Ponderosa

Ponderosa Steakhouse review for 9.18.11 I have not been to a Ponderosa in Years (since feb 2005-Lebanon,TN) I always liked Ponderosa. They were my fav place to go as a kid and a teen. The one I went to in lebanon,TN was excellent. I haven't been to one since then. Now we finally got to go to the one in Ripley,WV (it's within a 1.5hr driving distance from my current location) I was eager to give them another try again,specially since a lot of locations are closing down. ;-( we were greeted nicely and taken care of promptly. I ordered a sirloin steak and it was 10.99 incl. Buffet My steak was meaty and good flavor and was cooked to my specifications. I barely needed any A1 sauce. It wasn't a premium fancy steak, however it was still good! On the buffet I got Ham only, as I wanted to have more room for the steak, however the selections were actually pretty good, they had plenty of meats and main course items, more then Ryan's buffet actually had as far as main course to side i... Read more

The Ponderosa here in Macomb, IL is hit and miss. It's really the only steakhouse with a buffet in town. Some nights you go and everything on the buffet seems fresh and tastes good, other times you go and it seems like it's been setting out for a long time. Some nights the selection is really good, some nights it's not. One thing I have noticed though is that the ham, pork chops, and chicken fried steak on the buffet are almost always very dry and the ham is super salty. Their steaks are hit and miss too. Sometimes I have gone there and the steak has been really good with not much fat/gristle. Other times I've ordered the very same steak and there's more gristle than meat and it's tough. Ponderosa, at least the one here, is terribly inconsistent on their quality. I think their price for just the buffet is a bit high for the quality. Yeah, $9.99 sounds kind of cheap compared to some other places, but when you can get the buffet with a steak and a side for only $1 more, pay... Read more

Meh! I haven't been to a Ponderosa in years and we decided to go to the last one that's open in our area. When I walked in I felt like I was shot back into the past (without having to get to 88 mph). Not only was the decor the same from the early 90's the food selection at their salad/food bar was as well. The restaurant was clean but worn down. The staff was friendly (one good point) however the food at the salad/food bar was just ok. I'll be surprised if this last location is open much longer.

Bring along some extra teeth. They might help you chew the toughest steak this side of a Hell's Angels jacket.

This is the worst buffet type restaurant that I've been to.They use instant potatoes, and they can never cook a steak right! Their salad bar has packaged macaroni salad like you get in a tub at a grocery store (YUCK), and their soups are practically always watered down. I have to eat at this place a lot because it is the only buffett close to where my husband works, and it's cheap....and I dread it. The soft serve ice cream doesn't even taste like ice cream, more like fat free stuff (ice milk). They use Bac-o bits instead of the real stuff, and the baked chicken is horrible. The sauce they use on their ham is awful and they use kielbasa with really hard skin on it. They use frozen meatballs with no flavor. Always did get good service here though.

Depending on the management this can be a very good place, but I have been to some pathetic places too.

I loved it when I was a kid, but it doesn't compare now. I think they buy inferior cuts of meat.

I am not sure we even have one of these around anymore, but the only thing I liked about them was the salad bar.

Just order some chicken wings to go and you'll be satisfied. The restaurant itself is dirty and full of obese people who need to use an oxygen tank to get to the mediocre buffet area...and the steaks are tough. The chicken wings, as mentioned earlier, are suprisingly good though.

When I went to college in Ohio many years ago, this was one of two places in town. We used to joke that the meat was actually kangaroo (before Outback existed or was ever heard of)... recently went to the local one here in northern New England and while the meat is no longer kangaroo, I think they have switched to elephant or something equally tough. Bad bad bad and designed mainly for those who think unlimited buffets are a worthwhile endeavor...

I've eaten at two. The steak tastes like boot leather.

Pretty good food

I think the steaks here may have been old bossy after the milk gave out- and considering that their meat distribution center is in the middle of Indiana's dairy farm area, I'm sure that I'm right

A number of years ago there were many complaints about the Ponderosa here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The health department pulled a surprise inspection and condenmed over 1100 pounds of meat as being spoiled and unfit for human consumption. They made Ponderosa personnel load the meat into the dumpster behind the restaurant. They checked back in a couple of hours and the managers were sneaking the meat out of the dumpster and back into the restaurant! The police were called and the meat was confiscated and carried to a landfill! This happened perhaps 20 years ago, but hey it's the same chain!

Wish I still had one of these around where I live...

I use to work at Pondarosa as a cook....I can give you a little behind the scenes at the one I worked at, I don't know if they are all ran the same way, which I doubt, because they all have different owners who buy these stores out and pay corperate for using their name. The kitchen was clean, the food came in often and moved, meaning fresh product...The steaks aren't prime USDA, but for the price what do you expect. The all you can eat steak with buffet is an excellent choice for anyone hungry and that can pack away the food. The steaks were pretty standard, they would taste better after we would brush butter on them. Also we had lobster tails, they were small and came in frozen, but the price was very attractive, $12.99 for a steak and lobster just cannot be beat and you get a potato also....Overall Ponderosa is a pretty good place and you can always count on getting plenty to eat.

I've eaten at here and at Golden Corral. Ponderosa is way more expensive, and their buffet is mediocre. I only go to steakhouses for the buffet.

Good buffet with chicken and macaroni and cheese and delicious steaks and fries. Also, a delicious sundae bar and a wide variety of desserts. However, the chicken is only small wings.

Probably one of the better buffet chains out there, the quality of the steak pretty much beats out any other buffet chain's. Decent selection, and though it's not exactly a five-star restaurant, it's good for a buffet.

I think it was at least 5 years ago last time I ate there, but I remember it being pretty good.

Not neccessarily as good as Golden Corral (except for those chicken wings!), but overall good food with even better rates than Goldern Corral.

The buffet at Ponderosa is delicious, large, and inexpensive...but try out their $10 steak platters. They serve it any way that you want it!

When I was in college this was sadly one of the few places to go out to eat. Well what can I say it was a small town and this was actually in the town next door,... which was larger! Sure there were a couple of other places but eventually you'd end up at the 'rosa. I mean you've got to figure in a town with so few restaurants to begin with do you think any of them would be any good? Answer here is no. Well Ponderosa certainly wasn't good food but hey I was in college and it was cheap and you could stuff yourself. Have I been there since? No, no I haven't.

unsanitary buffet!

Love it because I got a free dinner in Elementary just for getting A's in school