John & Nick’s Steak & Prime Rib

Went here for a birthday dinner with my wife and we both loved it. The atmosphere was great and we had no idea what to expect walking in. Once inside you have no idea that it is connected to a Tuffy tire and auto center. We were a little hesitant about that. I had the Bourbon Top Sirloin with the mashed potatoes and my wife had the lobster dinner. I ordered my steak medium rare and it came out exactly how I wanted it. I’ve read some reviews about the price and how you might as well go somewhere else. The price was definitely less than other steak houses and I thought the food was just as good with a larger portion size. The salad bar is huge and has something for everyone. Dinner for two with drinks and an appetizer and the bill was just under $ 100. I’d definitely recommend this place. Will definitely be back!

Six of us went there last night. Really liked the atmosphere. Four of us enjoyed our food but two did not. They had the prime rib. Two of the staff told them it was their fault the meat was tough. Yes they did order them medium well. If that is the case, let the customer know up front that could happen. Then they have a choice on taking that chance. We have been to many other places that serve prime rib and they have been better than that. The waitress did offer them a different choice so that helped.

Wouldn’t recommend this for the price. Very «ok».
When yolo-​ing, yolo somewhere else. Would recommend the salad bar.

Nice and quiet atmosphere with great food! I had the prime rib and lobster and it’s to die for and made to perfection! The salad bar is a plus!

We’ve only done lunch here but it has been consistently good. Salad bar is always good and well stocked. Spouse had BLT and thought it was great. We had 4 out of town friends along and they were pleased with their meals, too.

Great service. Food was wonderful. Loved the salad bar. Out of town family came with and enjoyed their meal. Thanks john !!

From the outside this place does not look too credible. It looks more like a strip mall takeout place. Wrong! Wait until you get in and have opportunity to take advantage of what is offered. Excellent dinner and not too expensive. The meal was professionally served and the waitress was attentive. The salad bar was very good with plenty of fresh choices. We will definitely return.

Went here with my parents. Lots of gray hairs in the crowd. Had 8oz filet mignon. Ordered medium rare, was served medium and it was a little chewy with a membrane or something running through the middle. Baked potato was undercooked. Salad bar was okay, had too many sweet Jell-​O salads and not enough salad toppings in my opinion. Would have preferred no ice berg lettuce in the salad mix. Bread was bland but soft and chewy. I have had better but I have also had worse. Ambience was nice but not formal and service was great. I did feel it was a tad overpriced for a place that shares a building with a muffler shop.

