Grove Kitchen
795 W Dundee Rd, Palatine, IL, 60074
Grove Kitchen Menu
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Address :
795 W Dundee Rd
Palatine, IL, 60074 - Phone (847) 705-4910
- Website https://www.grove-kitchen.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :7:00 am - 9:00pm
- Mon : 7:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Breakfast
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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T C.
Delicious food at a great price! Homemade butter, warm bread, and soup or salad comes with your entree. Every item ordered was fresh and perfectly seasoned. Great service! What a great addition to the area. We will be back!
(4)Represent the P.
Not at all what I expected. Service is VERY poor. Our waitress Crystal was extremely inattentive and slow. Coleslaw had clearly gone bad and yet they still served it. Also, the bread on the sandwich was so hard it hurt my mouth to eat it. I was very excited about this place as the menu looked great but I ended up being sorely disappointed. Alamar's was far better. Will not return.
(2)Mark D.
My experience here seems a bit different than some of the others. Coming in seemed like a bit of a gamble, however, I thought that everything from the bus boy to the food were commensurate with other 4-star restaurant in the area. The food here is good, not great, but worthy of future visits. Again, people are entitled to there opinion, but our experience was one that warrants a return visit. I'm glad I ignored the reviews and checked the place out on my own.
(4)Jay H.
This Place is Another Pathetic Failure !! The dining room is like a hospital cafeteria, Cold and Uninviting !! The menu is lacking it's just cheap bar food .Never got to try the food because we didn't have a server. Someone came toward us 2 times and went somewhere else instead. Didnt see where. So we left Hungry !! I'll have to agree with the other reviews. The Place Sucks Pond Water !!
(1)Emily J.
Nice atmosphere, service was ok until we had to track down waitress for our check. Food was decent and a little pricey. Overall just OK
(3)Dianna R.
Well, I give up on the Grove. We gave it a few weeks to work out tge problems we experienced their first week.....nope. i ordered a simple medium burger. Came back rare. I sent it back and they brought me another...only slightly cooked more. Apparently, if you like it medium, you have to order medium well. As has been stated before, don't order the Ruben. Not good and small. The menu for dinner is very limited. We won't be returning.
(1)Margaret D.
We were very excited to try this place but it ended in huge disappointment. Our server came over after about 5 minutes and said she would be right with us. 15 long minutes later she came back to get our drink orders. My husbands beer came out fast which she told us she was surprised about because she said the bar was so slow. My son and I waited 15 minutes and had to remind her we were waiting for our drinks. Then the excuses started... There were no clean glasses she said. Which was clearly untrue when other tables were getting their drinks. The appetizer (flatbread) came out and was really good, about 5 minutes after the appetizer we received our drinks. The food came out next and my fries were ice cold and my sons Mac and cheese was 2 colors from sitting so long. We complained to who we assumed was the manager (tall blonde woman) she took my sons Mac and cheese and handed me a plate to put my fries on so they could be heated. This was shocking because I would expect new fries not just microwaved food. My sandwich was ok. My husband liked his soup although again the temperature was off. We had to ask other servers for refills. The family at a nearby table waited 45 min never got their drinks and got up and left. Even after complaining we were never offered anything not even an apology. We were however thanked for our feedback. Huge fail!
(2)Maylin M.
Went there for lunch today and it was okay. I ordered the Veggie panini...it was okay. Had my bread been more toasted it would made a big difference in taste. one side was super soggy due to tomato. Too bad. Kids menu major disappointing. We ordered cheese pizza and mac and cheese. 8 inch frozen pizza was not cut all. Seriously???? How do they expect a child to cut it and if parents are suppose to do it why eat out at all? Mac and cheese let's just say it's Kraft mac and cheese for $5.00 kids menu kinda pricey from a box which costs 79 cents. Ordered the turkey club sandwich bacon was so thick and chewy... they have organic eggs but no raw sugar... we might me picky this is definitely no Egg Harbor. Disappointed :(
(2)Kathleen M.
I am being generous with 2 stars. My Reuben was served on burnt toast with little dressing. My fries were cold. My husband's Italian beef was skimpy and overpowered by gardinara. The wine we ordered was not as fresh as it should have been and very average. Their prices are much too high for the food quality and offerings. A big disappointment. I will leave my generous rating because they are relatively new and may have to make a few changes.
(2)Marya T.
1. Overpriced 2. Overcooked 3. Under served 4. Too noisy 5. No bread, crackers or nothing (is this a gluten free restaurant?) 6. Mediocre wine selection. 1/2 glass of Chardonnay priced the same as entire bottle. Restaurant owners better figure it out fast or fail.
(2)Dave B.
We thought we'd try the newly opened Grove. Like others, we were disappointed. For drinks I ordered a Cosmo martini. It didn't seem like they used Citron, there was very little Cointreau/Triple Sec, and only enough cranberry to give it a pink hue. If you like straight vodka, great. If you actually wanted a Cosmo, not so much. Unlike previous reviews, they do now serve bread at the table, little dinner rolls with butter. They were good. The waiter didn't know the soup of the day, but was otherwise fairly good. Nothing outstanding, but good. Kitchen service seemed a bit slow for the number of people dining while we were there. The food was disappointing. Our table had a veggie panini, an ahi tuna wrap, and salmon. The veggie panini was bland and the veggies weren't sliced well for eating. The ahi tuna itself was quite good, but the wrap was dry. The sweet potato fries are waffle-cut (good), but were overcooked. The salmon was over-seasoned and also slightly overcooked. Most important were the high prices. It's a typical little corner diner, could be good, but only if it has good atmosphere and great food at a reasonable price. The atmosphere seems cold and cafeteria-like, the food is so-so, and it's much too expensive. Management needs to watch Restaurant Impossible. Robert Irvine would improve the atmosphere, cut the menu in half, make really good food, and bring the price under $10 a meal if they want return business.
(2)Cory P.
We have been waiting a long time for this place to open its doors and we went in for lunch on their opening weekend. Perhaps this is why the service was so bad? First, I tried to order the cheddar broccoli soup which was listed as the soup of the day and I was told that they were all out. Ok, not a good start. Then while ordering for my kids from the kids menu, I ordered the kids pizza meal with fries and the waitress says "the pizza does not come with fries" So I had to show her the menu where it was printed that all kids meals come with fries including the pizza. Her response, "Oh" Ok. Just overall poor service and pretty crummy menu as well. We won't be back which is a bummer because it's so close to home.
(2)Lisa R.
After waiting for what seemed like years for this place to open, we were a bit disappointed when it finally did. We have been here twice. Once right before Christmas, and another time a few weeks ago. It's a nice looking place, clean and modern. But, again, after taking years to renovate, they couldnt get a decent heating system? Going to the bathroom is like sitting your butt on an ice cube. Tables in the east side of the restaurant are cold too. Their coffee? Usually I am a three cup plus one to go person- I barely finished one cup. Bitter is a good way to describe it. The hash browns came out overcooked but my omelette was decent. The truffle chips? Would be decent if they actually put anything ON the chips. The prices are just TOO high for a neighborhood restaurant. And it would nice if the management/owners conversed with customers rather than sitting at the front booth all the time. Probably won't revisit until I hear about a few tweaks to the building and the service.
(3)Barry B.
Meh is dead-on. This place is facing an identity crisis; it can't decide if it's going to be a bistro or a diner. As other reviews stated, the service is very hit or miss. Servers forget about the options with each dish (not that it matters because the kitchen will decide for you and by the time the food gets to you). All three of our entrees tasted like they sat too long under the heating lights in that the rueben and burger were both on the dry side. My kid had pancakes, but had to wait even longer because server only brought 2 sets of silverware for 3 people. There is a bar in the front...why?! I disagree with other posters here that the food is very good. It's okay. It's not bad, just not anything new (and there are plenty of options within a 3 mile radius of Dundee and Quentin for dinner). I always try every new restaurant and will keep an eye of the posts here to see if the reviews start trending better before returning.
(2)Linda S.
We were here twice for dinner. The first time we tried the dinners -- I had the halibut. It was okay, but it was a very small portion for $16. My husband had the broccoli cheddar soup, which he said was good. We went there last night and both had sandwiches -- a patty melt and a reuben. It was really disappointing. We thought maybe the sandwiches would be good, but they were very much so-so. There was hardly any cheese on either sandwich. We will not be going back. The atmosphere isn't my style, either -- too noisy. Bad acoustics. And like another review said, it reminded me of cafeteria-style seating. It is a shame. That end of town needs a decent place to grab something good to eat.
(1)Brett S.
I went to this place recently for brunch. It is very close to my house and I was greatly hoping for a good neighborhood eatery. The place was gutted and completely redone inside. I would compare it to a Chipotle style interior. Extremely contemporary all the way down to the glasses and plates. I sat at the bar and ordered a coffee ($2.50) and decided to get the "Grove Ruben" on marble rye with sweet potato waffle fries ($10). The the whole thing was nothing special. Fries were good and sandwich was average. My problem with this place is that it appears they have taken more time worrying about the trendy interior than the actual food, which for the price is definitely not worth it ($16 for coffee and a Reuben after tip). It seems they want to put Inverness/ Barrington prices on a sub par restaurant in Palatine. My guess is this place won't last that long unless they intend on upping the quality of the food or lowering the price of the food.
(2)Pat D.
Service too slow. Salad was wilted. Decor is nice. Need to work out the kinks. Calamari and sandwiches served cold. Rotten pieces of lettuce in the salad.
(2)Auj S.
There is a lot of help, but their food is lacking. Soup could use some flavor. I had the Mac and cheese which was soupy and my dinner partner had a medium rare hamburger which was rare in the center. As in mooing. Will not be back even though we drive past it to and from work.
(1)Matt L.
Couldn't have bee more disappointed when my family finally had breakfast at this place. We're constantly looking for new breakfast places in the area to try and were very excited when we heard about Grove Kitchen. We went on a Sunday around noon or 1, and I realize this is usually a busy time for breakfast places but the staff seemed completely overwhelmed. Our waiter wasn't rude, but wasn't friendly, either. Seemed to be counting the minutes until his shift ended. We brought our 2 yr old with us and were disappointed to find no kids menu. Food took forever to come and I could smell food burning from the kitchen the entire time we were there. Both my wife's and my food were cold when they finally arrived. I had ordered the southwest Benedict and it was basically inedible. My wife didn't particularly enjoy her skillet either. Our baby had no issues with the fruit plate we ordered for her, but how do you mess up fruit Didn't see our waiter again until 30 minutes later when I explained to him the dish I ordered was gross. Again, didn't seem to interested. When the owner/manager (I think) stopped by to ask how it all was, I politely told him, "Actually, not very good.". I assume he thought I was joking with him because he just smiled, patted me on the back and walked away. Either that, or this place is in worse shape than I thought. I know I wasn't the only unhappy camper because I saw the same guy make at least 2 or 3 visits to other tables and each time it appeared as though he was handling a complaint of some kind. Inside of the restaurant was nice, but not enough to bring me back. Food is horrible and I won't be surprised if this place is closed within the year. Very sad, had high hopes.
(1)Janis B.
Finally made it to this restaurant--like other reviewers, waited a long time for it to open since it is near our home...won't be going back again. The 'host' (is he the manager?) never came over to see if everything was OK and was sitting at the front table when we left. The wait person never brought bread, told us only one soup was available, but the table next to us got something entirely different, water was not refilled on a timely basis, nor was my soda--in fact the wait person for the table next to us came over when she saw we were being ignored. And forgive me, but we were also charged for ICE ('on the rocks') when my dining partner had a drink!!! My burger was supposed to have cheese (it didn't), asked for medium and it came well done and quite burnt and wait person never asked what kind of roll I wanted it on. For a week night, the service was exceedingly slow, considering the restaurant was not even half-full. Bummer...we were really looking forward to having a good restaurant so close by. :(
(1)K. M.
It was okay. That is it, ok. Took a good eight minutes to greet us at table. Waitress was friendly but not very experienced. I had the pork chop dinner and my husband had the skirt steak. Salads were weak and "wilty". Rolls served were tasty with sweet whipped butter. We were still eating the salad when the dinner came out. Hate that! My dinner was okay after I sent it back because the chop was way too pink for pork. Husband's steak was on the smaller side but tasty. The veggies were cold. I ordered a glass of wine and really could have enjoyed another but our waitress never came back. The service is fair. There are adequate staff but everyone seems to be skittering around without purpose. I feel as if this place is trying to be upscale and hip, the prices dictate that. I really don't like how the restaurant is laid out. It is very noisy and diners are way too close to each other. I want this place to succeed as we could always use more restaurants in the area. It would serve the owners well to read the comments and try to make some changes.
(2)C P.
Good, tasty, simple.... Perfect for a nice weeknight supper. Recommended for good food you don't have to dress up for.
(4)M S.
Taking into consideration that this is a new restaurant and they have kinks to work out, I have based my reviews on my two visits. First was dinner: Buffalo Chicken Wrap is made with Sriracha, not Buffalo sauce, and the Sriracha is in the ranch, not on the chicken. Rueben sandwich had extremely tough corned beef, came out of the kitchen cold and soggy and they forgot the swiss! A rueben without swiss? Kids pizza was over sauced and Kraft Mac n Cheese took the longest our of our 6 meals to come out of the kitchen. Fries were cold, but we did visit on the third day of business, and Tom the owner checked in on us several times. We chalked this up to 'the first week' and vowed to come back. Fast forward three weeks and we visited for breakfast. Eggs were 'okay', not warm when they arrived at our table. Hash browns tasted 'oily' but were cooked to our asking of 'crispy'. Overall, their breakfast menu is overpriced for the area. Coffee is branded as Intelligesta, but at $2.95 for a cup of black coffee, even Starbucks is cheaper! We would love to see this restaurant do well, but the prices are a bit high for the area the kitchen could use some more training on the menu and parking lot could benefit from a redesign or expansion. Average Price per person: Breakfast $15, Lunch & Dinner $15 without drinks. Owner Tom, if you are reading this: the restaurant is too NOISY! invest in some sound absorbing tiles on the ceiling.
(2)Matt M.
Delightful! Fresh wholesome food, very clean. I like that they offer "natural" and even organic food at fair prices. The staff are attentive and friendly and the decor is pretty fancy without being awkward.
(5)L B.
