Every time I drive by the location the parking lot is fairly empty. The day of my latest visit was no different. Someone in the office was talking about their special they run, an app, entree and desert for $13 and that made me want to give it a shot. We were greeted with a friendly hello and was seated right away. Our orders taken were taken quickly by service that was a bit young and inexperienced. I asked if i could substitute my fries for another option or if i would be charged for it, and was looked at like I was from another planet. Eventually we got on the same page and it turned out I could substitute. That was nice. I ordered the lobster taco's, and as it turns out, there were two options. 2 tacos or 3. I thought i would be getting the two, but three came out. A sneaky up charge that was not mentioned by our service. When the tacos came out, they come with a "fresh" lime to squeeze over them. My lime was jokingly dry, as well as the lime on my wife's plate. It was pretty funny and made for a laugh. I asked for a new lime, and the waitress came back with one. She watched as I squeezed the new dried out lime with nothing coming out of it. The waitress said "I don't know, they were only cut this morning." This morning??? It was 5pm now. I don't know what ServSafe says, but i'm sure your not suppose to leave cut fruit out for hours uncovered right? All in all, the back of the house is running on point. The front of the house on the other hand needs some improvement or that parking lot is sure to stay empty.
(3)
D. V.
We had the special for dinner, 5oz sirloin and shrimp for $15.99. Don't waste you money on this !!! The beef was so tough I had trouble cutting though it. I think it was the worst piece of beef I have ever had. The shrimp (the crisp shrimp was better than the garlic shrimp) was good, it was all you could eat. The service was very good and they did give my husband $10 off our bill because he told them his steak was tough.
(1)
Doug P.
Just ordered my rib eye steak black and blue. "They call it Pittsburgh style. Where out side temp is decided with a different temp inside. Will continue my fosters and blumin' onion just delivered And now. Waiting. And waiting for my steak. It arrived exactly as ordered with my baked sweet potato Melanie ordered her med. but I am afraid it arrived. Ned well done inside. So zingo. One less star one less star for a over deep fried blumin onion .
(3)
Justin B.
I have always enjoyed the Special Sirloin and homemade bread at Outback. While the menu lacks creative food choices, the smaller appetizer versions are a nice way to enjoy an Outback specialty between two people. My only reservation is the price related to the amount of food in the meal. Sometimes it is nice to take home leftovers and that is a rare happening at Outback. In addition, you are not able to make traditional reservations (just call ahead), so I rarely plan to eat at Outback with a group of more than four people. If you want to have an excellent steak in Crystal Lake, this is absolutely a great option.
(4)
Jo W.
Just wanted to say I ate at the Outback in Crystal Lake last night and it was very good, Service with a smile , not long before seated. I was with my sister and a friend, I had the Mahi Mahi, very good, nice size piece of fish. We all enjoyed our food and would go back again.
(3)
Jackie F.
Grandkids love this restaurant and so do we. Never a disappointment, can count on everything being right....
(5)
Adam L.
Usually pretty busy Saturday nights. Call ahead if you can. Better than the other two "independent" steak houses in the area, IMO.
(4)
John M.
Good simple food at decent prices. Service is teriffic. Little bit of a wait at peak times. Grilled chicken on the Barbie my favorite. Try the ahi tuna as well. Request light seasoning on the chicken or you may get salt overload!
(4)
Mike S.
food was ok.....service took FOREVER!!
(3)
Susan H.
I was visiting a friend in Overland Park Kansas we went to the out back I hadn't been there for a while we were very fortunate to have Amy Rother as our server. I am handicapped and it's very hard being that way. You would not believe some of the people who I have encountered that treat me mean. I am62and have traveled a lot. Amy by far was the sweetest, kindest helpful server I have ever come across any where I have been. She made me and my friends night perfect. It was nice that she took her time talking with us while we were there. Looking at some of the young people in this world it's scary but meeting Amy made me feel there's hope for us and the young people. The manager came over and talked with us my friend and I were celebrating our birthdays and he gave us a free dessert. That was very nice of him also. I was not expressed on the state of Kansas. This was my last night there and it ended so well because of your restaurant. I want to thank you especially Amy for making it so great. She is a wonderful young lady going to school. I hope you let her read this and give her some kind of recognition to her. Thank you Amy so much for your kindness. Use Amy to help train the new servers so they know how to be great like her and come back to your establishment. You go there and want a great server ask for her you will not be disappointed thank you Susan Huff from Colorado Springs CO. 303-880-6875 our food was great also.
(5)
Joe W.
I love this place you could never go wrong they have the best bread and soup can't forget the Austin chese fries and the steaks are delious but I never have room for it lol but its a great left over highly recommend
(4)
Jill H.
