Back to Modesto
House of Beef - Steakhouse in Modesto, California

House of Beef

4.3 (1153 reviews)

201 N 3rd Ave, Oakdale, CA 95361

Steak house
Barbecue restaurant
Sports bar

About House of Beef - steak house in Modesto, California

Modest, time-tested restaurant serving steaks & other hearty American fare, plus wine & draft beer.

Customer Review Summary

House of Beef generally receives positive reviews for its tasty food, with highlights including the pulled pork sandwich, beef barley soup, and calamari appetizer. Many patrons appreciate the cozy atmosphere and friendly staff, with some mentioning a good selection at the salad bar. However, there are significant complaints about inconsistent meal quality and poor service experiences. Some customers reported improper cooking of steaks, rude management responses when issues were raised, and cold or missing items from orders. There were instances of long wait times and feeling ignored by staff, leading to overall dissatisfaction. Despite the positive food experiences, many diners expressed disappointment in the service and vowed not to return. Overall, while the food is often praised, service quality appears to be a major concern that detracts from the dining experience.

Key Features

Service options

  • Outdoor seating
  • Onsite services
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Fast service
  • Great beer selection
  • Great cocktails
  • Sports

Popular for

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Cocktails
  • Coffee
  • Comfort food
  • Healthy options
  • Quick bite
  • Salad bar
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Catering
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Bar onsite
  • Restroom

Atmosphere

  • Casual
  • Cozy
  • Historic
  • Trendy

Crowd

  • Family-friendly
  • Groups
  • LGBTQ+ friendly
  • Tourists

Planning

  • Accepts reservations

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • NFC mobile payments

Children

  • Good for kids
  • High chairs
  • Kids' menu

Parking

  • Free parking lot
  • Free street parking

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

4.3 out of 5
5
737
4
232
3
85
2
47
1
52
Based on 1153 reviews

bridina h.

4 months ago

My husband and I came here on a Monday afternoon. It was delicious! You can smell the smoker from the parking lot. The parking lot is a good size and there is more parking on the street. The soup served (beef barley) was so filling and seasoned perfectly! I got the pulled pork sandwich.. it is some of the best pulled pork I've had! The BBQ sauce was my favorite. They have a full bar. I appreciate that our waitress asked for my ID, it was an unexpected compliment. Her name was Jax and she was lovely. The atmosphere is cozy and the staff is very kind. There was a salad bar, and it looked to be a big hit. I will definitely be trying it for myself on my next visit. Something I really enjoyed and I don't come across it often: I was overhearing people from other tables comment on how they were loving the food. Can't wait to be back.

Camryn Swinford

Used to really like this place! Rolls and broccoli cheese soup are really the only good things here. I ordered a medium rare steak and received a BLUE rare. I politely told the waitress that was way too rare for me (I am 8 months pregnant). She was kind and took it back. Came out again (same cut of steak, did not get a new one) and it was still cooked super blue! I said I really cannot eat this. Took it back again & she agreed with me it was not med rare. Not pink at all, very purple! She brought back a new cut & manager came out. He is extremely rude, tried to tell me it was cooked & I need to order medium next time. Kept asking me “okay well do you want it cooked again or off your check..?” I told him “I’d prefer to get what I ordered so I can eat…” My entire family was arguing with him and he refused to have any accountability for the quality of service him & his cook were providing. I cook NY Strips weekly; this steak was way undercooked! i was very very upset to be spoken to so rudely and him trying to gaslight me that it was med rare. I will not be going back. Please know if you have an issue here, you will not get it resolved properly.

Jail Cop

I give it a solid 3.5 stars. We actually go a few times a month. My only problem here is the inconsistent meal quality. They have a tri tip sandwich they call famous. It's usually dry and over cooked. I like medium rare or at least medium. It is usually well done. Fries are usually great. Steaks are hit and miss. I've had really good ones, and I've had some crappy ones. It's more good than bad lately. Their veggies are usually overcooked and mushy. The glazed carrots are usually really good. They have the best calamari appetizer with cocktail sauce. My wife enjoys their salads. The steak salad and chicken salad. She also likes their teriyaki chicken sandwich. I had an excellent flat iron steak there a year or so ago. They only have it as a specialty once in a while. Their prime rib is usually pretty good. Go early on Friday and Saturday. They run out sometimes. You get fresh hot bread with your meal as well as soup. Soups are OK. I really like their chili. They have seafood chowder that's more like potato soup. Not much seafood. You might get a piece or 2 in your cup. Usually, if we can't decide on a restaurant, we end up at House of Beef.

49donmega

Food is good as always, but the service was really poor on this visit. We were a party of 8 total. Wasn't really crowded. Plates were missing items. Main items on plate were served hot sitting next to cold sides (hot burger with cold fries for example. Onions on items ordered with no onions. Beverages not received even after asking server twice. Among other things. Hopefully this was just a bad day for them and not an example of the decline in service there. The good food will have me going back although maybe to-go next time.

Tony Verruso (RelaxFullTime)

10 months ago

Haven't been out to that place in quite a while. Food was pretty good. Look like they were short staff and had to wait quite a bit. The bathroom was really dirty.

Caroline Mulry

We can’t really rate the food because we were completely ignored and not served at all. There were at least 7 or 8 servers walking around us but there was no contact or acknowledgment. We finally left and went to Bravo where we were immediately treated with respect and care.

Jennifer

Went here for Valentine’s dinner ordered prime rib and it had no flavor and extremely fatty the chili was cold and tasted sweet very thick didn’t eat it. My husbands prime rib was worse then mine and his mashed potatoes were cold and lumpy. My grandson ordered a New York steak and over half was fat. Very disappointed 😢 my husband and I both have upset stomachs tonite thinking it was from the prime rib because that’s the only thing we both had that was the same . We will never go there again

Candelario Lopez

Our recent visit to House of Beef on Veterans Day was, unfortunately, a major disappointment. We were a party of 13 celebrating a very special birthday, with a reservation for 6 p.m. While we had high hopes for the evening and had spoken highly of the restaurant to our group, the experience fell far short of our expectations due to poor service from our waitress and the way the food was served. From the moment our server approached our table, it was clear that providing us with excellent service was not her priority. She made no effort to create a welcoming atmosphere, and her attitude gave the impression that our presence was an inconvenience. The service only worsened as the evening progressed. Our soups were served cold, and the bread, which is typically served at the beginning of the meal, had to be specifically requested. No ranch dressing for the sampler & very few soft drink selections (Cherry Coke & Diet Coke only) While the steaks and desserts were the highlight of the meal, the rest of the dining experience was underwhelming at best. What made the experience especially embarrassing and upsetting was the lack of care shown to our group, particularly since this was the first time we had brought new people to the restaurant. For a restaurant of House of Beef’s reputation, this level of service is unacceptable. We had hoped for an enjoyable evening to celebrate a special occasion, but instead, we were left feeling unwelcome and disappointed. Some in our group even felt discriminated against. This was, unfortunately, our last visit. We spent over $800 and, sadly, received nothing but awful service in return. I sincerely hope that the restaurant takes steps to improve the service provided by their waitstaff to ensure that no other guests have to endure such a negative experience. Great food and exceptional service should go hand in hand, and it’s a shame this was not the case for us.

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 11 AM–9 PM
Monday 11 AM–9 PM
Saturday 11 AM–9 PM
Sunday Closed
Thursday 11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–9 PM

Price Range

$$