Tuesday night — took my Mother for our first ever visit to John & Nicks. We have watched the TV commercials and Mom thought the kid was cute…
We got there about 8:10 PM — the place was VERY slow (The bar was closing down and there were only two other tables of guest in the restuarant.)
We were seated near the salad bar (I knew from other reviews NOT to sit near the door to the kitchen with all the yelling they supposedly do «COMING IN!» «COMING OUT!» — then again they weren’t busy, so I dont think that would have been an issue tonight)
Our hostess was pleasant, and so was the server — we had water and I asked for a straw — the look on the server’s face said she was thinking «What the hell do you want a straw for?» She brought out straws and they were SO SMALL I could hardly get a sip of water thru it! It was like a stir stick for a cup of coffee — but longer!
I asked for something larger and she laughingly said «We have a kids straw» — I said, «is it larger than this one?» She said it was, (again with a half-​hearted laugh), and I said GREAT! I would like one… she rolled her eyes (FIRST CLUE we are not dealing with the type of servers a place like this SHOULD be employing).
She returned with a kids cup straw (which was actually perfect!) — too bad a nice place like that doesnt have real straws…
The table had a candle on it (as did all the tables) — but only one or two were lit in the place (and at tables that were empty) This was a special evening for my Mother & I — I asked our server if she had a lighter — she looked at me like I was crazy again and said, «no». I asked her if she could light the candle (She had JUST blown out one of the candles at another table) — She rolled her eyes AGAIN… (strike TWO!) and lit the candle.
We went to the salad bar — VERY NICE — nice selection! When we got back to the table — we had a mini loaf of bread on the table — it was cold. I waited to get our servers attention, (by then, she had brought out the entrees) and I mentioned the bread was cold — could we get a warm loaf? She looked at me and mumbled (so I could easily hear it) «It was warm when I brought it to you…»
Ugh — STRIKE THREE!
We were having a conversation (my Mother & I), as the two servers and hostess began talking between themselves as if the place was empty? At times, trying to include my Mother & I in their conversation as if we were intersted in their joking ways… Teasing one another and acting like they were NOT in a nice restaurant?
I would expect to see this kind of behavior in a Dennys at 2 in the morning — but not a nice attmosphere like this place has? Then again, maybe that is how John (and Nick) run things there? Very un-​classy and low-​class? «Lets dress the place up to LOOK nice — but in reality — we are Duck Dynasty gone Iowa Restaurant»… (sigh.,)
We had the Steak and crab-​stuffed shrimp.
The steak was not a nice cut of meat — rather a disappointing piece of something I doubt I would feed my dog. TRUST ME — I am not a snob — I have eaten at a Dennys, Perkins, etc. — and frankly the QUALITY of the meat and service is better at both of those places…
We finished and got out of there, I left feeling our evening was not what I had hoped it would have been…
As we were trying to leave our table — we ran into a push sweeper — left standing up right next to the table next to ours…
Yes, it was after 9 PM (Closing time), but four other tables had come in since we had began our meal… they were all still there as we left.
Would I return?
no.
Sorry.
If I want fine dining — I will go elsewhere with my money to have atmosphere AND service/​food that is up to par.
If I want «diner quality» food & serivce — there are plenty of places with the same level of service and food quality for MUCH less… Hello Perkins, here I come! (and they give you a free piece of pie on Mondays!) LOL
I wish them the best… find new employees and get better cuts of meat.
You get ONE CHANCE to give a FIRST IMPRESSION. Our first impression was NOT good for what you are SAYING you are offering — save your money on the commecials — pay a little more for GOOD servers and better cuts of meat — and you will have a winner on your hands…

I was recommended by an aunt to dine here when I described my urgent need for prime rib. I don’t get out to Clive often, but was still surprised to see what seemed to be an innocuously hidden establishment, though the parking lot was filling quickly.
Upon entering, I noticed dark wood paneling crawling up to a 13 – 14 foot ceiling with cunning lighting and what appeared to be brushed nickel chandeliers. My aunt later told me that this restaurant had been here for years, but everything felt new and richly appointed and yet still very inviting.
Our server was top notch, attentive but not loitering. Her recommendations were spot on and she knew the full menu.
The food was amazing. We started with the bacon-​wrapped scallops, and they were perfectly prepared and delicious! My wife had the queen filet and I tried the 8oz prime. When it came out I thought they’d incorrectly brought me a 12 oz prime rib. The server (Patty) beamed and replied that they serve generously. They err a touch on the rare side, which is exactly where I wanted my steak. The salad bar was large but I wouldn’t say it was their best feature. We finished with good coffee.
Overall it was an excellent dining experience!

I have been to John and Nicks a few times for lunch. They have a great salad bar and great food. I would give 5 stars but the lunch special steak seems to be a poor cut with lots of fat. But the staff is polite and place is clean with great atmosphere!

Four of us stopped at John & Nick’s at around 4:30 this afternoon. We’ve had good meals in the past there, so we expected the same today. When we arrived, no one was available to seat us. Finally, a waitress showed up from the bar to take us to a booth. Several items on the salad bar looked dried out. Two of our group ordered medium filets, and they were burned and tough. I ordered the Mahi Mahi, which was okay. We didn’t order any drinks (just water), and our bill came to $ 47 (for just two of us). When we left, two of the waitresses were sitting in a booth, and there was still no one at the entrance to greet new guests. A disappointing experience.

