The Capital Grille: Dishes Worth The Splurge And What To Skip, According To Customers

The Capital Grille is a chain steakhouse that prides itself on offering a comfortable yet elegant atmosphere paired with upscale items like dry-aged steaks and artfully designed side dishes — using only the freshest ingredients, of course. This is a very different experience than, say, the loud, upbeat atmosphere of Texas Roadhouse or the quiet yet distinctly rustic charm of Longhorn Steakhouse. That being said, this elegance does come at a cost to the customer, with meal prices running significantly higher than what you'd associate with the words "chain steakhouse."

For some dishes, the high costs are well worth the splurge. But, for other dishes, you're better off skipping them if you want an exceptional experience. It pays (literally) to know which items are most worth your hard-earned money. But, this can be challenging if you've never visited The Capital Grille before. Thankfully, you don't have to suffer through mediocre, overpriced dishes because we've compiled all the research for you by carefully scouring the internet to see what other customers have thought of their dishes.

Ready to discover which items you should order on your next trip to The Capital Grille? Here are six dishes well worth the splurge and three to avoid at all costs, according to previous customers.

The Capital Grille's lobster mac and cheese won the third place spot on Daily Meal's ultimate ranking of steakhouse mac and cheese. The seafood dish starts with al dente pasta and includes a specialty pairing of cheeses, including mascarpone, Havarti, and Grana Padano. Of course, there are bites of mouthwatering lobster throughout. And, customers can't stop raving about how fantastic and splurge-worthy this Lobster Mac and Cheese is.

In a Reddit thread asking about the best dishes at The Capital Grille, one commenter responded, "Absolutely positively get the lobster mac and cheese. One of my favorites from any restaurant." A Trip Advisor review concurs with this statement, stating, "The food is first rate with the lobster mac and cheese being a must have." With such enthusiastic endorsement, you'd be remiss to not try this dish for yourself on your next visit to The Capital Grille!

According to The Capital Grille website, the Lobster Bisque is the chain's most popular soup. This fan-favorite soup is crafted from lobster that's been lightly sautéed and is finished off tableside with a bit of sherry. As far as soup starters go, seafood lovers will find this dish to be a must-try — people can't stop recommending it across the internet, providing proof as to why this soup is so popular.

One reviewer on TripAdvisor referred to the lobster bisque as "excellent" and "filled with large pieces of lobster." Seems that The Capital Grille doesn't skimp when it comes to its seafood — a fact confirmed by a review of the restaurant, including a note on the bisque, from Cleveland.com. As if this detailed review isn't enough to make your mouth water in anticipation, a Yelp reviewer says the soup is the best they've ever had. So, if you were debating ordering this dish, give yourself the go-ahead and prepare to be amazed!

Crab cake is a popular seafood dish involving crab, a starch binding, seasonings, eggs, and mayonnaise. The Capital Grille's version also includes lobster and is served with a lemon basil aioli, alongside a corn salad. The addition of lobster is unique and could provide a more layered taste profile — if it were pulled off well. While this unique rendition of crab cakes sounds fantastic in theory, previous customers weren't pleased with the execution at all.

One Yelp reviewer said, "The lobster and crab cakes had huge pieces of lobster claw although they were not warm enough and the corn salad served with them didn't go that well — too sweet with the sweetness of the seafood." Too sweet, lukewarm seafood doesn't sound appetizing, and when it comes to an expensive dish, you really don't want customers to leave feeling like they spent their money on something mediocre. They should walk away feeling wowed. Unfortunately, one Trip Advisor reviewer said that their lobster and crab cake was just okay while citing an overall negative experience at The Capital Grille. Avoid feeling let down and skip the lobster and crab cake in lieu of better appetizer options.

For your main dish, The Capital Grille offers sushi-grade Seared Sesame Tuna served with gingered rice, white soy, and sambal vinaigrette. Based on customer reviews, this is one dish you'll definitely want to splurge on, as it receives enthusiastic recommendations on varying platforms online. In fact, the seared tuna is one of the dishes recommended by the New Jersey Leisure Guide, which gave The Capital Grille with an overall rating of three out of four stars.

When The Capital Grille shared an artfully prepared image of this dish on Instagram, it quickly became obvious that it was a fan favorite. People commented on the dish, saying things like: "Looks delicious," and, "perfection." One person, who profusely used the fire and heart-eyes emojis in their comment, went so far as to say, "Perfection. The Capital Grille is the best." Over on Trip Advisor, one patron raved, "I had the tuna entree. It was a large, delicious piece of the most tender tuna you've ever had. It was awesome." If you choose to follow in these previous customer's footsteps with your order, the seared tuna is guaranteed to not disappoint.

