The Lounge At Alexander’s Steakhouse

I will be writing a new review on my new lunch experiences in the main dining room at Alexander’s Steakhouse. I have to say the changes that have evolved in over the last half year has been very noticeable being under the care of General Manager Kevin Clark. Last month, I had lunch twice back to back Friday’s to check the consistency of the changes and I was very elated to say that it has improved tenfold. I look forward to my evening dining experiences once I return from some more travel. Kudos Alexander’s! I am so glad there is no more «The Lounge»! PS. I am over the fact that I didn’t get to try the Tri-​Tip w/​Truffle Au Jus for lunch. Make sure you all try the delicious 24-​Hour Smoked Brisket. It is so worth it!

We went for dinner, but had no reservations, so we sat at the bar. They were very nice, helping me select a nice wine while we looked at the menu. Just before we ordered however, a person came in so drenched with perfume, that there was no place I could get away from the effects on my breathing. Before I went into a full fledged asthma attack, I had to leave. The bartender was so understanding. My husband told me later that the bartender didn’t even charge us for my hardly touched drink. I was impressed with that classy move.
Sadly, the night just went downhill from there… and I still had to deal with my asthma for hours afterwards.
We did end up going to the Chinese fusion restaurant Wong Kok across the street from our hotel, but did not order. By then our brains couldn’t make a decision, so we didn’t eat there either.
Kudos to you, bartender on the evening of January 27, 2012.
I’m still really angry at the perfume person!
Please people! Check you perfume quotient! Argh!
Oh, and make a reservation!

What I don’t understand is how people are ridiculing a place that’s pretty much a $$$$ restaurant as they expected the same service for lunch from dinner. Hello! It’s one of the best place to have lunch to impress your girlfriend or boss or coworkers if you’re willing to shell out an additional $ 5 dollars. That’s right, not $ 50, $ 5 dollars. It’s not going to blow your wallet… unless you decided to order the whole menu…
The Lounge is simply a hidden gem for lunch; people overlook this place as the exact same replica as the dinner service, which isn’t; ultimately, what you get is A+ service from the waiters, A+ comfort from those super awesome lounge chairs and 3 50″ televisions to entertain you while you wait for your food.
Hamachi Shots? Get four of them for two people, you won’t regret it. I mean, they’re three for three for the freshness and quality of the ingredients, so i’m sure they’re doing a great job with their lunch service.
Waygu Burger? Seriously? Heck yea! Truffle fries? Oh I’m in! It’s those small details that make this place so awesome to enjoy. By the way, that Waygu burger is enough for a manly person to eat. Add those oh-​so-​awesomely-​crispy-​delicate truffle fries and you got yourself a meal for lunch. Cook it to a medium, and the meat will cook itself to perfection, as with all other beef that is served there. Total price? $ 18.00 with a nice glass of super cold water that probably came from tap, but who the hell cares!
I seriously state that this place is one of the greatest discovery I’ve found in the Cupertino area; it’s a steal for the price they’re offering for lunch. It’s basically a $$ deal at a $$$$ restaurant.
By the way, go on a Wednesday or Thursday time around 11:30 — 12:30pm, they’re usually never packed around then. Get those lounge seats, it’s worth it.

I’ve wanted to come here for a long time now. The best steak place in the South Bay! Amazing food! Bla Bla Bla.
Since I’m not rich enough to go for dinner, we decided to try out their lunch menu. Lunch, is actually very reasonably priced for a place like this. Unfortunetely, you get what you pay for.
The service was ok, but nothing special. Of couse, I got the burger, but I also tried some of their filet mignon. The burger was very disappointing. Dry, bland, overly large bun, just not a great burger. The filet just seemed weird. Not sure if it was overcooked or what, but it was both dry and had a very strange flavor. Again, not a fan.
I’m not saying the food was horrible, but for the price, for the reputation, it just didn’t stack up.

