It's Ponderosa not a 5 star $75 a plate steakhouse... I live near and frequent this Ponderosa. I love the fried drummetts. The food is always hot and fresh. (With exceptions to the rolls being a little cold one out of maybe fifteen times) The wait staff is always friendly and prompt. On occasions where I do order a steak I think it's really well made, and that's the cheapy sirloin. Could the Buffett have more choices? Sure. Who wouldn't like more choices? Is it sufficient for the price? I think so... I also like taking my little guy on Monday when it's kid night. Binkie (I think that's his name) the clown is there to make balloon animals for the kids.
(4)
Richard P.
The on again, off again, on again, off again, on again franchise known as Ponderosa Steakhouse has never really abandoned its presence in the Hoosier state even during its leanest time. Started in the mid-1960's by local auto dealer Norm Wiese (along with Dan Lasater and Charles Kleptz), Ponderosa Steakhouse would rather quickly also include the Bonanza chain and would have a very modest presence in the 80s and 90s before starting to bounce back in the late 90s. It's still not a huge chain, but now operated by Homestyle Dining LLC, Ponderosa Steakhouse still has a pretty decent Hoosier presence including this Southside location. Every time I drive by this place, it seems to be crowded. It is a steakhouse so, rather obviously, it offers modestly priced steaks (most are in the $10 - 15 range). It also offers pasta, fish, chicken and, of course, a buffet. Ponderosa is housed in a free-standing building at the corner of Emerson and Thompson in the same parking lot as one of the city's two remaining Kmart stores. It's an obviously older building. They have a couple of non-ADA compliant accessible spots along with a curb cut that, oddly enough, is located across from the spots rather than next to them. I'm guessing that there's either been renovation or someone was dropping acid when they designed it. As you enter the first set of doors, there's a second set of doors - one is for entering and going up to an ordering counter. The other is where you exit. The ordering counter has their meal menus along with their buffet, though it's not very clearly explained. I don't know that I actually saw the buffet price tonight, but the person working the counter was helpful enough that it worked. You pay, get your receipt and then you can pick out a table in their large dining room. You leave the receipt on the table and a server will bring you your drink while you go get your food. This all seems weird considering right now on the Ponderosa website it brags that they were rated #1 in customer service for steak/buffet restaurants (Is that really even a thing?) by Restaurant News Magazine (Which, oddly enough, really is a thing). They brag about their "full-service," yet you have to go get your own food. How is that full service? I mean, sure, they bring you your drink. Big whoop? My server, and I use that term lightly, was Mona and she was definitely friendly and quite obsessive about clearing plates (and admitted it). I also got serenaded by a lovely young child who was belting out "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie." I didn't pay extra for it. The food on the buffet consisted largely of chicken variations (tenders, fried chicken, baked chicken, bbq chicken, etc.), ham, noodles, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a few other mostly "homestyle" type options. They also offer desserts, including sugar free options, and rolls. To respect my diet, I mostly stuck with chicken options along with mashed potatoes, carrots, and a couple rolls. They also offer soups and a salad bar. I did sample the meatloaf, but am largely avoiding red meat these days and didn't want to push it. I picked a sugar free dessert option. The food was decent - Of what I tried, truly nothing was anything I would ever go out of the way to have again. The meatloaf was probably the best. The rolls were fair, the mashed potatoes were bland, the ham was fair, and the fried chicken was standard issue fried chicken. Here's the thing. While I may have eaten a little more than I would most places since it was a buffet, it wasn't a lot more and the meal came in at about $14.50. WAY too much. I actually thought about my experience at Georgia Reese's - where you got southern style cuisine that is also incredibly overpriced. The atmosphere is very busy. If you know the old Ponderosa style restaurants, then you have a good sense of this place. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite inviting either. I also found it to be a tad bit dirty and the self-serve buffet was, in spots, a bit difficult to reach from a wheelchair and staff weren't readily available for assistance. Overall, I didn't hate my time at Ponderosa. Mona was friendly and the food was decent. It was not particularly wheelchair friendly, definitely felt overpriced, and they felt the need to post signs like "We don't give "to go" containers." I understand the reason, but it seems rather cheap and tacky. I've bounced between the idea of a 2 or a 3-star here. However, on some level the difference between the two for me is "Will I go back?" You can give me an average experience, but if I'm thinking to myself "I'll still go back" then I lean toward a 3-star rating. If, however, I immediately find myself saying "Well, I won't be going back," then a 2-star rating feels more appropriate. I suppose I understand the crowd, but if I'm going to spend that much cash I expect to truly receive full service and to be a bit more content by meal's end.
