Columbia Steak House

Service was very slow, several tables including ours had to remind the server of what we needed. We took into account that it was Valentine’s Day, but we came in early (4:15 pm) and the restaurant was half full. We did not receive our entrees until 5:00, and finished close to 6:00. Our appetizer of mozzarella sticks was good, Caesar salad good, Diego salad was brown. Our daughter’s sirloin was cooked well, looked like, and more importantly, tasted like steak. But the nighthawk specials we ordered were unrecognizable as any cut of steak I have seen, unevenly cooked, and was drowning in the garlic butter that was more like cooking oil with brown fat floating in it. It seemed and smelled off, and pulled apart like a pot roast. My husband’s was one piece of meat, mine was one piece with an added small chunk of meat next to it. We both ordered med rare, but one was almost rare and the other seemed well or boiled not broiled. The potato was good but hard to enjoy when your steak is questionable to eat. I would have politely said something in the moment, but our server was dealing with many other tables and never checked back with us after we got our entrees. He came back once at the end to ask if we were ready for the bill. We got to the front where I was hoping to speak with a manager, but they were also dealing with an influx of patrons trying to order at the bar. I just tried calling and the mailbox is full. I am not one to ever leave a bad review, having worked in the industry and understand some nights are just off, but I just don’t know where else to voice my concerns with the quality of our food, the service/atmosphere, and lack of customer service. We paid $135 for stomach aches and suspect food that might make us sick.

The NY Strip was ok. Ordered a medium rare and it came out more like medium well. I originally asked to sit at the bar and the bartender lady said she would be too busy….weird. The atmosphere seems more geared toward an older crowd (maybe 50+), so it just wasn’t really my vibe. Probably fine for a quiet night out.

Our server was awesome but our food was cold...we both ordered prime rib and when it came out mine was so cold the grease in the au jus was coagulating. I asked to have it warmed up so they microwaved it and it became overdone and dried up around the edges...my dinner date's was lukewarm at best. The baked potato was not done and lukewarm. Yea a total waste of our hard earned money.

Someone in our group use to eat here many years ago and we decided to check out this legendary restaurant. Can’t beat the prices. Our waitress was welcoming and helpful. Food was definitely filling. We couldn’t even think about getting dessert. For me personally I wasn’t thrilled with the butter or oil that my food was sitting on but others were thrilled.

The food is delicious. The nighthawk special is highly recommended. You can't go wrong. Very reasonably priced. I will definitely keep going back when I am in Lexington.

Service was fantastic! Atmosphere was cozy and friendly. The ribs were so good. The twice baked potato was sooo good. I just had the eat the whole dang thing...and it was huge! I was bummed that I couldn't finish my broccoli casserole because it was perfect!

I prefer Columbia steakhouse on South limestone because it feels like a comfortable old shoe. The original Columbia steakhouse, complete with basketball players’ pictures on the walls from the 1970s. It has a lot of character.. I have been coming to Columbias off and on since the 1980s, as I now live out of town, but always make a point to go there when I am in town. The nighthawk special is still a treat and a great deal. The Diego salad is wonderful for a simple, flavorful light salad. Just don’t have your cholesterol checked for a spell after dining there!

Nighthawk special husbands was supposed to be medium but looked funny like it was boiled not broiled disappointing after reviews. Server only came around once to check on us and it wasn’t very busy also with lots of tables available sat us right be kitchen which was busy hard to enjoy dinner. My nighthawk was very good and cooked well . Manager did agree steak wasn’t cooked correctly and made things right

This was one of the worst food experiences I've ever had. The salad had a hunk of ceramic plate in it that I bit down on. The manager asked if I was ok and stated she told her staff to throw away bowls with chips in them. However, both of our bowls had chips in them. She did not seem to be as bothered by it as I was. The steak was in a bowl of grease and didn't have any flavor or seasoning it seemed. The potatoes were not fully cooked and drenched in grease. We were not charged for my meal because of the salad situation.

I am completely disappointed with the way that the food served was no where near to the ambiance created by this 1952 interior. The food was barely edible, arrived in various forms of temperature and the poor young server who was still learning how to serve a meal was little assistance. Skip this one until it changes hands and someone who knows how to run a steakhouse takes over because the current owner is long gone.

It has been years since I had dinner at Columbia Steak House and I was so disappointed. The restaurant was dirty and the booth seat was sticky and had not been cleaned. The portions were huge, but the quantity did not make up for the extremely poor quality. I ate just a few bites of my food and instead of complaining, I just left. It was so bad I thought that no matter what I ordered, it would be no different. I will never go back, so don't waste your time and money. You'd be better off to get a good meal at McDonalds.....

