Judson’s Steakhouse at The B.O.B.

Our waitress was the best/​friendliest server I have ever had at any restaurant. She was really patient with us (big group of teenagers) and explained everything on the menu really well. The portions were good enough to fill us and we still took home plenty of leftovers. I wasn’t too excited about the food overall, but the amazing service made up for it. Great place to go if you want something semi-​fancy and affordable.

Great atmosphere, exceptional service, and delicious food. Steaks were cooked perfectly and the bartender created a cocktail for us with little direction and it was fantastic. We will be back and recommend to friends.

I loved the light-​hearted nature of the place. This is not some stuffy old joint that only the blue-​haired, cholesterol crowd will visit. It’s a lot more contemporary with great food, beverage and service. I also appreciated the fact that we could carry on a normal conversation without shouting. Don’t you just love going out to eat and wind up yelling across the table? Not at Judsons.
But you don’t go to Judson’s for the atmosphere — it’s a steakhouse. Rib-​eyes rule the chop table and they certainly lived up to that expectation at Judson’s. Our rare rib-​eye (Delmonico) had excellent flavor and was prepared perfectly with only a very thin sear line. Our (also rare) sirloin was a tad less enjoyable, which is to be expected for a lesser cut.. .. still no complaints ’cause it’s an unfair fight to pit Mr Sirloin against the mighty rib-​eye.
The side dishes accompanying the steaks were outstanding, especially the green beans with caramelized onions, cashews and soy (trust me) and the off-​the-​charts au gratin potatoes, which really looked more tiramisu. .. and they tasted fantastic.
A couple of glasses of wine and a shared pear-​bread pudding made for a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Service by Mindi was superb.

I just took my wife to Judson’s this past weekend. It was my first time at Judson’s as well as at the BOB. The atmosphere at Judson’s was great, nice lighting, very clean, very well decorated. There was music playing in the background, it was classy and a good volume. Our server («Tommy») was very knowledgeable of the food, and he did a fantastic job waiting on us.
I ordered New York Strip, and my wife ordered their bacon wrapped stuffed steak. I was quite impressed with my steak which was cooked right and tasted fantastic. My wife was happy with her main dish as well. For appetizers we had crab cakes which we both thoroughly enjoyed as well. Almost every dish we had was one of the best if not the best we ever had. My New York Strip was the best I’ve had, and I am pretty picky about steaks.
Overall it was relatively expensive, but it exceeded our expectations in just about every category. Our waiter put our leftovers in the fridge next door, even though they were closed, to grab on our way back through since we hung out in the BOB. He also, since it was our anniversary, brought us out a little desert to share which was great as well. We will be coming back again for sure. Dinner here was a bonus also because of everything you can do at the BOB. It was like a one stop shop for dinner and entertainment.

My daughter and I had dinner before the Fall Out Boy concert at Van Andel. The location couldn’t have been better! First off, the service was fantastic. And second, the food was exceptional. Their kale salad had many flavors that blended well and the main dishes were great and filling. We would definitely return to Judson’s the next time we are in Grand Rapids.

The oysters were out of this world good, wine was pretty tasty. Steak however, didn’t wow me… I mean for a steakhouse and for a NY steak it definitely was missing something. Not sure if I would consider trying it again as it seems overpriced. A little disappointing as it had really good reviews but the steaks are definitely overpriced for the quality/​taste.

What happened to this place? It’s pretty bad when you leave thinking the beer was better than the entrée. I had the duck and it was just ok. I’ve had quite better duck for less. My husband had the sirloin. and again it was just OK. Presentation was disappointing. We also had the escargot and the bruschetta as an app and they were less than appetizing. I loved coming here when we lived in Michigan, but now it’s just ehhhh. After tonight’s strange hostess, the server who didn’t even know what was in soup, the flavorless entrees, and the FANDAMNTASTIC beer… I doubt I’ll make the drive from Chicago to here again just to eat here. I can enjoy the delicious beer at other places in the BOB. I remember this place being 5 stars… WOW! It got 2 stars for the beer and that’s it.

Disappointing.
On the evening we ate here, the NY strip was one of their featured items so we both gave it a try. Each was cooked perfectly. And then we tried cutting into them. Actually, we had to saw into them. And yes, the knives we were using were sharp. The meat was tough and chewy. Luckily. we decided to go «Oscar style» which added lump crab meat and Bearnaise sauce to the steaks. The asparagus was cooked to perfection and the mashed potatoes were just OK.
Overall, the meal was average — nowhere near the prices they were asking.

