The Cellar

Best steak in the Quad City area. It can get a bit loud in the restaurant. The apps and salad are good. The Green Goddess dressing is great.

The food was good but expensive
The service was way off this time not friendly at all
Not worth the hour drive

Excellent food, service and not over priced. Menu isn’t over done, they know what they do and do it very well. Recommended for a very nice dinner out.

The Cellar is a local institution with the food to back it up. It works well for large or small groups as well as couples celebrating an occasion. The walls are covered in local art and and the tables are adorned with linen table cloths and candles. The food is very tasty and I’ve always had good steaks here. The crispy hash browns with cheese are a local favorite and I really enjoy the French onion soup.

I’ve been here a few times before and every time the service and the food has been nothing less than amazing. We went last night for Valentine’s Day and we couldn’t have picked a better place. I ordered the filet and the shrimp and he had the filet and lobster. The steak was just melt in your mouth and the sauce the shrimp were tossed in was pretty good. Our server was on top of her game, swinging by the table enough without being on top of us. Naturally we will be back.

The Cellar, food worth traveling for! I used to go to The Cellar with my grandpa when I was a little kid… going back now as an adult, I was not disappointed. Small town Illinois charm as you drive down Geneseo’s main street takes you back to a simpler time. Careful not to fill up on cheese and crackers… I would if they’d let me buy them as my meal! Order the rib-​eye and a couple glasses of wine and you’re good to go. Grab a handful of mints on your way out the door and don’t forget to sign the guestbook. The Cellar is well worth the ~30min drive from the Quad Cities.

Great place for dinner. This place is usually pretty busy so it is a good idea to make a reservation. Love the atmosphere, it takes me back in time to the 80’s. The steak is wonderful! Also like the dressing carousel when you order a salad. They also bring out a tasty cheese spread and crackers before your meal. This is an awesome place to celebrate a birthday. If you call ahead you can order a small birthday cake. The birthday cake comes out with sparklers on it, so cool!

We made reservations for a Thursday evening to celebrate our anniversary. When we arrived, the room was about half occupied. We asked if we could sit at a table along the wall which there were 4 available. The hostess stated we couldn’t since we didn’t request that when we made our reservation. By the time we had finished eating, there were 7 available. We won’t be driving from the Q C again to eat there. I felt like a second class citizen!

We had the steak and shrimp do e exceptionally well! I love the intimacy of The Cellar! The waitress was a sweetie, we celebrated a birthday, they dimmed the lights and brought the dessert with a sparkler in it! Great finish to a superb meal!

The steaks are perfect! Love the shrimp cocktail!

The cellar is an example of a business that knows it’s customers and does simple things well. I recommend the classic charcoal broiled porterhouse steak with a gin martini from the experienced bar staff.
If you are looking for unpretentious value, the Cellar is your Restaurant, with excellent deals on the Thanksgiving dinner buffet and a comfortable ambiance for regular customers. The display of paintings on the walls from Geneseo area artists is a particularly nice touch that adds to the eclectic atmosphere. The charcoal broiled duck in orange sauce is a real standout and consider combining the free sticky buns with an «english coffee» or «butter rum» to finish your meal on a cold night in the Quad Cities.
Why drive into Moline or Davenport to eat out when a «little steakhouse that could» is available right at your doorstep?

Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of living, we forget how good we have it. Geneseo has an absolute gem in the Cellar. 50 years ago we had lots of places to chose from like Mirando’s, the Plantation, the Bringer In, the Flamingo, Ben’s, the Oaks, and others. Now at best we get adult fast food at chain restaurants. It may not be Morton’s but it still puts out a fine dinner in a very comfortable atmosphere. We enjoyed an evening there with friends on Thursday and had a wonderful dinner. The steaks were done perfectly, the sides were all great and the ladies loved the dessert. If it does not meet your idea of a fine dining experience, stay away and leave it to people who appreciate the way things were.

Literally the best filet I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Ruth’s Chris pales in comparison in food quality, price, & service. Friendly staff, reasonable prices for the portions, and did I mention the amazing steak??? Not a fan of cold, hard butter patties but that was my only complaint.

OK, for Geneseo this place is 5 stars! There really isn’t much here at all. Also, another reviewer mentioned that the Cellar had brick walls. More like brick looking wallpaper! LOL. Anyway, the food is OK. Looking this place up online it mentioned the house special was charcoal broiled shrimp. My friends got a combo with the filet and shrimp. Another got the rib eye. I got the duckling.
We started with the boasted cheese and cracker basket. Its just a ball of soft cheese spread and individually wrapped Melba toast and other crackers. But it was different than the same old bread baskets.
The salad is just a simple lettuce salad with a trio of salad dressing to choose from. Croutons were on the table.
With our dinner, my one friend and I ordered the asparagus and also the hash-​browns (an up-​charge but supposedly worth it). The asparagus I got was just room temp. The hash-​browns were greasy but good and crispy. Looks like each order is cooked in its own skillet. But honestly, for how these were built up, they were just plain hash-​browns. My friend had a cheese sauce on his. I have had better hash-​browns at Huddle House.
Everyone was happy with their proteins. The steaks were excellently cooked. The shrimp was good but not sure how they were labelled as the house specialty. It just had BBQ sauce on them. My duck had good flavor but was overcooked and the breast was very dry.
The sticky buns to finish are just a very simple cinnamon roll with a very light sugar glaze. It is a good finish and they were nice and warm. It was just enough but it isn’t a great dessert if that’s what you are expecting.
With the exception of our server being caught between two feuding tables and spending most of her time de-​fusing the situation, the service was great. The dinner was ok. I have had better but not in Geneseo. But with just ok or barely above average food, they do have a hefty price tag. The food definitely wasn’t worth the price.

Amazing little place with such history in the area. The walls are brick and decorated in a rotating display of art from local artists, all available for purchase.
The food is delicious and freshly made. The meats are second to none, freshly charcoal-​cooked for your order. Their fried catfish is huge. Their fried mushrooms and cauliflower is spectacular with the cheese and tartar-​like blue cheese sauce.
The sticky buns that come with your meal are a dessert on their own! Don’t leave without trying one of their combo plates (surf and turf, catfish and filet, etc.) or one of their after-​dinner tipsy coffees with whipped cream.
Oh how I miss you! I’d return to the QCA in a heartbeat just to eat here at least one more time :)