Very disappointing and frustrating experience. I took my 2.5 year old daughter and wife here last night to get out of the house. The service was very bad and slow from the second we sat down. It took at least a half hour to get something to drink.. we ordered an app which came out around the same time we get our drinks. She ordered the sirloin and I got the New York strip.. each a $30+ steak.. I added blue cheese crumbles and ordered medium rare she ordered medium. When our steaks finally came out her's looked pretty good while I noticed mine was dry, overcooked and a fatty, stringy, tough steak. I had about 3 bites and the server came and asked how it was and I politely told her " for a $33 dollar steak it's not very good, it's burnt and cooked well done" she said "sorry normally it's good" so that was that... then I'm assuming the owner noticed our conversation and asked how everything was and he acknowledged for what they charge for their steaks they should be excellent. But it was left at that... so anyways... be weary of the steaks at this "steak house" for $35 I can grill a way better steak then what was served to me at this place. read more

I LOVE this place! Why haven't I been here sooner? I get the steamed lobster twin tales. Salad bar is yum. Fresh bread that would make grandmas proud. Good kids menu and they can color on the paper table clothes which moms know, it's a life saver. read more

Love this place! Decent, straight forward food done right. Huge portions! I enjoyed the smoked pork chops (2!) with a nice Pinot Noir. Highly recommended! read more

The Prime Rib is fantastic! I sat at the bar and had the best service. Laurie Ann and Joan are awesome! It appeared they (BSP) are following all safety measures for their employees and customers. I will definitively return! read more

Can't believe we didn't try this place sooner! The service was friendly, the lobster bisque was fantastic, the steaks were all cooked to perfection and the lobster tails were amazing! Can't recommend it enough, and will definitely be back! read more

Date night again (read my other yelps). What to do. Well, a few yelp searches later, I come across a place a few of my friends have recommended in the past. Why not? Lets give it a shot - the yelps are pretty good (some good, some 'meh'). We walked in and were greeted by the very large rectangular bar which screamed 1980 and the hostess had Chandler Bing Flock of Seagulls hair. Ok, whatever. I celebrate diversity in its many facets. We were quickly seated and greeted by our server - her name escapes me. Our initial munchie order was the onion loaf - oh, my. Yumm. Looking back on the meal, I question if the loaf was home made or not - stay tuned. Still, yumm. The iced tea the wife ordered tasted icky and my gin martini was very diluted. I think it must have been 70% water. I chose the salad bar and the wife chose lobster bisque. Her soup looked sorta home made - far too thick, which made us think it might have been from a can. Reading other reviews, they made specific comments about the salad bar - OMG. They were 100% right. The lettuce was old, olives were dry, peas were from a can and, get this, little flies in the croutons. Grrr! Mind you, I don't complain about ***ANYTHING*** what so ever. I ate my salad. (half of it and pushed it aside). Entrees: Wife chose the seafood kabob which was horrid. Shrimp were gritty and fish was clearly frozen and rethawed. Judging by her reaction, I think her kabobs were once dethawed, assembled, frozen and refreshed. I'm also betting a microwave was used to take the chill off of them and then it was grilled. She ate 1/2 and gave up. Now to all of the nay-sayers, you have to trust me when I say this, we eat anything. We love food, just not this effort. Ok, onto my entree. I chose the 18oz strip steak ($36) served with mashed potatoes. The cut was 100% perfect. Trimmed expertly - but had no flavor what so ever. Maddening. The clincher were the potatoes - I'm completely convinced they were made by hand and then frozen and reheated. Poor. The plate was stone cold too. To recap - I don't complain about ANYTHING. I eat at Old Country Buffet and understand what i am getting and enjoy what I get. I'm very saddened to say, the Backyard Steak Pit needs to be avoided. Bad food, bad drinks, horrible decor and I almost forgot - the grill, which is fired with kingsford charcoal, permeates the whole place. To quote Percy Wetmore from the Green Mile, "Dead man walking, we got a dead man walking here." Skip this one. read more

