Ponderosa Steakhouse

I only ate here one time when I was a teen and thought it was lousy then. But decided to try it again in a pinch and wanted a variety of food…
Mistake again. Was dirty, food was the cheapest grungy food I’ve ever seen. And it wasn’t even cheap at that. Don’t want to be too personal but the fellow people there were pretty gross as well. Very trashy experience over all. 2 stars only because I knew that it was to be expected really.

Clean, buffet was filled whole visit, good value waitresses were all fast, friendly chicken dumplings were very good freid chicken & veggies was also good salad and desert bar had some great choices

I’m giving it a 2 star because I’ve been to other ponderosa with a better mixture of food. But I am giving it an extra star because everything was fresh and our server was awesome. She was taking care of the back room with a bunch of big parties and we never had to wait on a drink refill.
As far as the food was concerned it fresh and had desent flavor. The issue I had was it was a lot of the same stuff. How many different types of potatoes do you need? I’ve been to other ponderosa and they had pasta maybe pot roast. Tonight must have been chicken night. Fried chicken, baked chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken in noodles. I will say the baked was really good. It was moist and cooked to perfection. The salad bar was nice, but the dessert section was kind of weak. The desserts was fresh, but the selection was not big. The bread pudding (I think that’s what it was) was my favorite. They had a cherry cobbler that was a close second.
It is cheaper than going to a Golden Corral, but you sacrifice food selection for saving a few dollars. No one that was with us complained about anything.

If you like extremely limited selection, piss poor food, and cold, unfriendly staff– this is the place for you. Also, not to sound unkind, but the only people that really eat here anymore are the elderly… so if you like being surrounded by a sea of wheezing, archaic people and plentiful, judgmental stares, you might also choose this place for lunch. Nearly every employee sulks about the restaurant as if they (much like the clientele) are 85 years old. Oh, and in addition to this, the buffet food is often… how do I say this… «hairy».

Full disclosure I am not really a big buffet person, but my boyfriends friend is in town and said he skipped lunch and was starving and really wanted to go. So we went. They are doing a special where they let you get two steak/​shrimp/​chicken dinners and free buffet with it, which is what my boyfriend and I opted to do.
We both tried a little of everything… Nothing was great, it was either passable or bad. The best thing I ate was the salad bar. I know that the place is supposed to be home style comfort food, but there is not a lot of great veggie or fruit options. All the food was lukewarm. The plates in the «chilled plates» container next to the fruit was bizarrely steaming hot?
The fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni were all ok. If you have a picky eater with you those would be my recommendation. That, or the salad bar.
To be fair we came near the end of their operating hours so maybe the food is fresher earlier in the day.
Final note: the coffee is not great, I do not recommend it unless you are desperate.