We love this place for breakfast/lunch and look forward to trying it for dinner soon. The skillets are amazing, I think the coffee is great, and their bloody mary's are delicious! My husband loved the reuben for lunch as well. I don't understand the bad reviews - we have to stop ourselves from coming here for breakfast every week!
(4)Apple R.
They had me at organic eggs, intelligentsia coffee, and artisan cheeses. I loved it! Glad to have a restaurant like this in the hood.
(5)Joe R.
Came here with my girlfriend for breakfast. Great service, our coffees were full the entire meal. Excellent homemade corn beef hash, the best I've had in the area. Also has a full bar which is good for a Bloody Mary connoisseur such as myself. Bloodies were a little bland but still the best I've had in the area and nothing a splash of Tabasco couldn't fix. My girlfriend got a chop salad which was delicious and huge, it will definitely make for an extra meal later. Overall a wonderful dining experience.
(5)Leslie L.
Glad to have this place around. Nice to be able to go to a diner that is more modern than Palatine inn. Food was great!
(4)Al M.
The food was good - just opened so the service was in a "learning mode" over all it was OK
(4)Janet R.
Two words- truffle chips! Nice open layout is modern and the tile work is a nice look. The hamburger was generous and the pretzel bun fresh. The service was okay (hate having to ask for bev refresh). Grove Kitchen just opened so we'll come back in a month to see how things are shaping up.
(3)Larry T.
The service was good and we were greeted as soon as we walked in. Tried the chicken parmigiana and maple whiskey pork chop. Both were very good with good flavor. Broccoli cheese soup and the beef barley soup were a little bland but decent. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and the batter was light and crispy. Very good. We will be coming back again.
(4)Tim C.
My family have been here twice now in the short time it has been open and have been very happy. Our meals have been very good and the service outstanding. I think they are working through the "bugs' of being a new place with relative ease. They owner stopped by multiple times on each visit to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and the food. Portions are healthy size and quite tasty. Waited a long time for this place to open and have not been disappointed so far. Well worth the wait. I look forward to great things from them as they get more time and experience under their belts
(5)Dominique V.
The food is good, the waiter is nice and attentive, few refinement and it's perfect for the quality-price, we come back for try different dishes, and the place is nice and modern
(3)Bobbi S.
I have been eagerly waiting for this place to open. Sadly I dont feel the need to ever go back. Service was rushed and impersonal. Had to ask two different people for creamer because it didnt come with coffee. That alone was a good 10 mins. Food was ok with decent sized portions but way over priced for breakfast. Ill wait for a table at Gammy Ds or see Johnny at Cafe 14 next time I need a good breakfast
(2)A.P. Hanke H.
Was waiting for this restaurant to open, however, Palatine does not need another bad restaurant. Food was below average and pricey. I do have to say the waiter was very pleasant and smiley. Feels very contemporary, not very comfortable. I was looking for good homemade food and this is not it. Seems like they don't know what kind of restaurant they want to be.
(1)Catherine M.
Great service and food. The atmosphere is bright, fresh, and open without feeling sparse.
(5)Kelly L.
I went with my two small boys and husband this week-their first week of being open. The kids menu is not extensive, but it is interesting. Kids are encouraged to color their menu and then download an app on a phone to make the menu come to life. A good idea while waiting for the food to arrive. I had the buffalo chicken wrap and was disappointed with it since the sauce was made from sriracha and not a tangy Franks hot sauce. The sauce was too hot for me and I couldn't finish. I did like my tomato basil soup, though. My boys had pancakes (yes, for dinner) and one got the silver dollar pancakes that on the menu said were 5 total but we got way more than that. My other son got one big pancake which was not completely cooked in the middle. My husband got the kale salad and didn't have complaints. We may give this one more try. I want to like it simply since we'd like more family friendly restaurant options in our area, and we hope they get over their learning curve soon.
(3)G C.
I had very high hopes for this place as a great neighborhood eatery since it just opened last week. My family and I went for dinner on a Saturday night. The Santa Fe chicken salad I ordered lacked any kind of flavor. My wife's grilled cheese was okay until I tried a bite and a huge hair was in it. The loaded fries were good. My son's mac and cheese was suppose to come with fries but there were none to be found. It was a chilly evening and most people kept their jackets on because it felt like they had not turned the heat on yet. Warm atmosphere, no. Despite my best wishes I cannot recommend this restaurant for dinner. They will need a major revamp if they want to survive.
(2)Teressa D.
Service and food continues to be incredibly hit or miss. Great outdoor dining service and food two weeks ago. Bad experience today for lunch. Today, fries were cold but ham and cheese sandwich was hot and delicious (even though the kitchen didn't add mustard instead of mayo as I requested) when it arrived and the server seemed to be missing steps in our dining experience today. We first sat, unnoticed, it seemed, for 7-8 minutes. No water, no nothing. Server walks up and asks if we're ready to order. Well, by that time we were, considering all the time we'd had to look at our menus! First thing we did was order...you guessed it...water. Here's the deal: It's always clean and the bussing staff are top-notch, always on it. My struggle is that we dine here and it's pretty good. Then we dine here and it's really not. Yes, we keep coming back, I know, but when it's almost next door to our house and it's the only restaurant we can walk to, we can't help but hope our visit will be a good one, ya know? I sincerely hope they can get it together soon. We'll probably be back while the weather is still good to walk, but if traveling by car is an option we wouldn't think twice about driving right past Grove Kitchen to Deer Park and a chain restaurant.
(3)Gene S.
Second visit about two and a half months later and it seemed pretty disappointing on this visit. My turkey club tasted like stale bread that had been toasted and the fries tasted like they had been taken right from the freezer to the fryer. Not very good. Service was slightly better than last time, but the food wasn't. I think Grove Kitchen will be a two and out.
(2)Mm M.
Grove Kitchen American (Traditional) 9/8/2015 We like this restaurant We've tasted and/or ordered... Santa Fe salad Popeye Salad Gluten free pancakes Crepes Traditional breakfast Philly cheese sandwich Omelet All were hot, fresh, delicious! Service is always good. If you haven't been here since the new ownership, try it again
(5)Michael D.
Stopped in the other night after overhearing friends say how nice it is. OK they did a great job on the remodel and it's super new and clean. I ordered The Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I'm glad I asked for the fake cheese sauce on the side and promptly deposited it in the garbage. Not sure why this would even be served with this type of sandwich. I may end up trying again if I'm in the area but certainly won't be rushing back.
(3)Victoria J.
We had driven by the Grove Kitchen probably 50 times, and had never tried it. Tonight, we actually ended up here for dinner unexpectedly, since our regular Friday night place was overcrowded. We were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of our dinners. I had the broiled trout special with a delicious asparagus yogurt sauce and fabulous grilled zucchini and carrots. My husband also loved the homemade beef barley soup as well as the enormous Cobb Salad he had ordered. I remarked that the salad had very generous helpings of all of the extra goodies (avocado, egg, bacon). We will definetely be visiting again soon. A refreshing alternative to our "usual" places.
(4)Susan R.
Welcome to the neighborhood - we love having your restaurant close by for breakfast, lunch or dinner - love the burgers! Service is great & we love the decor... The food is always high quality and fresh with a reasonable price... we hope everyone will visit so you'll stay part of Palatine for a long - long time!
(5)Heather K.
So pleasantly surprised by this restaurant! Hubby and I stopped in while waiting to pick one of our kids up from a football game. Food was fantastic! Portions were huge. Can't wait to come back and try something else.
(5)Michael P.
Had breakfast with my family, place was a quarter full on a Saturday Morning. I ordered pancakes, my wife had poached eggs. We have two kids and they had chicken fingers and fries and scrambled eggs. They only gave two settings and three water for 4 people. They brought another setting but it was dirty and they had to replace it. The pancake (buttermilk) were to heavy one looked a little under done. The poached eggs where over cooked with a lot of browning. My son who will eat any type of fries did not eat more than one because they where over done. Hash brown where and the scrambled eggs where good. The service was very slow our waiter took his time. I had to wait 15 minutes to get the check. This is a new business but it's been around long enough to have the kinks worked out.
(1)Michele B.
Well the long awaited opening was a bust. The remodel was nothing more than a huge room cleared out and cut in half. It was very cold and unappealing. The staff could not remember the soup of the day, she didn't remember it for another two tables as well, so I kind of gave her a hint after I finished my soup of the day which could have come right out of a soup can. The truffle chips, were potato chips with Parmesan cheese. The adult grilled cheese didn't have any cheese. Menu was pretty boring. Never did get the refill on the coffee I am hoping that they can work out all the kinks management was on-hand and really seemed to be trying, but they really need a rewrite and a decorator..
(2)Jillian B.
I'm new to the neighborhood and decided to check this place out. It has a good vibe inside and I thought there were lots of great options on the menu. We were in for lunch and the tuna melt was great. Sweet potato fries were a little soft but the tuna melt made up for it. My uncle ordered the grilled cheese and truffle chips and said both were great. The service was fine. Nothing outstanding. Nothing terrible. Excited to come back to try out breakfast and sit outside if the weather is nice.
(4)Tom B.
I must totaly disagree with the low star posts. My wife and I eat here every Tuesday, for breakfast or lunch. We have never had a bad meal. The food is very high quality and always fresh and plentiful. The wait staff is top notch. We love the ambience and once again the furnishings are very high quality. When we have out of town guests we always bring them to " Grove Kitchen ", and our guests love it too. It's nice to have another high quality restaurant in Palatine, with very reasonable prices also.
(5)Tim C.
My family have been here twice now in the short time it has been open and have been very happy. Our meals have been very good and the service outstanding. I think they are working through the "bugs' of being a new place with relative ease. They owner stopped by multiple times on each visit to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and the food. Portions are healthy size and quite tasty. Waited a long time for this place to open and have not been disappointed so far. Well worth the wait. I look forward to great things from them as they get more time and experience under their belts
(5)Larry T.
The service was good and we were greeted as soon as we walked in. Tried the chicken parmigiana and maple whiskey pork chop. Both were very good with good flavor. Broccoli cheese soup and the beef barley soup were a little bland but decent. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and the batter was light and crispy. Very good. We will be coming back again.
(4)Rob A.
We love his place. Such friendly staff and the food is amazing. Be sure and try the apple pancake if you have room after your main course. Portions are significant. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, you won't be disappointed! This is truly a neighborhood gem that shouldn't be missed. Go out of your way to get there and you won't regret it!
(5)Steven J.
Solid breakfast place with a nice and open interior layout. The omlettes are very good and their southwest eggs benedicts dish has got great flavor.
(4)Emily J.
Nice atmosphere, service was ok until we had to track down waitress for our check. Food was decent and a little pricey. Overall just OK
(3)Dianna R.
Well, I give up on the Grove. We gave it a few weeks to work out tge problems we experienced their first week.....nope. i ordered a simple medium burger. Came back rare. I sent it back and they brought me another...only slightly cooked more. Apparently, if you like it medium, you have to order medium well. As has been stated before, don't order the Ruben. Not good and small. The menu for dinner is very limited. We won't be returning.
(1)Bob K.
We were there for dinner on a Friday evening. The food and service were good. I looked through the menu there were only a few items that caught my interest, so I ordered burger that was very good. But hey - its a burger. Their sandwiches are more appealing than the entrees. Decor is minimalist, clean and new. Not a warm comfortable feeling and the view is of their parking lot, so the windows add little to the decor. If I want breakfast, there are better places about 7 mins away. A great place for a business lunch.
(3)Janet R.
Two words- truffle chips! Nice open layout is modern and the tile work is a nice look. The hamburger was generous and the pretzel bun fresh. The service was okay (hate having to ask for bev refresh). Grove Kitchen just opened so we'll come back in a month to see how things are shaping up.
(3)Al M.
The food was good - just opened so the service was in a "learning mode" over all it was OK
(4)Margaret D.
We were very excited to try this place but it ended in huge disappointment. Our server came over after about 5 minutes and said she would be right with us. 15 long minutes later she came back to get our drink orders. My husbands beer came out fast which she told us she was surprised about because she said the bar was so slow. My son and I waited 15 minutes and had to remind her we were waiting for our drinks. Then the excuses started... There were no clean glasses she said. Which was clearly untrue when other tables were getting their drinks. The appetizer (flatbread) came out and was really good, about 5 minutes after the appetizer we received our drinks. The food came out next and my fries were ice cold and my sons Mac and cheese was 2 colors from sitting so long. We complained to who we assumed was the manager (tall blonde woman) she took my sons Mac and cheese and handed me a plate to put my fries on so they could be heated. This was shocking because I would expect new fries not just microwaved food. My sandwich was ok. My husband liked his soup although again the temperature was off. We had to ask other servers for refills. The family at a nearby table waited 45 min never got their drinks and got up and left. Even after complaining we were never offered anything not even an apology. We were however thanked for our feedback. Huge fail!
(2)Maylin M.
Went there for lunch today and it was okay. I ordered the Veggie panini...it was okay. Had my bread been more toasted it would made a big difference in taste. one side was super soggy due to tomato. Too bad. Kids menu major disappointing. We ordered cheese pizza and mac and cheese. 8 inch frozen pizza was not cut all. Seriously???? How do they expect a child to cut it and if parents are suppose to do it why eat out at all? Mac and cheese let's just say it's Kraft mac and cheese for $5.00 kids menu kinda pricey from a box which costs 79 cents. Ordered the turkey club sandwich bacon was so thick and chewy... they have organic eggs but no raw sugar... we might me picky this is definitely no Egg Harbor. Disappointed :(
(2)Kathleen M.
I am being generous with 2 stars. My Reuben was served on burnt toast with little dressing. My fries were cold. My husband's Italian beef was skimpy and overpowered by gardinara. The wine we ordered was not as fresh as it should have been and very average. Their prices are much too high for the food quality and offerings. A big disappointment. I will leave my generous rating because they are relatively new and may have to make a few changes.
(2)Marya T.
1. Overpriced 2. Overcooked 3. Under served 4. Too noisy 5. No bread, crackers or nothing (is this a gluten free restaurant?) 6. Mediocre wine selection. 1/2 glass of Chardonnay priced the same as entire bottle. Restaurant owners better figure it out fast or fail.
(2)C P.
Good, tasty, simple.... Perfect for a nice weeknight supper. Recommended for good food you don't have to dress up for.
(4)M S.
