We were in town to see a performance at the Vince Carney Community Theater, and found Acres Bistro thanks to Yelp. Other than having to deal with a freight train that stopped on the tracks right as we were trying to get to the restaurant from the theater, and having to go way out to the west end of town to get around it, everything about our experience was superb! I'm pretty sure we were seated by the owner, who was amazing to talk to. You could tell she loved what she did and what they provide to their customers. She put us in the charge of the bartender, who brought our drinks, took our orders, and checked on us regularly throughout the meal, even though she was doing double duty. We had a large lunch, so we weren't going to eat much for dinner. As soon as I read the menu I realized I was going to have a hard time deciding, but I love cinnamon ice cream, so I knew I needed to leave enough room for dessert. I ended up ordering the grilled cheese, which came with bacon (hold the tomato), and the homemade chips as my side. Everything was delicious. I brought half of my meal home, and it was just as delicious when reheated with my air fryer a few days later. My husband had the Acres Pretzel, which was huge and yummy. (I had a bite to try it!) The cheese sauce with it was thinner than expected, but very good. We started out with a Manhattan for me and some Lena Brewing caramel pecan coffee stout for him. Mine was perfectly crafted, and I took a sip of his, which was also yummy. In addition to my cinnamon ice cream, we each had a dessert drink. He had the Chocolate Caramel Kiss, and I had the Banana Bread. Again, very yummy. The cost of all of this came to under $75, which we thought was marvelous. Coming out from the city, the prices here are definitely more reasonable and much appreciated! We have this restaurant on our radar now, so anytime we are out this way again, we will head there. We are already making plans to come out and see a show next summer, if not before that. To the owner and all the other staff, thanks for such a lovely experience! You have a wonderful establishment! read more

Acres Bistro - My cinnamon ice cream was plentiful and delicious! - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

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We decided to stop in for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon after doing a whiskey tasting across the street at Kennay Farms Distillery. The entrance is a little hard to find as you have to walk thru a small boutique store to enter the restaurant. Fortunately for us,a nice lady who worked in the store came out and took us to the restaurant. I believe they are all owned by the same person We were lucky enough to get a table on their ekevated patio that overlook the alley garden. Alyssa was our server and was super helpful and friendly. My wife started with their Lemon Lavender Gin Spritz which was one of the many crafted cocktails they offer. I had a nice white wine blend that was suggested off their extensive wine list. We shared the Bruschetta Burrata with toast on the side as my wife is Gluten free. Super fresh and very tasty. They offer many made from scratch sandwiches and entrees along with a few daily specials A real hidden gem located in Rochelle on Lincoln Highway. read more

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I had the Filet Mignon; my friend had the Vodka pasta w/chicken for dinner - it was absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommend - very relaxing, super service, and great atmosphere! read more

This was a great place to dine out for lunch on the deck on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. We shared the burrata with the toast on the side since I am gluten free. The server was prompt and courteous, bringing out a carafe of cold water along with the menus. I ordered a lemon lavender gin spritz made with nearby Kennay Farms Gin and it was the perfect summer cocktail. There were so many interesting items on the menu with gluten free options that I am sure we will return soon. read more

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I was driving from IN to WI and wanted to meet my cousin who lives in nearby Dekalb, so I saw this place on yelp with high stars and thought, Why not? This hidden gem in Rochelle was amazing. Quick, efficient service and food timing. Everything came out of the kitchen hot and delicious. We ordered the deconstructed bruschetta. It was served with what appeared to be a handmade mozzarella ball, sourdough for the bread, and a light tomatoe medley. My cousin said it was the best bruschetta she'd ever had and I agree it was in my top five. We all ordered a version of their burgers, and each one was cooked exactly to the temp requested. Fries are handcut and double fried like they should be. Everything was delicious. They kept the interior fairly rustic which looked great with the local art for sale hanging on the walls. Hand painted water carafe. EAT here please! So that they are still around when I'm back in Illinois. read more