The atmosphere is very nice, the booths give you privacy but well enough lit to read the menu. The menu has a good variety without overloading. I tried the 12oz ribeye with a shotgun rub, asparagus instead of a potato, and their salad bar. The salad bar had a fairly wide variety of items, the cut produce was fresh and crisp and decent assortment of dressings. I would ask them to add a balsamic vinaigrette to add a lighter choice. The steak was ordered medium and showed up a little closer to medium rare but not by much. The run was good and the size seemed larger than 12oz. The asparagus was perfectly cooked and spiced. The service was very good with just right amount of interaction. With tip I was right at $ 31.

I love this place! We enjoyed a great dinner, flavorful and creative. I also appreciated the variety of classic salads on the bar, reminded me of great memories from childhood. The décor is also very classic, which I really liked. Nice job to the owners, management, and team! We will be back.

Had company from out of town and they wanted steak. We took them here. It was during the Christmas Holiday. The food was really good. But in addition our server was so pleasant and friendly. The place had a beautiful décor for the holiday and it was nice and cozy!

Five of us had a disappointing lunch at John & Nick’s. It started by hearing the waitress let people at the table know some of the entrees were not available as they were out of ingredients. That’s never a good sign. While we were there we watched a staff member leave and then return with groceries from the store across the street. You could see buns and bread in the sack. I am not sure what else!
Several of us ordered grilled cheese with tomato. While we waited we talked about a good grilled cheese. That is not what arrived. What was on the plate was dry Texas toast with one thin slice of barely melted American cheese with a thin slice of tomato. The three of us who ordered had several bites and left the rest, as it wasn’t worth eating.
Those who had the salad bar said it was fine. The service was fine.
From the reviews and word of mouth the place gets I wasn’t expecting much, and we didn’t get it.

I last reviewed J&N’s in June of ’11 and they’ve definitely stepped up their game. While the restaurant area hasn’t changed, in terms of appearance, the food has definitely improved in quality and consistency. I REALLY like the shotgun rub the do up their ribeye with — FYI, you can get that on different cuts too. Love the salad bar. If you order doubles at the bar, get a cab. Brother pours heavy.
Really glad that this place has improved! Definitely a go-​to since I live so close.

I don’t know what some of the other reviewers are experiencing, but iv been here a dozen times and on different nights, and have always had great service and great food. Hands down the best prime rib in the area., great salad bar, always fresh, okay I do know the booths by the salad bar, you do get some butts in your face, but that’s the only but you get from me,!

My fiancé and I ate here on 10÷17÷14. We have been wanting to try it for some time but were turned off from mixed reviews from other Unilocal users previously.
I am so sad I didn’t try this restaurant sooner! From the awesome salad bar to the tender meat with amazing flavor I cannot complain about anything other than the slightly awkward waitress — but you can have that anywhere.
I had the steak de burgo with the creamy white wine sauce and it was fantastic. My fiancé had the shish kabob and said it was amazing as well.
I’m reviewing this after we experienced a less than average meal at Jesse’s Embers two weeks ago — the steak was overcooked (charred) and the chicken was from a frozen bag along with some canned peaches. YUCK.

What a strange place. The menu is really standard steakhouse, with the exception of having few appetizers to choose from. A significant portion of their menu has crab stuffing, which is good but narrows the selection. The salad bar, although it has very few items, comes with the meal and has higher end items such as several different types of olives. Overall not a great place to eat, but not bad for the money. One last oddity is the wine selection. By the glass is mostly low end wine at standard 100% markup, however by the bottle in addition to low to mid range wines they also carry Opus One for $ 280.00 and Caymus for $ 100, with Stags Leap and others thrown in. The bar area was nice and cozy, though a couple of rude people who were apparently regulars didn’t add to the ambiance and the bartenders were less than attentive.
With all that said, the waitress brought us a whole new loaf of bread to take home when we asked for our leftover bread that our toddler was enjoying. Service was definitely good for us, though I noticed that not every table had the same experience.