Spencer’s for Steaks & Chops

Went here with DW on a Friday evening. Parking is easy, as the restaurant is inside a hotel with an adjacent garage offering free parking for restaurant patrons (make sure your server knows you parked there so they give you a card to get out of the garage for free). There isn’t a dress code, so casual is sufficient. If this place were inside a Four Seasons or Park Hyatt, then I wouldn’t go too casual, but it’s in a Hilton Garden Inn…
On our visit, the General Manager greeted customers at the host’s stand, and stated that champagne and dessert were on the house that evening, which is an added bonus. We had made a reservation and were seated immediately, and attended to by our server, Nicholas, just as quick.
Make no mistake, this restaurant is spendy, but not any more than equivalent steak joints in town. DW ordered the Filet Mignon and I the T-​Bone, both of us adding the $ 8 «Oscar Style» upgrade, which adds creamed asparagus and lobster meat on top of the steak. Salad is included. We also ordered a glass of wine and scotch, as well as an order of their parmesan fries to share.
The spacing between courses was appropriate, and the salads were fresh and tasty. You also get a little portion of bread as well. On to the steaks! In a word, fantastic. I ordered mine medium-​well, and it was cooked to perfection, and the stuff added on top made it all the more tasty, and at 20 ounces, it was filling to say the least. DW liked her filet as well. The side of fries were good and crispy as well. We split a slice of cheesecake to top everything off, and of course that was good as well.
Everything about our experience was excellent, and I would not hesitate to dine here again and I would absolutely recommend it to friends and family.

We dined here on Christmas Eve. (Tip: Definitely make a reservation.) It’s a small-​ish place (from what I could see) in downtown Omaha. Parking was a breeze with the on-​street parking right across the street. (Note: Dress code on Unilocal says dressy, but you’re ok in nice jeans and a nice top.)
We were promptly seated and greeted. Our server was very knowledgable and made some great wine recommendations. The wine list is plentiful with a good range of costs.
The menu was fairly extensive with a multitude of options, as well as several specials. (Note: All entrees include a house salad, which can be upgraded for a small charge to a soup or different salad.)
To start off, we opted for the oysters, french onion soup, lobster bisque, and chili. The oysters were surprisingly fresh, but I wasn’t all that impressed with the accompaniments and presentation (3 stars). The french onion soup was tasty and had lots of cheesy goodness (4 stars). The lobster bisque was a perfect consistency and had large lumps of lobster, but it could’ve used more flavor (3.5 stars). The chili was excellent, good meat, black beans, spicy sour cream, etc. (5 stars).
Then came the house salads. I, honestly, wasn’t all that impressed. It was different and unique, so points for that. And the dressing was nice. (3 stars)
The steaks, of course, were the highlight. (Tip: Don’t forget to top your steak with one of the sauces or preparations.) I liked that all the steaks were prime and they offered several bone-​in options. I opted for the bone-​in filet (something that is often hard to find!) oscar-​style. (Note: They do their oscar-​style with lobster claw, not crab.) When our steaks arrived, our server had everyone cut into their steaks and check if it was cooked to our liking before leaving. This was a much appreciated touch that I haven’t seen done much elsewhere before. All of our steaks were perfect. The steaks are cooked at a super-​high temp for a short time to get a nice, crispy char on them. I really liked the char! The filet was super thick. The lobster was perfectly cooked and fresh. The bernaise sauce was tasty. The asparagus was thick and just right. It was an awesome steak. (5 stars)
For the sides, we went all out and got the fries, loaded hash browns, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese, and blue cheese spinach. (Tip: You can get everything but the potato dishes as a ½ order.) Fries were perfectly cooked and had good seasoning (3 stars). The blue cheese creamed spinach was tasty and unique, but a bit lacking (3.5 stars). The truffle mac ‘n’ cheese was tasty, but could’ve used more flavor (4 stars). The loaded hash browns were the star of the side dishes. They were unique and loaded with goodness (5 stars).
We also could’ve pass up dessert and got a slice of the chocolate fudge cake with a scoop of ice cream to share. It was super rich and quite yum. It was more fudge than cake, which I really liked. (4.5 stars)
All in all, this was an excellent way to spend our Christmas Eve and we may have just started a new family tradition. And I still keep thinking about that steak and loaded hash browns. Great ambiance, service, and food.

