J. Gilbert's Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood Columbus

We have lived about 2 miles away from this restaurant for the past six years and pass it each time we take our family to Bravo Italian for a family meal. My husband and I decided to try J. Gilberts for one of our ""date"" nights sans children. The first visit, we both enjoyed most everything. The waitress was a tad too talkative and annoying, but the food was incredibly good. We both had petite filets with broccolini and pecan green beans. They were the best steaks we've ever had. The atmosphere had ""ambiance"", and we felt like this was going to be our ""date night"" goto restaurant going forward. About six weeks later, my husband had received a coupon for $15 off of $30 via his email. He printed it out and made a second ""date night"" reservation for us on a Saturday evening. This visit was regretable from the start, and we will not be returning to J. Gilberts because of a few minor flaw in the service. Upon arrival (about 5 minutes before our reservation time), we walked into an emtpy foyer/greet area...no customers. The hostess advised us it would be a few minutes before we could be seated. In perusing around, we noticed several wait staff in the bar area gathered chatting and laughing. When we were finally seated (about 10 minutes later), our walk through the restaurant to our table (back near the kitchen entrance/exit) showed that the restaurant wasn't ""packed"" by any means. Why the wait? We had our coupon sitting out throughout our entire meal...visible to our waiter. We opted to forego the appetizers and dessert w/this meal, and I do feel this alters wait staff attitudes. We like to save our appetites for the meal, and had other plans for dessert at another restaurant. The meal was spectacular, and we presented the waiter w/our coupon which he took to formulate our bill. He returned and indicated that in the fine print of the coupon it states ""not valid on Saturdays"". An honest mistake on our part which we acknowledged and I reached for my wallet to get my debit card to pay for our meal. Here's the deal breaker: the waiter, taps the coupon, comments ""Yeah--you just have to read the fine print.""...and rushes off to go take the individual orders of an 8 person party next to us before processing our check so we could go. I looked at my husband in disbelief: ""Did he really just condescend and instruct us to 'read the fine print'?"" Did he ask his manager for an exception on the coupon as a courtesy? If he did, he didn't indicate this. Even if he didn't, his communication was arrogant and belittling. My tip(?): instruction to him on how he could have better handled our scenario and subsequently retained our patronage. We will be returning to Bravo Italian just up the road from J. Gilberts for future dinners (date nights, family dinners for us and our three children, and my husband's many business dinners). We have never been disappointed w/their service and food. more

I must say food is worse than the lack of service. I would recommend that you to not waste your time or money here. Food is very salty - from the salad to the KC steak. It is so bad that my dog can't even eat it. Service is equally bad with the exception of the bar - the bar service was superb. If I had any pleasant suggestion, I would encourage you to only stop here for a drink at the bar - don't order any food or step foot in the restaurant. Rating: Step-below AppleBee's more

My wife & I have been going to J Gilberts for almost 10yrs. We went there again last night & sat in the bar, since we didn't want to wait for a table. more

My fiance and I have been going to J Gilberts for our birthdays since we moved to Columbus in 2001. The atmosphere is wonderful, dimly lit, quiet, romantic, and the food is excellent. We always get the same thing, my finace the three petite steaks with different toppings on them which he swears by and myself the chicken marsala which is hands down the best chicken I have ever had. The service has been superb everytime, especially when my fiance proposed to me in May over dinner. We will continue to share our special occasions there for many years to come. Pros: romantic, excellent food, service is flawless Cons: there aren't more of them in town more

My boyfriend and I went there first time on Valentine's Day. Pros: great foods, services Cons: nothing so far. more

If you consider yourself a foodie, and you have a little extra cash, you would need a plane ticket to do any better than J. Gilbert's. Bring some aspirin: the food is so delicious, your head will hurt from how far and often your eyes roll into your head. For special occasions or a well-deserved treat, this is THE place. The dining area is romantic, and the silence is broken only by the murmurs of delight. The menu is small, but with dishes this savory, there's always an excellent choice. Pros: Savory nuanced flavors, satisfaction Cons: Licking the plate clean in front of your date more

We go to alot of restaurants, but J Gilberts is in the top 5 on our list. First time visitors, we made reservations on a Friday nite at 8pm. We totally expected a crowded, dimly lit place where we might have to yell at the top our our lungs, but this place was totally different. We were seated promptly, the surroundings were quiet and professional, the waitstaff outstanding. The food was to die for. I would highly recommend this place for anniversaries, business meetings or whenever you want an outstanding meal. Pricing is moderate to high, but I don't mind paying for good service, excellent cuisine, and pleasant quiet surroudings. Five stars in my book! Pros: Outstanding steaks, waitstaff, atmosphere Cons: No negatives that I saw! more

Great food, great bar, great restaurant!!! I've been going to J Gilbert's for years and it has never failed to impress! Wonderful place to do business or celebrate an occasion. Superb bar staff with great recognition and sense of humor!!!!!! Killer decor and excellent chef. If you haven't been, you're missing out!!! Pros: bar staff, great atmosphere, diverse menu Cons: , can get crowded more

My husband and I both agree, this is the best restaurant in Columbus - we even met there for our first date! Great service, romantic ambience, and the food is always wonderful. The Maytag blue cheese chips are wonderful, we always start with those...I love the BBQ salmon, he loves the steaks, always done to perfection. On our last visit, the chef's special was Filet Oscar - superb! It should be a regular menu item....we laways leave very satisfied after dining here - just a wonderful place. more

J. Gilberts is where my husband and I go when we want a romantic evening or to celebrate an anniversary. The food is fantastic, steaks are always recommended. The Shrimp Durango as an appetizer is fantastic. The wait staff is terrific and always available when needed. They have a good wine list with many available by the glass. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic. Reservations are recommended, they will ask if you are celebrating an occasion. Pros: Ample parking, Fabulous Steaks more

My boyfriend and I always chose J Gilbert's on Crosswoods whenever we want to enjoy a terrific meal in a quiet setting, all while receiving excellent service. We have been to other steakhouses including Morton's, J Alexander's, Hyde Park, and Mitchell's, but J Gilbert's is by far the best! Expect to drop at least $100 for two people - but it's definately worth it! We have recommended this gem to all of our friends. Pros: Great Service, Romantic, Great Menu more