A frequent customer at this restaurant, I was extremely disappointed and embarrassed on my last visit Saturday August 17, 2013. I was entertaining family members and took them to Al's for a great steak dinner which turned out to be not so great. Except for one person we were all very disappointed with our meal. We all had burnt steaks although we had ordered them medium and had to return 2 plates as the steaks were rare. When we received back our plates, the steaks were completed burnt not to mention another of my guest received his steak the first time burnt instead of medium rare.

I recommend to anyone who eats at this restaurant and if your steak is not the way your ordered it, request another steak so you don't get the same steak back and completely burnt.

When you play over $290.00 you expect a decent meal. On top of all this, the restaurant was not busy. Good luck if you go on a busy night.

I was brought here by an old friend of many years who knows the owner and assured me that this was a fine steak house. I was disappointed. The "famous" house salad was bland with the faintest hint of dressing and the steaks, when they arrived, seemed far smaller than the advertized size (yes, I know restaurants advertize the pre-cooked size of whatever they are preparing). In all I would not recommend Al's for a night out, certainly not at their prices!

Always excellent food and service. A little more upscale than many places along Elgin St, especially since a major makeover some years back. But the quality has remained. An Ottawa institution, near major hotels, the Hill, Rideau Canal and museums.

Just had to share that my husband and I were very disappointed in the food at this restaurant with the prices they are asking. If you have $500+ to spend on four people, then this is a fair choice. Otherwise stay away. Definitely not good value.

Al's Steak House in Ottawa has always been a sign of elegance and sometimes extravagance when it comes to the restaurants on Elgin Street. This was my first experience dining there in my nine years in Ottawa, and I was left wondering what all the hype was about. The restaurant was very dimly lit, the menu options were limited and the portion size was small. There were six of us in our group and five of the six ordered steak (it is Al’s Steakhouse), we all tried different cuts and when our orders came, all were different in size and quality. I can only honesty comment on my own meal, and I can never personally understand why a restaurant with Steak in its name cannot cook a steak the way the customer requests it. I always ask for medium rare and would accept anything from warm and red to cool and red with a slight charring on the outside of the cut. I do not understand a steak restaurant overcooking a cut like a 12 ounce New York Strip, although I truly doubt this steak was 12 ounces even before trimming any excess from it. The steak was served with baked potato (no extra fixings offered or provided, with the exception of fresh ground pepper), and a small portion of blanched vegetables (7 on my plate and four on the plate across from me).
Could it have been a poor night, possibly, but most likely the only clientele still eating at Al’s Steakhouse are those that remember it in its former glory. For a meal of this price, if you are looking for a steak in downtown Ottawa, try to find a restaurant that is not past its prime.