Chop Steakhouse & Bar

I came here Friday over lunch to partake in the Edmonton Downtown Dining Week. For $ 15, you received the Watermelon & Feta Spring Salad to start and had a choice of the Thai Chicken Curry Bowl, the Grilled Veggie Burger, the Chop Burger, the Steak Sandwich or the Grilled Chicken & Pancetta Club. Both my friend and I ordered the Steak Sandwich medium rare since we were eating at a steakhouse.
The salad was ok. The greens were a little wilted. It came with a few pieces of watermelon, very little feta, a couple of candied walnuts, and was tossed in a light sherry vinaigrette that really didn’t have much taste.
The 6 oz New York steak sandwich that we ordered was more on the rare side than medium rare. Since we were on a tight time line, we didn’t ask for it to be corrected. We did tell the server though. It seemed to be the issue with other steak sandwiches that were ordered at other tables near us. It was tasty with it’s seasoning — maybe a little on the salty side but good nonetheless. It came on sourdough bread with roma tomatoes, parmesan and arugula that had a little balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard on it and was topped with crispy onions. I took the steak off the sourdough bread and ate it on it’s own because it was so good by itself. In fact I would say that the bread was better than the steak. The crispy onions were a nice added touch giving some savoury flavour to the freshness of the tomatoes and arugula. The steak was supposed to be served with wasabi infused mashed potatoes but I think they were garlic infused. They were very good and a nice addition to the steak.
All in all the meal and the service was ok but I did have higher expectations since we were eating steak at a steakhouse.

nice location… nice clean setting… have only been there lunch time…
good service… steak bites are pretty good… wings not good at all… will go there some day to try full menu…

Came to Chop Steakhouse and Bar (downtown) last night for Downtown Dining Week 2016 and to celebrate the hubs and my 13^th Wedding Anniversary.
We opted for reservations which meant the booth areas upstairs but the walk-​in space in the lounge downstairs is probably my favourite here.
Our server and all the staff were pretty fabulous. Sure there were some mistakes — missing a spoon for soup or water but when asked everyone was super friendly and took care of our needs. I really liked how any staff member walking by was able to stop and check in on us or ask if we needed anything and our server checked back at the perfect times to make sure we were enjoying our items.
Parking can be a bit tricky here but the East Parkade in City Centre is pretty good and has an access ramp from the 2^nd floor of the parkade (still requiring some stairs) that doesn’t make you go outside in case it’s super cold or rainy.
I absolutely love the look of this location of Chop and you can really see the attention to detail what went into the huge renovation of this space for Chop to open up paired with the Sutton Hotel.
If you haven’t been to the lounge — go — it’s really something to enjoy.
Anyhow, I digress.
The hubs and I opted for the following from the Downtown Dining Week $ 28 Menu (there was also a $ 48 option with killer appetizers like steak bites and crab cakes but we didn’t want to have a huge meal at a late setting before bed):
For starters we selected:
Mixed Green Salad
garden vegetables, pumpkin and black sesame seeds with basil honey-​lime vinaigrette
Red Pepper Bisque
creamy satin bisque of tomatoes and roasted red peppers
Both were excellent but the basil honey-​lime vinaigrette was TO DIE FOR. Seriously, I wanted to lick the plate and asked the hubs if he would try to replicate this at home! PHENOMENAL salad and the pumpkin and sesame seeds were just killer with it!
For mains we selected:
Maple Bourbon Haddock
blackened haddock, seared in a maple bourbon butter, served with wild rice pilaf and fresh seasonal vegetables
Top Sirloin
served with your choice of wasabi infused mashed potatoes, wild rice pilaf, baked potato, Chop cut fries or fresh seasonal vegetables
& I added lobster and gorgonzola for $ 5 to the Sirloin
Both were excellent. The steak was cooked to perfection at a warm medium rare. I loved the lobster and gorgonzola add on! The hubs was super happy with his blackened haddock.
Both of us commented that we would order the same starters and mains again which is always a great sign!
And for desserts we opted for:
Tiramisu
espresso soaked sponge, amaretto & mascarpone mousse, shaved chocolate
Warm Apple Crumble
granny smith apples & raspberry compote, brown sugar crumble, vanilla gelato
Both desserts were excellent and presented beautifully. I loved the classic feel of the crumble in the oval cast iron dish and the tiramisu in a ½ size mason jar. I’ve had mason jar desserts before that fell flat or didn’t seem put together at all. This one totally hit the mark and was not a consistency I was expecting in that it didn’t appear to have layers and felt more like a mix — similar to rice pudding. The flavour was heavenly and easily rich enough to share between two people.
I had mentioned at the very beginning of dinner that I had a walnut allergy and not only did our server come back several time stop to ask specific questions but the front end manager also stopped by to clarify before delivering the apple crumble to my husband — even the way the front end manager knelt down to our table to discuss my allergy with me at eye level was quite comforting and made us feel that they really cared.
Being that we had a late seating and it was a work night we opted for sparking water instead of wine or cocktails and I was pleased to see that they offer house bottled sparkling water with a little note on the back of the bottle that choosing to support this method is both environmentally responsible and sustainable. And the price was fair at $ 3.99 a bottle (2 glasses plus a little extra from each bottle).
To finish off the night our server brought us two glasses of prosecco because she had overheard us talking about our Anniversary.
All in all it was a fabulous meal from service to ambience to presentation to taste of food. It’s not often that I can say I would 100% repeat the same meal bite for bite but I would definitely say that about Chop downtown.
TWO THUMBS WAY UP
As a side note, I had come here back in November as part of the Unilocal Rodeo Week food crawl and was absolutely blown away by the food we tried and the knowledge and service we received from Stefan (the sales and special event coordinator). The steak bites and Tuna tartar were AH-​MAZING and the Alcoholic Pink Lemonade blew my mind. The bone-​in ribeye was the best I have ever had! If you’re looking to plan a work party or special event, I can’t imagine a more friendly and knowledgeable sales coordinator than Stefan!

