Scotch ‘N Sirloin

Had not been to this restaurant in three years. When I went again this week I remembered why. The prime rib piece I had, had excessive fat on it. The baked potato was hard and did not have the butter on it I requested. When the server gave me mashed potatoes in place of the baked, they tasted like bland mashed potatoes with butter and no other seasonings. Possibly they make them bland for the majority of older clientele that seem to go there. Pass on the sherry mushrooms. I always had them in the past. This time, they were excessively seasoned. Which made them very bitter. The manager said its their old recipe.
Try not to be seated near their picturesque kitchen where u can see the Chiefs cooking. Why? It’s where the servers gather and discuss their customers among themselves. Since they try to get as many tables in the main room I was very near the Chiefs window
Apparently being a server there gives these people an inflated ego, since they were tearing apart the customers.

Service is terrible. Ordered drinks in the bistro. Tried to order appetizers but the waitress was enjoying her free popcorn instead of taking our order. Our drinks sat empty for 15 minutes even though we asked her to come back as soon as the kitchen was open.
I come back to the Scotch every six months or so hoping to not be disappointed. No luck so far.
If you want a stress free experience and to get reasonable service… go somewhere else.

Best meals I’ve had in Syracuse. Although the Cuse has Alot of Good restaurants, Scotch is the best. Great food. Great service!

Was once great. The chef is still but tonight we have waited a long time to order and even longer for broiled fish and a steak. It just gets harder and harder to eat here.

Had a pretty decent experience at this restaurant on a recent Saturday night. Arrived well before our reservation to have some drinks at the bar. The dark, woody feel of the place is nice. Even though it was very busy, the service was prompt in the bar area. I do wish there was some more space. It can feel like you’re constantly in someone’s way. We were seated right at our scheduled reservation time.
They have this team approach with servers so you end up seeing a handful of different people throughout your meal. I guess that can be viewed as good or bad depending on what you prefer. I found that we maybe had a few too many visits from staff due to them not knowing that someone had just come by. However, we never waited long when in need of something.
The food was very good. Had the sirloin; it was cooked exactly as ordered and was very tender. Everyone at the table was happy with their meals. They could definitely do a better job with the salad bar. It’s very small and doesn’t offer much beyond the true basics.

My family use to come here on special occasions, however, we will not be back. A few years ago we came here and my grandmothers steak came out rare but she ordered it medium well. No big deal mistakes happen. The server dropped the steak back off and instead of waiting until she cut into it he took off. Sure enough this time it was medium rare. No one came back to check on us. So, we all have to give my 72 yr old grandmother some of our steak to eat in the mean time. After 10 minutes of no one coming I went to the host stand and demanded a manager. A manager came right away. I told her «the first time it was purple and this time it’s red» and I showed her. She informed us that she checked the steak herself before it was brought back out and it was cooked correctly this time. I thought I was dreaming. My grandma butt in and told them she didn’t want it then. The manager then said «well we made it so we have to charge you». I paid cash for everything except for my grandmothers steak before we even got the check. My mom called the corporate office to complain and they offered a gift certificate which she turned down.
Besides the horrible experience, the place is very dated. the food is mediocre and the salad bar is one of the saddest on Earth. Save your $$$ people.

Sat at the bar with the warm open wood fire nearby in the middle of a snowstorm. Decided on the Wellfleet oysters. Amazing!!! One was the size of my hand! Cold beer, oysters, warm fire … How can you go wrong. Jeremy at the bar was great to talk to and on the top of his game!!!

Very expensive and slow for what they offer. Steak is ok, but better at other places. Sides and desserts as well as other meal options are very plain and boring. The salad bar is tiny and also very sad. Total waste of money for a steak you can make in 5 minutes better at home.

We came here with my family and friends from overseas a couple days after Christmas. I haven’t been so disappointed by service in a restaurant in a long time.
We were seated promptly by the hostess and then a server came to get our drink order. Half of our party ordered beers and the rest of us decided to split a bottle of wine. When I attempted to order a bottle I was told someone else would have to take my order. Minimum of 15 minutes passed and our server came. I tried ordering a bottle again and I was told someone else will take that order. He took our food order instead. Another server (after 20 min) and finally took our wine bottle order.
We went to the (luck luster) salad bar and returned to our seats. Our food came shortly after. My order was completely wrong and I sent it back and had to wait 20 min for the correct meal to come out while the rest of our party ate. My friends sides were also wrong and her steak was cooked medium rare instead of medium well.
Midway through our dinner the servers changed with no notice. We order our (burnt) dessert of Crème Brule and Port. We received (and were charged) for an extra port. After dessert we asked for the check and it was brought over.
15 minutes later ANOTHER server brought us another copy of our check. Nothing was compensated for the mistakes of the meals. (I would have been fine with a crème brûlée on the house)
Overall, this place is trying to be an upscale restaurant and falling very short. The food was nothing mind blowing but good. The napkins closely resembled a dish towel or a wash cloth, which had been washed 500 times. Personally, I do not need to be waited on 7 different people. I would rather have 1 server who will be able to give us a great dining experience and bring our food out correctly. Mistakes happen but the lack of communication between the servers is obvious and the patrons of this restaurant pay the price by receiving a poor experience.
We will not be bringing any friends here in the future.