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Loved the food and atmosphere, disliked the 3.8% credit card fees. I am a huge fan of local eateries, and Acres fit the bill. All food made from scratch, great service, and good drinks. We are in the lounge downstairs, which serves both the bistro upstairs and the lower level. I had a Pigminds Red vanilla ale, which went perfect with my crazy Gouda chicken sandwich (grilled). Brandon was a great hardworking bartender. The only reason this review gets a 4, is the 3.8% credit card surcharge. Beware.. In the 21st century, many people carry little cash. Credit cards usage is so widespread, it a cost of doing business, and should be built into the menu prices. I find some restaurants like to add this fee on. I find it annoying, as this is small print item, or in small print on the bill, leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Unfortunately, due to this fee, I probably won't return. read more

Acres Bistro - Pigminds beer - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

New Chef - Time for an update! We arrived and were greeted promptly and seated in moments. They have new artwork on the wall from a local artist for sale. The restaurant has nice, clean lines. The new chef is putting his mark on the place, so we started with their new Hungarian Steak Bites. They came with a good quantity of the Steak Bites on a nice plate. They were tender, and the Hungarian seasoning was quite good. For a main course, I ordered their Honey Spiced Salmon, and my wife had their Spring Pot Pie. She really enjoyed the Pot Pie, it was quite large, and she brought some home and enjoyed it again. The Honey Spiced Salmon was quite tasty. There was just enough honey to taste it, not overwhelm the flavor of the salmon. It was quite good and tasty, and you can tell the salmon was fresh. We decided to accompany dinner with a bottle of wine, of which this restaurant has the best selection of ANY restaurant in Rochelle. We selected a Toad Hollow Chardonnay, which worked well with the salmon and the pot pie. We wrapped up dinner with Lemon Beignets, which were delightfully lemony and tasty. If you haven't tried Acres Bistro, all I can ask is What Are You Waiting FOR? Really? Innovative food. An excellent selection of wine and mixed drinks. And prices that aren't near what you'd pay for similar food elsewhere. Hands down, the best place in Rochelle. read more

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My husband and I went to Acres Bistro for Valentine's Day dinner. We had a 7pm reservation. We were seated promptly. We ordered drinks and an appetizer (strawberry bruschetta). I would eat this breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm still craving it. I ordered the dirty martini pasta, my husband ordered the marry me chicken. They came with soup or salad, we both chose the cream of chicken soup. I cannot even begin to tell you how incredible the dirty martini pasta was. The chef whose brain this came from should be creating dishes in impossible to get in restaurants, but we get him here in Rochelle. My husband loved his dish too. Now, we went during peak time on Valentine's Day so service was a bit slow. But we expected that. When the chef apologized for the wait I told him if we wanted fast food we would've went to Chili's. Every thing was freshly made. The pasta was handmade. Service may have been slowed down due to the holiday but our servers were attentive, kind and working so hard with a full house. We will definitely be back soon. read more

Acres Bistro - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

Absolutely delicious food, great service, and beautiful decor. Highly recommend recommend this place!

My sister was taking me out for my birthday, we were not aware of the wine tasting upstairs but we were able to eat the same food downstairs in the bar, which had a great cozy vibe. Cocktails were tasty and a good value. I'm used to paying Chicago prices. We started with a broccoli cheese flat bread, no cheddar, lol, yummy goat cheese. Mussels were enough to split and I wanted to swim in the sauce. Only dessert was amazing fresh made chocolate chip cookies served with cup of freshly whipped cream. Everything is from scratch and locally sourced when available. Service was friendly, will be back!! read more

Went there last week, had great meal last time we went there. Ribeye was chewy and had to cut up. Mentioned to waitress and then manager came over and said I must have got a cross cut or something and sorry. Didn't offer a redo, but did take 10% of the price of the $50 steak. Very nice about it all, just not much concern for my unpleasant meal. Wifes meal was great, appetizers good, just wont go back. read more

Amazing food, service, ambiance! 1000% recommend! Drinks and food are equally delicious, and we love the shop up front and bar downstairs!