I typically don't like to turn to yelp, I like to try and give the business a chance, but since the owner of this outback walked passed my empty table 3x in a almost dead OB, and never wondered were our server was, I feel compelled that I must. Typically all the OB I have been to are awesome. BG, Chicago, Skokie. Sat for 20min in a dead outback at around 4:30pm waiting for the server. Finally when she came we ordered our food and drinks, pretty sure there was no alcohol in my drink (I am almost 50 so I have no need to exaggerate about that). My steak that ordered medium was medium well, unseasoned, my son's NY STRIP was the same, not over cooked but tough and bland, NO GREEN BEANS ANYMORE, so I ordered the asparagus that was hard and tasted like dirt. WORST MEAL I have had in a long time. Really disappointed although is crystal lake I would still expect more, I guess I will have to travel to a more civilized area to get good food. WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE. Thanks for ruining my Saturday night dinner.
(1)
Todd P.
Went there with family on Sat 5/11/13 for dinner with family. Went to washroom and really thought "Do I really need to go?" after seeing the condition it was in. Wife happened to go as well and when we walked out commented about the conditions. Went back to the table and waited 16 minutes before deciding "Let's leave" because no one had taken our drink order even. Now this is the best part, while waiting outside the parking lot at the light I called the restaurant and asked for the manager. I pointed out what happened and was grilled as to whether or not I was actually in the restaurant? When I described every patron around our table she then remembered us. When I pointedly asked "Why should I choose Outback Steak House vs. continuing across the street to either The Squire or TGIFs?" my reply was "because I answered the phone?" OMG... That was her answer. So if you like chain restaurant frozen prepared appetizers with lazy waitstaff and a franchise manager that doesn't care about the customers that come in. This is your place to be. If you are a little more discerning with your budget dollars for a family dinner, keep going because this Outback is not worth the money.
(1)
Colleen D.
Actually the food was okay - the service though was a turn off....I really felt rushed. Hadn't had time to pick up the menu when kept getting asked if I knew what I wanted...food served before salad was done...trying to clear plates before we were done...I had a salad - very good and tuna appetizer. Both decent...
(3)
Aggie H.
Great service and good food. The only reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the recipes on some of our favorites changed (apparently this happens periodically), but we got no warning. My husband used to love their chicken fingers until the last time we went there. They were not as good and it sounds like the old recipe is gone for good.
(4)
Jim T.
I so want to give this place 5 stars, but just can't. Every time I visit it seems like the waitstaff is in hyper-drive and can't wait to move onto the next table or task. I go to a restaurant to eat and relax, not gobble my food up and leave. The food is good here and worth the money you spend. Have never been disappointed with the quality of the food. Get the Bloomin Onion!
(4)
Z B.
I'm surprised by the reviews for this place. Outback Steakhouse is an Australian themed steakhouse. There are many locations, but I found this one when I was at an overnight. It was near the hotel. The atmosphere is pretty cool. There is a painted flag of Australia near the entrance. There is also the country of Australia that is hung up on the wall. I think this is nice so far! The service was good. The waiter was nice and friendly to me. The staff were kind of slow with my drink, but fast with some other things I needed. OMG! The food is fantastic! I ordered a vanilla milkshake. It was pretty good. It was nice and creamy ice cream with whipped cream and a wafer on top. The Bloomin' Onion appetizer was good. They were smaller onion rings. You can have times where there can be too much bread. Before my steak, I had a baked potato soup. It was really good. There was a good mixture of potatoes in the soup. The highlight of my stay was the entree. It was the filet mignon with lobster. I added fries for the side. The fries were good. They were nice and crispy. The filet mignon was out of this world! It was a very tender and juicy steak! I wanted to choose it because it was a smaller steak, and I wanted the lobster tail. The lobster tail was really good! It was not too chewy and the flavor was really good! All in all, the food is amazing, the service is good, and this place has a great atmosphere. Outback Steakhouse, you made me officially an Aussie!
(5)
Walter J.
It is really sad that a restaurant as well known as Outback and that is always packed (at least the Crystal Lake location) can have such bland food. I took my girlfriend and her kids out to dinner for her birthday and asked her where she want to go...she says Outback..I'm like, ok..are you sure yo don't want to go to Jamisons? No Outback... I have never had a positive experience at Outback but hey, it was her special day. For one thing, the food seems to be pretty expensive for what you get. Like $24 for side salad, a fillet, and one side. Come on, you can't spare some carrots or something to fill in the plate?? Guess not..meat and potatoes. Anyways, we ordered some drinks, which weren't bad..expensive but tasted good. And a blooming onion...which is probably the best deal on the menu..it's huge! The kids got kids meals and my girlfriend and I got fillet steaks. The kids mac and cheese are penne noodles with some weird cheese sauce on them...not good. Don't recommend. The steaks were extremely bland, even though they had Outback's 17 special spices on them. Really, really bland. I am guessing they were frozen... I love steak, but these were just not good at all. $85 for dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids and 2 alcoholic beverages... over priced if you ask me... but what do I know the place is always packed. Anyways, in Crystal Lake, I would recommend Jamison's steak house over Outback. You might spend a few more dollars but they are well worth it!
