Several people told me that I had to try this place out as it is one of the best steakhouses in the greater Rockford area. Started out great because we got a booth! We started with steak bites and crab, stuffed mushrooms. Pretty good. Salads were good too. Great dressing. Entrées, we had the halibut, New York strip, and filet. All were good but not exceptional. My gold standard for flavor and seasoning is what Eddie V's does. This was not there. The ice cream sundae we had for dessert was great! Great service, new school steakhouse vibe. Overall, pretty good. I will give it another try for sure.! read more

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Had dinner here tonight and good overall. We started with a side of asparagus. I ordered the tenderloin with scalloped potatoes, a steak topper of a crab cake and onion tanglers. The steak was cooked to perfection. The crab cake was okay and the potatoes were nothing to write home about. My meal also came with a side salad that was very good as I liked the addition of shredded beets! He ordered seafood linguine and the seafood was so yummy. The linguine itself was just mediocre. He also upgraded to the lobster bisque and it was good but definitely didn't taste homemade. We had eaten so much we didn't have room for dessert. The service was good, our server was kind and friendly and checked back a few times. The server assistants were absolutely amazing with keeping waters full and plates cleared. I don't like sitting at the tables here so when I made the reservation I requested a booth. We arrived and they took us to a table. I again asked for a booth and luckily there was something available. The booths here offer warmth and comfort while the table seats are cold and unpleasant. Overall a nice visit and enjoyable evening. read more

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Great food and great service. Have been there on several occasions and we have always left pleased

Everything we ordered was delicious. Highly recommend this place! Great food, great service, and a great atmosphere. We'll definitely be back! read more

I've been to this restaurant a few times, and honestly, my experience has been all over the place. Some visits the food is great, other times it feels average. The steak can be cooked perfectly one time and not the next, and other dishes don't always seem as thoughtfully prepared. Service is inconsistent; sometimes the staff is attentive, other times it feels like they're nowhere to be found. The atmosphere is fine, though certain areas feel a bit cramped or poorly lit. Prices are pretty high and feel more in line with a high end restaurant in a major city, which can make the hit or miss quality a bit frustrating. I do appreciate the quality when the kitchen gets it right, but overall, it's a bit of a gamble. I'll probably go back, but I wouldn't count on having the same experience every time. read more

We had an EXCELLENT meal here! The cocktails were unique and tasty. We ordered the oysters and they were sooooo good. Steaks were cooked perfectly. It's such a cozy place to enjoy a meal. Our waitress was very friendly and took the time to answer all of our questions. We will definitely return! read more

Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint - Outside - Steakhouses Near Me - Beloit, Wisconsin

Recommended to me by a local member of the community. Looked closed from the outside but we decided to try the door..open for business. Ordered NY strip and prime rib. Glass of red blend. Asparagus. Baked potato. I wish my prime rib was a little warmer but otherwise the meal was very good. No room for dessert. Good service. Will return when in the area. read more

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Filet was cooked right at medium rare and tasted great. The service was good, waitress was very attentive, and they got rid of our empty plates fast. It was kind of loud but that's to be expected so close to Mother's Day. Overall we had a nice dinner and would go back again. Thanks M&H! read more

Food was Amazing!! It was the perfect date night for my hubby and me!! The service was excellent. I can't remember her name but she was very sweet and you can tell she likes her job. read more

Poor cooking ability and not great service. Was looking forward to a great steak dinner. Very disappointed. Ordered filet medium, came out rare. Ordered sirloin strip medium rare, came out medium well. The kitchen prepared the sirloin 3 times and each time it was cooked incorrectly with the last at the right temp but so over salted, nobody at the table could eat it. At $50 a steak, one would think the kitchen staff would be trained to cook a steak correctly. The manager came over and gave a half hearted attempt to resolve the issue. On the way out the restaurant staff was glaring at us. What gives? We did not yell or make a scene. We let our wait staff know about the issue and that was it. I am visiting the town and found this to be a bad representation of Beloit hospitality. read more

was in town for business and decided to stop in based on a local's recommendation -- and I'm so glad I did! I sat at the bar and was immediately greeted with friendly, attentive service. I ordered the petite filet rare, and it was cooked to absolute perfection -- tender, flavorful, and delicious. The service was excellent from start to finish. Highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for a great meal and outstanding hospitality! read more