Worth drive off I-88 to have a high caliber lunch. I refuse to eat fast food on the way to Chicago so this is going to be a nice alternative going forward. Restaurant is clean and nicely appointed. I love the open kitchen and the simple menu. The staff was all very attentive and professional. Chef was nicely dressed and clearly organized. We came at a slow late hour for lunch. Food was nicely portioned and worth the price. Highly recommend for a pit stop or destination even depending on your comings and going's. read more

Delicious scratch-made food, friendly service that was as fast as I needed it to be. Not too busy on a Friday at lunch. Had the house-made black bean burger and fries. Flavors were delightful and fries had the perfect ratio of crisp outside to soft inside. Will be back! read more

Rochelle's finest. If you're familiar with Rochelle, there really isn't much around. I've eaten at almost every restaurant in town and they are all just ok. I tried Acres this weekend and I believe it's probably one of the best places to eat in Rochelle. It's actually pretty big inside, but they have a cute outdoor patio as well. The food is sort of gastro infused and delicious. If you are trying to find Acres I can tell you that maps makes it a little hard to find. Their address is on Lincoln Hwy, and you probably won't find it on Lincoln Hwy. You can park on Lincoln Hwy and walk through a small alley to get there. They are connected to a furniture store on the Lincoln side, so you could probably walk through there as well. The better option is to go around the block and there's a parking lot right in front that you can park. read more

Went for the first time to a private luncheon and the food was all cooked to order. The service and food were fantastic! Everyone must try this cute place! read more

Acres Bistro - Beautiful decor - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

The food was fresh, creative and absolutely deliciou! The decor was a fun rustic and industrial vibe that is well executed. Highly recommend checking this restaurant out! read more

Absolutely delicious burgers and fries. I recommend the bacon jam burger! Great service and atmosphere.

My husband and I discovered Acres Bistro in early 2023 and it has become our favorite restaurant, well worth the 30 minute drive one-way. We've even twice had lunch and dinner on back to back days - the food, service and environment are simply that good. If you're traveling on I-88 or I-39 near Rochelle, Acres Bistro is well worth the short drive from the interstate. You won't find a fresher more delicious meal for miles around. I'm always on the lookout for salmon and theirs is excellent. My favorites are the Spring Salad with salmon (the waiter suggested the lemon vinaigrette dressing and it was perfect!) as well as the Honey Spiced Salmon entree (another recommendation from the knowledgeable staff). My husband is a fried chicken fanatic and loves their Wednesday night special that includes the comfort food classics of mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. The chef also does a terrific Friday Fish Fry, offering cod and shrimp, either fried or baked, which is a nice option. We also love their hamburgers (in addition to those on the menu, the chef does an innovative burger of the week) and crispy chicken sandwiches, all served with hot delicious hand-cut fries. Service is friendly and attentive as our glasses of water, ice tea and Coke are always promptly refilled, even when sitting outside at our favorite table on the comfortable deck. They also serve beer, wine and cocktails. Our favorite is their Back Pocket Brewing, Bubba hazy IPA with a nicely chilled glass. Give Acres Bistro a try and you too will have a new favorite restaurant! read more

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Delish! What a beautiful place. A definite go-to for foodies. Not at all what I would expect to find in downtown Rochelle. Lovely enough to be a place for the gals, but modern enough that guys will feel at ease. I sat in the comfy HUGE green booth. Aesthetically pleasing and adds the right pop of color to this gem of a bistro. I ordered the roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. The day was a cold snowy and this hit the spot. The sandwich is huge and cut at the perfect angle for dipping into the soup. YUM! This is not your momma's Kraft cheese sandwich, it's way more elevated and grown up. I'll be back with the hubby for sure. And it's close enough to the office that I can sneak over here for lunch. Really Looking forward to trying their mushroom soup. Ps. I'm a sucker for a beautiful water glass, I was already hooked before I tried the food. read more

