their specialty, prime rib with a side of their "famous" tamale pie. The prime rib was tough, the tamale pie was a mixture of masa and corn with cheddar cheese that had probably been melted on it at noon. No spice whatsoever. When it was served, it was barely lukewarm. They also claim that the horseradish is fresh, but it was not. A very disappointing meal out. read more

I've been to El Corral occasionally since I moved to Tucson in 1998. It was also my father-in-law's favorite until he passed away in 2016. We went back this past weekend on a whim and were sorely disappointed. We were looking for good, flavorful steaks and got tough, overcooked meat that I wouldn't serve at home. The meal started out fine enough with drinks and salads (typical steakhouse iceberg lettuce, better-than-average blue cheese dressing), but then went downhill fast. I ordered a ribeye since it's my favorite cut, usually nice and juicy and fatty around the edges. I ordered medium rare and got medium well. In addition, he meat was tough, flavorless, and lean (where do you get a lean ribeye?!). I decided not to send it back since I couldn't imagine a steak like this being any better even if cooked to the right temperature. We encouraged one of our companions, however, to send back her filet which was also medium but ordered medium rare. Just massacred. And small, and not really looking like a filet cut. Her replacement looked the same but was at least cooked to temperature. I was just flabbergasted with the poor quality of meat at a steakhouse where you're spending upwards of $27 for a meal. I wouldn't be surprised if this meat was Select or Standard, it was that bad. I know it's not Fleming's, but seriously! Definitely will not be returning, which is a shame because I consider this a Tucson institution. read more

Large cowboy themed room with a focus on steak. Steak quality was not great. Side dish was almost cold. Good mud pie desert. Service was good. Not someplace I would look to go back to. read more

The service was great very friendly but I didn't like that the rolls came out hard as a rock and the salad looked old. read more

El Corral - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Pretty good eats here. We went for Valentines Day dinner, and not surprisingly, it was quite crowded. That's okay. We got the chiles and prime rib appetizer. Tasty. We split a rib and prime rib combo and it was well cooked and plenty big enough for the two of us. Tamale pie as a side. A little dry but great flavor. Drinks were good. I got the pale rider. Sweet but not too sweet. Nice and refreshing. The only real complaint I have about this place is the way it's set up, as in the seating. Too many tables too close together. We practically had to shout at each other to be heard over the din. And a table over from us, one of the women had a terrible potty mouth and was not afraid to let the whole restaurant know it, as she ranted loudly about something or other. So much for a romantic date night. We'll try it again when perhaps it's not so packed. Heard good things about the steaks so we'll go again in a couple weeks. I'll update my review then. Update: was a little better the second time. Where we were seated helped I think. Steaks were very good. Mine was over cooked but it was still tender and had good flavor so I opted to not send it back. read more

Sigh. I was asked where I wanted to go to for my birthday dinner. El Corral, I said! I was craving some prime rib and I knew where to go for the best kind, especially after my disappointment in trying one at Texas Roadhouse. We arrived on Wednesday evening, no wait. It was moderately busy. Sat down, ordered drinks. Drinks came (red sangria left something to be desired). 25 minutes after being seated, the waitress finally came over to take appetizer orders, to which we ordered everything since we had plenty of time to think about what to get. Waitress curt and not very engaging. 20 minutes later, got most of our appetizers. Was told the Rocky Mountain Oysters would be out in just a minute. 10 minutes later, they came out. Then the salad came. Dressing was good. Meanwhile, we noticed one cook at the grill, possibly in training. Many manager- or staff-looking people looking over his shoulder constantly... made us a little anxious about how our food would be cooked. After an hour and ten minutes from being seated, we finally got our entrees. I ordered my prime rib as I always do, medium rare. In the past, it's been melt-in-your-mouth amazing, practically able to cut pieces off with your fork, no knife needed. Today, slightly under medium rare, tough, and needing to basically saw off pieces with my knife only to chew more than usual. Good flavor though? My dad's rare t-bone came out medium. However, having already waited this long for our food, we opted to stay silent and enjoy our meal. My mashed potatoes came out with gravy... ugh. I didn't know they came with gravy, and wasn't asked if I wanted it. I hate gravy, especially brown gravy. Two hours after our arrival we were finally ready to leave. Not one single apology from the waitress for our wait. I had heard from friends that the place was going downhill and I try not to judge until I experience myself and well here I am. Unfortunately, I will probably not be back for a while. read more

A prime rib dinner for under $15?? Sign me up. My family has been coming here since I was little and it never gets old. Just because it's affordable doesn't mean that it isn't high quality grub. Typically we get the food to go and take it home to devour, but occasionally we would go sit down to enjoy a good southwestern dinning experience. It seems as though the restaurant was originally an adobe mansion, with all the old school touches that make you think real cowboys eat here. The food is serious. The servings are perfect because you can order them to fit your appetite, I usually go with the petite cut and still leave completely satisfied. It comes with a potato side (you'd be a fool not to get the baked potato fully loaded) and a side salad with their amazing house dressing. This place is fantastic food, super affordable, plus it gives you that classic Tucson vibe. Can't go wrong. read more

