Mattson’s Steak House

I lived in this area of Chicago for almost 20 years, never have gone it. I was with my wife and decided to have a special treat for dinner. I saw the big steak house sign and thought way not, lets give it a try. Wow was it bad!
Very expensive prices for the dinners, my wife had the shrimp dinner and I had the 12oz New York Strip which can out to 50 dollars for the both of us.
It included salad bar, which was gross! Old lettuce, old tomatoes. You could tell they were old because the tomatoes were all wrinkled. The sliced cucumbers like old and waterlogged.
I ordered my steak medium rare, it came out well done. They had some corn on the cobb by the register, mistake! It was so mushy! I returned my and asked for my money back.
The second time the steak came out it was still not medium rare. I returned it to the cook, he looks at me and says «Well I sent out a medium rare steak.’ I said «Well it is not like a have a grill at the table and keep cooking the steak!»
I was asked if I wanted another one and I said «No.» «I just want my money back.»
Which they did, so I just left and want somewhere else to eat.
Would not recommend this place ever!
Awful service, awful food, dark and dirty interior.
Stay away from it, unless you want to waste your money.

First time here. Was so excited to try. The food was great but that is not what my review is about. First off, when you spend $ 20+ a person, I am expecting some sort of service. Ordering and paying was very sub par. Better service at McDonalds for sure. Our food was practically dropped on our table and girl scurried away. No, «Enjoy your meal» Nothing. Literally, just slapped it on table abruptly and walked away. More like ran. Wasn’t even busy. I will say that Daryl is a nice gentleman and the bar tender was super nice too. Weird though that we had to get up to go to bar to get a drink. After that she was very nice.

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch. The steaks were cooked to perfection. Fresh salad and delicious soups. Cold and creamy ice cream. The staff is wonderful as well.

I came here over ten years ago and now, why? They have slot machines and you have little kids using them? Not a good thing in my view. First off though I do remember the darkness and the feel of dreariness here back then and now. Lets just say I was HIGHLY disappointed. I thought that I would stop by with my mom who came here also many years ago so that she could reminisce of how it use to be, but that quickly changed when we walked in. Nothing short of antiquated and the employees are horrible. I asked a question about the steak and the cashier said: «I don’t know.» Ummm then who would know? My mom was very puzzled by this response and asked her again, and again she said the same thing. We ended up paying and having a seat and I was so excited about the salad bar since I love salad. Umm another disappointment. They had wilted lettuce, a few other items and nothing worth eating twice. Come on now, this is horrible and the plane is declining faster into the ocean! I decided on the steak and it was gross! Talk about gristle and fat. When I asked the waitress about it she said, yeah they are all like that. Umm, again, what am I missing here. This can’t be real or can it? Mom ordered shrimp and steak and the shrimp were very tough, the mashed potatoes were boxed mashed and the gravy just tasted horrible. We ended up taking a doggie bag (literally) and throw out the rest of the food since my dogs would not be subjected to this kind of abuse! Well, an honest review, this place has lost its spark and I would NEVER recommend anyone even stepping foot into this hot mess. Just not a place for me.

Yes I had a yummy baked potato, the delicious garlic bread, Mac and cheese, and then I had some jello for dessert! :)

A well over-​priced cafeteria! Maybe the place was great once upon a time but it isn’t now. I am frustrated that I looked at the various different reviews and I was feeling very optimistic about this restaurant but my optimism was quickly crushed as I entered the establishment. Not being from Chicago I was expecting something different. First thing first, it is confusing on where to go once you enter the door. Some other customer had to explain that I had to go around to the back to start. Once that debacle was over I was then greeted with a fast food type of menu (the kind you look at behind a cashier type) which I did not expect at all. I ordered a 16 oz. ribeye and a baked potato along with a toasted hoagie bun called garlic toast and my family ordered ribs where the food wasn’t all that bad but it wasn’t all that great. I would say the price is a little more expensive than what the food is worth in my opinion. Salad bar did not have much of a variety especially only having one type of lettuce. I guess if you took some of the kale they used for decoration you might say there is another selection. Overall the salad bar was mediocre. The soup was the saving grace, I had broccoli and cheese which was good and the other choice is the minestrone which also looked good but those there the only choices. Going back to the entrees, the steak had excellent grill marks and was very nice cut of beef for the choice. I needs a little more seasoning just the simple salt and pepper would have done the job but it was quite bland. Another thing that I was a little confused about this particular restaurant is that you pay up front so it is difficult to gage how much of a tip you should give other than the standard 15% but then again what am I tipping for since there really isn’t any waiter or waitress serving you and the customer pretty much have to get everything like it was a buffet. At least at buffets the servers come by to refill your drinks and see how everything is. Overall this is a very disappointing experience, maybe because I had some expectations of what a restaurant is. If you have a choice to eat out, I would not make this place one of them.

