10 out of 10! I’ve eaten in a lot of high end steak houses. This one ranks with the very best. From first cocktail to dessert...outstanding!
I'm an unrepentant "meat and potatoes" girl, but after having steak frites here, I'll never order them anywhere else. The fries were seasoned so perfectly and the meat couldn't possibly have been better.
But, since this was a luncheon meeting, I was also most impressed with the atmosphere - no superfluous noise! Having a conversation did not strain either the vocal cords or the auditory nerves.
I'd recommend this restaurant for both food and ambiance for any occasion.
god food...waitress super nice & friendly...outdoor patio nice place to relax and enjoy good drinks and spend fun night with friends
Went to charcoal on Saturday night. What a great relaxing atmosphere in that restaurant. The waitress was so professional and so polite to our kids. The food was amazing. Definitely recommend the Black Angus ribeye. Loved it.
Incredible service. I don't think I've ever been granted such great service in any other restaurant. It is obvious that the general manager has a genuine passion for satisfying his customers.
Awesome steak...I took my wife there on her prebirthday dinner. The french onion soup was the best we ever had. We also ordered grilled mushroom and ice wine. The staffs were extremely friendly, and you will notice a personal touch by the away they serve you.
Charcoal steak house is the best fine dining place in Kitchener Waterloo region!
Fantastic steak lunch with great wine and pumpkin cheesecake was also really good. Excellent atmosphere for our christmas lunch. Would recommend to anyone.
House red was solid, and paired well with the sirloin I got. Liked the industrial decor they had going on, must have shopped at Restoration Hardware. Attentive service. Worth a visit.
Wonderful elegant restaurant. Tasty and house made dishes with local AAA beef cooked perfectly. It's a bit pricy but not out of range for a standard steakhouse. Perfect to impress for a business lunch.
Great food. Went there for my gf birthday and ordered 8 oz prime rib and baseball steak. Food was great and so was service. Price is comparable to the keg but I found I liked the atmosphere here better and they had more of a selection. will definitely go back.
Wonderful place to eat. Prime rib was fantastic. Cheesecake was even better.
Comfortable Seating and Great Food. Went solo on a March snowy Monday night. The place was half full at 7pm. I was being seated at the back dinning room by the window. Couldn`t be more perfect. The chair was very comfortable. Lighting was dim enough to relax but bright enough to read a book. These are all very important to me because when I went solo to a restaurant, I want to relax and forget the rest of the world for a while.
The virgin ceaser (or virgin Bloody Mary as our American friends would call it) has a fresh grounded peppered and salted rim instead of just the salt. A nice touch. The two pieces of cucumbers I asked for on the rim were very thick and large. I like to the cucumber to soak the salt off the rim when I drink the ceaser and eat the salted cucumber. Overall I think the bartender has done a very good job on my easy to make drink. Hey, may be they are premixed, don`t know.
They offer a choice of three different fresh braked bread and I picked the pumpin seed. The other two were multi-grain plus one more which I dont remember. The bread warm but not cold either. It was ok. The butter is good but nothing special. A small Charcoal salad to begin the meal. The salad was very good and I was glad that I ordered a small version. It was much bigger than a side salad. The large would have been too big for me to finish the main course and have dessert.
They had an 8oz bison on special so I ordered it. I asked not to kill the bison and they didn`t. Center of the meat was blue and red. Only a tiny bit warm and very tender. My only comment is they have put seasoning on the meal. It spoiled the tinkering taste of a almost raw meat that I like. Next time I will ask not to put seasoning on the meat. Mash potato and brussels sprouts with (I think) bacon mixed in came with the bison. The mash potato was plain but great. It was really great. I need to repeat this because it was a very plain mash potato but they have done it to perfection. Brussels sprout has the taste of the brussels sprout but not the bitterness. People who usually doesn`t like brussels sprout may able to accept it. To me, this Bison dish is very excellent. At $36, I would have ask to double the bison. I only know how much it cost when they show me the bill.
Wrap up with a double espresso and flourless chocolate cake. Since I had one of the best espresso at The Capital Grille in Rosemont, Illionis only less than 9 days ago, I am sad to say the espresso here isn`t up to par. It smell weak and has the bitterness of a so-so espresso. However, pair with the chocolate cake with fresh strawberry and strawberry sherbet has balance the bitterness. It actually made it a perfect blend.
Last, I finished the glass of water. Since they claim all coffee and tea were served with micro fiber filtered water, I assume their water is also micro fiber filtered. It does taste pretty good. I took my time to finish my glass of water and finish another chapter of my book. Nobody has rush me during my stay. I enjoyed my entire stay of 2 hours plus.
