Jamil’s Steakhouse

My wife and I have enjoyed eating at Jamil’s for more years than I can remember. We love the food and the service and give it 5 stars for that. We are not put off by the aging appearance of the restaurant either. BUT last night we presented a $ 100.00 gift card I received from my employer that was 8 days out of date and were bluntly told out of hand that it was expired. I don’t understand why a gift certificate would expire in the first place (after all, the money that paid for the gift certificate didn’t expire). In my eyes the restaurant just pocketed $ 200.00 (we had 2). Can’t in good conscience return to Jamil’s and definitely advise anyone against buying their «gift» certificates.

I have been a lifelong fan of Jamil’s in Tulsa. Although the steaks are excellent, the differences are dramatic. My wife and I went to Jamil’s recently and our experience was very mixed. We had the steak and shrimp, and as I said, the steak was delicious (although overcooked). We ordered medium-​rare and received medium-​well. Our waiter was excellent, and did offer to replace the steaks, but the flavor was so good we decided not to do that! However, my complaints are that 1) We were served half a cabbage roll, and 2) There was no bread provided with the meal, and 3) The (3) shrimp were frozen… We were charged $ 7.50 for bread! There were no vegetables to dip in the hummus. Overview: Drive to Jamil’s in Tulsa for a trues 5-​star steak experience.

I LOVE this place. I don’t eat it nearly as much as I’d like because they have strange hours and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shown up just as they were ending lunch, forgetting they close and having to eat elsewhere.
I’ve had a bologna hamburger, but the chicken sandwich is my go-​to. It’s a grilled chicken breast with Swiss cheese and general toppings, pickles, tomato, lettuce, onion, mayo and mustard. I always order a side of tabouli. It was the first place I’d ever tried tabouli and now I seek it out any where it’s on the menu! They are still by far my favorite!
The atmosphere is dark and it’s set in what appears to be an old house. It’s adorned with Oklahoma legends and I’ve heard stories about the deals that have been made behind these walls. It’s close to the Capitol and still frequented by its employees. I can’t speak to how authentic the food it, but I’m a huge fan. Give it a shot and you won’t be disappointed.

Yummer Yum, Yum-​Yumz! The food was deLISH. Our steaks were cooked to perfection and medium rare, just as requested. My husbands shrimp were light, with a crispy breading and really flavorful. My teriyaki chicken was dressed generously and topped with a pineapple ring, my fav! The baked potatoes were just right, and the hummus and tabbouleh that came out first were delicious! I didn’t care for the cabbage roll and smoked bologna, it was flavored and spiced nicely, just not my style.
The service was prompt, very attentive and offered some great advice on getting the chocolate lava cake topped with mocha ice cream — amazing!
The ambiance was cute, eclectic and quaint. The reason I gave four stars and not five is that, while I’m sure this place was the hippest place in town a decade or so back, they need to do some updating (which I know is expensive and timely, so I don’t blame them for being a little behind on that). The rugs need to be pulled up to show, what probably is a hardwood floor underneath, and the chairs either need to be refurbished/​reupholstered or replaced. The menu could use a little modernizing and pls cut back the portions, while I did enjoy it, no one needs (or wants, these days) a huge steak and a chicken breast and a baked potato. Maybe add a little side of garlicy kale or collard greens for us veggie eaters. ;D With these few changes I feel like this place could reallllllly be spiced up and reborn.
The wine was good and reasonably priced and overall we left very happy and full.

There never comes a time when a dining establishment is a value based on its decades-​old reputation alone. When I spend a Benjamin on dinner for two, I expect only 3 things, but they are all three equally important. Delicious food of substantive proportion, impeccable wait service, and comfortable and clean atmosphere. 2 out of three is no different than zero, and I have had MUCH BETTER SERVICE at Denny’s. My parents used to travel 70 miles to Jamil’s for a special night out, so I was excited to join friends for a birthday celebration there. It was my first and last experience with this establishment. Your slice of pita bread might be worth $ 7.50, since I need something in addition to saltines for enjoying your delicious complimentary hummus, but only if it arrives BEFORE the hummus is gone, and with a smile. Jamil’s is a one time only for me.

Loved the smoked Bologna. Wished the wine selection was a bit better. Steak was good. I think I liked the sides that came with the meal the best.

Wonderful food, nostalgic atmosphere. We will definitely be back. I had the kabob and the portion size was huge and the food was amazing. It was definitely classic food done well. Plenty of restaurants in OKC are competing for the hipster crowd, but this restaurant serves up classic, timeless food that is consistently great. So refreshing! So glad to have dined at this OKC institution!