We love the downtown location. We often go in and sit at the bar. Flo is the manager and is an absolute gem. She knows everyone and greets them with a smile. Our personal faves are the burger with fries special, the chicken fingers are delicious and huge. The best thing on the menu are the real battered fried mushrooms. No commissary food here. Yummy. Did we mention the great attitude of the servers and the manager Flo. She's been holding the downtown location to a kitsch standard of excellence for years.

I'm with a group of 36. Admittedly, that's a large group but... It's not that hard to do a baked potato. At my table of 8, no one had a potato that was done. The steaks were good but lukewarm. Individually, might be a great place but don't bring a group here!

The food was amazing as always! We have been coming to this location specially since i was a kid. it was tradition for us to visit at least once a year, however, tonight when we visited it wasn't what we had remembered! We were the first to arrive in our party as it was a large party, we had arrived an hour early to let them know of our party size(12), and was told they could go ahead and seat us anyway! At first our server was great nice and pleasant. As more guests arrived he became more irritated and short with us! Very disheartening as someone who comes annually, but it happens servers have off days i get it! As we were leaving someone in our party overheard him making complaints about us "not leaving a big enough tip considering all the running around he had to do for us!" Being a server in a restaurant i completely understand but please do not say it in front of guests or in plain sight of said party leaving! Hearing this completely shocked us since i feel we were nothing but generous to this server! I admit, we asked for things and had a burger sent back, nothing against him, the aggressive attitude we received after, i did not understand! We tipped him very well considering what he said (before knowing he complained it wasn't enough). overall, great food, but service needs work for sure!

Having eaten at Columbia many decades ago, our group of 6 decided to stop in for a late dinner. Flo made sure we had a special table waiting for us when we arrived. Memories of college years and good times came flooding back- the food was wonderful, service was awesome! Only thing missing was "Smitty" , the energetic Maitre d' who was always there to greet you in his tux ( heaven now being his home). Flo has been a hostess for 38 years. Not many restaurants can claim a gem like her! Fantastic evening!

New to Lexington. Coworkers recommended Columbia and said we need to go to this location downtown. We've gone there a few times now, including the one on Richmond Rd but we love the downtown location much more,... more history, great food, great service. lMy wife is crazy about the house made ranch and twice baked potatoes. I like the corn pudding a lot. We will be regulars.

Visiting Lexington for the day and the Columbia was close to my hotel. I enjoyed the ribeye and a loaded potato. Steak was cook to perfection and was served quickly. I enjoyed the atmosphere and a few cocktails. When I am in town again. I'd be sure to stop back in.

We ate at the Columbia Steakhouse when we were in town for our granddaughter's graduation from Transylvania University. Our meal was excellent from the potato skins through cocktails and steaks as well as fried catfish. The service was especially excellent and thoughtful. Thanks!!

We were there for a drag theater recently and what a great show! The servers were amazing, but the bartender/manager was a bit rude to the performers and staff. We could overhear her complaints and rude commands to everyone. On top of that, it took forever to get drinks from her. I finally walked up to the bar and she was just talking to the host. I immediately went back to my seat and didn't order anything else. It was our first time there and it's probably the last.

We visited for lunch. Ambiance is really cool and very Kentucky. The only light you get is through stained glassed windows with horse racing prints. Amber was our server; she was great! Request to sit in her section. Our choices: 1/2. Burgers- too much bread, we both ended up eating with a fork. The burger flavor was perfect and they cooked them just as we ordered. The garden to the sandwich was plentiful! Sides to the burger were steamed broccoli (amazing) and house chips (more amazing). 3. Beef tips with onions, mushrooms, swiss- good portion; had leftovers. Meat is not your traditional tips, it is cut from a ribeye so the quality was great. Cheese is not needed because of the butter/garlic sauce it is cooked in. Sides were baked potato (took up half the plate) and broccoli "casserole." It's a soufflé. All were accompanied with a basket of rolls and cinnamon butter. They looked dry and hard but goodness, they were the opposite. SO GOOD!!! Drink menu is pretty limited to bourbon. And more bourbon. Welcome to Kentucky.

Great little place a local sent us to for dinner. Very good service. Delicious food especially the Night Hawk meal! Very reasonable price. An old Treasure in Town. Old style decor

This is a nice little steakhouse in downtown Lexington. Service was great and order portions were just right. I had the Nighthawk. It was cooked a little more done than I wanted ( I like medium rare and it's hard to get that right now matter where I go). We had the shrimp cocktail and the potato skins for appetizers. The taters were huge. Overall, I'd give this place an 8 out of 10. Definitely would eat there again when in Lexington.