(2)
Chris T.
I went late on a Saturday night and had a great experience. Staff was friendly, enthusiastic, and attentive, my salad was fresh and good (and the platter is cheaper than the buffet) and my steak and baked potato were perfectly cooked and very tasty. Why pay more elsewhere? I will come back soon.
(4)
Maxwell W.
I have to agree with previous reviewers. Came from Alabama for a funeral and expected much better having heard things. The food is average or below. My wife ordered shrimp from the menu. It took almost half an hour and was cooked in old oil. Not the worse place, but don't expect good food....just food.
(2)
Megan L.
Maybe because I didn't order a steak or go to the salad bar that my review isn't as low-rated as most of the others. I was seriously craving an American-style buffet, so tired of those "Chinese" ones that are everywhere. I read reviews for nearby Ryan's and Golden Corral and they seemed iffy. My boyfriend was reminiscing about his childhood and talked about Ponderosa Steakhouse and said they had all closed down. I looked them up and turns out this location is the only one in the Indianapolis area, and we live 15 minutes away! Yes, they don't have a huge selection of food compared to other buffets, but it was sufficient. The place was clean, the food was nice and hot (again, didn't eat any salad), and they continuously filled up the small trays they were in. I can tell some of the food came out of boxes or cans (like the mashed potatoes and green beans), but maybe it's because I don't normally eat American food that I still loved it. I was so incredibly full and I still managed to go to the dessert section, where they had plenty of cheesecake, pie, and ice cream to make me regret my decision. I felt like my stomach didn't go down for a few hours after that. I can't wait to come back!
(4)
Phillip C.
This place is ok for a quick bite out with the fam, but don't expect the best quality of food. The staff is welcoming, nice, and will go out of their way for you. They are the reason the rating is bumped up to a three instead of two. The food at this establishment is in no way worth the cost.
(3)
John W.
well after all the reviews I was not sure what to expect. we have always gone to the Mooresville location and now they have closed down so we thought we would give this location a try. we went tonight Friday October 10th and it was packed at 745pm. They had a lot of food and it was all hot and fresh. I wish they would put for fried chicken wings out as i never got any tonight. we left full. the dessert bar was something to be desired. very picked over and not really appetizing. but everything else was great and i didnt go for the dessert. they had lots of different meats and vegetables. I am not much of a salad eater so cant tell you what was on there.
(3)
Elvis M.
I have found that our trips to this Ponderosa to be way better than previous comments, the salad bar was fuller and not mixed and clean and when shown the discolored lettuce , they took it out and brought fresh, and the eggs were not frozen, and had actual ham not mystery meat, the dressings might have been miss labeled but you should be able to tell what most are, and they will redo them. They do have hot wings and there are times you can't find them , that's do to the fact they go quick, and they put more out as quick as they get done cooking, they generally have a better selection on the buffet than a lot of other locations and almost always hot. Our steaks have never been burnt and always cooked perfectly,( no blood ) and the baked potatoes was never cold inside like the steaks and potatoes in Mooresville, In. Yes there our way too many high school working there to make it a formal eating place, but I do agree to the hanging out bit. I have seen the management on the floor and came to our table to check on us and several other tables. The desert bar was even full and the ice cream machine even worked at this one. I find this a great place to bring family and friends for food and fun.
(4)
Fast E.