Taking into consideration that this is a new restaurant and they have kinks to work out, I have based my reviews on my two visits. First was dinner: Buffalo Chicken Wrap is made with Sriracha, not Buffalo sauce, and the Sriracha is in the ranch, not on the chicken. Rueben sandwich had extremely tough corned beef, came out of the kitchen cold and soggy and they forgot the swiss! A rueben without swiss? Kids pizza was over sauced and Kraft Mac n Cheese took the longest our of our 6 meals to come out of the kitchen. Fries were cold, but we did visit on the third day of business, and Tom the owner checked in on us several times. We chalked this up to 'the first week' and vowed to come back. Fast forward three weeks and we visited for breakfast. Eggs were 'okay', not warm when they arrived at our table. Hash browns tasted 'oily' but were cooked to our asking of 'crispy'. Overall, their breakfast menu is overpriced for the area. Coffee is branded as Intelligesta, but at $2.95 for a cup of black coffee, even Starbucks is cheaper! We would love to see this restaurant do well, but the prices are a bit high for the area the kitchen could use some more training on the menu and parking lot could benefit from a redesign or expansion. Average Price per person: Breakfast $15, Lunch & Dinner $15 without drinks. Owner Tom, if you are reading this: the restaurant is too NOISY! invest in some sound absorbing tiles on the ceiling.
(2)Matt M.
Delightful! Fresh wholesome food, very clean. I like that they offer "natural" and even organic food at fair prices. The staff are attentive and friendly and the decor is pretty fancy without being awkward.
(5)Apple R.
They had me at organic eggs, intelligentsia coffee, and artisan cheeses. I loved it! Glad to have a restaurant like this in the hood.
(5)L B.
We love this place for breakfast/lunch and look forward to trying it for dinner soon. The skillets are amazing, I think the coffee is great, and their bloody mary's are delicious! My husband loved the reuben for lunch as well. I don't understand the bad reviews - we have to stop ourselves from coming here for breakfast every week!
(4)Joe R.
Came here with my girlfriend for breakfast. Great service, our coffees were full the entire meal. Excellent homemade corn beef hash, the best I've had in the area. Also has a full bar which is good for a Bloody Mary connoisseur such as myself. Bloodies were a little bland but still the best I've had in the area and nothing a splash of Tabasco couldn't fix. My girlfriend got a chop salad which was delicious and huge, it will definitely make for an extra meal later. Overall a wonderful dining experience.
(5)Leslie L.
Glad to have this place around. Nice to be able to go to a diner that is more modern than Palatine inn. Food was great!
(4)Dominique V.
The food is good, the waiter is nice and attentive, few refinement and it's perfect for the quality-price, we come back for try different dishes, and the place is nice and modern
(3)Barry B.
Meh is dead-on. This place is facing an identity crisis; it can't decide if it's going to be a bistro or a diner. As other reviews stated, the service is very hit or miss. Servers forget about the options with each dish (not that it matters because the kitchen will decide for you and by the time the food gets to you). All three of our entrees tasted like they sat too long under the heating lights in that the rueben and burger were both on the dry side. My kid had pancakes, but had to wait even longer because server only brought 2 sets of silverware for 3 people. There is a bar in the front...why?! I disagree with other posters here that the food is very good. It's okay. It's not bad, just not anything new (and there are plenty of options within a 3 mile radius of Dundee and Quentin for dinner). I always try every new restaurant and will keep an eye of the posts here to see if the reviews start trending better before returning.
(2)Linda S.
We were here twice for dinner. The first time we tried the dinners -- I had the halibut. It was okay, but it was a very small portion for $16. My husband had the broccoli cheddar soup, which he said was good. We went there last night and both had sandwiches -- a patty melt and a reuben. It was really disappointing. We thought maybe the sandwiches would be good, but they were very much so-so. There was hardly any cheese on either sandwich. We will not be going back. The atmosphere isn't my style, either -- too noisy. Bad acoustics. And like another review said, it reminded me of cafeteria-style seating. It is a shame. That end of town needs a decent place to grab something good to eat.
(1)Brett S.
I went to this place recently for brunch. It is very close to my house and I was greatly hoping for a good neighborhood eatery. The place was gutted and completely redone inside. I would compare it to a Chipotle style interior. Extremely contemporary all the way down to the glasses and plates. I sat at the bar and ordered a coffee ($2.50) and decided to get the "Grove Ruben" on marble rye with sweet potato waffle fries ($10). The the whole thing was nothing special. Fries were good and sandwich was average. My problem with this place is that it appears they have taken more time worrying about the trendy interior than the actual food, which for the price is definitely not worth it ($16 for coffee and a Reuben after tip). It seems they want to put Inverness/ Barrington prices on a sub par restaurant in Palatine. My guess is this place won't last that long unless they intend on upping the quality of the food or lowering the price of the food.
(2)Pat D.
Service too slow. Salad was wilted. Decor is nice. Need to work out the kinks. Calamari and sandwiches served cold. Rotten pieces of lettuce in the salad.
(2)Auj S.
There is a lot of help, but their food is lacking. Soup could use some flavor. I had the Mac and cheese which was soupy and my dinner partner had a medium rare hamburger which was rare in the center. As in mooing. Will not be back even though we drive past it to and from work.
(1)Bobbi S.
I have been eagerly waiting for this place to open. Sadly I dont feel the need to ever go back. Service was rushed and impersonal. Had to ask two different people for creamer because it didnt come with coffee. That alone was a good 10 mins. Food was ok with decent sized portions but way over priced for breakfast. Ill wait for a table at Gammy Ds or see Johnny at Cafe 14 next time I need a good breakfast
(2)A.P. Hanke H.
Was waiting for this restaurant to open, however, Palatine does not need another bad restaurant. Food was below average and pricey. I do have to say the waiter was very pleasant and smiley. Feels very contemporary, not very comfortable. I was looking for good homemade food and this is not it. Seems like they don't know what kind of restaurant they want to be.
(1)Catherine M.
Great service and food. The atmosphere is bright, fresh, and open without feeling sparse.
(5)Kelly L.
I went with my two small boys and husband this week-their first week of being open. The kids menu is not extensive, but it is interesting. Kids are encouraged to color their menu and then download an app on a phone to make the menu come to life. A good idea while waiting for the food to arrive. I had the buffalo chicken wrap and was disappointed with it since the sauce was made from sriracha and not a tangy Franks hot sauce. The sauce was too hot for me and I couldn't finish. I did like my tomato basil soup, though. My boys had pancakes (yes, for dinner) and one got the silver dollar pancakes that on the menu said were 5 total but we got way more than that. My other son got one big pancake which was not completely cooked in the middle. My husband got the kale salad and didn't have complaints. We may give this one more try. I want to like it simply since we'd like more family friendly restaurant options in our area, and we hope they get over their learning curve soon.
(3)Matt L.
Couldn't have bee more disappointed when my family finally had breakfast at this place. We're constantly looking for new breakfast places in the area to try and were very excited when we heard about Grove Kitchen. We went on a Sunday around noon or 1, and I realize this is usually a busy time for breakfast places but the staff seemed completely overwhelmed. Our waiter wasn't rude, but wasn't friendly, either. Seemed to be counting the minutes until his shift ended. We brought our 2 yr old with us and were disappointed to find no kids menu. Food took forever to come and I could smell food burning from the kitchen the entire time we were there. Both my wife's and my food were cold when they finally arrived. I had ordered the southwest Benedict and it was basically inedible. My wife didn't particularly enjoy her skillet either. Our baby had no issues with the fruit plate we ordered for her, but how do you mess up fruit Didn't see our waiter again until 30 minutes later when I explained to him the dish I ordered was gross. Again, didn't seem to interested. When the owner/manager (I think) stopped by to ask how it all was, I politely told him, "Actually, not very good.". I assume he thought I was joking with him because he just smiled, patted me on the back and walked away. Either that, or this place is in worse shape than I thought. I know I wasn't the only unhappy camper because I saw the same guy make at least 2 or 3 visits to other tables and each time it appeared as though he was handling a complaint of some kind. Inside of the restaurant was nice, but not enough to bring me back. Food is horrible and I won't be surprised if this place is closed within the year. Very sad, had high hopes.
(1)G C.
I had very high hopes for this place as a great neighborhood eatery since it just opened last week. My family and I went for dinner on a Saturday night. The Santa Fe chicken salad I ordered lacked any kind of flavor. My wife's grilled cheese was okay until I tried a bite and a huge hair was in it. The loaded fries were good. My son's mac and cheese was suppose to come with fries but there were none to be found. It was a chilly evening and most people kept their jackets on because it felt like they had not turned the heat on yet. Warm atmosphere, no. Despite my best wishes I cannot recommend this restaurant for dinner. They will need a major revamp if they want to survive.
(2)Janis B.
Finally made it to this restaurant--like other reviewers, waited a long time for it to open since it is near our home...won't be going back again. The 'host' (is he the manager?) never came over to see if everything was OK and was sitting at the front table when we left. The wait person never brought bread, told us only one soup was available, but the table next to us got something entirely different, water was not refilled on a timely basis, nor was my soda--in fact the wait person for the table next to us came over when she saw we were being ignored. And forgive me, but we were also charged for ICE ('on the rocks') when my dining partner had a drink!!! My burger was supposed to have cheese (it didn't), asked for medium and it came well done and quite burnt and wait person never asked what kind of roll I wanted it on. For a week night, the service was exceedingly slow, considering the restaurant was not even half-full. Bummer...we were really looking forward to having a good restaurant so close by. :(
(1)K. M.
It was okay. That is it, ok. Took a good eight minutes to greet us at table. Waitress was friendly but not very experienced. I had the pork chop dinner and my husband had the skirt steak. Salads were weak and "wilty". Rolls served were tasty with sweet whipped butter. We were still eating the salad when the dinner came out. Hate that! My dinner was okay after I sent it back because the chop was way too pink for pork. Husband's steak was on the smaller side but tasty. The veggies were cold. I ordered a glass of wine and really could have enjoyed another but our waitress never came back. The service is fair. There are adequate staff but everyone seems to be skittering around without purpose. I feel as if this place is trying to be upscale and hip, the prices dictate that. I really don't like how the restaurant is laid out. It is very noisy and diners are way too close to each other. I want this place to succeed as we could always use more restaurants in the area. It would serve the owners well to read the comments and try to make some changes.
(2)Jackie B.
Decided to give this restaurant another try after seeing the reviews...bad choice on my part. I went for breakfast this time around. Restaurant was about a forth filled. Took awhile to have my order taken and to get my coffee. Order was simple, eggs over easy, bacon crisp, hashbrowns and wheat toast. Food took about 15 minutes to come out, which for the amount of people in the restaurant and how simple my order was, should not have taken that long. Food was not hot when it came out, like the serve forgot to pick it up so it jusy sat out. Eggs were over cooked, bacon was under cooked and the hashbrowns had no flavor. Plus not able to get a refill on coffee because my server was nowhere to be found untill my check was handed to me. Never again will I spead my time or money at this place.
(1)Jess H.
Very nice dining expericnce from the start to the end. Was warmed welcome once walked in. Asked if seating was good for me for what they picked. Was immediately served bread and water. Saw that they had broccolli cheddar soup. I had to have to try it. It was very good. Not overwhelming cheese flavor and plenty bits of broccoli in each bite. Loved it. Was only 4.50 for a huge bowl. Not going to complain at all! Next. I had pretzel bun burger ordered rare. It was perfectly cooked. Fries were delish as well. It did not taste prefrozen at all. It was all for 10.00 Service was very perfect and atmosphere was mellow and laid backed. Relaxing night for a friday night. The waitress was awesome and friendly. Checking in on right times not when I had food in my mouth or hoovering around. Customers all were relaxed around me. Definitely a better food fare than Alemars.
(5)Alexa E.
Absolutely wonderful place! I've been here twice now and truly enjoy this restaurant. The food is fabulous, everything is made in house, and the beer selection is awesome!! The prices are reasonable considering the large portions and made from scratch food! The staff is down to Earth and friendly. They ensure your visit is a good one, exactly how it should be. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well, which is nice for the upcoming summer. I highly recommend this place, and it upsets me there are so many bad reviews.
(5)Gordon G.
For how long it has taken for this place to open, the kinks should be worked out. As with any business, if you're not ready to open, i.e. heat doesn't work, service needs training, then don't open until you're ready. I'm guessing this will be like Rossini Duh Lucca, and will close for good within a few months.
(1)Vicki B.
Great neighborhood place! So nice to have something nice and yet relaxed so close to the house. Went with my family. My mom and I wanted to split the goat cheese and beet salad as an appetizer. The server so kindly split it in to our own bowls without us even asking! So thoughtful. The meals we ordered were the club sandwich, burger, salmon and ahi tuna wrap. Everyone was very pleased. We will happily be returning!
(4)Mary G.
The food was very good but unfortunately the service was not. We were seated right away but it took a long time for the waitress to come over and take our order. The food took a long time to come and my niece had to send her's back as it was not what she ordered. We had to ask for butter, cream and salt as it was not on the table. At one point a server came over and asked to take our hot sauce so not sure what is up with the condiments. Mary G
(1)He K.
Newly, remodeled place, but somehow they missed to make it cozy in the back seating area. It reminded us of an cafeteria, but not in a good way though. The front area with the little bar is kinda cute. The food (we had a wrap and a burger) were decent, but that's about it. The "truffle chips" weren't really "truffly" ;) Service is ok. About coming back...hmm...not sure. Probably not. There are so many better places around....
(3)Daniel M.
My wife and I were on the way to another restaurant in nearby Buffalo Grove and saw t the Grove Kitchen and thought we would stop there instead. Very happy we did. My wife had the Chicken Francese and I had the Chicken Marsala. Both were excellent. The Francese had a nice light crust along with a light sauce, very tasty with a hint of lemon. My Marsala also was excellent. A wonderful mushroom wine sauce, and you could taste the hint of wine Both meals were excellent. They took long enough, maybe 15 minutes or so, to know they were made to order. So many places today will serve a similarly named plate in 5 minutes. The before dinner bread plate was very taste, as were our dinner salads. Attentive wait staff and the chef stopped by the table towards the end of meals to ask how everything was and answer a few of our questions. On the way out, we asked for a menu to go so as to see the breakfast fare. We will definitely be back.
(4)Kathy F.
FABULOUS restaurant!!! Have been here twice in the last two weekends for breakfast! Great food, atmosphere and staff (especially Roxie)! Couldn't help but notice the extra touches that make this place stand out from the rest...cool dishes, morning cocktail menu, beautiful bar area, beautiful décor, outside patio and menu selection!
