Porter’s Place

I have been to Porters Place many many times. I lived in Lehi many years ago when the only great place to eat was Porters. I took my husband here to see what he thought of this wonderfully nostalgic restaurant. They feature buffalo and elk burgers and your typical beef hamburger. But they have much more than burgers. Steaks are a yummy treat cooked to tour liking. You feel like you have gone back in time as you can belly up to the bar or sit in the quaint dinning room. They have plenty of room for large dinner parties too. It is a destination you will want to experience!

Ok if you just want a salad bar. That’s actually pretty good – no protein, but everything is fresh. The French dip was meh. The Diet Coke wasn’t the best. Might go back if someone wanted to see it for the History and Ambience. But that and the salad bar are about it.

This will be the first and last time that I eat at Porters Place. We ordered medium steaks which 1 came out well done and the other raw. These steaks lacked flavor and were the toughest meat we’ve ever had. Let me caveat that I asked the server how they cook their steaks to which she said over cook.
The best part of the meal was the salad bar, baked potato and the beans.
The service was good and attentive which I greatly appreciate especially if the food is poor.
At least I can say I tried Porter’s Place. That being said I realize this place has history and is locally owned. I believe we should support local/​family business but, the food is over priced and subpar at best. Run and run fast and go to Texas Roadhouse as the food is far superior and cost less.

Don’t come here! Owner doesn’t care about his costumers and neither do the employees. You wait long time for food that is over priced and not pleasing. Spend your money else where because this is just the saddest little restaurant.

Awesome atmosphere. Poor customer service. Food is horrible don’t eat the pork chops.

The sirloin was very tough and had no flavor. The service was great and the bread was delicious. Just wouldn’t recommend the beef.

We have lived in Lehi for 8 years and finally decided to come here. I hate to say I would have been alright with never coming. Honestly the food was not bad. I had the elk burger and I enjoyed it though I felt it very over-​priced. The biggest issue was the service. There was only one server there and though it wasn’t busy, she just couldn’t keep up. We had to wait a very long time for our food and a very long time for the check. By the end I couldn’t bring myself to order any dessert and endure anymore waiting.
I want to give this place a higher rating because it seems like a Lehi staple, but it just isn’t great. I guess everyone needs to go once to say they have been, but that’s probably the only reason.

If you want a awesome burger beef elk or buffalo this is a great place to try. Unfortunately that’s about it every thing else is very over priced and no flavor. I for one like the old look and feel of the place but it could use a good cleaning and update

This place is pretty cool and you have to love the history that just fills this place. The atmosphere is absolutely great. There is so many cool things to look at. The foods and drinks are good. If you are a meat lover, you’ll love this place. Although, it’s pretty expensive. The service isn’t really bad, but not good either. Very casual, on the slow side. The salad & fruit bar is small and although it’s okay, it is nothing special. Particularly the fruit part. The buffalo burgers are good. Some meals/​portions are average or small for the prices. Others have great portions, but just expensive. I would rate this place as below average/​a 2 star, but because of the amazing ambience and what a historic landmark it is definitely a 3 star/​average. Check out to this place for the history alone.

Two bad meals in a row with bad reviews on Unilocal.I feel so negative this week, but must be honest and forthright about Porter’s Place. I’m a local and neighbors warned me about it. I went a couple years ago but only got a French Dip. It was not good, but didnt want to judge bc this is a steakhouse… I thought. I bought a $ 40 Groupon for $ 15 and STILL feel jipped. I honestly dont know how they stay in business. The owner must be independently wealthy. The place is small and dirty. Fine… I can overlook the grime on walls bc of the «old west» theme and bc the food is awesome, right? Wrong. Service was young kids who probably didnt go through any training. Two tried to help me with the ridiculously sized menu (no way you dont lose money with a menu that big… and nobody can cook that many items).
The «salad bar» looks like a cart found in a middle school cafeteria. I was going to take a pic but the owner/​manager was standing there. All the salad was white and yellow iceberg. No green leafs or spinach. Very few fixings.
They dont really have appetizers, just sides I guess. I asked about apps and they suggested the scones (3 big pcs for $ 4.50) with honey butter and they were DELICIOUS… however theyre made down the street so Porter’s just fries them. GET THESE SCONES… you’ll want them after your meal for sure so you dont leave hungry. Theyre more of a dessert, but when I asked about appetizers the server suggested them, so whatever.
I ordered the 16oz «suppertime top sirloin» dinner (suggested) for $ 29.99. I saw a baked potato on the way in, and it looked bad, so I got fries. Also came with baked beans (from a can and stirred with liquid smoke… seriously, that’s what it tasted like). The mini loaf of white bread was VERY good but they only give one per meal.
The steak… ohhhhhh the steak. Grilled which is fine. Thin cut and little bit overdone (ordered med rare) but not bad. ZERO taste. Zero. I dont even think they put salt on it before cooking. The cut was nothing special and lots of tough fat (not the good fat). Server asked if I wanted A-​1 sauce (funny huh? but I declined. After 5 or 6 bites I asked for it. Simply no flavor. No marinade. No salt and pepper rub before cooking. It’s like they just went to the grocery store and grabbed one to cook. No fancy cut. It was not dry, thank GOODNESS.
Don’t eat here. My single meal was $ 50 after tip. The groupon made it easier to deal with, but still very disappointed. The owner must not read reviews bc the place hasnt changed in years. No way it makes money. It was dead and they dont serve alcohol.
Lehi needs a steakhouse bc this is NOT it. Sorry Porter’s.