Granted, I don't expect too much when I go to a Ponderosa, but this one is the absolute worst I have ever seen. Compared to others, there is very little selection as far as hot foods and salads. They have the basic lettuce and toppings, but no prepared salads. By the way, the iceberg lettuce was brown. The hot food is kept in large pots in the buffet. They wrote hot wings on the window but there were none. The food was disorganized and messy. For instance, you would find nacho chip particles in the spaghetti. I also ordered a steak. When the waitress brought the steak she goes, "I'll be right back to make sure it was cooked correctly". It wasn't but I did not want to deal with the wait. In fact, the staff appeared to be mostly high school students who were acting like they were in the school hallways and not a workplace. There did not seem to be any management presence around.
(1)
David F.
When my parents visit they always love to go here. I on the other hand rarely go here because the atmosphere is horrible. The all you can eat salad bar is the best thing to get. The prices have gone up and are now so expensive that this place isn't worth the price.
(2)
Amanda N.
Okay, very disappointing. First visit here was definitely the last. We walked in and the set up was very confusing and ill designed, so the vibe was bad from the beginning. The salad bar was labeled wrong - so everyone in our party got fat free ranch by mistake and it was basically like they put water in it to thin it out - and boy was it thin. Just raunchy. The salad itself wasn't refilled so there was barely enough for all of us to partake. There weren't a lot of options either - so it was pretty much lettuce, cheese and dressing. The rest of the food on the buffet had that glazed over look - like it had been sitting all day... I know you risk that by going to a buffet - but honestly? My husband got a steak meal plus the salad bar - and he had to send his steak back. He orders his steaks rare - it was more like, well done. A good chef should know the difference. Additionally, the bathrooms were *atrocious* and I hesitated to even use them. Several members of the wait staff were also hanging around and taking breaks in the dining room area - being loud, sitting in booths and just being annoying in general. I really hate that. Stay away from this restaurant if you want a pleasant relaxing dining experience. Save your money.
(1)
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Address :5005 S Emerson Ave
Indianapolis, IN, 46237
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Amber E.
It's Ponderosa not a 5 star $75 a plate steakhouse... I live near and frequent this Ponderosa. I love the fried drummetts. The food is always hot and fresh. (With exceptions to the rolls being a little cold one out of maybe fifteen times) The wait staff is always friendly and prompt. On occasions where I do order a steak I think it's really well made, and that's the cheapy sirloin. Could the Buffett have more choices? Sure. Who wouldn't like more choices? Is it sufficient for the price? I think so... I also like taking my little guy on Monday when it's kid night. Binkie (I think that's his name) the clown is there to make balloon animals for the kids.
(4)Richard P.
The on again, off again, on again, off again, on again franchise known as Ponderosa Steakhouse has never really abandoned its presence in the Hoosier state even during its leanest time. Started in the mid-1960's by local auto dealer Norm Wiese (along with Dan Lasater and Charles Kleptz), Ponderosa Steakhouse would rather quickly also include the Bonanza chain and would have a very modest presence in the 80s and 90s before starting to bounce back in the late 90s. It's still not a huge chain, but now operated by Homestyle Dining LLC, Ponderosa Steakhouse still has a pretty decent Hoosier presence including this Southside location. Every time I drive by this place, it seems to be crowded. It is a steakhouse so, rather obviously, it offers modestly priced steaks (most are in the $10 - 15 range). It also offers pasta, fish, chicken and, of course, a buffet. Ponderosa is housed in a free-standing building at the corner of Emerson and Thompson in the same parking lot as one of the city's two remaining Kmart stores. It's an obviously older building. They have a couple of non-ADA compliant accessible spots along with a curb cut that, oddly enough, is located across from the spots rather than next to them. I'm guessing that there's either been renovation or someone was dropping acid when they designed it. As you enter the first set of doors, there's a second set of doors - one is for entering and going up to an ordering counter. The other is where you exit. The ordering counter has their meal menus along with their buffet, though it's not very clearly explained. I don't know that I actually saw the buffet price tonight, but the person working the counter was helpful enough that it worked. You pay, get your receipt and then you can pick out a table in their