Mecenat Bistro & Gathering Place
821 Burlington Ave, Western Springs, IL, 60558
Mecenat Bistro & Gathering Place Menu
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Address :
821 Burlington Ave
Western Springs, IL, 60558 - Phone (708) 246-8668
- Website https://www.mecenatbistro.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Frances F.
We tried this restaurant because of a Groupon and have been back four times since. The food is interesting and quite tasty. They have a few typical options on the menu but there is creativity in that kitchen. Diners just need to take the chance. The service goes from great to OK depending on what time if the evening it is. The actual waitstaff has been very attentive for us but the servers or bus boys often seem to be young and new to the workforce as a whole. Some come in strong and eager to do well. A few just want the money and it shows. We had a problem with one meal. It was resolved quickly and desserts were on the house. The live music on Fridays and Saturdays is hit or miss. If it's good, you don't mind it being loud. If it isn't your taste, it can simply make it difficult to talk to one another or just be prepared to speak up. One reviewer noted that Mecenat Bistro is not as good as Vie which is around the corner. While that may be the case, the pricing is also well less than half. Comparing it to other restaurants at the same price point (let's be fair), it is a wonderful evening out and it's always a treat to support a local and family-run establishment.
(4)Linda R.
AAAHHHH. I want to love you. We had a very nice dinner here in December, so we invited friends to join us for dinner in February. The servers were very nice, very attentive, quite knowledgeable. But the food was mediocre at best. Even the bruschetta that we had enjoyed so much in December were disappointing, the mushroom one was already mushy. Our dinners were lukewarm and uninspired. So we are one for two. I'll try again and report in.
(2)Yvonne O.
Nice place - really nice owners and staff. I did not eat here as I was there for a party in the private room, but the smells from others' food was yummy! They have Blue Moon on tap and serve it in a HUGE glass. Also have Summer shandy (now) and other great Sam Adams beers. I might convince the husband to stop back for lunch one weekend!
(4)Kelly K.
We live nearby and heard good things about Mecenat so when we saw a Groupon available, we jumped on the purchase. And so glad we did - we ordered 3 small plates - the grilled shrimp on cheese polenta, the crawfish and corn fritters and the smoked salmon plate. The crawfish and corn fritters were AMAZING! Easily one of the best things I've ever eaten. I enjoyed the salmon and grilled shrimp as well but there was something about the polenta that I didn't care for. It almost seemed like it was sitting out too long? But that was the only low point of the meal. If you like seafood, corn and fritters, I really recommend ordering the crawfish/corn fritters because they really were delish. Great service and bar selections too!!
(4)Karen Anne B.
All in all not bad, but not great. I ride my bike through Western Springs fairly often and wondered about this place, we finally had a chance to check it out. By far my biggest complaint is that the service had room for improvement. I wanted to order some champagne, but other than two sweet sparkling wines, there was nothing on the menu, so I asked. They offer a split of champagne, which I ordered. When the server came back with my champagne she complained that she hated opening champagne and didn't seem to know what she was doing. I was irritated about the complaining about my order and confused about why the champagne top was not coming off, and apparently I made a face, which she rudely pointed out to me. The bottle appeared to have some sort of plastic screw top and the champagne seemed a bit flat. We moved on and I ordered a salad and we each ordered an entree. The salad was tasty, it had poached pears on it and I could have eaten a whole plate of the pears and been happy. I ordered a glass of wine to go with the meal, which was quite quite nice. After a bit our entree arrived. I had ordered the vegetarian ragout. It had a really great flavor, but the presentation was somewhat unappealing. All the veggies were thinly sliced or julienned and just looked kind of like a mess. That aside, I do appreciate that they offered two veggie entrees and both were something interesting. My husband ordered a chicken dish. He said it was alright, but not spectacular. Our server came by right as the food was delivered and asked if everything looked ok, but never came back to make sure it tasted ok or see if we wanted anything else. After we were done we had to flag her down to get my leftovers wrapped and order desert. We split an order of the pumpkin bread pudding and it was very good. One other complaint. Where we were sitting the tables were quite close together which normally is fine except that the table next to us had a different server. Even though there was no one at the table on the other side of us, he kept standing in between our table and theirs to talk to them, which pretty much meant his butt was in our faces fairly frequently. They had live music which started while we were there. I wasn't really paying attention to it, but there were people arriving who seemed to be there for that instead of dinner, so it could be a good spot to have some drinks and hear some good music. It seemed like a nice place to hang out, so we plan to got there again and give them another try, but their service needs help.