My boyfriend and I came here on a Saturday night. I’m never a picky person but our friends suggested this restaurant to us and I regret choosing this place for our date night. First of all I chose to drink a Caesar and the drink came back too spicy. and I did not ask for a spicy Caesar. then we ordered some sparkling water and they served it nice and cold! We both ordered the steak. I ordered mine medium rare which turned out to be more medium well and the steak was so tough. my boyfriend ordered his medium and it came back well done and also tough. We told the waitress about it so she ordered more steak for us without asking us if we wanted it or not (she said it would take 5 mins and it was more like 20 mins) then we noticed my boyfriends sparkling water glass was absolutely cloudy and dirty. THEN when we got home and looked at the steak and they were both really fatty with like 30% meat. It was such a disappointment!

I love the Chop downtown in the Sutton Place Hotel. It’s a great design with a huge lounge on the main floor and then more of a traditional dining area on the second floor.
The lounge is a great place to meet up with friends for drinks after work or to go for a big group lunch. They have a number of large tables and booths that can accommodate big groups of people which can be difficult to find in many other places downtown.
Service has always been good although not spectacular.
Food is solid. No — it won’t be mistaken for the finest dining in the world — but I have never left there feeling dissatisfied. It’s a steak house so I recommend the beef, although my wife loves the roasted mushroom ravioli.

Just OK.
The design of the room is pretty cool. Although we were at a large table in the upstairs area and the heat was a little much.
The server was overly friendly and reasonably prompt.
The lobster tacos were tasty and a nice size as a starter. However, I was disappointed with the main. They have a whole 2 pages of the menu speaking to their Steaks, Prime Rib + the cooking process; therefore, I was excited to try some MEAT!
I ordered the smoked Rib Eye. It was very average. It was prepared a nice medium race; but, it was bland and the outside was tough. Not amazing value or taste for over $ 40.
The beer and wine were great! The cocktails … again so, so.
With so many great spots Downtown Edmonton, Chop isn’t somewhere I am eager to try again.

Was staying in Sutton place hotel, so went downstairs for dinner.(which was very convenient)
Basically the menu is average.
Ordered Champagne, temperature was good, but by the time a bucket came in, without ice to the table, it was getting warm.
Tuna Tataki was very average, the king crab legs had a «fishy «smell.
The fillet mignon very average cut.
I was hoping better quality food & service, but I guess Edmonton has to have some catching up to do with other major hubs of Canada.