Wow what a treat. I had dinner with a couple of coworkers & we were all very impressed with the entire experience here. I want to qualify this review by saying I’ve been to numerous upscale steak houses and this is top 3 for sure.
First of all when you come to Omaha you have to have a steak.
We found this place on Unilocal & we weren’t disappointed.
We were seated when we first walked in, granted it was a Tuesday night but they had a good crowd just not sold out.
They have a great wine list by the bottle, wish they had a few more choices by the glass but I did enjoy the one I had.
We each had a different salad & each of us commented how good they were.
But the coup de gras was the steak. I had the filet and it was cooked to perfection, my coworkers felt the same about theirs as well.
We had several sides & they were equally delicious.
The service was fantastic and to top it all off the prices were so much better than I’m accustomed to in the Chicago area.
I can’t say enough good things about our experience.

Travel a lot across the Midwest and this place consistently delivers a great big city steak experience.
Steaks are always cooked perfectly and staff friendly.

I went to Spencer’s last night with my family to celebrate receiving my white coat at UNMC. My family is from California and pretty picky when it comes to nice steakhouses. We arrived 30 min early for our reservation and were seated immediately no problem. The service was exceptional — especially the host at the time. The host brought us complimentary champagne and also gave us a complimentary dessert because of my celebrations. The food was incredible from start to finish. We started with a lobster bisque and bread. Then, we had the house salad, filet mignon and Spencer’s steak (both cooked perfectly), with sides of brussel sprouts and Mac and cheese. And for dessert we had the naughty chocolate cake! All to die for! It was all so good I forgot to take pics!
The food was incredible but the service made it above and beyond. Definitely will come back again!

First time at Spencer’s, a late Tuesday night with a few friends. The service was awesome but the Filet didn’t fit the price. It came out medium rare, as ordered, but the flavor was lacking. I have to say, the sides we’re fantastic, especially the sautéed mushrooms. I was charged a dollar extra to get my drink on the rocks, which was ice similar to what you’d find in a bag of ice from a gas station. If you’re going to charge a dollar for rocks, make them large designer glacier chucks imported by eskimos or something (
). I’d expect just a bit more quality for a high end steak house.

Best steakhouse in Omaha! Plus I am a little partial since I got engaged at this place, but it really is amazing despite the nostalgia! The filet is absolutely amazing, not to mention the prime rib is melt in your mouth delicious. I really can’t go there without having the hashbrowns. I think they fry those things in lard or something to make it extra delicious. The mushrooms and asparagus were very good as well. This is a great place for special occasions. Go have a glass of red wine with your steak… Trust me, it’s worth it!

Well worth it. I was staying in downtown Omaha and felt like a good steak dinner. Looked at other reviews on Unilocal and decided on Spencer’s. My hotel gave me a free drink ticket to a competing steak house but I really liked the menu at Spencer’s so I decided to go there.
The service was top notch, i couldn’t have asked for anything better. Very friendly and attentive.
The food was fabulous. The steak was cooked perfectly as well as seasoned perfectly. Too many times a steak house will either over season with too much salt or under-​season with nothing at all. It was delicious.
The mac and cheese was mouthwatering and and I highly recommend the brussels sprouts. The one thing I really liked was that they were able to do half orders of the sides. The house salad was also very good; I liked the dressing.
All in all a great dining experience and what I also felt was affordable for what you get.
Highly recommend.

I ordered a Carmel salted martini and even though they never made one before they made one for me. It was delicious. The waiter, Phillip, could not have been more attentive.

One my favorite steak places in Downtown Omaha. Spencers always
delivers great service and good food. Its pricey but its well worth the
dollar. Happy hour is good for fine dinning restaurant. The bacon mac
and chesse is really good or hamburger. Hopefully I have enough time to stop by in next month

Yes the 3 star rating. Went here with a bunch of colleagues and dropped $ 100.00 a head.
Appetizers were good. Drinks were small pours except for the wine which was a normal pour. They charge too much money for small pours on scotch and other neat or rocks drinks.
Some dinners were NOT hot. They were luke warm. Sides were hot and it increased the contrast of the coolness of the meat. Waiter came over first followed by the manager who said he’d comp dessert. Thats fine but, seriously, what is wrong with your kitchen?
All in all there isn’t value here. You don’t really get what you pay for.
If you want to go to a true high end steak house, head west to «Mahogany». That’s a 5 star meal and experience for roughly the same price.