Came here a while back for lunch. It was quite a trek, and ended up being a disappointment. While Alexander’s restaurant at night is one devilish sanctuary to get your cow on, the lounge serves food that is almost entirely on a different spectrum. We knew that going in, but you’d figure that the execution of the two establishments that reside under the same roof would be somewhat consistent… but not so.
I ordered the ramen because I had heard good things – was pretty disappointed. It just wasn’t even close to being as good as ramen places like Orenchi or Santouka, and about on par with even the most plain run of the mill Japanese restaurants.
We also got hamachi shots, which for some reason weren’t anywhere near as good as the ones that I’ve had at night in the restaurant. The others ended up getting a lobster (or crab?) roll – disappointed. Another got that massive prime rib sandwich, which turned out to be a flavorless and dry affair. Even more disappointed.
Service was so so, and the place got packed up and backlogged as many others wandered in and took over the lounge. In the end I just felt bad for even recommending the place.

Meh. I was tempted to going to Alexander’s for lunch mainly because their lunch menu is much cheaper than dinner. Although it’s still kind of pricy. I got a bowl of ramen for $ 12…
The broth was pretty gross. It was way too salty. I felt like I was drinking from the ocean. The only good thing was their pork slices, which were very tender and had a perfect amount of fat to it. Their bowls are big and it filled me up. But if I’m gonna spend $ 12 on ramen, it better be orenchi status.

My friend and I love ramen, so for his birthday we came here for lunch instead of the crowded and hot hole in the wall ramen places we normally frequent. We were sorely disappointed.
We figured the ramen would not be authentic, but we at least thought it would be served warm. The filet mignon in the ramen was absolutely delicious. The mushrooms were ok, the seaweed was ok, and they added spinach which I actually liked. The noodles came from one of those $.10 ramen noodle packs and were still in that shape, disgusting. The egg was poached rather than soft boiled and was totally lost in the flavorless luke warm broth.
This place gets two stars rather than one because the filet mignon was so delicious. It really was the only edible part of the ramen.

Lunch at Alexander’s seems to be a little known fact– so I’m glad I discovered it with some help from Unilocal!
I went this week to try their filet minon ramen. The filet minon was deeelicious floating around in my ramen and the bowl was HUGE. The ramen was just ok to me, but I guess that’s more of a personal preference flavor wise. The highlight was definitely the truffle fries! SO good. At first I was hesitant because I haven’t liked truffle fries in the past, but the ones here are to die for. Thin and crispy, and the oil must be fried with the potatoes instead of poured over, because it thankfully did not have that strong oily consistency. The lounge was about half filled when we went, so it makes for a really nice and quiet lunch.

I am not sure how this great lounge isn’t rated as high as its restaurant. Let me tell you why I am a fan of this lounge:
1. You get the same exact menu offerings at the lounge, without the stuffiness of the restaurant atmosphere.
2. The lounge is cozy and inviting — you could just as easily get tables in the lounge or sit at the bar and watch some TV as you chow down.
3. The service is the same great caliber as the restaurant.
4. The food — kick-​ass. We got a thing of steak to share and had some oysters and fried short ribs. I died and went to the beef heaven that moment.
Now I know that this is the true gem of the whole restaurant… I’ll be back for more.

Lunch here is always good, and there is no wait!!!
So far I’ve had the short rib ramen, the pork belly ramen, and the niman ranch burger. The pork belly ramen is really good — large portions, the pork is slightly crispy on the outside, fatty on the inside, and the broth savory. The short rib ramen was not as good, the meat was a little too salty for my liking and not as tender. The niman ranch burger is a hit — large, and comes with truffle fries! My only complaint is that it seems odd to put iceberg lettuce in such a high end burger ($ 18!).
The staff is mostly friendly, there have been a couple times where they’re just ok, but good food for no wait, it’s a must!

Finally came to try this place for lunch. Expect to spend a little more here than a typical lunch. For starter, I had a Hamachi Shot with ponzu ($ 4). For lunch, I was debating between the burger or the ramen, but opted for the ramen instead since it sounded pretty good. Ordered the Yaki-​Ebi one: two grilled white shrimp, pork belly, tenkasu with Alexander’s broth ($ 12).
To my surprise, the ramen bowl was huge and had way too much noodles. Talk about American portions! The toppings looked good (see photo attached) except for the grilled shrimp as it was too hard to eat trying to peel off the shell with my hands. The ramen noodles were consistent to the Japanese ramen noodles, but the broth was just flavorless and greasy. I think they need to improve on the flavor of the broth.
Next time, I’ll have to try the burger instead.