Generally speaking, *most* restaurants have great vegan options (yes, even steak houses). Not this one. When we booked our work lunch (well in advance, might I add) the manager told us they could «veganize» several options and that accommodating a vegan diet would not be a problem. However, when it came to *actually* ordering, the only item available to me was a green salad with oil/​vinegar (which they brought out with egg on it, I had to send it back to get fixed).
Not impressed. Chop is the reason I dread eating out with coworkers — they guaranteed us several vegan options at booking time and then it resulted in a green salad that cost me 17 $.

Wow. Just Wow.
This was the third stop on a food crawl of downtown, and while we were full when we got there, we couldn’t stop eating! Oh man. The locally sourced meat is cooked to perfection, the sides are creative (old cheddar mac & cheese, anyone?), and everything is cooked with care! Even the steak bite appies, which at most places are made with the scrap cuts of meat, are made with premium cuts, and you can taste it in every garlicy-​spiced-​tender bite!
I’ve been a fan of Chop for a while, but usually frequent the Ellerslie location, but this location is classy, elegant and ready to do business with the downtown crowd! On two floors, it’s got lots of nooks and crannies to meet in or host private events.
The drinks were on point, and from someone who is not a big Caesar person (I don’t like Clamato! Give me a Bloody Mary any day), but their Double Black Caesar was AMAZING! It’s something I would actually order for myself. We also tried the Wild Rose Barracks Brown Ale, which was caramally and smooth. So tasty.
I would go back here any day for a bite to eat or a business meeting.

Always like to head to the chop for lunch. They are pretty fast and can usually get you out in an hour but you have to get there at 1145. I had the chop salad with salmon and it was delicious. The salmon was cooked great and the salad had a lot of toppings like avocado, eggs, bacon, goat cheese. Yummy! Had the Moscow Mule and it was OK but I’ve had better. Their whisky sour was good though

I came here with a Unilocal Rodeo Week Food Crawl. We were invited here to try a couple beverages, which is their special for Rodeo Week. Thank you to Stephen (manager) for chatting with us and explaining everything. Extremely friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming.
First off, we had the Smirnoff Double Black Caesar. I am not a Caesar fan by any means, but I’m pretty sure I drank the whole thing. House made hot sauce, celery stalk and a slice of red pepper. Also, a seasoned rim. Simple, to the point, and exceptionally tasty.
We also had a sample of Wild Rose Beer. Consensus from the beer drinkers at the table was that it was tasty. Hints of coffee and caramel makes this hoppy beverage stand out.
To our surprise, food started flowing out of the kitchen and directly to our table. We were spoiled! Started out with veggie tempura (carrots, snow peas, and asparagus) and steak bites. These bites aren’t just scraps of beef either. Legit, high quality cuts of beef that melt on your tongue. Dusted in flour and fried to medium rare, one isn’t enough! Then out came Mini Yorkies and Albacore Tuna. The Yorkies were shredded beef with gravy in a mini yorkshire pudding. It was hot and soft and absolutely scrumptious! The tuna was seared outside, raw in the middle, served with pickled diakon. Stephen kept coming back, asking how we were, and what our timeline was like. Off he went, and then… Out he comes with two more plates! This time we got 2 (yes 2!!) 22oz bone-​in rib eye steaks. One had wasabi mashed potatoes, the other had aged white cheddar mac and cheese. Oh my cow. Literally melt in your mouth delicious!
Although we were on a schedule, we didn’t want to leave. Stephen even invited us all back for dessert! I will for sure be back at Chop.
Absolutely amazing.

Quite honestly I was wowed by my first and only visit here as part of a preview of the menu here for Rodeo Week (Nov 6 – 15). I had some absolutely delicious peppermint tea which was served to me in a neat contraption to accompany my food. The tea helped me digest and then we got some hors d’oeuvres: steak bites, tempura vegetables, tuna tataki, and mini yorkshires with meat in them, as well as a couple entrees of 22 oz steaks (18 oz each without the bone) with pesto tomatoes, mashed potatoes, white cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese and of course a delicious amount of spices including garlic cloves etc. Stefan, the sales and special events coordinator explained to us all the different uses of this space and was truly hospitable while delivering us our food and beverages. We were served quickly and efficiently and all of our food was quite delectable though I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the mashed potatoes as wasabi isn’t always a flavour I appreciate in non-​Asian dishes.
The meat was the highlight of our visit, but I also adored the white cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese. The tuna tataki was remarkably delicious (I often don’t find this dish to be done very well, so I was pleasantly surprised). The steak bites appetizer is one that I would certainly recommend. The beverage selection that they can serve is outstanding (including alcoholic and non!), and I’d be tempted to come back for those alone.
The single stall washroom on the ground floor of the restaurant seemed a bit odd to some of our group, especially given the size of the restaurant, but there are additional washrooms on the second floor. I liked hearing about the private rooms available for groups. Additionally the décor was really interesting including a cow up in the air on the wall and other interesting eye catching items.