(3)Eric Y.
New menu again, this updated for the warm season. This was an uneven dinner, with some definite stars and some stuff that was not so good. The stars of the evening were definitely the entrees. I had the New Zealand grass fed NY strip steak. This was a super tender piece of meat, flavorful and juicy. It was under seasoned however after a bit of salt and pepper it was one of the best steaks I've had in a while. The sides that came with the steak were problematic however. The warm potato salad was funky which was surprising since the menu just said "warm potato salad" and did not mention the fact that there was blue cheese in it. Now I happen to love blue cheese and I found the funkiness to be tasty but if I did not like blue cheese I would have been really upset. There was also ratatouille on the plate which was just ok, and inexplicably some raw french horn mushrooms. The menu said the mushrooms were "sautéed." Raw ones are just a waste. My wife had the wild-caught Atlantic skate wing. This was a delicious, but small, piece of fish. It tasted fresh and was paired with a nice creamy caper sauce. We had some appetizers that were generally ok. The bacon wrapped dates were ok for me but they're not my favorites. The truffled fries were good. The special soft-shell crab was just ok; what's the deal with the weird salsa? For dessert we shared the fried dough with brandied cherries, Tahitian vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. Is it bad to say I've had better at the local carnival? The fried dough was good enough - since when is freshly fried dough ever bad? However, the cherries tasted like the cheap red ones out of a jar and the gelato was nothing special. This dessert was definitely a disappointment. Leave the cherries out of it, give me a cup of chocolate sauce for dipping, and I'm good to go. Don't insult me with vapid cherries and mediocre ice cream. The service was polite and the wine selection is excellent. Just a few tweaks here and there and the food could improve tremendously.
(3)Lucie O.
Love the food, atmosphere and service. Also their live entertainment on certain days is amazing, not too loud just perfect for having a nice dinner.
(5)Christopher K.
I will definitely give this restaurant another go but I was sadly a little disappointed in the food. My steak was cooked perfectly but had no flavor. I had to ask for salt and pepper. My fiance's crab cakes were very tasty and although I don't typically like seafood I would consider ordering them next time. The service was friendly and available but the table we sat out was a bit cramped. I'm hoping for a little better next time!
(3)Joseph C.
We've been to this place a dozen times and are never disappointed. Great for a night out. Wonderful food. Good wine list. Courteous staff and a great atmosphere. Thanks for your consistent performance.
(5)Bill H.
I've been there a bunch of times and it keeps getting better. They recently opened for lunch, and that's a plus. Last time there I had the short ribs -- tender and juicy. The calamari is great -- not rubbery or mushy. Their prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food.-- They almost give away their hamburgers on some days. Service is friendly and knowledgeable about wine pairings. When the new owners bought the place they added acoustical damping to deaden the sound, which was a huge plus. Another plus is the partnership with the Theatre of Western Springs, which is a popular local theatre. Show them a ticket for a performance and they give you 15% off.
(4)mei s.
I'm so glad something took over tanya's wine bar. it pretty much looks the same as the old place but they don't have bottles of wine up front for purchase. my husband ordered the hamburger and i ordered the special seafood with pesto cream sauce. my dish was awesome!! it was like the standard mussels in white wine but with other seafood and a pesto overtone! delicious!! i loved it!! my husband thought the burger was standard. he enjoyed the truffle fries but thought he's had better.
(3)Catherine B.
We went to this restaurant last night. It was not a good experience. The waitress we had was absolutely horrible. We arrived at 5:00 and waited over 15 minutes for a server to come. When she did come to our table, she stated her name. ..and then there was silence. It was as if she did not know what to do next. We ordered 1 beer and 1 wine. We waited an additional 15 minutes. We decided to quickly order the next time we would see the server. By now 3 more tables had arrived. We knew it was going to get worse. Our appetizer came(wild mushroom and blue cheese bruschetta.) We then see our waitress give the table next to us a "complimentary " mushroom and blue cheese bruschetta. She then proceeded to pour the wrong wine twice! She finally came back to their table and presented them with a "complimentary "bottle of wine. By this time, 2 more tables had come in. People were complaining that they had been waiting 20 -30 minutes for a waitress. All we wanted to do was to get out of this place. The manager asked how we liked the meal, and, after listening to us did take the appetizer off the tab. Hopefully, the management will recognize the weak link in their establishment. I do not care how great the food is, if the service is bad, it turns into a bad situation.