(5)Randy C.
My wife and I visited mid-morning on a Sunday. First impression was very positive. The work done inside was a significant improvement - open, airy, nice bar as you walk in. I had a traditional breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc.) while my wife had eggs benedict. Both were great. I ordered wheat toast and was served wheat pancakes. They offered to bring me toast but I opted to try the pancakes instead. I'm glad I did because they were really good - wheat pancakes are difficult to do well in my experience. Bottom line: we were both very pleased with the atmosphere, friendly service and excellent, high-quality food. We will definitely return.
(5)Jaryd C.
Love this place cute and great fresh food idk why everyone hating on this place so much .... It's not wildfire but still really good, I loved the spinach artichoke dip, buffalo wrap, and great beer selection!
(5)Sally S.
This was my first time here; it opened up just recently and it's down the street from my house. I was just okay. Nothing special. The calamari was fair - tasted fresh, but was overcooked. I ordered the "grove rueben" sandwich, which was just so-so. It wasn't fresh like you'd get at a deli, but since this isn't a deli it was as good as you'd expect. The corned beef was a bit chewy though, and the rye bread (which I ordered toasted) was soggy on the side that was touching the plate. I didn't like that bc it made me think that the sandwich was not made to order. The sweet potato fries seemed fresh, but they weren't very flavorful. Anyhoo, the food wasn't horrible, but not great either, so I probably won't be going back there - not with so many other great restaurants in the area.
(2)Elaine W.
I really cannot rate the food. My husband and I walked in to enjoy a Valentine's day lunch. We sat down in a very cold dining room, looked at the menu and decided for the prices we would probably be happier we went else where. $10.50 for an omelete a la carte with a $2.50 cup of coffee was a little too much for the curious....
(1)K M.
We kept in mind that the restaurant 'just' opened when going in to enjoy a dinner. The atmosphere is appealing and we were excited to try the food. We ordered the mini sliders for my daughter after reading the review on the Kraft mac and pizza - sliders were delicious and homemade. Unlike the sliders, the burgers that two of the adults ordered were not - they appeared to be packaged burgers and cooked well done, despite asking for medium. Sounded like the over cooked meat was happening at the two tables near us. I received the wrong sandwich (Reuben) but that was correctly quickly with the right one. Average as far as sandwiches go. I was watching the manger floating around and he was spending more time at the bar area mingling with someone that we thought was maybe the owner instead of checking how tables were doing in the big open area. Saw several servers running to correct orders with the kitchen and wondered if it was the servers not catching the wrong orders or the cooks not reading them right - however, frustrating for all. The server asked the Manager to visit us so we could talk to him about the burgers being overcooked and my wrong order - he took the defense and the first thing said tp me was 'it's day 3'. Disappointing to hear because I am a customer whether it's day 3 or day 28 - we know it's day 3, we've watched the building being remolded for quite some time however; we are still a customer and could have been a return one. My take on their food - pre packaged and average. Unless this place makes a change to the quality of their food - something more homemade vs packaged, not sure it's going to make it. If trying to be more swanky than a diner in the end, the product should represent that!
(2)T C.
Delicious food at a great price! Homemade butter, warm bread, and soup or salad comes with your entree. Every item ordered was fresh and perfectly seasoned. Great service! What a great addition to the area. We will be back!
(4)Represent the P.
Not at all what I expected. Service is VERY poor. Our waitress Crystal was extremely inattentive and slow. Coleslaw had clearly gone bad and yet they still served it. Also, the bread on the sandwich was so hard it hurt my mouth to eat it. I was very excited about this place as the menu looked great but I ended up being sorely disappointed. Alamar's was far better. Will not return.
(2)Mark D.
My experience here seems a bit different than some of the others. Coming in seemed like a bit of a gamble, however, I thought that everything from the bus boy to the food were commensurate with other 4-star restaurant in the area. The food here is good, not great, but worthy of future visits. Again, people are entitled to there opinion, but our experience was one that warrants a return visit. I'm glad I ignored the reviews and checked the place out on my own.
(4)Jay H.
This Place is Another Pathetic Failure !! The dining room is like a hospital cafeteria, Cold and Uninviting !! The menu is lacking it's just cheap bar food .Never got to try the food because we didn't have a server. Someone came toward us 2 times and went somewhere else instead. Didnt see where. So we left Hungry !! I'll have to agree with the other reviews. The Place Sucks Pond Water !!
(1)Dave B.
We thought we'd try the newly opened Grove. Like others, we were disappointed. For drinks I ordered a Cosmo martini. It didn't seem like they used Citron, there was very little Cointreau/Triple Sec, and only enough cranberry to give it a pink hue. If you like straight vodka, great. If you actually wanted a Cosmo, not so much. Unlike previous reviews, they do now serve bread at the table, little dinner rolls with butter. They were good. The waiter didn't know the soup of the day, but was otherwise fairly good. Nothing outstanding, but good. Kitchen service seemed a bit slow for the number of people dining while we were there. The food was disappointing. Our table had a veggie panini, an ahi tuna wrap, and salmon. The veggie panini was bland and the veggies weren't sliced well for eating. The ahi tuna itself was quite good, but the wrap was dry. The sweet potato fries are waffle-cut (good), but were overcooked. The salmon was over-seasoned and also slightly overcooked. Most important were the high prices. It's a typical little corner diner, could be good, but only if it has good atmosphere and great food at a reasonable price. The atmosphere seems cold and cafeteria-like, the food is so-so, and it's much too expensive. Management needs to watch Restaurant Impossible. Robert Irvine would improve the atmosphere, cut the menu in half, make really good food, and bring the price under $10 a meal if they want return business.
(2)Cory P.
We have been waiting a long time for this place to open its doors and we went in for lunch on their opening weekend. Perhaps this is why the service was so bad? First, I tried to order the cheddar broccoli soup which was listed as the soup of the day and I was told that they were all out. Ok, not a good start. Then while ordering for my kids from the kids menu, I ordered the kids pizza meal with fries and the waitress says "the pizza does not come with fries" So I had to show her the menu where it was printed that all kids meals come with fries including the pizza. Her response, "Oh" Ok. Just overall poor service and pretty crummy menu as well. We won't be back which is a bummer because it's so close to home.
(2)Lisa R.
After waiting for what seemed like years for this place to open, we were a bit disappointed when it finally did. We have been here twice. Once right before Christmas, and another time a few weeks ago. It's a nice looking place, clean and modern. But, again, after taking years to renovate, they couldnt get a decent heating system? Going to the bathroom is like sitting your butt on an ice cube. Tables in the east side of the restaurant are cold too. Their coffee? Usually I am a three cup plus one to go person- I barely finished one cup. Bitter is a good way to describe it. The hash browns came out overcooked but my omelette was decent. The truffle chips? Would be decent if they actually put anything ON the chips. The prices are just TOO high for a neighborhood restaurant. And it would nice if the management/owners conversed with customers rather than sitting at the front booth all the time. Probably won't revisit until I hear about a few tweaks to the building and the service.
(3)Jeff H.
Very good homemade soup, their turkey Reuben is excellent! Not sure why people ding this place, every visit has been very good and tasty. We go there for breakfast on the weekends and the pancakes, biscuits, and omelettes have been excellent!
(5)Lauren E.
My fiancé and I absolutely love this place. We have yet to be disappointed. The waitresses are really nice, and accommodating. The only reason it does not get 5 stars is because we haven't loved everything we've tried, but nothing has been bad. It has a great atmosphere, and it's what palatine needed. Good American style food. Oh, and the sweet potato fries, are waffle fries. And well, waffle fries are amazing.
(4)John M.
Had seen building progress and wondered how it would be different from previous restuarants in that location so decided to have breakfast, its hard to screw up breakfast! What a disappointment, after looking at the menu prices I decided they must really do something special to charge prices at least 1/3 above comparable fare restaurants, that was the disappointment, they were no different and at best just average to slightly below average. The decor was nice, a clean look but the look takes a back seat to the food and the food was as I said, average. Maybe they have some dish that is truly special, a signature entree but I wasn't made aware of it ... also, $2.50 for a cup of Intelligentsia Coffee is crazy, go to costco and buy starbucks Italian roast and I'll give you $2.50! I hate to say this but they seem like one of the old greek run diners with everything mediocre, just warmed up prepared food from SYSCO. Sorry for such a bad review
(1)Christian C.
Nice local neighborhood spot for breakfast lunch or dinner. I always get the skillet and I'm never disappointed. Never waited for a table during a weekend brunch.
(4)Jaclyn D.
I tried this place for the first time today with my mom. She ordered an egg white omelette while I got the Seared Ahi Tuna Wrap. Both meals were good. The omelette was on par with any other breakfast restaurant and yes, it was slightly pricey, but they seem to use a lot of organic ingredients and cage-free eggs, which personally, I don't mind paying a dollar or two extra for. I was pleasantly surprised with my wrap, being that tuna can be a risk. It seemed fresh and the wasabi dressing they had with it was really good. As for appearance, I was a fan of the modern decor, my mom not so much. It seemed like something you'd see at a trendy bar downtown, a little odd for this type of restaurant, but not bothersome. Our waiter was average... not super friendly but not un-friendly, either. Overall based on my experience, I'd come back here again. Plus, it's nice to have options in Palatine, especially since there aren't many sit down restaurants in that area of the town.
(4)Jennifer J.
I think people need to give this place a try. The place was not very busy on a cold Tuesday night and I wish there was a little more traffic. The service was totally fine. The chef even came out to check on us. The meal started with delicious warm rolls and sweet butter, yummy cocktails, and a nice ambiance. Everyone in our party of 6 really enjoyed their entrees. We will be back.
(4)Sherwin C.
As others have talked about, the experience here is a bit mixed -- but nothing that can't be fixed simply. The plus is, the food here is quite good with good flavors, portion sizes, and prices. The small negatives are that the open layout lends itself to potentially being noisy, plates could be cleared faster, menu layout could be improved, and the kitchen can get too busy at times. With that said, the strength of the food is enough to overcome these small issues. The loaded fries here are delicious, a huge portion of crispy fries topped with cheese, green onion, sour cream, and bacon. Enough to make one full before they start a meal, even when sharing with several other people. Linguine with garlic shrimp -- Generous portion of (6 large) shrimp with a delicious creamy sauce, asparagus, and sun dried tomatoes. The sauce was slightly thick for me but still delicious. Not-your-mother's-mac 'n cheese with Andouille sausage: Nice bouncy texture on the pasta with melted Swiss, smoked gouda & cheddar cheeses. Topped with baked parmesan bread crumbs. Not as salty as one would believe with 4 types of cheeses that work together well. The slight sear to make the andouille sausage crisp was a nice touch. Classic benedict: Nice crisp hash browns and perfectly poached egg. I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce which was smooth and creamy but not very salty so it did not distract from the other elements of the dish. Cafe burger with truffle chips: Not bad, but nothing special for a burger. The truffle chips were a little on the soft side but had a flavorful seasoning. Overall, the more unique menu and execution of dishes that's offered at Grove Kitchen is worth returning for although a few improvements to the customer experience to complement the food would easily get this restaurant many more 4 and 5 star reviews.
(4)Mark C.
Went for breakfast.. Maria was our server .. she needs a personality transfusion. Took about 10 minutes for her first visit and her lack of apologies or friendliness didn't make it worth the wait. We had 4 people. How hard is it to know who ordered what? 3 of us had OJ.. she dumps them on the table towards the end so we can all just grab them ourselves. Same with the entrees. No clue who ordered anything. Also, she takes forever to ask us if we need anything else for getting the check. And why do so many servers totally forget about you after you eat your food and let it sit there for an eternity before coming by again. (Another table had to flag her down as well.) I'm sure she's a nice person in real life and I also blame the training of the management of this restaurant and not her completely as I think she probably could do a better job if trained properly. So the food actually was delicious. I love the omelet or skillet pairing and picking and choosing the ingredients with very few upgrade costs. I personally had the skillet and added bacon, guac and cheddar... They totally nailed it and were very generous with the ingredients. Even the potatoes, which I asked to be well done were awesome. I give Maria points for relaying that to the kitchen. If it were just the food (being for breakfast), I would give it a 5 star rating because they had a wonderful menu. So now overall - I would typically have given this a 3 stars between the great food and sub par service, but I had to take away one more star because Maria got the check wrong. Folks, make sure you always check your bill! She had 3 things at the bottom added from another person's table and it totaled over $10. (Glad we didn't go for the Mimosa's as maybe I would have missed it.) She took them off and did apologize, but it was just the icing on the cake of bad service. Will try again.. only because of the food. But if I want bad service, I can find one of my exes and have them make breakfast for me for much less of a price.
(2)Amanda M.
This was a nice change up from the usual Red Apple, Walker Bros and Egg Harbor. To our surprise and delight after hearing some negative buzz and seeing the emptiness of the place at 10am Saturday, this place was great. As already mentioned, since place was maybe half occupied, we didn't have to wait and were seated promptly. They serve Intelligentsia coffee which is great. Our service overall was pretty good. Waters and coffees were refilled when necessary, food came out at an appropriate time, and our server was nice and friendly. I got a skillet with chicken sausage, gruyere, and jalapenos ($10.5 skillets including 3 ingredients). The sausage was abundant. Everything tasted fresh. Over easy eggs were cooked to perfection. The only slightly iffy thing was that the hash browns could have been browned a bit more. Nonetheless, all was tasty. Pancakes were fine, but are better at other places mentioned. Some biscuits and gravy connoisseurs at the table said that theirs was a definite standout and may be one of the best that they have ever had. In particular, they noted the biscuits to be actual fresh flaky buttermilk biscuits. The rancheros benedict special was also a hit. Overall, food was quite good and tasted much fresher than the Red Apple. I didn't feel as lethargic afterwards as I normally do at some of these other places. Service was pretty good. Place was spacious and open. Atmosphere was fine. Nice addition to P-town.
(4)Mm M.
Grove Kitchen American (Traditional) 9/8/2015 We like this restaurant We've tasted and/or ordered... Santa Fe salad Popeye Salad Gluten free pancakes Crepes Traditional breakfast Philly cheese sandwich Omelet All were hot, fresh, delicious! Service is always good. If you haven't been here since the new ownership, try it again
(5)Rob A.
