Dissatisfied to the extreme. I came here for the first time tonight. Sat at the bar and refused to serve me after showing a REAL drivers license. Told me "everything" was wrong with my id. Don't recommend this if you're young! read more

This large restaurant accommodated a large group of parties who arrived at nearly the same time. The waitress was on it, and we were served quickly. Parking is plentiful. The meal was passable, but I think I would go for a burger next time. read more

Off the Rak - a plate of food with french fries and broccoli - American Near Me - Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

my girlfriend and i came here to celebrate our anniversary and the owner refused to serve her a drink because he said her license was fake after giving her a hard time. this has never happened before at any place we've been to. we then got seated right behind where we sat at the bar, and our food came out SO cold. even our appetizer. our meal was not good. the vodka pasta, had no flavor and was very watery and not even warm in the slightest. there was more onion than sauce. my girlfriend was trying to post a review and the owner approached our table again to ask us not to, and offer reasons why he didn't want to serve her, and said he has the right to refuse service to anyone and "didn't like anything about her license". so we took ourselves to applebees where she was happily served. will not be returning. :) read more

We are here after biking thirty miles on the ghost trail. The restaurant is quite large, with a dining room, bar area, and covered deck area. They have a huge menu offering a ton of different options--that always worries me--too many items to be able to do any well. We asked for the house specialties and our server said wings and the burgers are great. So, We got the wings, blackened tuna, and three burgers. The wings were the best part. Crispy exterior and tasty sauce. The tuna was way overcooked. The burgers were fine but we asked for medium rare and they were all medium to well done. Oh, and I asked for some mustard for the burger and got honey mustard dipping sauce. The fries seemed to have been sitting out for a while--soggy, not hot, not fresh. The service was great. All in all, not great. read more

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Diverse menu with plenty of options for lunch and dinner. Relaxed atmosphere with several different areas within the restaurant (bar area, dining room, event rooms, patio). Favorites are the crab dip, sweet bourbon trio (chicken/steak/shrimp in a bourbon glaze), and the can't-miss oak barrel sirloin! read more

Decided to have a special New Year's Eve dinner here with my mom. We had issues with our meals but as soon as they were made aware they quickly did everything to rectify the situation, 5 star customer service goes a long way! We had a delicious meal to bring in the new year. Thank you Off the Rak! read more

So, recent controversy aside, I will finally get to reviewing this place. I am glad that I let this one sit after my initial check in. Because of that, I got to see two sides to this place. One where I had stellar service and another where it just didn't feel as welcoming. My first visit here I happened upon this place by myself. My family boasts about this place a lot so I figured I would give a try finally and see what all the fuss was about. I walked in and asked to be seated at the bar because I was by myself. I was greeted promptly and had a menu in my hand. I decided to go with a bacon cheeseburger for my lunch that day and that was that. As I sat at the bar I decided that I would also like a beverage. I decided on a Blue Moon. The thing that amazed me here was that they had that strip on the bar that keeps your drink nice and cold. As I sipped on that beer I didn't have to worry about whether or not I would have a nasty bit at the bottom of the glass that would be warm. My food arrived and I dug in. The burger was pretty amazing, cooked exactly as I had asked and the fries were pretty good. Not a bad price either. I was full and on my way. If I had to base it off of that one experience I would have given it four stars. Well, from the time that I first visited until right now as I write this review, I had made another visit. This time with family. My family doesn't do this often, but we all decided to go out to eat. We had just had our family pictures taken and decided to come here. We showed up and our party was a total of eleven. No problem they had said and went off to see where they would seat us. This is the thing that irked me, they sat us at two separate tables, back to back. Not even across from each other. So it was kind of like you had to choose who you wanted to talk to in order to figure out who you wanted to sit with. So half the family sat at one table and the other half sat at the other. You might be saying to yourself that I'm just whining over something trivial. Well I wouldn't bring this up except for the fact that right after my family walked in another family with a party size of twelve were sat all together at tables that were moved to accommodate. If you could do so for them, why didn't you do the same for us? All you had to do was rotate the tables we were sitting at and made it easier on us. As for the food the second time around, the pot roast meal was not worth what I paid. It was a rather small portion, kind of bland and had more fat than meat. The celery and carrots were basically raw and the size of mashed potatoes I had wasn't all that much. I honestly wished, after the meal showed up, that I had ordered something else. It was not filling at all, and I had a salad before it showed up. I left hungry that day. Our server was great, he was accommodating to us and did not forget a thing with such a large party. You did a great job. It was just the food that was underwhelming that day. read more