I wont even give two stars for the service. Our server, Cary Anne was great and attentive, but that wasn't enough to save this night. Greeted promptly at door and sat right away. Music does not fit the place. They are attempting to be a high end steakhouse playing pop hits at medium volume. Does not work. Switch to classical or big band. I don't want to hear B96 garbage when I'm paying 120 dollars for a meal. The drink options are boring. No Moscow mules, so don't ask. They have the standard commercial big three beer options, but no craft beers. Boring. The appetizer of Ahi tuna was the best part of the meal. Not sure how this place can afford to serve the portion size they do while still making a profit. Its sliced thick and is about an 8oz portion. That's a lot of tuna for an app for only 13 bucks, but I am not complaining. It was the only bright spot. We also got the "help yourself" salad bar. Bland canned dressings and boring topping choices. Nothing special. We ordered a steak and chicken kabob. The steak was well done, dry and under seasoned. It was ordered medium. The chicken was overcooked and tasted like it was marinated in Italian dressing. What really killed this place, was the mashed potatoes my date was looking forward to having. When they came out, we both dove our forks into them. The moment they we put them in, we got with the taste...BOXED MASHED POTATOES!!! Are you kidding me?????? You are selling steaks for close to city prices and you are using BOXED MASHED POTATOES?? That's shameful and you should be ashamed! WHO WOULD SERVE THAT AT A HIGH END STEAKHOUSE?!?!?!?!? I paid the 120 dollars and left. We will not be back. I can tell this place is being run but the same person who opened it or bought it 30 years ago, it is dated, boring and needs help fast. Such a shame. Don't waste your hard earned money on this place. read more

Fantastic place. Excellent meats. First time here in many years as I live 50 plus miles away. Met a couple here from Wisconsin as it was halfway between us. The occasion was meeting the man that received my wife's kidney she donated on August 1, 2018. The staff was made aware of this and made a big deal out of it. Happy to celebrate giving the gift of life with the recipient and donor at this fine restaurant. read more

Well when I was told I would have a hard time finding this place they weren't kidding. The address doesn't even come up on GPS-really?? So I was late getting there and arrived only after I stopped to ask if anyone could tell me where this place was. If they want to be a secret, they are right on, but one person knew and said "Oh, yea it is behind the restaurant (Saluto's) next door to the gas station with the ATM--really??really? Found it and turns out that the aforementioned directions were as good as it gets. This place is owned by the same owners of Saluto's-met some friends (told you I was late so they were well into their second cocktail) and the place was packed. Why? Still don't know--it was just as it says backyard steak pit--everything cooked on the grill(pit) and in the backyard of the other restaurant. Ordered sirloin shish kabobs--comes with soup or salad bar (salad bar is a stretch) probably one of the smallest ones I've seen with only a few things to add to a big bowl of looked like bag lettuce to me. Entree came with a side of vegetables (frozen) and sirloin was WELLLLL done. Server was nice and we were served quick--and I won't be quick to return. read more

This past Friday night I had a taste for a steak and a baked potato. I didn't want to cook it myself, it was about 8 PM and I just didn't feel like messing around in the kitchen. So I said to myself "Self, where can you get a decent steak dinner around here" and then the light came one "The Backyard"!...I've never gone wrong there.... Boy was I wrong! It's been at least 2 years since the last time I was there, but you used to get a choice of garlic or regular toast with your dinner. It was one of the best parts. They don't offer it anymore! Yikes!!!!!.....well I ordered anyway. I had the 10 ounce sirloin, medium well, with a baked potato. Let me start by saying that my 5 year old could have cooked me a better steak. It was dry, it was charred (which I hate) and it was just.....GROSS. To top that off, I had not a drop of steak sauce in my house to fix it with! ARRRGGGHHH My potato was overcooked, so it was super hard to even mash up. I had throw a ton of sour cream in it to make it feasible. I didn't even finish my food. At trip to McDonald's would have been better...not to mention MUCH cheaper cause I paid $21 for this most AWFUL food! Back in the day this used to be, in my opinion, the best steakhouse out here in these parts. Now we are doomed to place like Red Lobster and Lone Star(don't get me wrong, these restaurants are OK, but the steak is not the specialty). Looks like I'm going to have to come to Chicago to get a good piece of red meat. I wouldn't have given it the one star that I did....but I had to give it something..... read more

