I just want to tell everyone about my dinner tonight at Prime Quarter. Tonight was probably the worst night of my life. You see, my husband has been confined to a nursing home with dementia. Tonight was our anniversary and for many years, we've celebrated at Prime Quarter. As I sat there, crying while looking at pictures, Jessie and what was wrong and listened. I told her about my husband, my anniversary and that I will never get to spend another one at their steakhouse with him She constantly checked on me, always asking if I was ok and did I need anything. When I went to pay my my dinner, she said that it was paid for and brought me a piece of cheesecake to bring home. Then she hugged me, told me that everything will work out and that she would pray for me and my husband. This simple act of kindness brought even more tears. The food is always amazing and the service is impeccable, but tonight, Jessie went above and beyond to comfort me. Thank God for people like Jessie, who in a simple act of kindness, can help a person when they are in despair. Thank you Jessie. Sincerely Vickie Petty Someone you didn't know but brought light into my life. read more

What a huge disappointment this place is. I was expecting a quality steakhouse and instead, I got a glorified SIZZLER. Salad bar was iceberg lettuce with some cabbage. Please get a springing or butter lettuce instead! Mushrooms on the salad bar were old looking.. We decided to try the Split the Steak idea. We got a KC strip...supposed to be medium rare and we got medium to medium well. My baked potato was have rotten! Service was good.. A fantastic Carmel apple martini.. But I don't recommend this establishment... read more

Prime Quarter Steakhouse - Meh.... Rotten potato and overcooked steak - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, Illinois

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Very nice restaurant. Clean, comfortable, and has an 80s steak house vibe. The service was great. This is a place you can choose to cook your own steak or they will cook it for a few extra dollars. We chose to have them cook our filet mignons. They were seasoned well, and cooked to our request. If it was just the steak, this would be a 5 star rating. I'm going with a 4 star rating, though, when the price is factored in. I felt for what we got, the price was a touch high. Now, with that said, I would eat here again. read more

Horrible stringy nasty steak that I received. Got me sick will never go back!! Also the group i was wide sad same thing

Great food and atmosphere. It's just fun to grill your own dinner inside. The smells, the smoke and the tastes all together make a fun evening. AND an all you can eat salad bar and baked potatoes. Sweet! read more

Prime Quarter Steakhouse - Grilling' - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, Illinois

What was once "classy, upscale dining" is now dingy and littered with under-trained staff. They "preserved" the 80's decor for so long, but in the last 10 years have really let things go the point it concerns me about the restaurant's hygiene. Your servers wear all black. However, most are wearing a regular black tshirt, black jeans or leggings, and black tennis shoes (the ones I noticed weren't even nonslip, the employee just doesn't respect their job.) They don't appear to have a hygiene/grooming code to follow and lack manners in sense of volume while gossiping with tables or cooking at the grill. They're not properly or consistently trained on how to handle bottles of wine being served to the table with ice buckets. They lack a lot of etiquette when it comes to pre-bussing and keeping drinks full. Overall, I don't think any etiquette or class is even expected of the employees. Multiple occasions we have requested different silverware because the ones we were given were not clean. What happened to polishing glasses and silverware? The salad bar, once legendary now a borderline health violation. The staff doesn't pay attention to the salad bar at all until someone complains about it needing refilled or cleaned. Toppings spilled into other toppings that staff just leaves. Toppings spilled into the ice and on the counter that staff leaves until closing time. The lettuce ALWAYS looks like it's the bottom of the bag and is the poorest quality they can find. Macaroni salad and potato salad have both severely gone down hill and lack flavor, maybe they're not going through it as fast now so that's why it always seems old? I'm also still trying to figure out why they removed chopped boiled eggs for whole boiled eggs on a salad bar? I'd like to think labor costs is not the reason considering the price point of the food and alcohol The menu says New York Strip, but they don't ever actually keep them in stock so you have to order a Kansas City. The baked potato and texas toast are so plain and simple there's no messing that up. I don't remember seeing their staff in the front grilling steaks in the past, but the past few years the "grill your own" experience has been completely trashed by their 19 year old "chefs" entirely taking over the grill to cook 10 steaks at a time and horse around with their coworkers. Someone there has attempted to start doing a "cocktail menu" but they don't give you a cocktail menu at the table and their poorly trained staff has NO CLUE what the drinks are so you have to refer back to the handwritten white board at the front door, like the nightly specials at a diner. The "intimacy" that once existed is now completely gone. Staff is in a huge rush to close and go home, so at 6pm they've already closed half the restaurant and have everyone sitting on top of each other on the other side. They want to charge the same high end prices but they act like a ran-down diner. read more

The food was ok. When I went the salad bar kind of sucked. Seemed like it was way overpriced for bland food.

