Clayton Steakhouse

We went here for New Year’s eve and despite being packed they found us a table. Complimentary champagne was flowing throughout our meal. Staff were very friendly. It’s nice having a great place to eat steak in Clayton but it was a little pricey for the lack of atmosphere. I’d come here for special occasions but not multiple times a year with nothing special going on. One extra star for the awesome desserts that we got — red velvet pie and buttermilk pie were both out of this world.

Worst value in clayton. If it was half the price we would return. We dont mind spending the big bucks for a fancy dinner, but the clayton steakhouse is not a fancy dinner place.

I’ve been in love with this place for over 3 years! Absolutely amazing steak, salad bar so simple yet so fresh and great! But besides the great steak the best thing is the desserts, homeade AMAZINGNESS!!! We’ve requested a whole pie, in advance, to take home they’re THAT good!

This is a great locally owned steakhouse. Our steaks are always cooked perfectly, the specials are top notch, and the salad bar is always fresh and delicious! The servers are friendly and attentive. We love this steakhouse and it’s always our first choice when we want a steak!

Went here for the first time this week. Went for lunch. Thought it was good! I had the ribeye sandwich, the ribeye was cooked as ordered, was not under or overcooked. It was well seasoned, it had a great flavor.
I got the broasted potatoes as my side, and I will say they were a little inconsistent. I love when food is a little crispy, and the first 2 or 3 potatoes I ate were nice and crispy, the skins had gotten crisped up nice in the broiler. But the rest of them on my plate, did not get crispy at all. The flavor was great, but I was expecting them all to be consistent and they weren’t. That’s my only complaint.
I have no problem w/​the ambience, the waitress was very pleasant and they made sure to check on us, refill our drinks, etc. I can’t wait to go back and try a dinner meal!

It’s been a while but still great steaks and even more important excellent service. There is a reason why this restaurant has been in clayton for so long. Steaks and drinks were great and service was spot on.

Food and service are very good. That’s what counts! Slightly on the expensive side. So, this is a once and awhile spot for me.

My family and I go here about once very 1 – 2 months, and have taken guests here. If you want to go out for a nice dinner in Clayton, this is one of your few options. I describe this place as retro-​country-​local-​steakhouse. It is what I picture a good small-​town steakhouse was like many years ago. And, I’m fine with that. It has a salad bar and a drink station right in the dining room. Some restaurant rehab show could go crazy in there by giving it a contemporary décor, more flavor and specials, and a changed-​up, shorter menu; however, I appreciate the experience. Maybe I’m old fashioned. The food and service are very consistent and you know what you’re going to get every time you walk in.
If I was into regional adjustment, I’d probably give this four stars. Strongly recommended to try if you live in Clayton, give it second chance if you are unsure after the first time, but don’t go out of your way to visit it.
Steak — I get the filet and it is consistently very good. My husband gets the ribeye and says that it is not as good as at a chain restaurant, and is sometimes dry.
Sides — Great loaded baked potatoes, though the cheese sauce on the loaded baked potato is a little too orange.
Salad Bar — I’m not a fan of salad bars (I think of germs), but it is very good.
Wine list — simple, nothing exotic, and not much selection, but decent value and nothing bad.
Desserts — Very good. Homemade. Try the strawberry cream pie — it sells out.
Kids — Kid friendly, decent kids menu.
Service — We’ve had good service at every visit. The owner stops at the tables to say hello.
Price — Probably overpriced for what you get, but not enough to deter us from going back.

Went tonight to use coupon. Meal ok but not the best. Never had drinks refilled. There texas toast is not real toast. Will go to places in cary

The food was amazing but the service could have used some enhancement. As far as the ambiance goes, If they had linens and a tea candle on each table they would be able to charge $ 10 more per head. I was a bit surprised that people were wearing t-​shirts and jeans for the price of the food… But I guess their money spends just the same. The steak was PHENOMENAL their chefs make an amazing meal… Worth 5+ stars. The service and ambiance were the only things that brought their score down.

Last night was our first time eating at Clayton Steakhouse. The food was great. The Beer Battered Onion Rings were very good. Ribeye steak for entrée, cooked perfectly… MUCH BETTER than the big steakhouse chains.

Overpriced.
The atmosphere here is on par with a very casual dining establishment. This would be fine if the quality of the steak (or any of the other food served) elevated the experience.
Yes, it’s the only non-​chain steakhouse in Clayton.
But you could honestly have a better experience at the local Longhorn for what you’ll be spending.
The steak is average, the sides are average, the dessert is average. The price is not.
Not my choice for a steak, an evening out, or to impress a business associate. Why else would you go to a steakhouse?
Spend the extra money on a few gallons of gas and drive to Raleigh or Durham.