The 12oz filet that I had here was definitely worthy of 4 stars. The "salad bar" (quotes used tongue-in-cheek) made me detract a star because half of the reason I chose this place was claims of a stellar salad bar. Major letdown there. Came here on a busy (and very loud) night, service was a little spotty because I think the waitstaff was stretched a little thin. Went parched a few times as there was long bouts of an empty iced-tea glass between refills. I almost wanted to just ask for a pitcher of the stuff to keep at my table. Thinking back to my near-dehydration, I wish I had. My steak was great. Sauteed with fresh mushrooms and cooked almost perfectly to order. I think I had grilled asparagus as a side, but for the life of me, I can't remember. Prices are a bit steep, glad I came with a restaurant.com gc. Kind of an old-fogey crowd. Felt like I was at an old time-y supper club. read more

Went for Valentine's Day. Was one of the first diners there, so it wasn't super busy yet. Steaks were meh. Bread wasn't warm. Service was top-notch, which is why they get 3 stars. read more

A fairly average steakhouse. I got the filet and my girlfriend got the rack of ribs, which led to a funny moment when the server who brought out our food thought he'd put the plates in front of the wrong people. Having worked as a server at a steakhouse for almost two years, I consider myself a pretty good judge of steakhouses. You're not going to find anything extraordinary here, but you're not really going to be disappointed, either. A pretty average place. Perfectly fits the definition of "A-OK." read more

It's been 6 or 7 or 8 years since last time i was here and this place has not changed a bit. Still amazingly delicious steaks and super delicious bread that twice baked potatoes are the same as I remember them from while back. So glad to stop by as its not really on or in my way from my new home and job read more

See all

Delicious food and great customer service. My husband and I have been frequenting this locally owned restaurant for many years. We've never had a bad meal. The steaks, lobster tails, and salmon are the best we've ever had. You won't be disappointed. read more

It had been 2 years since we last visited and we probably won't go back. We ordered 2 steaks med. and they brought them almost rare, the other steak they over cooked and brought well done. the lobster bisque soup tasted fishy. We were very disappointed with this dinner. read more

I've been coming here for years and usually get the rib eye and snow crab legs. Last night I tried the prime rib for the first time (ventured out from the usual) and oh my! Best prime rib ever! The flavor is subtle and the cut oh so delicate. I came back today and had it again. You can get straight or creamy horse radish, which I usually love with prime rib, but the flavor and texture of their prime rib is so good that I decided the horse radish distracts and will skip it in the future. Yum! I also recommend the Ahi Tuna. They use a dry rub and grill it right on the charcoal pit. I like it cooked medium rare (rare is standard) and with the wasabi sauce on the side. Good stuff. As others have mentioned, the crowd here is more mature and I prefer it since I like eating at the bar. A good mix of regulars and new faces. I, too, miss the garlic toast but the new bread is good. You can have them heat it on the grill which is pretty tasty. read more

As a neighborhood Steak place, you can't get better than Backyard Steak Pit. I've been here over a dozen times. The ambiance is low lit, nice, relaxing. The bar area is always packed on a Friday night. The grill where they cook the meat is out in the open by the salad bar so everybody can get a peek. Any cut of meat is good on the menu but I highly recommend the smoked pork chops! Not something I ever order but am sure glad I did one time and I will not deviate now. They have a smokey, juicy flavor that is to die for. We took a group of friends who live out of town there. The very next week, I received a picture text message of the menu, they liked it so much they drove 30 minutes to eat dinner there again. I agree with a previous review, the owner Mike is a very pleasant, nice guy whom I've just gotten to know because I go there often. read more

My boyfriend took me here as we traveled back from Wisconsin Dells. He used to go there very often, so he ordered us popular food there. They are all very delicious with very big portion . The appetizer baked potatoes is very good! read more

The Backyard Steak Pit - Seafood Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