The on again, off again, on again, off again, on again franchise known as Ponderosa Steakhouse has never really abandoned its presence in the Hoosier state even during its leanest time. Started in the mid-1960’s by local auto dealer Norm Wiese (along with Dan Lasater and Charles Kleptz), Ponderosa Steakhouse would rather quickly also include the Bonanza chain and would have a very modest presence in the 80s and 90s before starting to bounce back in the late 90s. It’s still not a huge chain, but now operated by Homestyle Dining LLC, Ponderosa Steakhouse still has a pretty decent Hoosier presence including this Southside location.
Every time I drive by this place, it seems to be crowded. It is a steakhouse so, rather obviously, it offers modestly priced steaks (most are in the $ 10 — 15 range). It also offers pasta, fish, chicken and, of course, a buffet.
Ponderosa is housed in a free-​standing building at the corner of Emerson and Thompson in the same parking lot as one of the city’s two remaining Kmart stores. It’s an obviously older building. They have a couple of non-​ADA compliant accessible spots along with a curb cut that, oddly enough, is located across from the spots rather than next to them. I’m guessing that there’s either been renovation or someone was dropping acid when they designed it.
As you enter the first set of doors, there’s a second set of doors — one is for entering and going up to an ordering counter. The other is where you exit. The ordering counter has their meal menus along with their buffet, though it’s not very clearly explained. I don’t know that I actually saw the buffet price tonight, but the person working the counter was helpful enough that it worked. You pay, get your receipt and then you can pick out a table in their large dining room. You leave the receipt on the table and a server will bring you your drink while you go get your food.
This all seems weird considering right now on the Ponderosa website it brags that they were rated #1 in customer service for steak/​buffet restaurants (Is that really even a thing?) by Restaurant News Magazine (Which, oddly enough, really is a thing). They brag about their «full-​service,» yet you have to go get your own food.
How is that full service? I mean, sure, they bring you your drink. Big whoop?
My server, and I use that term lightly, was Mona and she was definitely friendly and quite obsessive about clearing plates (and admitted it). I also got serenaded by a lovely young child who was belting out «Tomorrow» from the musical «Annie.» I didn’t pay extra for it.
The food on the buffet consisted largely of chicken variations (tenders, fried chicken, baked chicken, bbq chicken, etc.), ham, noodles, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a few other mostly «homestyle» type options. They also offer desserts, including sugar free options, and rolls.
To respect my diet, I mostly stuck with chicken options along with mashed potatoes, carrots, and a couple rolls. They also offer soups and a salad bar. I did sample the meatloaf, but am largely avoiding red meat these days and didn’t want to push it. I picked a sugar free dessert option. The food was decent — Of what I tried, truly nothing was anything I would ever go out of the way to have again. The meatloaf was probably the best. The rolls were fair, the mashed potatoes were bland, the ham was fair, and the fried chicken was standard issue fried chicken.
Here’s the thing. While I may have eaten a little more than I would most places since it was a buffet, it wasn’t a lot more and the meal came in at about $ 14.50.
WAY too much.
I actually thought about my experience at Georgia Reese’s — where you got southern style cuisine that is also incredibly overpriced.
The atmosphere is very busy. If you know the old Ponderosa style restaurants, then you have a good sense of this place. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite inviting either. I also found it to be a tad bit dirty and the self-​serve buffet was, in spots, a bit difficult to reach from a wheelchair and staff weren’t readily available for assistance.
Overall, I didn’t hate my time at Ponderosa. Mona was friendly and the food was decent. It was not particularly wheelchair friendly, definitely felt overpriced, and they felt the need to post signs like «We don’t give „to go“ containers.» I understand the reason, but it seems rather cheap and tacky.
I’ve bounced between the idea of a 2 or a 3-​star here. However, on some level the difference between the two for me is «Will I go back?» You can give me an average experience, but if I’m thinking to myself «I’ll still go back» then I lean toward a 3-​star rating. If, however, I immediately find myself saying «Well, I won’t be going back,» then a 2-​star rating feels more appropriate.
I suppose I understand the crowd, but if I’m going to spend that much cash I expect to truly receive full service and to be a bit more content by meal’s end.

It’s Ponderosa not a 5 star $ 75 a plate steakhouse…
I live near and frequent this Ponderosa. I love the fried drummetts. The food is always hot and fresh. (With exceptions to the rolls being a little cold one out of maybe fifteen times) The wait staff is always friendly and prompt. On occasions where I do order a steak I think it’s really well made, and that’s the cheapy sirloin.
Could the Buffett have more choices? Sure. Who wouldn’t like more choices? Is it sufficient for the price? I think so…
I also like taking my little guy on Monday when it’s kid night. Binkie (I think that’s his name) the clown is there to make balloon animals for the kids.

well after all the reviews I was not sure what to expect. we have always gone to the Mooresville location and now they have closed down so we thought we would give this location a try. we went tonight Friday October 10^th and it was packed at 745pm. They had a lot of food and it was all hot and fresh. I wish they would put for fried chicken wings out as i never got any tonight. we left full. the dessert bar was something to be desired. very picked over and not really appetizing. but everything else was great and i didnt go for the dessert. they had lots of different meats and vegetables. I am not much of a salad eater so cant tell you what was on there.

I went late on a Saturday night and had a great experience. Staff was friendly, enthusiastic, and attentive, my salad was fresh and good (and the platter is cheaper than the buffet) and my steak and baked potato were perfectly cooked and very tasty. Why pay more elsewhere? I will come back soon.

This place is ok for a quick bite out with the fam, but don’t expect the best quality of food. The staff is welcoming, nice, and will go out of their way for you. They are the reason the rating is bumped up to a three instead of two. The food at this establishment is in no way worth the cost.