I love Alexander’s Steakhouse, and I’ve been wanting to try out their new lunch menu at the Lounge. I called ahead asking for a reservation, and they said they don’t take reservations for the Lounge. It’s first come first serve. Good thing it’s not really packed on a Wednesday, so we were seated right away.
The first thing I noticed was that the menu has changed a little. They no longer offer their Kobe burger ($ 28) anymore because it’s been replaced by a Niman ranch burger ($ 18). They also added soft tacos to the menu. Check out my uploaded photos for the new menu.
I ordered a Hamachi Shot ($ 4) and the Gyu-​Tataki Ramen ($ 11) with the Aka Butter broth. I commented about how weird that the word «butter» is in the spicy broth, and my friend who happens to be fluent in Japanese told me it isn’t read as «A.K.A Butter». It sounds more like «ah-​kah» butter, which means hot oil in Japanese
Most of the Unilocal reviews said the broth wasn’t spicy at all, so I asked for mine to be extra spicy. Boy was I disappointed when it came though. There was about a 1 cm thick layer of oil floating in my ramen. It was such a thick layer of oil, that I couldn’t even see the broth underneath. I tried eating it, but I couldn’t take more than a few bites because my ramen noodles were completely oily. I called the server over, and he said the «spicy» part is from hot oil, so when I ordered «extra spicy», I was in fact getting «extra oily». The good thing was he was very nice and took it away and replaced it with the Alexander’s broth, and gave me a bowl of hot sauce on the side, which tasted very much like Siracha. I’m not sure what it was, but I was really happy after putting it into my ramen because it was just the right spiciness for me. The noodles and broth were good, but not spectacular. What really made the ramen stand out was the filet mignon. I loved the thickly sliced, tender meat with my ramen. It definitely beats the pork chashu that most ramen places serve.
My friend ordered the Gyu-​Tataki Ramen ($ 11) with the Miso broth. She was really happy with her ramen. The noodles and broth are good but not the best, but of course that’s not what you go to Alexander’s for. Her favorite part was the filet mignon and the egg. The egg was really unique because unlike most ramen places that have soft boiled eggs, Alexander’s ramen is served with a poached egg, but with a soft-​boiled egg yolk. It was a really good egg.
Overall, the delicious filet mignon in my ramen and the great service will keep me coming back. Well, that and the fact that I don’t have to wait for dinner to get my favorite hamachi shots! They bill also came with two bags of mini-​sized chewy chocolate chip cookies, which was a yummy surprise.

Came here for a quick lunch at their lounge. Limited menu, but a good selection of noodles, burgers and salads.
I had the Yaki-​Ebi miso noodles. At $ 13 it was at the high end of the price range. The noodle took a while getting here (30 mins), but I can say (with one exception) it was worth the wait.
The noodles came with five pieces if good size pork bellies, two grilled tiger prawns, an egg, bamboo shoots, Shitake mushrooms, spinach and scallion. The grilled prawns imparted a smokey flavor to the already tasty broth. The only thing I was not impressed with was the noodles; first they were just the run of the mill noodles, second, they were still stuck together!
Service was consistent with this caliber of restaurant. However, because it took so long to get the noodles and the noodles themselves, I could not give it 5 stars.

Don’t be fooled, there is NO Happy Hour.
The lounge caters to 2 people.
First, the runoff. What is the runoff? It’s those people who don’t make a reservation and want to get seated fast.
Second, the locals wanting lunch who are hip to the menu.
With that being said, HAMACHI SHOTS all the way. It’s the only kinda shot you will ever need.
The Burger is HUGE, but you can find better for cheaper.
Mac and cheese was cheesy, and that’s all I have to say.
The lounge IS beautiful and service can be impeccable. Just make sure you aren’t the annoying girl at the bar asking to change the channels every 5 minutes.
notes: Well drinks are the ONLY drinks on discount.
Must go back to try the ramen.
Come here if you are okay blowing $ 30 dollars or have a sugar daddy.