(1)Katie K.
Wow Wow Wow...a total hidden gem in the Western Suburbs. A few girlfriends and I headed here for a farewell dinner for a friend moving out of state. She had been a few times and wanted to return before leaving out of state. We arrived and were seated right away on a Saturday night. It was a little dark to read the menu, but we faired just fine. The server (a young, very personable guy) helped us out and was VERY knowledgable about the menu. We ordered the skirt steak (amazing), brick chicken (large portion), and the butterfish (none left it was so tasty). We also had the cheese plate to start off. Everything was wonderfully served with a lot of attention to detail. We also stayed for another bottle of Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc to hear a young girl singing with her guitar. She was AMAZING! All in all, a wonderful experience. Our server even brought us some complimentary fudge that the chef had in back leftover from a party the night before. What a nice gesture! We will all be back! I rated the price range $$$$ because our bill was $180 for 3 people(however, we had 2 bottles of wine and 2 glasses of Sangria). If it were just the food, I'm sure it would be in the $$-$$$ range.
(5)Steve W.
Just celebrated our 42nd anniversary tonight and had a great time celebrating at Mecenat Bistro. The food and service where excellent . It's small enough to have an intimate dining experience and also the menu is just right to choose from no matter what you feel like eating. Thanks for making the evening special.
(5)mike m.
I was disappointed. The service was good, but the food was mediocre and the place was really loud. I would suggest you go to Vie if you want a great dining experience in Western Springs.
(2)Jaime G.
What a great little wine and cafe at Mecenat in Western Springs. Great spot in a small little town. They have a really good wine selection and interesting menu. Granted, I only tried the apps while i was there but they were super good. Try the grilled Brie with arugula pesto and orange honey served with grill garlic bread. Yummy. Also try the smoked salmon over toast. Paired well with our wine. Space is bigger than you would think from the outside. Could fit 100 people easily. With a large section available for private events. If your in this area, try Mecenat!
(4)Joyce T.
We had a wonderful meal for valentines day! Great atmosphere and music too!
(4)Susan V.
Wanted to love it since it's in our neighborhood. Wait staff was great (Junior), ambience was pleasant, however, the food was really so so. Actually disappointing even though we had a Groupon. Won't return.
(1)Ann G.
The overall experience was fine. The service, music and wine list were very good. The food was just ok, and not worth it for the price. I ordered chicken and it was dry, the mashed potatoes served with it were good, but the little chunks of zucchini on the plate were unmemorable as was the calamari appetizer and doughnut dessert. Entrees for others I dined with were ok, but nothing worth noting. I really wanted to love this place because it is a local restaurant, but I think I would only go back for drinks and maybe appetizers at the bar.
(2)Dustin T.
You know how people get Groupons just to get some discounted food and never go back? Well, this is definitely a place I would go back to. They had the most variety of bruschetta I have ever seen and we got the Smoked Prosciutto Bruschetta (try saying that 5 times fast. I certainly could not even after spending half of my dinner annoying everybody around trying to say it normally just once) and it was delicious. I hate tomatoes and I never get bruschetta but not all of theirs has tomatoes on it. YOU BETTER GET AN ORDER OF ONE KIND OF BRUSCHETTA!!! --read this if you don't feel like reading the nonsense I have written above!
(5)Tiffany F.
Mecenat is a really classy place! It fits well in what is already in place in western springs. The inside is decorated nicely and has a nice ambiance. The menu has a nice selection of a wide variety of options. We got the soup, crab cakes, sliders, and a salad. All of the food was good. The major downside to mecenat is the price. It's way overpriced on the menu as well as the drink menu. It's best to come here for the specials instead of regular menu items...
(3)Carol K.