We wanted to check this place out since they recently underwent some changes. They were always known as a great place to get food with great service. I have to say, that because of the service we didn’t even get to the food.
Upon entering we were ignored by the hostess– she looked at us and then walked away and didn’t come back for about 5 minutes. She then asked how she could help, as if we were bothering her to put our name down for a table. When asking if the bar and the restaurant were on the same list for tables she replied ‘I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask them’ I thought it was a simple question as to whether she sat both places by one list, and when clarifying my simple question we got the same lip. Now, mind you she wasn’t a high school student– she was a well seasoned hostess giving us attitude for no reason that I could tell, other than ‘we didn’t look the part’ of typical middle age well to do clients. (Although we were still nicely dressed and our money is just as green as the next guy!)
We put our name down and then proceeded to the bar, where again we were ignored by the bartender. Yes it was busy, but to serve the people in front and behind us, but not us is just not good business. After moving down the bar to another bartender (who was much nicer) we finally got some drinks.
We sat down around the fire pit but to even make my way to a spot my spouse got for us the patrons were just as rude. No matter how many ‘excuse me’s’ or hand on the shoulders the patrons seemed to think they owned the whole place. They firmly stood their ground and would not let me pass through to get to my spot.
Just a bad service experience where if your nose isn’t stuck up in the air you don’t belong to be there! We promptly took our names off the list and went elsewhere. Good luck if you dare to go!

As others have mentioned, go to the bistro side. I have eaten in the dining room in years past, but I recently went to the bistro for the first time on a friend’s recommendation and was really impressed. Here’s why:
–The ambiance. Where else in Syracuse can you sit next to a large, round hearth and watch the wait staff tend to a glowing wood fire? Do not underestimate this factor in the winter.
–The menu. Both the drink and food menus rotate seasonally and offer a nice variety of veg and meat.
–The food. I had a burger and my wife had the poutine. The fries alone were incredible.
–The drinks. The Ultimate Manhattan was just that. Made with homemade cherry bitters too!
–The staff. Bartenders were prompt and the wait staff were friendly and helpful. When I mistakenly asked for a perfect Manhattan instead of the Ultimate, our waitress came back to double check (thank god she did!).
For three mixed drinks, a burger, a side salad, and poutine our bill was $ 58 (before tip). This is pricey, but the experience was lovely enough that I look forward to another winter night sipping drinks by the bistro’s fire.

Just because 7 different servers are waiting on you doesn’t mean you are getting superior service.
Service issues:
–Had to flag someone down to take drink order.
–Appetizers arrived before drinks.
–Server should have selected the eldest female to start the ordering process.
–Menus left on table after ordering
Restaurant issues:
–Butter on salad bar is hard as a rock, find another method for your customers.
–Bread knife on salad bar to cut community bread was dull and almost useless.
–Out of stock of three menu items throughout the course of our meal
Improve your service and your prices might be worth the trip.

Good food overall but…
I was here years ago and remember this being an event. Lastnight’s visit seemed like a visit to an overpriced diner.
We had serious attitude from the hostess for starters, we were seated (9 of us) very close to another table (made things uncomfortable). Our initial drink order was made to be an issue even though our tab would be on one bill, we were asked to wait «at first» to order all drinks… the salad bar was/​is a turnoff, especially when spending $ 30+ a plate.
One of the plates ordered was never placed (cooked) so they came out and apologized but the error was made, ugh.
Overall, was a good dinner but doubt I’ll be going back any time soon.

Eat on the bar/​bistro side!
We ate on the bar/​bistro side, and enjoyed our pub food very much. The room is set up as a bar (which it is), but there is quite a bit of seating and the apps, salads and burgers are very good.
We arrived without a reservation, so did not have the full restaraunt as an option. Reading the reviews now, it sounds like we were lucky, that some reviewers find the main restaurant, which has a different menu, to not be worth the price. But we did not try it, so don’t know. In any event, don’t let the reviews of the main restaurant put you off from trying the bar/​bistro side (to the left as you enter).