We love his place. Such friendly staff and the food is amazing. Be sure and try the apple pancake if you have room after your main course. Portions are significant. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, you won't be disappointed! This is truly a neighborhood gem that shouldn't be missed. Go out of your way to get there and you won't regret it!
(5)Steven J.
Solid breakfast place with a nice and open interior layout. The omlettes are very good and their southwest eggs benedicts dish has got great flavor.
(4)Mark C.
Went for breakfast.. Maria was our server .. she needs a personality transfusion. Took about 10 minutes for her first visit and her lack of apologies or friendliness didn't make it worth the wait. We had 4 people. How hard is it to know who ordered what? 3 of us had OJ.. she dumps them on the table towards the end so we can all just grab them ourselves. Same with the entrees. No clue who ordered anything. Also, she takes forever to ask us if we need anything else for getting the check. And why do so many servers totally forget about you after you eat your food and let it sit there for an eternity before coming by again. (Another table had to flag her down as well.) I'm sure she's a nice person in real life and I also blame the training of the management of this restaurant and not her completely as I think she probably could do a better job if trained properly. So the food actually was delicious. I love the omelet or skillet pairing and picking and choosing the ingredients with very few upgrade costs. I personally had the skillet and added bacon, guac and cheddar... They totally nailed it and were very generous with the ingredients. Even the potatoes, which I asked to be well done were awesome. I give Maria points for relaying that to the kitchen. If it were just the food (being for breakfast), I would give it a 5 star rating because they had a wonderful menu. So now overall - I would typically have given this a 3 stars between the great food and sub par service, but I had to take away one more star because Maria got the check wrong. Folks, make sure you always check your bill! She had 3 things at the bottom added from another person's table and it totaled over $10. (Glad we didn't go for the Mimosa's as maybe I would have missed it.) She took them off and did apologize, but it was just the icing on the cake of bad service. Will try again.. only because of the food. But if I want bad service, I can find one of my exes and have them make breakfast for me for much less of a price.
(2)Sherwin C.
As others have talked about, the experience here is a bit mixed -- but nothing that can't be fixed simply. The plus is, the food here is quite good with good flavors, portion sizes, and prices. The small negatives are that the open layout lends itself to potentially being noisy, plates could be cleared faster, menu layout could be improved, and the kitchen can get too busy at times. With that said, the strength of the food is enough to overcome these small issues. The loaded fries here are delicious, a huge portion of crispy fries topped with cheese, green onion, sour cream, and bacon. Enough to make one full before they start a meal, even when sharing with several other people. Linguine with garlic shrimp -- Generous portion of (6 large) shrimp with a delicious creamy sauce, asparagus, and sun dried tomatoes. The sauce was slightly thick for me but still delicious. Not-your-mother's-mac 'n cheese with Andouille sausage: Nice bouncy texture on the pasta with melted Swiss, smoked gouda & cheddar cheeses. Topped with baked parmesan bread crumbs. Not as salty as one would believe with 4 types of cheeses that work together well. The slight sear to make the andouille sausage crisp was a nice touch. Classic benedict: Nice crisp hash browns and perfectly poached egg. I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce which was smooth and creamy but not very salty so it did not distract from the other elements of the dish. Cafe burger with truffle chips: Not bad, but nothing special for a burger. The truffle chips were a little on the soft side but had a flavorful seasoning. Overall, the more unique menu and execution of dishes that's offered at Grove Kitchen is worth returning for although a few improvements to the customer experience to complement the food would easily get this restaurant many more 4 and 5 star reviews.
(4)Jackie B.
Decided to give this restaurant another try after seeing the reviews...bad choice on my part. I went for breakfast this time around. Restaurant was about a forth filled. Took awhile to have my order taken and to get my coffee. Order was simple, eggs over easy, bacon crisp, hashbrowns and wheat toast. Food took about 15 minutes to come out, which for the amount of people in the restaurant and how simple my order was, should not have taken that long. Food was not hot when it came out, like the serve forgot to pick it up so it jusy sat out. Eggs were over cooked, bacon was under cooked and the hashbrowns had no flavor. Plus not able to get a refill on coffee because my server was nowhere to be found untill my check was handed to me. Never again will I spead my time or money at this place.
(1)Jess H.
Very nice dining expericnce from the start to the end. Was warmed welcome once walked in. Asked if seating was good for me for what they picked. Was immediately served bread and water. Saw that they had broccolli cheddar soup. I had to have to try it. It was very good. Not overwhelming cheese flavor and plenty bits of broccoli in each bite. Loved it. Was only 4.50 for a huge bowl. Not going to complain at all! Next. I had pretzel bun burger ordered rare. It was perfectly cooked. Fries were delish as well. It did not taste prefrozen at all. It was all for 10.00 Service was very perfect and atmosphere was mellow and laid backed. Relaxing night for a friday night. The waitress was awesome and friendly. Checking in on right times not when I had food in my mouth or hoovering around. Customers all were relaxed around me. Definitely a better food fare than Alemars.
(5)Amanda M.
This was a nice change up from the usual Red Apple, Walker Bros and Egg Harbor. To our surprise and delight after hearing some negative buzz and seeing the emptiness of the place at 10am Saturday, this place was great. As already mentioned, since place was maybe half occupied, we didn't have to wait and were seated promptly. They serve Intelligentsia coffee which is great. Our service overall was pretty good. Waters and coffees were refilled when necessary, food came out at an appropriate time, and our server was nice and friendly. I got a skillet with chicken sausage, gruyere, and jalapenos ($10.5 skillets including 3 ingredients). The sausage was abundant. Everything tasted fresh. Over easy eggs were cooked to perfection. The only slightly iffy thing was that the hash browns could have been browned a bit more. Nonetheless, all was tasty. Pancakes were fine, but are better at other places mentioned. Some biscuits and gravy connoisseurs at the table said that theirs was a definite standout and may be one of the best that they have ever had. In particular, they noted the biscuits to be actual fresh flaky buttermilk biscuits. The rancheros benedict special was also a hit. Overall, food was quite good and tasted much fresher than the Red Apple. I didn't feel as lethargic afterwards as I normally do at some of these other places. Service was pretty good. Place was spacious and open. Atmosphere was fine. Nice addition to P-town.
(4)Michael D.
Stopped in the other night after overhearing friends say how nice it is. OK they did a great job on the remodel and it's super new and clean. I ordered The Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I'm glad I asked for the fake cheese sauce on the side and promptly deposited it in the garbage. Not sure why this would even be served with this type of sandwich. I may end up trying again if I'm in the area but certainly won't be rushing back.
(3)Teressa D.
Service and food continues to be incredibly hit or miss. Great outdoor dining service and food two weeks ago. Bad experience today for lunch. Today, fries were cold but ham and cheese sandwich was hot and delicious (even though the kitchen didn't add mustard instead of mayo as I requested) when it arrived and the server seemed to be missing steps in our dining experience today. We first sat, unnoticed, it seemed, for 7-8 minutes. No water, no nothing. Server walks up and asks if we're ready to order. Well, by that time we were, considering all the time we'd had to look at our menus! First thing we did was order...you guessed it...water. Here's the deal: It's always clean and the bussing staff are top-notch, always on it. My struggle is that we dine here and it's pretty good. Then we dine here and it's really not. Yes, we keep coming back, I know, but when it's almost next door to our house and it's the only restaurant we can walk to, we can't help but hope our visit will be a good one, ya know? I sincerely hope they can get it together soon. We'll probably be back while the weather is still good to walk, but if traveling by car is an option we wouldn't think twice about driving right past Grove Kitchen to Deer Park and a chain restaurant.
(3)Gene S.
Second visit about two and a half months later and it seemed pretty disappointing on this visit. My turkey club tasted like stale bread that had been toasted and the fries tasted like they had been taken right from the freezer to the fryer. Not very good. Service was slightly better than last time, but the food wasn't. I think Grove Kitchen will be a two and out.
(2)Randy C.
My wife and I visited mid-morning on a Sunday. First impression was very positive. The work done inside was a significant improvement - open, airy, nice bar as you walk in. I had a traditional breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc.) while my wife had eggs benedict. Both were great. I ordered wheat toast and was served wheat pancakes. They offered to bring me toast but I opted to try the pancakes instead. I'm glad I did because they were really good - wheat pancakes are difficult to do well in my experience. Bottom line: we were both very pleased with the atmosphere, friendly service and excellent, high-quality food. We will definitely return.
(5)Jaryd C.
Love this place cute and great fresh food idk why everyone hating on this place so much .... It's not wildfire but still really good, I loved the spinach artichoke dip, buffalo wrap, and great beer selection!
(5)Daniel M.
My wife and I were on the way to another restaurant in nearby Buffalo Grove and saw t the Grove Kitchen and thought we would stop there instead. Very happy we did. My wife had the Chicken Francese and I had the Chicken Marsala. Both were excellent. The Francese had a nice light crust along with a light sauce, very tasty with a hint of lemon. My Marsala also was excellent. A wonderful mushroom wine sauce, and you could taste the hint of wine Both meals were excellent. They took long enough, maybe 15 minutes or so, to know they were made to order. So many places today will serve a similarly named plate in 5 minutes. The before dinner bread plate was very taste, as were our dinner salads. Attentive wait staff and the chef stopped by the table towards the end of meals to ask how everything was and answer a few of our questions. On the way out, we asked for a menu to go so as to see the breakfast fare. We will definitely be back.
(4)Kathy F.
FABULOUS restaurant!!! Have been here twice in the last two weekends for breakfast! Great food, atmosphere and staff (especially Roxie)! Couldn't help but notice the extra touches that make this place stand out from the rest...cool dishes, morning cocktail menu, beautiful bar area, beautiful décor, outside patio and menu selection!
(5)Susan R.
Welcome to the neighborhood - we love having your restaurant close by for breakfast, lunch or dinner - love the burgers! Service is great & we love the decor... The food is always high quality and fresh with a reasonable price... we hope everyone will visit so you'll stay part of Palatine for a long - long time!
(5)Heather K.
So pleasantly surprised by this restaurant! Hubby and I stopped in while waiting to pick one of our kids up from a football game. Food was fantastic! Portions were huge. Can't wait to come back and try something else.
(5)Michael P.
Had breakfast with my family, place was a quarter full on a Saturday Morning. I ordered pancakes, my wife had poached eggs. We have two kids and they had chicken fingers and fries and scrambled eggs. They only gave two settings and three water for 4 people. They brought another setting but it was dirty and they had to replace it. The pancake (buttermilk) were to heavy one looked a little under done. The poached eggs where over cooked with a lot of browning. My son who will eat any type of fries did not eat more than one because they where over done. Hash brown where and the scrambled eggs where good. The service was very slow our waiter took his time. I had to wait 15 minutes to get the check. This is a new business but it's been around long enough to have the kinks worked out.
(1)Victoria J.
We had driven by the Grove Kitchen probably 50 times, and had never tried it. Tonight, we actually ended up here for dinner unexpectedly, since our regular Friday night place was overcrowded. We were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of our dinners. I had the broiled trout special with a delicious asparagus yogurt sauce and fabulous grilled zucchini and carrots. My husband also loved the homemade beef barley soup as well as the enormous Cobb Salad he had ordered. I remarked that the salad had very generous helpings of all of the extra goodies (avocado, egg, bacon). We will definetely be visiting again soon. A refreshing alternative to our "usual" places.
(4)Michele B.
Well the long awaited opening was a bust. The remodel was nothing more than a huge room cleared out and cut in half. It was very cold and unappealing. The staff could not remember the soup of the day, she didn't remember it for another two tables as well, so I kind of gave her a hint after I finished my soup of the day which could have come right out of a soup can. The truffle chips, were potato chips with Parmesan cheese. The adult grilled cheese didn't have any cheese. Menu was pretty boring. Never did get the refill on the coffee I am hoping that they can work out all the kinks management was on-hand and really seemed to be trying, but they really need a rewrite and a decorator..
(2)Jillian B.
I'm new to the neighborhood and decided to check this place out. It has a good vibe inside and I thought there were lots of great options on the menu. We were in for lunch and the tuna melt was great. Sweet potato fries were a little soft but the tuna melt made up for it. My uncle ordered the grilled cheese and truffle chips and said both were great. The service was fine. Nothing outstanding. Nothing terrible. Excited to come back to try out breakfast and sit outside if the weather is nice.
(4)Tom B.
I must totaly disagree with the low star posts. My wife and I eat here every Tuesday, for breakfast or lunch. We have never had a bad meal. The food is very high quality and always fresh and plentiful. The wait staff is top notch. We love the ambience and once again the furnishings are very high quality. When we have out of town guests we always bring them to " Grove Kitchen ", and our guests love it too. It's nice to have another high quality restaurant in Palatine, with very reasonable prices also.
(5)Jeff H.
Very good homemade soup, their turkey Reuben is excellent! Not sure why people ding this place, every visit has been very good and tasty. We go there for breakfast on the weekends and the pancakes, biscuits, and omelettes have been excellent!
(5)Lauren E.
My fiancé and I absolutely love this place. We have yet to be disappointed. The waitresses are really nice, and accommodating. The only reason it does not get 5 stars is because we haven't loved everything we've tried, but nothing has been bad. It has a great atmosphere, and it's what palatine needed. Good American style food. Oh, and the sweet potato fries, are waffle fries. And well, waffle fries are amazing.
(4)John M.
Had seen building progress and wondered how it would be different from previous restuarants in that location so decided to have breakfast, its hard to screw up breakfast! What a disappointment, after looking at the menu prices I decided they must really do something special to charge prices at least 1/3 above comparable fare restaurants, that was the disappointment, they were no different and at best just average to slightly below average. The decor was nice, a clean look but the look takes a back seat to the food and the food was as I said, average. Maybe they have some dish that is truly special, a signature entree but I wasn't made aware of it ... also, $2.50 for a cup of Intelligentsia Coffee is crazy, go to costco and buy starbucks Italian roast and I'll give you $2.50! I hate to say this but they seem like one of the old greek run diners with everything mediocre, just warmed up prepared food from SYSCO. Sorry for such a bad review
(1)Christian C.
Nice local neighborhood spot for breakfast lunch or dinner. I always get the skillet and I'm never disappointed. Never waited for a table during a weekend brunch.
(4)Jaclyn D.