It's worth the splurge to treat yourself to dessert when you visit The Capital Grille, especially if you opt for the flourless chocolate espresso cake. The best part? The people in your party who eat gluten-free don't have to miss out since there's no flour used to make this delicious cake. In fact, The Capital Grille generously shared the exact recipe used to make this sweet treat, and the only ingredients are as follows: semi-sweet chocolate chips, unsalted butter, decaf espresso, brown sugar, whole eggs, raspberries, and whipped cream.

One reviewer on TripAdvisor said, "Do have the flourless chocolate cake if chocolate runs in your veins." They recommend sharing a slice with your table, describing the cake as "strong and rich." Foodie counterparts on We Like to Cook Blog agreed, calling the cake decadent and saying that their dessert disappeared fast for a group of people claiming to be stuffed full from their meals. Overall, with such fantastic reviews, it seems like finishing your Capital Grille meal on the high note offered by the flourless chocolate espresso cake is a great idea.

Most restaurants serve some variation of fries, but truffle fries are an exceptionally decadent option. These are French fries that have been flavored with truffle oil to give them an earthy, complex taste. The Capital Grille's version includes freshly grated parmesan and white truffle oil, which should create a scrumptious starter dish. Unfortunately, this is another rendition from the chain steakhouse that customers say falls flat.

One customer took to Trip Advisor to lament about their poor experience with the dish, stating, "My truffle fries (a house specialty??!) just tasted off, odd and rancid (and I love mushrooms)." In an overall scathing review of their experience one night following successful previous visits, a second person claimed, "The Truffled French fries were not eatable." Another review on the site claimed this dish was not worth the money they paid for it — a telling sign that this appetizer is not worth the splurge. Skip these in lieu of a more recommended starter instead, like the lobster bisque.

There's been a lot of focus thus far on seafood items at The Capital Grille, but let's face it — most people visit a steakhouse to order a steak. There are many steak options available at this chain, but the bone-in ribeye steak stands a cut above the rest (pun intended). After being dry-aged, this 22-ounce steak is expertly carved by an in-house butcher before being cooked to your preferred temperature.

Not only do customers recommend this option, but the bone-in ribeye steak was the top pick for Tasting Table's list of the best chain restaurant ribeye steaks. A repeat customer backed up these generous rankings with a stellar review. They wrote, "The food, which is always very good, was exceptional this time. The steak was beyond perfect. This is my favorite place for a steak, but this year they were even better than I recall during past visits." They go on to specify that their boyfriend got the ribeye, paired with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. If you want a steak, definitely opt to splurge on the top-ranked ribeye.

The Capital Grille calls its pan-fried calamari, served with hot cherry peppers, its signature appetizer. And, according to what previous customers have to say, this designation is well-deserved. But, that's far from where the praise for this much beloved starter ends.

Business Insider did a review of The Capital Grille, which says this is the best calamari appetizer they've ever had, going so far as to call it a "thing of beauty." When one Reddit user started a thread asking for where they could find the best fried calamari in Philadelphia, one person was quick to respond with enthusiastic praise of The Capital Grille. They said, "Went to Capital Grille once years ago with some work folks. Calamari was outstanding. [...] If I ever go back, it will be specifically for the buttery hot pepper calamari." Beneath this, another user responded, "Idc if it's a chain or not, The Capital Grille calamari app is so, so, so good. Worth the trip for that alone." Long story short? Choosing the Pan-Fried Calamari as your starter ensures your meal will start off on the right foot.

If you have to choose between soup or salad for your meal, you'll have a better experience if you choose the soup and opt for the highly praised lobster bisque. Whatever you do, avoid the wedge salad, which has received negative feedback ranging from it being mediocre to tasting downright disgusting. According to The Capital Grille website, the wedge salad features fresh greens topped with crumbled bleu cheese and bacon bits. However, "fresh" is not one of the many words customers have used to describe this dish.

A reviewer on Yelp found themselves disappointed by the Wedge Salad, which they say fell short of their expectations, while someone on Trip Advisor described it as very ordinary. However, other people had much worse things to say about their salads. A customer on Yelp described their experience: "I wasn't very hungry so I ordered a wedge salad and it was awful. I mean NASTY. The bacon was like hockey pucks, hard. I sent it back, the next salad wasn't much better..." A reviewer on Trip Advisor corroborates this feedback by calling their salad disgraceful and the worst iteration of this dish they'd ever had the displeasure of eating. Skip the salad and stick with the soup — your taste buds (and wallet) will thank you.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Tasting Table.