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The only good food was their threesome wings and they tasted delicious but here's the thing burger that I had was horrible. It tasted like chocolate and my sister bought loaded fries and they tasted like bird poop she hated them. Anyways the service was good but the one thing that really ticked me off was you could sit at the bar and your wings would be at a discounted price like who does that!?!? The atmosphere was a 10 out of 10 because they had the Pirates game on and that was really fun to watch, but it is a pretty nice inside. read more

Incredibly disappointing, the food isn't prepared onsite it's definitely frozen. Cheeseburgers were embarrassing. Of all the things to prepare fresh and easily onsite a cheeseburger is it. The service was great just a shame it's fake food. read more

We had dinner here last night and it was delicious as usual. I got the strip steak ordered medium rare and it came cooked perfectly, came with a loaded baked potato which was also delish. My food wasn't quite as hot as I would have liked but I suspect they were waiting on my wife's Fajitas, which she said were delicious also. My son had spaghetti which he seemed to enjoy. We also got the crab dip appetizer which is a nice size for 3-4 people and comes with sliced and toasted bread which was also very tasty. One thing I'd say you must try is their threesome wings.. they are some of the best wings around and wont disappoint! Good place for kids too read more

Off the Rak - a steak and a baked potato - American Near Me - Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

This place is truly one of the best places in Ebensburg to get a meal! I've been here a number of times and I always leave full and happy! As far as food is concerned here: you truly can't go wrong with anything on the menu. If you're in the mood for an appetizer, I can suggest the wings, fries, and the crab dip... seriously the crap dip is delish! (And I'm not much of a seafood fan!) For the main course some of my personal favorites are the burgers (the taco burger and Crabby Patty are my two favorites), the pasta, and the chicken (wings, breasts, legs... it's all amazing). I can also recommend the Jamaican Chicken Breast meal. The chicken is so moist and flavorful, and portion sizes are just huge! Drinks here are top notch too! I LOVE the fish tank drink! They have a wide variety of tropical fruity drinks, wines, and beer. There are 16 beers on draft on top of a fully stocked bar. If you sit in the lounge area (which is my favorite place to sit) there are lots of TV's to take in the latest sporting events. Plus, the bar has a frozen strip you can sit your drinks on to keep them cold! I love it! Service here has always been great too! Manager(s) will always ask you how your meal is and they are always very courteous! If you find yourself in Ebensburg, definitely give this place a try! You won't regret it! read more

Food was cold. The service was okay and I wouldn't go back. This was expensive for How much you got.

It was all delicious. The wings were in point, great crispy ness. I got the French onion soup. Wait staff was so friendly and fun. I had the fajita boat and it was perfect. Had a hard time deciding what to eat cause it all looked so good. Definitely a fun place if you are a foodie! The feel of the place was also a good date place as well! read more

This used to be my favorite restaurant dined frequently here. But not anymore food was good.The service was non existent took our order and never saw her again. Bartender brought my beer over and spilled a little bit no big deal wiped it up with my napkin figured I would get another one when the waitress came back never happened luckily my wife had some napkins in her purse. After we were seated a party of approximately 12 people came in and we we're history. She did come back to see if we wanted dessert. We told her she was a poor waitress never seen her till now. Manager came over and said they were understaffed that's not my problem it's management's problem only leave as many people in as you can handle. The management cost our waitress the tip. Very poor management unfortunately another good place going bad. read more

Great food! Super service! Nice menu with a variety sure to satisfy picky eaters! Owner on premises most of the time! Nice place!