Went there with another couple some months ago. Got there early and went to the Bar to order a drink. Had one round. Two Basil-Hayden Manhattans. When I got the check, I almost died. $42 for two drinks? Come on, this is Beloit, not Chicago. Having been to many high-end restaurants across the country, I was a shocked at the prices. Come on, it's ONLY Basil-Hayden. You can buy a whole bottle for $39. I asked the bartender if he made a mistake and he said no, I don't set the prices either. (Drinks were small as well) I said thanks and gave him a $50 bill. (I told him I would NOT be drinking anything at our table, I told him I thought the price was outrageous). He must have felt bad and said, don't worry I will take care of you. Well, I drank water the rest of the night, and all I could think about was the outrageous rip-off price they were charging for a call drink. Again, I have had a LOT more expensive bourbons and I could not see the price being so high. Even Wissota Steak House in the Cobblestone Hotel in Janesville does not charge that much. (way too pricey for Beloit) My wife ordered another B-H Manhattan at dinner and the Bartender picked it up which was a decent thing to do and that is the ONLY reason I give this place two stars, instead of one. The meal was mediocre (had the Atlantic Salmon), nothing to brag about and nothing to say "Wow let's go back there." Better food and service at other high-end restaurants locally. Have not been back there and probably will not go again. Too many other good restaurants out there that don't try to "rip you off" the minute you walk in and get a drink. Benedetti's Supper Club far superior (especially in portions for the drink), Stagecoach Supper Club up on 26 near Milton (very reasonable drink prices, super nice people & always a crowd), Wissota (In Janesville), Whiskey Ranch (great food, service & drinks - Janesville), Butterfly Club, etc. Service was no higher than any of the above-mentioned restaurants. in fact, some of them are much more attentive. Will never go back to this place. read more

I usually dine in but this time I ordered out, My rib eye steak is usually flavorful but this time it was not at all. I love merril and Houston's but I'm highly disappointed with the quality. For it being $60 I expected better quality. read more

Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint - Steakhouses Near Me - Beloit, Wisconsin

Food is not worth the price!!! Service is great, and the atmosphere was a little loud!

We were only there for appetizers, drinks, & live music, but many times. The food & drinks were always good, the person we came to see play was outstanding, the service was mostly decent, but hit & miss. Sometimes very attentive waitstaff, sometimes once & done. Atmosphere is great. Will definitely continue to go back & would love to try dinner when we have time -- hoping for a good server each time. read more

Never Ever Again. Ruined our anniversary. Snotty waitperson and poor quality steak. Pricey imo. Hard to find a good place seems like in this area for whatever reason. read more

One of our favorite restaurant. We all most order the duck. Highly recommended, I give it 5 stars..

Steaks and seafood is amazing went there several times definitely recommend the ribeye

It's the place to go for steaks and protein in town for sure! Lacks on the veggie department but if you're okay with that it's good! Really cool atmosphere and service has been good! read more

First time I went here I was happy with it. I came back because I had a good first experience. Unfortunately, I had a second right waitress, who should've probably been working at a greasy spoon somewhere. The service was not very good. The food was just not as good as it was the first time I went there when I had like several courses served to me with people wearing gloves, continually doting on us filling our water glasses up. The soup was amazing. The main course was amazing. I don't know what happened. I hope that they go back to who they used to be and give five star service as well as food Again. read more

My husband and I both ordered ribeyes med rare. His had a hint of pink, mine was cooked well, zero pink. Very disappointing.

Excellent food and excellent bartenders!! We did not expect such high quality food and service in this small town.