This is my follow-​up review on Chop. I always believe, try something twice, because they may have had an off-​day.
Well, we gave it another try. This time there were 2 of us from the original group that went a few months ago.
Last time I had to send back my steak back for being well-​done (when I ordered medium-​rare). This time, my buddy had to send his back. It was a rib-​eye ordered Medium-​rare, it came blue. It was completely raw in the middle… just horrible… so raw it didn’t even bleed when you cut it.
My strip steak was ordered medium, it came cold. It was cooked medium, but it must have sat for over 10 minutes, and not under a heat lamp. When I cut into it, there were no juices at all, because the steak had already cooled down!!! If you think Ruth’s Chris is crazy for having it «Sizzling» when it arrives, this would be the exact opposite. The plate was cold, and the steak was cold.
It just seems to surprise me that a steak house that has highlighted on their menu «1800 degree oven» can’t do a steak right the first time. Isn’t it a set process, everything perfectly timed so that it always comes up perfect!!!
We left without having dessert, but ironically came back the next night just to try their 9-​hr cheesecake, but no steak this time. We ate steak somewhere else first! The cheesecake was «ok», nothing special, so no need to line up for this one. If you want an amazing cheesecake, go to Lazia, theirs is amazing and worth the calories.
Anyway, don’t bother going to Chop for steak, really. Just save your money and go to Madison Grill, our Houston’s, or even the Keg.

The ap is not that bad but really slow!
We ordered for 6 people. And it was not that busy on our floor.

Excellent dining experience and service this evening. My salad, the Chop, was superb, and easily the best I’ve had to date. The drinks were delicious and plentiful. The server and bartender, both from Toronto, excellent. Definitely redeemed itself from my first visit, as that experience was a decent steak, but nothing to write about afterwards. Thank you, Chop, for my evening!

Although the atmosphere makes you feel like you are in an upscale restaurant, just know the food will remind you that you are not. It was subpar, overly priced and cold food that we could have gotten anywhere. For the price, it should have been much hotter and much tastier. Kind of disappointing. Alas, if you really don’t want to venture into the cold like we didn’t then it will make due. Just not the best.

My friend chose this spot for lunch. It was my first time at any CHOP location. It was disappointing.
We started with onion rings and they were ok. Nothing special but not bad. I then had an appetizer and a salad (the beef tenderloin carpaccio and a caesar salad) for my entrée. I quickly realized that the beef carpaccio was less than fresh. This is RAW meat so I immediately stopped eating it. Yuck. The caesar salad was alright, but I’ve definitely had better. My friends seemed to enjoy their meals, though.
I would also like to mention that getting into the restaurant is really confusing. I started by going through one of the top floor entrances (it’s a 2-​level restaurant). There were no staff around (this was around 11:30 am) and I found myself lost in an empty dining room. I backtracked and then walked to the downstairs entrance. I was then sent back upstairs again and it still wasn’t clear what direction I should go in until a staff member pointed me in the right direction. I was then finally able to be seated. My friends who were meeting me there had similar issues. Better signage would be great. I also did not like the way the restaurant smelled like stale food (that yucky hotel catering smell) — it was quite off-​putting.
I did not feel good for the rest of the day… I am guessing because of lunch. For the price I think the food should have been a lot better. Service wasn’t bad. I don’t plan on coming back. The Keg remains my favorite local steakhouse.