I tried this place for the first time today with my mom. She ordered an egg white omelette while I got the Seared Ahi Tuna Wrap. Both meals were good. The omelette was on par with any other breakfast restaurant and yes, it was slightly pricey, but they seem to use a lot of organic ingredients and cage-free eggs, which personally, I don't mind paying a dollar or two extra for. I was pleasantly surprised with my wrap, being that tuna can be a risk. It seemed fresh and the wasabi dressing they had with it was really good. As for appearance, I was a fan of the modern decor, my mom not so much. It seemed like something you'd see at a trendy bar downtown, a little odd for this type of restaurant, but not bothersome. Our waiter was average... not super friendly but not un-friendly, either. Overall based on my experience, I'd come back here again. Plus, it's nice to have options in Palatine, especially since there aren't many sit down restaurants in that area of the town.
(4)Jennifer J.
I think people need to give this place a try. The place was not very busy on a cold Tuesday night and I wish there was a little more traffic. The service was totally fine. The chef even came out to check on us. The meal started with delicious warm rolls and sweet butter, yummy cocktails, and a nice ambiance. Everyone in our party of 6 really enjoyed their entrees. We will be back.
(4)Alexa E.
Absolutely wonderful place! I've been here twice now and truly enjoy this restaurant. The food is fabulous, everything is made in house, and the beer selection is awesome!! The prices are reasonable considering the large portions and made from scratch food! The staff is down to Earth and friendly. They ensure your visit is a good one, exactly how it should be. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well, which is nice for the upcoming summer. I highly recommend this place, and it upsets me there are so many bad reviews.
(5)Gordon G.
For how long it has taken for this place to open, the kinks should be worked out. As with any business, if you're not ready to open, i.e. heat doesn't work, service needs training, then don't open until you're ready. I'm guessing this will be like Rossini Duh Lucca, and will close for good within a few months.
(1)Vicki B.
Great neighborhood place! So nice to have something nice and yet relaxed so close to the house. Went with my family. My mom and I wanted to split the goat cheese and beet salad as an appetizer. The server so kindly split it in to our own bowls without us even asking! So thoughtful. The meals we ordered were the club sandwich, burger, salmon and ahi tuna wrap. Everyone was very pleased. We will happily be returning!
(4)Mary G.
The food was very good but unfortunately the service was not. We were seated right away but it took a long time for the waitress to come over and take our order. The food took a long time to come and my niece had to send her's back as it was not what she ordered. We had to ask for butter, cream and salt as it was not on the table. At one point a server came over and asked to take our hot sauce so not sure what is up with the condiments. Mary G
(1)He K.
Newly, remodeled place, but somehow they missed to make it cozy in the back seating area. It reminded us of an cafeteria, but not in a good way though. The front area with the little bar is kinda cute. The food (we had a wrap and a burger) were decent, but that's about it. The "truffle chips" weren't really "truffly" ;) Service is ok. About coming back...hmm...not sure. Probably not. There are so many better places around....
(3)Sally S.
This was my first time here; it opened up just recently and it's down the street from my house. I was just okay. Nothing special. The calamari was fair - tasted fresh, but was overcooked. I ordered the "grove rueben" sandwich, which was just so-so. It wasn't fresh like you'd get at a deli, but since this isn't a deli it was as good as you'd expect. The corned beef was a bit chewy though, and the rye bread (which I ordered toasted) was soggy on the side that was touching the plate. I didn't like that bc it made me think that the sandwich was not made to order. The sweet potato fries seemed fresh, but they weren't very flavorful. Anyhoo, the food wasn't horrible, but not great either, so I probably won't be going back there - not with so many other great restaurants in the area.
(2)Elaine W.
I really cannot rate the food. My husband and I walked in to enjoy a Valentine's day lunch. We sat down in a very cold dining room, looked at the menu and decided for the prices we would probably be happier we went else where. $10.50 for an omelete a la carte with a $2.50 cup of coffee was a little too much for the curious....
(1)K M.
We kept in mind that the restaurant 'just' opened when going in to enjoy a dinner. The atmosphere is appealing and we were excited to try the food. We ordered the mini sliders for my daughter after reading the review on the Kraft mac and pizza - sliders were delicious and homemade. Unlike the sliders, the burgers that two of the adults ordered were not - they appeared to be packaged burgers and cooked well done, despite asking for medium. Sounded like the over cooked meat was happening at the two tables near us. I received the wrong sandwich (Reuben) but that was correctly quickly with the right one. Average as far as sandwiches go. I was watching the manger floating around and he was spending more time at the bar area mingling with someone that we thought was maybe the owner instead of checking how tables were doing in the big open area. Saw several servers running to correct orders with the kitchen and wondered if it was the servers not catching the wrong orders or the cooks not reading them right - however, frustrating for all. The server asked the Manager to visit us so we could talk to him about the burgers being overcooked and my wrong order - he took the defense and the first thing said tp me was 'it's day 3'. Disappointing to hear because I am a customer whether it's day 3 or day 28 - we know it's day 3, we've watched the building being remolded for quite some time however; we are still a customer and could have been a return one. My take on their food - pre packaged and average. Unless this place makes a change to the quality of their food - something more homemade vs packaged, not sure it's going to make it. If trying to be more swanky than a diner in the end, the product should represent that!
(2)Marya T.
1. Overpriced 2. Overcooked 3. Under served 4. Too noisy 5. No bread, crackers or nothing (is this a gluten free restaurant?) 6. Mediocre wine selection. 1/2 glass of Chardonnay priced the same as entire bottle. Restaurant owners better figure it out fast or fail.
(2)Al M.
The food was good - just opened so the service was in a "learning mode" over all it was OK
(4)Larry T.
The service was good and we were greeted as soon as we walked in. Tried the chicken parmigiana and maple whiskey pork chop. Both were very good with good flavor. Broccoli cheese soup and the beef barley soup were a little bland but decent. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and the batter was light and crispy. Very good. We will be coming back again.
(4)Tim C.
My family have been here twice now in the short time it has been open and have been very happy. Our meals have been very good and the service outstanding. I think they are working through the "bugs' of being a new place with relative ease. They owner stopped by multiple times on each visit to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and the food. Portions are healthy size and quite tasty. Waited a long time for this place to open and have not been disappointed so far. Well worth the wait. I look forward to great things from them as they get more time and experience under their belts
(5)C P.
Good, tasty, simple.... Perfect for a nice weeknight supper. Recommended for good food you don't have to dress up for.
(4)Dominique V.
The food is good, the waiter is nice and attentive, few refinement and it's perfect for the quality-price, we come back for try different dishes, and the place is nice and modern
(3)Barry B.
Meh is dead-on. This place is facing an identity crisis; it can't decide if it's going to be a bistro or a diner. As other reviews stated, the service is very hit or miss. Servers forget about the options with each dish (not that it matters because the kitchen will decide for you and by the time the food gets to you). All three of our entrees tasted like they sat too long under the heating lights in that the rueben and burger were both on the dry side. My kid had pancakes, but had to wait even longer because server only brought 2 sets of silverware for 3 people. There is a bar in the front...why?! I disagree with other posters here that the food is very good. It's okay. It's not bad, just not anything new (and there are plenty of options within a 3 mile radius of Dundee and Quentin for dinner). I always try every new restaurant and will keep an eye of the posts here to see if the reviews start trending better before returning.
(2)Linda S.
We were here twice for dinner. The first time we tried the dinners -- I had the halibut. It was okay, but it was a very small portion for $16. My husband had the broccoli cheddar soup, which he said was good. We went there last night and both had sandwiches -- a patty melt and a reuben. It was really disappointing. We thought maybe the sandwiches would be good, but they were very much so-so. There was hardly any cheese on either sandwich. We will not be going back. The atmosphere isn't my style, either -- too noisy. Bad acoustics. And like another review said, it reminded me of cafeteria-style seating. It is a shame. That end of town needs a decent place to grab something good to eat.
(1)K. M.
It was okay. That is it, ok. Took a good eight minutes to greet us at table. Waitress was friendly but not very experienced. I had the pork chop dinner and my husband had the skirt steak. Salads were weak and "wilty". Rolls served were tasty with sweet whipped butter. We were still eating the salad when the dinner came out. Hate that! My dinner was okay after I sent it back because the chop was way too pink for pork. Husband's steak was on the smaller side but tasty. The veggies were cold. I ordered a glass of wine and really could have enjoyed another but our waitress never came back. The service is fair. There are adequate staff but everyone seems to be skittering around without purpose. I feel as if this place is trying to be upscale and hip, the prices dictate that. I really don't like how the restaurant is laid out. It is very noisy and diners are way too close to each other. I want this place to succeed as we could always use more restaurants in the area. It would serve the owners well to read the comments and try to make some changes.
(2)Jillian B.
I'm new to the neighborhood and decided to check this place out. It has a good vibe inside and I thought there were lots of great options on the menu. We were in for lunch and the tuna melt was great. Sweet potato fries were a little soft but the tuna melt made up for it. My uncle ordered the grilled cheese and truffle chips and said both were great. The service was fine. Nothing outstanding. Nothing terrible. Excited to come back to try out breakfast and sit outside if the weather is nice.
(4)Matt L.
Couldn't have bee more disappointed when my family finally had breakfast at this place. We're constantly looking for new breakfast places in the area to try and were very excited when we heard about Grove Kitchen. We went on a Sunday around noon or 1, and I realize this is usually a busy time for breakfast places but the staff seemed completely overwhelmed. Our waiter wasn't rude, but wasn't friendly, either. Seemed to be counting the minutes until his shift ended. We brought our 2 yr old with us and were disappointed to find no kids menu. Food took forever to come and I could smell food burning from the kitchen the entire time we were there. Both my wife's and my food were cold when they finally arrived. I had ordered the southwest Benedict and it was basically inedible. My wife didn't particularly enjoy her skillet either. Our baby had no issues with the fruit plate we ordered for her, but how do you mess up fruit Didn't see our waiter again until 30 minutes later when I explained to him the dish I ordered was gross. Again, didn't seem to interested. When the owner/manager (I think) stopped by to ask how it all was, I politely told him, "Actually, not very good.". I assume he thought I was joking with him because he just smiled, patted me on the back and walked away. Either that, or this place is in worse shape than I thought. I know I wasn't the only unhappy camper because I saw the same guy make at least 2 or 3 visits to other tables and each time it appeared as though he was handling a complaint of some kind. Inside of the restaurant was nice, but not enough to bring me back. Food is horrible and I won't be surprised if this place is closed within the year. Very sad, had high hopes.
(1)G C.
I had very high hopes for this place as a great neighborhood eatery since it just opened last week. My family and I went for dinner on a Saturday night. The Santa Fe chicken salad I ordered lacked any kind of flavor. My wife's grilled cheese was okay until I tried a bite and a huge hair was in it. The loaded fries were good. My son's mac and cheese was suppose to come with fries but there were none to be found. It was a chilly evening and most people kept their jackets on because it felt like they had not turned the heat on yet. Warm atmosphere, no. Despite my best wishes I cannot recommend this restaurant for dinner. They will need a major revamp if they want to survive.
(2)Janis B.
Finally made it to this restaurant--like other reviewers, waited a long time for it to open since it is near our home...won't be going back again. The 'host' (is he the manager?) never came over to see if everything was OK and was sitting at the front table when we left. The wait person never brought bread, told us only one soup was available, but the table next to us got something entirely different, water was not refilled on a timely basis, nor was my soda--in fact the wait person for the table next to us came over when she saw we were being ignored. And forgive me, but we were also charged for ICE ('on the rocks') when my dining partner had a drink!!! My burger was supposed to have cheese (it didn't), asked for medium and it came well done and quite burnt and wait person never asked what kind of roll I wanted it on. For a week night, the service was exceedingly slow, considering the restaurant was not even half-full. Bummer...we were really looking forward to having a good restaurant so close by. :(
(1)Lauren E.
My fiancé and I absolutely love this place. We have yet to be disappointed. The waitresses are really nice, and accommodating. The only reason it does not get 5 stars is because we haven't loved everything we've tried, but nothing has been bad. It has a great atmosphere, and it's what palatine needed. Good American style food. Oh, and the sweet potato fries, are waffle fries. And well, waffle fries are amazing.
(4)Michael D.
Stopped in the other night after overhearing friends say how nice it is. OK they did a great job on the remodel and it's super new and clean. I ordered The Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I'm glad I asked for the fake cheese sauce on the side and promptly deposited it in the garbage. Not sure why this would even be served with this type of sandwich. I may end up trying again if I'm in the area but certainly won't be rushing back.
(3)Jeff H.
Very good homemade soup, their turkey Reuben is excellent! Not sure why people ding this place, every visit has been very good and tasty. We go there for breakfast on the weekends and the pancakes, biscuits, and omelettes have been excellent!
(5)Sherwin C.
As others have talked about, the experience here is a bit mixed -- but nothing that can't be fixed simply. The plus is, the food here is quite good with good flavors, portion sizes, and prices. The small negatives are that the open layout lends itself to potentially being noisy, plates could be cleared faster, menu layout could be improved, and the kitchen can get too busy at times. With that said, the strength of the food is enough to overcome these small issues. The loaded fries here are delicious, a huge portion of crispy fries topped with cheese, green onion, sour cream, and bacon. Enough to make one full before they start a meal, even when sharing with several other people. Linguine with garlic shrimp -- Generous portion of (6 large) shrimp with a delicious creamy sauce, asparagus, and sun dried tomatoes. The sauce was slightly thick for me but still delicious. Not-your-mother's-mac 'n cheese with Andouille sausage: Nice bouncy texture on the pasta with melted Swiss, smoked gouda & cheddar cheeses. Topped with baked parmesan bread crumbs. Not as salty as one would believe with 4 types of cheeses that work together well. The slight sear to make the andouille sausage crisp was a nice touch. Classic benedict: Nice crisp hash browns and perfectly poached egg. I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce which was smooth and creamy but not very salty so it did not distract from the other elements of the dish. Cafe burger with truffle chips: Not bad, but nothing special for a burger. The truffle chips were a little on the soft side but had a flavorful seasoning. Overall, the more unique menu and execution of dishes that's offered at Grove Kitchen is worth returning for although a few improvements to the customer experience to complement the food would easily get this restaurant many more 4 and 5 star reviews.
(4)Jackie B.