A cool vibe walking in and sweet bar area. they sat us in the back room which honestly I hated because it was not lit well. Would have preferred to be in a main dining area. Service was very poor. Waitress was not attentive nor seen very much. Food was the saving grace. Steak was cooked perfectly. Chicken Florentine was delicious. Cheese curds as an appetizer were some of the most different and favorful in the area. All n all, I'd go back just know what I know read more

Finest strip steak I have ever had. Waitress was fantastic, and total meal was 5 stars. Pricey yes, but the old saying: "you get what you pay for". Quality food and service! read more

We came here to celebrate our 1 year engagement anniversary which I reserved through open table. Service was okay, we went to order the oysters Rockefeller, but it just so happened it was the only appetizer that they didn't have. We opted for the coconut shrimp which tasted great, I didn't like how they fried the shrimp tail with it though. I got the filet with the crab/aspargus topping, I highly recommend that you add this on top of your steak! My steak was cooked just the way I wanted. The seafood mac and cheese was flavorful and not too rich! They brought us complementary glasses of champagne for our anniversary which was a nice touch and appreciated. read more

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We dined here to celebrate our anniversary while we were in town. We did put down on our reservation thru Open Table that we were celebrating an anniversary, but nothing was ever mentioned. When a table was seated right by us, the waitress did say to them "I see you're celebrating an anniversary".... so, not sure. But... oh well. Our meal was excellent. From my lobster bisque, to my steak, to my husband's pork filet. We enjoyed every bite. read more

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Our second time here and we live an hour away... The food and the ambience is amazing and they're still jampacked at 9:30 PM! read more

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I really want to like this place because it was recommended by a friend. Calamari is mediocre. Not tender. Oyster appetizer was the bomb. Crème brûlée was a 2 out of 5 star. Top was not crusted enough. Entrees were seafood scampi. I feel like the Seafood were over cooked. Ribeye was salty. Cooked well as medium. You get a salad with both entrees, and we both picked Caesar salad not knowing it would cost us $10 according to the receipt that it was a "substitution". *Why do you not inform customers of substitutions that cost us? We would have not substituted. Caesar "salad" is salad right? Please inform customers. Common courtesy! read more

Stopped in for dinner while out of town on business. So glad I did !! Wonderful service and the food is outstanding! Great ambience. read more

Best steakhouse in Beloit. My steak was cooked to my liking, med rare. My son had the special of the evening, Cowboy ribeye, which looked super yummy. French onion soup was delicious. The creamed spinach tasted kind of bland, maybe needed more salt, but I wasn't really complaining that much. My focus was STEAK!. Crème Brûlée was a little soupy, but still good. The drinks were good too. The service was great. We sat at the bar which was nice because we didn't want to wait 45 minutes for the dining room since we didn't have reservations. The ambience had an old school steakhouse vibe, which was really cool. read more

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Food was just so so, but what got us to give a bad review was the lack of service barely saw our waitress after she took our order when asked for our check after waiting for 20 minutes we were told she had another table and we still have to wait hostess said she could not get our check from the girl we went up to the counter and told the man at the register if we didn't have our check we were gonna drop 50 bucks hope that cover the not so good dinner and leave we finally we did get the check and we were about to leave when we were asked what did we eat and who was our waitress totally unorganized won't be back oh by the way it was our 40th wedding anniversary that we were therefore they wouldn't even let us sit in a booth because we didn't make a reservation for a booth read more

The food was absolutely incredible. Highly recommend eating the steaks here because they melt in your mouth. The whole experience was amazing. Our waitress was also attentive and considerate. I would love to come back here. The dessert was also immaculate. read more

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I waffle between three and four stars on this one but I have to speak of a recent experience that just really knocks it down to three. I and my now fiancé got engaged and he had preemptively booked us a reservation here the night of the engagement for about an hour after it happened, and did inform them that this was to celebrate the engagement. The engagement went perfectly and I was thrilled that we were following it up with a fancy dinner. We arrived, me all smiles in my "I just said yes" excitement and obsessively looking at my left hand, and they seemed to have lost the reservation, or at least did not have anything ready. They asked at that time again if we were celebrating anything and we told them of the events of the night. We waited up front for about 15 minutes. I was too giddy to care. Finally a hostess took us to a table that was literally in the middle of the room where she again asked if we were celebrating anything. Slightly annoyed we informed a member of the staff a third time we had just gotten engaged. Once seated the waitress arrived and AGAIN asked if we were celebrating anything special. By that point my glow had worn off a little and we repeated the mantra of the evening. We ordered our food and drinks and nothing was terrible but my lobster was cold and the fiancé got an overcookef steak. In the end we paid and left. On the way home we both expressed a little exasperation. I'm not saying I necessarily expect free things or anything special from restaurants, but in this case a few little things such as seating us at a more private table, passing on the word to our wait staff, or acknowledging the day in some way would have made a huge difference, even if it was just someone stopping by to say congrats since they were repeatedly asking if we were celebrating. For the price and the caliber that the restaurant claims to be there are defintely things that could be improved. Unfortunately, we used to come here semi-regularly but we haven't had the urge to return since that night. read more

