Larsen’s Steakhouse

The service was very good, and the place itself is nice — but when you go to a steakhouse you expect the steaks to be excellent. They were OK, but just OK at best — I have had better at several places, and certainly at more reasonable prices. Two of us — one cocktail each, split a starter salad, each had an 8oz filet, and had two sharable sides — $ 220 before tip. As much as I want there to be a nice place in Valencia, especially after the quality at Salt Creek has declined, I would still recommend to take a quick ride into LA somewhere and take advantage of the many much better options before coming here and overpaying for something that is quite average.

We were here last weekend for our 8 year wedding anniversary and we had such an incredible experience! Richard the manager and sommelier took very good care of us in helping us choose a wine because they were out of the one we originally ordered. The service was great. My steak came out a little over cooked and they took it back without me even asking. Richard knew just from looking at it and assured me he wanted to make sure he got it right. Great service and food through and through. We will be back.

Atmosphere-​wise, worst experience I’ve had in a long time in a restaurant. Right from entering, it was SO FREAKING LOUD that I could barely hear my friends talking sitting next to me, even when the restaurant barely had any people in it. Definitely not relaxing, to say the least. It had a closed-​in, dinny feeling, like the acoustics were super off and no one had cared enough to fix it. The restaurant itself was super dark and cluttered too, which combined with the loudness made it feel overwhelmingly claustrophobic.
On our visit, the chef was over-​friendly in a weird, creepy way and kept coming around to our table asking how we were doing and bringing us free food we hadn’t asked for (which I know sounds like a good thing, but it was more the way he was doing it that was awkward). He had this good-​ol-​boys attitude like he was giving us this great thing that he didn’t normally give to people, which I think was what made it weird (he’s friends with our boss, which I guess was the reason, but it was really intimidating and awkward, to say the least). That experience only added (and not in a good way) to the already overwhelming and claustrophobic feeling of the restaurant.
The food itself was fine I guess… just meh really… definitely not what I was expecting, but I guess I’ve had worse. To start with, there’s nothing really «normal» on the menu — it’s all frue-​frue food like oysters and steak and lobster. Not really my scene, I guess. I’d rather have a sandwich or a hamburger. Thankfully this was a company event so I didn’t have to pay, but if I was, I’d have to say that it was very very expensive. Definitely not some place I’d ever want to go to again, either on my own or with a group.

To start, I’d like to say that our server, Kevin, was awesome. He was informative, on top of things, and quick. If I were just reviewing Kevin, this would be a five star review.
But, this is a review for Larsen’s, not Kevin, and unfortunately, Larsen’s just isn’t worth the price. If you’re not familiar with Larsen’s, everything is a la carte and quite pricey. My boyfriend had the pork chop ($ 39) and I had the dry rub petite filet mignon ($ 53). For sides, we ordered steamed broccoli ($ 12) and macaroni and cheese ($ 15). We each had a cocktail (roughly $ 12 a piece). The pork chop was fabulous. It was cooked perfectly and it had an amazing apple dipping sauce on the side. The macaroni and cheese was good. Not great, but decent. The broccoli was fine; not much to review there. However, the filet was where things went downhill. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. The inside was tender and juicy. However, the outside of the steak, the cooked part, seemed so dried out. The texture was like sawdust. I’m sorry to say, I’ve had better steaks at chain steakhouses. I don’t know if the issue was poor quality meat (although I doubt it since the inside was tender) or if it was their dry rub, but whatever it was, it was unappetizing.
All in all, while some of the food was awesome, none of the dishes were worth the price. I understand nice steakhouses can charge prices like this, but when they do, sawdust shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind when eating it. Ultimately, I gave Larsen’s a two-​star review even though we did have some good food because if I’m paying $ 53 for a steak, it had better be perfect.

Ate there last night with the family. Dimly lit and hard to read the menu. Started with french onion soup (12.00) and sliced tomatoe with cheese ball (13.00, 3 thin slices of beef steak tomatoe). Then the bacon wrapped shrimp (22.00, 3 very tough deep fried shrimp). Rib eye steak (65.00), plank salmon (42.00). Baked potatoe (12.00) must be almost 2 pounds, garlic mashed potatoes (12.00), and non alcoholic drinks.
My review: The french onion soup is very good and hot.
Buratta and tomatoes, ok but the cheese was very wet, nice balsamic.
The shrimp were a total fail, tough and heavy bacon taste
The rib eye was done as requested and tender.
The salmon was very good but had a layer of the dark meat along the skin side that needed to be removed (reminds me of cheap chunk tuna, ech :()
The baked spud was perfectly done as were the mashed potatoes.
All in all an ok meal, price wise not a very good bargin.
The server (Cynthia) was extremely pleasant and easy to talk with, she knows her menu and explains the food.