The meal was great but the service ruined the experience. The server didn't check to make sure the food was good. Didn't get us refills on our drinks and took 20 minutes to get our bill. read more

Sadly, the only thing consistent is the prices.... Sometimes there is some very tasty dishes coming out of the kitchen, while there are other times that they strike out on simple heat-n-serve plates. It does keep you on your toes...just not in the way that you would hope. I ordered the grilled chicken Caesar salad the last two visits & both were full of brown, slimy lettuce; just proof that there are times that no standards are held or attention given. BONUS POINTS: The only establishment that I have heard the Theme from "Titanic" (Celine Dion) and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in succession!! read more

The older outside of the restaurant is misleading- it is large and spacious inside with quality decor and comfortable seating. The menu has a vast selection of different choices and flavors. They were quick to seat us and we had great service. Our table order Sloppy Balls which are the pretzel balls covered with creamy crab dip and cheese, and they were incredible. The bourbon boneless wings were delicious. Three people at our table ordered the Belly Buster & it was one of the most appetizing things I've ever had. The others ordered a Reuben sandwich and salads and they ate every bit. The waitress was friendly and attentive, but gave us a good amount of privacy. She kept a watchful eye out so our drinks were never empty. The prices are good for the amount and quality of food. We all really loved this place! read more

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Delicious food, great service! Cold beer! Comfortable setting for friends and family. You won't be disappointed! read more

I don't know what their history is like, but I have been there 3 times when I am in the area for work and have never been let down! Their fried broccoli bites are awesome and the smothered combo was great! read more

We used to love this place...not sure what happened to it, but both service and quality of food has gone severely downhill. We arrived at 4pm, and there were only 4 other couples in the entire restaurant. It took us an hour and a half to get a fried mozzarella appetizer (delicious, but overpriced for the portion), a spinach salad (literally spinach, an egg, bacon bits, and a handful of croutons), and the seafood boat (don't bother--it was weird, like buffalo chicken dip without the spice on a softshell tortilla that hadn't even been warmed, with fries on the side). Beer choices were good (hence the two stars). Good thing, because you'll spend some time there waiting for your food. The bartender seemed to be in no particular hurry, and the man leaning on the counter in the back by the kitchen wasn't doing much to help anyone. I hope this place can pull it back together, because it used to be great, and it used to be packed. Given how deserted it was in there, it looks like they're going to need a serious overhaul to repair their reputation and get people back through the door. read more

I went there with my in laws for my future father in laws birthday. My in laws being elderly of course wanted a booth. The hostess told us we could seat ourselves in the bar area. Big mistake. It was a Sunday and practically empty. Unfortunately they had tasked the bartender with waiting and busing her own tables. There was a manager around who helped out so we were told. However it took 20 minutes for us to get our drinks and another twenty minutes to get our salad. It almost an hour on a slow Sunday for us to get our food. The service was poor although we recognize it was unfair for the bartender. Yet we didn't understand why we saw at least four other servers just standing around. Teamwork makes the dream work Off the Rak. We will never be returning here again as the service was incredibly poor and the food was ok but definitely not worth the wait. read more

COVID WARNING: Out of the 6 employees I saw, only 2 were wearing masks. The hostess had no mask and neither did our waitress. They are sitting people on top of each other as well. After we were seated, they brought another table and literally sat them right next to us. I was no more than 2 or 3 feet from these people. There were no signs asking patrons to wear masks, no social distancing, nada! Husband and I went for dinner a few nights ago. We wanted to hit up the happy hour special, but in order to do that you have to sit in either the bar or the patio. Well the patio is closed and there were no open tables in the bar. We asked the hostess if we could still do happy hour in the dining room since they had such limited seating, but were told no. So we sat in the dining room and ordered off the regular menu. Normally I would say this is not their fault, however a couple came in a few minutes after us and asked to sit in the bar. They were taken and sat at one of the empty booths. We thought these were empty for social distancing purposes, or I would have asked. We got an appetizer that was okay (not inedible, but nothing to write home about). Husband had a steak that he ordered medium rare. It came out medium well/well done. We would have pointed that out to the waitress, but after she gave us our entrees she disappeared. My burger was definitely a frozen, pre-made patty on a bun. I asked for no tomato, no lettuce....it came with both. At this point I was just so disgusted I wanted to leave. We ate what we could and waited another 15 minutes for the waitress to bring our check. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