Gotta try the buffalo burger here! And you can’t start off your meal without their warm, delicious scones! We have been twice now and each time we have had excellent, friendly, and helpful service! There is even a groupon for it right now if you want to get a great discount to try it out!

If you live in Utah County, and know anyone over the age of 50, then I would bet good solid money that you’ve heard of Porter’s Place. It’s been a Lehi staple for years.
And that’s literally the only thing going for it.
As a theme restaurant, the décor and ambiance of the building is cute and quaint. It’s very old timey, with an old fashioned cash register at front next to a soda jerk station. The wallpaper reeks of the 1910’s and the chandeliers are super quaint.
As far as the food goes, I’d say it’s over priced and sadly disappointing. I ordered the mesquite chicken dinner, which came with bread (I chose wheat), beans, baked potato and unlimited salad bar. I expected to get a nice piece of barbequed chicken or at least super mesquite flavored chicken. What I received was a wet piece of chicken with little to no flavoring on it. With one bite, I also realized it tasted exactly like fish. I am a super hater of fish, so one bite literally sent my gag reflex to 100%. It was slimy, and distinctly fishy. I couldn’t even finish it.
The salad was fine but it’s hard to mess up salad. The bread was average, the potato was great, and the beans were decent. Nothing about this meal screamed «I’M SO GOOD. PLEASE EAT ME ALLLLLL UP.» I was lucky to finish half my meal which I paid nearly 25 dollars for.
The ironport soda was a delight, which I would love to have if I were to re-​visit this establishment. I believe if I come again, I would choose to eat only salad and potatoes.
Sorry, Porter’s Place. Your quaint log cabin from 1910 isn’t enough for me to keep coming.

One sentence review: your meal will be disappointing but you should go anyway.
So I went here with a big group and I picked it because even though it has… Less than fantastic reviews, it’s a Utah legend and I felt like everyone that lives here has to try it once. For the record: I was totally right. Everyone should try it. Once.
First of all, the atmosphere is fantastic. I imagine that this is what an old west Saloon/​Whore house would look like. In other words, it was amazing. The room we sat in had maroon and gold damask wallpaper, several long wooden tables and a few portraits and paintings of… stuff from Utah’s history probably. Every single member of the group commented at some point during our time there that they were concerned about the stability of their chairs and one person even ended up swapping chairs with a nearby empty table.
The menus were frankly ridiculous. There several items on it that sound almost like jokes and a bunch that have discriptions that seem more like existential haiku than something you can actually digest, (Check out my picture of the specialty drink menu to see what I mean.)
The service was only so-​so, our waitress was quick to refill our drinks but more than a little difficult to flag down otherwise… Even when she was standing at the other end of our table.
The food was at best, a let down. The specialty drinks were expensive and a lot of work seemingly went into making them but taste wise, they were only okay. Nothing terribly unique or exciting but not bad either. I ordered Rockwell’s Revelation, which was supposed to be a grilled mesquite chicken sandwich what I got was an unseasoned breast on a hamburger bun with lettuce, mayo and nothing else; I’m not entirely sure what about that is supposed to be «mesquite.» It came with a baked potato which was quite good, but also quite difficult to screw up.
All in all, I had a good time with my friends and I’m glad I tried Porter’s Place, it’s a Utah legend after all; but it’s not a place I’d choose to go again.