GOOD
1. The food is excellent. The steaks, the sides, the salads — all wonderful. And the bread — it’s like crack. It’s addictive. I could eat that bread every day.
2. Very nice restaurant. Subdued lighting, fancy linens, Sinatra playing, the whole shebang. One of the nicest restaurants in SCV. It definitely has a «special occasion» type feel.
3. The service is also very good. The waitress came back frequently, as one would think, but highly un-​usual was the fact that every other person who worked there came by as well to ask how we were doing.
BAD
With someone coming by the table every two bites at some point you just want to hang a sign that says, «I already told the last guy we’re ok. Thanks anyway.»
BOTTOM LINE
Two drinks (per person), two salads, two steaks, two appetizers = $ 250-​$ 300 (with tax and tip). Worth it? Probably not.

Thanks to the hostesses, Kevin Farias and Lorenzo for switching my party accommodations for a fantastic dinner! It was also good to see Chet Lady T & Nikki!!! A most fulfilling evening!!!

Excellent atmosphere, service, and the perfect steak! Get the bacon jalapeño Mac n cheese! It is to die for!

We went several times for dinner and every time we go we love it even more.
The live pianist is amazing on the weekend. The steak and sliders and fleming salad is out of this world .They melt in your mouth and tickle your taste buds. My favorite place and food.

Great service and food! Although the prices may be high compared to other restruants, Larsens is just on another level! The service is just amazing! I can tell that the staff is highly trained in what they do. The food was even more amazing. I got a 12oz dry aged filet minon and my gf got a salmon. Our sides were creamed corn and mashed potatoes! The manager even came to our table and asked about our food and service. And when i told the staff that it was our 2^nd year anniversary, they brought out a molten cake that read happy anniversary. Thanks Larsens!

Chef knows how to treat his customers! Ask to speak to the chef and he will give you an amazing tasting experience!
This is a perfect place for an evening wine or a full course dinner! Worth every penny!

Great restaurant good service, went for a family dinner night on a Saturday had a very good customer service experience.
Fast friendly service, I wouldn’t say the foods better the. Mastros in my opinion, but the service definitely is way better then Ruth’s Chris or maestros.
6 people $ 700 wasn’t bad, but outstanding service from the staff we had the vip room and luxury service!
To be treated as a good customer I will return even if the foods not the greatest.

This is definitely one of my favorite steakhouses that I frequent often. I love the atmosphere and the staff are the best. We’ve had the Chef come out ant not only talk to us during his rounds but recognize us and given us samples of what genus currently working on during that evening. Understand that the prices can be very high but I’m a big believer of «You get what you pay for».

My stomach thanked me for coming here.
Upon walking in I noticed the live piano player/​singer and thought that was a nice touch that I don’t see quite often.
The service was impeccable. Constant servers, chefs, and managers checking up on us to make sure everything was going well and food was delicious.
We ordered the French onion soup, stuffed chicken, 8oz dry rub filet mignon, broccoli au gratin, fries, and asparagus.
We wanted to try an array of different dishes but we were stuffed way before we could finish all of that food.
The stuffed chicken was really good. I loved the cheesiness of it and the different veggies it included.
The filet was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing!
The broccoli was my favorite. The cheesiness it contained was on point and I couldn’t stop eating that side dish! If only plain veggies tasted that good…
The fries were delicious! I can’t even describe how amazing they tasted. I love fries so I don’t judge a fry with too harsh of a rating.
The asparagus was just okay.
I would def return and highly recommend this restaurant!

The service was GREAT with Heidi. The ambiance was lovely but too dark. Nearly every table had someone with a cell phone flashlight out to read the menu ours included. The Valentine’s Day menu was nearly completely illegible in the lighting with tiny yellow captions.
I’ve been to nice steakhouses before but I don’t recall them being completely al la carte. This is NOT a good feature. If I’m spending $ 50 – 70 for a steak dinner the least they can do is include a few sides with my meal or a soup or salad like the rest of the world’s dining establishments do. I ordered a Hawaiian marinaded rib-​eye. It was good but even for my salty palette it was wayyyyyy too salty and no amount of sauce would cut it. I’m usually an add-​salt-​to-​everything kind of diner but not this time. My husband and I both ordered 20oz steaks but mine looked like it was a 12oz steak and was marbled very heavily with gristle which was very unpleasant.
The bread was fluffy and crusty and delicious. The veggies were simple and cooked well but WAYYYYYYY too expensive for what they were though-​green beans in oil. The Mac and cheese with bacon and sun dried tomatoes was delicious too but also over priced. We split 2 sides and that alone was over $ 30.
We decided to decline the pricy wine menu for basic vodka and sodas and they were very strong which was nice.
I doubt we’ll be dining here again. We certainly don’t mind spending over $ 100 for a nice dinner but $ 250 for mediocre inaccurately sized steaks and run of the mill sides you have to buy separately, won’t be happening again.

