Tecumseh Restaurant Guide

We LOVE Topeka Steakhouse!!! It's hard not to go there every Wednesday and Thursday night...their fried chicken and chicken fried steaks are the BEST EVER. I read everyone else's reviews and laughed about the salad and roll comments. We don't go there for the salads or rolls, but rather for the main course. No, the "ambience" is not snooty or fancy, but is filled with character...and that often does not mean a place is spic & span. It's an old place and always busy (lots of the geriatric set). The friendly owner is always there to quietly nod and smile to greet you when you come in. So much better than the super-fake cheeriness at some of the big chains, if you ask me. The waitresses are always so busy and harried, but very friendly and work hard to please,so if I were asked about one thing that could be changed it would probably be to hire more of them!
By the way, I rarely see kids there but they do often have a clown walking around making balloon sculptures. I am always afraid he will stop at our table (I HATE the way those balloons squeak when they're being twisted) but we keep our eyes down and he has never bothered us.
So, if you can overlook the old-time salad served in a melmac bowl (with GREAT dressing) and cold store-bought rolls, you will enjoy a fabulous main course in a non-pretentious place that makes no apologies for what it is.

When they make the steak right which is most the time it is the best steak around! Worth what you pay! They melt in your mouth they are soooo tender! Love Topeka Steakhouse Steaks! YUMMY!
AND don't forget the delicious gravy and fries! I can't stand it! Have to go there tonight!

Being a local resident for more than a decade, but not having the experience of Topeka Steak House, I was excited when my wife suggested going there for dinner one night. I was under the impression this was a 'hole in the wall' restaurant with stunningly good food. Indeed as we arrived the parking lot was full and we joined a line of people heading for the door.

Inside, the ‘dining hall’ was a strange mix of school cafeteria (one big room with rows of tables), strip club (sticky booths and carpet, big mirrors and a candle gracing most tables) all bathed in purple light reminiscent of the ‘bug zapper glow’.

The menu reflected the usual steak house fare. Appetizers seemed to have an “if it ain’t fried, it ain’t on here” theme. We chose fried oysters which basically tasted like batter and ketchup – though that may be the nature of the oysters more than anything. Salad came – pretty much “standard issue cafeteria mix #1” meaning plain old iceberg lettuce, a sprinkle of carrots and red cabbage for color. The roll was “plain old white roll” off the grocery store shelf.

At this point I was loosing a bit of hope the restaurant would live up to expectations. I could make a stunningly better salad off the Hy Vee or Dillons salad bar and grandma has plenty of plain old white rolls every family Thanksgiving. On to the main course…

My KC strip and baked potato came along with the wife’s fillet Mignon and fries. It’s hard to goof up a baked potato or fries and we found both ‘acceptable’ my potato was slathered with a big pad of margarine – my preference would have been some nice fresh butter, but if they want to serve ‘partially hydrogenated soy bean oil’ I suppose that will do. My first cut revealed the steak was cooked as I expected – I ordered “medium” and found it did have a nice pink center. It was tender and tasty, but lacked that ‘BAM!!’ to make it something special. I’ve had the privilege of eating at some top rated steak houses where the steak is so tender and savory you cherish every single bite…(heck, that is what I strive for when I cook) this wasn’t it. My wife reported the fillet was also OK, but also added…”you do much better on the grill at home”

As we set there somewhat under whelmed, the bill came – a little over $70. Somewhat high for my taste considering the salad probably comes in 20 pound bags for about a buck a pound and the rolls are off the 99 cent rack.

In summary, the atmosphere is an eclectic mix of cafeteria, strip club and bug zapper light. Menu has no shortage of fried selections. Salad and rolls were barely tolerable…stop just about anywhere (Mc Donalds, Hy Vee) and find much better offerings. Steak was ‘OK’ but nothing special or exceptionally savory. Wait staff was courteous and prompt but a courteous waitress doesn’t make a great meal. Overall, go experience it once, but you won’t see us again.

Every time a member of our group suggests meeting at the Topeka Steak House, I cringe.
The food is good, for the most part, but the place is FILTHY!
S&P shakers are grimy, menu is sticky, the smaller meeting room walls are stained and speckled with food from previous parties, the open floor plan makes it very loud and difficult to hear, the carpet is sticky dirty, the tables all need a good scrub, it smells like “old restaurant” inside and on and on . . .
I’m not a snob, I just wonder that if they can’t keep the dining area clean, what does the kitchen look like ???

On a road trip from Denver Colorado to Georgia, my daughter and I stayed overnight in Topeka. I suggested that we eat a local Kansas steak. After ruling out all of the chains, we got on our GPS which came up with this restaurant. We felt like we were headed to the middle of nowhere, but soon enought the restaurant showed up. The service, salad with homemade dressings, the price, and the huge filet were excellent. We especially enjoyed the friendly,casual roadhouse atmosphere. I doubt that we will ever be that way again, but would certainly eat there again.

I have been going to the Topeka Steak House for many years and always go on Wednesdays for chicken night. The food is very good and the atmosphere is part of the fun.

