My husband left a 10% tip and he's an absolute 20% tipper, I've never ever seen him leave less than 20%!!! We were there yesterday Mar 27, 6pm to 8:45pm sat in the bar area. Server was a bit rude, extremely slow/rarely checking in, and there was a billing issue. It's too bad she made our night out feel crummy. After dinner we left and had our night cap beverage over at Jack Astors. Oh and by the way who changers another $2 for one extra bowl of nachos?? We had a friend drop by for a drink and she would not bring a bowl over for -technically- a new patron because it was for "the same table" - we jokingly told him to sit at the table beside us. Really Lone Star is that stingy now ? read more

Our first visit at Lonestar. There's a Happy hour menu daily 8pm - close. The server name was Dixie. She was friendly and checked on us regularly. There was an issue with the orders and the kitchen brought out a plate of ribs however we ordered the ancho bbq chicken Enchiladas. One of the other servers had to call our server to resolve the mix-up with the orders. Dixie returned to our table and explained to us our orders are coming soon. We waited about 25 minutes for our orders to come out. That is too long for 1 lb of wings and Enchiladas. The Enchiladas did not meet our expectations. The Enchiladas were warm not hot. The rice was dry and beans looked like canned beans. The ancho bbq chicken had nice flavor but that was the only positive. I will not order this again. The chicken wings were half price for happy hour. $9.50 for 1lb and comes with ranch or blue cheese dip and carrots. The carrots were not chopped in bite size portions. We ordered 2 x 1 lb of wings one tequila lime bbq and other one honey garlic. The wings were juicy, meaty and delicous. We also ordered 18oz Budweiser drafts for $6.29 which are part of the $3 off happy hour specials for domestic drafts. For a Friday night, the restaurant was not too busy and you would expect faster service. We did see other diners who also had to wait a long time for their orders as well. We will still give them another try as they have some good daily specials, lunch specials and the steak fajitas really looked good. PS we also didnt get the Cinco de mayo piñata offer to win prizes when we got our bill. We are disappointed however we didn't let this ruin our Friday night. read more

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I visited this location in the summer for my birthday. I forgot to leave a review. We had their margarita flights, alligator bites, chimichanga and nachos. Staff were super friendly and service was impeccable. We did karaoke on the patio and had an amazing celebration I thought the margaritas were perfect. I've had alligator before and this completely satisfied my craving . The dipping sauce was perfect for them. read more

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A great basic spot to grab a quick dinner that's good with good drinks. The fajitas are great and the free chips they give you at the beginning of the meal are good as well. read more

Well, this was an indifferent experience. We have been at this Lone Star location multiple times over the past 5 or so years and it feels like this location, and the chain, is in steady decline. We've been frequenting the chain since the original location in Ottawa in the 1980's, it was amazing back then. This time, not so much. We arrived on a Saturday in early December with one other family in front. While at the unattended reception desk, a couple of servers sighted us but seemed to stoically ignore our existence. That is we remained unrecognized, unacknowledged, and uncertain if anyone would ever come by. A few short minutes later the hostess(?) walked past, and I do mean walked past. She seemed focused on dealing with some issue occupying her attention and, again, both parties remained unrecognized and unacknowledged. Fortunately, dealing with whatever only took a minute or two and she came by and seated the family in front of us. We were next and were seated in a booth in the bar area. There were no other patrons in the bar and no "busy" vibe at all. Continuing with the vibe, honestly, everyone seemed to be walking through their roles and without any energy. Our meals and service was adequate but so proforma as to feel bland. The meal quality was good and, thank goodness, complimentary chips and salsa has been restored. A few years ago they asked us to pay for this. Still overall, the dining experience had all the charm of eating at MacDonalds and more like functional eating rather than dining. A huge contrast with our prior experience with the Lone Star chain and near to depressing. We left hungry yet not for food. read more

