sullivan's steakhouse

sullivan's. great steak, great service. i always enjoy mydiningexperiences there!

we arranged for drinks and dinner on new years eve.  

we arrived early to have a couple drinks prior to dinner, the bar was literally packed, they did have wonderful live entertainment. they had plenty of servers available but it was evident based on the number of patrons and drink demands that they were trying to keep up.

we were seated on time at our table in thediningroom, thediningroom was also full and quite busy. our menus arrived immediately, our server, lydia, introduced herself and immediately took our drink order. the one page menu was obviously specific to new years eve which we were not aware of, not too surprised but also somewhat disappointed.  

we did have a member of our party whom was a vegetarian, i asked lydia to see about the possibility of a meat free dish to be prepared and she did go and speak with the chef. upon returning she took our orders and stated a meat free dish would be prepared.  
we started with the egg rolls which were open faced, seasoned with what i assumed was a type of sweet and sour sauce, but complemented the steak placed inside perfectly. we then chose caesar salads and crab cakes, they apparently ran out of the crab cakes so settled for salads. the salads were just the right size and very fresh. our main entrees consisted of the filet mignon, mine was medium rare, with sides of mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese and the vegetarian dish.  

the entrees arrived, both steaks were cooked perfectly, the vegetarian dish literally consisted tomatoes and greens cooked in a skillet and served on a plate. the mash potatoes were quite good, they had a unique flavor and the macaroni and cheese was a bit more bland than i expected, it was also a bit chalky which i wouldn't expect to see in an establishment like this.  

for desert we order the cheesecake, it was absolutely wonderful, light and flavorful.  

i found the plate of tomatoes and greens to be a huge disappointment, especially for 75 dollars! in any other steakhouse of this caliber the chef has always prepared something of real sustenance, not just fried vegetables which could not have taken much effort to prepare. our server, lydia, did inquire about the barely consumed vegetable entree and stated she would see about adjusting the cost of that dinner due to the disappointment with the entree prepared.  
the bill was not adjusted to reflect cost which again was very disappointing and the price point for that dinner was not reasonable. regardless of this being a steak house, any establishment of this caliber should be able to produce a decent alternative to reflect the cost of the meal.

i've been to sullivan's a few times and have never had a bad experience. the waiters that have helped me have always been very friendly and attentive. i've been with small and large groups, and both experiences have been lovely! if you have a large group, they'll probably seat you in the privatediningarea, but it's a pleasant place to be! i'm not a huge steak eater, and the menu has good options other than steak... something for everyone! sullivan's is definitely on the upscale side, so you can't go in shorts and a t-shirt...

meh....not bad. for an "upscale" steak house, this will do in a pinch. do not expect morton's or ruth's chris. thediningstaff is excellent: knowledgeable, friendly, and very attentive. however, the female servers are all in black skin tight minis, which is awkward whendiningwith mixed company. and because thediningroom is right next to the bar area, the crappy top 40 or live band's music bleeds over and can get loud. i expected more in the ambiance department. the steaks were okay, but everything else was quite good.

go elsewhere!. knew it was a mistake the moment we walked in. the music was so loud we had to shout to order. when the live music in the bar started, no one turned off the 50's and 60's music in thediningroom. the food was not fresh, the steaks were raw in the middle and over cooked and too salty on the outside. we were pressured to order cocktails as soon as the waiter came over to us - as well as throughout the meal. $125 for wine isn't enough? the staff stood around flirting with each other, while we waited for our next course. we will never return! there are too many other restaurants that understand service and good food. it was an expensive ($300) lesson for us.

excellent !. excellent restaurant !!
they have a lively bar in front with music that was great. a maindiningroom with black table cloths and a large wine cellar under glass.

my husband and i had dinner in july 2012 getting seated right away on a thursday night without a reservation.
we passed on the wine cellar since we dont drink wine and had a cocktail instead. i had the red high heels which was delicious!

the menu ranges from steaks to sea food with some chef specials. most things are served a la carte and they also have topping options for steaks.
we booth choose steaks with a gorgonzola butter sauce that were perfectly cooked and delicious! we also shared a side of fabulous au gratin potatoes and had left overs. in fact everything we had from the bread at the beginning to the cheesecake for dessert was absolutely wonderful!
the service was friendly, attentive and excellent!

great wine list!. sullivan's is great fun. the bar area is comfortable, supurb for people watching and very lively and crowded at peak times. thediningroom feel intimate, somehow, but masculine as might be expected at a steak house. it seems like i've always ordered sea food when i've been here, and i'm happy to report that it was excellant. i've been here several times with all sized groups (men and women) at all times of day/night. service and food is good. wine list is excellant. and it's always a good night out at sullivan's. greatdiningexperience.

overrated chain restaurant.. sullivan's in austin has always been high on our list for good steak and seafood. but this chain has gone down hill.

on our last visit, my girlfriend's sea bass was cold and raw in the middle, and my friend's steak was raw and under cooked (he ordered it medium). both dishes were sent back. amazingly, the steak came back undercooked a second time. as the manager asked my friend to check out the inside he showed him and asked, "it doesn't look medium to me does it to you?" the manager agreed and took it back a second time. instead of giving him a new steak they simply cooked this one a third time at which point it was dry and devoid of all its natural juices. my meal was bland and the steak dry. i had to ask for steak sauce. and my friend, a steak purist even borrowed some.

the server looked as if she were 18. she was out of her league. stains on her clothes and no table side manner or professionalism whatsoever. she did not clear our table nor use the crumb scraper as other waiters were. . we may of well beendiningat applebee's.

although the managers' came to our table to apologize and comped two of the entrees. we will not return. why support an overly crowded expensive restaurant when there are so many more deserving non chain steak houses here in austin?