(2)
Kat c.
Just went there for my birthday dinner. Overall, I was disappointed. Especially since my 18 yr old son spent his own money on this meal. We ordered the blooming onion. That was good, though way too oily. My son ordered the special sirloin, medium rare. It came out pretty rare.... and still managed to be on the tough side. The flavor was pretty bland. He had fries, which were just barely warm when they arrived. He also had the French onion soup; the best part of the meal. I ordered the Tilapia w/crab. There were 2 or 3 mushrooms on top, and only enough crab to cover that... probably only a total of 2 tablespoons. The fish had decent flavor, not great. The crab was almost flavorless. How can crab be flavorless?? SMH. I also had garlic mashed potatoes... decent flavor but not hot enough. Doubt we'll be back.
(2)
Dominique M.
The location in Crystal Lake, Il. actually lost my business after I'd been patronizing their establishment for 15 years. The quality of the food and the service have declined horribly over the past few years. I've now been served uncooked food, FROZEN-yes, frozen food, and wrong orders by rude, nasty, bored servers time after time. I only returned as much as I did because my best friend absolutely loves Outback. But in my experience, Outback Steakhouse is a cheap, disgusting, poor excuse for a restaurant. It's really too bad that it's declined so much over the years. I used to enjoy our trips to Outback. ***Recently, my food was delivered to my table frozen and when I asked for it to be re-cooked, it came back to me and tasted horrible (I know what the pork chop and mashed potatoes are supposed to taste like-I ordered them quite often when I used to eat at Outback). I was told that everything was fine and that no one else had complained about that particular dish and that I had the choice to either eat it or not eat it, but that I wouldn't be getting anything else. I'd explained that I had heard two other tables in my waitress' section complain about the exact same issues with the exact same meal. The waitress kind of rolled her eyes and walked away when I asked for the manager, and the manager, although she was nice enough (unlike that awful male manager with the light brown hair), just gave us two coupons for a discounted appetizer each next time we came in. This was already the 4th or 5th time that I'd had similar problems at Outback. When we came in the next time, we used our coupons and had to complain once again when our food was cooked wrong, half of my order not having even been served to me at all. We had the same waitress as the previous time, and after paying the check and leaving a generous tip, we were accused by the staff of "trying to get free stuff"?!? I am absolutely finished with this restaurant. I have paid them thousands of dollars over the years of my hard earned money. No more. It has truly gone swirling right down the crapper (the money AND the restaurant). ***
(1)
Ed R.
This is the familiar story of a once great restaurant that gets complacent. I had been going to the Crystal Lake Outback for over 10 years. It used to be the place you were glad to pay extra for just to the an outstanding meal. But nowadays you get cold food and poor service. I ordered the Alice Springs chicken, my wife got the Teriyaki Medallions, plus 2 kids meals. Every single one of these items was delivered cold. The waiter couldn't care less. Even getting water seemed to bother him. But as we left the restaurant I realized what he was really interested in. It seemed the cute hostess was a higher priority, as he was hanging out her while customers waited. Outback is not cheap, and it's just not worth it anymore.
(2)
Franklin D.
It's an Outback, like all the others in the chain. Normally I wouldn't have much to say except we went there tonight and they've changed their menu. They now have a Wednesday night special, so I thought I'd have a go. For my $20 I got three grilled shrimp, and chicken breast, two lamb chops, some green beans sauteed in oil, and some mashed sweet potatoes. Still not sure how much I liked it. It wasn't bad, but not really anything special. They changed the menu around a bit and cranked up the prices on a couple things so be ready for a few changes.
(3)
Andrew M.
We went here not really expecting much but I had a $50 coupon so why the heck not? Service was good - so no rip on that. My 13 year old got the chicken and ribs - that looked pretty good. I had a bite of the chicken and it was actually very good. I got the NY Strip with and it was not so good. Lots of fat and you could tell it was not a very quality steak. The garlic mashed potatos were good in taste but in all the portion was half the size of half a tennis ball. The plate is came on was no bigger then the plate I serve my 6 year old a waffle in the morning on her way to school - but presentation has NEVER been this joints goal. My 6 year old settled in on the cheapest steak and it was terrible - looked like hacked liver that was broiled to the point it was dried out. NO steak place should even have this sort of coy - or what ever it was on the menu, a McDouble would have been far better! We took this thing home for the dog and it even took him a few minutes chewing this on the side of his mouth to break it up. My wife got a basic salad that had green onions in it but did not indicate that on the menu. She also got a sweet potato that was the size of a tennis ball - how do they even grow minature sweet potoatos like that??? This place has some of the worst food ever - when you consider the cost, forget about it. I feel like I have to shower now for just being on the Outback review page!
(1)
Nicole L.