A cold snowy night and all I wanted was some great food and wine served by knowledgeable servers. What I got at Mecenat? Okay food and not such great service. First of all- the place looks pretty much the same as it did under the previous ownership. It's just that the last owners were much friendlier. The hostess who greeted me was gruff- basically not welcoming and given she was my first impression of the place- they were already off to a rough start. BTW- I was there, most recently, on a snowy, Tuesday night so it's not like the place was busy. I was gestured to go and look for my friend, who I found, but who still hadn't seen a server and she had been there for 15 minutes. When we flagged down the lone server- he really didn't know wine or the menu he presented to us. After much dialogue- I finally asked if I could have a taste of one of the wines and he told me he'd have to charge me for the taste . . . really? Whatever- turns out he didn't charge me but the mere mention of charging me for a taste of a glass of wine set me off. My next service issue came when I asked what made the steak not "gluten free" (there are clearly marked options on the menu) He didn't know and didn't volunteer to ask. Assuming it was in the herb crust- I ordered the steak without that. My friend had a chicken sandwich. It took forever for our food to come up and when it finally did- my steak was lukewarm. My friend fared better with her sandwich. Finally for dessert- we split the apple strudel. This was actually quite good but when I asked for a glass of port to go with it- I was told they didn't have port. Odd that a place so focused on wines wouldn't offer up a port with dessert. There are daily specials (ike $5 burgers on the night I was there) and plenty of free parking out in front along the tracks. They recently opened for lunch as well. All in all I was disappointed in the food and service here. The friendliest interchange all night was a hearty hello from the bartender as I was coming back from the restroom. As a neighborhood gathering place- this place has a long way to go. Good potential, just don't expect to feel like they actually want your business.
(2)Jason M.
I wanted to love this place. We had been in before for drinks/apps under the prior ownership and thought it was fine. We had a groupon but never made it in (we have two kids but they dont have a kids menu so we had to wait until a kid free night) until after the groupon had expired but it was still worth the "paid" value. We went in with another couple and decided to do small plates. Our server was great, very knowledgable and fun. However most of the food left a lot to be desired. We had a cheese/meat tray which was pretty tasty. The pork belly was lukewarm, bland, and mushy. Bacon wrapped dates were decent but far from the best I've had. We had a few other unmemorable dishes. For dessert the server suggested panna cotta which was bland goo. It was really awful. Now, I've never had other panna cottas to compare it to, but this stuff had no taste and was like an opaque jello. We expresses our displeasure with the pork belly and the panna cotta but there was no offer to take them off the check. Guess that's just not somet Too many other great options in the LG/WS/ Hinsdale area. Mecenat needs to step up the game with the food or it will not survive.
(2)Angela P.
I think I may have to rename this place...Hot-Mece-Not. I wanted to like you, I really did, it just didn't play out that way. Osi V and I stopped in here for a later Thursday evening dinner. It was kind of hidden away in a little strip mall (which is also home to one of my FAVE bakeries!), so hidden that I have never even noticed it before now! Crazy. When you walk in, it is decorated a little on the different side for my taste, but it was okay. We did notice that all the dining room chairs did not match and when we asked our server, she told us that all this stuff was just left from the previous owners so it was just what was left. Weird. Our waitress was friendly and so was the owner who came over to greet us. We ordered some drinks, wine, beer and micheladas (bloody Mary with beer instead of vodka). The first michelada I got was awesome! Tiny serving, but awesome nonetheless! But then the next ones weren't so great, so sad. We ordered Tempura Zucchini and Chicken, Chorizo Quesadilla and Lobster Bisque. The zucchini was decent, needed more salt but it was nice and light and super crisp. Who doesn't love tempura? But the dip that was with it, tasted like something you would get out of a can, seriously, it was nasty! The quesadilla was average, at best. Nothing special about it, and the shreds of iceberg lettuce was just disappointing. Now on to the worst dish of the evening, that lobster bisque. As soon as it got to the table, I felt like gagging. The color and the smell...oh man...the smell. It was sooooo fishy and the color was like a greyish/salmon-y color, yikes on all accounts! The owner even tried to fix it, but it was beyond repair at that point. I have never had a bisque that bad. We were so disappointed with our appetizers that we didn't even order a main dish, and also because the prices were pretty high for those items. We didn't want to risk spending $25 on something that was going to maybe be mediocre at best. Overall, not my place, not my place at all. For a higher end dining experience, you are much better off going across the tracks to Davanti. Sorry Mecenat.