First time coming, waited a very long time. Hostess had some friends come in unexpectedly and she nonchalantly let them in. I don't think she knew I was watching. Anyway once we sat our waitress was very sweet. But we only seen her twice she never came for refills or to see if our food was good or if we needed anything. that was disappointing but the food wasn't bad so the stars are definitely for the food. Portions were perfect for me but my husband left hungry haha. We will definitely be going to go back and try other items! Definitely try at least once but the wings looked sooo good so we have to go back! read more

Wow! This place went downhill real quick! Expensive and poor quality! The steak I had was pitiful and was so tough that I could hardly chew it.....and I ordered it medium but obviously wasn't cooked to the correct temperature. Don't waste your time or money! read more

It is very rare that I review anything, least of all restaurants but I want to try and save whomever reads this some money and a terrible meal. First, this restaurant looks nice when you step in and it appears to be clean and I couldn't find any evidence to the contrary. Service was ok, not good but adequate and I try not to be exceptionally judgmental as I worked in the restaurant industry for many years and getting above average waitstaff is difficult. The above are the reasons I could actually give them a star otherwise this would be zero stars. Now the real issue with this restaurant, the food quality goes from laughably bad to inedible. Price not withstanding, as every restaurant is experiencing heavy cost increases right now, the food here some of the worst I have ever been served in any restaurant. Summary of our order, crock of French onion soup, the ebensburger, chicken chesapeake and a grilled cheese for our three year old. The crock of soup was approximately half full and contained clearly mass produced soup with three croutons not toasted that I could see and some form of cheese. I judge most restaurants on this soup because it is not an easy soup to make correctly and this was a giant failure. The "ebensburger" is supposed to be a blackened smashed burger with bourbon glaze and Swiss on a pressed Kaiser roll. The burger was definitely not seasoned and surface wet, so not blackened. This grease patty coupled with the pressed Kaiser roll, made the sandwich appear like the meat was stuffed between two potato pancakes. I actually double checked the item description, the bourbon glaze was decent, however the fries contained no salt at all. My three year old took one bite of her grilled cheese and refused to eat another. It was completely unflavored as in grilled in unsalted butter and we could not figure out what the cheese was but it kind of tasted like mild cheese wiz if it was in a slice. My wife's dish of chicken chesapeake was abhorrent, her baked potato came out with more sour cream than potato and the chicken was not only unseasoned as in not even salted and burned so badly that it was not edible. This was smothered in what I assume was their crab dip that was unbearably salty. As I don't believe in returning food or refusing payment. They took us for fifty dollars not including tip and we all had water to drink. Save your money and never eat at this restaurant. read more

This used to be my favorite restaurant with the best steak for the price that I had ever had. This past visit a couple of weeks ago will make it hard for me to ever return. 1. As other people mentioned the service was dreadful. It wasn't remotely busy when we went but everything took forever and we were seldom checked on by our waiter. 2. The food was ok but they changed the steak that I have travelled hours out of my way to get before and it wasn't nearly as good. 3. This was a few weeks ago but the mask mandate was still in full effect. Not here. Most of the employees blatantly disregarded these measures and very few masks were seen. read more

If i could give a zero I would. My daughter and a large group went in for their senior prom. First off the server never came back for refills, the owner was so rude The food was cold, the owner asked what the issue was. The kids were very respectful. He said, well we're hiring if u want a job!!!! Then they tried to explain they just wanted to have a nice dinner and he proceeded to say,well isnt that sad!!! Im telling you what, for owning a restaurant you sure should learn how to treat your customers!!! No wonder he cant keep employees! I will NEVER step foot in that place again! read more

