J J's Steak House

I had set up a private dining room reservation for April 11 with Hugo, who I guess is the Maitre 'D. He was told numerous times what the exact date of the event was, and how many guests I was anticipating. 18 of us showed up last night to enjoy a good time, and the place was closed. Locked. Shut down completely. The workers inside (who looked to be tearing the place apart) were surprised that someone knowingly set up a reservation for me, because apparently they all knew the place would be closed. I was just there 3 days before and was not told they would closed up!! Hopefully the person responsible for this mixup lost their job and won't find one soon, and has a horrible life because of it. Thanks, Hugo...for nothing. Cons: Everything more

My husband and I went to J J's for his birthday. For the most part, all went well; food was good though my filet mignon was a bit dry. Still, we enjoyed every moment of our meal. Our waiter was a bit too pleased with himself and tended to straddle the other customers who were in larger parties and buying more botles of wine. Again, nothing dissuaded us from having a great time. At the end of the meal we managed to take two bites of our potatoes gratin and asked for the rest to be boxed up. The next day to our horror, we opened the styrofoam container to find less than 1 cup of our side dish inside. Did the waiter eat it? Did he spill the other half of the contents to the ground? Less than half of what we ordered managed to go home with us. Pros: beautiful atmosphere Cons: mannered service more

I dined there on Valentine?s Day, along with 5 other people in my party. The menu was prefixed; the waiter made us order a salad, entree, and dessert. He said everyone in the table would have the appetizers. The appetizer course looked so impressive because it consisted of so many things. When we received our appetizer, it consisted of 2 bite size pieces of quesadillas, and 2 shrimps. That was it. I was unimpressed and I felt cheated. Then we were brought our salads. I ordered the king crab, while others at the table ordered the Caesar?s salad. Again, very unimpressive, both salads were bland, but the king crab leg salad, which consisted of a Tablespoon of crab meat, was the worse. We were brought our entrees, which most of us ordered the lobster and steak, potatoes were bland, had 0 seasonings and 0 salt. The dessert was mediocre. In my opinion, if a restaurant is out of appetizers, they should substitute, not just not bring it out. We paid for it, and if it is not available, something should have been sent out, not just 2 bit size pieces of quesadilla and 2 shrimps with cocktail sauce. Our bill for the evening was $827, which I think is acceptable, if the dinner was delicious, in this case, it was not, the veggies were overcooked, they were wilted, falling apart, and bland, and not to mention the mashed potatoes, which had 0 seasoning. I must say, probably the worst dining experience, totally unacceptable, especially since you market yourself to be a grade A steakhouse, and because you charged around $140 pp to eat there. Not worth the over $800 we paid to eat there, not even the service made us feel good. Take my advice, take your money and go somewhere else. Pros: The place is a nice place. Cons: The food is horrible and the service is not that great. more

My family and I enjoyed the "Love Boat" combination. Their Karate Punch is a great fruit cocktail. more

Good steaks and priced fairly. This is always a delightful restuarant when you want a good steak and are in pasadena. more

Service was horrible. First they said its a 5 min wait, after 2 minutes he said 30 minutes wait when in fact the restaurant was half empty. My husband went to the patio which was empty and had them sit us there. The waiter seemed like he was high on something, we had to ask 3 waiters to bring us some bread. It took us 45 minutes from the moment we ordered our meal to get it. The food was okay nothing to return for. Cons: service more

We have been twice and have found the service excellent and the food outstanding. We have lived in many areas of the US and the world and really enjoy good food. In our years in LA we have constantly searched for the best places to eat. We have tried steak in Bev Hills, downtown, Pasadena and other areas but nothing has equaled our meals at JJ's Steakhouse. I have no clue as to the basis of the contrary reviews/whining based on our experience. Our last visit was a special family event and the chef prepared a special dessert for an honoree and he loved it. The waiters were around if needed but at a discreet distance. The cost was fair based on SoCal prices and much better than the Arroyo competition for quality, quantity and atmosphere. Bottom line is I would go once a week for lunch or dinner if I could. more

This food facility must serve the customers that think that the rude phone etiquette determines a good restaurant. We attempted to make reservations twice only to receive the consistent terrible service by phone. We unfortunately dined at that restaurant when taken by friends. As expected from the phone, to the service to the absolutely cold food, I'm glad I followed my gut and saved myself. They are lucky that the Pasadena agency is so easy on ""Old Town"" restaurants, your food was undercooked and no one cared. Lucky for you that there a lot of one time diners left for you. Pros: Ambiance Cons: Rude Service, parking more

I have never been to JJ Steakhouse and after reading the angry response dated 10/1/07,from the restaurant to the person who had a bad experience with their lamb, I will never go there. I was tempted to take my husband there for his birthday & I wanted to read the reviews first, I'm so glad I did. Pros: Don't know Cons: Attitude more