Okay, so I just had a great time at Mattsons! Like old times :). Although my meal last time left me wanting much more, I had the ribeye today and it was perfectly seasoned. I hope they continue to season like they did today! (Or at least use the same cook!) I also recommend getting the meat medium — rare so that it’s softer and there’s less of a chance it’ll get charred.
Rib eye + baked potato + garlic bread = happiness

Me and my husband went last night for our 20^th anniversary and had Matteson which is a 12oz ribeye and I had a 6oz ribeye with shrimp (4 shrimp butterflied) all I can say is… it’s worth your money! The front girl was a little nonchalant and they ask you what you ordered three times but the FOOD was great!!! I will definitely be back I was sooooo stuff

The meat was cooked well but the prices were very high for what you get. I paid 22 $ for a 12 oz rib eye, you also get salad bar, soup, ice cream, drinks, etc with that meal which would not be a bad deal if the quality was there. The meat was good the only complaint there was I asked for medium and it was medium well. The biggest downfall with the place is everything else, the atmosphere is very dark and cheap and kind of dirty feeling. The food on the salad bar and soup bar is the cheapest I have ever seen. Terrible!

I have a
gift certificate voucher that says $ 25 off a minimum of $ 35. I just called to verify that they still accept the certificates. I was told yes but only for $ 10. I am dumbfounded. How can they renege on what I purchased? Then the manager told me it has always only been $ 10. That is not what my paper shows. Glad I called.

Utterly disappointing…
So my brother in law and wife have fond memories of going to Mattson’s on special occasions when they were younger. I am guessing it’s like my memories of going to Ponderosa (and actually being allowed to order a steak.) Fast forward and Ponderosa nowadays is gone and the last time I was there I was greatly disappointed. Hearing the brother in law mention how Mattson’s is now I felt like it was going to be the same experience. Unfortunately, the wife had a craving and wanted to check out Mattson’s again to see for herself.
Food: This is the type of establishment where I deem it necessary to order my steak cooked more due to quality of meat. The strip steak I ordered came out and had a decent amount of gristle. Also, there was something off with the flavor. The meat just didn’t taste fresh or of a good quality. I don’t put A1 sauce on my steaks nowadays, but I had to this time. No comments of wife’s steak as I did not try it (we left half of her steak uneaten when we usually take the food home.) The salad bar was really small and nothing there to really note. Did not partake in ice cream as just didn’t want anything else here. The garlic bread was good though.
Service was fine at least. Décor was old and shabby.
What makes me mark this place so low is even if the prices were cheaper the quality of food is not good. Brother in law was correct that It’s expensive for what you get.
For my money, I would rather just go to a golden corral and get a steak over there. Quality would be better I feel and it would be cheaper.

No other garlic bread comes close. I remember coming here for the free ice cream with meal and reordering garlic bread after garlic bread, made fresh and instant.
The salad bar and ice cream are staples in this rundown family favorite. You go in here and go for the experience, nostalgia and for the staples which I have listed below. No one comes here to have an exceptional experience or have a GREAT steak sandwich. It is mediocre at best in food, serve yourself style service and 3 course style meal.
Staples for the restaurant that have been around for at least two decades since I started going as a little boy.
Sunset Riders Arcade Machine
As soon as this came out for Nintendo, we bought it right away. Classic arcade game
2 option ice cream machine
Swirls machine in 2 flavors and only 2 (Vanilla/​Chocolate) This was and has always been a must for the finale course. Same strawberry mix and sprinklers or peanuts are available as they’ve always been. No way you can go without having some ice cream
Garlic Bread
I’ve traveled to several restaurants, big box stores, grocery stores, freeze boxes and even on vacation to try to find this garlic bread replicated and I have not found it anywhere else. The secrecy to the ingredient may be as simple as a little extra butter on the pan, but whatever it is, it has been on my final meal list and forever will be there.
All in all.
The atmosphere and tables are worn, the staff and bartenders have always been on the ‘low standard’ scale, and the food (save for the ice cream and garlic bread) have always been mediocre at best. But don’t let any of that stop your visit to Matteson’s, it is one of a kind in Chicago.

