Char Steakhouse - Red Bank

Review summary

1. J

   Jake

   VIP

   New York City

   6 reviews

   1.0

   6 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Every single bad review about this place is completely accurate. As someone who eats at a steakhouse weekly (see my other reviews for steakhouses) I wouldn’t even consider this a steakhouse. $300 for dinner with not one drink and a absolutely horrific meal should be a crime and this place should have a “closed” sign on it. The atmosphere is terrible. It feels like you are in a modern Chinese buffet and not a steakhouse. The waiter stand is right out in the open and they watch you eat the whole time. It doesn’t feel private or secluded at all. Our waiter was okay. Not very informative or helpful, very quiet and didn’t seem to care much. Now the food. We did not have one good thing. The oysters which they claim were Kumamoto’s were definitely not that. The lobster dumplings were completely tasteless. I feel bad the lobsters had to die for that. The tuna tartare tacos were also terrible. Tasted like there was too much cilantro in them? For dinner we had a ribeye, a filet mignon, the kung pao brussel sprouts, and the potato gratin. The ribeye had way too much seasoning. “High quality” “prime, dry aged” cowboy ribeye was the quality of a ShopRite steak ( I’ve had better at Applebees). Way too salty and whatever else the seasoning was way overpowered. It’s also small for a $70 steak compared to other steakhouses. The filet was also not great. I had a better steak from a breakfast restaurant as “steak and eggs”. I’m going to be honest, I would not feed the potato gratin to a feral cat. It was 110% frozen and reheated. It was horrible. Not even edible. It’s sad that the best thing I ate was the kung pao brussel sprouts and that is not saying much. The atmosphere is not good. The place feels dirty. It does not feel like a “high end” steakhouse they try to portray themselves to be. There is no luxurious or steakhouse feel to it. If they didn’t pay influencers to come give them rave reviews I’m sure they wouldn’t be in business as the restaurant was half empty on a Friday
   

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2. M

   Matt

   San Diego

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Great meal and great service. Really appreciated the recommendations from our waiter.
   

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3. M

   Marianne

   New York City

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   The staff was very pushy. Entirely too many menus and plates and glasses on the table. Ours was a small table for 2 and we had to place things on our lap. We were so close to the people around us we had to slide our table to get away from their chairs. For the cost it should be a more private and comfortable experience.
   

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4. L

   Lisa

   New York City

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   My family dined at Char on Saturday night. We arrived at 5:50 for a 6:00 reservation. It was not busy at this time. The blond hostess, did not make eye contact, and did not speak. I walked up and gave my name, and she did not acknowledge me. She turned to the young lady that had just come back from seating someone else, spoke to her rudely, and after standing there for about two minutes, we were finally acknowledged by the young lady and she led us to our table. The bread server immediately came over and offered us bread. She came back a minute later and threw the butter on the table. At no time, did anyone welcome us, smile at us, say hello to us, or give us any impression that we were wanted in this restaurant. I even used the restroom, and while walking there I passed several staff members, smiled, said hello, and again, no response. We were a party of 5 adults, dressed appropriately, quiet, and polite. There was absolutely no reason why we should have been treated like this. Our server was friendly, professional, and did his job. The food runners and busers were also very polite. The food was excellent. After spending $600 dollars, plus a 20% tip, we walked past the hostess stand, said thank you and goodbye, and not one of the three people standing there acknowledged us. They saw us, because we grabbed some mints, and still nothing. Hostessing 101 - greet the customers, and thank them for coming.
   

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5. J

   Jo

   VIP

   Las Vegas

   54 reviews

   5.0

   54 reviews

   Dined on January 11, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   As usual, Char did NOT disappoint. The food & service were excellent.
   

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6. J

   Jack

   VIP

   Philadelphia

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on January 11, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Really enjoyed our dinner at Char. It is the second time I’ve been there and I will definitely be back. The service was impeccable and the food was great.
   

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7. J

   Joseph

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 11, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The food and service were both excellent, price for a table for two with two apps, two entrees, two drinks and two desserts (one taken off the bill for a birthday, which was unexpected!) came out to around $100/pp and it was well worth it. If I absolutely had to nitpick, the medium-rare filet had a bit of a char on the outside in places that gave it a partially crunchy texture in those areas. I would highly recommend and will definitely be back!
   

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8. L

   Laura

   VIP

   New York City

   28 reviews

   5.0

   28 reviews

   Dined on January 11, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food was amazing and staff were perfectt! All around 10 in my book!
   

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9. D

   Daniel

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 10, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Besides our food was outstanding our waiter Pierre made our dining experience unforgettable. Thank you all
   

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10. C

    Courtney

    Fort Lauderdale

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Always a great dinner, also accommodating to my kids.
    

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