Wow o wow was this good! Anticipating a wait upon arriving in the parking lot, we were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately. The server greeted us right away and started our evening off on a nice note. Ordered a Bloomin Onion.... Deliciously good. One negative would be, we wished it was drained off a bit more as there was a lot of oil on the bottom side. My husband and son each ordered a different cut of steak, one 8oz and one filet and lobster tail. As for me, I ordered chicken on the barbie. First up was the house salads for my son and I. The lettuce was so crisp and good! My husband ordered a blue cheese wedge salad. The salad came out, all 1/8 of a head of lettuce... He loved it. He actually didn't stop talking about that salad for days, it was that good. The main courses were out next, and there weren't many words exchanged during dinner as we all were too busy eating. We will certainly be back, the total bill however was 2x what we normally spend on a Saturday night. If my family has another need for steak, this will be our go-to spot. I better start saving now. ;) Convenient location off of 31 and 14. Check out their Outback 365 app on Android or iPhone. They have promotions that can be used on your next visit, as well as a mobile menu. Good stuff!
(4)
Ken K.
It's Outback...........you know what you're getting........it's the same everywhere - not great, not horrible - 3-4 stars. (I travel for work a lot and have eaten at a LOT of Outbacks) What makes this a 2 star review is the wait - been here 3 times - always waited at least 45 minutes - again - IT'S OUTBACK...........hate to see if C.L. ever got an Olive Garden....you'd have to camp out starting Thursday for a Sat. night table...... There are too many good local spots in this town (Georgio's, Duke's, The Cottage, etc.) to wait 45 minutes for Outback.
(2)
Dana K.
Not very happy with today's service. First of all it took forever to have our order taken. Then half our drinks came and had to wait 10mins longer for the rest of them. Then all 4 of our steaks were over cooked. Had them reordered and they were just ok. Then placed an order to take home and this t out me the steak was completely raw. We will not be going back again.
(1)
Otto M.
What an amazing dinner we had. The steak was flawless... cooked perfectly. Our bartender, Steve was on top of it. The service was like a well oiled machine. I don't usually frequent chain restaurants but this was a pleasant surprise. I'll be (out)back, mate!
(5)
Jack P.
Outback Steakhouse is Number 1 Best Restaurant in America! Their service is great, especially if you get Brittany R. Their food is really fresh and good. We took my daughter on her 11th birthday and she loved it. Their prices are reasonable.
(5)
Joseph M.
This place makes me laugh, it's always crowded and the food sucks, you can get a better steak at Appleby's or one of the many Greek joints in town, yet idiots keep going. Well thank you for not going to any of the good restaurants in CL, It keeps the lines down. I have only tried this place a few times but their stakes are the worst, if you like their food you have no Taste!!
(1)
Jeff S.
Haven't been here in ages but we decided to stop by one weekend evening since everything else in Crystal Lake sounded pedestrian to us at the time. We lucked out with grabbing a table outside the bar before the dinner rush started; it seems this place was just as busy as it was on weekends back when it opened. The bread was not as good as I remembered, the softness was gone and this was one of the things we always remembered about Outback. :( Also long gone is the grilled meat and veggie kabob combos on rice with pineapple that I used to always get so I opted for a shrimp and flank steak combo. The meal was about what I expected, the steak there has never impressed me for a 'steakhouse' as I've had juicier flank at Friday's across the street sometimes. But the overall the experience was as expected. Big chain, friendly waitress, etc.
(3)
John S.
Once a great place, the Kitchen completely falls apart under pressure. On New Years Eve we ordered take away and were very disappointed. Of five meals, only one was correct... that was a plain hamburger well-done. Everything else was cooked either wrong, didn't include the advertised stuff, or included something that wasn't supposed to be in your food at all!!! Thankfully they are building building a Texas Roadhouse across the street....
(2)
Taylor M.
Typical chain food. Steaks are way over seasoned, fish is tasteless, lobster is rubbery, and the veggies are mushy. The beer is over priced and the cocktails are under poured. Wait staff is always good but that's the only good thing about outback. Try Dukes or Giorgio's in downtown CL instead.
(2)
Peggy F.
Ate at Outback in Crystal Lake tonight at my son's request for his birthday. We ordered steaks, lobster, chicken & everyone enjoyed their food. We had a 2 yr old in our group and our waitress was very attentive to his needs. Had the huge, delicious brownie ice cream dessert, plenty for a couple to share. Service was excellent and very friendly. The place was pretty busy. My only minor complaint was that the margaritas tasted like limeaid, pretty weak. The wine was great.
(4)
Tannia H.
If you want to pay for bad service and below decent food than come throw away your money here!!!! Service sucked, if you happen to go to this location make sure BRET is not your server!!! He gave us such terrible service, took our order while he rested his head on his hand with his elbow on the table!!! Like if he were doing us a favor! On top of that completely forgot our bloomin onion, which was why we even decided to go there for dinner!!! Needless to say he made us not want to go there anytime soon.... I'll stick to a much more friendly steak house with great ambiance... LIVING ROOM ON Rt 14 in Crystal Lake!!!