Yee haw! Although I live nearby, I haven't been here in years but I had a gift certificate to redeem. Good reason to return! The parking lot was full and there was a lineup just inside the entrance when I arrived. I had a choice of waiting 30 minutes for a table or sitting in the bar. The bar was good. I actually ended up with a pretty good seat at a high top table in the bar. I was greeted by a friendly server and presented with a generous bowl of freshly made tortilla chips and some tasty salsa. I added some of their house hot sauce and now it was perfect! I already had an idea of what I wanted so I ordered the 14oz Boneless Beef Rib Steak. It's served with a baked potato, wedge fries, onion rings, and veggies. Unfortunately (or not), they were out of baked potatoes so I chose mashed potatoes. I'm not sure why they would need to serve this with two kinds of potatoes but I went along with it. My steak, with all the fixin's, arrived on a large platter that was hot to the touch. I cut it for a picture and it was cooked perfectly medium rare. It was also very tasty, with just the right amount of seasoning. The fries were cooked well and the onion rings were super crunchy. The mashed potatoes were okay but the veggies were just a bit al dente for my liking. A 14oz boneless steak is a big chunk of meat but when at a Texas restaurant, you gotta think big. This was a very good steak but it takes a while to eat something this size and halfway through, it was cooling off and becoming less juicy. This is not a complaint, just a comment on eating big steaks. I couldn't finish the veggies or the mashed potatoes. It was just too much, especially with the chips to start. I still don't see the need to serve two types of potatoes. When I was leaving, there were still several groups waiting for tables but sections of the restaurant were empty. Hmmm... read more

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Great service, patio was perfect (minus the wind!) and food is consistent for sure. Nice touch on the flight of margaritas one of our guests enjoyed! Prices seem to keep creeping up these last few years ... but, still a great spot for fajitas + chips and salsa of course. read more

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I had supper tonight at Lone Star Texas Grill. "Rangler" was my server and she started me off with some warm tortilla chips and salsa. Yum! I ordered Southern-Fried Chicken Fingers with medium sauce. They were good. They were tender and the sauce had a nice bite. Because of the free tortilla chips, I didn't need to order fries. Rangler was great. I had had a busy day talking retirement with people from 9:30am to 7:30pm. She was very friendly and silly ... just want I needed after a hard tiring day. Thanks, Rangler! read more

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Came here for dinner, and I probably wouldn't return here to dine-in. Service was horrible! We walked in and waited where we were supposed to (near the please wait here sign), one waitress was like "one moment," so we waited and she walked away. Another waitress comes towards the table, sees us and told us after that she "thought the other waitress helped us." We waited for about 10 minutes. That was ridiculous. After getting seated, our waitress took the longest time to come take our order, at this point I just wanted to leave. However, the food was delicious!! We got the coconut shrimp as an appetizer, and the fajita fiesta for 2 as our main course. Both were well done, and we were satisfied with meal. Wouldn't be back at this location for dine-in though, probably try another location. read more

Lone Star Texas Grill - Coconut shrimp - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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Will probably never go back to this location. Wait times are terrible, tables are sticky and so are the seats. We waited for well over an hour even though they said 45 mins. We went in and asked about our table and they sent us to a dirty table, with the hostess barely cleaning it after apologizing...with a dirty rag. Then our actual waitress came and gave us major attitude and asked if we received a text. She admitted and apologized to giving us attitude later...but it was neither here or there because the food took forever to come as well. We came at 7 pm and didn't get to eat until near 10. Thankfully they give free chips and salsa to tide things over. Drinks were way too sweet - it was like drinking sugar but we were just so hungry that it was alright. Food was good - not the greatest but not bad. We had to also ask for takeout boxes because by then we were so hungry we were full....and the waitress gave us boxes that didn't fit the food so we had to ask again. Overall terrible experience and service was awful. Gave 2 stars because food made up for it kind of... read more

Lone Star Texas Grill - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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I've been going to this location since I was a young kid in the 90s and I still love it just as much today as I did then. Love the steak fajitas!! read more

Warning: Bathrooms are not accessible in this restaurant. They also do not have a change table for little ones. The food here is usually very good, although I know to order chicken mostly. I usually have had a good experience but the latest one with a baby was very disappointing. We went in for their new 3 course special. They were very busy on Sunday with parties and we had to wait. Most people that walked in afterwards had to wait much longer. Now the last time we came in with a stroller and were seated at a booth with the stroller at the end. This time we came with no stroller and were seated at a booth so I asked for a high chair and am told they do not allow high chairs at the end of booths even though there was plenty of room for it at the back of the restaurant. I ask if there is any other tables and they say no and that if I want that I have to wait even longer then the 20 minutes I was already waiting. So we say fine we will try the booster. Unfortunately, this booster has no seatbelt which is a total safety issue. So because we had already invested time waiting and were hungry and had no other option, we had to hold our 10 month old baby throughout dinner to keep him from falling out or climbing onto the table, which he tried to do many times. Last time we had a great waitress and I can always tell when a waitress is a mom because they don't put hot plates or cutlery infront of a little boy but this time was not the case. I was also disappointed in the kids menu. I get to have grilled chicken fajitas but for kids they only offer breaded chicken fingers? At least they did have seasonal veggies on kids menu which were very good. My other big issue with my meal was that it took so long to be brought the second course which is a salad, I asked my waitress where it was, and then about 10 minutes later received the salad at the same time as the main course. I had to ask her the same things multiple times because she kept forgetting. The only reason she got 15% tip was because of the mess we left behind. To recap: Very disappointing service. Fajitas are always excellent. Stupid no high chair rule with booths. And unsafe booster seats. read more