large dining room. You leave the receipt on the table and a server will bring you your drink while you go get your food. This all seems weird considering right now on the Ponderosa website it brags that they were rated #1 in customer service for steak/buffet restaurants (Is that really even a thing?) by Restaurant News Magazine (Which, oddly enough, really is a thing). They brag about their "full-service," yet you have to go get your own food. How is that full service? I mean, sure, they bring you your drink. Big whoop? My server, and I use that term lightly, was Mona and she was definitely friendly and quite obsessive about clearing plates (and admitted it). I also got serenaded by a lovely young child who was belting out "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie." I didn't pay extra for it. The food on the buffet consisted largely of chicken variations (tenders, fried chicken, baked chicken, bbq chicken, etc.), ham, noodles, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a few other mostly "homestyle" type options. They also offer desserts, including sugar free options, and rolls. To respect my diet, I mostly stuck with chicken options along with mashed potatoes, carrots, and a couple rolls. They also offer soups and a salad bar. I did sample the meatloaf, but am largely avoiding red meat these days and didn't want to push it. I picked a sugar free dessert option. The food was decent - Of what I tried, truly nothing was anything I would ever go out of the way to have again. The meatloaf was probably the best. The rolls were fair, the mashed potatoes were bland, the ham was fair, and the fried chicken was standard issue fried chicken. Here's the thing. While I may have eaten a little more than I would most places since it was a buffet, it wasn't a lot more and the meal came in at about $14.50. WAY too much. I actually thought about my experience at Georgia Reese's - where you got southern style cuisine that is also incredibly overpriced. The atmosphere is very busy. If you know the old Ponderosa style restaurants, then you have a good sense of this place. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite inviting either. I also found it to be a tad bit dirty and the self-serve buffet was, in spots, a bit difficult to reach from a wheelchair and staff weren't readily available for assistance. Overall, I didn't hate my time at Ponderosa. Mona was friendly and the food was decent. It was not particularly wheelchair friendly, definitely felt overpriced, and they felt the need to post signs like "We don't give "to go" containers." I understand the reason, but it seems rather cheap and tacky. I've bounced between the idea of a 2 or a 3-star here. However, on some level the difference between the two for me is "Will I go back?" You can give me an average experience, but if I'm thinking to myself "I'll still go back" then I lean toward a 3-star rating. If, however, I immediately find myself saying "Well, I won't be going back," then a 2-star rating feels more appropriate. I suppose I understand the crowd, but if I'm going to spend that much cash I expect to truly receive full service and to be a bit more content by meal's end.
(2)Chris T.
I went late on a Saturday night and had a great experience. Staff was friendly, enthusiastic, and attentive, my salad was fresh and good (and the platter is cheaper than the buffet) and my steak and baked potato were perfectly cooked and very tasty. Why pay more elsewhere? I will come back soon.
(4)Maxwell W.
I have to agree with previous reviewers. Came from Alabama for a funeral and expected much better having heard things. The food is average or below. My wife ordered shrimp from the menu. It took almost half an hour and was cooked in old oil. Not the worse place, but don't expect good food....just food.
(2)Megan L.
Maybe because I didn't order a steak or go to the salad bar that my review isn't as low-rated as most of the others. I was seriously craving an American-style buffet, so tired of those "Chinese" ones that are everywhere. I read reviews for nearby Ryan's and Golden Corral and they seemed iffy. My boyfriend was reminiscing about his childhood and talked about Ponderosa Steakhouse and said they had all closed down. I looked them up and turns out this location is the only one in the Indianapolis area, and we live 15 minutes away! Yes, they don't have a huge selection of food compared to other buffets, but it was sufficient. The place was clean, the food was nice and hot (again, didn't eat any salad), and they continuously filled up the small trays they were in. I can tell some of the food came out of boxes or cans (like the mashed potatoes and green beans), but maybe it's because I don't normally eat American food that I still loved it. I was so incredibly full and I still managed to go to the dessert section, where they had plenty of cheesecake, pie, and ice cream to make me regret my decision. I felt like my stomach didn't go down for a few hours after that. I can't wait to come back!