Acres Bistro - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

I ate at Acres Bistro last night with my mom and sis and was so impressed! The white chicken chili was gluten free and had a little bite that made it in my opinion-best ever chicken chili. The wait staff was attentive but the highlight was meeting the Executive Chef Nathan. He was so gracious, informative and came to our table to see if we were happy with our meal. The ambiance was that of a classy, great vib and yet casual restaurant that I can't wait to go back to next time I am in Rochelle! Niki read more

The homemade pasta with lemon cream sauce and homemade crispy chicken was to-die-for! Everything was prepared to perfection! Definitely recommend this dish. Service was great too. Casual friendly atmosphere. read more

Excellent lunch at this very attractive restaurant! We had the small plate shrimp special (champagne sage sauce w/ toast points) and the deconstructed shrimp cocktail with side salads. You can tell that there's a superb chef mastermind behind the menu. Great to see such a high quality restaurant in old downtown Rochelle. Well done! read more

Spent $50 on 2 grilled cod plates with fries, cornbread and slaw. Fish was rubbery and had ZERO seasoning. I mean no salt, no pepper...a sprinkle of paprika, not even smoked paprika. No flavor at all what so ever. Cornbread also had zero flavor, not even salt and was bone dry. Coleslaw tasted off. Fries were super salty. House ketchup was good but too spicy. Tartar was good. Very disappointed and we both felt sick after eating, brought most of fish home for the dog. Very disappointed, especially for the price and that they advertise as farm to table. All that said, the place was very nice inside, cute trendy decor and service was good. Won't be returning. read more

Was in Rochelle for work. Needed to grab a bite with my team and stopped here. Great service, great food, and nice outdoor seating. I will definitely recommend and make my way back. read more

Wow... so glad I am a big Yelp user as we found this place through them. Came here for lunch. The side salad tasted as though the vegetables were picked 5 minutes earlier in the garden. Very fresh! We got the chicken parm sandwich, which is in the top 3 that I have ever eaten. My wife had the beef and cheddar wrap, which I also sampled. Perfect..... very flavorable... Homemade fries and their own fry sauce were a perfect complement. The owner/chef came to our table to make sure we enjoyed it. Bottom line.... We have already planned on when we will make the 45 minute drive to come back. This place is a home run.....no brainer read more

While traveling out in the country we stopped off in Rochelle to visit the diamonds at the Rochelle Train Park and dinner. With the first fried shrimp in buffalo sauce until the last sip of our 2020 Piersporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett we were assured Acres Bistro 5-star rating was well deserved. Our meal out on the deck was the perfect end to a long day on the road. There was very little wait time for meal preparation, everything was cooked to perfection, our wait staff was attentive and very helpful explaining the wine selection - her suggestion matched our tastes perfectly! The building is owned by one individual and houses a curio shop in the store front, Acre's Bistro in the rear and a few steps down from the deck the Scalehouse Pub is on ground level. Highly recommended. We will be back. read more

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Great local restaurant with amazing food! There is something for everyone on the menu. The burgers are a family favorite!

We had the catfish sandwich that was delicious and the crispy fries with dipping sauce were yummy. We are passing through and stopped at the Railroad Park - found Acres Bistro. They definitely deserve 5 stars! read more

Everything was delicious. The chef accommodated our special request for the salmon without issue. Well worth the small detour we took to eat here. The restaurant was very clean, nicely decorated, and the staff professional. The food and drinks were an amazing value. read more

This was our first visit and we had a delightfully unexpected refreshing lunch in Rochelle at Acres Bistro. We didn't realize you had to walk through the store to get to the restaurant and were a little confused upon arrival, but we were guided to the back by an employee. As we entered the restaurant it is quaint with a brick wall backing the long wall with a booth and table and chairs facing the wall. The kitchen is open and they seemed to have an array of beverages and a wine list. The menu was smaller than expected but we were happy with our choices. We decided upon the cheese plate and were able to skip the blue cheese since we're not fans. Everything was fresh and it was the perfect sharing size for 2. We also shared a Greek Salad with grilled chicken which they split for us in the kitchen which was very nice. Overall, everything was fresh and prepared well. We were there about noon and they only had 3 pieces of quiche left, so guessing they were busy earlier and the restaurant did get busier as we had lunch. I didn't see the Cubano sandwich on the menu and from reading other reviews it seems like their menu may be evolving and change from time to time since some things were not offered. We are hoping to back as it was a very good meal. read more