Great service ! The ambience is very relaxing, the only negative thing I would have to say is that the Cesar salad wedge is not what I expected. But the food is wonderful and cooked to perfection. The wine selection is also on point ! I would definitely come back when we are visiting this side of the state again ! Cheers !!

Great food, service & atmosphere! I hadn’t been to Judson’s in a few years. Not since I graduated from GVSU. My parents used to take me here when they’d visit me, and since I was in GR this past weekend, I had to come back!
Just as I remember, everything was wonderful. I made a reservation since it was a Saturday and we were promptly seated in a great corner booth. Everyone from the greeter to our waitress to the gentleman clearing our table was very friendly and helpful.
My steak and my boyfriend’s were cooked perfectly. The «side» baked potato is huge and the Brussels sprouts are amazing! Seriously, get them! We decided to split the chocolate cake for dessert which was one of our best decisions of the evening. First of all, the «slice» of cake is enough to feed a small army. And secondly, it is delicious! Moist, decadent and such a perfect ending to our meal.

This review is more specific to the bar at Judson’s (since I haven’t eaten here yet) and even more specific to Sterling, their bartender.
Trying to find a craft cocktail bar in downtown GR is like trying to find a leprechaun riding a rainbow unicorn. Enter Gilly’s in the BOB, and their new manager, who is a recent transplant from Ann Arbor’s service industry. She was wonderful and told us that she had a new bartender at Judson’s that could make me a Sazerac the right way. He was the inspiration for a lot of new cocktails they were planning on showcasing at Gilly’s in the coming months.
While I was in town I tried three promising spots for a proper cocktail with three very different variations of a Sazerac (which, btw is America’s second oldest cocktail next to an Old Fashioned)…Sterling was the only bartender to do this cocktail real justice. Rye and sugar (or simple syrup), stirred with ice in a shaker, then an Absinthe or Herb Saint rinse, rim a chilled glass with lemon and drop the peel in… pretty simple, but also simple to butcher completely.
That said, Sterling is at the top of his craft, he’s very knowledgeable and really interesting to sit and talk to over a proper drink. Judson’s bar is nice, the atmosphere is great and I can only imagine the food being as on point… but if you’re looking for a well made cocktail go see Sterling at Judson’s!!!

My friend and I dined at Judson’s on a Wednesday, which meant wine was half off. Our server was training, and was very enthusiastic… maybe a little too enthusiastic. My friend and I both ordered the filet and they were cooked perfectly. Our server told us that the family-​serving sides would be «more than enough» for the two of us, but he clearly underestimated us! We got the asparagus and the gruyère scalloped potatoes. The potatoes were amazing! They were 10x better than a similar side at The Chop House. We were sad we only ordered one serving of the potatoes. We mentioned it to our server and he gave us a free dessert. I would recommend Judson’s to anyone looking for a moderately priced steak dinner.

The Signature Crusted Stuffed Filet and the Seared Local Cherrywood Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops! Oh my god!!! The crab cakes were fantastic! Makes me want to go back to Grand Rapids just to hit the B.O.B. to go to Judsons! What a great waitstaff and selection of drinks!!!

The service was outstanding! We celebrated the one-​year anniversary of our son and daughter– in-​law. My wife got the small tenderloin oscar style. My son and I got the cowboy rib-​eyes and our daughter-​in-​law got the duck breast. Everything was perfectly cooked to our specifications. We had side dishes of au gratin potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. All of the side dishes exceeded our expectations. The chocolate cake was garnished with a great ganache; the only concern I had was the texture of the cake. Its texture resembled a box cake, not a scratch-​made cake. The almond cake with the rhubarb cream sauce was much better.
The whole meal deserves a five star rating.
Go hungry, enjoy, leave happy!!!