Lone Star Texas Grill - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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We arrived at Lonestar and were seated immediately because of our reservation.We used a $15 off 50 coupon. The free chips and salsa are great. We ordered the ribs, the waiter did not ask what BBQ sauce type we would like. we ordered Jim Bean BBQ sauce. The waiter refilled the pop without asking, which was great. We asked for a bottle of ketchup he forgot. None of the tables had ketchup bottles or salt and pepper. After we finished eating it took the waiter 20 minutes for him to ask us if we would like dessert. We ordered our dessert and asked for our bills immediately, as did other guests nearby. it was obvious the waiter was slow, and no one wanted to wait another 20 minutes for their bill. we ordered the rib dinner and the Apple Sizzler. it was an apple crumble on a sizzling hot plate with French vanilla ice cream I recommend it's one of the better desserts out there which had great flavor the ribs were cooked well tender and were falling off the bones. the mobility is limited for washroom access. it is located downstairs . The corona bottle salt and pepper shakers were cute. read more

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The best Torts in Town! If you have ever studied law you'd know why that's amusing. This is a pretty nice place for its purpose. The food is pretty decent, the service is ok for the most part and it's pretty family friendly. I like the quesidillas. They could do a little better on their beer selection, why not get some ontario craft brews guys? Bud and Coors? Am I going south of the border? Regardless, I like this place, i've been back a number of times. I probably will go back. read more

Lone Star Texas Grill - The bet Torts in Town! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

Been here only once and man the service sucked here Service was soooooo bad Our server that was serving us decided to pay more attention to two females he was serving instead of our table Took him almost 10 minutes to take our drink order Another 15 for the food Food came out slow as well Don't get me started about how long it took for the bill I didn't want to give him a tip but my wife instead tipped him a small tip Will not go back to this location read more

I understand that COVID creates challenges for restaurants and small businesses. However, new information on customers can visit or dine in is ongoing. Therefore, the onus is on the restaurants to update their website with new information. We are I. The 21st century, we check websites for info, we don't call. Went to lone star a couple weeks ago because I was told no reservations were being accepted; 1st come 1 serve. I go today get a table at 11:30 and was asked if I had a reservation. They were full. Waste of my time and the time of the person I was meeting for lunch coming in from Toronto. No information on the websites. Get you websites updated. read more

This is the second Lone House I've been to. It's OK. It's one of those places that Lee's siblings and family like to go to for large group gatherings, the food is pretty OK and pleasing for the average person. It's Canadian Tex-Mex, which is a little bit different than US Tex-Mex in ways that I can't completely put my finger on. The food is pretty average, nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible. I would give this place two stars because they recently started charging for chips and salsa, which I find a little bit ridiculous. On the other hand, the server totally busted her hump, enough for me to give 4 stars, so those two things cancel each other out. read more

I remember when this place opened when I was a teenager!everyone either worked there or went for dinner. Sadly I had dinner a few weeks ago and it was horrible! The food was overpriced, looked old and tired. I could of made better tacos and drinks at home. Really disappointing for what I paid. read more

When I asked for a med rare to steak but got a steak that literally moo'd at me when it arrived... things weren't looking up. The mushrooms were cooked yesterday... the salad was limp and obviously not fresh. They only thing they got right was the previously frozen calemari. That's 3 tries and 3 misses....oh well. read more

Pretty bad service and mediocre food. We were a group of 5 celebrating a birthday on a Saturday night. The restaurant was understandably busy but the service we received was awful. The food itself was okkkk, we orderex the nachoes and salsa which they now charge for, which is ultimately ok because the proceeds were going to a local food bank, but the chips we received were all crumbs so we asked for another which took a pretty long time to arrive. Lastly the food that we received after waiting about 40min more was only warm and not hot. But the drinks are good. So overall not a great experience. I highly doubt we will be coming back. read more

I'd never been here before but my brother goes all the time so I figured it must be good. My husband and I went and ordered the fajita's for two. What we received was what I've received at other restaurants for one person. The tortilla was slightly under cooked and doughy but I will say, their salsa is fantastic! Over all, I was not impressed and will most likely, not go back. read more