Additional comments, ok, it is my rant of the day. A 13 years old kid right across the table was spending more time talking to his friends on his smart phone than eating the meal. The kid has ate the steak and potato but never touch his vegetable. Come on, learn some table manner especially at a nicer place like Charcoal Steakhouse. Perhaps it will be useful in the future to learn the art of conversation. It wouldn`t hurt to stop talking on a smart phone for an hour or so. The world will still turn at the same rate without you being in contact. (Feel free to cut this out Urbanspoon is this is not a place to rant.)
My "special occasion restaurant". I adore this place. This is the one restaurant that I have absolutely no complaints about. They always make sure your steak is literally perfect and they will let you keep sending it back until it is. We come here when we are celebrating a milestone because it's guaranteed to be a memorable and delicious evening.
Best cuts of beef in town. Cooked just right everytime.
Great. I love steak and this is a great place for that steak craving. The scenery is good and the atmosphere is terrific.
Very elegant dining and a wonderful atmospere! The mains are delicious and tender, although side dishes could use some fix ups.
We are huge fans of the Charcoal Group and visit their restaurants quite often both for celebrations or everyday dining. So it wasn't too surprising that my brother and sister-in-law choose one of their restaurants to hold my nephews' First Communion luncheon. When we arrived, we were shown to a private room set up for the 16 guests invited to celebrate my nephews' special day. The room was cozy and perfectly decorated. The service was exceptional. There were 3 servers assigned to our table. They made sure that drink orders were taken care of and water glasses constantly filled. The menu consisted of three appetizer choices - daily soup, Caesar salad or spinach salad. I picked the daily soup which was a carrot ginger soup. This soup was thick...not baby food consistency thic
This is the Classic New York Striploin at one of Kitchener's best steakhouses. It's quite good, but what makes the meal even better is the sweet potato frites. They are the best.
Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning, around 10:30am. Was a very nice and clean place, was seated immediately once we arrived! Waiter was awesome with recommending drinks, and food. Got the Biscuits, Breakfast Skillet, and Avocado toast, all were incredible but the biscuits stood out to me the most! I still think about those biscuits to this day, really incredible! Will definitely be back when I'm in waterloo.
Food 3.5
We are really amazed by their appetizers. Pig tail is perfectly cooked and the seasoning/sauce is just at the right level, not overly sweet or strong.
Petite Wellington is something we have never tried before. It’s easy to eat with nice texture. The sauce also tastes good.
However the main fish is just average. The lemon in seafood risotto is overlong strong and dominating the taste of whole dish. Was expecting seafood or salty delicious taste but now it’s too sour. The steak I ordered has too much oil/butter/spice on it, makes it overly oily and salty. Can’t taste the original beef flavor.
Service and atmosphere is pretty good. Worth the fine dining title and special occasion.
Great experience! Amazing for getting all dressed up for an anniversary or so. Had a really delicious meal and the service was also fantastic. Definitely a restaurant that’s worth it. Prices were good for the servings of food, had the Mushrooms Fettuccine and a burger and both were so much food we couldn’t even finish it all. Also thanks to our server Victoria, she was super nice and took care of us throughout our time there. A must go!
Such a nice experience tonight celebrating my birthday and Thanksgiving. Dan our server was very sweet and great service. Dinner was amazing. Can't say enough how delicious the sweet potatoe soup was. We had the Thanksgiving special and was such a great deal.
Beautiful interior and nice patio. The waitresses provided friendly service and made it easy for families with young children. Food was delicious. We had the calamari, seafood risotto (mussels, shrimp and scallops) and chicken fingers kids meal with drink / ice cream. The white ice cream with rainbow sprinkles had a funny texture between gelato and hummus…no
Chantelle provided a wonderful service.
It was a cool day but we were still able to have lunch in the heated patio, which was very comfortable and peaceful.
I ordered the Shanghai Beef Bowl which was okay but not as good as I expected. The beef was hard and the sauce was too liquid, which remained at the bottom of the bowl. I would suggest making it a bit thicker. I recommend this place just not the plate. Hope next time I make a better choice :)
Went for my birthday dinner and I was very impressed!
We started with some cocktails, I would highly suggest the rosé sangria and mojito. For an appetizer we really enjoyed the petite beef Wellington. Very tender and moist meat with a beautiful flaky pastry crust. Very delicious.
For our main we shared the flinestone tomahawk steak. It was MASSIVE! But so, so delicious.
Perfectly done with a nice, beautiful crust. Comes with 2 Caesar salads, 2 sides of veggies and 2 other sides of your choice. We decided on mashed potato and the loaded baked potato. The steak pairs nicely with a cold corona.
Everything was fantastic.
Our server was very attentive, sweet and friendly. She was just wonderful.