(2)Noor B.
Great spot in our new neighborhood. Wednesday night is 1/2 price bottles of wine- pairs nicely with their cheese and charcuterie selection. For our entrées we had the strip steak with truffle fries (delicious!) and the portobello mushroom on ratatouille. The ambiance was also nice, on the more casual side. Will definitely go again.
(4)Shanna R.
My fiance and I went a while ago for the Tuesday burger special. The burger was delicious and the portions were a great value ($7). My favorite thing was the truffle fries, totally worth the upgrade! We can't wait to go back!
(5)Dan N.
We came to Mecenat to celebrate a dear friend moving out of town. Unfortunately, we were a large crew and our dinner reservation could not be honored at the time we booked. About an hour later we were finally seated. The management team did everything they could to accommodate us during our wait and was very apologetic. They truly understand taking care of their customers and making sure that we felt appreciated. Everyone within our party was impressed with how Mecenat went out of their way to remedy the situation. Bravo.
(4)Jake C.
My parents live right in town and I usually come in here one or two times per year (while visiting). The place seems to have been getting better in the past few years with the change in owners. My mom and I stopped in for lunch Tuesday; she got the caesar salad, I got the wedge salad, and we got a an appetizer of smoked salmon with cucumbers and lemon dill cream cheese. We were both quite happy with our food. I've especially liked that they keep the wedge with blue cheese dressing on their menu - one of the best blue cheese dressings I've had. Ambiance was a bit dark inside during lunch, but the server was excellent. He was attentive, nice, and clearly worked hard. My brother and I are planning to go for dinner on Saturday.
(5)john h.
Tuesday night special is a delicious $5 cheeseburger WITH french fries! Small plate Crab Cakes are fantastic too! From the entrees I like the Braised Short Ribs, tender and tasty. They also offer a private dining room, nice bar with two average sized HDTV's and overall is easy to carry on a conversation. Waitstaff is friendly and knowledgeable.
(4)Maria P.
Ended up here after walking out of Davanti Enoteca because that place was too loud and busy. We ended up loving this place--the food and drinks were excellent--we had some appetizers and dessert and I loved my key lime martini; the owner and his daugher were very attentive and friendly--really love getting great service by people who actually CARE that you came to their business and spending your money there.
(4)Dean L.
I've been here at least a dozen times in the past 9 months. I stumbled upon this place through Yelp last summer, and I'm glad I did. Sometimes you just know when a place rubs you the right way. I like the decor, and don't care if it was similar to the previous restaurant. I agree that the decor reminds me more of a trendy place in the city, rather than a restaurant in the suburbs. It's a refreshing contrast to most places in the area. I'm also a huge live music fan, and they always have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The food is terrific, and very reasonably priced, with reasonable portions. The menu has something for everyone. Bacon-wrapped dates, awesome. Their salad is fantastic. If you want something easy, they make an awesome hamburger. Their Friday night fish fry during lent is fantastic. Even the french fries are my favorite. Liquor is reasonably priced, and Wednesday are half-priced bottles of wine. I've been here for $5 burger night, and I like the burgers better on the other nights. They have a great garlic-mayo sauce on it, and the pretzel roll really brings out the taste. Been here for $3 fish tacos, and while they are more than worth the price, and weren't bad, I was hoping for a little more from them. Overall, I've had very good service, but had a couple hit-or-miss nights here and there last year. No big deal, I know how to flag someone down if I really need something, and otherwise take it as an opportunity to slow myself down a little and relax. The meal should be relaxing, not rushed. I'm not impressed by the current hostess, but I won't let that stop me from enjoying the meal and evening. She's not rude, but doesn't give you that welcoming vibe when you walk in. The place is family-owned, and the owners and staff are very friendly. They work hard, care about their restaurant, and also about their customers. The chef has a great menu, and the kitchen staff always puts out a quality product. It's a great place to bring a date, a fiancé, or a spouse. While I like kids, I usually don't see any in there, and it makes for a more relaxing dinner. The dining room isn't too loud, but not too quiet either. If you live in the area leave the kids at home for an hour, and have a nice meal with that special someone. You'll be glad you did.
