House of Prime Rib

The ambience is old school, the sides from the house salad tossed tableside, the creamed spinach, whipped potatoes and yorkshire pudding, the waitstaff that feels like they’ve worked there for decades.

It’s definitely a winner for sure and will satisfy any hankerings for some good beef. And if the King Henry the VIII isn’t enough, be sure to ask for seconds and thirds (though each subsequent helping is half the size of the prior serving).

If you like prime rib, you have to try House of Prime Rib. It’s pretty much the only thing on the menu (they have a fish dish, but I always order prime rib). Each meal starts with The Salad Bowl…a tasty salad that your waiter will mix at your table. Then, a carver wil wheel one of the giant silver carts over…these are each filled with prime rib that’s sliced in front of you.The prime rib meals come with mashed or baked potatoes, yorkshire pudding, and fresh creamed spinach.

They give you a LOT of food, but the waiters will help wrap up any leftovers for you to take home. This place is always busy and you may have to wait even if you have a reservation.

I would have rated this 5 stars, but during my most recent trip to HOPR, the prime rib was room temperature when it arrived—not very appetizing. All the other times I’ve been I thought the meat was delicious.

For a single price you get the salad, sides, and the prime rib. All of it tasty! If you’re still hungry just ask for seconds.

Make reservations ahead of time. It’s much more fun going in a group.

house of prime rib is always a solid choice if you’re in the mood for fine dining and craving juicy slabs of meat. great for group dining or taking your date, house of prime rib works for any occasion. i always leave w/my belly bloated so be prepared to eat your heart out.

the one thing to watch out for is the wait – i’ve never been able to eat here w/o waiting when coming at peak hours.

It would be very hard to find a prime rib better than the ones served here. Generous portions and fantastic sides make it well worth it. A bit crowded but of course, that’s because it’s just so damn good.

For some reason, I remember the meat being softer and juicer, but instead they were a little tough. Nonetheless, its still a good place once in a while. If you go here everyday, you’d look like the Foodha.

Once a quiet, elegant place for great food, House of Prime Rib retains some of the elegance and none of the quiet.

In early April, 2008, the tables were close together, the patrons raucus, and the wait staff sang “Happy Birthday” almost continuously (and very poorly) at the top of their lungs. The decor amplified rather than deadened the racket. One had to shout to converse.

The prime rib, spinach, and Yorkshire pudding were about as good as they’ve ever been there: four stars. The mashed potatoes, however, could not be eaten with a fork. We used the tea spoons provided, although soup spoons (or straws) would have worked better. We all skipped dessert to escape to the relative quiet of the traffic on Van Ness Avenue.

Although we’d been to House of Prime Rib many times before, we hadn’t been recently. Suffice to say, we were most disappointed by what it’s become.

It’s like the In-N-Out of prime rib. They’re simple motto is that they do one thing well… prime rib. And it’s true. I really enjoyed the meat. Didn’t need steak sauce or even horseradish (3 kinds!) actually. Complimentary servings offered but wasn’t necessary for me. When it comes to salad and sides, there’s not many options (and in the case for salad…no choice) but whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong.

House of Prime Rib is a very safe choice for good quality food. Presentation and ambiance doesn’t carry as much pizzazz as some other steakhouses where there’s some “wow” factor. But you won’t be disappointed that’s for sure.

The only thing that was a bit “eh” was more embarrassing for me than anyone else. I went on my birthday and our server plus another server came to sing the birthday song… not so well. I just felt really bad for our server (who seemed to know she didn’t sing well).

Two words: complimentary seconds.

Okay, several more words: Prime rib simply doesn’t get much better than this. I rate it a hair better than Morton’s, which is also very good. It’s one of the few places that actually gets medium rare right (not rare, not medium, but medium rare).

All you can eat prime rib, done 6 different ways? Yorkshire pudding? HUGE baked potatoes? This place is absolutely delicious and a BARGAIN for what you get. And they only serve prime rib and a fish of the day. If you get the fish of the day, your server will make fun of you.

Just imagine: A huge cart with half a cow on it, and a guy slicing up your prime rib right in front of you! Their prime rib actually has more flavor than the prime rib done at lesser establishments. It’s probably because they inject salt water into the meat. OH WELL.

However, that bargain is at the expense of your health. But who cares about that, anyway? Just walk (cab) home.

Also, the bartender makes superb manhattans.

I am getting hungry just thinking about this place. Mmmm…

one of my favorite places. i love the little owner that walks around and checks on everybody. i remember going here once and we arrived late after the salad was prepared and he said it was too old and got us fresh made salad even though our party just started eating their salads. however, i think the quality has been going down a bit over the past few years, yet still an excellent place for “all you can eat” prime rib!

Very good, but must make reservation and even after you make a reservation, you have to wait for a bit. The cheesecake is awesome…so is the fantasy cake. (Chocolate cake on top of cheesecake)

Always a favorite! Consistently good… but you must be in the mood for a great big piece of meat.

The House of Prime Rib (“HOPR”) Wine List Review

This is an update to our review from January 31, 2012. HOPR still has a great selection of wines from Opus One, even though patrons heeded our advice and snapped up some of the great deals they had on the ’02, ’03, ’04 and ’05 vintages. The wines on this list are predominately comprised of young, full body wines that stand up well to the cuisine. As you can see below, pricing is fantastic, and that is why we are not inserting “TOP PICK” choices with this review. At the end of the day, you really can’t make a wrong turn with this wine list.