(1)
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Address :4751 Northwest Hwy
Crystal Lake, IL, 60014
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Nathan S.
Every time I drive by the location the parking lot is fairly empty. The day of my latest visit was no different. Someone in the office was talking about their special they run, an app, entree and desert for $13 and that made me want to give it a shot. We were greeted with a friendly hello and was seated right away. Our orders taken were taken quickly by service that was a bit young and inexperienced. I asked if i could substitute my fries for another option or if i would be charged for it, and was looked at like I was from another planet. Eventually we got on the same page and it turned out I could substitute. That was nice. I ordered the lobster taco's, and as it turns out, there were two options. 2 tacos or 3. I thought i would be getting the two, but three came out. A sneaky up charge that was not mentioned by our service. When the tacos came out, they come with a "fresh" lime to squeeze over them. My lime was jokingly dry, as well as the lime on my wife's plate. It was pretty funny and made for a laugh. I asked for a new lime, and the waitress came back with one. She watched as I squeezed the new dried out lime with nothing coming out of it. The waitress said "I don't know, they were only cut this morning." This morning??? It was 5pm now. I don't know what ServSafe says, but i'm sure your not suppose to leave cut fruit out for hours uncovered right? All in all, the back of the house is running on point. The front of the house on the other hand needs some improvement or that parking lot is sure to stay empty.
(3)D. V.
We had the special for dinner, 5oz sirloin and shrimp for $15.99. Don't waste you money on this !!! The beef was so tough I had trouble cutting though it. I think it was the worst piece of beef I have ever had. The shrimp (the crisp shrimp was better than the garlic shrimp) was good, it was all you could eat. The service was very good and they did give my husband $10 off our bill because he told them his steak was tough.
(1)Doug P.
Just ordered my rib eye steak black and blue. "They call it Pittsburgh style. Where out side temp is decided with a different temp inside. Will continue my fosters and blumin' onion just delivered And now. Waiting. And waiting for my steak. It arrived exactly as ordered with my baked sweet potato Melanie ordered her med. but I am afraid it arrived. Ned well done inside. So zingo. One less star one less star for a over deep fried blumin onion .
(3)Justin B.
I have always enjoyed the Special Sirloin and homemade bread at Outback. While the menu lacks creative food choices, the smaller appetizer versions are a nice way to enjoy an Outback specialty between two people. My only reservation is the price related to the amount of food in the meal. Sometimes it is nice to take home leftovers and that is a rare happening at Outback. In addition, you are not able to make traditional reservations (just call ahead), so I rarely plan to eat at Outback with a group of more than four people. If you want to have an excellent steak in Crystal Lake, this is absolutely a great option.
(4)Jo W.
Just wanted to say I ate at the Outback in Crystal Lake last night and it was very good, Service with a smile , not long before seated. I was with my sister and a friend, I had the Mahi Mahi, very good, nice size piece of fish. We all enjoyed our food and would go back again.
(3)Jackie F.
Grandkids love this restaurant and so do we. Never a disappointment, can count on everything being right....
(5)Adam L.
Usually pretty busy Saturday nights. Call ahead if you can. Better than the other two "independent" steak houses in the area, IMO.
(4)John M.
Good simple food at decent prices. Service is teriffic. Little bit of a wait at peak times. Grilled chicken on the Barbie my favorite. Try the ahi tuna as well. Request light seasoning on the chicken or you may get salt overload!
(4)Mike S.
food was ok.....service took FOREVER!!
(3)Susan H.
I was visiting a friend in Overland Park Kansas we went to the out back I hadn't been there for a while we were very fortunate to have Amy Rother as our server. I am handicapped and it's very hard being that way. You would not believe some of the people who I have encountered that treat me mean. I am62and have traveled a lot. Amy by far was the sweetest, kindest helpful server I have ever come across any where I have been. She made me and my friends night perfect. It was nice that she took her time talking with us while we were there. Looking at some of the young people in this world it's scary but meeting Amy made me feel there's hope for us and the young people. The manager came over and talked with us my friend and I were celebrating our birthdays and he gave us a free dessert. That was very nice of him also. I was not expressed on the state of Kansas. This was my last night there and it ended so well because of your restaurant. I want to thank you especially Amy for making it so great. She is a wonderful young lady going to school. I hope you let her read this and give her some kind of recognition to her. Thank you Amy so much for your kindness. Use Amy to help train the new servers so they know how to be great like her and come back to your establishment. You go there and want a great server ask for her you will not be disappointed thank you Susan Huff from Colorado Springs CO. 303-880-6875 our food was great also.
(5)Joe W.
I love this place you could never go wrong they have the best bread and soup can't forget the Austin chese fries and the steaks are delious but I never have room for it lol but its a great left over highly recommend
(4)Jill H.