Columbia Steak House has become a go to whenever we are in Lexington. The fried mushrooms & fried banana peppers are huge. Perfectly crispy, both delivered a crunchy bite that were full of flavor. For our entrees two of us opted for the house special, the Nighthawk special is a tenderloin served with garlic butter, the house Diego salad, and a baked potato, all for $20! My steak was so tender that each bite seemed to melt in my mouth, the bake potatoes were good but not great, but I loved the Diego salad (keep some dinner rolls around to eat with the salad), Two others at our table ordered Hot Browns. The golden brown baked portions were generous, and both said the hot browns were delicious. Columbia Steak House decor is a step back in time and gives you the feel of the supper clubs from the 60/70s. In today's age of cookie cutter corporate steak house chains I loved every minute of my Columbia experience.

Columbia Steak House is a Lexington institution! This Limestone St. Location is a wonderful little dive kind of place. Service is good and pretty quick. Get the Nighthawk Special. It's the thing to order. Terrific!!

God awful. Ordered a steak medium rare and it came out blue. It also was so over seasoned that it was inedible because it was so salty. Service was adequate and it definitely had the feel of a restaurant that was opened 80 years ago and the decor was never updated. Not that I care about the decor but the food was inedible.

This place was wonderful. Had the tenderloin special, baked potato and salad. My friend had the Chicken Monterey. Everything was delicious. The waiter was nice and efficient. Great casual environment, low key, comfortable. I'll be back.

Best restaurant in Lexington. Will visit again on next time in Lexington. The server was so positive and friendly.

This iconic restaurant is famous to the locals especially those like my husband who attended the University of KY back in the 80's. This place is filled with history as it's one of the oldest restaurants in central Ky, Established in 1948 and celebrating 75 years serving the community of Lexington Ky. They are known for their "night Hawk special" which is a Diego salad, baked potato and the most delicious streak, perfectly cooked tenderloin served with garlic butter! All for just $19.99. This was hands down the most delicious steak! The fresh veggies were perfect. The vibe was so cool walking back in history. The memorabilia on the walls proudly acknowledges their love for KY basketball featuring paintings and photos of the 1978 NCAA basketball champions. The waiter was so kind and knew about the history of the restaurant. The legacy lives on. Photos adorn the walls paying tribute to special guests and employees like "Smitty" the maitre'd for many of those 75 years. When in Lexington, this restaurant should be top on your list! They are very busy on KY game days and well worth the wait for a table!

This is a staple for our birthday celebration since we've been going since the 80's. This place is stuck in a time warp hit that's ok as long as the food is good!

We went here a couple weeks ago and the service was exceptional and the food was heavenly. Perfection. We had a party of 5 for our family and thankfully we were seated in a peaceful and private area. The lighting was perfect and we will definitely be back. Highly impressive by all of us. The next time we all get together we are going here without question.

I'm almost certain our server was tweaking. Horrible service experience. This place is tried and true with the food, just an extreme poor customer experience tonight. Over an hour to get food. Partial Order was brought out at one point then we sat and watched my mom Eat her salad for a half Hour. Before the manager visited our table And really offered no explanation other than the salad guy makes the salad faster than the cooks. It was laughable. drinks never refilled entire visit, had to ask multiple times for things to be cleared off the table, had to ask for silverware. I'll be back only because It's a Lexington staple, but next time I'll immediately leave when I recognize my server is high.

Great place to have dinner and relax. I had the Hot Brown- truly a classic. My waiter was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. I will definitely stop in next time I'm in Lexington!

Now when I first walked in I did not expect the service to be so wonderful. The exterior does not denote this local legend. I did not know until after it was a local treat. I needed a quiet booth and the hostess immediately took care of me. The ambiance brought you back decades. Feels like somewhere where they know your name. The food I had was a three course meal. Onion straws to start, Beef tenderloin medium rare, steak fries, southern green beans, hot fudge with an ice cream scoop and cola to wash it all down. How much? 40 bucks. I urge anyone to find a better deal than that. All in all, my experience was wonderful, wait staff a delight, and the food was great. Service: 9/10 Food: 8/10 Ambiance: 10/10

I will preface my review by saying this was my first time here and we were here for Burger Week, so not your standard dining experience. The WTF burger was great! First, the owner Flo, came by to check on us.... and a restaurant that has a good management presence on the floor is bound to have good service and they did. True to a lot of reviews, the decor is circa 1981... maybe this is the start of a new trend?! They play Yacht Rock radio (my favorite station!!), which appropriately goes with the atmosphere. They have outdoor seating which also has music and is dog friendly. I look forward to bringing the pup and trying their signature tenderloin and salad.