We went on Valentine’s Day. This is by far the most satisfying experience I have ever had, out of many, many steakhouse meals! This is by far the best Larsen’s location and all the food was cooked to perfection. This dining experience was so wonderful. Service was excellent and our server’s recommendations were on point! Beautiful ambience, the layout and lighting was very romantic. We ordered the 24oz Porterhouse steak with a 7oz lobster tail to share and the chef split the items onto each plate for us. We had also ordered the asparagus with the balsamic vinegar reduction sauce and their notorious mac & cheese! Then we finished it all off with some warm bread pudding Ala mode! The decadent caramel sauce wasn’t too sweet, it was plate licking good and oh so scrumptious! It was perfectly moist to the palate & were some small chocolate chips throughout. Absolutely recommend this one!!! We purchased an $ 80 gift card at Costco, which was redeemable for $ 100. (Next time we will need two, as our meal came out to nearly $ 200 with tax and tip). They have us reminiscing about this dining experience for days… Dreaming about the next visit soon!

I don’t eat steak often. But when I do, I like trying out steakhouses. Been wanting to try Larsen’s for quite some time now since I’ve heard it is good. Went here for my mother-in-law’s birthday. The food is ok. Didn’t blow me away. For appetizer, we ordered bacon wrapped shrimp. The bacon was little burnt and dry. For main course, I had the Hawaiian ribeye. This was good. It’s different. I like the sweetness and tenderness of the meat. For sides, we had the lobster mashed potato. Would’ve love lobster Mac instead but they didn’t have it. This was ok– not the greatest. they didn’t skimp on the lobster which I liked. For dessert, we ordered the fried bread pudding a la mode. This was different too and good. I enjoyed this.
Service was great and ambiance good too. It was just too dark. Could t get decent photos of the food!:)
Overall though, it was a good experience. I just had higher expectations for a pricey and «fancy» steakhouse.

I am very torn as I write this review. I have been to Larsen’s several times since it opened. And every time I’ve been there, except this very last time, I was very happy. The steaks were always flavorful, and always cooked to perfection. Granted, it is very pricey, but when I left after my previous visits, I wasn’t grumbling about how much money I just spent because the dining experience was amazing. This last time, I cannot say the same. But I never got around to writing a review until this last unsatisfying experience.
My wife & I had planned a special date for our anniversary, and Larsen’s was it. We came about 2 months ago, in early November. If I would’ve written this review 1 year ago, I would’ve easily given 4.5 stars. This last visit was disappointing. The cuts weren’t as good. I don’t know if the meat quality was subpar or it wasn’t cooked as well. But the meat had no flavor! I felt like it was just a hunk of meat I was struggling to chew on. I always order the Porterhouse or Ribeye. This time I went with the Porterhouse. Not sure what went wrong.
Larsen’s was in my top five steakhouses but the steak made me feel like I was eating at Claim Jumper. And for the price you pay here, it’s just not worth it. I am hoping that it was a one time fluke, maybe the chef had an off day, or maybe they were trying a new cooking strategy. But I deplore you, Larsen’s, if that’s the case, please return to your original strategy. I’ll give you another shot but if it’s another disappointment, you will have lost a customer.

This place has awesome service with great attention to detail. The tuna tartare appetizer. While it looked great its flavor and quality of tuna seemed average. The bone in ribeye is my go to cut when ever given the chance. This prime piece of meat lacked flavor in my opinion but I might be spoiled.
Not trying to tear this place apart it is a nice restaurant and probably the best steaks in SCV if that says anything.
Off the top of my head I would have to say currently my favorite bone in ribeye is an Australian ribeye served at Mastros in OC, or Vegas.
Larsens in SCV has a great atmosphere, wine and cocktails. Enjoy.

Review update – Four stars because fancy steak houses tend to look washed out and boring!!!
We went in to enjoy a nice night out. Got seated right away and started roaming through the wine list. I didn’t check out the restaurant in detail but the feel of it was blahhhhh! Maybe it was the plain décor? Or the weird grayish uniforms that the servers wear?
Anywho, wine was picked and the group ended up ordering the New York strip, Filet mignon, heirloom tomato salad, creamy corn, mac and cheese, and the mashed potatoes. I don’t eat steak but i did enjoy the salad and sides.
As for dessert we had some sort of banana caramel treat. (Delish)
Service iss amazing!
Con– they don’t have a take out section. I know its not often that people order out but. I shouldn’t have to walk up to the bar to handle my order. Another major con for me was the take out bags! No representation of their company/​brand. Not a smart business move in my opinion. No napkins or utensils were included either. Uhx
Pro – If you want to save some money or give a gift to someone special. Costco sells a packet of two $ 50 gift cards for only $ 79.99…you end up saving $ 20 (good for large groups) so check it out.
— Quality of the food is out of this world. Its worth the $$$$
Overall, i would definitely go back.