(5)Jim M.
This was our first visit and we were very pleased. Ordered the cheeseburgers and a couple glasses of sangria. The burgers were cooked perfectly and served with French fries. The sangrias were large pours. There seemed to be a lot of wait staff for the number of people in the restaurant but they were not overbearing. Overall we were very impressed. The decor was very nice, the restaurant was clean and the staff was attentive. Plus the food was great. Tuesday nights they have a burger special which we ordered. It was so good we had to double check that they didn't mistakenly serve us the Kobe burger which is also on their menu. Plenty of free parking out front. Looking forward to going back and trying some of the other entrees on the menu.
(5)Mike R.
Second visit, same lousy service. I really want this place to succeed, because downtown WS needs more decent dining options, and the location is great. Its a very nice looking restaurant, with a decent bar too. We went here six months ago, and thought the food was pretty good, but the service was lacking. Our waitress would disappear for 30-40 minutes at a time, meaning we had to track her down every time we needed something. Completely unacceptable for a restaurant at this price point, but I'm willing to accept maybe we were just there on an off night. Went back this weekend. Things seem to have gotten slightly worse. Seated, but no menus given to us until we asked twice. 25 minutes pass before a server even acknowledges us, let alone take our drink orders. Food was still decent, but almost an hour passed between our entree order and the time it was served. My meal was actually cold by the time it arrived, meaning it likely sat on the counter for some time before it was brought over. Over 2.5 hours for a party of four to have 1-2 drinks, one order of appetizers and an entree, and not because we dragged it out or particularly enjoyed it, only because this was how slow the service was. I will mention that while the restaurant was full, it did not appear to be incredibly busy. Bottom line, disappointing, really hope they can get it together, but we are 0 for 2 here over the past year.
(2)Laura B.
I've stopped in here a few times now for lunch and dinner and all have been fantastic. For lunch I had the blue cheese burger with truffle fries, the fries were truly exceptional. The pasta and seafood is amazing. Definitely recommend to anyone in the area.
(5)Nikole H.
Tried this place recently on a friend's recommendation, and couldn't be more pleased. I'm not a wine drinker, so I was initially hesitant, but any trace of that was overcome by both the service and the food. The decor is warm and inviting, and the staff is incredibly attentive. This is definitely the kind of place that you are remembered, and it seemed like the crowd is fairly regular. For an upscale restaurant (with a decidedly well-heeled clientele, I saw some diamond rings that would put Harry Winston to shame), that's an accomplishment. People who can afford to eat anywhere don't typically choose to go to the same place over and over unless it's phenomenal. Just as an aside, I really enjoyed that while this place was a nice restaurant with a great menu, you could still come in dressed in jeans and be comfortable. So if you're the kind of person who doesn't like unnecessary pretentiousness (like me)-don't worry. This place isn't pretentious, but it is the kind of place you take a foodie friend or a date, not a place you bring ill-behaved children. The menu is small, but well-rounded. This isn't Chili's. From the things that I tasted, everything is flawlessly done. I'd prefer a handful of incredible options over a page full of sub-par, poorly executed items any day. All the selections were fresh, locally sourced when possible (I asked, because I'm a pain in the butt), and it was clear that a great deal of care went into the menu. I tried a few things: the Wagyu sliders (amazing), the chopped salad (very good, and very fresh, no wilted/soggy greens), and finally the butterfish. All was fantastic. No complaints. Portions were substantial, food was well cooked and delicious. I enjoyed every bite. I will definitely return, bearing more friends in future. This place is a winner in my book. I'd highly suggest checking it out.
(5)Paul A.
Just got home from a nice dinner. Caeser salad awesome. The roast chicken was great. My wife had their corn chowder and loved it. Service great. Wine fairly priced. What's not to like?
(4)Lori T.
Excellent deal on Wednesdays 1/2 price apps and the wine list is perfect for a nice night out. Laura the bartender is great!
(4)Sue O.
We stopped here for lunch last week and decided to sit outside - first mistake as when a train passes you cannot talk to one another! What were we thinking?? But the inside looked do dark and it was a perfect day so we chose badly. We shared an Italian beef sandwich which was huge and pretty tasteless - also an overwhelming size bun. We also had their basic side salad which certainly was basic only. The wait staff did a fine job of attending to us but the food lacks any reason to return
(2)Patrick K.