If you have never been here - try it out once. However, I would do it soon as I heard through the grapevine that this place may be closing soon. More on that hearsay later. We came here for supper the other night as we've heard mixed reviews about this place from local townfolk. Of course if you go to a steakhouse especially with "steakhouse" how do you not order a steak? They have plenty of cuts to choose from and while some reviews and local folks felt it was "pricey", yes it is but given the number of ounces offered in the cuts of steak, it's on par with the current market price. I did the NY strip which gave you access to their salad bar, the option of a potato and their Texas toast. They also give you the option to cook your own steak as they have two open grilling stations inside the steakhouse to do so. If I'm going out to dinner, I'm not grilling my own steak and if that means it's a few bucks extra to do it, I will pay. The cut was great and a generous size also was cooked to my medium rare request. The potato was fine (that was grilled as well) and the winner for sure was the texas toast as I asked for another slice! The salad bar was fine but was a bit messy since people really got into it. I also ordered a Henricks and Tonic but I swear the tonic was flat. I should've sent it back but oh well. I dealt with it. For an app, we did the Japaleno Poppers (which was a strange app i'll agree on my end) and it was bad since they really deep fried it. I would swear it was deep fried twice. Ugh. Ok so back on the closing rumor. Since two managers have quit with one of their last days coming up next week and the bartender is trying to buy it, there have been no backers so far. I can't believe ownership wants $1 million dollars for this place. The only way this place would supposedly stay open is if one of the managers from WI would come down and run it which doesn't seem likely according to staff. I had wished for a more positive review but the rating is really for the steak, Texas toast and exterior of the location. read more

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The steaks and salad/potato bar were great. Very friendly and good staff but there are not a lot of employees. In fact , at one point there were no employees around. I don't know if they had a staff meeting but it shouldn't be while customers are there. So I believe they are understaffed being that our server had to make our mixed drinks theirselves. I hope they are paid really well since they have multiple jobs to do. read more

Never had a bad steak at the PQ. Love their salad and baked potato bar. Always a fun, welcoming atmosphere and the service is always top notch. read more

The restaurant wS so relaxing. You can cook your own steak or they will cook for you. We chose to let them so we could visit with family. The salad bar was very good with a great variety of dishes (potatoe salad, cottage cheese, beets, pasta, lettuce, and plenty of fresh vegetables,eggs,ham,etc. You have to make sure you leave room for the meat and potatoes. If you dont like steak, there are other options on the menu. And of course, a dessert which we had to pass on. The waitess was so nice and did a great job. Had great service. Dress is casual to business, very clean inside with lots of parking. This is a great place for a fine night to enjoy. Price about $30 per person. Prime Quarters is also in Janesville Wi and Green Bay, Wi. You must try. read more

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Perfect! Loved splitting the steak with my hubby. Great classy place! Loved the bread, salad bar and baked potato! Service was top notch!! We got there when it opened - good thing because there wasn't a table left!! read more

I first came to this prime Quarter location about 15 years ago and had a wonderful time then. I was glad to see that upon returning in 2021 that not much has changed. First off, I highly recommend reservations. I came at 5:30 on Wednesday night and the place was packed. So reservations are probably not a bad idea. I mostly come to prime quarter for the atmosphere. It's almost as if you have walked back in time. The brass fittings, the maroon carpeting, the oak wood paneling on the walls, the old style ceiling fans. And even in a post Covid world they still have the old timey salad bar complete with chocolate pudding and cottage cheese! The server we had was good, but a lot wasn't required of her because you basically cook your own steak. I went with the New York strip and cooked it to my own liking. It was fantastic! Patios were also on point and so was desert. So come to prime quarter and he will not be disappointed! read more

Prime Quarter Steakhouse - Cooking my own steak! - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, Illinois

Steaks are amazing... we let them cook it . The service very nice . Plenty of diner seats ... very clean .. atmosphere was great ... food and cocktails read more

The food is absolutely amazing! I love the environment and the staff is always on top of everything. Great place to go with friends or family!!! read more

We had a party of 23 for a birthday celebration and we were well taken care of. From making the reservation to being called back the day of to confirm our reservation their customer service was on point. The wait staff did a nice job of meeting everyones needs and they took great care of our group. They had a nice selection of steaks and those grilled their own as well as those who ordered chef cooked steaks were pleased. We will definitely be back!!! read more

Hello travelers! Hey if your passing through Princeton IL you gotta try this place, it's great! I your like me and you love a great steak grilled to perfection then you're gonna love Prime Quarter. This ace allows you to grill your own steak and enjoy a beer while you do it! You pick your favorite cut and then grill it, then you pick all the sides you want, then sit back and enjoy you meal! I've eaten here several times and it's a must stop for me. Just my 2 cents! Happy travels read more