We recently had a dinner party at this restaurant. I had pre-negotiated a deal with the manager. He wrote the contract in a sloppy way that could have been interpreted in several ways. Since we had gone over our agreement on the phone several times, I had assumed that we were on the same page and hadn't paid too much attention to the fact the contract could have been interpreted several ways. The night of the event one of my coworkers paid the bill (not realizing they had overcharged us). In trying to resolve the issue after the payment was already made, the manager wouldn't budge. He denied ever agreeing to our previous arrangment, even though what we ended up paying was more than his original quote to me. This makes no sense from a business perspective. Why would I go through the negotiation process with him and then end up paying higher than his starting price. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone for a dinner party. more

GREAT Restaurant- Highly recommended! My boyfriend and I went to JJ's this past Friday and were impressed with the amount of attention the staff provided, even more pleasing was our dinner. We had swordfish steak which was incredibly tasty and filet mignon- great presentation for both dinners, great environment, and if there is such a thing on grading powder-rooms...JJ's takes the prize! Pros: Ambiance, Service, Menu Cons: Parking more

just because you charge a lot for food does not good food make. it's like a dressed up sizzler with hairy chests and gold chains. when the waiter brought ower check he smuggley remarked that we didn't have to worry because our check card cleared. we were on a date, what kind of joke is that to make. he might as well have said that we looked poor. Pros: food won't make you wretch Cons: decor will make you wretch more

I took a business associate to JJ's on a weekday night. He ordered a steak, and I having just returned from New Zealand where the lamb is the world's best ordered JJ's version, It was pure gristle and I could not even begin to eat it. The waiter was insulted and offered to comp my spinach only.We ordered coffee, and he brought the coffee and the check , I paid it (less the cost of spinach) left a very generous 20% tip, assuming that the waiter would return with refills. We continued our meeting but the waiter never returned to ask us if we wanted a 2nd cup. I found out later that JJ imports its lamb from Colorado...not New Zealand. Pros: NIce Ambiance Cons: The worst lamb I've ever tried to eat, price was never an issue. more

I've been to this place only once. It was indeed very satisfying. It located on second floor, the design was tasteful and classy. They offer the best customer service, all the staff were very nice, genuinely friendly, attentive and helpful. Its one place where I would take a visiting guest. The food was very delicious, however I must warn you that they are pretty pricey. Most of the plates did not come with a side, its extra charge. The portion of the sides can be shared by 2 people though. We ordered mostly steaks, although the portions were small, we were still very satisfied with the taste. It was cook the way we asked for it, it was juicy and very tastety. The ambience was gratifying, its perfect for 1st dates. Its very romantic, the volume of music is perfect, lights are dimmed. There is a balcony where you can catch a breathe of fresh air and talk. Its is very expensive though, our bill came out to $250- for 4 people, with one drink each and no desserts. They offer valet parking with validation, however if you drive towards south of Delacey St you will find a parking structure for less. Pros: Excellent customer service, delicious food Cons: Very pricey... more

Highly recommend this place. Great steaks and drinks. Location is on the 3rd level. Price is high but well worth it. Check it out next time in Pasadena. more

This is a steak place.....who eats seafood in Pasadena? Super Steak - Tender and melted in my mouth...just as good or better than Ruth Chris or similar high end steak places. Pros: Great Steak! Cons: Pricy wines more

My Father was visiting from out of state and he is a steak man through and through. Never been to JJ's but thought since we planed on staying in Old Town for the evening we could check it out. HE LOVED IT! There was a Harpist playing and it was just so beautiful inside, my dad's kind of place for sure. I thought it was lovely as well. My dad asked if the Chef would prepare a ""sampler"" plater of various appetizers for us and did so no problem. Everything was delicous and the wine was amazing! The steaks were perfect and we all walked away happy, what a great start to a fun and memorable night! Pros: food, service, wine more

Simply put, you want great service, JJ.. Great steak, definitely not JJ. Pros: Nice ambiance, Great service Cons: Pricey, Bad steak more

I have been eating at JJ's for years, and have taken many friends there along with me. The ambience is second to none, especially when they have a piano player. Service has always been excellent, and the tiramisu is THE BEST on the planet - bar none. My biggest gripe is that the quality of the meat has gone downhill. Both the NY strip and the filet mignon have deteriorated greatly over the years, getting tougher and more fatty with every visit. I used to recommend JJ to everyone I knew - not anymore. JJ is officially off my recommended steak house list. Paying $200 for 2 people and getting a crappy steak leaves me in a bad mood. I have very high expectations of what a steak should be, and JJ doesn't meet them anymore. If you are a true steak aficionado, I recommend you look elsewhere. Pros: Ambience, Service, Tiramisu Cons: Poor meat quality, Price more

My husband and I celebrated his 30th birthday on a Friday night with his parents from out-of-state. We came with the mindset that this was a special occasion worthy of ""going all out for."" The crab cakes were good. Small, but good. We all ordered steak...filet mignon and ribeye and they were spectacular! Our service was prompt and good, but not anything special. The restaurant itself was one of the quieter ones in Pasadena. Great for sharing a special occasion and carrying on a conversation. Pros: Excellent Food, Great Ambience more