CJ’s Steakloft

Who puts cheese whiz on their loaded baked potato?
All the food was bland (potato skins, prime rib, potato), placed felt dirty, service was ok. Won’t be back.

Update: came back here the other night after having a good experience last time and we were disappointed, the same women who I think is the owner greeted us she was very friendly and funny. Then she sent our waitress over, she had an attitude and was short with us. The food was quick and it was good. we had a coupon from
on my phone and she told me to «print it out next time» which I thought was kind of rude since there is an option to go paperless and then she came back over and told my my coupon had been used already, which isn’t even possible. I don’t know if it was something on my end or not but I wasn’t happy about it. Don’t think we’ll be coming back.
We went here for the first time tonight because we had a gift certificate. After reading the reviews we knew to expect average food and slow service. When we walked in there was no one in the dining area, after waiting a minute or two an older lady came over and brought us to our table. She was very friendly and was our waitress for the night because the usual waitress had to leave. I ordered chicken fingers and my boyfriend ordered a burger. After waiting a while for our food came it was better than I expected, the burger was cooked perfectly and my chicken fingers were very good. We loved the service our waitress was very sweet and didn’t rush us at all.

We went here for the first time tonight because we had a gift certificate. After reading the reviews we knew to expect average food and slow service. When we walked in there was no one in the dining area, after waiting a minute or two an older lady came over and brought us to our table. She was very friendly and was our waitress for the night because the usual waitress had to leave. I ordered chicken fingers and my boyfriend ordered a burger. After waiting a while for our food came it was better than I expected, the burger was cooked perfectly and my chicken fingers were very good. There was great live music it made up for the fact that we were the only other costumers in the dining area. We loved the service our waitress was very sweet and didn’t rush us at all. Overall we had a good night out and the wait was worth it. We will be coming back soon!

Sad evening. We’ve been going here for years. Our last visit was about a month ago, and we’ve been going here about once every month or two for so many years I can’t count. They’ve always had, IMO, the best prime rib and onion soup in the area.
I can’t and will not go back again.
It was a very bad night. My wife ordered a chef’s special chicken and sirloin stir fry and I ordered a filet — medium rare. When our dinners arrived, my wife’s entrée contained only chicken and was just meh. My filet mignon was grossly overdone — well done instead of what I ordered. When I called the waitress over, she started to argue with me about how done the steak really was, but finally admitted that it was overdone. She then said they would put another steak on. My wife finally started to eat her meal while I just waited. After a long wait, I called the waitress over and asked where my meal was. Eventually the steak arrived — ridiculously under cooked. I had to send that back. Eventually it arrived more or less medium rare. By that time my wife had finished.
My wife called the waitress over and said that our dinner together was ruined and wanted compensation. The waitress told us she couldn’t do that. We then asked for the manager who, when asked about comping us for the filet, told us «we don’t do that». After a long discussion, where the manager claimed that since I actually ate the steak (I was starving at that point), they didn’t have to offer us anything. I then told her that we weren’t going to pay for anything, that we were just going to leave, and she could call the cops for all I cared. She finally relented and said she would only take ½ off my entrée. When I pointed out that my wife’s dinner was not as advertised, she said all she would do was the ½ off she had reluctantly offered. Disgusted, we agreed, after telling her she had lost a long time customer forever. She didn’t care, and simply walked away.
What a shame. After all that, the steak was just ok. It had no flavor.
They’ve lost a customer for good, and apparently they just don’t care about that, their food, or their service.
Don’t go here.

This place is awesome. I love the Boothbay chicken. So delicious. Service was awesome even with 4 attendants called out. Great atmosphere. Save room for dessert. Oh and the Buffalo chicken dip is incredible.

The ambience could be a lot of fun if you go with it. The service was actually fine and the server had some fun with us. She was knowledgable about the food. The beer selection was really good as was the wine.
I found the food to be ok at best, but probably bordering on bad. The filet was great, cooked perfectly. The lazy lobster though… ruined by putting goldfish crackers and/​or Ritz Crackers on it. It would have been amazing to just put the naked lobster on a plate with drawn butter and a garnish for looks. Unfortunately it was ruined and gave me a stomach ache.
For me, this isn’t a place I’d return to. The best thing for the restaurant is to bring those dishes back to original form. Most steak and seafood is fine without the creativity (PS. A1 sauce is the best way to ruin a steak made be a chef). Please get rid of that stuff.

We moved to the area in 2007 and ate here a couple times. The food was okay, nothing special. It is dark and decorated tackily. After years of not going here, we went back recently and we truly loved our dinners. I got steak tips and my husband got a prime rib. We rarely eat red meat so, when we do, we want GREAT flavor and quality. I have to say that we were truly happy with our meals and felt that the prices are very reasonable for what we got.