I go to the Topeka Steak House only on special occassions,because the prices are high but it's worth it, the food is simply devine and the service is grand. I don't know a better restaurant.

In response to the lady from Lawrence that reviewed this restaurant back in 2000, Topeka Steakhouse is a Topeka gem, but this is Topeka not Lawrence (thank goodness). The wife and I eat there quite a bit and have never had bad service and 98% of the time a great meal at very reasonable prices. The wife has had a bad steak a couple of times, but I always get the KC strip and have never had a bad one. Maurice (the owner) is always cordial and bends over backwards to make you happy. He probably read you right in that you were just trying to get out of paying for your meal. After all why eat what you didn't order and then complain about it?

When I ordered water and my husband ordered tea, I put two teaspoons of his tea into my water ( I happen to like very weak tea). I never asked for any refills, but I was charged 25 cents for taking my husband's tea! I was never told about the charge, it just showed up on our bill. I thought this was rather chincy--not that I would have minded paying for it--but I think they could have at least have said something.

great place. its all good~

I am a member of a group that meets at Topeka Steak House every other month for a dinner gettogether. We have wonderful personal service with two dedicated waitresses. The drink orders are taken immediately upon arrival and then dinner orders normally taken about 30 minutes after. The salads arrive within 10 minutes and then the entrees normally about 15 minutes after that. The food is perfectly prepared and the steaks arrive on a sizzling hot platter. Our normal meeting day is Wednesday, therefore many opt for the all you can eat fried chicken special. The chicken is wonderful, juicy and very crispy. The wonderful bowls of gravy really add to the french fries and baked potatoes. The hash browns are perfectly prepared. I know the large room is pretty loud, but we get to sit in the bar area where the sounds are muffled. For the price, do not believe you can beat the food anywhere in Topeka.

Excellent chow and varied menu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We enjoy going to eat here, but please not not order the breaded sirloin tips. Most everything else is really good here. We enjoy having gravy with the french fries.

This is one of the greatest places in the Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City areas to have a great no-nonsense steak experience. Casual dress is fine - even the norm, portions are huge and served piping hot, the staff is very friendly and attentive and there is a reasonably wide selection of menu items.

A previous reviewer who reported to the minute ("7:51") service, after having asked for extra time to order is most likely one of those truly snobbish people who occasionally invade our area expecting five-star service at two-star prices.

My only regret is that Topeka Steak House is so far out of town (I don't like to drive more than a mile or two or three to eat).

This is a fantastic restaurant for those of us who expect only a great meal and friendly service when we go out to eat. Don't pass it by.

My family & I decided to drive from Lawrence,KS (approximately 25 miles from Topeka) to the Topeka Steak House to try something different from our usual routine. Little did we know that this would be a wasted trip. We arrived at 6:30 p.m. on 7/8/00. We knew the wait might be long because it was a Saturday night. We were seated immediately, however, it took the waitress forever to come greet us. We were not asked about appetizers or, just our drink request. We also requested a few minutes to decide on our dinners. We waited quite a long time to get our drinks and even longer to have our order taken.
The prime rib was on special so I decided to try that. My husband ordered the 16oz. sirloin, both medium rare. Our daughter opted for the 4oz child's sirloin & my son have the ground sirloin kids' meal, both medium. We waited over 10 minutes to receive our salads, the standard iceberg lettuce with carrot & cabbage shavings in it. We consumed those and then waited until 7:51 p.m. to receive our meals.
Our food arrived and looked okay. The rolls were cold. My husband received a 16oz prime rib instead of the sirloin he ordered. Since, we did not want to wait any longer as we were very hungry, he ate the prime rib, pausing only to tell me that it had quite a bit of fat. My 10oz prime rib was also about 5oz of fat. The flavor was adequate by itself, perhaps a little plain. The aus jus was delicious, although that may have been the extreme hunger talking. My daughter was satisfied with her 4oz sirloin and ate most of it. My son devoured the ground sirloin, although I suspect that was also hunger more than taste. Our drinks were filled frequently and I was very pleased with the attitude of the woman who refreshed our drinks. However, the same could not be said of our waitress, who not only did NOT apologize about the delay in our order, but barely acknowledged our existance. I had to get up & inquire about the status of our food before we were served.
After we finished the meal, I went up to pay for our food. I did request the manager to let him know that the service was less than adequate. He came out & proceeded to tell me that we did not come in at 6:30 p.m, that they keep a log & we came in at 6:54p.m. He then proceeded to tell me that our order was clocked in at 7:16p.m. Despite my complaints about the service, the manager did not once express any regret about our bad experience at his steakhouse. I was treated as if I was trying to get out of paying for our meal. Not once did any apology of any sort come from his lips. When I called back to get the name & address of the owner of the restaurant, I spoke with the same gentleman, who still argued with ME about MY experience at his restaurant. Needless to say , we will NEVER return there and will actively discourage friends, family & anyone else who would ask us about Topeka restaurants, from coming there.