(4)Phillip C.
This place is ok for a quick bite out with the fam, but don't expect the best quality of food. The staff is welcoming, nice, and will go out of their way for you. They are the reason the rating is bumped up to a three instead of two. The food at this establishment is in no way worth the cost.
(3)John W.
well after all the reviews I was not sure what to expect. we have always gone to the Mooresville location and now they have closed down so we thought we would give this location a try. we went tonight Friday October 10th and it was packed at 745pm. They had a lot of food and it was all hot and fresh. I wish they would put for fried chicken wings out as i never got any tonight. we left full. the dessert bar was something to be desired. very picked over and not really appetizing. but everything else was great and i didnt go for the dessert. they had lots of different meats and vegetables. I am not much of a salad eater so cant tell you what was on there.
(3)Elvis M.
I have found that our trips to this Ponderosa to be way better than previous comments, the salad bar was fuller and not mixed and clean and when shown the discolored lettuce , they took it out and brought fresh, and the eggs were not frozen, and had actual ham not mystery meat, the dressings might have been miss labeled but you should be able to tell what most are, and they will redo them. They do have hot wings and there are times you can't find them , that's do to the fact they go quick, and they put more out as quick as they get done cooking, they generally have a better selection on the buffet than a lot of other locations and almost always hot. Our steaks have never been burnt and always cooked perfectly,( no blood ) and the baked potatoes was never cold inside like the steaks and potatoes in Mooresville, In. Yes there our way too many high school working there to make it a formal eating place, but I do agree to the hanging out bit. I have seen the management on the floor and came to our table to check on us and several other tables. The desert bar was even full and the ice cream machine even worked at this one. I find this a great place to bring family and friends for food and fun.
(4)Fast E.
Granted, I don't expect too much when I go to a Ponderosa, but this one is the absolute worst I have ever seen. Compared to others, there is very little selection as far as hot foods and salads. They have the basic lettuce and toppings, but no prepared salads. By the way, the iceberg lettuce was brown. The hot food is kept in large pots in the buffet. They wrote hot wings on the window but there were none. The food was disorganized and messy. For instance, you would find nacho chip particles in the spaghetti. I also ordered a steak. When the waitress brought the steak she goes, "I'll be right back to make sure it was cooked correctly". It wasn't but I did not want to deal with the wait. In fact, the staff appeared to be mostly high school students who were acting like they were in the school hallways and not a workplace. There did not seem to be any management presence around.
(1)David F.
When my parents visit they always love to go here. I on the other hand rarely go here because the atmosphere is horrible. The all you can eat salad bar is the best thing to get. The prices have gone up and are now so expensive that this place isn't worth the price.
(2)Amanda N.
Okay, very disappointing. First visit here was definitely the last. We walked in and the set up was very confusing and ill designed, so the vibe was bad from the beginning. The salad bar was labeled wrong - so everyone in our party got fat free ranch by mistake and it was basically like they put water in it to thin it out - and boy was it thin. Just raunchy. The salad itself wasn't refilled so there was barely enough for all of us to partake. There weren't a lot of options either - so it was pretty much lettuce, cheese and dressing. The rest of the food on the buffet had that glazed over look - like it had been sitting all day... I know you risk that by going to a buffet - but honestly? My husband got a steak meal plus the salad bar - and he had to send his steak back. He orders his steaks rare - it was more like, well done. A good chef should know the difference. Additionally, the bathrooms were *atrocious* and I hesitated to even use them. Several members of the wait staff were also hanging around and taking breaks in the dining room area - being loud, sitting in booths and just being annoying in general. I really hate that. Stay away from this restaurant if you want a pleasant relaxing dining experience. Save your money.
(1)