Went to the Steakloft last Saturday night just looking for a good dinner, and what we found was not only amazing food, but great people. We started with some drinks at the bar as we waited a quick 10 mins for our table (we did not have a reservation), I had a cosmo — was made very well. For dinner, we both ordered the filet, as this is a quick way to see if they know how to cook steak… and alI can say is delicious! The steaks were cooked perfectly, nice and tender. The wine selection is not large, though it is diverse and good quality. After dinner we headed back to the bar for a quick night cap as we just were not ready to leave. At the bar we got to speak with the owner, very nice woman, and complement her on the restaurant. We will definitely be back… probably tonight!

Prime rib is great. So much flavor to it. Mozzarella sticks are a good starter as well as the chicken wings. Get the bone in ones the boneless are not as good. Service was great very friendly. This is my second time here and both times service was spectacular I will definitely be back. This is a 45 min drive from my house and well worth it.

After reading some of the recent reviews we had some idea of what we were getting ourselves into. We were pleasantly surprised with the entire experience. The food was great, we had steaks, soup, salad, apps. Everything was presented well, cooked to our liking, and tasty.
The only knock I would give them is they seemed a little short handed. Our waitress was working her butt off. The owner was there helping out where she could.
There was a hostess there also and she probably could have been a little more helpful as she walked by our table multiple times and didn’t seem to care or notice that we could have used another round of drinks. This was the only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars.

I have been going here since 1978. Tonight I went with a friend. We were handed the «Specials Menu» & we both decided to order the Steak tips with scallops, over vegetables, with rice, stir fried. I also had a side salad, but some of the lettuce was browning on the edges. We both ordered Coca Cola to drink with our meals, & the waitress brought us a basket of heated Italian Bread & a bowl of packaged butter
. It took a LONG time (over 30 minutes) for us to get our food, & as soon as the plates were put in front of us, I saw the obvious difference. Her plate had actual steak tips covering the veggies, while mine was veggies covering what looked like a slice of roast beef, cut into pieces. I had more scallops, but the roast beef slice had obviously been cooked in teriyaki & then had sweet & sour sauce put all over everything, making the taste not so good. My friend enjoyed her actual steak tips. I don’t think the cook realized that both dishes were going to the same table ! Mine was lousy & looked like they ran out & tried to do a rush job using something else. The difference was so obvious, even she noticed. I doubt I’ll go back, after getting a plate of garbage, while my friend, who had ordered the same meal, actually got what we had ordered!

Great little place. Very homey feel and the hostess (assuming she was the owner) was friendly and animated. The French onion soup was good, she stated it was homemade about 3 times, haha. It was good not super salty and hot. It was a little too baked? If that’s a thing the cheese was hard and almost burnt but not. Over all a good soup. I had the coconut shrimp and they were delicious!!! Came with a yummy dipping sauce and were crispy and juicy. It is a nice, inexpensive place to go when you want to stay close to home. We will be back for sure.

Cozy lounge with entertainment on friday nights. Excellent prime rib and great martinis too. Every few months we go back and have never been disappointed with either the food or the service. Try it, you will like it!

Wife & I enjoyed a nice burger tonight. Great home made fries, Reasonable prices, friendly service … These folks are taking care of customers.

CJ’s Steakhouse is a homey, comfortable family restaurant. Coming here just a few times and you are treated like a regular. Super friendly staff and affordable eating. The food isn’t jaw dropping but it’s good. I’m not a fan of the toppings on their salmon but their steaks and pasta dishes are tasty. A very nice relaxing atmosphere. The prices are good too and if you get their coupons from
, you can eat really inexpensively.

This is the BEST hidden gem I’ve ever come across. Small, quiet, friendly, overall great atmosphere. The food is outstanding! I’ve been many times and always get something different. I’ve been blown away by how delicious each and every meal is. You really can’t go wrong. The owner, Carolyn, is such a sweet woman, very warm and welcoming. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes small, intimate, casual places to dine. It’s my all time favorite!

Really enjoyed our dinner, service was good and down home style. We both had steaks and they were cooked to perfection. I don’t see all the hate w this place, not everything can be modern and brand new. Would definitely return!

It’s in a bit of an odd location, and the décor is old world greenery and Christmas lights, but I really like it! It works! The hazelnut chicken is absolutely delicious. My husband had a tender and delicious steak. The waitstaff was very friendly. I love the live music. We went for our anniversary and it was lovely. Give it a try!

