Iowa Beef Steak House

It disappoints me to write a review like this but maybe it can be constructive.
Monthly restaurant group (20 years running) were there tonight. Wait staff excellent, salad bar great, 12 oz. Sirloin steak ($ 19.95) beautifully done to medium rare. Steak knife required extra effort to cut, each piece very chewy. Brought steak home to make stir fry. Baked potato great except served barely warm.
All other steaks were 20 or 24 oz’s at $ 28.95.
Dissappounted as the first monthly group dinner 20 years ago was at this location and was looking forward to being back. Thank God for the memory of the first visit.

Felt like a big slab of beef last night and the Iowa Beef Steakhouse has never disappointed me. This was the first time I’ve been there since they changed ownership. But not much has changed… The décor is still dated… and it’s how I like it… I hope it never changes. :) Same good salad bar… The highlight of the salad bar for me was the penne pasta with Italian dressing. Good stuff. They’ve made a few changes to the menu. I had the 24 oz sirloin, topped with mushrooms, and with chips (it came with the salad bar and I wasn’t feeling like a baked potato). The gf had the burger, salad bar, with a baked potato. The presentation of the burger could be better. It’s a good sized burger, but they serve it assembled and on the large plate it gives the illusion it’s smaller than it is. Her burger was a little under done so I had to take a couple bites to help her out. She ordered medium well and it was more on the medium side with a couple spots of medium rare in the middle… As far as I was concerned… it was perfect… glad to help. ;) No real biggie as she liked the salad bar offerings too. My steak was a perfect medium rare. I was in heaven… IBS is one of those places I just really like. I’ve never had a bad meal there or bad service. A tip of the hat to our server Jamie. She was working quite a few tables from what I could see and did a damn good job. $ 49 and change (before tip) for my steak dinner, +mushroom topper, her burger, +cheese, and +salad bar. We both just had water. I was pretty disappointed that the cucumber and onion salad wasn’t on the salad bar anymore. Then Jamie took a minute and walked me over and showed me where I’d missed it at… smh God bless the servers that have to deal with us. Sometimes I’m just a big dumb animal folks. ;)

We paid $ 85 (includes the $ 12 tip, 2 ribeye steak meals @ $ 28.95 a piece, no lie, a kids meal for $ 8 and 2 soda’s) for a meal that was mediocre at best. The salad bar was very good but the cheese was cheap, dry and very bad tasting. We put it all over our salad and potato. It ruined my potato and I ended up not finishing it. We both had the ribeye. I’ve made a better ribeye at home. It was your average run-​of-​the-​mill steak. Nothing special. Very blah. We will not be back. Used to be MUCH better back in the day. Friday night. 6pm. The place was EMPTY. And seriously — — $ 8 kids meals?

This place has been around for years so I thought I couldn’t go wrong eating here. Wrong.
The place looks like it hasn’t been updated since it was new. I was OK with that. I ordered the 24oz sirloin so I would have leftovers. I wanted it light pink inside so I asked the waitress how I should order it. She said with that cook probably medium well because that cook tends to under cook. Good info. We had to wait almost an hour to get served because they put our order behind a large group. When I got it it was cooked medium rare. She offered to take it back but I refused because we had already waited and hour. I asked where my mushrooms were and she said she forgot to write it down and would get them for me on the house. I ate around the edge of the steak that was chewy and tough a few mushrooms and my sad looking baked potato. Texas toast was cold.
When she brought us the bill she said they charged me for the mushrooms (so she must have wrote it down) but would get me cheese cake on the house. OK. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Took leftovers home and gave it to the dogs. For the price I paid I could have gotten 2 GOOD steak dinners at Texas Roadhouse.
This dinner was our late Valentine gift to each other. Waste of money.

Well, Gluttony is covered. Now I can get to work on Greed, Envy, Sloth, Anger, Lust or Pride.
A massive portion of beef — more than enough for two, is the only thing that Iowa Beef has going for it. Otherwise, a thoroughly middling experience: A bland baked potato and a dismal salad bar stocked with lettuce from a bag, cherry tomatoes, chopped green peppers, baby carrots, and several kinds of pasta salad.
My server was polite and timely, but not especially memorable. The décor is country-​kitsch.
Prices moderate by steakhouse standards. $ 28 for a 20 oz NY Strip. I was looking for a good Midwestern steak meal from a local place without a Ruth’s Chris price tag. I’m still looking.
Iowa Beef is the Sams Club of steakhouses. Cheaper in bulk.