Went in at 9:45 to get dinner and they were pleasant and did not rush us. Were out of the specials but that is expected at that hour. The steaks were well-​prepared, the salad bar was freshly replenished, and the baked potato was fresh and hot. Great place for a relaxing meal, and the bar was still serving their bistro menu. The environment is trendy and relaxing, with a fire pit adding to the warmth of the atmosphere.

If this is the «best steak in Syracuse» then that’s not saying much. Not only did our steaks come out cold, but they weren’t cooked to the temperature requested and they were very chewy. Side dishes were clearly instant or frozen. Our server reeked of cigarettes and there was not much knowledge about the bourbon list by the cocktail servers. If you want to light $ 100 on fire and eat mediocre steak, come to Scotch n Sirloin.

I’ve been going to the ‘Scotch’ for 35 years and have never had a bad experience there until last night. My wife, son, and I started with some oysters which were fine and followed with a rabbit ravioli, which were outstanding. As we finished our appetiser our dinners arrived and this is where the problems began.
The method used for timing your meal at the Scotch is tied to when you visit the salad bar. The waiter will always tell you that they’ll begin preparing your meal when you visit the salad bar, so we were really caught off guard when our meals were delivered before we had made our way to the salad bar. Anyway, they took the meals back and we had our salads. I’m not certain of what was done with the meals that were initially brought to us but I’d bet that they were shelved while we ate our salads then warmed before serving them to us again. The medium-​rare steaks we had ordered were on the «well“side of medium and were accompanied by mashed potatoes instead of the baked which we had ordered. The manager apologised but made no offer to serve us the meat cooked as we had ordered it, instead offering us coffee and dessert on the house. What?
Two $ 36 steak dinners and one $ 32 dinner, all three overcooked and not as we ordered and we were made to eat them by the management with the promise of a free dessert and coffee. Unbelievable. We don’t go to the Scotch for dessert and coffee, we go for a good steak dinner. It baffles me that our meals were not taken back and new ones prepared for us. After declining the dessert and coffee the manager comped us the least expensive meal. Whoop-​de-​doo. Not happy at all about this.

I heard several people speak about Scotch N Sirloin so I checked it out for myself. First I was not aware that the bar has a completely different menu then the dinning room. After reading the chalkboard menu of Scotch’s that they have I looked at the menu and the first thing I noticed that there was no Shrimp C’ tail, however they have a crab salad with grapefruit and Pico de Gallo. I asked the bartender whose name I found out later was Bill. Bill explained how the restaurant and bar works, he also told me that getting a shrimp c’tail was not a problem. I was very happy to hear that. After the shrimp, I went with the NY Strip with Chimichurri sauce. Coming from So. Florida I have a pretty good idea what that is all about. I have to say that SS Chimichurri sauce can definitely stand up to the ones I have had in the past. The steak is served with FF and a small salad of spring greens with a subtle vinaigrette, however if you inquire if the FF can substituted for veg you will be happy to find out the answer is yes. I will be back and excited to go back in the winter and sit by the fire pit.

So here’s my review for the Scotch. They’re really trying hard here. A very old school restaurant trying to be relevant in the 21^st century.
The menu is striving to reflect today’s tastes. The wine list is pretty terrific. Some great values. The bar staff is really good. Anytime you can get a well made martini in a frozen glass is noteworthy.
The food execution is still on the not so great side. Recently ordered a crab cake served lukewarm tasting like low tide. Not crispy. Seemed microwaved.
Chimmicurri steak tasted good but slightly overdone.
Sad to say that you can spend less for better food elsewhere.

I am not normally a «steak» person, but I thought the prime rib here was excellent & the rack of lamb was also very good. The décor and ambience is a bit of a throw back, and I suppose that is part of the charm. The bar/​pub area is particularly charming, and I imagine in the winter it’s quite cozy with the fire. In addition, we were part of a very large group, and I thought the servers did a great job of keeping up, and they seemed friendly enough. The wine selection seemed nice as well.
However in light of the prices, I think there is certainly some room for improvement:
1. While the salad bar selections were very fresh & tasty, they were limited to only a handful of very basic items
2. The vegetable side was completely uninspired on the night I was there — I don’t consider chopped broccoli with a few tiny pieces of carrot and onion the «seasonal spring mix» I was offered (it also had no seasoning that I could detect)
3. As someone else mentioned, the bathrooms could certainly use some updating