Worst experience I have had in over a decade. The waiter wasn't bad, but the wait was exceptionally long, the food came out wrong, then waited 10 mins for condiments. Finally got sick of waiting, got up and walked right out the restaurant. I understand that a place get's busy, but my order was simple and should not have taken so long.

To be honest it has been less than I expected the last 2 times I have dined at Columbias. It was good The waiter was attentive and quick. The Night Hawk Special was way overcooked. Ordered Rare got "medium well". It had the "red" pick so it wasn't a waiter mistake. If the cook was that far off he was either not paying attention or not capable of cooking steaks. It also had a strange aftertaste as in organ meat. Which likely means it was dumped straight from plastic packaged beef without any draining of the slimy liquids. Garlic butter seems to have been replaced by "garlic margarine" and is quite oily tasting. It used to compliment the steak fries but now just give them a bad flavor to overcome. Salad was reasonable but lacking the seasoning it used to have. Corn pudding was still good. I loved the old Columbias and even worked there in my younger days. Would love to see it come back to something close. I'll give it one more chance. Just in case I had the misfortune of dining there on 2 off nights. If it's the same I'll have to mark this spot off my rotation and accept that they are just riding on the name of Columbias past and the original good food it used to serve.

Excellent! Exactly the way it has been for 73 years! If you're looking for a white table cloth atmosphere, pretentious staff/guests and overpriced food - this is not your place...... Columbia (Limestone location) is the perfect combination of Excellent food Solid service Tradition Great prices in a location that's a bit gritty, not overly clean, dark and absolutely PERFECT!!!! I've been coming to this location close to 50 years and am thrilled that nothing has changed about this place over the years. Keep knocking it out of the park folks and please don't ever change!!!!

Mediocre at best. We ordered for lunch and was greeted by sub par customer service and poor execution on temps. We ordered 4 double cheeseburgers with bacon, ranch on the side, cooked medium, to go; seemingly a simple order. When I arrived to pick up our order I discovered that only one of our burgers had bacon and all were missing the sides of ranch (they gave us sour cream instead of ranch?). On top of this none of them were double cheese burger. When questioned why none of them were doubles the bartender said "we don't do double burgers here". I asked if we could just add an extra patty to them and he said "oh yeah, I guess I could have told you that over the phone". At this point I feel like I've been mislead. The bartender seemed preoccupied so I went on my way willing to overlook the bacon and ranch missing. After arriving back home with the food, we discovered that our burgers were RAW. NOT the medium well we had all ordered. Overall a bad experience both with the staff and the food. Save your time and hard earned money to give to an establishment that cares.

We've been eating at Columbia's for over 40 years. Unfortunately, tonight was the last time. We ordered the Nighthawk Special (as always). What was plated and delivered was NOTHING like the Nighthawk of past. It definitely wasn't "tenderloin" as advertised. It was a flat, gnarled piece of meat that was heavily-grissled. The garlic butter...wasn't. The baked potato was old and not hot. It's dinner-time folks. Granted it's Sunday night...but that's not an excuse. The rolls were good and the Diego salad was okay, but skimpy. I feel bad for our waitress. She was sweet and was efficient in working our party of 10. Time has passed Columbia's by, as witnessed by their tired and dated decor...and what they pawn-off as the Nighthawk Special.

This spot is a Lexington classic. My second time going and have yet to be dissatisfied. Our waitress was amazing and went the extra step to ensure we enjoyed our meals starting from what we selected on the menu. I will say the downtown location seemed to have a bit fancier feel and more attention to detail on food. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to someone passing through or new to the area.

Flo is fantastic. She always takes care of my party. We live about 1.5 hours away and enjoy the drive for the "Night Hawk Special". There is something about the chopped salad; it seems to disappear. Really, they bring out the salad which seems to be too much. Then you look down and the salad has disappeared. The food is delicious and the service is great. Highly recommend as we are repeat customers. K+

Traditional steakhouse in the heart of downtown Lexington. Been coming here for years and love this place. Their prices are extremely reasonable and their service is top notch. I like to sit at the bar and chat with the regulars, get a good drink, and Chow on a great burger.

They done cooked my new york strip like a tuna steak. Don't eat here unless you like food that hasn't changed since before the Depression.

Was the worst food I have ever ordered in a restaurant. Steak was so thin, cold, and tough it was hard to even try to eat a few bites. A steak was even served to us that was so white with a raw center it looked like a tuna steak. Horrible. Do not waste your time or money coming here.

My steak-loving nephew ordered medium rare tenderloin and was served well done sirloin still sizzling on a cast iron skillet. I ordered medium rare steak salad and was served cold, thin and gristly well done steak on my salad. So very disappointing and will never return. Which makes me sad as I love downtown and was excited to share a local treasure with the next generation.