See all

I wanted to take Mom out for a nice dinner for Mothers day. We decided to go out on the Saturday before Mothers day and a bit before the dinner rush to avoid crowds. We arrived at 5:00 pm and the host was able to seat us immediately. We were led to their side room where I believe they host larger parties. We were seated across from a large party of 15-20 people. I was seated so close to the other table that as people would walk past I would regularly get bumped. I mentioned to my dad that we were way closer than 6" (Pandemic Social Distancing Rules) and when you are dining its not possible to wear a mask. Fortunately for us we are all vaccinated. Where we were seated I could see the emergency exit located near the waitress station. At one point someone placed a high chair in front of the door, then a bit later someone stacked a couple chairs. Dad mentioned the path is blocked. It was about 10 minutes later a waitress bumped into one of the chairs and took a moment to stack them in the corner. Our waitress was mostly attentive. To start we put in an appetizer of Cheese Curds. Mom and i couldn't decide between the Fried Mozzarella sticks, Curds or fried mushrooms. The waitress recommended the curds so we went with that. It wasn't long until the cheese curds arrived. They were golden crispy where they were actually crunchy and the cheese was not very stringy as you'd expect. After a few minutes the waitress came by and checked on us. We explained the curds seemed over cooked. She waitress said that's how they are made and offered to remake the order. Mom declined. Now the waitress takes our main orders. Mom ordered the Snow Crab Legs. Dad ordered barbecue ribs and I ordered the 10oz Prime Rib. Everything we ordered came with soup or salad and a potato and a loaf of bread. The salads were fair. Some cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and I think there was some carrot shavings. Their house ranch dressing was nice. The loaf of bread was served warm with cold butter packets. Very tasty and went well with the salads. It wasn't too long before the meal arrived. I felt the pace was good for the occasion. Mom really enjoyed her crab legs. She mentioned how it was better than Red Lobster as when cracking the shells open there was more meat inside. The only thing that would have been better with her dinner is the drawn butter. The butter was served in a glass ramakin dish. After a bit the butter cools and reconstitutes. This causes her to try to eat faster to be able to take advantage of the butter. She did ask for a second butter. We noticed that other tables had butter warmers that use a votive candle to gently keep the butter liquid. We wondered if they did that for Lobster and not Crab Legs. Seems odd, because the last time we were at this restaurant in October mom had a warmer. Maybe they ran out? Dad enjoyed his ribs. He didn't say much about them either way. For me, I was really looking forward to the prime rib and I was not disappointed. They also offered grilled onions and sautéed mushrooms. I added the mushrooms. It was cooked perfectly, the cut had just enough fat to provide texture and flavor and it was served resting on a puddle of Au Jus. The only thing that stood out to me was the mushrooms. As I sliced into them I noticed that they appeared to not be thoroughly cleaned and were a bit gritty as I ate them. During the course of the meal, their bus staff were like ninjas. I would empty a plate and set it aside, I would turn my head and when I would look back to put something on the plate, it was gone. Poof! Quite impressive. At one point they tried to take moms shell discard plate. Mom was still using it however. The busser appeared to be disappointed. At one point the waitress stopped to check on us. She was carrying a water pitcher and asked dad if he wanted more water. He accepted. Mom asked for a refill on her iced tea. The waitress walked away and put the water pitcher down and disappeared. Mom mentioned that it seemed either rude or maybe the waitress didn't hear her? Up to this point I have had 3 refills and none of them I had to ask for. The waitress just offered. When they took my first glass away they also kept the straw and I never got another one, no biggie just odd. This time my glass had been sitting empty longer than moms Iced Tea. So a few minutes goes by and I had to slide over close to dad to let her go past. She thanked me, but with a tone that seemed to dig at my weight. I usually disregard that. While we were having this exchange mom seized the opportunity to ask for more tea. The waitress grabbed her glass and mom mentioned that I would like more Diet Coke while she is refilling glasses. The waitress looked at me and said "Another one?!?" and grabbed my arm. "Any more and you are going to float away!" I cracked a joke about having a hollow leg that I was filling. The waitress reaction was to just look at me as she took my glass away. The bill was $130.72. Left $25 tip. 2 hours read more

We were looking for a restaurant that served steaks, to help celebrate my wife's birthday. We hadn't been to the Steak Pit in over a year. We started with an appetizer of coconut shrimp (Outstanding)! My wife and son ordered a salad while I had the lobster bisque soup. Our entrees were filet mignons with red mashed potatoes. We couldn't believe a takeout dinner could turn out so perfect! I can't wait to go back and repeat the experience. We need to support this restaurant during this pandemic and after!! read more