After getting them little doggies along, if you are hankering for a wrangled steak bigger than a ten gallon hat for less than a shot of whiskey and feed for your horse, then giddyup and high tail it down to the El Corral ranch and hitch'er up. They would be much obliged. Set at the foot of the Catalina mountains, this restaurant has been around since before the movie expression "Cut to the Chase" was the way to get to the climax of a silent western. Set in an old ranch house that has added rooms as customers kept coming, this is an old school steak house that is down home and without any city slickers. "Petite" Prime Rib $11.95; In-bone Rib Eye $17.95, Porterhouse $17.95; all served with choice of soup or salad, and a side of baked or mashed potatoes, or Tamale Pie! We had 3 Golden Margaritas ($6.25) which is a margarita with a healthy splash of orange juice and Grande Marnier; 3 Coronas ($4.25), 2 large Mudpies, 1 Strawberry Cheesecake (all $3.95) for a total less than $100 for the 3 of us before tax. Waitress was an old pro giving good service, and the food tasted great! If you can't get a square meal at home, then come on down to the El Corral and get your fill. You don't need to get all gussied up, either. After this, you will kiss your horse and ride into the sunset with a smile. read more

Sadly I have experienced better prime rib before and the sad part is it was here. Over the years the food and service have definitely declined. We hadn't visited El Corral in about a year and after reading some of the reviews here I had to see for myself if they were true and they are :( We went for and early dinner around 6 and there were a few scattered tables, however service was rushed as if the restaurant was busy. When the food came out it didn't taste as delicious as I remembered. I needed to add salt to everything the prime rib, veggies etc. I left feeling unsatisfied, from now on we'll stick to sister restaurant Pinnacle Peak. read more

El Corral - Prime rib and steamed broccoli - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Meh..... This restaurant survives mainly on its older Cliental. If you don't update your restaurant or refresh your menu, you will only survive so long. Things we liked: Rustic decor - this is always acceptable in Tucson Best house honey Italian dressing I have ever had. Prime rib is seasoned very well. Things we didn't like: Absent minded server. I saw him set my salad in front of someone at another table, put it back on the tray and the. Served it to me.....yuck. They are known for their prime rib, but do not provide horseradish sauce. Only straight up horse radish. I have ordered many a prime rib in many a places and have never had an issue with procuring horseradish SAUCE. Salad was just ok....regular iceberg. Rolls - were just ok. Sides -just ok. Basic tea...no flavors. So basically it was just ok. Nothing special or extra to set it apart. Probably will not return. To many other great places to try in Tucson. read more

I drive by here all the time and have always wondered how it is - so I was excited when one of my friends invited me to go with him and some buddies. The atmosphere inside isn't as cool as I thought it would be considering the outside looks pretty sweet. The table we were at was cramped and wobbly and the chairs were the same. The food was about 6/10 and closer to 4/10 for the price. Our server was nice and knew what he was doing, but kind of seemed like he didn't want to be there. I may be back, but only if someone drags me here. read more

I'm very sad to write this review because I have heard a lot of nice things about the food at this steakhouse and after years of driving by I finally decided to try it out. So my first problem was the service, Our waitress had three tables including us and somehow the other two tables who sat after us recieved their menus and then drinks before us. She took a very long time after taking our drink order to come back and then our food took longer than necessary to come to us. I ordered a petite steak with mashed potatoes, my son ordered a cheeseburger and fries and my friend ordered a large steak. Both of the steaks had a tremendous amount of fat on them and we spent half of our meal cleaning them to be able to eat them.I attached a picture so you can see just how much fat there was. The mashed potates were pretty dry and bland. My sons cheeseburger looked old and like it had been sat on. When our food came they brought the wrong sides for my son and he had to wait for them to make his steak fries. Once they finally came they were soggy and floppy,the looked like they sat under a heat lamp all day. We sat with our drinks empty for most of our meal. All in all I will not be returning here as I found nothing worth the trip. read more

Great place overall. Giving 3 stars just because I have had better just at a much higher price point. However, some advice, don't order the petite Filet. It's more than petite, it's almost non existent, first time I've been disappointed here. It was literally 1/4 of the size of my hand. I will post pictures of it with my hand next to it. read more

El Corral - This is the petite Filet Mignon. - Steakhouses Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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I went for dinner last night on my way out of town. I had the petite filet which was flavorful and cooked perfectly. Salad with blue cheese was a nice spring mix. The service was good. My server was training another server and I wasn't able to get my check as quickly as I liked. I would definitely come here again. read more

L corral ended up really not being my cup of tea. I like that pisses add to sign institution, and that there is a ton of history with the location and the Decore in the restaurant itself. That being said, no amount of history can make up for lack luster food. I must note, I do not eat red meat, and the only pork I will eat is in bacon form very occasionally. So you may be saying that my review could be considered a biased as this is a steakhouse, however, I have been to other steak houses and found great non-red meat options. I was hoping that this would be one of those experiences, as the prices are great here, but I can't justify coming back. My husband had come to Elkhart Rall a few times before he and I had Matt, and remembered favorable things about it. Every once in a while I say OK, let's go do a legit steakhouse, and I usually order chicken or seafood while he gets some sort of redmeat. I've got to throw the poor guy a bone every once in a while as I don't cook red meet for him. I started with a dinner salad, which was unremarkable. He started with the clam chowder, which was Luke warm and tasted like it came from a can. I selected the only vegetarian dish, which was some sort of cheese stuffed chili thing. It was OK, but nothing that I would really come back for. I make better baked potatoes at home, so I wouldn't come back for this one either. My husband said that the prime rib that you had was OK, but he remembers it being better a few years ago. Service was friendly and adequate. Nothing crazy over-the-top but we weren't left waiting for a long periods of time in between visits either. All this being said, I can see how this place would appeal to some people. It just isn't something that really appeals to myself. Personally, I would rather spend my money elsewhere. read more