Overall, this visits was just "ok". The service was excellent, and the food was good, and nothing was wrong. It just felt, well, ok. Nothing out of the ordinary in our food or the ambiance, which really makes the prices involved a tad on the high side.
(3)Deb M.
Food wasn't bad. Just not great. Service was terrible!!! We went for a quick early dinner. The place was not busy when we got there. The server seemed annoyed that we weren't going to get wine, appetizers, salad and dessert. She took our order and never came back to our table until we flagged her down for our check. She didn't even bring out our order, someone from the kitchen did. I give it one star for the rigatoni dish . The chicken sandwich was marginal, chicken was tough, the green tomato slices were tasteless, the wheat bun was the only good thing about it. Why would we go back?
(1)Kristin S.
Disappointed in my meal. My husband has been before and had the spinach salad with fried egg and lentils and loved it. This time I ordered their special salad that had mixed baby greens, gorgonzola cheese, chocolate covered bacon, and blood oranges. The chocolate covered bacon was a meager 4 or 5 tiny bits. The blood oranges were slices of the small end of the orange, I would have preferred bit sized pieces. There was too much dressing (which didn't even really have a distinct flavor) and too much cheese. Cut the cheese and dressing in half and put some sort of toasted nut (pine nut, hazelnut) and it would have been a different story. I had the mussels. They weren't bad, but nothing I would come back for. The broth was overly salty, which made me sad, because I love to dip my bread and sop up the juicy goodness after I have woofed down the mussels. The most disappointing, and I do mean disappointing thing was the dessert. It was down right embarrassing. Red velvet cake. Single layer. Not sure what flavor the frosting was, definitely not cream cheese, and it I am not sure it contained any butter. The cake was soaked in a sugar artificially red looking - artificially tasting sauce. Wait, wasn't this red velvet cake? It was terrible. A side of a macerate strawberry gone bad atop a poorly designed flower of some butter cream chocolate stuff. Not good. And to make things worse, are you ready, they charged $9 !!!! for it. I left this restaurant feeling ripped off. Probably will not go back. Servers were nice but stand-offish and unpersonable.
(2)Paul M.
Circumstances have brought me here a few times just for appetizers and drinks. The wine list is fantastic, and everything I've tasted has been delish. The best fries I've ever, ever had are here: the Truffle Fries. I've enjoyed some good music here. And the cocktails are crafty: I took the owners advice and tried his own Bloody Mary creation. I mean, it had pineapple juice! But I trusted, and it was yummy. I've heard great things about the dinners here so I can't wait to come back and see what they do beyond the appetizers I've had.
(5)Dave S.
Nice atmosphere, not loud. We started out with the battered asparagus which was different and good.It was in a tampora batter with a chipotle sauce. I had a stuffed portabella that was very good. My wife had the prime rib that I sampled. I believe I will be back for it next time. Good flavor,very tender. The beers on tap and bottle selection wasn't bad. Also our server Joe was top notch and friendly. Not a cheap place to go but you get the value of taste for your dollar.
(4)Jim K.
Have the pork chop! this place is great! wait staff is personable, clean place, modern atmosphere.
(5)Stel F.
First time visit and very disappointed. Started off good. Ordered our drinks, ordered appetizer (grilled Brie). Both very good. And then, it was downhill from there. We waited almost an hour for our entrees. We asked the waiter what the hold up was and he apologized and said our order was put in at same time of a shower that was going on a private room. Ridiculous excuse as 1) the table 2 down from us who arrived later than us received their entrees before us and 2) we had been seated at least 30 min prior to the private party. After finally getting our entrees, our food was at best lukewarm. My salmon was cooked perfectly, but my husband's steak was very dry. Received the check so fast after we indicated we didn't want dessert (wish we could have received our entrees that quick). Not once did a manager come to apologize for the long wait, which was very disappointing. Overall, this place had great ambiance, but way overpriced. It pretends to be an 'upscale' restaurant but in no way can compete, especially since they can't seem to handle a private party and their guests in dining room at same time. Plenty of other great restaurants in Lagrange and Oak Brook to waste good $$ at this place.