We just moved here and have driven by this place a couple times and decided to go out for a date night. I was craving steak so naturally you walk in to the place on Main Street with a huge STEAK HOUSE sign above the doors.
As soon as we walked in the place was completely empty with the exception of a couple elderly friends. That should have been a sign for us to leave… But I knew I wanted steak and potatoes and didn’t think they could mess that up… Due to the ambience and obvious aged décor it looked like they had time to build a reputation for their steak at least.
First thing I noticed were the cold beans that looked like they were straight from the can… I was looking for mashed potatoes but settled for the Frontier Potatoes. They were super thickly cut and very very bland-​No seasoning.
Steak was also bland and super thin. I made sure not to finish my meal to save room for our next stop for the night… Texas Roadhouse. Seriously.

The food and service were good but this place is so dusty, dirty and grimy. It needs to be cleaned. Everything has so much dust hanging on it, including the wood plank walls.
The prices for dinner are on the high side but we really liked our meals. The salad bar was adequate but the lettuce wasn’t cold and crispy like it should be. The salad dressings are not homemade. Everything comes out of a can or bottle.
We loved the ironport drink. We love the nostalgia of the old west and Porter Rockwell atmosphere. Our server was so polite and took good care of us.
I got the shrimp dinner and my husband got the sirloin steak. My shrimp were just the typical deep fried shrimp but they were meaty and good. The steak was cooked as ordered but it was a little tough. The baked potatoes were good, the bread was warm and we each got our own little baby loaf. All dinners come with baked beans. They tasted homemade and were good. We couldn’t finish everything.
We probably won’t visit here very often since the prices are on the higher side and the place is pretty filthy. There are other eating places that are cleaner and just as good.
The menus even need to be wiped down. The tables are covered with tacky faux leather and are sticky and seem dirty.
Give this place a facelift and deep cleaning and we’d go back.

In short: Old-​timey ambiance but the food isn’t drastically better than Wendy’s. The beans are tasty though. :)

What an excellent piece of meat! Great service, with warm friendly smiles. Salad bar was just enough, but that New York strip was the best steak I’ve had in a long time! Cooked to perfection, and tender as can be.
The place is small, but if you want a frilly place to eat, don’t come to a place named after a tough grinding man like porter Rockwell. If you want to step back in time, and feel like you’re coming in after a long days ride, this is your place, where they’ll treat you like the man you are.

Based on all the negative reviews I’d seen my expectations for Porter’s Place were pretty low. But it wasn’t a bad experience, though it could have been really great.
Our service was good.
Food was hot and palatable but neither interesting nor delicious. We had the French dip (bland) and the chicken fried steak (plain brown gravy).
The atmosphere was what you’d come for: Old west-​style décor with smoke from the grill.
The seating, however, was really uncomfortable. Both the benches and the table rocked constantly.
We’re glad we went, but I doubt we’ll go back soon unless we hear they’ve improved the menu and the seating.

I must have driven past Porter’s Place hundreds of times during my life without going there. On a night a couple weeks ago it was finally the time to go.
The interior is about what you would expect. Old, but clean. Chairs and table were a little rickety, but worked and were comfortable.
The menu is insane. It’s huge. There seems to be a couple hundred things on the menu. That should have been the first sign of warning… no place can have 2 or 3 employees and properly cook everything on a menu like that. I decided to play it safe and ask for the waiters recommendation. I ended up with a buffalo burger. We noticed they had Iron Port, which is a fantastic soda that very few places have, so I got a large. I was worried about not getting free refills on it, but it was big enough that even after drinking freely of it there was still plenty left at the end of the night.
The food came out a little bit later than I would have hoped. The burger was good at first, but gradually got more and more pink as I ate. My girlfriend would have stopped eating halfway in, but I braved the buffalo and ate most of it. It was a gamble, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had food poisoning the next day, but I survived just fine.
The frontier potatoes are just potato wedges. They were a little too thick for my preference, but they were good. I had some of my girlfriends cowboy beans and they were okay, but cold.
Overall it was an okay experience. I think it could be a great experience if they would cut back on a lot of the menu though. I wouldn’t touch seafood there at all. Less options gives the cooks better training on doing it right, which would have prevented my pink burger.
It’s a place I’ve always wondered about and wanted to love. I’ll give it another shot in the future. The piano player also just died as well.

One of my favorite places. Atmosphere is fun, seems like what it would be in an old saloon 100+ years ago.
Meats are always perfectly cooked, not too rare and not dry.
I really like the specialty items like the Buffalo Meat and the drinks they do.
Best salad bar around and the ice cream comes from the BYU creamery so you know its good.
The fries are good, but opt for the frontier potatoes which are basically potato logs, they are fantastic with ranch dressing.
Also don’t forget to get an order of Scones, they are amazing!!!