Maybe because I didn’t order a steak or go to the salad bar that my review isn’t as low-​rated as most of the others. I was seriously craving an American-​style buffet, so tired of those «Chinese» ones that are everywhere. I read reviews for nearby Ryan’s and Golden Corral and they seemed iffy. My boyfriend was reminiscing about his childhood and talked about Ponderosa Steakhouse and said they had all closed down. I looked them up and turns out this location is the only one in the Indianapolis area, and we live 15 minutes away!
Yes, they don’t have a huge selection of food compared to other buffets, but it was sufficient. The place was clean, the food was nice and hot (again, didn’t eat any salad), and they continuously filled up the small trays they were in. I can tell some of the food came out of boxes or cans (like the mashed potatoes and green beans), but maybe it’s because I don’t normally eat American food that I still loved it. I was so incredibly full and I still managed to go to the dessert section, where they had plenty of cheesecake, pie, and ice cream to make me regret my decision. I felt like my stomach didn’t go down for a few hours after that.
I can’t wait to come back!

I have found that our trips to this Ponderosa to be way better than previous comments, the salad bar was fuller and not mixed and clean and when shown the discolored lettuce, they took it out and brought fresh, and the eggs were not frozen, and had actual ham not mystery meat, the dressings might have been miss labeled but you should be able to tell what most are, and they will redo them.
They do have hot wings and there are times you can’t find them, that’s do to the fact they go quick, and they put more out as quick as they get done cooking, they generally have a better selection on the buffet than a lot of other locations and almost always hot.
Our steaks have never been burnt and always cooked perfectly,(no blood) and the baked potatoes was never cold inside like the steaks and potatoes in Mooresville, In.
Yes there our way too many high school working there to make it a formal eating place, but I do agree to the hanging out bit. I have seen the management on the floor and came to our table to check on us and several other tables.
The desert bar was even full and the ice cream machine even worked at this one.
I find this a great place to bring family and friends for food and fun.

I have to agree with previous reviewers. Came from Alabama for a funeral and expected much better having heard things. The food is average or below. My wife ordered shrimp from the menu. It took almost half an hour and was cooked in old oil. Not the worse place, but don’t expect good food… just food.

Granted, I don’t expect too much when I go to a Ponderosa, but this one is the absolute worst I have ever seen. Compared to others, there is very little selection as far as hot foods and salads. They have the basic lettuce and toppings, but no prepared salads. By the way, the iceberg lettuce was brown.
The hot food is kept in large pots in the buffet. They wrote hot wings on the window but there were none. The food was disorganized and messy. For instance, you would find nacho chip particles in the spaghetti. I also ordered a steak. When the waitress brought the steak she goes, «I’ll be right back to make sure it was cooked correctly». It wasn’t but I did not want to deal with the wait.
In fact, the staff appeared to be mostly high school students who were acting like they were in the school hallways and not a workplace. There did not seem to be any management presence around.

When my parents visit they always love to go here. I on the other hand rarely go here because the atmosphere is horrible. The all you can eat salad bar is the best thing to get. The prices have gone up and are now so expensive that this place isn’t worth the price.

Okay, very disappointing. First visit here was definitely the last. We walked in and the set up was very confusing and ill designed, so the vibe was bad from the beginning. The salad bar was labeled wrong — so everyone in our party got fat free ranch by mistake and it was basically like they put water in it to thin it out — and boy was it thin. Just raunchy. The salad itself wasn’t refilled so there was barely enough for all of us to partake. There weren’t a lot of options either — so it was pretty much lettuce, cheese and dressing. The rest of the food on the buffet had that glazed over look — like it had been sitting all day… I know you risk that by going to a buffet — but honestly? My husband got a steak meal plus the salad bar — and he had to send his steak back. He orders his steaks rare — it was more like, well done. A good chef should know the difference. Additionally, the bathrooms were *atrocious* and I hesitated to even use them. Several members of the wait staff were also hanging around and taking breaks in the dining room area — being loud, sitting in booths and just being annoying in general. I really hate that. Stay away from this restaurant if you want a pleasant relaxing dining experience. Save your money.