(2)Ally B.
I have just returned home from this restaurant. I believe it is one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. The food was sub standard. The quality of meat was terrible, the medium steak was bleeding. The brick chicken with thyme jus had no hint of thyme, was burned and swimming in a salty broth. The lobster gnocchi was burned. All the food was served luke warm. We mentioned to the server that the food was really bad, she told us the manager would be right out to address the issue. No one came. Do not waste your time or your money here. Obviously the management does not care. It is really terrible food.
(1)Jessica M.
I went here as part of a "lady's night out" with the Newcomers & Neighbors' club. The atmosphere in the back room was nice. The service was also totally pleasant. But the reason I'll be back was the food and drink! I had the sangria, which came in a large wine glass and was DELISH. For dinner I had a garden salad (very fresh and well-dressed) and the fish. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned - just light and flavorful and delicious. I will definitely be back!
(5)Melissa C.
A group of 4 of us went to Mecenat on a Saturday night about 2 weeks after opening. We tried the Brie appetizer with an orange honey --- great to start off with. For dinner, I had the Lake Superior Whitefish -- delicious! Very light, but filling. My friends had the Potato Gnocchi, Grilled Pork Chop, and the Vegetable Soup with some sides. One of my friends was a vegetarian and they accommodated that very well (just watch out for hidden bacon!). For dessert we had the Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Mousse with a raspberry sauce. I loved the mousse!! I definitely recommend this place for a meal, for a quick drink or after dinner dessert/drinks. Everyone working was more than nice, very helpful and knowledgeable. The restaurant scene was clean, modern, and has a great overall atmosphere!
(5)Catherine H.
We went here to use a Groupon and we were pleasantly surprised. We came early on a Saturday night without a reservation, the hostess is the only part of the night that brought Mecenat down a star. She couldn't have been less welcoming and just snarked to the girl that was seating us "Uh, these are the last ones I guess you can sit them at 51" without even looking at us waived us off like we were such a nuisance to her. Looking at her through the corner of my eye for the rest of the night I don't think she ever took the snotty look off her face. The rest of the staff couldn't have been any nicer and it was so unfortunate that the hostess was such a crab amongst all the other wonderful people. On to the food...everything we had was outstanding. My husband is really picky about burgers and he is still raving about this one. We deemed it "craveable!" We will definitely be back, I just hope they put a smile on the hostesses face.
(4)Eileen R.
My Husband and I had the most wonderful dinner at Mecenat Bistro. We had a fabulous appetizer special of Kobe beef quesadilla. My husband had the shrimp Po'boy and I had the roasted chicken with french beans, carrots and red potatoes in a reduction sauce that was to die for. Very reasonably priced and great ambiance. We are very excited that Mecenat was as great as it was, it is within walking distance of our house, and we will be returning many times again.
(5)Patti D.
What a wonderful find! I don't feel you can do better in the area. This restaurant has everything going for it - great service, nice atmosphere, and absolutely wonderful food! My boyfriend and I love to try new places and usually drive our servers nuts by splitting appetizers and glasses of wine, but Art (one of the best we have ever had!) took it in stride and accommodated us in every way! We had the grilled mussels to start - excellently done in a light white wine sauce, a large portion of very tasty morsels. Try it paired with an excellent sauvingon blanc! Next we tried the brie - don't miss it - the pesto and orange honey combo with the grilled cheese is delightful - and the grenache was an outstanding choice to set it off, as well as the spinach salad with lentils and a fried egg. If you have never tried a fried egg on a salad, you are in for a treat! We were really hungry so we split an entree, the Butterfish - if tilapia and swordfish had a baby, you would get this wonderful, white delish fish that was perfectly prepared! Fabulous as well! We even had dessert - cinnamon bread pudding was perfect for fall and the coffee was even top notch. This place is a great alternative to the hustle and bustle (and parking issues) of downtown LaGrange, and we plan on going back often.
(5)S F.
Only had appetizers, which were very good. However, I was very disappointed that a glass of sangria was $10...this seems a little pricey for a glass of sangria. Four glasses between my husband and I and all of a sudden the bill seemed ridiculous. Nice atmosphere, but we left feeling ripped off.
(3)