I’ve been to Ruth’s Chris, Sullivans and many other quality, high class steakhouses. Clayton Steakhouse is definitely not one that would survive outside of a sleepy little town like Clayton. The atmosphere and service is on par with a Lone Star, Long Horn, Outback, etc. except that I would have to recommend each of these over Clayton Steak House as they beat it in all major categories: food, atmosphere, service and most certainly, value.
I have spent less or similar at Ruth’s Chris and I can tell you hands-​down that Clayton is no Ruth’s Chris. Clayton Steakhouse is not even remotely in the same league and yet they charge as if they are. Would you pay $ 30 for a Big Mac and feel satisfied?
Clayton Steakhouse is a big fish in a very tiny pond and they can get away with it being the most expensive restaurant in town but there is an Italian restaurant just a few doors down that actually has everything Clayton Steak House does not. In fact, I’d rather go to the chicken place across the street that like Clayton Steakhouse, is also a step above a cheap diner.
The atmosphere indicates management that does not really understand anything about an overall dining experience or simply does not care to make the investment. There is nothing classy about the place and my $ 30 steak tasted like horse meat. It was actually pretty horrible. The desert we had was not particularly tasty. Actually, I enjoyed the lettuce at the salad bar the most but it’s pretty hard to mess that up.
Overall, spend your money on Long Horn, Lone Star, etc. or a dozen meals at McDonald’s. You would be far better off.

One star to reflect overall price/​value ratio. Much like Terafin Station (Cleveland area — ⁴⁰⁄₄₂), Clayton Steakhouse is still drawing lots of patrons. Reason seems to be that, unless you’re up to driving to Raleigh,
they’re the «only game in town.»
Started with a shrimp appetizer which was rubbery and without much flavor. Salad bar was ok — not great, but ok. My 11 oz. ribeye was, well, ok — thin piece of steak, a little too much fat, but ok. The baked potato was awful — dried out, bland, tasteless. Our server seemed depressed and the ambience was spartan. Tab with 20% gratuity was $ 130. My advice… Save $ 50 plus and go to an Outback Steakhouse, or spend the same as we did, but go to someplace nice in downtown Raleigh.

I’ve only ever been for lunch, but I keep coming back. As a teacher, it’s a pretty big deal when we get to escape school for lunch on a workday or half day, and my team usually chooses the steakhouse. The steak sandwiches are so incredibly good and addicting! You can’t beat the prices on the lunch menu either. Best deals in town for some of the best food.

I must say after my last review I spoke to the owner and he was truly concerned about how our visit went. He offered us a gift certificate to return at our discretion. I was pregnant at the time so it took a bit longer to get back in there. My husband and I return 7÷23÷13 to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary and I must say Michael and his staff DID NOT disappoint us. From the minute we arrived to the minute we left 100% perfection. Steaks were seasoned and cooked perfectly! We even made room for his wife’s homemade pie. Which hands down was the BEST dessert we have had EVER!
This is a new favorite place of ours.
Thank you to Michael and his staff for proving us wrong! :)

My recipe for a happy tummy.
Make a small salad (comes with the meal)
Order the rib eye medium with a sweet potato with butter and brown sugar.
Order the White Chocolate Mousse Pie with a coffee.
Friends took us there for dinner years ago. We have gone there 5 other times on our own driving back to the airport. I love when I find a place that can cook a good steak.

Great food! Great people! One of my favorite places to eat. Menu is simple and delicious. The homemade desserts are fabulous too! Go for luch or dinner. My favorite steakhouse!!!

It’s nice to know that if you’re in Clayton and craving a good steak, that you don’t have to drive to Raleigh to find one!
We’ve eaten at the Clayton Steakhouse several times and have always found the food to be very good. However, atmosphere is kinda blah and the service is so-​so.
Recently, I had the sirloin strip, Cajun style, with blue cheese butter. It was a nice cut of meat, cooked perfectly and the blue cheese butter was excellent. It was a nice pairing of flavors. My wife had a very nice fillet that was perfectly prepared. Our dinner companion had the grilled Tilapia with mango salsa (one of the night’s specials.) The fish was perfectly grilled and the salsa was tasty and fresh. The desserts are made in house by the owner’s wife. The strawberry cream pie was the perfect end to the meal.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the atmosphere really is that of a Sizzler (long, unbroken rows of tables). They could make it much more pleasing by simply rearranging the tables, using tablecloths, and dimming the lights.
The service was ok. Our waitress was friendly but apparently had too many tables. She failed to mention the nightly specials until we specifically asked about them. Once prompted, she provided solid recommendations. Wine glasses went unfilled for extended periods of time throughout the meal.
The food deserves 4 to 5 stars but the atmosphere and service really drag the rating down to a solid 3.

By the photos and the menu prices ($ 18.95 to $ 28.95 a steak), we were expecting it to be more of a classy, romantic place, but it is just what it is called, a Steakhouse. The kitchen order window is open to the dining room and the cooks are in there doing their thing and clanging around their pots and pans. The Soda fountain and Ice bin are in the Dining Room which made it feel like a Sizzler steakhouse (remember those?). The Salad bar is okay, also in the dining room.
The steaks were good, but the broccoli — bad! It was literally boiled in unseasoned water, drained, and put on the plate (where it then starts cooling before arriving at the table). It was almost inedible to eat that way. May I suggest some melted butter, salt or other seasonings, or even a quick sautee with some garlic and olive oil. That was our only side with our steaks and it was very disappointing.