Wow! Just wow. In from out of town and had to have Omaha steak. This place does not disappoint! I had the best steak I have ever tasted. Add the best house salad I have ever tasted and 5 star service. This steakhouse is the one to beat.
If having two different men in full suits check on you throughout your meal while what seems like an army of wait staff ensure your place is always cleared and your water never gets more than half-​empty sounds like your type of restaurant, this place is for you!
5 stars, hands-​down. I cannot stress enough how incredible the food and service was!

What can I say? Back in Omaha and my second night at Spencer’s. Last night the Stroganoff was magnificent with exceptional service by Heather. Tonight was steak night with an absolute perfect medium rare Porterhouse recommended by my all time favorite server Phillip along with a fabulous glass of Shiraz. Finished my heavenly experience with an incredibly smooth raspberry sorbet with candied walnuts and a glass of Sandeman Twenty Year Port. If you love a true «foodie» experience, don’t miss this place. I now feel as though I am among friends when I come here especially with the host James ensuring that I was comfortable and satisfied. I was!!! (And am!!!)

Not impressed. Service was slow (it wasn’t crowded) — but our waiter was really nice.
Food was just okay. I wasn’t in the mood for a steak but we were staying in the hotel and wanted something easy so we walked downstairs. I had the «stroganoff». The waiter (whose name I don’t know because he never told us) explained this deconstructed dish that sounded wonderful. The dish I received was nothing like what he described. It was bland and boring — although I will say the homemade pappardelle … really good.
Brussel sprouts were nothing special. Best in town are still at J. Coco, in my opinion.
Poutine was outstanding. Best we’ve had in Omaha.
My husband’s steak was ordered medium. It arrived well done. Flavor was okay.
Won’t be back. Nothing special and it was pricey. Would rather spend that kind of money at Fleming’s.

The wife, her boss, a co-​worker, and I went to Spencer’s for Steaks & Chops for a late dinner. Spencer’s was across the street from our hotel and the most convenient place for us to grab dinner. We were the party that probably all kitchens hate! We were all hungry after a hellish day of air travel that saw all of our flights arriving in Omaha several hours later than originally scheduled. We arrived at Spencer’s a few minutes before 10pm on a Thursday night right before the kitchen was scheduled to close. The dining room had already closed, but the bar was still open and serving food. We were seated immediately and, to its credit, the front of the house and kitchen staff took outstanding care of us.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Omaha, you have steak… and that’s what I did. I had the 14oz. Prime New York Strip ($ 41), medium rare, which came with a side house chopped salad. The wife and I split an order of the Truffle mac and cheese ($ 8). While my steak was on the medium side of medium rare, it was tender, plenty juicy and flavorful. It was a good tasting piece of meat. The mac & cheese was cheesy with plenty of truffle essence, which contrasted nicely with the applewood smoked bacon and chives sprinkled atop the dish.
We ate our meals fairly quickly, getting in and out of the restaurant in under an hour. When faced with a late arriving dinner party, Spencer’s excelled in providing good service and good food at a very fair price.

After a really bad day of flying, my colleges and I were very hungry. Thanks to Gregg M for finding a place close to our hotel that was still open so we could have a nice juicy steak!
When we walked in, the majority of the people were in the bar, so we decided to sit there. I decided to get the filet with a house salad. If the salad was delicious. It had pears and candied walnuts, so it was a great start. Gregg M also ordered some truffle mac and cheese — yummy!; It was to over truffled and the cheese was nice and gooey with a crispy top. My filet was cooked perfectly — medium rare. It was the right size for me, not too big, and I’m sorry to say I was too hungry to savor the flavor, but I do know that it needed no embellishments. I can always savor the flavor next trip.