I'm just going to be flat out honest here. This place sucks. I've been here twice. The first time was a couple years ago on a date. I remember the chicken was not fully cooked and we still ended up paying for our meal. Said I'd never go back. The second time was for a dinner with a bunch of other people who insisted we go here. I thought since it re-opened I'd try it out again. Next time I'll refuse. To sum it up, it's over-priced, bland food. I can only wonder how this place gets business and stays in business. If you like food, and like to enjoy the taste of your meal, don't go here. You'll be disappointed. read more

I had been given a recommendation by a St. Francis Alumni several months ago that Off the Rak was the best restaurant in the area. So while working in Ebensburg I figured I'd give it a try. On my first attempt I showed up and found it closed due to a fire. Well yesterday I drove past Off the Rak and noticed they had reopened. Figuring I'd give it a shot, I went back for dinner last night. I started off with an order of wings because I love wings and like to try them from new places. The wings were a decent size, properly cooked and heavily sauced. The sauce had a decent flavor, but considering I ordered the hot wings they could've used plenty more heat. Essentially they were acceptable, but nothing special. For my dinner I had a chicken breast with BBQ sauce, bacon and melted cheese (I forget the name from the menu) with a loaded baked potato as my side. Both the chicken and the potato were good, but again, nothing special. The waitress was fairly attentive and there were only a few times we needed to get her attention for something. In conclusion Off the Rak is a 3 star, A-OK, restaurant if you're looking for somewhere to eat. However, throwing in the Ebensburg curve, (You're options are limited) I'm giving it 4 stars based on the lack of worthy competition. I'll definitely be back to Off the Rak when I'm spending nights in Ebensburg in the future. read more

I've been here 3 times. With a name like "Off The Rak", I assumed ribs were their namesake, I hope I'm wrong. They were lukewarm, flavorless, "rubless" depressing and skimpy. Food temperature is a real issue here. My broccoli side nearly caused another fire in the place but the ribs needed reheated the moment they were sat in front of me. They have opportunity to be special but I'm pretty sure most stuff comes out of the freezer. I've had their fish sandwich, it's okay. The potato and leek soup was tasty but again lukewarm. Service is unmotivated. I assume they know options are limited. As "so so" as it was, I'll likely be back. Also, we sat through a lunch service and listened to the oddest background music I've ever heard in a non-themed restaurant. Jurassic Park's theme, the Darth Vader walk song. Weird. read more

We visited this establishment Friday, October 29, 2021. The place was packed! Hostess stated it would be a 15 minute wait. We were o.k. with that. In 5 minutes she said a table had opened up in the heated outdoor dining area. We waited approximately 10 minutes before a server even acknowledged our presence. She gave the menus then came back about 15 minutes later. Meanwhile, other guests came in next to us and she promptly took their orders. They actually got their food a long time before we did. This server was good at one thing: talking to all the customers! She literally ignored us while "chatting" with all the surrounding tables. Finally she took our order. Then another 25 minute wait for 2 Paninis. Very simple order, you would think. Turkey in the sandwich had a "strong" taste and sandwiches had very little meat on them. Also, the bread tasted like it had been "toasted" or "fried" on something with old grease? The french fries that were served with the sandwich were soggy and basically the entire platter tasted like it had been sitting around. I was very embarassed as I had suggested this place to my boyfriend - remembering it from 20 years ago as being a fine dining establishment! Also, how hard is it to put down a paper placemat on the table? We ate half our sandwich and I flagged her down to get our check. When she asked if we wanted a box to take things home, well, I guess my expression said it all. Shortly thereafter a cook came out to see how things were. I said everything was very disappointing and could they not even put lettuce and tomatoe on the sandwiches? He gave an excuse that those items would get "soggy" in the preparation. I considered this whole experience as a waste of almost 2 hours of my valuable time on a Friday evening. read more