I live in NYC, and the ribeye here was better than any Manhattan steakhouse. Great, simple, American steak. Thanks, Heidi!

Alas, I think it better to stay with my Nebraska beef and stick with pork in Iowa. Not that it was a bad meal, just pretty unremarkable. The salad bar was meh, not much other than lettuce, dressings and pasta salads.
My t-​bone was o.k., the sirloin side fairly tough with no seasoning. For the hype about having the biggest steaks in town, it looked average at best. I guess I was expecting a thicker steak. This one was almost half an inch thick. Again, o.k., just not what I expected. I have to remind myself it’s not Ruth Chris, Manny’s in Minneapolis or Michael Symon’s Roast in Detroit.
I don’t have a problem with my baked potato not being cut, but when I cut it open, I expect to see steam rising from it. Not so much here. The potato was «kept-​in-​a-​warmer» lukewarm. Butter barely melted in it. Sigh.
Service was o. k… Poor gal got slammed with a couple big holiday gatherings (big, long tables) so service was there… Drive-​by style.
Bottom line — I may or may not return, but I certainly won’t go out of my way fighting traffic to make this a destination restaurant.

No difference at all with new owners. the same thing. $ 20 strip gone. Prices back up to $ 28 for a steak except 12oz sirloin is $ 20. It was wonderful and perfectly seasoned and cooked. Baked potato perfect. Garlic bread from a sliced loaf of Texas toast. Really mediocre salad bar, same imitation bacon bits. Yuk. Décor still like finished basement/​rec room in a 1960’s suburban home.

Horrible… worst filet I ever had. Ordered medium well and it was way over done. Won’t be back.

Food was really delicious. Friendly waitstaff. Would only recommend if you are very hungry for a full meal. The menu is small and most options are large heavy meals but what is on the menu is really good.

Havent been here since new management, hope they have more of a selection on there menu now. I went in with a group of about 20 and there was no dessert, an im a huge fan of dessert $!!! Would have liked to say we had a great dinner, but i was still hungry an hour later. The food was delicious and the steaks were suckulant, I hope they didnt change that part at least. At that time the staff was very helpful and kept up with my madning crowd! We will visit sometime soon to see if theres DESSERT!!! And if there is still great steak!

Great service from our waiter Randy! The 12 oz Sirloin steak was excellent. Will return!

I was drawn in on a Thursday evening by a recent ad in Cityview with a line stating «Hamburger ground fresh daily». It wasn’t until we arrived in the parking lot that I remembered dining here a decade ago. Not much has changed except the signs touting locally brewed Exile beers (available in bottles only, not draught — more on this later). There are a lot of homages to Iowa’s farm/​agricultural past on the walls, wooden chairs, a beautiful brick fireplace, the smell of charcoal/​smoke. Rack in center of table with steak sauce (but not ketchup, we had to request that) and a drink menu.
The drink menu contains ONLY bottled beer even though one of the new owners is a former bartender. There were also no classic cocktails, see Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Tom Collins, Whiskey Sour. Maybe some IOWA craft whiskey flights? (not Templeton Rye, that’s a whole ‘nother story, Hint: they’re misleading. Indiana distilled *cough)
It’s like a Wisconsin Supper Club that has no clue what it’s doing. We each ordered a hamburger with a baked potato.
We’re in Iowa, we grow cows here. An owner/​management with any semblance of being up to date with the food world knows consumers are more informed now. We don’t just want to know that it’s a ground in-​house hamburger — tell us from what farm, is it grass fed, antibiotic free? — again they have no clue how to frame/​market this. Play up the gawd damn Iowa part. The $ 10 burgers arrived on a sad little oval plastic plate that belongs in a small town country café. The burger was good albeit a bit to thick to cook correctly, mine was ordered medium well but was rarer, and I know that’s subjective. Cheese was a dollar extra. Where do the buns come from, local bakery? The baked potato arrived with no slit cut in the top (maybe to keep them warmer?) and no thought into presentation. The plastic bowl with cold butter and sour cream individually wrapped packs, not something you’d find in a fine dining steakhouse normally. Televisions on every wall tuned to sports.
The burgers were good. The service was good. Maybe I’m just an a-​hole that’s lived and dined in too many places that I expect too much?
CHANCE OF RETURN: ²⁄₁₀