First time to try this place and I was really impressed. Service was great and the food was wonderful. Will have to put this on my schedule to eat more often.

While this restaurant is a part of OKC dining history, Jamil’s isn’t going to be able to rely on tradition to keep up with the foodie revolution coming to town. The prices indicate fine dining, yet the service was family-​style casual. And not in a comforting way, but in a slapped-​together way. Each meal comes with a list sides, including baked potato and cabbage rolls. The steak was quite good, they do know how to cook their meat, but the taste of everything else was bland-​to-​flavorless.

When you first drive up, your initial reaction: «oh, this looks cool.» In a small, old house in what appears to be an older part of town.
Inside the ambiance is pretty cool, if you like offbeat cool. Dimly lit, eclectic atmosphere. I think the theme is a combination of New Orleans, jazz, and Cowboys/​Indians???
You are abruptly approached and offered various appetizers that are not cohesive. Literally, my ears felt violated with the tone/​volume. Either way, the relish tray is fantastic as is the tabbouleh, hummus, and pita. Be careful with the smoked Bologna and cabbage roll though. More the Bologna. It’s… Interesting.
Glancing at the menu amid taste bud confusion, you’ll be scared of the prices. Don’t be. Get a steak, any steak. They will not disappoint. Fantastical, steakgasm in the mouth. Steak is worth every penny.

Had dinner with friends there the other night, literally had not been there since maybe the 70s. Back then it was the place to be if you were going for fine dining. Note it’s glory has faded some but the service and food is still great. Great tabuli pita bread and hummas appetizer and my Kabob was delicious, prepared perfectly. Everyone else enjoyed their meals also. The one thing that bothered me is that our table was partitioned by a panel with that 60s style gold patterned glass panes and several were broken. If say everything would be a 5 star with a bit of an update and refurbish but I can’t imagine my steak being any better.

Had lunch at Jamil’s on Wednesday. It was crowded, we had to wait around 10 minutes for a table. This is a great old school joint. It’s dark and not huge, but it’s comfortable. I can imagine some Oklahoma legislation being hammered out at this joint back in the day.
I was torn on what to have for lunch, so I asked our server for a recommendation. He suggested the 16 ounce ribeye, which comes with a baked potato and vegetable. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I decided a huge steak in the middle of the day was a good idea. My dining companion was less ambitious than me, she had the cabbage rolls.
My steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and was very juicy. They use a grill back there, but my steak wasn’t too charred in any area. This can sometimes be an issue with restaurants that grill steaks. The potato was large and had the typical toppings. The green beans weren’t anything to write home about. They were basic steamed green beans. But, the steak was the star, and it was worth the price of admission.
I had a couple bites of the cabbage rolls, and they didn’t disappoint either. Rice, meat, and spices wrapped up in cabbage and served with a thin, but flavorful, tomato sauce.
Everyone employ we dealt with was very friendly, and responded to our requests (refills, additional condiments) very quickly. You can have a pricey lunch here, but it’s a great old joint, and it’s well worth it in my estimation.

Went there for my wife and I’s anniversary tonight. With three kids at home under 9 years old, it can be a rare event for us to get out together, so we cherish that time.
Ambience was great. Nice, romantic, quiet restaurant, but not stuffy. Comfortable and I didn’t feel like I had to put on airs.
Staff was very attentive and genuinely concerned with our experience. Warm and inviting and very friendly. Wife’s iced tea never was empty. Food came out quick, but not too quick.
Food was terrific. Appetizer offerings were great. Tabouleh and Hummus were good and the warm pita bread, although it cost extra, was well worth it. Soft and fluffy. Steaks were as well seasoned as I’ve ever had. So much flavor. Cooked perfectly. Teriyaki chicken was seriously the most tender piece of chicken I’ve ever had. Melted in my mouth, and I was more excited about the steak walking in. But the chicken was the thing. Chocolate and caramel layer cake was RICH and moist. I was completely stuffed, decided I needed to try it, and then looked down a minute later to an empty plate.
We will go back soon. Definitely one of the best restaurant experiences we’ve had in a while. And always a plus to support a local business over a chain.
Thanks!

I came here when I first came to OKC to check out my new school. We happened to be driving by and decided to stop and check it out. We arrived right at opening and were the only ones in the restaurant. The staff was extremely friendly and made us feel at home. The steak was AMAZING! I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked and seasoned to perfection. They do not offer chives/​green onions for their baked potato (bummer)… but they have this random assortment of appetizers that came with our dinners which were slightly bizarre. For instance, there was hummus (pita bread not included). tabbouleh (first time trying… not bad), smoked bologna (turned out to be my favorite), and a cabbage roll. Anyways, it is a really weird/​cute place and I would probably go back with a Groupon or something, but i’m not sure the price is justified with what is provided.