I typically don't like to turn to yelp, I like to try and give the business a chance, but since the owner of this outback walked passed my empty table 3x in a almost dead OB, and never wondered were our server was, I feel compelled that I must. Typically all the OB I have been to are awesome. BG, Chicago, Skokie. Sat for 20min in a dead outback at around 4:30pm waiting for the server. Finally when she came we ordered our food and drinks, pretty sure there was no alcohol in my drink (I am almost 50 so I have no need to exaggerate about that). My steak that ordered medium was medium well, unseasoned, my son's NY STRIP was the same, not over cooked but tough and bland, NO GREEN BEANS ANYMORE, so I ordered the asparagus that was hard and tasted like dirt. WORST MEAL I have had in a long time. Really disappointed although is crystal lake I would still expect more, I guess I will have to travel to a more civilized area to get good food. WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE. Thanks for ruining my Saturday night dinner.
(1)Todd P.
Went there with family on Sat 5/11/13 for dinner with family. Went to washroom and really thought "Do I really need to go?" after seeing the condition it was in. Wife happened to go as well and when we walked out commented about the conditions. Went back to the table and waited 16 minutes before deciding "Let's leave" because no one had taken our drink order even. Now this is the best part, while waiting outside the parking lot at the light I called the restaurant and asked for the manager. I pointed out what happened and was grilled as to whether or not I was actually in the restaurant? When I described every patron around our table she then remembered us. When I pointedly asked "Why should I choose Outback Steak House vs. continuing across the street to either The Squire or TGIFs?" my reply was "because I answered the phone?" OMG... That was her answer. So if you like chain restaurant frozen prepared appetizers with lazy waitstaff and a franchise manager that doesn't care about the customers that come in. This is your place to be. If you are a little more discerning with your budget dollars for a family dinner, keep going because this Outback is not worth the money.
(1)Colleen D.
Actually the food was okay - the service though was a turn off....I really felt rushed. Hadn't had time to pick up the menu when kept getting asked if I knew what I wanted...food served before salad was done...trying to clear plates before we were done...I had a salad - very good and tuna appetizer. Both decent...
(3)Aggie H.
Great service and good food. The only reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the recipes on some of our favorites changed (apparently this happens periodically), but we got no warning. My husband used to love their chicken fingers until the last time we went there. They were not as good and it sounds like the old recipe is gone for good.
(4)Jim T.
I so want to give this place 5 stars, but just can't. Every time I visit it seems like the waitstaff is in hyper-drive and can't wait to move onto the next table or task. I go to a restaurant to eat and relax, not gobble my food up and leave. The food is good here and worth the money you spend. Have never been disappointed with the quality of the food. Get the Bloomin Onion!
(4)Z B.
I'm surprised by the reviews for this place. Outback Steakhouse is an Australian themed steakhouse. There are many locations, but I found this one when I was at an overnight. It was near the hotel. The atmosphere is pretty cool. There is a painted flag of Australia near the entrance. There is also the country of Australia that is hung up on the wall. I think this is nice so far! The service was good. The waiter was nice and friendly to me. The staff were kind of slow with my drink, but fast with some other things I needed. OMG! The food is fantastic! I ordered a vanilla milkshake. It was pretty good. It was nice and creamy ice cream with whipped cream and a wafer on top. The Bloomin' Onion appetizer was good. They were smaller onion rings. You can have times where there can be too much bread. Before my steak, I had a baked potato soup. It was really good. There was a good mixture of potatoes in the soup. The highlight of my stay was the entree. It was the filet mignon with lobster. I added fries for the side. The fries were good. They were nice and crispy. The filet mignon was out of this world! It was a very tender and juicy steak! I wanted to choose it because it was a smaller steak, and I wanted the lobster tail. The lobster tail was really good! It was not too chewy and the flavor was really good! All in all, the food is amazing, the service is good, and this place has a great atmosphere. Outback Steakhouse, you made me officially an Aussie!
(5)Walter J.
It is really sad that a restaurant as well known as Outback and that is always packed (at least the Crystal Lake location) can have such bland food. I took my girlfriend and her kids out to dinner for her birthday and asked her where she want to go...she says Outback..I'm like, ok..are you sure yo don't want to go to Jamisons? No Outback... I have never had a positive experience at Outback but hey, it was her special day. For one thing, the food seems to be pretty expensive for what you get. Like $24 for side salad, a fillet, and one side. Come on, you can't spare some carrots or something to fill in the plate?? Guess not..meat and potatoes. Anyways, we ordered some drinks, which weren't bad..expensive but tasted good. And a blooming onion...which is probably the best deal on the menu..it's huge! The kids got kids meals and my girlfriend and I got fillet steaks. The kids mac and cheese are penne noodles with some weird cheese sauce on them...not good. Don't recommend. The steaks were extremely bland, even though they had Outback's 17 special spices on them. Really, really bland. I am guessing they were frozen... I love steak, but these were just not good at all. $85 for dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids and 2 alcoholic beverages... over priced if you ask me... but what do I know the place is always packed. Anyways, in Crystal Lake, I would recommend Jamison's steak house over Outback. You might spend a few more dollars but they are well worth it!