Decided to give this restaurant another try after seeing the reviews...bad choice on my part. I went for breakfast this time around. Restaurant was about a forth filled. Took awhile to have my order taken and to get my coffee. Order was simple, eggs over easy, bacon crisp, hashbrowns and wheat toast. Food took about 15 minutes to come out, which for the amount of people in the restaurant and how simple my order was, should not have taken that long. Food was not hot when it came out, like the serve forgot to pick it up so it jusy sat out. Eggs were over cooked, bacon was under cooked and the hashbrowns had no flavor. Plus not able to get a refill on coffee because my server was nowhere to be found untill my check was handed to me. Never again will I spead my time or money at this place.
(1)Jess H.
Very nice dining expericnce from the start to the end. Was warmed welcome once walked in. Asked if seating was good for me for what they picked. Was immediately served bread and water. Saw that they had broccolli cheddar soup. I had to have to try it. It was very good. Not overwhelming cheese flavor and plenty bits of broccoli in each bite. Loved it. Was only 4.50 for a huge bowl. Not going to complain at all! Next. I had pretzel bun burger ordered rare. It was perfectly cooked. Fries were delish as well. It did not taste prefrozen at all. It was all for 10.00 Service was very perfect and atmosphere was mellow and laid backed. Relaxing night for a friday night. The waitress was awesome and friendly. Checking in on right times not when I had food in my mouth or hoovering around. Customers all were relaxed around me. Definitely a better food fare than Alemars.
(5)Teressa D.
Service and food continues to be incredibly hit or miss. Great outdoor dining service and food two weeks ago. Bad experience today for lunch. Today, fries were cold but ham and cheese sandwich was hot and delicious (even though the kitchen didn't add mustard instead of mayo as I requested) when it arrived and the server seemed to be missing steps in our dining experience today. We first sat, unnoticed, it seemed, for 7-8 minutes. No water, no nothing. Server walks up and asks if we're ready to order. Well, by that time we were, considering all the time we'd had to look at our menus! First thing we did was order...you guessed it...water. Here's the deal: It's always clean and the bussing staff are top-notch, always on it. My struggle is that we dine here and it's pretty good. Then we dine here and it's really not. Yes, we keep coming back, I know, but when it's almost next door to our house and it's the only restaurant we can walk to, we can't help but hope our visit will be a good one, ya know? I sincerely hope they can get it together soon. We'll probably be back while the weather is still good to walk, but if traveling by car is an option we wouldn't think twice about driving right past Grove Kitchen to Deer Park and a chain restaurant.
(3)Gene S.
Second visit about two and a half months later and it seemed pretty disappointing on this visit. My turkey club tasted like stale bread that had been toasted and the fries tasted like they had been taken right from the freezer to the fryer. Not very good. Service was slightly better than last time, but the food wasn't. I think Grove Kitchen will be a two and out.
(2)Mark C.
Went for breakfast.. Maria was our server .. she needs a personality transfusion. Took about 10 minutes for her first visit and her lack of apologies or friendliness didn't make it worth the wait. We had 4 people. How hard is it to know who ordered what? 3 of us had OJ.. she dumps them on the table towards the end so we can all just grab them ourselves. Same with the entrees. No clue who ordered anything. Also, she takes forever to ask us if we need anything else for getting the check. And why do so many servers totally forget about you after you eat your food and let it sit there for an eternity before coming by again. (Another table had to flag her down as well.) I'm sure she's a nice person in real life and I also blame the training of the management of this restaurant and not her completely as I think she probably could do a better job if trained properly. So the food actually was delicious. I love the omelet or skillet pairing and picking and choosing the ingredients with very few upgrade costs. I personally had the skillet and added bacon, guac and cheddar... They totally nailed it and were very generous with the ingredients. Even the potatoes, which I asked to be well done were awesome. I give Maria points for relaying that to the kitchen. If it were just the food (being for breakfast), I would give it a 5 star rating because they had a wonderful menu. So now overall - I would typically have given this a 3 stars between the great food and sub par service, but I had to take away one more star because Maria got the check wrong. Folks, make sure you always check your bill! She had 3 things at the bottom added from another person's table and it totaled over $10. (Glad we didn't go for the Mimosa's as maybe I would have missed it.) She took them off and did apologize, but it was just the icing on the cake of bad service. Will try again.. only because of the food. But if I want bad service, I can find one of my exes and have them make breakfast for me for much less of a price.
(2)Amanda M.
This was a nice change up from the usual Red Apple, Walker Bros and Egg Harbor. To our surprise and delight after hearing some negative buzz and seeing the emptiness of the place at 10am Saturday, this place was great. As already mentioned, since place was maybe half occupied, we didn't have to wait and were seated promptly. They serve Intelligentsia coffee which is great. Our service overall was pretty good. Waters and coffees were refilled when necessary, food came out at an appropriate time, and our server was nice and friendly. I got a skillet with chicken sausage, gruyere, and jalapenos ($10.5 skillets including 3 ingredients). The sausage was abundant. Everything tasted fresh. Over easy eggs were cooked to perfection. The only slightly iffy thing was that the hash browns could have been browned a bit more. Nonetheless, all was tasty. Pancakes were fine, but are better at other places mentioned. Some biscuits and gravy connoisseurs at the table said that theirs was a definite standout and may be one of the best that they have ever had. In particular, they noted the biscuits to be actual fresh flaky buttermilk biscuits. The rancheros benedict special was also a hit. Overall, food was quite good and tasted much fresher than the Red Apple. I didn't feel as lethargic afterwards as I normally do at some of these other places. Service was pretty good. Place was spacious and open. Atmosphere was fine. Nice addition to P-town.
(4)Mm M.
Grove Kitchen American (Traditional) 9/8/2015 We like this restaurant We've tasted and/or ordered... Santa Fe salad Popeye Salad Gluten free pancakes Crepes Traditional breakfast Philly cheese sandwich Omelet All were hot, fresh, delicious! Service is always good. If you haven't been here since the new ownership, try it again
(5)Rob A.
We love his place. Such friendly staff and the food is amazing. Be sure and try the apple pancake if you have room after your main course. Portions are significant. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, you won't be disappointed! This is truly a neighborhood gem that shouldn't be missed. Go out of your way to get there and you won't regret it!
(5)Steven J.
Solid breakfast place with a nice and open interior layout. The omlettes are very good and their southwest eggs benedicts dish has got great flavor.
(4)Susan R.
Welcome to the neighborhood - we love having your restaurant close by for breakfast, lunch or dinner - love the burgers! Service is great & we love the decor... The food is always high quality and fresh with a reasonable price... we hope everyone will visit so you'll stay part of Palatine for a long - long time!
(5)Heather K.
So pleasantly surprised by this restaurant! Hubby and I stopped in while waiting to pick one of our kids up from a football game. Food was fantastic! Portions were huge. Can't wait to come back and try something else.
(5)Michael P.
Had breakfast with my family, place was a quarter full on a Saturday Morning. I ordered pancakes, my wife had poached eggs. We have two kids and they had chicken fingers and fries and scrambled eggs. They only gave two settings and three water for 4 people. They brought another setting but it was dirty and they had to replace it. The pancake (buttermilk) were to heavy one looked a little under done. The poached eggs where over cooked with a lot of browning. My son who will eat any type of fries did not eat more than one because they where over done. Hash brown where and the scrambled eggs where good. The service was very slow our waiter took his time. I had to wait 15 minutes to get the check. This is a new business but it's been around long enough to have the kinks worked out.
(1)Victoria J.
We had driven by the Grove Kitchen probably 50 times, and had never tried it. Tonight, we actually ended up here for dinner unexpectedly, since our regular Friday night place was overcrowded. We were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of our dinners. I had the broiled trout special with a delicious asparagus yogurt sauce and fabulous grilled zucchini and carrots. My husband also loved the homemade beef barley soup as well as the enormous Cobb Salad he had ordered. I remarked that the salad had very generous helpings of all of the extra goodies (avocado, egg, bacon). We will definetely be visiting again soon. A refreshing alternative to our "usual" places.
(4)Michele B.
Well the long awaited opening was a bust. The remodel was nothing more than a huge room cleared out and cut in half. It was very cold and unappealing. The staff could not remember the soup of the day, she didn't remember it for another two tables as well, so I kind of gave her a hint after I finished my soup of the day which could have come right out of a soup can. The truffle chips, were potato chips with Parmesan cheese. The adult grilled cheese didn't have any cheese. Menu was pretty boring. Never did get the refill on the coffee I am hoping that they can work out all the kinks management was on-hand and really seemed to be trying, but they really need a rewrite and a decorator..
(2)Tom B.
I must totaly disagree with the low star posts. My wife and I eat here every Tuesday, for breakfast or lunch. We have never had a bad meal. The food is very high quality and always fresh and plentiful. The wait staff is top notch. We love the ambience and once again the furnishings are very high quality. When we have out of town guests we always bring them to " Grove Kitchen ", and our guests love it too. It's nice to have another high quality restaurant in Palatine, with very reasonable prices also.
(5)John M.
Had seen building progress and wondered how it would be different from previous restuarants in that location so decided to have breakfast, its hard to screw up breakfast! What a disappointment, after looking at the menu prices I decided they must really do something special to charge prices at least 1/3 above comparable fare restaurants, that was the disappointment, they were no different and at best just average to slightly below average. The decor was nice, a clean look but the look takes a back seat to the food and the food was as I said, average. Maybe they have some dish that is truly special, a signature entree but I wasn't made aware of it ... also, $2.50 for a cup of Intelligentsia Coffee is crazy, go to costco and buy starbucks Italian roast and I'll give you $2.50! I hate to say this but they seem like one of the old greek run diners with everything mediocre, just warmed up prepared food from SYSCO. Sorry for such a bad review
(1)Christian C.
Nice local neighborhood spot for breakfast lunch or dinner. I always get the skillet and I'm never disappointed. Never waited for a table during a weekend brunch.
(4)Jaclyn D.
I tried this place for the first time today with my mom. She ordered an egg white omelette while I got the Seared Ahi Tuna Wrap. Both meals were good. The omelette was on par with any other breakfast restaurant and yes, it was slightly pricey, but they seem to use a lot of organic ingredients and cage-free eggs, which personally, I don't mind paying a dollar or two extra for. I was pleasantly surprised with my wrap, being that tuna can be a risk. It seemed fresh and the wasabi dressing they had with it was really good. As for appearance, I was a fan of the modern decor, my mom not so much. It seemed like something you'd see at a trendy bar downtown, a little odd for this type of restaurant, but not bothersome. Our waiter was average... not super friendly but not un-friendly, either. Overall based on my experience, I'd come back here again. Plus, it's nice to have options in Palatine, especially since there aren't many sit down restaurants in that area of the town.
(4)Jennifer J.
I think people need to give this place a try. The place was not very busy on a cold Tuesday night and I wish there was a little more traffic. The service was totally fine. The chef even came out to check on us. The meal started with delicious warm rolls and sweet butter, yummy cocktails, and a nice ambiance. Everyone in our party of 6 really enjoyed their entrees. We will be back.
(4)Alexa E.
Absolutely wonderful place! I've been here twice now and truly enjoy this restaurant. The food is fabulous, everything is made in house, and the beer selection is awesome!! The prices are reasonable considering the large portions and made from scratch food! The staff is down to Earth and friendly. They ensure your visit is a good one, exactly how it should be. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well, which is nice for the upcoming summer. I highly recommend this place, and it upsets me there are so many bad reviews.
(5)Gordon G.
For how long it has taken for this place to open, the kinks should be worked out. As with any business, if you're not ready to open, i.e. heat doesn't work, service needs training, then don't open until you're ready. I'm guessing this will be like Rossini Duh Lucca, and will close for good within a few months.
(1)Vicki B.
Great neighborhood place! So nice to have something nice and yet relaxed so close to the house. Went with my family. My mom and I wanted to split the goat cheese and beet salad as an appetizer. The server so kindly split it in to our own bowls without us even asking! So thoughtful. The meals we ordered were the club sandwich, burger, salmon and ahi tuna wrap. Everyone was very pleased. We will happily be returning!
(4)Mary G.
The food was very good but unfortunately the service was not. We were seated right away but it took a long time for the waitress to come over and take our order. The food took a long time to come and my niece had to send her's back as it was not what she ordered. We had to ask for butter, cream and salt as it was not on the table. At one point a server came over and asked to take our hot sauce so not sure what is up with the condiments. Mary G
(1)He K.
Newly, remodeled place, but somehow they missed to make it cozy in the back seating area. It reminded us of an cafeteria, but not in a good way though. The front area with the little bar is kinda cute. The food (we had a wrap and a burger) were decent, but that's about it. The "truffle chips" weren't really "truffly" ;) Service is ok. About coming back...hmm...not sure. Probably not. There are so many better places around....
(3)Daniel M.
My wife and I were on the way to another restaurant in nearby Buffalo Grove and saw t the Grove Kitchen and thought we would stop there instead. Very happy we did. My wife had the Chicken Francese and I had the Chicken Marsala. Both were excellent. The Francese had a nice light crust along with a light sauce, very tasty with a hint of lemon. My Marsala also was excellent. A wonderful mushroom wine sauce, and you could taste the hint of wine Both meals were excellent. They took long enough, maybe 15 minutes or so, to know they were made to order. So many places today will serve a similarly named plate in 5 minutes. The before dinner bread plate was very taste, as were our dinner salads. Attentive wait staff and the chef stopped by the table towards the end of meals to ask how everything was and answer a few of our questions. On the way out, we asked for a menu to go so as to see the breakfast fare. We will definitely be back.
(4)Kathy F.
FABULOUS restaurant!!! Have been here twice in the last two weekends for breakfast! Great food, atmosphere and staff (especially Roxie)! Couldn't help but notice the extra touches that make this place stand out from the rest...cool dishes, morning cocktail menu, beautiful bar area, beautiful décor, outside patio and menu selection!
(5)Randy C.
My wife and I visited mid-morning on a Sunday. First impression was very positive. The work done inside was a significant improvement - open, airy, nice bar as you walk in. I had a traditional breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc.) while my wife had eggs benedict. Both were great. I ordered wheat toast and was served wheat pancakes. They offered to bring me toast but I opted to try the pancakes instead. I'm glad I did because they were really good - wheat pancakes are difficult to do well in my experience. Bottom line: we were both very pleased with the atmosphere, friendly service and excellent, high-quality food. We will definitely return.
(5)Jaryd C.
Love this place cute and great fresh food idk why everyone hating on this place so much .... It's not wildfire but still really good, I loved the spinach artichoke dip, buffalo wrap, and great beer selection!