Great atmosphere and waitress. The salad bar was okay (the dressing wasn't very tasty). I ordered the NY Strip steak and it was great- Very flavorful. Only quibble was I ordered it Medium Rare plus and it came out Medium plus. My wife ordered the Filet Oscar medium rare and that was fine. The drinks (particulary the mai-tai's) were fantastic. We were very surprised that the mashed potatoes that we both ordered were instant !! I would order the baked potato next time for sure... Our son had ribs and shrimp- The ribs and french fries were very good, however, the shimp were like something you'd get from the frozen food section of Jewel Osco- Lame. We'd go back, but for $150 all in for 3 of us, it wasn't a 4 or 5 star experience. read more

Food was amazing and so was Beth!! Howard and Sharaleen G from Reno, Nevada read more

Backyard has always been one of my favorite restaurants. Having said that dinner last night was extremely disappointing. The deep-fried, butterflied shrimp was something that I could've purchased in any freezer section at any grocery store and thrown in my own oven to bake. Extremely disappointing. My steak was average although the béarnaise sauce was really good. My husband had Filet Oscar, he thought was good but at the price tag of $38.99 dollars was way overpriced. i'm not sure what has changed at the backyard and I will give it one more try before I cross it off my favorites list, hoping it was just a one-time fluke read more

We've been coming here since they opened and I can honestly say, I have never left here anything but full and satisfied! This time was no different! Food was excellent, service was excellent, what more do you need. People whine about the dated decor, or not enough cocktail or wine choices, but you know what, why change what works and let's face it, you're there for the steaks, not the fancy new remodeling. And honestly that's also what's great about the Backyard Steak Pit, it's just great food, without all the snobby, pretentious attitudes you find at some other steakhouses. read more

To those who complained their steaks weren't prepared properly, that happens in every steakhouse at times. The correct response is to inform your server. They will replace it promptly. Our server stopped by a couple of minutes after our dinners were served and specifically asked if it steaks were done properly. They were, but I have no doubt they would have cooked us another if the chef missed the mark. Karen provided great service. My steak was done just the way I like it. A little char on the outside, pink in the center. A really nice tender filet. I can't comment on the mashed potatoes. I always prefer baked. I don't expect to get a prime filet salad and a side for less than the $30 I paid. A nice dinner at a fair price read more

This place was nice. I had the lobster bisque soup (needed more seasoning) before the ribeye with blue cheese crumbles which was really good. Would recommend it to others for sure. The 2 others with me each had cheeseburgers that were good as well. The only problem we saw was that the wait staff was slow to the table. They weren't really checking up on us very often. So food was good, but service could be improved. read more

Came in with my two children. Was told the wait was 40 min, we got sat within 10! (Love when that happens) our server was nice. I felt a little rushed but I was able to deal. I thought it was just the coolest that they lay paper on the table for the children to draw on. How fun!! (Literally you draw on the whole table). The food... I ordered a strip steak cooked medium. With a baked potato, and chose the salad bar. Added a side of sea scallops. The whole meal was delicious. I can't argue that. The salad bar was kind of eh. Nothing spectacular. Very small. Would be nice if they updated it. They're a bit over priced in my opinion. Will probably be back. read more

Go here for some really really good food. Great steaks, potatoes, soups, and seafood. Delicious martinis too. Very consistent with service and food quality. You will not be disappointed here! We go here about once a month with our two kids (they have a kids menu). Food is always fresh and cooked to perfection! read more

Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Will definitely return! The lobster and salmon were delicious! Our waitress was very helpful and attentive. Prices were reasonable and the portion sizes were generous. read more

Went here after seeing this place listed as one of the best places to get a steak, and it was true! One of the best steaks that I have had in a long time. Service was friendly and efficient. Prices were a little high, but worth it for an amazing steak! read more

This is a good place with not a ton of attention. The meat is always done perfectly and the drinks are good and stiff! It reminds me of a Wisconsin supper club but more. I would suggest this place. read more

We ate here while in the area for my son's graduation ceremony from the Navy. All he wanted the whole time he was in basic was a huge ribeye steak! Lol so we took him here and it was a good choice the steaks were awesome! Salad bar was kinda blah and not impressive but that wasn't what we were there for anyway so didn't care. Mary our server was very nice and helpful! I would recommend if ur in the market for steaks! Only thing I was missing was my sweet tea being from the South that's a meal staple for us! lol read more