Very good food, great and quick service, and the ambiance is very pleasing to the eye. It's more on the expensive side, but I 100% recommend this restaurant. read more

Kind of a weird vibe in here, you can basically pay two dollars less and cook your own steak? I'm not sure how I feel about that lol. Also for the price I guess I would expect a little bit more...more in terms of quality sides and the salad bar as well was basic, food in the salad bar looked old. Too expensive for what it actually is. Steak was the only good thing. read more

For upscale options in the area, prime quarter is as good as it gets. It's definitely a niche with cook your own steak, but with the salad bar and the friendly service, it's definitely worth a trip if you're in the area. It seems very old-school to me, with the bar snd the wood paneling on the walls, but I love it in many ways. The ambience and Decour are not much to look at, but again it's a niche restaurant serving steaks that you have the option of cooking on the grill yourself or for an additional charge of two dollars they will cook for you. They make a great martini, which is clearly something notable from my perspective. I had the prime rib and it was a little tough but delicious. Dinner comes with the salad bar and a baked potato and Texas toast. A creative spin on steak in a charming little town. A great value....$20-28 ish, excluding booze. read more

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Starting off with "I loved it". Called for general information, gentleman that took the call was very inviting and suggested reservations. When arriving you will find a north woods type of exterior and a very clean atmosphere. The hostess greeted us with a very warm smile and said although we were early, seating was available now. Waitress approach was prompt and efficient. We began with a pleasing salad bar. Cocktails were more than adequate. So far everything was above average. This is a self cook steak restaurant. We choose our fare and enjoyed a conversation pit side. Marvelous cuts of beef. We opted out of desserts. Sides included Texas toast as well as baked potatoes. Overall cost, outstanding value. Douglas MacAurthur said it best "I shall return". read more

Prime Quarter Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, Illinois

Old school great! On the pricey side. Come hungry. Salad bar and grille your own steak

My (adult) son lives about half an hour away from Prime Quarter and this place was recommended for his birthday. We made a reservation for 6:30pm on a Saturday night and arrived at the restaurant at 6:26. We were seated promptly on the right side (as you face the hostess stand) , just steps away from the grill. The waitress came over quite quickly, welcomed us, and since none of us had ever been to the Steakhouse before, she gave us a quick run down on how it worked. We all opted to pay the extra couple of dollars to have the chef cook our steaks. She took our drink orders and hustled away. My son and I went up to get a look at the different kinds of steaks (I was trying to explain the difference to him) and our drinks arrived while we were away from the table. My husband said "try it" about the caramel apple martini that I ordered.... It did not taste at all of apple... more like liquid butterscotch. All three of us tried it, no one tasted any apple. No one much liked a butterscotch martini. Not a great beginning to the night, but hey... When you try something new, you're not always going to like it. Finally, the waitress came back to take our food orders. Hubby and I both ordered the ribeye steaks, medium-rare; son ordered a New York strip, medium. We wandered up to the salad bar (I'm not sure they realize or care that there's still a pandemic going on). Hubby and I weren't all that happy with the cleanliness (and contrary to what others have said, when we were there, there was no cottage cheese or pudding or many of the other items associated with salad bars) and the selection was sparse. You could see chunks of who knows what in many of the salad dressings, the tongs for one of the items on the bar were upside down inside one of the salad dressings. Just not at all appetizing. Honestly, it would have been nice if they offered maybe a simple garden salad as an alternative to the salad bar. We also ordered appetizers: jalapeno poppers and onion rings. The jalepeno poppers were very crispy and not very spicy. They weren't great, but they weren't bad either. They are something that I might order again if we ever go back (which we probably won't). I didn't try the onion rings but hubby and son liked them. And then we waited and waited and waited. And while we waited we really had nothing much to do but to watch the people at the grill. There was one person who was cooking who we think was one of the cooks (I hesitate to call him a chef) who was eating at the grill while cooking. That is a big no-no in the food industry... And it applies whether it was a man cooking his own steak (more like his own dozen steaks which is why we think he's one of the cooks, plus he was up there cooking and eating for around half an hour) or a cook/chef. It was quite off-putting to watch this guy eating, talking with his mouth full, and cooking. We overheard that the other cook (who was the one who cooked our steaks) was actually a manager filling in for the regular chef and that the only chef was at the grill on the other side of the restaurant. And we waited... Our food arrived at our table (cooked by the other cook, not the one who was eating while cooking) at 7:28. A full hour later. And all the steaks were cold, especially my son's New York strip. To add insult to injury, both the rib eyes were overcooked (medium to medium well) and my son's New York strip was undercooked (for him): medium-rare. The waitress never came around to ask how they food was or to see if we needed anything. We had to flag down a runner to get refills on our drinks. And I'm not sure we would have asked that the steaks be redone because we were so hungry after having to wait an hour for our food and we didn't want to have to wait another hour for the steaks to be redone. We did order dessert and hubby and I shared a slice of the chocolate cake and a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake. Both were excellent. My son did complain to someone at the hostess stand about his steak being cold and they "adjusted" our bill. They were quite generous with the adjustment. But all in all, it wasn't a great birthday dinner, either food or atmosphere wise. Plus, we drove from Chicago and when all was said and done, we didn't get home until almost midnight. Granted that's not the fault of the restaurant, but it did make the night worse for us. I will say that I don't blame the server for her lack of attention to our table. She was being run ragged. She was doing the job of at least 2 servers. But we did feel like we ere overlooked/neglected. We most likely won't be back unless we find out that they've turned things around. read more