An overall satisfying and delicious experience. We took our folks there for their 50^th anniversary last night because it was their choice as they wanted a good steak and Iowa Beef Steakhouse is under new management. Our server was fantastic and the owner stopped by the table when there was a hiccup in regard to the wellness of my mother’s steak.
Our reservation for 5:45pm was honored right on time and our table was set up and ready when we arrived (nice!). My husband and I had the ribeye medium and they were large cuts of meat with just the right amount of seasoning. My brothers strip steak was even bigger but the largest was a thick cut Mom ordered medium rare. It arrived bright red and bloody and cold in the middle, a bit too rare. The server took it back twice and had the chef cook it a little more to perfection. The owner stopped by and apologized for the inconvenience but it was a minor issue that was dealt with properly by the server, chef and the manager so I can’t fault them for that issue. In fairness it was a very thick cut and that’s a bit tricky especially with a new chef in the kitchen.
Dad’s ribs stretched from one end of the plate to the other and even he couldn’t finish all of it and took some home – and he’s a big guy with what seems like an bottomless stomach!
Salad bar wasn’t fancy but had decent and healthy choices. The beer selection pleased the men, Mom enjoyed her margarita and I liked the lemon drop martini. Add to it all a nice, clean, quiet and laid back atmosphere that equals success. Pricey steak dinners but we got what we paid for.

Visited here with my wife and another couple for my and his birthdays. We all ordered steak and salad bar. The steak was cooked exactly as I asked, but lacked seasoning. The salad bar wasn’t much to brag about. The ambiance was good and the service was good. I like the idea of a cook your own steakhouse with the option to have it cooked, but will probably try another restaurant like this. I would return here if someone invited me.

The new owners have taken a couple of steps backward by getting rid of the salad bar and eliminating the daily specials. If you’re used to taking advantages of the specials, this amounts to a 20 percent price increase.
I like the fact that the dinner salad is based on more that just bland iceberg lettuce, but in practice the greens were dry and wilted, like they’d been sitting out for awhile. The house made parmesan dressing was excellent, though.
Steaks come with a baked potato and an additional side, but the sides are lackluster and more suited to a picnic than a nice steak dinner. If I already get a baked potato, why would I want a side of potato salad?
The steaks are still good but there’s a lot less reason to come here than there used to be. And to add insult to injury, they also got rid of the big bowl of mints on the way out. Because I’m sure that was a backbreaking expense.

On our trip to Michigan we stayed the night in Des Moines Iowa and decided to try this restaurant and we were greeted and sat promptly looking at the menu all the steaks here are HUGE which made the hubby happy he ordered the 28 oz Tbone which looked as good as it tasted me on the other hand ordered the 20 oz Ribeye very good tasting piece of meat the staff is very friendly the salad bar great too so if u live in the area or are passing thru do stop in now you will pay for the steak but the amount you get is well worth it! If we ever come this way again we will be stopping by.

This is an old school, very casual steak place with an open pit. 20 years ago, folks used to get a kick out of going out to eat and cooking their own steak — now, the help cooks it out in the open. No show, just grilling steak and toast in under harsh lights near the tables.
The menu is simple: choose your cut of meat. it comes with a baked potato, salad bar and Texas toast.
I’ve eaten here throughout the years and, despite the bad wood paneling and farm tool wall coverings, I’ve always been impressed with the cuts of meat and value.
That’s no longer the case. The cuts of meat are fine, but over priced for the atmosphere and service (friendly but utterly unprofessional) If I’m going to pay over $ 30 for a rib eye steak in Des Moines, it’s going to have to be in a place that looks and behaves better than the Cracker Barrel’s ugly second cousin.
and the salad bar… a sad collection off ice burg lettuce and a half dozen crocks of raw veggies floating in water. It seems they’ve given up entirely on trying to make any of this look or taste remotely decent.
Save your money. You’ll be disappointed in what this place has become.

Went because we had a GROUPON. Expecting more from the name Iowa Beef.
Food was average. Outback and Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse has better tasting steaks. The place gets a lot of business. Not a bad buffet.

If you want a true taste of the midwest, you have to go to Iowa Beef Steakhouse. The food is rustic, as are the surroundings. Nothing fancy except the taste and quality of the food. Huge portions — but you can split your main course at a cost (and everyone then gets the salad bar and baked potato. It is a fun place to eat with friends. Just don’t plan on sticking to your diet at this place.