This place is appalling. I went in for lunch and the owner got into a fight with the bartender over a schedule conflict, meanwhile I sat at the bar for ten minutes ignored. And when she stormed away he gave her the finger behind her back!
All in front of customers! Which there weren’t many and I can see why.
I hope she reads these and reflects on how she runs her business because boy all these negative reviews don’t even scratch the surface of what’s wrong with this place.

Do not ever go to CJ’s Steakloft in Northborough!!!
1. The parking lot is completely empty as soon as you enter, it makes you question is it even open 2. When you walk in it is very dark, nobody in the restaurant or at the bar. 3. There is only 1 waitress working, 1 chef, and 1 bartender/​the owner of the restaurant. 4. The menu is very scattered and overpriced. They offer a croissant filled with lobster, along with burgers, steaks, etc. I wanted something relatively small so I asked her if I could get a grilled cheese, she said it’s not on the menu. Then I asked her if I could get a croissant toasted with some cheese on it, as nothing else was pleasing me on the menu, she said absolutely not! I ended up ordering French onion soup… burnt. 5. As I was eating the waitress came over to the bar and was complaining about how a customer left no tip because they were dissatisfied with their meal. She asked permission to go out to the parking lot and yell at them!!! The owner then said no, and continued to talk very badly about the customers in front of me (a fellow customer) and was saying completely inappropriate things a owner of a restaurant establishment shouldn’t say about a customer, who was claiming they have been going there for the past 20 years.
All in all it is dirty, dark, disrespectful, dingy, dismal «steakhouse», which I doubt will last another month.
YUCK!!!

I’m not sure why all the neg reviews… My family of 4 went there on a Monday night. We were one of the only customers there which was nice because our children are 6 and 1 and they couldn’t bother anyone.
We were greeted by the owner, who I thought was very friendly. We were waited on promptly. They had one of our favorite wines (14 Hands) yay! We ordered the crab cake salad as an appetizer to share. The cakes were hot and yummy, not lump crab, but Delish. For entrees my husband had steak and lazy lobster with BP-​I had filet mignon with mash. We both enjoyed our entes. My daughter had fried cheese and pasta and was quite happy. The baby snacked on everyone’s. Our only regret is that we dined quickly, paid quickly, and dashed out as our kids were getting wild. We did enjoy it and we will be back.

We had bought a LivingSocial for here and after checking out Unilocal,was really nervous given all the bad reviews. I was honestly pleasantly surprised at what we found!
The location is definitely weird, in the back end of a shopping plaza. And the parking was busy and tight. We were worried it would be super crowded, but we were seated in the dining room right away,
It definitely looks a bit like a place my grandparents would have loved. Dark, with fake greenery all over the place, a sorta kitchy rough hewn tables. But I actually found it charming rather than offputting.
We started with the spinach artichoke dip with pita and tortilla chips, and it was decent. It was rich and creamy with lots of artichoke hearts, but I would have preferred a litle more spinach for better balance. Tasty though! Bread and butter was pretty standard.
I had the teriyaki sirloin with rice pilaf, my husband ordered their Australian sirloin, a 12oz sirloin stuffed with scallops and seafood stuffing, with broccoli. My steak was wonderful, perfectly cooked with a yummy teriyaki glaze. Super juicy and tender. The rice pilaf was standard, seemed like it could have been out of a box, but did the trick. The husband enjoyed his steak, and said the stuffing was excellent. He said he thinks it would have been even better with a different cut of meat served OVER the stuffing rather than trying to stuff it in, but definitely enjoyed it and said he’d eat it again. Broccoli was fresh and crunchy!
We just had sodas last night, but we checked out the wine list and their prices are seriously ridiculously low… there’s a Mezzacorona pinot grigio for 6 bucks. I’ve paid $ 8 for the same glass of wine elsewhere.
Service was slow, but really friendly. There was a great band playing classic rock covers in the lounge that we could hear in the dining room, which added a little extra fun to the night! If we hadn’t gotten such a late start to our night, we would have stuck around for a drink and the music.
I’m torn on 3 vs. 4 stars, and REALLY wishing for a half star option right now. I’ll go with 3 for now, but we have another GC to use, so I’ll update when we’ve tried more!

What’s with all the hate for this place? I was positively enchanted.
Okay, staff was a little slow, but it was in this quirky fun way so I found myself remarkably forgiving. Also, they are full of wit and spitfire, traits which I, personally, appreciate.
I ate the crab cake salad and it was truly inspired. Roasted portabello mushrooms? Yes please. And the crabcakes were near perfect.
But what makes CJ’s is the décor. It’s dark and homey, and since I went in December, full of Christmasy goodness and joy.
The bathroom, however cute it may be, is as dimly lit as the diningroom, which meant I couldn’t tell if it was clean or not. Sketch? Maybe. But I love it anyway.