This place is just A-OK. They are known for their nachos and fajita. So if you are in the mood for that, then this is a great place to go. The good things: 1) there is a patio! 2) the nachos come free! 3) It is family friendly. This place has been in Pickering for as long as I can remember. I am not that old, but I am old enough... and it has been here long enough. So it is good because it is that "old faithful" kind of a place that may trigger a bit of nostalgia from decades ago. The not-so good: 1) You may have to wait... sometimes 20mins.. it just depends. But the way I see it, I can run home and put something together in that same amount of time... I want to eat NOW! I don't like to wait... but here it may happen. I guess that speaks to its popularity. 2) They have deals. One of which is the Family fajitas for $44. This sounded like a great idea until it was only offered in chicken or beef. We asked for the veggie one but the deal wasn't offered for vegetarian. I don't quite get it, because generally veggies are cheaper than meat but I guess I am not as good in economics as I once thought. =S If you are out of ideas on where to eat, this place isn't that bad, but I wouldn't go rushing out to try this place especially since I predict it will be here for a little longer. read more

We were having fajitas and all the food came nice and hot - everything looked like it was fresh and smelled amazing. However, I noticed that there was a short curly hair in the rice. We immediately stopped eating and called our waiter over - he apologized and said that he was going to get a new order of the chicken and rice. When the 'new order' came, he only brought us half an order of the meat and want really the empathetic to the situation. Even though we didn't expect a discount or anything, most restaurant managers would've approached to apologize and offer a discount or some kind. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN HERE. I ended up emailing that night and I received NO RESPONSE. We were very disappointed and will no longer return to any Lone Star. read more

This Lone Star is pretty decent and is newly renovated as of May of this year. The renos are nice, everything is updated and very clean. If you've never been here before, most people go for the free nachos because they're usually pretty yummy with fresh salsa! I went here with two of my friends on a Sunday night around 5:30ish for an early dinner and it was already busy enough for a Sunday. It didn't get much busier but it stayed steady throughout the night. You get a nice basket of nachos when your server comes by and they're usually amazing. Ours were a little greasy for our tastes but they were still good and that salsa is great too. I ordered the chicken sandwich (fried) with french fries and my friends ordered the chicken fingers and una fajita. It didn't take too long for our meal to come out and everything was piping hot and fresh. My sandwich was pretty good, but the bun was an odd choice - it was a flatbread or something and it didn't really add anything to the sandwich. I actually could have done without it. Other than that, the chicken was well breaded and pretty darn good. The fries are pretty basic but they're sprinkled with some yummy seasoning that makes them just better than okay. My friends both enjoyed their meals and had no complaints! I've been here many a time and I've tried lots of different things on the menu (yes my choice this time wasn't very "texan") and have yet to have a bad experience with food here. Everything is tasty, fresh and always delivered to the table hot. Something to keep in mind for kids is that they have that really cool tortilla machine that is pretty cool. I've seen many a kid spend at least 10 minutes or more watching the tortillas come down the machine (they get flattened and then fire baked, they puff up and then fall back down and so forth) so if you have kids that would be interested, its a good way to get a few minutes to you and your hubs during a dinner out with the kids ;) My meal was a little on the pricey side, about $14.50 for just my dinner (I had water to drink) but its a pretty neat place to go and depending on what you get, you can get a pretty good sized meal for not too much money. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this place, especially if you've never been to a Lone Star. It's probably one of the beset places to eat in the area right now. read more

Lovely reno in 2011. The bar is now cozy amd the patio more inviting. The salsa improved - good flavour (less stewed tomatoes taste), the gratis tortilla chips were warm and tasty. The large margarita hasn't got much alcohol in it, but the flavour is consistent with other locations. Tip: if you order the steak fajitas, order them one level less-cooked than you normally prefer it. The steak still cooks while it's at your table and you end up with perfectly-cooked steak. read more

First of all, it's a franchise so you have to judge accordingly. It's not family owned or run, with grandma or grandpa in the back cooking from scratch. That being said, it's one of my favourites - but that's because I'm a meat and/or tex-mex fan. I don't find it too salty or greasy, where I feel ill or uncomfortable afterwards. I've been here at least 10 times, and have never had a problem with service. My husband use to come here as a starving student and spend only $5 on a bottle of beer, and fill himself up on complimentary tortillas and salsa all night (students, don't get any ideas!!) He grew up near the border, and has verified they are very good torts. My favourite food here are their homemade tortillas. If you have children, they LOVE watching how they are made. If you're a hang around the bar person, they have t.v.s showing the game. read more