A modest review of Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint I- I don't even have words. I am allocated and sprawled across the leather couches of the Iron Works lobby in front of the fire place, with my love punch sangria hanging from my hand.. in shock of what my mouth just went through. A dazed look of confusion across my face. My only worry is that anything I ever eat again will never live up to the experience I just had within the establishment of Merrill and Houston's. A love affair from beginning to end. The emotions that I went through within this meal heaved and hoed my heart strings in a way I've never experienced. My condolences to the chef since he obviously offered his first born son and his soul to be able to cook a steak this good. My life.. is ever changed. I will never be the same. tldr: It was really fucking good. Best steak I've ever had. read more

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The food, service and atmosphere all deserve 5 stars. The bruschetta was ok but not what I'm used to. I like more basil, salt and pepper, and maybe some balsamic but it was super fresh. Steaks, drinks, French onion soup were all fantastic. Definitely recommend the steak bites app. read more

Service was great! Our party of four settled in and got drinks right away. The appetizers were suggested and we enjoyed both. My pork chop was good. I ordered a side of mushrooms but they got to me ice cold. The metal boat they were in was warm but the shrooms were very cold. I paid extra for the onion soup which was ok but not very savory. The onions were still a bit chewy. I'm not the guy who usually complains but I mentioned the mushrooms and they were taken off the bill. read more

Merrill & Houston is a very nice place. The drinks are good. The food is good. The service is good. On this particular visit, there was no special occasion, other than it had been awhile since we had seen family and they had some gift cards to use. Made reservations and we met. It's loud in the bar area where we started, but they moved us to a back dining room and it was much more intimate. Our table was wobbly and the host sprung into action leveling it out for us. The server came along, told us the "specials", never tells a price... and we review the menu. I just ordered a couple of appetizers for my dinner, the baked French onion soup, shrimp scampi and the steak bites. My daughters both ordered a special that night called Land & Sea. A steak with 2 bacon wrapped scallops and asparagus, one asked for the Oscar style steak, which was a special topping the add to the steak. My so. In law got the ribeye. They all decided to add another "special" to their meal, which was add a lobster tail to their meal. My son in law doesn't even eat lobster, but added thus on. A small quiet voice in my head said, we should probably ask how much these "specials" are. But then we started talking and the moment was lost. NOTE TO SELF...ALWAYS ASK HOW MUCH THE SPECIALS ARE. This isn't Red Lobster. As good as the food is, and it is good, this was a Tuesday night, no special occasion. When I saw the size of the lobster, I knew it was not a tiny add on lobster. The food, of course, was delicious. My soup was divine, and everyone raves about the steak bites. I ended up taking those home, because they're shared some of the lobster with me. We always guess when the checked arrives as to how much it might be. My son in law recurved the check and took our guesses. No one was prepared for the actual price and the prices were not disclosed. We were about $250 off LOL. I asked the waitress finally, how much was that add on lobster special? She replies, $71, is that a problem?I just laughed, so glad I did not get caught up in the lobster ordering moment. Our bill was well over $450 making their dishes somewhere between $125-$150 a plate. On a Tuesday night. read more

Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint - Shrimp scampi - Steakhouses Near Me - Beloit, Wisconsin

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Excellent dining experience! Great service and delicious food! Great place to celebrate special dates! Definitely 5 stars!!!

Top notch atmosphere, service, and food/drinks! I really have nothing negative to say! Everything was perfect and I love how intimate and private the seating is! the steak, salads, drinks, and pasta was all to die for! read more

Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint - Steak Seafood linguine - Steakhouses Near Me - Beloit, Wisconsin

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My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at Merrill and Houston's Steak Joint in my hometown of Beloit Wisconsin. The food was delicious, and Aaron our server was very good and attentive to us. It is a very classy restaurant. 5 stars Janet 5/10/24 read more