Thank you Alexander’s for making it a great lunch when my buddies & I took our friend here after his graduation to celebrate not only his graduation but also his birthday which was on the same day. I suggested Alexander’s for lunch since it was a nice place for a special occasion, yet still affordable.
We told the waiter it was his birthday and to our surprise after our bowls of ramen were cleared he brought out a little slice of chocolate mousse cake with a candle in it and Happy Birthday written beautifully on the plate. He also was presented with a trio of chocolates in a little box. Which, by the way, he let me take home, which was delish! The cake which we all had little bites of was airy and decadent.
Unfortunately, one of our friends got the short rib ramen instead of the filet mignon which she ordered and didn’t notice it til after she started eating it. She called over a waiter and just told him to charge her for the short rib which was a dollar less. When the bill came, the waiter again apologized and told us he had taken her order off the menu. I thought this was very nice of them and very customer service oriented.
Again, I still believe the filet mignon ramen with spicy broth is the clear cut winner, though one day, I will finally cave in and get the massive and tasty looking French Dip!

Awhile back my guy and i had a so-​so meal at Alexander’s.
It seemed we were in the minority, since everyone we know LOVES Alexander’s.
It’s hard to make a return trip to an expensive place that struck out the first time, so we figured lunch would be a good, (less pricey way) to give them another shot.
When we arrived, we were the only people seated in the lounge, but it still took a VERY long time to get drinks, give our orders, and then receive our food.
Luckily, we went on a day that my guy was working from home. I can’t imagine coming here on a a lunch break, and attempting to get in and out within an hour.
We didn’t even get food for almost an hour.
When i ordered, I asked the server about the extra additions i had seen on the menu posted on Unilocal, (i.e. crab!) He said they didn’t have that, nor did they ever.
Which I know is not true since there’s a picture of the menu posted.
Anyway, I am a ramen novice, and chose the miso broth with the rare filet.
I enjoyed it, although I don’t have much to compare it to. I did greatly appreciate that they left the green onions off per my request. The server had actually gone back and asked the kitchen if this could be done before I ordered.
My husband had the pastrami sandwich, (recommended by the server) and it was HORRIBLE. I have had bites of his beloved pastrami from many places, and I have never tasted any as salty as this one. It was actually so salty it was inedible.
After a few bites, he decided to send it back and get the french dip instead.
The server was very nice about doing this, and the french dip was better, (and so immense he had enough for another lunch and snack.)
We also shared the Caesar salad, and had to ask for a new egg because the one it was served with was cooked through.
We were brought another one, and it was cooked through as well.
Other than that, it was a great salad.
I tried the famous hamachi shot, and it was interesting and tasty, but I wasn’t as wowed as others seem to be.
The server gave my husband some free refills of their divine lemonade while he waited for his replacement sandwich.
Just when we were thinking we probably wouldn’t return, the server comped our entire meal and apologized for our less than stellar lunch experience.
I still don’t think I can justify shelling out the big bucks for dinner here, but I will return for their ramen.