I've been to this restaurant five times and each meal has been fantastic. I've taken two coworkers here and each of them, in turn, has taken coworkers. We stayed in town last night and at supper at Off the Rak. We both had the ribs and steak and, as usual, the food was delicious. The restaurant was quite full and, in my opinion, it's nice to see a good restaurant that's busy. Our server was friendly, food was prepared and served quickly and was delicious. The only negative experience we had was the first time visiting we had a server who seemed out of it: our dirty dishes just sat on the table and we waited forever for our check. The second time I went back, with a different coworker, months later, she remembered me (and my "wife" -- really my coworker) and said she had hurt her back and couldn't lift dishes. Anyhow, she was much better the second time around. The other three visits, service was good to very good. I look forward to taking my real wife to Off the Rak but we don't get out to Ebensburg too often during the day. In the meantime, it'll be a treat anytime I'm in town on business. read more

Was coincidentally taken to the same table I sat at months ago w/a short wobbly leg and it still was wobbling. I told waitress again about wobbling. Moved to another table. Never saw anybody fix it. I paid $18.50 for a seafood medley which is linguine, shrimp, scallops and crab meat in a cream sauce. What I received was poorly drained pasta (which watered the sauce), teeny tiny frozen scallops and a very sparse amount of crabmeat. I must say the shrimp were sauteed perfectly though. But for that price I expected full size bay scallops and at least let me see the crab meat. Excellent rolls but you must ask. Service was very good. Owner comes around asking if everything is OK. I hadn't noticed the watery pasta "soup" in the bottom of my bowl yet at that moment so i didn't get to tell him. Son's burger was a premade, prepressed, prefrozen patty (like Sheetz uses). Why must places like this continue to "heat n serve" instead of make from scratch and impress us w/creativity. Very boring food. read more

Bob and his staff are amazing. Every single time I enter their place I am greeted by a smiling face, seated quickly and the wait staff is very attentive. The food is always delicious and served piping hot. I highly recommend OTR. read more

Great food at a great price. I am a regular to this restaurant. I took my grandparents out to eat here last week and I got a plate full of ribs. There were very tasty. This is one of the best places to eat in Ebensburg. read more

Love this place. Relaxed atmosphere, tvs, and good music in bar area. Bar Manager Joe is a rockstar. The smoked wings are great; especially with threesome sauce on the side (hot, garlic bbq). A must stop in Ebensburg read more

Definitely not a place I would recommend, which is a shame since there is not much in the area to choose from. My family of 6 was there on Sunday. We had reservation for noon and did not leave until 1:30. And that was with no appetizers or dessert! Service was terribly slow, we waited 20 minutes just to get rolls. Most of the food was cold when it was delivered. I had the fried flounder which was burned on the edges and was more breading than fish. Another person had the chicken parmesan and while the serving was large the chicken was also burnt around the edges and very dry. The prices are reasonable, too bad the quality and service are so sadly lacking. read more

come in here somewhat regularly and it is just plain AWESOME! Driving through Ebensburg and the local area, you would not expect this place to be so nice and delicious. The saying, "never judge a book by its cover" stands true. The Tri is amazing! Steak, Chicken and Shrimp with some rice is LOVE and even more so, the crab dip appetizer! If you want some good food, stop reading this review NOW and go there! read more

Well, there were six other people dinning in this establishment tonight so I figured the wait time for our food would be minimal. Our waitress was attentive, but not great. The food took a little longer than expected, but not a terribly long wait. I ordered the Brooke burger and was excited about it, as I love unique burgers...well, like all the other reviews, patty was a little over cooked and burger was Luke-warm. The egg on it was over cooked. Contrary to other reviews though, the party was not small. All-in-all, a mediocre restaurant with plenty of room to improve. I wouldn't recommend this to close friends....it's not THAT good. read more

Off the Rak - Brooke Burger - American Near Me - Ebensburg, Pennsylvania