If you love steak - this is the bang for your buck hands down. Cooking it yourself means it's done right every time and unlike home they'll do the clean up! Yes the restaurant is a bit dated (think late 80's/early 90's sheik) but that's part of it's charm. It's not pretentious - just delicious. The steaks are huge, the wait staff is always friendly and it's a great way to hang out with friends rather than the usual sit down affair. If you love steak (especially without the high end steakhouse vibe & prices ) this place is definitely a must-go! read more

My husband and I ate there. We ask the waitress which steak is the most tender. She said the ribeye. We had that and they were both tough and fatty. Salad bar wasn't good either. Will not visit again. read more

Delicious! Best salad bar in the area, nice atmosphere and delicious steaks. Teriyaki filet is my choice but they are all worth trying!

Best steakhouse around here! Nice salad bar as well. You can choose your own steak and cook it on their giant charcoal grill, or have them do it. Either way you can't go wrong. Excellent service and ambiance too!!! read more

Had high hopes for this location as it was referred. First your plate starts at $34 if you want to cook your steak or $36 if you want the chef to cook it PLUS the price of the steak cut, our steaks had no seasoning, they were bland and and the only two sides were baked potatoes and toast. Before serving the steaks they have unlimited salad bar (old lettuce, not green only white) and unlimited baked potatoes, not sure why they already serve you one with your dish if you have the option of getting one with the salad bar. Overall waste of money and it would have been a great experience if they had at least different side options or green lettuce. read more

Prime Quarter Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, Illinois

Service is terrific. Food quality excellent. Fortunately, this place hasn't changed in years. Lots of fun, especially with a group.

Food is amazing! Ya girl loves her steaks! We come here once in couple years, but never disappoints when we go

Fun date night, you can grill your own steak which is fun. The place is in need of an update though!

Never had a bad steak here and the salad bar is always good. Atmosphere makes a great place any time.

come here if you want to use the baked potatoes to keep warm, horribly cold poor aervice

Exceptional service on a busy night, steaks were outstanding would definitely recommend M read more

Great choices for beef. Cook ourselves or ask the restaurant to cook the meat for you. Good for family gathering.

Best food in Princeton. Fantastic flame-grilled steaks & great lively environment. Incredible fast-paced service.

Great experience and loved doing my own steak. Great salad bar. Can't wait to go back again. Too bad that we have to go 80 miles to get there. read more

Having lived in Chicago, Toronto, Seattle, and most recently in New York City - I can say with complete honesty that this is one of the best steakhouse concepts I've ever been to. It's an amazing value, you get to grill your own steak, and the salad bar & potato topping bar is perfect. We discussed after leaving this steakhouse in bewilderment how it's hard to believe there aren't more of these - this concept would do amazing in a city like NYC where no one has their own BBQ. It's the perfect date night. Hope that some event brings me back to a town with a PQS in the future, as we had a great time. read more

A pretty cool place and experience here. This is a cook your own steakhouse. You choose your own meat or seafood from their cooler and then throw it on a large charcoal grill. You cook and season it yourself. There is a salad bar which was pretty average, some texas toast to grill, and a stack of baked potatoes. The grilling aspect can be good or bad. You do have to keep an eye on your food and it can be a social thing to chat with others standing around and grilling their meal. We had to wait for a spot around the grill to open up. So you may have to wait for a spot to open up and then wait for your meat to cook which can be a while if you don't get a spot right above the coals. And if you're not good with cooking large, thick steaks or wanting to deal with people drinking and grilling or even not wanting to wait a while for the food to get done then you might not care for this place. It isn't a particularly cheap meal at $24 without drinks. There is some table service for drinks so I probably over tipped for that but it was a pretty unique experience. read more

Awful tough stringy steak, not worth what they charge. This use to be the place to go for a great steak, not anymore. Go to the Cellar in Geneseo for a great steak. Will never go back to the prime quarter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more