I’ve been wanting to check out Alexanders Steakhouse for months. But how often do I get to Cupertino? Well for Christmas my wife purchased tickets to Jerry Seinfeld and he was performing at… You guessed it! CUPERTINO!
We were both hungry, but not «full meal hungry» and did not feel like spending a million dollars so I called the restaurant to inquire about dining at the bar. I was told by the hostess that you certainly can eat there and they offer the full menu but she also mentioned they had a «lounge area» in the back of the restaurant that was even more «casual».
We decided to check out the Lounge and headed south for our adventure in Cupertino.
Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted by a display of some high end quality cuts of meat. YUM! We stopped at the hostess stand and inquired about the Lounge. We were walked through the restaurant which looked very inviting. This is certainly a special occasion restaurant and one of these days we will make it back down and get the full meat porn experience.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly was not this. When they said it is «casual» they really meant «CASUAL». Think bare bones airport bar in El Paso Texas. The furnishings are very basic with a simple bar along the wall with three televisions hanging over head. I have to say I was a bit disappointed, but quickly warmed up. We took our seats up at the bar and started off with cocktails. Martinis and icy cold Brazilian drinks is always a nice way to start an evening. We asked to see a menu and since neither of us are big eaters decided to split a starter and an entrée. My wife voted for the Caesar salad which sounded good to me. It arrived split onto two smaller plates and topped with a soft boiled egg and mixed with Parmesan croûton crisps. It was absolutely delicious and I made sure to eat every last bite.
Four our main I was tempted to try out the $ 100 Australian Kobe, but figured we did not want to spend a million dollars and Jerry was already getting our life savings so I practiced restraint and went with the 10 oz filet mignon. Keep in mind that the $ 100 steak is not even the most expensive steak on the menu! Still our filet was $ 46 is not TGI Fridays pricing. We went with two sides, the truffle fries which anything truffle will always find a way onto our table and the creamed spinach. Drinks! Of course we had to switch to wine, and we both decided on a Kathryn Kennedy blend.
The food is brought out by the Sous Chef and he took a few minutes to explain the steaks preparation which by the way was perfectly cooked to medium rare as requested. It was served over a light mustard and tarragon sauce which reminded me of complex and light bernaise sauce. It was one of the most amazing steaks I have ever tasted. The fries and creamed spinach were also super delicious.
Even though we were both stuffed we still had some time to kill so we HAD to check out the dessert menu and split a light compote and berry drizzled with chocolate. It was the perfect way to end our dinner.
Now even though this place is «causal» and you can literally walk in wearing shorts and a t-​shirt it is not cheap. For two cocktails, three glasses of wine, one steak, one salad, two side dishes and one dessert the bill still came out to $ 185 before tip. But if you are at all curious about checking out the buzz and experiencing one of the best steaks in Northern California The Lounge is an excellent option for you to check out.

I am a ramen newb.
What better way to get introduced than ALEXANDERS steakhouse RAMEN!!!
I am truly spoiled. I work around the corner and I now know that I can come here for lunch and indulge!
My girlfriend and I had lunch here and were blown away by how amazing the ramen was. We both had the spicy broth w/​Beef. You get 4 oz of Filet Mignon which is a great deal for $ 11. They also server other items such as a HUGE rib eye french dip and burgers!
This will and HAS become a weekly lunch spot for me and my pretties!!! (We’re on for Monday’s ladies!!)
p. s. Make this your new happy hour spot! The drinks are very tasty. I can’t wait to come have another pear martini!