This restaurant is located inside the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Omaha Old Town, only a few blocks walk from the Embassy Suites I was staying at. For our party of 12 – 14, they gave us a private area. Service was impeccable. Doing the check-​in got me 25% off a bottle of white. Coincidentally, they had a special on the 2009 Duckhorn Cab. That was just the beginning. That, plus 4 more bottles of Malbec later and we had an excellent business dinner. They gave us a great selection of appetizers including crab cakes (very good considering it’s Omaha). Some of the group ordered their signature steaks which they said were excellent. I had the seafood special which was very good. Overall, service and food were excellent. The waiter was nice enough to remind me the gratuity was included in the bill. I usually give a bit extra when they do that. I highly recommend.

I want to like Spencer’s more, but this being the third time I’ve been to one, the story is always the same. It’s just OK. Service is always good. Bartenders are always friendly. Cocktails are generally decent, though I still struggle to get a Manhattan made perfectly at any of their locations.
Things generally start breaking down with the salads. This particular time I tried their Caesar, which is served much like a wedge salad. This requires a lot of work to break down, as the whole Romaine bulb is included on the plate. They also lightly grill the stalk which I’m not a fan of as it generally wilts the leaves and adds to the sogginess. Speaking of sogginess, my Caesar here the other night was drowning in dressing. Coupled with the wilted leaves and it was like eating a pile of mush. I’m just not a fan of this whole preparation.
Having been off of red meat since Spring, I decided to treat myself to a small filet. My rule with red meat is to avoid it as much as possible, but if I’m going to eat it, I try only to eat it in a high-​end place. This being Spencer’s, the rule seemed to apply. I requested my filet medium rare, and it was pretty close — maybe a little closer to medium than I normally like, but not enough to complain. I appreciated the bartender asking me to cut into the filet to make sure it was cooked to the correct temperature.
As for flavor, the filet was good, not amazing. Truffle butter served with the steak contributed nothing more than calories. Steak was tender, but tasted slightly gamey, and I would have preferred it being a little more seasoned. It was also a little greasier than I would have expected for a filet. Still, overall, it tasted good and I did ultimately enjoy it. (How could I not, having not had a steak in months?)
The sides were where Spencer’s excelled the most. Truffled mac and cheese with bacon was as good and decadent as you would expect. And the sautéed spinach made us feel like we were eating something healthy, even though you could tell it was cooked with copious amounts of butter. My colleague ordered the scallops at the recommendation of the manager, and she seemed to enjoy them greatly.
I dunno. Maybe my palette has changed since moving to a more vegetarian, and in some cases, Vegan diet. I really didn’t go gaga over all this rich, artery-​clogging food. Spencer’s, of course, doesn’t hold a candle to heavyweights like the Drover, or Keens and Sparks in NYC, and that obviously has something to do with it. But with so much great food to eat across Omaha and so little time to eat it all, I don’t think I could make a return trip to Spencer’s any time soon.

I’ve been to Spencer’s several times over the last couple of years. It’s my favorite steak house in Omaha. The service is spot on every time. The steaks are tender and well seasoned. I’m a reluctant carnivore, but this is prime beef and impossible to resist.
The sides are very generous and serve three people at least. My favorites are the Yukon mashed potatoes and the creamed spinach. I avoid pork whenever possible, so their mac and cheese isn’t for me, but I had a bite and it was quite good.
They also happen to make a great cocktail. The Margarita is my favorite, but the French 75 is also very good. I don’t experiment too much because the Margarita is so good.
Desert is a must. Even when I’m too full for it we take a slice of chocolate naughty cake home because it is that good.
The manager (Jim) has always come to the table to make sure that Stewart and I are having a good time and everything is right.
I only give a place 5 stars when I’m plotting my next visit before leaving the restaurant. That’s definitely true for Spencer’s.

I wouldn’t say I had the full experience here, since we were sitting in the bar for HH burgers and apps, so keep that in mind. Just as well though, because while the service was pretty impeccable the food wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
Burgers were the reason we were here to begin with and those shone through, with cabernet caramelized onions, white cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, roasted garlic aioli and house pickles on a pretzel bun.
The accompanying fries I could’ve done without. And the truffle mac & cheese was unfortunately soupy. Calamari ‘fries’ were squishy and the onion ring breading was almost sweet. Misses on those items as far as I was concerned.
So while the burger was tasty, it wasn’t enough to make up for the other food items — which were honestly a bit of a bummer. Again, this is just for bar HH — but it didn’t inspire me to explore the rest of the menu.