(2)Kat c.
Just went there for my birthday dinner. Overall, I was disappointed. Especially since my 18 yr old son spent his own money on this meal. We ordered the blooming onion. That was good, though way too oily. My son ordered the special sirloin, medium rare. It came out pretty rare.... and still managed to be on the tough side. The flavor was pretty bland. He had fries, which were just barely warm when they arrived. He also had the French onion soup; the best part of the meal. I ordered the Tilapia w/crab. There were 2 or 3 mushrooms on top, and only enough crab to cover that... probably only a total of 2 tablespoons. The fish had decent flavor, not great. The crab was almost flavorless. How can crab be flavorless?? SMH. I also had garlic mashed potatoes... decent flavor but not hot enough. Doubt we'll be back.
(2)Dominique M.
The location in Crystal Lake, Il. actually lost my business after I'd been patronizing their establishment for 15 years. The quality of the food and the service have declined horribly over the past few years. I've now been served uncooked food, FROZEN-yes, frozen food, and wrong orders by rude, nasty, bored servers time after time. I only returned as much as I did because my best friend absolutely loves Outback. But in my experience, Outback Steakhouse is a cheap, disgusting, poor excuse for a restaurant. It's really too bad that it's declined so much over the years. I used to enjoy our trips to Outback. ***Recently, my food was delivered to my table frozen and when I asked for it to be re-cooked, it came back to me and tasted horrible (I know what the pork chop and mashed potatoes are supposed to taste like-I ordered them quite often when I used to eat at Outback). I was told that everything was fine and that no one else had complained about that particular dish and that I had the choice to either eat it or not eat it, but that I wouldn't be getting anything else. I'd explained that I had heard two other tables in my waitress' section complain about the exact same issues with the exact same meal. The waitress kind of rolled her eyes and walked away when I asked for the manager, and the manager, although she was nice enough (unlike that awful male manager with the light brown hair), just gave us two coupons for a discounted appetizer each next time we came in. This was already the 4th or 5th time that I'd had similar problems at Outback. When we came in the next time, we used our coupons and had to complain once again when our food was cooked wrong, half of my order not having even been served to me at all. We had the same waitress as the previous time, and after paying the check and leaving a generous tip, we were accused by the staff of "trying to get free stuff"?!? I am absolutely finished with this restaurant. I have paid them thousands of dollars over the years of my hard earned money. No more. It has truly gone swirling right down the crapper (the money AND the restaurant). ***
(1)Ed R.
This is the familiar story of a once great restaurant that gets complacent. I had been going to the Crystal Lake Outback for over 10 years. It used to be the place you were glad to pay extra for just to the an outstanding meal. But nowadays you get cold food and poor service. I ordered the Alice Springs chicken, my wife got the Teriyaki Medallions, plus 2 kids meals. Every single one of these items was delivered cold. The waiter couldn't care less. Even getting water seemed to bother him. But as we left the restaurant I realized what he was really interested in. It seemed the cute hostess was a higher priority, as he was hanging out her while customers waited. Outback is not cheap, and it's just not worth it anymore.
(2)Franklin D.
It's an Outback, like all the others in the chain. Normally I wouldn't have much to say except we went there tonight and they've changed their menu. They now have a Wednesday night special, so I thought I'd have a go. For my $20 I got three grilled shrimp, and chicken breast, two lamb chops, some green beans sauteed in oil, and some mashed sweet potatoes. Still not sure how much I liked it. It wasn't bad, but not really anything special. They changed the menu around a bit and cranked up the prices on a couple things so be ready for a few changes.
(3)Andrew M.
We went here not really expecting much but I had a $50 coupon so why the heck not? Service was good - so no rip on that. My 13 year old got the chicken and ribs - that looked pretty good. I had a bite of the chicken and it was actually very good. I got the NY Strip with and it was not so good. Lots of fat and you could tell it was not a very quality steak. The garlic mashed potatos were good in taste but in all the portion was half the size of half a tennis ball. The plate is came on was no bigger then the plate I serve my 6 year old a waffle in the morning on her way to school - but presentation has NEVER been this joints goal. My 6 year old settled in on the cheapest steak and it was terrible - looked like hacked liver that was broiled to the point it was dried out. NO steak place should even have this sort of coy - or what ever it was on the menu, a McDouble would have been far better! We took this thing home for the dog and it even took him a few minutes chewing this on the side of his mouth to break it up. My wife got a basic salad that had green onions in it but did not indicate that on the menu. She also got a sweet potato that was the size of a tennis ball - how do they even grow minature sweet potoatos like that??? This place has some of the worst food ever - when you consider the cost, forget about it. I feel like I have to shower now for just being on the Outback review page!
(1)Nicole L.