Are you a fan of Alexander’s Steakhouse? Well, I sure am! I consider Alexander’s Steakhouse to be my #1 favorite restaurant in the Bay Area and I’ve probably frequented the dining room for every special occasion.
So it’s with some excitement that I was finally able check out their new area, simply called The Lounge@Alexander’s Steakhouse. Unilocal Drink Week, with their wonderful drink specials, provided yet another reason to see if The Lounge was a place worth checking it.
The Lounge is connected directly to Alexander’s Steakhouse, although it has it’s own entrance/​doorway as well. If you enter the main entrance, as we did, the hostesses merely walk you through the main restaurant to the Lounge area (past the meat display and cooking stations). The Lounge, according to staff, was actually formerly the patio and cigar room area of Alexander’s Steakhouse and they’ve converted it to a new space for more casual dining.
I absolutely agree that the atmosphere of The Lounge is quite different than the main dining room. Whereas reservations are expected with the main area, the Lounge was clearly more casual and we were never asked about reservations and allowed to choose any seat within the house.
A large bar area with approximately 8 seats greets guests as they enter the Lounge and is flanked by three generously sized Panasonic plasma televisions that had three different college basketball games. I can easily see this being a nice hangout for March Madness or NFL Football games. The rest of the room features small tables as well as a handful of larger tables. The entire area is encircled by floor-​to-​ceiling windows and I imagine in the summer the sunlight is great.
On Friday nights, the Lounge features live music and we were lucky enough to choose that night for our visit. Kay and her band belted out jazz hits and the place quickly filled up with a diverse group of patrons. The music (either live or background during breaks) definitely helped to create a more casual mood.
As for the food and drink, you are nicely covered. As mentioned, we went looking for the Happy Hour Unilocal Drinks Week and were given a selection of three, all for $ 5:
Spiced Appletini — served in a tall martini glass, the concoction tasted a bit like cough syrup. The bartender happily took it back when we didn’t like it.
Don Jalapeño — an interesting take on a margarita, this drink added spicy peppers that gave it a nice bite to the sweet taste. Our favorite.
Passion Kiss — served in a tall champagne glass, the sweet drink was reminiscent of a bellini. Sweet and delicious.
For food, the entire dining room menu is available in the Lounge and they’ve made some important additions. One, the number of samplers, both cold and hot, appears to have increased. The popular choice remains the hamachi shots. Two, and this is HUGE, they’ve brought back the Kobe beef burger and the French Dip Prime Rib Sandwich.
When Alexander’s first opened, they had lunch service and I had heard rave reviews about these two items. But they quickly converted to dinner-​only service and I missed these items. Our selections:
Kobe Beef Burger ($ 28) — A5 Kobe Beef burger topped with braised short ribs mixed with mushroom sauce. House-​made ketchup and mayonnaise, pickles, and a great sourdough bun finished the package. We substituted the famous truffle fries for the standard cumin steak fries for a nominal fee. The braised rib sauce was fantastic and the burger was among the most tender I’ve had. A great great burger. I was happy.
Warm edamame with grey salt ($ 6) — simple, but great for snacking in a lounge area.
Hamachi shots — typically served as a 6-​pack for $ 22, we were too full for that many. The let us order «single» shots. Perfect.
Overall, I’m thrilled that Alexander’s Steakhouse has decided to expand their restaurant with the Lounge and add a more casual dining environment featuring their Happy Hour. The ability to have a great drink, sample some fantastic food, and just dress more casually is a huge plus. My sole complaint is that the food, while fantastic, is all from the main dining area menu and suffers the higher prices that section has. I would love to see a Lounge-​specific menu with smaller bites and more affordable prices. Once the $ 5 Unilocal Drink Week specials are gone, the bill will add up quickly in the Lounge.
I suspect that a new Lounge-​featured menu is forthcoming as a flyer was included with our bill that stated two new further expansions of the restaurant. One, Alexander’s is once again opening up for lunch soon and will feature ramen (kobe beef ramen anyone??) and two, the happy hour will soon feature more izakaya-​style dishes and I hope these will be priced more affordably compared to the dining room. I’ll definitely be back.
The Lounge@Alexander’s Steakhouse accepts credit cards, including American Express.

The Lounge at Alexanders was a very unexpected experience for a place where I’m used to frequenting only the dining room area where there is service aplenty and steaks galore.
However, the Lounge is such a different atmosphere that it deserves a place of its own. There are three giant flatscreen TV’s above the bar area featuring a slew of different programming one of which is almost always centered on food. There is also a huge projector screen playing in the tabled areas of the lounge (perhaps 6 – 7 tables three of which seats at least 4 and a few other two seaters) centered on sports. It’s almost like a nice, classy sports bar with delicious drinks and a fun bartender.
Of course, it being a Monday night, it wasn’t necessarily popping. However, you could get the entire menu of Alexanders while at the bar (as another couple did while I was there … not sure why the plates don’t exactly fit well in the bar area). You can also get Alexander’s sides or appetizers a la carte of which I took advantage of their always delicious truffle fries!
The bartender was extra friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable of the alcohol menu as she thoroughly explained what each drink was made up of and allowed us variations if we wanted to customize it. I thought this was pretty cool. The service is the same at the bar area as usual, impeccable; and the presentation, even if they’re just fries, are still definitely there. I love the Passion Kiss and it was a great Unilocal pick as well.