Fajitas are good but is getting expensive. Better dinners for less available elsewhere. Their homemade Flour Tortillas are usually under baked and therefore almost raw tasting. Usually send most of them back to get replaced. Caesar salad dressing is overly sweet tasting and they normally put too much on. Just okay. Not great. read more

The food was excellent, however the location is very run down. While the theme of this restaurant is a run down look, this location is even more run down than just in looks. While the food would have us going back for more, not sure if the state of the restaurant would be something to subject ourselves to again. In need of some TLC. read more

Good food, bad service. Would not recommend. Would've done 1 star but the handsome guy making the tortillas redeemed the rating, thanks man!

The first few times visiting, I would have given a solid 4 stars. However the most recent visit was not so good. We showed up for a late dinner and could tell that the rice and beans had been sitting. read more

Grill it and they will come. So here i am. It seems like a solid crowd for lunch, the food is good the drinks are cold. I like it. Steak makes me happy, and right now i am very happy, but in a rush too. So gotta run. However, i will be back. T'was good. read more

I've eaten here a few times over the years & I've never been blown away. I find everything I've had very generic. The atmosphere is very family oriented, it's not bad it's just not my cup of tea. The serving staff is always chatting to each other. I don't mind it that much but it's not as inviting as I would like. It's not a bad place but it's nothing special either. read more

When I first moved here, this was a real Tex-Mex place with actual smoked on site bbq. But since the original owner (who was from Texas) left the company 10 years ago, the real stuff is gone and what is left is a Canadian company's cliche idea of Tex-Mex. The decor used to be fun but now looks just like any other place with a faux Texas theme. They do still make their own tortillas on site, but they are mostly only used for the fajitas now. They do have ribs, but they are not smoked on site, just heated and finished on the grill there. The only thing really worth going for now is the fajitas. They are a bit pricey compared to some of the other places, but are really good. You get unlimited fixings (pico, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce) and tortillas, so will keep bringing them until you run out of meat/peppers/onions. This is a new thing and made their fajitas worth the extra cost. Their chips and salsa are also good, but you get a really small bowl and refills are not free. This is an improvement as for a period they made you pay for the chips and salsa. Their servers are mostly good, but all have been given a fake western sounding name and some of them are pretty lame. They used to have a handicap bathroom upstairs but last remodel took it out so the only bathrooms are down a long flight of stairs in the basement, so not accessible. read more

Ok, first off, the reason this place gets a 4 star rating is because they MAKE THEIR OWN TORTILLAS!!! That being said, normally I would have given 3 stars. The place is typical "we're tex-mex" decor. The waitstaff is friendly and have code names like "Dallas and Cayote"...totally NOT their real names. The tortillas are really good and the prices are fair. The only complaint I have as an actual Texas boy from Houston is that The meat portions on the fajitas are not Texas sized. almost more grilled veggies than meat:( But all and all a good attempt at recreating the Tex-mex feel and taste. The bottled hot sauce they use is actually made in Texas, which adds a little more authenticity. read more

I used to love this place. Last time I had the fish taco. They were 75% coleslaw with a wee stick of fish in it. The coleslaw was over powering. i ate the wee bits of fish, ate some cereal and called it a day. Tried it again tonight. Went for ribs and wings. Wings had literally no taste to them and were cold (we did take out, but still no excuse for cold) and the consistency of the meat on the ribs was inedible. it was like they sat there all day. Guess I'm having cereal again. Won't be back. read more

I don't know about their other food cuz I don't eat meat, but their fajitas are great! I always get the veggie when I go. I also like the freshly made tortilla chips with handmade fresh salsa too. Very refreshing. read more

The food here is consistently great! The staff on the other hand is a hit or a miss. If you go with a large group expect lots of screw ups and slow service. If you go with a group of 4 or less you should be safe read more

Incredible service. Best food ever. In the past 2 months, I've been here 9 times. I can't get enough. The salsa is great here, and the new lone star layout is great. read more

Been a few times and have been served cold food, had bad service and mostly just not a good feel. Sorry for not being more specific, but I really tried hard to wash the memories of the place from my soul. Still have nightmares of it. read more

I can't recall how long I have been going there, 10 years possibly. Some of the best Fajitas I have ever had. The place is NOT run down at all, it's a country look they are going for(they also play country music while you eat, but not that load). Large patio for summer use. They have a tortilla machine in the center of the place, so you always get fresh(just pressed from dough) tortilla for use in your Fajitas. read more