As with all VinoServant reviews, you will see the price at the restaurant followed by the mark-up over retail and if applicable, a rating from one of the publications listed below (2007 Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs | $55 | 1.8x | WS 88). Mark up of 1.8x translates into a retail price of $30 a bottle and Wine Spectator rated this wine 88 points.

Wine Advocate – WA | Wine Enthusiast – WE | Wine Spectator – WS | Wine & Spirits – WSS |

Top 7 Wines Under $60

2007 Domaine Carneros, Brut | $44 | 2.2x
2009 Grgich Hills, Napa Valley, Fume Blanc (a/k/a Sauvignon Blanc) | $41 | 1.5x | WS 88
2009 Frog’s Leap, Napa Valley, Chardonnay | $39 | 1.3x | WE 87
2009 A. Rafanelli, Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel | $50 | 1.1x
2007 Swanson, Napa Valley, Merlot | $47 | 1.7x | WA 87
2007 Andretti, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $46 | 1.8x
2008 A. Rafanelli, Dry Creek Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $58 | 1.1x

Top 9 Wines Over $60

• 2002 Dom Perignon | $175 | 1.25x | WA 96
  2007 Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley, Chardonnay | $71 | 1.4x | WA 90
  2008 Switchback Ridge, Napa Valley, Merlot | $77 | 1.4x | WA 90
  **2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards, Napa & Sonoma, Merlot | $79 | 1.3x | WA 92
  2008 Joseph Phelps, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $77 | 1.6x | WA 90
  2008 Pahlmeyer, Jayson, Cabernet Sauvignon | $78 | 1.6x | WS 89
• 2006 Silver Oak, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $103 | 1.1x | WS 88
• 2008 Opus One | $225 | 1.1x | WS 92
• 1997 Opus One | $450 | 1.3x | WA 88 & WS 94

• Represents one of the best restaurant wine deals in the SF Bay Area

VINOSERVANT’S TOP WINE VALUES AT THE HOUSE OF PRIME RIB

Sparkling Wines

9 selections that range in price from $37 to $175

2007 Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs | $55 | 1.8x | WS 88
Perrier Jouet, Grand Brut, Non Vintage | $69 | 1.7x | WS 90
Veuve Clicquot, Brut, Yellow Label, Non-Vintage | $82 | 1.9x | WS 90

White Wines

36 selections that range in price from $25 to $76

2010 Hanna, Russian River Valley, Sauvignon Blanc | $30 | 2.1x
2010 Frog’s Leap, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc | $31 | 1.9x
2009 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc | $41 | 2.2x | WS 87
2009 Cakebread, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc | $43 | 1.7x

2009 Acacia, Carneros, Chardonnay | $36 | 2.2x | WS 88
2008 Grgich Hills, Napa Valley, Chardonnay | $55 | 1.4x
2010 Rombauer, Carneros, Chardonnay | $56 | 1.9x
2007 Far Niente, Napa Valley, Chardonnay | $76 | 1.4x | WS 91 & WA 91

Red Wines

116 selections that range in price from $32 to $925

2008 Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Pinot Noir | $38 | 2.0x
2008 Saintsbury, Carneros, Pinoit Noir | $51 | 2.1x
2008 Robert Sinskey, Carneros, Pinot Noir | $55 | 1.7x

2009 Neal Family Vineyards, Napa Valley, Zinfandel | $37 | 1.5x
2008 Grgich Hills Cellars, Napa Valley, Zinfandel | $51 | 1.8x | WSS 91

2009 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Merlot | $65 | 1.3x
2007 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Merlot MAGNUM | $146 | 1.5x

2007 Benziger, Sonoma County, Cabernet Sauvignon | $39 | 2.3x | WE 90
2009 Frog’s Leap, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon | $60 | 1.5x
2007 Neal Family Vineyards, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $64 | 1.4x
2008 Frank Family, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $69 | 1.7x | WS 90
2007 Jordan, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $75 | 1.5x
2007 Pine Ridge, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $78 | 1.8x | WS 88
2008 Groth, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $79 | 2.1x | WS 87
2007 Grgich Hills Cellars, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $84 | 1.7x
2009 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $91 | 1.5x
2007 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $98 | 1.6x | WS 86
2006 Silver Oak, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $103 | 1.1x | WS 88
2008 Switchback Ridge, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon | $108 | 1.5x | WA 90+ & WS 91
2008 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM | $195 | 1.6x
2007 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM | $189 | 1.6x | WS 86
2008 Joseph Phelps, Insignia, Cabernet Sauvignon | $210 | 1.6x | WA 97
2006 Silver Oak, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM | $239 | 1.3x | WS 88
2006 Ridge Vineyards, Montebello, Cabernet MAGNUM | $290 | 1.2x | WS 94

Opus One

2007 Opus One | $300 | 1.5x | WA 95
2003 Opus One | $900 | 1.0x | DOUBLE MAGNUM | WS 87
2000 Opus One | $650 | 1.4x | MAGNUM | WS 89
1999 Opus One |$375 |1.5x | WA 88
1997 Opus One | $450 | 1.3x | WA 88
1997 Opus One | $900 | 1.3x | MAGNUM | WA 88
1993 Opus One | $425 | 1.4x | WA 93

Don’t miss this place fellahs

Not the best I’ve ever had but service was great! Solid four stars!

Go for the Prime Rib. You cannot go wrong there!

great food

You don’t need a menu. Prime Rib. Table side service of salad and then prime rib. Meat is cooked to perfection. The rib is packed and cooked in salt. This is probably the best method of cooking prime rib. The sherry vinaigrette dressing is excellent on a tossed green salad with lots of beets. Restaurant is pricey so you should probably plan ahead. Service was good.