Sweet little find when I was in town. Never heard of bologna on a burger before, so I had to try.
Bolo burger was good and interesting!

We went here because I remembered a great setup with dinner. It was lunch, so I ordered it for $ 11. It comes with some tabbouleh, hummus, a small pickle plate, cabbage roll, smoked bologna, a rib, baked potato, and a cabbage roll. Yeah, that’s crazy for $ 11. Yes. Baked potato came with butter and sour cream, so pretty boring, but I added the pimento cheese from my burger and it REALLY made it interesting and pretty good. The cabbage roll was Luke warm to cold, darn! The tabbouleh was really old! Yuck! Hummus had a skin formed on the outside because they prescooped it and stuck it in the fridge. Why would you do that? How much time does it really take to scoop some hummus? Dried out carrots on the pickle plate. Smoked bologna was fine, the rib was actually pretty good.
I got a burger for lunch. The fries were good. The burger itself… my oh my. Where do I begin? I thought, oh steak house, they prob take their trimmings and make a great burger! Oh no. It’s a frozen patty I believe and cooked to death and is the driest puck of burger ever! It was suppose to be on a pretzel bun, I asked the mean waitress what’s up, and she got defensive and said they ran out! «We ran out! That’s just what you’ll have!» Sheesh. Ok calm down. The tomatoes seemed like they were stuck in the very cold part of the fridge and had a disgusting texture and smell. The burger came with a huge scoop of pimento cheese, that was really cold, so the burger was I assume cold from the pimento. Or it could have been a burger from yesterday or 5 years ago. Who knows.
Overall, the waitress was just plain out unpleasant. Both of them. The gentleman setting the tables and helped us with our table was pleasant. The food, oh god. The food. Yikes! I really really wanted to like this place because its SO fun inside. It’s too expensive to not enjoy the food and the service, I would be utterly pissed if it was a dinner bill. I’d be okay with the barking mean waitress, but the food isn’t good enough!
Please Jamils, if you read this! Quality control on your food, and wait staff turn those frowns upside down! I don’t want to see you all fail!

Really enjoyed Jamil’s ! It has a definite ambiance to it… it really is kind of like going back to an old style steakhouse. It says the dress code is dressy but don’t be fooled by that. As long as you don’t show up in holey sweats and a crop top you should be fine. I went on a Thursday about 6pm and felt quite comfortable in my business casual work attire. It may get more fancy on the weekends but I doubt that.
Our entrees were fantastic. One of the best cooked steaks (done medium) I’ve ever had and I cut it with a fork once for illustrative purposes. It was very flavorful, and it wasn’t dripping in butter like other steaks you get at other places nowadays. The chicken teriyaki was cooked perfectly and juicy… not dry at all ! The baked potato was cooked well too… Awesome meal !
The desserts were fantastic… tried both the chocolate cake and cheesecake and both were very good.
I did not care for all the starters tho… I don’t like tabuoli, the hummus tasted weird, and the cabbage roll was bad. My dining companion really liked the starters to be fair. The service is very attentive and friendly.
Jamil’s prices are expensive… everything is a la carte and it adds up fast. However, if you can get in on a Groupon that they sell from time to time it is well worth it. Really enjoyed my dinner at Jamils !

Eddy’s of OKC used to be my favorite place to grab a steak. When they closed, I happily found Jamil’s. The steaks are incredible. The tabouli and cabbage rolls are to die for… and I hate cabbage!
Service is excellent and they are very fast if you are in a hurry at lunch. The atmosphere is perfect for quick meetings and the prices are fair for the quality of food you are getting.
DONT SKIP THE CABBAGE ROLL! Add a little barbecue sauce and dig in!

I went to the one up in Tulsa probably 5 yrs ago and was hoping this was the same — and it was. Funny that I was passing this by daily on my way back to the the hotel and never really noticed it…
Anyway, went in on a weekday night @ 7:30 — only one other table occupied. Exactly how someone else described it — just the kind of place Ron Burgandy would visit. Probably very swank 20 years ago — now provides a laid back charm. Kind of dark, red walls, interesting staff.
Don;t order a salad — you get enough «extras» prior to the meal (all described here and at the top of the menu). Yes, the pita bread will cost you — but just get it. Wine list is adequate, with a few decent choices. Most expensive steak is $ 30 (rib-​eye) and is worth it. Hand cut — your likely getting a fee extra ounces and they do know how to cook a thick steak.
Just a hint to those other steak houses — for what I typically pay, you should not have to ask me to cut into the steak and see if it is cooked right — you should know.
Desert is a typical pass, but even without, expect a $ 40 – 50 per person average — which is just the steak at other places. I do wish there was a little more aging done to the meat (wet aged).