(5)Sally S.
This was my first time here; it opened up just recently and it's down the street from my house. I was just okay. Nothing special. The calamari was fair - tasted fresh, but was overcooked. I ordered the "grove rueben" sandwich, which was just so-so. It wasn't fresh like you'd get at a deli, but since this isn't a deli it was as good as you'd expect. The corned beef was a bit chewy though, and the rye bread (which I ordered toasted) was soggy on the side that was touching the plate. I didn't like that bc it made me think that the sandwich was not made to order. The sweet potato fries seemed fresh, but they weren't very flavorful. Anyhoo, the food wasn't horrible, but not great either, so I probably won't be going back there - not with so many other great restaurants in the area.
(2)Elaine W.
I really cannot rate the food. My husband and I walked in to enjoy a Valentine's day lunch. We sat down in a very cold dining room, looked at the menu and decided for the prices we would probably be happier we went else where. $10.50 for an omelete a la carte with a $2.50 cup of coffee was a little too much for the curious....
(1)K M.
We kept in mind that the restaurant 'just' opened when going in to enjoy a dinner. The atmosphere is appealing and we were excited to try the food. We ordered the mini sliders for my daughter after reading the review on the Kraft mac and pizza - sliders were delicious and homemade. Unlike the sliders, the burgers that two of the adults ordered were not - they appeared to be packaged burgers and cooked well done, despite asking for medium. Sounded like the over cooked meat was happening at the two tables near us. I received the wrong sandwich (Reuben) but that was correctly quickly with the right one. Average as far as sandwiches go. I was watching the manger floating around and he was spending more time at the bar area mingling with someone that we thought was maybe the owner instead of checking how tables were doing in the big open area. Saw several servers running to correct orders with the kitchen and wondered if it was the servers not catching the wrong orders or the cooks not reading them right - however, frustrating for all. The server asked the Manager to visit us so we could talk to him about the burgers being overcooked and my wrong order - he took the defense and the first thing said tp me was 'it's day 3'. Disappointing to hear because I am a customer whether it's day 3 or day 28 - we know it's day 3, we've watched the building being remolded for quite some time however; we are still a customer and could have been a return one. My take on their food - pre packaged and average. Unless this place makes a change to the quality of their food - something more homemade vs packaged, not sure it's going to make it. If trying to be more swanky than a diner in the end, the product should represent that!
(2)T C.
Delicious food at a great price! Homemade butter, warm bread, and soup or salad comes with your entree. Every item ordered was fresh and perfectly seasoned. Great service! What a great addition to the area. We will be back!
(4)Represent the P.
Not at all what I expected. Service is VERY poor. Our waitress Crystal was extremely inattentive and slow. Coleslaw had clearly gone bad and yet they still served it. Also, the bread on the sandwich was so hard it hurt my mouth to eat it. I was very excited about this place as the menu looked great but I ended up being sorely disappointed. Alamar's was far better. Will not return.
(2)Dave B.
We thought we'd try the newly opened Grove. Like others, we were disappointed. For drinks I ordered a Cosmo martini. It didn't seem like they used Citron, there was very little Cointreau/Triple Sec, and only enough cranberry to give it a pink hue. If you like straight vodka, great. If you actually wanted a Cosmo, not so much. Unlike previous reviews, they do now serve bread at the table, little dinner rolls with butter. They were good. The waiter didn't know the soup of the day, but was otherwise fairly good. Nothing outstanding, but good. Kitchen service seemed a bit slow for the number of people dining while we were there. The food was disappointing. Our table had a veggie panini, an ahi tuna wrap, and salmon. The veggie panini was bland and the veggies weren't sliced well for eating. The ahi tuna itself was quite good, but the wrap was dry. The sweet potato fries are waffle-cut (good), but were overcooked. The salmon was over-seasoned and also slightly overcooked. Most important were the high prices. It's a typical little corner diner, could be good, but only if it has good atmosphere and great food at a reasonable price. The atmosphere seems cold and cafeteria-like, the food is so-so, and it's much too expensive. Management needs to watch Restaurant Impossible. Robert Irvine would improve the atmosphere, cut the menu in half, make really good food, and bring the price under $10 a meal if they want return business.
(2)Cory P.
We have been waiting a long time for this place to open its doors and we went in for lunch on their opening weekend. Perhaps this is why the service was so bad? First, I tried to order the cheddar broccoli soup which was listed as the soup of the day and I was told that they were all out. Ok, not a good start. Then while ordering for my kids from the kids menu, I ordered the kids pizza meal with fries and the waitress says "the pizza does not come with fries" So I had to show her the menu where it was printed that all kids meals come with fries including the pizza. Her response, "Oh" Ok. Just overall poor service and pretty crummy menu as well. We won't be back which is a bummer because it's so close to home.
(2)Lisa R.
After waiting for what seemed like years for this place to open, we were a bit disappointed when it finally did. We have been here twice. Once right before Christmas, and another time a few weeks ago. It's a nice looking place, clean and modern. But, again, after taking years to renovate, they couldnt get a decent heating system? Going to the bathroom is like sitting your butt on an ice cube. Tables in the east side of the restaurant are cold too. Their coffee? Usually I am a three cup plus one to go person- I barely finished one cup. Bitter is a good way to describe it. The hash browns came out overcooked but my omelette was decent. The truffle chips? Would be decent if they actually put anything ON the chips. The prices are just TOO high for a neighborhood restaurant. And it would nice if the management/owners conversed with customers rather than sitting at the front booth all the time. Probably won't revisit until I hear about a few tweaks to the building and the service.
(3)M S.
Taking into consideration that this is a new restaurant and they have kinks to work out, I have based my reviews on my two visits. First was dinner: Buffalo Chicken Wrap is made with Sriracha, not Buffalo sauce, and the Sriracha is in the ranch, not on the chicken. Rueben sandwich had extremely tough corned beef, came out of the kitchen cold and soggy and they forgot the swiss! A rueben without swiss? Kids pizza was over sauced and Kraft Mac n Cheese took the longest our of our 6 meals to come out of the kitchen. Fries were cold, but we did visit on the third day of business, and Tom the owner checked in on us several times. We chalked this up to 'the first week' and vowed to come back. Fast forward three weeks and we visited for breakfast. Eggs were 'okay', not warm when they arrived at our table. Hash browns tasted 'oily' but were cooked to our asking of 'crispy'. Overall, their breakfast menu is overpriced for the area. Coffee is branded as Intelligesta, but at $2.95 for a cup of black coffee, even Starbucks is cheaper! We would love to see this restaurant do well, but the prices are a bit high for the area the kitchen could use some more training on the menu and parking lot could benefit from a redesign or expansion. Average Price per person: Breakfast $15, Lunch & Dinner $15 without drinks. Owner Tom, if you are reading this: the restaurant is too NOISY! invest in some sound absorbing tiles on the ceiling.
(2)Matt M.
Delightful! Fresh wholesome food, very clean. I like that they offer "natural" and even organic food at fair prices. The staff are attentive and friendly and the decor is pretty fancy without being awkward.
(5)L B.
We love this place for breakfast/lunch and look forward to trying it for dinner soon. The skillets are amazing, I think the coffee is great, and their bloody mary's are delicious! My husband loved the reuben for lunch as well. I don't understand the bad reviews - we have to stop ourselves from coming here for breakfast every week!
(4)Apple R.
They had me at organic eggs, intelligentsia coffee, and artisan cheeses. I loved it! Glad to have a restaurant like this in the hood.
(5)Joe R.
Came here with my girlfriend for breakfast. Great service, our coffees were full the entire meal. Excellent homemade corn beef hash, the best I've had in the area. Also has a full bar which is good for a Bloody Mary connoisseur such as myself. Bloodies were a little bland but still the best I've had in the area and nothing a splash of Tabasco couldn't fix. My girlfriend got a chop salad which was delicious and huge, it will definitely make for an extra meal later. Overall a wonderful dining experience.
(5)Leslie L.
Glad to have this place around. Nice to be able to go to a diner that is more modern than Palatine inn. Food was great!
(4)Janet R.
Two words- truffle chips! Nice open layout is modern and the tile work is a nice look. The hamburger was generous and the pretzel bun fresh. The service was okay (hate having to ask for bev refresh). Grove Kitchen just opened so we'll come back in a month to see how things are shaping up.
(3)Mark D.
My experience here seems a bit different than some of the others. Coming in seemed like a bit of a gamble, however, I thought that everything from the bus boy to the food were commensurate with other 4-star restaurant in the area. The food here is good, not great, but worthy of future visits. Again, people are entitled to there opinion, but our experience was one that warrants a return visit. I'm glad I ignored the reviews and checked the place out on my own.
(4)Jay H.
This Place is Another Pathetic Failure !! The dining room is like a hospital cafeteria, Cold and Uninviting !! The menu is lacking it's just cheap bar food .Never got to try the food because we didn't have a server. Someone came toward us 2 times and went somewhere else instead. Didnt see where. So we left Hungry !! I'll have to agree with the other reviews. The Place Sucks Pond Water !!
(1)Emily J.
Nice atmosphere, service was ok until we had to track down waitress for our check. Food was decent and a little pricey. Overall just OK
(3)Dianna R.
Well, I give up on the Grove. We gave it a few weeks to work out tge problems we experienced their first week.....nope. i ordered a simple medium burger. Came back rare. I sent it back and they brought me another...only slightly cooked more. Apparently, if you like it medium, you have to order medium well. As has been stated before, don't order the Ruben. Not good and small. The menu for dinner is very limited. We won't be returning.
(1)Margaret D.
We were very excited to try this place but it ended in huge disappointment. Our server came over after about 5 minutes and said she would be right with us. 15 long minutes later she came back to get our drink orders. My husbands beer came out fast which she told us she was surprised about because she said the bar was so slow. My son and I waited 15 minutes and had to remind her we were waiting for our drinks. Then the excuses started... There were no clean glasses she said. Which was clearly untrue when other tables were getting their drinks. The appetizer (flatbread) came out and was really good, about 5 minutes after the appetizer we received our drinks. The food came out next and my fries were ice cold and my sons Mac and cheese was 2 colors from sitting so long. We complained to who we assumed was the manager (tall blonde woman) she took my sons Mac and cheese and handed me a plate to put my fries on so they could be heated. This was shocking because I would expect new fries not just microwaved food. My sandwich was ok. My husband liked his soup although again the temperature was off. We had to ask other servers for refills. The family at a nearby table waited 45 min never got their drinks and got up and left. Even after complaining we were never offered anything not even an apology. We were however thanked for our feedback. Huge fail!
(2)Maylin M.
Went there for lunch today and it was okay. I ordered the Veggie panini...it was okay. Had my bread been more toasted it would made a big difference in taste. one side was super soggy due to tomato. Too bad. Kids menu major disappointing. We ordered cheese pizza and mac and cheese. 8 inch frozen pizza was not cut all. Seriously???? How do they expect a child to cut it and if parents are suppose to do it why eat out at all? Mac and cheese let's just say it's Kraft mac and cheese for $5.00 kids menu kinda pricey from a box which costs 79 cents. Ordered the turkey club sandwich bacon was so thick and chewy... they have organic eggs but no raw sugar... we might me picky this is definitely no Egg Harbor. Disappointed :(
(2)Kathleen M.
I am being generous with 2 stars. My Reuben was served on burnt toast with little dressing. My fries were cold. My husband's Italian beef was skimpy and overpowered by gardinara. The wine we ordered was not as fresh as it should have been and very average. Their prices are much too high for the food quality and offerings. A big disappointment. I will leave my generous rating because they are relatively new and may have to make a few changes.
(2)Brett S.
I went to this place recently for brunch. It is very close to my house and I was greatly hoping for a good neighborhood eatery. The place was gutted and completely redone inside. I would compare it to a Chipotle style interior. Extremely contemporary all the way down to the glasses and plates. I sat at the bar and ordered a coffee ($2.50) and decided to get the "Grove Ruben" on marble rye with sweet potato waffle fries ($10). The the whole thing was nothing special. Fries were good and sandwich was average. My problem with this place is that it appears they have taken more time worrying about the trendy interior than the actual food, which for the price is definitely not worth it ($16 for coffee and a Reuben after tip). It seems they want to put Inverness/ Barrington prices on a sub par restaurant in Palatine. My guess is this place won't last that long unless they intend on upping the quality of the food or lowering the price of the food.
(2)Pat D.
Service too slow. Salad was wilted. Decor is nice. Need to work out the kinks. Calamari and sandwiches served cold. Rotten pieces of lettuce in the salad.
(2)Bobbi S.
I have been eagerly waiting for this place to open. Sadly I dont feel the need to ever go back. Service was rushed and impersonal. Had to ask two different people for creamer because it didnt come with coffee. That alone was a good 10 mins. Food was ok with decent sized portions but way over priced for breakfast. Ill wait for a table at Gammy Ds or see Johnny at Cafe 14 next time I need a good breakfast
(2)Auj S.
There is a lot of help, but their food is lacking. Soup could use some flavor. I had the Mac and cheese which was soupy and my dinner partner had a medium rare hamburger which was rare in the center. As in mooing. Will not be back even though we drive past it to and from work.
(1)A.P. Hanke H.
Was waiting for this restaurant to open, however, Palatine does not need another bad restaurant. Food was below average and pricey. I do have to say the waiter was very pleasant and smiley. Feels very contemporary, not very comfortable. I was looking for good homemade food and this is not it. Seems like they don't know what kind of restaurant they want to be.
(1)Catherine M.
Great service and food. The atmosphere is bright, fresh, and open without feeling sparse.
(5)Kelly L.
I went with my two small boys and husband this week-their first week of being open. The kids menu is not extensive, but it is interesting. Kids are encouraged to color their menu and then download an app on a phone to make the menu come to life. A good idea while waiting for the food to arrive. I had the buffalo chicken wrap and was disappointed with it since the sauce was made from sriracha and not a tangy Franks hot sauce. The sauce was too hot for me and I couldn't finish. I did like my tomato basil soup, though. My boys had pancakes (yes, for dinner) and one got the silver dollar pancakes that on the menu said were 5 total but we got way more than that. My other son got one big pancake which was not completely cooked in the middle. My husband got the kale salad and didn't have complaints. We may give this one more try. I want to like it simply since we'd like more family friendly restaurant options in our area, and we hope they get over their learning curve soon.
(3)