Sit at the bar. Great bartenders with great service. It's better at the bar than the table. The waitresses are slow and really could care less about your meal. Also it takes upwards of 2 hours for a meal. Why I have no idea. We have been twice and same service both times. read more

Salad bar adequate. Fine for me. But I am not a big salad fan. For big salad fans it is light in choices. Dressing was good. Real bacon bits. Bread - so so. Doughy, no real crust. NY Strip Steak. Medium rare. Looked good. Cooked appropriately. Unusual taste. Not good. Disappointed. read more

I went there at 7pm tonight with a date I got 12 oz filet mignon and backed potato steak was 38 bucks date got chicken and baked potato 19 bucks tasted it rubbery steak was poor out backs is better by far and I eat steak somewhere else with out naming the place but in Grayslake. I had a bad stomach ACH then bad diarrhea. She lives an hour away barely made it to vomit then diarrhea. I will never go there again 80$ bill 20 tip 100 to get sick the reviews where ok but I'm telling you you better off somewhere else. Going to call and complain when they open nothing will come of it but it's not right.if they offered free meal I would decline. Do what you will with this review I never leave them but this was something I could not ignore. read more

We were looking for a good place to take the family after a long day at Great America. A quick Yelp search (by my husband) showed that The Backyard Steak Pit was the place to go so we decided to give it a try. Boy were we wrong and also a bit surprised, given all the good ratings. As I glance through some of the reviews, I have to 100% agree with Michael. - Our service was fine. Not spectacular, but also nothing to complain about. We were greeted promptly with a smile, she allowed us to order my 3 yr old's dinner immediately (pre-drink order) because he was starving, and everything came out as ordered. Water refills were the only thing that seemed hard to come by, but nobody else at the table was drinking theirs, so I just took those. - Drink menu leaves a lot to be desired. No real "cocktails" to speak of and just a mediocre wine selection. Plenty of beer to choose from, but that seemed a little out of place with a "high-end steakhouse." None the less, we both ordered a glass of wine. - Prices were on the higher end. $25 for a 10 oz ribeye or prime rib. I don't mind paying the $$$ if the food is good. Unfortunately, it left a lot to be desired. - The meal starts with a cold loaf of bread (not even touched by my family of bread-and-butter eating fools!) and a basic salad bar that consists of bagged lettuce, a couple of vegetable toppings and some dressing. I ordered the prime-rib, medium rare. It was tasty, cooked exactly to medium-rare, and I have no complaints about my steak, at all! However, my 17 year old and my husband both ordered Ribeyes, medium. Again, both were cooked perfectly (compliments to the chef!!) but the Ribeyes were tougher than leather and totally unseasoned. Not good, at all. My husband disliked his so much he ended up splitting the prime rib with me. Two of us ordered baked potatoes as our side - which are served plain with packets of butter and sour cream on the side. (what?!? So weird. Even Outback dresses your potato for you!) But the KILLER came when my husband took one bite of his mashed potatoes, made a face and handed the fork to me. After one bite I knew exactly what the problem was. BOXED MASHED POTATOES?!?! What?!? We were shocked (and not in a good way!) All and all, we left sadly disappointed in our dinner which ran us $150. I also agree with the other reviewers that noted the music is out of place and entire place is old, run down and in need of a make-over. We won't be visiting again, for sure. read more

We had a great time here. Great bartender. Great waitress. Great food. I brought in a group of guys who were in town working 14hr days all week and living off fast food and these folks really took care of them. I would definitely come back here again. The lobster bisque and prime rib were awesome. Appetizer chicken wings and tater skins were good too. read more

This place was overpriced in my opinion. Both my sister and mother ordered the fried shrimp that cost $17.99, to their surprise the fried shrimp was basically what you get at a fast food restaurant. We might as well have went to Costco for the same thing but larger quantity. Yes you get a side and soup/salad, but so do a lot of places that offer better service and reasonable prices. Additionally, the bread was a mess to cut, having it precut in advanced would have been much suitable. read more

I have been dining here for twenty years and Mike Shannon makes all customers feel like family. Friendly staff, laid back atmosphere, generous drinks and the best Steaks and prime Rib in Northern Lake County! Sean D read more