There were two positives to our visit last night, and since I have a lot of negative things to say, let’s get them out of the way early. First, they serve hummus as part of the meal, and I thought it was great — best I’ve had, though my wife is more of an expert and said it was «good but not great.» Second, the steaks were very good — well seasoned and almost perfectly cooked. But …
The décor is absolutely bizarre. In walking the fine line between eclectic and old-​fashioned, Jamil’s falls on the old side, with mismatched lamps out of a 1980’s Ruby Tuesday and extremely dim lighting to hide garish wall decorations. Perhaps strangest of all are the TVs that light up what would otherwise be a very intimate setting. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve experienced in a restaurant, reading a menu by the light of «Wheel of Fortune.»
Our actual waiter did a perfectly average job, but he was followed shortly after we arrived by a brusque old woman who asked us point blank what we wanted to drink. I still don’t know who she is or her role in the restaurant, but I explained that we had not yet made a decision, she said «Okay,» and stalked off. Bizarre, but we shook it off.
Some time later, we had made our decision and ordered both our meals and our wine with our waiter. 5 minutes later, the woman returned and asked if we had decided yet. I said yes, and that we had already told our waiter. She informed me quite clearly that I could not order my wine with the waiter; I was required to order with her. So I asked her to get us the wine list again, since I could not remember the exact glasses we had ordered; I returned to the list, picked out the wines (again), and she stalked off a second time.
So that was weird. Much of the food was average except for the standouts listed above. The baked potato actually came out still in its tin foil. I am a fan of the idea that you should serve edible things as part of an entrée, but after careful consideration I determined the foil was not intended as an edible garnish, carefully removed it, and went to work on the completely unseasoned, ungarnished, plain baked potato.
But where Jamil’s really fell down on the job was when we received the bill. Here’s what I expected the bill to look like:
1 x Sirloin steak (medium rare) — $ 20.99
1 x Sirloin steak (medium) — $ 20.99
1 x glass Pinot Noir — $ 8
1 x glass Zinfandel — $ 8
Total: $ 57.98 + tax
But not a single item matched the prices listed on the freaking menu! Actual bill:
Sirloin Steak: $ 25.99 ($ 5 price increase)
Sirloin Steak: $ 25.99 ($ 5 price increase)
Pinot Noir: $ 7.50 (50 cents less? Okay …)
Zinfandel: $ 7.50 (Again? Strange …)
Pita bread: $ 8 (WTF?)
It turns out that when the waiter asked us if we also wanted pita bread, and my wife said yes, we were signing up for an extra $ 8 charge. No mention of that until the bill, of course. Considering the amount of bread received, I just paid $ 1.50 per slice of bread when you include tax/​tip. That, my friends, is called a scam.
I was even more concerned about the steak price, because advertising one price and charging another is what fancy lawyer-​types call «illegal.» I spoke to the person running the checks (what a coincidence! Angry old woman from before!) who told me that I was ineligible to order the items we had ordered from the menu because we used an online discount offer. So apparently, instead of telling us this at any point before the check arrived, she decided to simply increase the price by whatever amount she thought was appropriate.
Concerned, I whipped out my phone to examine the details of the online offer we were using. Nowhere did it say anything about not being able to order certain items from the menu. I showed the woman my phone, and she said — I kid you not — «I don’t care what your phone says, this is what we do here.» She then pulled out her version of the offer terms and conditions and said that our orders fell under the scope of «promotional offers» (insofar as it was an early bird menu only available until 7:00 pm).
Here’s the kicker: Her version of the fine print didn’t match my version. So they are either utterly incompetent, using an old version from a previous offer, or scam artists, using a different version when it’s time to redeem. Because we had started this trek attempting to have a romantic evening as a couple, I decided not to stand on principle, paid my extra $ 30 (tax/​tip, remember) in surprise charges, and left.
Either way, through the shady $ 8 for six slices of pita bread and the random extra $ 10 for steak where the restaurant makes up a new price after the fact, I was more than cheated out of the supposed «discount» I thought I was getting. This was our first time at Jamil’s, and we most definitely have a better understanding of how the place operates.
So congratulations, Jamil’s. Through your savvy business practices, you screwed me over and got my money. You can’t go bankrupt soon enough.