I travel all over the US and usually eat at at classy spots if there is one nearby. I have to say these are world class steaks and of course the ambiance is classy. These are the best steaks I have had for sure from any steakhouse, not only were they fully cooked, but they were not drained well before adding the sauce which made them very marinated. They were busy but the complimentary appies they reserve for businessmen were welcome. It also gave us a chance to quiz the waitress for her phone number. She was blonde and wow.

My boyfriend and I were given a gift card, and decided to dine out at the keg on thurlow. BIG MISTAKE.
1) The "hostess" ignored me, other than to give me a dirty look, and although the place was vacant other than people at the bar the waitresses walked right by me to chat with one another seeming impatient to leave, although it was 3 hours before they closed.
2) Nearly 10 minutes after a snobby conversation with a drunk chick the so called hostess tells me I can take a seat anywhere, and when I tell her I want to order to take out, she asks me if I want a menu which I consider to be obvious, yet I have to call her back to actually give me one when she tells me the busy bartender will take my order for 2 8 oz steaks & a ceaser salad
3) He gives me my card back with the receipt and tells me he to sign it. Confused, I enter the tip amount, yet he doesn't ask for the card, and tells me it will be about 15 minutes.
4) Half an hour later and after several obnoxious glares from the hostess as I wait by the door where I am asked if I had been helped by another waitress before the bartender finally gives me my food
5) I didn't check to see if I received everything, because I just wanted to get out of there, and I wound up bringing home 2 charred beyond belief steaks neither my boyfriend or I could eat, & no ceaser salad.

I assume this is because the tip was not received and they were more concerned with lowbrowing me than asking for me to wait until given a receipt before giving them my card.

It was my birthday, and I wanted to go downtown to enjoy the city with my friend. Having read mixed reviews about this location, I was a little skeptical.

Food: as always, the food has been great for me. I love the Keg. My steak was cooked at a perfect medium rare. I got the Sirloin Oscar, and they loaded my plate with mashed potatoes and lots of seafood. No complaints there.

Service: Outstanding. Our waitress was very friendly. She asked what we were at the Keg for, and offered to help my friend and I take pictures when I took my camera out. When she came out with our food, she checked back a couple of times to make sure everything was okay. When we were finished our meals, she brought out the Billy Miner pie and wished me a happy birthday, and again, offered to take pictures.

Value: I think it's decent. Not the cheapest, but it's not like you can't afford it.

Ambiance: The front is a little too crowded and too dark for my liking. The dining area is good though, adds a hint of romance to it.

I'd come here again.

I guess I must have been wearing my cloak of invisiblity and didn't know it. Usually I only have it on when I'm trying to get service in department stores. I went to The Keg on Thurlow at 5:30PM July 20 for an early dinner. I don't usually eat so early, but I was hungry and I felt like a nice meal. I went in and there was no-one at the desk, so I waited. A young woman came to the area and wrote something on a blackboard(?) near the desk, walked around to the desk, but said absolutely nothing. What am I supposed to do, wave at her? It wasn't as if I wasn't dressed appropriately or hadn't bathed. I waited to be acknowledged, but nothing. I was the only person there, so it couldn't be that I didn't stand out from the crowd. So I left. Maybe they should put a bell on the counter. I'm not going to beg for attention so I can buy a thirty dollar steak, people.

The keg rocks, plain and simple. If you enjoy a great steak, or super prime rib, you wont be disappointed. I always have a good meal at reasonable prices. Quality is high, and service is attentive and kind. Great ceasars!

Not sure why they moved (just a one minute walk away) but I really enjoyed the underground location much better. The ambiance is still great, but it has more of an executive feel to the place. I found the portion size to be smaller than what they served before. The were short on service staff when I was there last and she had to wait on 1/3 restaurant all on her own. Our service was unfortunately neglected. I also found the hostess here to be a little snobby with a "downtown" attitude.

After having a very positive experience at Keg's Yaletown location, we decided to try the Thurlow one. Unfortunately, from the beginning, a few flaws in service left a bad aftertaste with us.