Oversize plates for carnivores. No veggies. Fantastic prime rib. Poor poor sloppy service for large groups.
This resto is hidden on the second floor of the sutton hotel in dt. Ambience is nice with huge comfy chairs and a nice open restaurant. We were a group of 9 so we had a private little corner to ourselves. It was nice. The tables were big but the chairs were so large that servers had trouble serving us. We had to pass all of the plates to them as they could not simply reach it without distubing us anyways. So minus a star for an annoying setup where we were interupted whenever dishes were removed.
Menu was vast and had a good selection of meats. I chose the prime rib with infused mashed potatoes. A starter soup, crab cakes and a caribean rum cake for dessert.
Bread service was dismal. We were provided two tiny 6 inch loaves for nine people. We barely got a sliver each. It was like we were rationing during a famine. It was served warm and had toasted seeds which gave it a hearty taste. The soup was a chilled soup which had good flavours but the temperture was disapointing. It felt too thick and would have been tastier at least lukewarm. But it was room temperture and I didnt like that. Even worse. For 8 soups they only bought 4 spoons. Wth??? We waited 5 minutes for more and they still managed to only bring two. So we had to ask again??? Dismal. Minus another star.
They served my soup and crab cake together. So u had tp decide which one to eat first. Our table looked like an obstacle course bc there simply were too many dishes on the table. Ugh.
Next our mains came. But our server had failed to remove our appetizer dishes and they could not fit them on the table. So they went to the kitchen. Removed our plates then came back with our food. Minus another star. Seriously what the hell is wrong with this place. Do they know how to serve a meal???
Prime rib looked yummy. Perfectly tender and a big portion. Great. I wanted to dig in but I had no steak knife. Omigod… finally the waiter comes and hazardly passes the steak knife to me beside my face behind me. Good thing I leaned bavk not forward or he would of poked me in the eye! We all devoured our plates. But what I noticed is that all of our plates had no veggies!!! Just a half tomatoe with bread crumbs. I think the chef literally forgot to plate veggies on 8 of our plates!!!
If not thats ridiculous plating. The only person who had veggies was my son on his chicken n rice plate. Ironic. Bc kids dont normally like veggies. Everyone took a piece bc there was definetly a craving for veggies at the table but it was just too late to order any. The veggies were hard and undercooked. Literally just warmed up raw carrots and zucchini. So minus another star.
I ordered a side of mac n cheese and it was ok. A bit disappointing but it was unique. I think a sharp gruyère cheese is used. I heard the steaks were all good and tasted fabulous. The rice pilaf was the best side since I snuck a taste from every plate. lol but the overall discontent with lack of veggies was annoying.
After this we had dessert and at least we were given forks and spoons with our dishes. There must be a shortage of them bc they were definetly hard to come by. The rum cake was delish. Warm, sweet and satisfying.
I didnt bother with coffee as I felt the server just could not handle another dish and the thought of a fight for a spoon was too much of an ordeal to think about so I passed.
Overall if I could give chop a minus one star I would. Food was fabulous but was not enjoyable as it was served without proper utensils. Plates chairs tables were all massively huge and each guest had to clear the plates by passing dishes to servers which was very very annoying. Water was not refilled. As the waiter would fill one glass but looked at how was he to reach and refill other peoples bc of the darn chairs. And always decided it was not worth a try. We had to ask and pass our glasses down the table to him to get a refill. So my glass passed by the hands of 4 other guests to get refilled. Kinda gross if u ask me. It was done only once in our entire meal. We wll had three or four courses. So everyones glass was empty. (Unless u sat at the end of the table)
So the food was great but service awful. And for over $ 60 a person for three courses you would expect at least some veggies on your plate, water refilled and some utensils with your food in a timely manner.
Dismal. I might come back for the food. But I would not recomend the half hearted experience and sloppy slackish service.

Came here after another fun BOMA night, for some nibblies and another couple drinks. I absolutely love the new space — we were on the main floor and although it’s a tall space, it still feels cozy — awesome start. Ordered the albacore tuna and loved it — melt in your mouth — and added some cheese bread to that too, again very tasty. Drink selection was good too. Since we stayed overnight, we tried them for lunch– and it’s a different space! The skylights give it a very bright and airy feeling… and the food we had (Italian veal sandwich and Chop breakfast hash) were exactly what we wanted… Overall, VERY happy with our Chop experience!

I think this location underwhelming, and I much prefer the south side location. I actually thought the food wasn’t that great here and I’ve been here a couple times now. The most recent time I thought the seafood tasted a bit old. It started to have that fishy taste to it, and my steak was really chewy. Not my favourite.
The presentation of this place is what saves it, and it’s location — right in downtown. I’d come here to enjoy a glass of wine or three but I’m not loving my experience with the food. I don’t think I’ll be seeking this place out anytime soon, I’ll stick to the south side location.