Wow o wow was this good! Anticipating a wait upon arriving in the parking lot, we were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately. The server greeted us right away and started our evening off on a nice note. Ordered a Bloomin Onion.... Deliciously good. One negative would be, we wished it was drained off a bit more as there was a lot of oil on the bottom side. My husband and son each ordered a different cut of steak, one 8oz and one filet and lobster tail. As for me, I ordered chicken on the barbie. First up was the house salads for my son and I. The lettuce was so crisp and good! My husband ordered a blue cheese wedge salad. The salad came out, all 1/8 of a head of lettuce... He loved it. He actually didn't stop talking about that salad for days, it was that good. The main courses were out next, and there weren't many words exchanged during dinner as we all were too busy eating. We will certainly be back, the total bill however was 2x what we normally spend on a Saturday night. If my family has another need for steak, this will be our go-to spot. I better start saving now. ;) Convenient location off of 31 and 14. Check out their Outback 365 app on Android or iPhone. They have promotions that can be used on your next visit, as well as a mobile menu. Good stuff!
(4)Ken K.
It's Outback...........you know what you're getting........it's the same everywhere - not great, not horrible - 3-4 stars. (I travel for work a lot and have eaten at a LOT of Outbacks) What makes this a 2 star review is the wait - been here 3 times - always waited at least 45 minutes - again - IT'S OUTBACK...........hate to see if C.L. ever got an Olive Garden....you'd have to camp out starting Thursday for a Sat. night table...... There are too many good local spots in this town (Georgio's, Duke's, The Cottage, etc.) to wait 45 minutes for Outback.
(2)Dana K.
Not very happy with today's service. First of all it took forever to have our order taken. Then half our drinks came and had to wait 10mins longer for the rest of them. Then all 4 of our steaks were over cooked. Had them reordered and they were just ok. Then placed an order to take home and this t out me the steak was completely raw. We will not be going back again.
(1)Otto M.
What an amazing dinner we had. The steak was flawless... cooked perfectly. Our bartender, Steve was on top of it. The service was like a well oiled machine. I don't usually frequent chain restaurants but this was a pleasant surprise. I'll be (out)back, mate!
(5)Jack P.
Outback Steakhouse is Number 1 Best Restaurant in America! Their service is great, especially if you get Brittany R. Their food is really fresh and good. We took my daughter on her 11th birthday and she loved it. Their prices are reasonable.
(5)Joseph M.
This place makes me laugh, it's always crowded and the food sucks, you can get a better steak at Appleby's or one of the many Greek joints in town, yet idiots keep going. Well thank you for not going to any of the good restaurants in CL, It keeps the lines down. I have only tried this place a few times but their stakes are the worst, if you like their food you have no Taste!!
(1)Jeff S.
Haven't been here in ages but we decided to stop by one weekend evening since everything else in Crystal Lake sounded pedestrian to us at the time. We lucked out with grabbing a table outside the bar before the dinner rush started; it seems this place was just as busy as it was on weekends back when it opened. The bread was not as good as I remembered, the softness was gone and this was one of the things we always remembered about Outback. :( Also long gone is the grilled meat and veggie kabob combos on rice with pineapple that I used to always get so I opted for a shrimp and flank steak combo. The meal was about what I expected, the steak there has never impressed me for a 'steakhouse' as I've had juicier flank at Friday's across the street sometimes. But the overall the experience was as expected. Big chain, friendly waitress, etc.
(3)John S.
Once a great place, the Kitchen completely falls apart under pressure. On New Years Eve we ordered take away and were very disappointed. Of five meals, only one was correct... that was a plain hamburger well-done. Everything else was cooked either wrong, didn't include the advertised stuff, or included something that wasn't supposed to be in your food at all!!! Thankfully they are building building a Texas Roadhouse across the street....
(2)Taylor M.
Typical chain food. Steaks are way over seasoned, fish is tasteless, lobster is rubbery, and the veggies are mushy. The beer is over priced and the cocktails are under poured. Wait staff is always good but that's the only good thing about outback. Try Dukes or Giorgio's in downtown CL instead.
(2)Peggy F.
Ate at Outback in Crystal Lake tonight at my son's request for his birthday. We ordered steaks, lobster, chicken & everyone enjoyed their food. We had a 2 yr old in our group and our waitress was very attentive to his needs. Had the huge, delicious brownie ice cream dessert, plenty for a couple to share. Service was excellent and very friendly. The place was pretty busy. My only minor complaint was that the margaritas tasted like limeaid, pretty weak. The wine was great.
(4)Tannia H.
If you want to pay for bad service and below decent food than come throw away your money here!!!! Service sucked, if you happen to go to this location make sure BRET is not your server!!! He gave us such terrible service, took our order while he rested his head on his hand with his elbow on the table!!! Like if he were doing us a favor! On top of that completely forgot our bloomin onion, which was why we even decided to go there for dinner!!! Needless to say he made us not want to go there anytime soon.... I'll stick to a much more friendly steak house with great ambiance... LIVING ROOM ON Rt 14 in Crystal Lake!!!
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