The environment was nice, perfect for a date night or family dinner.
Definately a bit more pricey than some restaurants but it was very worth it.
Complimentary dessert for my birthday was really appreciated. I tried the coconut crème brûlée and it was really tasty! The perfect end for the night.
Can’t wait to come back.
As one of the more well known, non chain, upscale restaurants I was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of this restaurant. As this is a steak house, ordering steak will be expensive. But with that said the quality of steak and portion sizes makes it well worthwhile.
Asides from steak, the rest of the menu was well priced. Something for everyone, whether you like a rice bowl or a burger type dish. The steak salad is a great way to get a sneaky taste of the steak without spending over $40.
Drinks were refreshing and the service was fantastic. We came on a Monday and our server was fantastic. Checked up on us sufficiently and knew her stuff. Asked some questions about the food and she was able to answer us without fail.
Yes, it's pricier that other places but it's so nice. The food was outstanding. Servers were outstanding too. Will definitely go again for another special occasion.
I’ve never edited a review before but when the manager personally called me to discuss the review I felt it necessary to up my review stars to 4 because of the customer service that the manager provided and feedback he welcomed.
Nice date night steak house, the chairs are comfy, the food was good and the ambiance was excellent. The parmesan crusted Brussel sprouts were alittle under cooked and the stuffed mushrooms were ok but wouldn’t order again.
The steak was delicious and cooked to perfection and the Caesar salad was good.
Definitely worth a try if your in the area.
Exquisite! From the ambiance to the service to the meal, by far the best restaurant my boyfriend and I have been to.
To start we got the petite beef Wellington, which was juicy, buttery, and full of flavour. An absolute must for next time.
As mains we got the 14oz ribeye and the seafood risotto. The lobster based risotto tasted exactly like a mouthwatering lobster with scallops, shrimp and halibut, all cooked to perfection. The succulent ribeye was cooked a perfect Medium rare, seared and crusted to perfection served with a creamy garlic purée.
We finished off our dinner with the most spectacular crème brûlée.
A specia shout out to Robin, our waitress who performed exceptional service.
Every time we are near Kitchener, We will stop and eat at the Charcoal Steak House. We have been eating her for the last 6 years. The food is delicious. We ordered baked brie and mushroom caps for appetizers. I ordered the salmon, which was cooked with a Japanese flair, and my daughter had fettuccine with chicken. The salmon was cooked to perfection.Everything was delicious.
We treated ourselves to drinks. I had the Black Forest Cake, which was very interesting and delicious, and my daughter had a spritzer.
The staff was very friendly and attentive.
There is a good-sized parking lot.
The atmosphere is nice. My daughter and I had the opportunity to talk and socialize.
I have been a regular customer of this place since 2021. It is been one of the best experiences of having a fine time with either myself or my friends and family. Visited this place with my friend for birthday celebration. Ordered appetisers, steaks some drinks and wrapped the night with a dessert. Overall it was a nice experience from hosting us to serving us.
Best meal we have had in many years. Came to celebrate an anniversary. Shared a rib eye meal. Rice wasn't to our liking so we were comped some amazing truffle fries. And have us a dessert of our choice on the house for our anniversary ... cheesecake ... which was fabulous. Sat out on the deck by the fire. Such a wonderful experience and the staff were fabulous. 6 stars!
Absolutely loved it. Had a beef bowl, it was delicious. The service was great. The atmosphere was very romantic too. Highly recommend. We will be back.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city for special occasions. Prices are on the high side, but the food and service have always been fantastic. The only thing I'm not a big fan of are their desserts. I've tried various ones and they've always been too dry and with an artificial taste. Plus, the crème brûlée was not what I expected; it looked and tasted more like a pot of weird cream with no burnt sugar on top.
Aside from the desserts, I highly recommend Charcoal Steak House because the food is worth it.
Busy spot with reservations needed. Typical upscale steakhouse which also serves an extensive menus with plenty of options other than beef steaks to please every appetite. The service was friendly and welcoming but somewhat slow due to the busyness. It’s pricey so be prepared for about $100 per person all in. The take away desert was delicious and generous portions.
We went for a double birthday celebration on Sat. Jan 5th, we had such an exceptional experience, it had to be followed up with a review. The staff were friendly and genuinely caring about our experience, not just our waitress, but what seemed to be a manager also came around a couple times to ensure we were taken care of! Good customer service seems hard to come by these days, but we left very happy with our experience that evening. We’ll b back, thank you.
Celebrated our Anniversary there recently. We've been a few times over the years but keep going back. Thank you to Robin for being so graceful and patient with us. You're a great photographer with a fun personality to match. Of course the food was good as well but a good, sit down experience is more than just food and we will certainly be back.
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