TJ’s Steakhouse

No longer in business. Replaced by Jerks restaurant.

Been a huge fan of tjs for many years. I also enjoyed the food and the great service. Last year you could get an 8oz sirloin, potato, salad, bread and appetizer for 11.99. Best deal in town! Steak always fresh and cooked right. Best place in Cedar Rapids to get a steak. A year ago it was 5 stars.
A new owner took over. For the same 8oz steak, potato, salad, bread, and NO APPETIZER it’s 13.99. So prices went up and you got way less. The new bread isn’t a very high quality bread like before.
I never had any issues before with how my steak was done. I get medium rare. It was but the edges were burnt. Making a quarter of the steak unbeatable.
I still go once in a while. I use to go once a week. I might go every three months. I keep hoping they change back.

The service was friendly. The prime rib was good but I had to ask for horse radish sauce. Wife enjoyed the filet mignon.

Ate here Saturday and enjoyed the steak a lot. We arrived around 7:30 and were a little surprised that there was no wait for a table. It wasn’t very crowded, but it made for a nicer environment.
I had the rib eye and husband had the strip. Both were cooked correctly and tasted amazing! I even stopped eating my potato so that I could eat the steak then and not take home leftovers.
I would say that the Beer/​wine selection was lacking.
Service was fair, nothing too great and certainly nothing bad.
Prices did seem a little high, but knowing what prices are in the store, I understand.
We will be back again soon!

Stop the presses!!!
TJ’s has changed, and not for the better.
My wife and I went in last night. Everything seemed the same, but somehow different. Then we noticed the menu had changed. Ok, prime rib was now available on Friday & Saturday nights, and there was now a regular T-​bone option. Then… we noticed the prices.
The prices went up… A LOT!!!
The server confirmed that prices went up. I noted they went up a lot, she said only a dollar or so, but I disagree. I don’t have an old menu, but they went up more than a dollar or so.
Plus, they no longer serve their appetizer/​relish plate with meals. I’m sorry, but I liked that. It was different, and it was good.
The server did say there was a recent change in ownership.
The food is still good otherwise, but I have to remove a star, primarily because of the huge price increase.

I found TJ’s on Unilocal while in Cedar Rapids for a business trip. I read the reviews, like what I read, and we decided to check it out. The appearance wasn’t much on the outside or the inside, but the food was great! We both had the TJ’s (ribeye I think?) steak. I’d go back again for sure!

Decent steakhouse. Not over-​the-​top awesome but decent. Service was great, prime rib was average, atmosphere was a throwback to the 70’s. And that appetizer… WTH was that? It was good, just odd. Nothing negative to say about TJ’s overall. However, people tend to bash chain restaurants simply because they are a chain. As if an independent restaurant is inherently better because they don’t follow a franchise model. Side-​by-​side, I would choose Texas Roadhouse over TJ’s any day. Btw, for all you low-​carbers/​South Beach dieters, there’s plenty of options here. You won’t go hungry. You can sub the potato for steamed veggies.

For me right now this is the best steakhouse in town. Steaks are tasty and done right for us. Better than any of the chains in town by a long-​shot. Have been there several times. Keep up the good work.

Very nice staff and good service. Just fair food. I had a pork chop and baked potato. Wasn’t anything to write home about but not inedible either.
I’d say a better choice would have been the ribs.

When my boyfriend and I used to live in Cedar Rapids, we loved coming to TJ’s. The servers were friendly and you could tell they had been there for ages because any question we had on the menu it took them no time at all to answer it. We went there for Valentine’s Day, and they had candles all nicely out on the table.
The amount of food you get for your money is amazing. You get a salad (best house salad I’ve ever had), appetizer sampler plate, bread, and your main dish with side. We absolutely loved going here and are sad that we don’t live as close.

This place is great I saw a 55 ounce steak right there while eating at the bar! Way better than any chain. The ribeye was flavorful and big. Skip outbacks go here

This place makes steak about better than any other steakhouse in town. At other places, my meat is overcooked. At TJ’s, both times I’ve been there, my steak had been cooked to perfection. The parking sucks and I find it disturbing to have to park on the side of the street in front of someone’s house to go eat good steak, just because people want to play euchre (and they don’t even eat, it’s just a meeting place.) The atmosphere is not my style and the booth seats weren’t very comfortable, but the food made up for it.

A decent local steakhouse, but only if you like medium or medium-​rare.
I’ve been here a few times and always found it pretty decent.
I like the atmosphere, though it is quite dark inside. They should up the lights about 10% or so.
The service is always very good. One strange thing is that you get this free appetizer plate that has a variety of stuff not on the menu. I find it a very bizarre business decision, but enjoy it.
The main food is very good. So why am I grading it with only 3 stars? Because I can’t eat there because their chef apparently can’t understand what medium-​well is. The last several times I’ve gone, I’ve clearly asked for medium-​well and gotten medium or even medium-​rare instead.
I could understand this happening with a line cook at Perkins or whatever, but if I’m paying for decent steak I want it cooked and expect the chef to be able to cook it the way I ask.

STEAK. This is what TJs is about, in large portions. Generous plates of food including appetizer sampler that comes with most entrees will not leave you hungry. TJs chooses to ditch the normal «steakhouse» atmosphere for a family dinning atmosphere and their good prices reflect that. The only downside I experienced was their bread loaves tasted pre-​made store bought. This however was a minor blemish on a excellent experience. Highly recommend.

This is a really nice option for a steak dinner. They have prime rib on Wednesday nights, and Boyfriend said it was the best cut of prime rib he has ever had. I usually don’t go for prime rib because it is way too fatty for me and it usually has the looks of a strange roast beef/​pot roast, but this was awesome. I regretted not ordering it myself!
We did get ignored for the first 5 – 8 minutes, which is always annoying when you see other tables who were seated after you be greeted, drinks brought, etc, before you’ve been acknowledged. But everything after that was great. Our server didn’t bring the courses out too fast, she timed everything out very well so we didn’t have plates sitting one right on top of the other. The relish tray that comes with the meal was pretty good. It had a couple chicken wings, cocktail smokies, a few pieces of Swiss cubes, some broccoli & pickle spears.
The salads were nice. They were spring mix and romaine with croutons, onion, black olive, shredded cheddar, and a baby carrot. They had plenty of dressings to choose from as well. Steaks were cooked as asked and our baked potatoes were absolutely loaded with butter and sour cream. I could have probably spooned half of each off onto the side. The bread was nothing special, but Boyfriend (who has dined there before) said that they used to have different, better bread the last time he was there. So maybe they switch bread sometimes? Regardless, it was still a great meal. We were the youngest people there by a generation and I got to listen to the lady behind me talk about blood sugar testers more than I ever cared to hear, but hey… whatever!
Bottom line, we’ll be back!

Nice place, good food, reasonable prices. Kid friendly.

TJ’s Steakhouse is one of Cedar Rapids’ best kept secrets. It’s the trifecta of eateries: good food, good service and good value. They seem to have an older, but loyal clientele. Steak dinners are in the $ 11-​$ 17 range and come complete with a relish tray appetizer, huge salad, roll & butter and choice of potato. If you’re looking for an even better deal, get the coupon from the Penny Saver and get a 8-​oz sirloin steak dinner for just $ 8 on Thursdays. It feels a little like stealing, so leave a big tip to ease your guilt — the waitresses here are worth it.