This is a 70+ year old business! It's got that old school steakhouse feel with the wood paneling walls & red tablecloths. First off, the bar was so crowded that we weren't even going to go in but I though we should at least find out how long the wait was. We were surprised to be seated right away. The interior is much larger than it appears from outside. We both had ribeyes with HUGE baked potatoes and salad. For under $20, this was a very good meal. Even the yeast rolls are great. But, by far, the waitress (Shandra?) was the star. She was super attentive & just a lovely addition to the meal!!! We will be back!

A Lexington tradition! The eclectic atmosphere is great at Columbia Steak House and so is the food. I tried the blackened salmon with a baked potato. The spices used on the salmon were intense and packed with flavor! While celebrating my brother's birthday a giant brownie sundae was a wonderful surprise (complimentary)! My brother and I don't eat wheat and so my twin 6 year olds were in over their head trying to conquer the slab of brownie that was almost as big as their heads! We had great service and expect we'll be back soon! If you're new to Lexington stop in and see what Columbia's is all about.

Good food and great atmosphere from way back. Waiter was funny and ensured we had a great night. Will come back on our next trip to town.

I've been to the one on Richmond road and it was very unpleasant. Decorated like a funeral home and food was very bland. I went to the original one on limestone today hoping for a better experience but to no avail. The food is outdated, greasy, and bland. I got the hot brown and it was dripping with grease and it was so salty you need about a gallon of water just to counter act all the salt. Staff is very nice and I wish the food was still up to par to what it used to be but unfortunately they dropped the ball. I want to like this long standing restaurant but they have let their standards fall far too low

We had great service this time and the food was delicious as well. Nice to go back in time and visit a place that's been serving lexington for decades I had the salad and a loaded BP with the special. Can't beat the butter garlic combo. I was more than full but couldn't stop eating. Thank you for a delightful visit

It took a reminder from the host lady for the servers to finally notice us but after that everything was great. So five stars. I've always wanted to try this place because the place looks amazing from the outside and it's always filled with happy people. Love their red ginghams and dark woody interior that adds to somewhat rusty, well-aged vibe they have going on. Burger Week WTF! burger was good. It was interesting because pb&j of course but the sriracha kept it appetizing. When it would get a bit greasy and too sweet, sriracha reminded you to take another bite with a kick of hot and sourness. Only downside was that I couldn't really taste the 8 ounce patty but only feel the texture. The place seem to have only one restroom space for each gender. I would love to go back to try their other menus during the dinner

Total rip off. The $17 tenderloin is a beef roast!! Save your money and go to a real steakhouse somewhere else.

We have been going to Colombia's for a long time but since we are no longer local we only get to visit once a year. This trip my wife and I both got the Nighthawk special as usual. It was tasty and tender but not as hot as we prefer. The baked potatoes were enormous, but it was obvious they had been cooked long ago because the skin was quite tough though the inside was flaky and tasty. I'm forced to agree with the rater who said the interior of the restaurant is in serious need of updating. I have seen other classic restaurants who have a long history in one location but don't feel outdated. I'm afraid Columbia's hasn't done that. We love the food but as longtime fans of Columbia's, the condition of the restaurant really concerns us. I hope the owners will wise up and put some money back into the restaurant to return it to it's Halcyon Days. I would hate to see them succumb to something as easily solved as neglect.

I went back after 25 years. We were in town visiting and passing by on the way back to home. I used to go to university of Kentucky and ate there quite a bit. I don't remember it being as good as it used to be. This is the one off limestone. but it was an affordable enjoyable meal. I got the Columbia special, I forgot the new name, tenderloin with A side I chose potatoes includes a salad and bread . The green beans are excellent. We also got the blackberry cobbler with no ice cream and it was very good.

Second time I've walked in this place and been ignored. I complained to the manager - the exact same lady - the last time she did it too. This time she saw me walk in and went and hid in the empty room to the right. Then as I was leaving I watched her peak out of the window to watch me leave instead of trying to keep a paying customer from never coming back again. No wonder this place is dying. Too many options around to put up with that type of service. Columbia's, she's single handedly killing what's left of your longevity. Fix it.

Love this gem! Absolutely one of the best steaks you can get and their catfish is so good! We love the fried banana peppers and fried green tomatoes! Brian was an awesome waiter!

The interior is dated BUT so are the prices! Portions are HUGE and service was excellent. The Hot Brown sandwich at $12.99 with 2 sides is both delicious and a bargain. Two in our party had the Nighthawk steak special and were also well pleased.