Stopped here for lunch on our way through town and I'm so glad we did! The burrata appetizer is such a unique mix of ingredients but it all worked so well with flavors and textures. Crispy chicken sandwich was also delicious. Outdoor patio seating is quiet and serene and creates a very pleasant experience on a nice day. Would definitely come back! read more

Worth the 8 minutes off the highway. I love discovering wonderful eatery's when traveling. The Acres Bistro is a local farm to table restaurant that you won't want to miss in the town of Rochelle, Illinois. I had the quiche of the day that had a wonderful flaky crust that I wish I could duplicate. My husband ordered the fried chicken. It was cooked to perfection, juicy with a crispy breading with a creative mustard seed and honey topping that brought it to the next level. The modern rustic black, white and natural decor was tasteful and thoughtful, and the service was friendly and hospitable. The photos were taken from our table, but did not capture the ambiance. There is also a storefront shop with unique offerings. It's a nice find in downtown Rochelle, you won't be disappointed. read more

Acres Bistro - The bar area from our table. - American Near Me - Rochelle, Illinois

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We stopped at Acres Bistro on our recent road trip. What a delightful experience. Our server, Autumn, was very attentive and helpful with my Gf diet. I had the Acres Burger on greens with hand cut fries. Fantastic! It was so nice to have a meal on the road that was not a "fast food joint." A nice bright restaurant, with a lower level that is a more casual bar atmosphere. I highly recommend checking them out! read more

Milk and cookies are being added to the menu downstairs at Scalehouse and they're so good!! We had an lemon biscuit, reminiscent of shortbread and the best chocolate chip cookie we've had, next to moms! They were served warm. Heaven. read more

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My husband and I participated in an event in Bryon and stayed at an airbnb in Rochelle. (Its upstairs from the bistro and we highly recommend it as well) We came to the bistro for a late lunch and we LOVED IT. The ambiance is wonderful and welcoming. Everyone there made us feel special. I tried the Cubano sammy and my husband had the ribeye with chimichuri served with mashed sunchoke. Everything was delicious!! Ribeye was cooked to perfection amd the chimichuri was fresh and went sooo well with it. I devoured the mashed sunchoke. It was off the charts. My cubano was so perfect with all the cheese and pork and the perfect crunch to the bread. Wow! We returned in the morning for brunch and they did not disappoint! I couldn't decide between the fresh quiche (mushrooms and poblano pepper with queso cheese) was so fresh and filling. Perfect light crust! I also had the avocado toast and it knocked my socks off! So much goodness on that beautiful bread. I wish we lived closer because this would be a regular spot for us for sure! The shop is adorable and I couldnt resist the locally made soaps and candles. I recommend! read more

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The food is superb and the staff makes the dining experience a great one. The chef here is amazing and if you ever have to opportunity to go attend one of their special events you will be amazed!! read more

Very cute place. Went here for bridal shower. Food and service was wonderful. Had quiche and cookies were still warmly and gooey-yum!

The menu here is always interesting and delicious. The cocktails are so fun! The servers are attentive and knowledgeable. That ambience is great, both at lunch and dinner. Whether you're with friends or on a date night the atmosphere fits! Also, very cute shopping in the boutique attached to the restaurant. read more

Acres again tonight. I'm a regular now. I just can't find anything wrong. Food quality is the best in Ogle County. And, Jessica the bartender is a true mixologist. Test this, don't drink crap in a can. Have a genuine cocktail and a made from scratch meal that never disappoints. read more