1. We reserved a table for 7, but seeing that we have two young children, the hostess placed us in a table for 6, putting four on one side with a long bench seat, and three in single chairs on the other. The bench is fine, but the table itself was not quite adequete for four to dine on. So we felt cramped.

2. The server never smiled throughout the entire night. No enthusiasm, and appeared rather impatient at times. When we were served the salad, I asked him if I could request to have my steak done Chicago style, and he said he'll have to check although he thinks the kitchen has started cooking it already. My mind is thinking, I was just served the salad, which would take me 10-15 minutes to finish, and they're cooking my steak already (which was to be medium rare and therefore should not take a long time to prepare)?

3. When a different server brought our entrees to the table, he dropped a crab leg onto the table with the meat touching the table surface. He put the leg back onto the plate, and proceeded to serve it. I looked at him and said didn't that fall off the plate, and told him to replace it immediately. He agreed, but instead of just taking that one leg to the kitchen, he took the whole plate along with the steak. The sous chef himself then brought the plate back a couple of minutes later and said the crab leg will follow soon. This caused the steak to cool over time.

4. At the end, when my father asked for the bill as our server was clearing up our table, he said "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm getting it. I'm just gonna take your plates away first". What's wrong with simply saying "Yes, right away"?

While it was not disastrous and I've had worse service, we were disappointed as this was in sharp contrast to our experience at the Yaletown location.

Another negative about Thurlow location is the noise level, which may be due to its low ceiling.

As the title suggests, if it wasn't for the food, the evening would have been a dull one.

Now, the other half and I are fans of the Keg and have pretty much always been pleased with the steaks. The veg? Kind of hit and miss if you're not getting the baked potato. We stopped in a few minutes after 9pm recently on a Sunday night (the close at 10pm) and hoped to have some dinner. I asked if it was possible to pass on the potato and get a substitute instead. Our server just smiled and said "absolutely! How about some asparagus instead?". I agreed with some qualms. No one does asparagus correctly. It's always too overcooked and mushy. Oh well, I figured it's a veg and not a heavy starch. To my surprise, the asparagus was absolutely perfect! Perfectly blanched and had a good snap to it still. Not mushy at all! The prime rib was an excellent medium rare, even at that late time of the evening. Hubby's dinner was just as well constructed and tasted fantastic! too. All in all? A fantastic meal and a very pleasant evening.

I often visit the Keg whenever I crave a steak and I have rarely been disappointed. Some of my favourite starters include the French Onion soup and Scallops & Bacon. Both are excellent.

Without a doubt, the Filet Mignon is my favourite steak. The description on the menu speaks for itself ("The Ultimate in tenderness"). Not to mention that it is wrapped in smoked bacon. You can't go wrong there. I have also tried the New York steak and it was very good. But I guess it can't all be good. I recently tried the Three Mushroom Sirloin and I was fairly disappointed. The steak was tough (I ordered medium rare but the steak was too thick) and the sauce was too salty.

The food is generally of high quality. The servers are always friendly and accommodating. Ambiance is nice and is great for special occasions. Overall, a great place for steak.

I have been to The Keg on Thurlow twice, and I'll definitely go back. The first time, I had calamari as an appetizer. For the price of it, I expected a lot more. I did like that it wasn't deep-fried, though, and it was yummy. The second time, I had yam fries. They were great-- full of spice, and I had a heaping portion. For the main course, I've only had the prime rib. My steaks have always been perfectly cooked (medium-rare), and they've been divine. I like the garlic mash but could do without the fried onions. As for dessert, I've only had the cheesecake, which was good but nothing exceptional.

The waiters I've had have been very friendly and attentive, constantly refilling our water glasses and making sure everything is going okay. As for the hostesses... the first one we had was completely rude. My friend asked her for a table for two, and the woman simply held up her hand, motioning for us to wait. What the heck? The second one was very nice, though the entrance area was completely empty for several minutes, leaving us to wonder if anybody was even there.

The ambiance? Very nice and cozy. Not too loud, though we found the same music was playing from the other night when we had been there!