This was the place back 20 yrs ago. lines out the door and good steak. now it is a hit or miss… the prices have gone up and quality of the meat has not… even the salad bar is over priced. The hot food bar looks like it has sat there for hours. ill give it a try again… in the near future… but go else where for steak and «buffet»

Worst gristly steak ever! Even the baked potato tasted off like had an old fishy taste. I don’t understand how you can mess up a baked potato? Either way, this place has gone way downhill since the last time I went here. The only thing good was the salad bar, but they stopped serving honey mustard dressing which was my favorite here. Oh well, doesn’t matter since I’m not coming back here ever again!

The staff was very friendly however the food was a huge disappointment. The salad bar had pre-​bagged salad and some of the veggies were brown. My order was for carry-​out so there wasn’t much I could do when I realized that both mine and my husbands steaks were undercooked. Although, even if cooked properly it would not have changed my opinion. The quality of the steak was not great. I had a NY strip that had way too much gristle. We gave most of our steak to our dog. One other thing that I noticed, an employee who may have been a manager handled my food with his bare hands after handling other non-​sanitary items like a drawer for bags that is not behind the counter. My first and last visit.
This was ¹⁰⁄₁₀ around 9pm.

This last experience was not much different than I’ve had previously. Actually maybe it was a little worse. I’ll start with the salad bar. You still have plenty of options and the bar is well kept. All of the pasta salads taste almost exactly alike so if you like one you’ll probably like them all. During this visit the hot bar (consisting of macaroni and cheese, spanish rice, collard greens, mostacolli and corn bread) looked like it was a bit cleaner than normal. Nothing tasted bad (but nothing tasted great either). The best thing there is the corn bread. There were two soups available. Chicken and rice, and minestrone. I had the chicken and rice. Usually the soup was alright, this time unfortunately it tasted like it was drowned in salt. For the entrée I ordered the steak and tenders. I asked for it to be cooked medium and servered with a baked potato. The food arrived at the table rather quickly. I only wish they thought about quality first. The steak was seasoned alright so the taste was ok. But …, it was cooked way beyond well done (dry like wood) and was loaded with tendons (poor cut of meat). The chicken tenders look good, but as for taste. I really wish I didn’t order them. They are obviously pre-​package frozen (tasted like freezer burn). The tenders themselves are processed chicken and some other product. They were literally gross (tried to give them to my dog and she wouldn’t touch them). To be honest, the best things I ate were the corn bread, texas toast and the baked potato. I used to like this place but I think this last visit will be my actual last visit. They charge prices ($ 20 to $ 30) like the average 3 to 4 star restaurant but serve food that is worse than out of a cafeteria. It’s just not worth trying anymore. For what my meal cost here I could have gone to Wildfire or even Denny’s and had a better steak.

I’ve been coming here ever since I was a small child with my family, I have so many memories it was almost a tradition to come here after a big event/​birthday. Back then you would have wait hours in a line wrapped around the building before you can get close to the front doors. The salad bar had so many options, as well as, the ice cream station. The steaks and chicken portions were so big, I would have to share with my parents. We would all fight over the garlic bread. Those were the days.
I came today with my parents, It was so sad and disappointing. The prices are much higher, the same person charged us and made us go back in line to verify our order (type of potato/​how you want your steak cooked), no lines we walked in and ordered our food, the salad bar had skim pickings for options. There were no toppings for ice cream, the steak was dry, and after the fat was cut off was probably 3oz. left. The garlic bread was as flat as a pancake. The dining room hasn’t changed since I was 5 years old, expect for the brighter lighting. The saddest thing of all, it was empty. No customers, I saw two other family’s in the dining area besides us, this place used to be packed!!! I’m just incredibly sad this place was not how I remembered it once was. I hope they make big changes because this place will not last much longer in this condition. I told my parents it was time to say goodbye to Matteson’s and find another steakhouse.

I guess my search for a good southwest side steak goes on. I had high hopes for this place but those were quickly dashed by the dirt covered front door that actually stuck to my hand when I opened it. No pride of ownership in this place… from the dinning room that looks like it hasn’t been updated in 30 years or cleaned in a longer period of time to the unkempt staff that appears as if they may fall asleep at any moment. I will not go back… there’s a lot of other places to go for average food and they’re a lot cleaner and less expensive.

HONEST REVIew i been coming here for years but now the food quality n everything has become so bad like the food is really gross n over priced n the restaurant is filthy like if u walked around n looked u would wanna throw up its so dirty dont go here

I was surprised at the new layout and function of Matteson’s since I hadn’t been here in over 20 plus years. I had the 9 oz steak cooked well with baked potato and lobster tail with a humongous salad. The only part I don’t like about the experience at Matteson’s is the fact they have to walk around looking for you to give you your food, other than that I look forward to taking teams here for meals, especially if they think about sponsoring… hint hint…