For me, a steakhouse needs to offer a few things for the money (which you will invariably drop a healthy chunk of):
Great service, a good drink selection and a GREAT steak (Steaks that are «good» or «decent» belong at places not claiming to be a steakhouse…)
Judsons delivers on these things — for the most part.
Our group of 8 went last Friday. At 5:00 PM. The place was nearly deserted at that time but our server did take quite a while to get us water and our first order. I could understand that had it been busy, but it was definitely not. Other than that, she was friendly and was a touch more attentive as the evening went on, but certainly not $ 100+ per person attentive.
The drink menu was good and I noted a few good single malts among the standard choices. The wines selection was acceptable but nothing extensive.
The steak was the best part of the meal and I was delighted to see it cooked correctly the first time. So many places claiming to be «high-​end» steakhouses cannot get that right. To me, a steak’s degree of doneness is like cooking 101. If you can’t do this, you suck. Period. (Like another steak house in town that rhymes with ‘Ruth’s Chris’, but I digress.) This steak was not only cooked correctly, it was of excellent quality and flavor. I found the dessert menu was a bit thin, but the crème brûlée was good.
I would rank it the 3^rd best steak place in GR behind the Chop House and Leo’s and I will definitely be back to try it again.

My husband and I went here for Valentine’s Day and it was overall really great. The ambience was ok, nothing to special but it was neat that the restaurant is a part of the B.O.B. In Grand Rapids. Our server was really nice and checked on us throughout our meal. In terms of the food it was fantastic! The only downfall was that sides were an additional cost. But overall the food was fresh, delicious and had great flavor. We ordered their chocolate cake for dessert and that was definitely worth it– we even had leftovers of it to take home!

I give this place 5 stars, it is my second favorite steak restaurant in Grand Rapids. The service is good, and the wait staff friendly. I definitely recommend them!

Food is great! I got the Salmon, side of mashed potatoes & cheesecake. All were delicious.
Atmosphere: has a good ambiance but I’m not a fan of the music.

Wow. Went there on Friday with a 7:30 reservation. We had to wait 20 minutes as there was a pre concert crowd. Anyway, I was looking forward going back here but disappointed with the service and food. Our waiter, Tim was very pleasant and knowledgeable, but it took 20 minutes to get water! He also did not get any assistance from others that were too busy preparing tables.
Food was marginal at best. The steaks weren’t the best and my NY Strip was barely warm. The shared veggies were not done and portions very small.
The one thing that was hard to believe about the service was the concert crowd had cleared after our first hour and the place was not that busy. We had to wait 15 minutes for a dessert menu after finally asking.
Judson’s needs to step up… especially with Ruth’s Chris and The Chop House providing much better food, atmosphere and service.

I cross referenced this with my American Airlines Dining Rewards, and figured 4 stars on Unilocal,and steak? Agreed!
Being here on work, the building kind of threw us for a moment. It’s a 4 story building with 10+ restaurants and bars (all apparently owned by the same guy/​company)… but with the neon sign out front we figured it out quickly.
It was about 7pm on a Monday night, and the bar was full ($ 2.99 Happy Hour)… the restaurant had a few customers, and there was a nice ambiance, and we didn’t need reservations.
Our server (Tomas) was quick, knowledgeable, and really did an outstanding job throughout the night. The initial drink recommendation of the «Moscato Cosmo» with Absolut Citron, X-​rated Vodka, and Fresh Grapefruit juice set the entire evening in a «perfect» mood. If you are here, and do not order this drink, you are truly depriving yourself.
There was a specialty menu that didn’t get my attention, with a wide array of items including a $ 50.00 Kobe steak, and individually priced oysters. Our server did an excellent job thoroughly covering both the specialty and regular menu, the multiple steak toppings and sauces, and various options.
We skipped appetizers, and settled for the Grapefruit and Avocado Salad. The server recommended skipping the fresh black pepper due to the citrus, but by the end I wished for just a hint of black pepper to cut the citrus.
We both had the 6oz fillet. The menu and the waiter both expressed these were Choice and not Prime steaks, and that made a huge difference. They were prepared well, and not trying to be falsely passed off as something they weren’t (and this made me happy!) I had a Madeira demi-​glacé on the side, and my friend had the Au Poivre on her steak. Both were delicious. We had the options to «Surf our Turf» and add seafood at very reasonable prices, but declined. We had very crisp asparagus (pretty large and thick) and (canned?) spinach au gratin which was considerably very nice.
We asked the waiter to split our bill due to expense reports, and he had no problem and was very pleasant about it. This was a very nice 3.5−4.0 Star experience, leaning into the 4 star nicely!