So based on all the solid reviews we decided to go here to celebrate my birthday. We arrive, are seated, then proceed to wait 25 minutes (the last 15 of which were spent trying to catch someone's eye) until the waiter (Brendan) comes over and apologizes because apparently they didn't know who was supposed to be serving our table. In the meantime I'm watching a couple who came in after us get served their apps. Sigh. I guess Brendan was preoccupied with visiting with some of his friends in another booth. We order, and our apps come in in a reasonable amount of time. The lobster poptart was fantastic! Seriously A+++. The crab cakes, not so much so. They were cold and mushy and just blah in terms of flavor. Only had less than one and didn't bother to take the leftovers home. Then insult comes with injury as the mains are brought out before we finish the appetizers. With an "opps sorry the kitchen sent those out sooner than I thought" from our (not) fantastic waiter who scoots off before I can say anything. I guess Brendan decides to double down on the poor service because it is obvious the beef smokinoff has been sitting under the warmer for some time. You know cafeteria food when the tops of the noodles start to get dry and crunchy and the beef is reverting to jerky? Yea, that's what it looked like. By now I've had it with being polite and when Brendan asks if everything is all right he gets a solid "NO" from me. To his credit he immediately sets down the plates he was bussing and asks what is wrong. I tell him and he takes it back to the kitchen to immediately get re-fired. The re-fired dish is much better. However by now I'm done and don't really have much of an appetite left. On a good note my husband ordered the seafood risotto which was fantastic. In terms of fairness, it was one of the best we've had (he shared while we were waiting on my dish). So on apps one hit, one miss. On mains I'll still say one hit and one miss because crunchy noodles are not fun. Service needs work. This place is somewhere between casual bar and fine dining so it's not cheap. Two apps, two mains and two beers were slightly over $100, so yea - not worth more than two stars at the price for the overall experience. read more

I made a reservation for two for Bold American Fare on the Table Agent reservation site which I have used in the past for a few other restaurants with good success. Upon are arrival at Bold American Fare we were told that they do not make reservations and they do not participate with any reservation service companies. The host we spoke with was very uninterested in the whole situation and quite dismissive. I think the host is in need of some basic training in people skills and problem solving. read more

This restaurant is in an historic house. The menu changes seasonally and is always different and delicious. Outside seating is available in the summer which is always great after being indoors after so many months. We were there recently and all 4 of us ordered something different. Each entree and sides were very good. Looking forward to dining there again . read more

My husband and I went for a romantic dinner and were very disappointed. The restaurant has super bright lighting, staff stands and stares while you eat, the bus boy was on his phone twice in the dining area. The manager never once stopped by as I sent back my horrible drink and steak twice that was severely under cooked. It was seriously so disappointing. Don't go unless you want a $30 under cooked steak with overpriced pepper. read more

Really Great food yummy lobster dishes,good sides Great wedge salad. It would be 5stars but crazy policy can't sit at bar until whole party there. We wanted to sit at bar BECAUSE our party wasn't there Told to go upstairs outside to the cold bar where no one was. read more

Terrible customer service and management. Cold and rude from the minute we walked in, making it very clear that they did not like us being there with kids and that they didn't need our business. Which is good because we absolutely will never return. And no server, manager or owner is wearing a mask. Not worth the time. read more

Stopped my this little gem of a restaurant on my way through town. The food is amazing! The lobster chowder had huge chunks of lobster. The ribs fell off the bone. The service was excellent and the bartender was friendly. I would highly recommend this spot. I think I'll make it back in here before leaving town. read more

One of the best meals I've had at a restaurant. Everything was delicious and cooked to perfection. Its not food, it's cuisine. First time here, but not the last. Amazing!! read more

We arrived to be invited into a homey and warm environment. We visited on Dec 23rd and greeted by the owner. Nine of us and we shared Mac & cheese with lobster, boar ribs, scallop's, rib eye steak alligator tail and more. We dined as royalty and we will all be back! Bravo to superb food and service. Praises to the chef and owner. Please consider expanding so we can bring more friends to enjoy your outstanding establishment. See you soon, The DeCaro's read more

Lobster Pot Pie = AMAZING!! I would definitely go back just for it. Huge chunks of lobster claws in every bite. Hubs had the wild boar ribs, also amazing. Everything was great. The bartender/server was super friendly and accommodating - we had 2 toddlers and a baby. She recommended the chicken and waffles for the our toddlers, and they loved it. read more

Bold American Fare - Lobster Pot Pie - Steakhouses Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

Just had another outstanding meal . If you want a great tasting meal look no further. Bold has outstanding service and awesome food. Thanks Matt for a great Dinner read more

Can I just say....wow, wow, and wow! Beautiful place, awesome service, and amazing menu. We stopped in for the first time today. I'm sad that we waited this long! The menu is so uniquely done....it's almost impossible to choose what to eat. Everything we ate today....it was the best one we ever had: the best wedge salad, the best crab cakes, the best BBQ chicken, the best broccoli salad, the best mashed potatoes....you get the idea! There are so many more things that we are excited to try. As I mentioned there are some really unique items, and some interesting twists on your old favorites as well! Thanks again to our bartender Talya for telling us so much about the menu. We can't wait to come back. read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant with our son on a random Sunday and it ended up being a really enjoyable experience. We ordered the chicken and waffles and it was delicious- a kid's (and adult's) dream dinner! This place is definitely a gem in Algonquin with interesting fare like alligator tail, lamb lollipops and lobster pop tarts. I recommend you try it! read more

Came In one evening to see the menu and have a few drinks. Ended up getting a Tomahawk steak and shrimp cocktail paired with a few drinks it was a great meal with great service. read more

Overpriced, mediocre food with fancy names. Lobster Poptart was cold cream cheese with 2 pieces of chewy, overcooked lobster in a pastry that tasted stale. Steak was gray and tasteless. "Barbecue" chicken was baked chicken with cold barbecue sauce smeared on parts of chicken before serving and the loaded baked potato had obviously been sitting for some time with a piece of cold, congealed, half melted cheese square thrown on top. Upon arrival we were informed by male host that we could not eat on the upstairs deck because I had my teenage daughter with me and no kids were allowed. It was 3:30 in the afternoon. Total waste of $100. read more

A group of six of us went to this place for the first time a few weeks ago. It was my daughter's birthday and after reading reviews and checking out the online menu, it seemed like a good place to try. I called to see if reservations were necessary and was told that for a group of six, it was absolutely necessary. The person who answered the phone (Greg) said that it was a small place and that if you come early for your reservation and your table isn't ready, there was no place to wait. You'd be standing among other diners since the place is so small. I appreciated the head's up and he said that I could call at any time prior to the reservation time to check to see if our table would be ready at the appointed time. That was fine and when I called to check on the table, it was already waiting for us. We walked in to the place and it really is very small. I'm thinking seating for maybe 50 people tops. There was our table of six and another table for eight and the rest were for smaller parties. We were seated next to the table of eight and they were incredibly and ridiculously loud. They were drinking and evidently the more they drank, the more they lost their hearing. Our waiter even had a hard time hearing us when we placed our order. It was ridiculous. Because these people were so loud, everyone else was loud in order to be heard over them. So on to the menu. I ordered the New York Strip as did my daughter. Others in our party had the lobster tart, the wedge salad, the meatloaf and a couple of other small plates. We both ordered the garlic mashed potatoes and the forest mushrooms with our steaks. The steaks were really good but about a third of each of them were inedible because of the gristle all along one end. It didn't seem like they were trimmed very well. The garlic mashed potatoes were good but very dry. I think it would have been much better if they had maybe put a small dollop of garlic butter on the steak like other steak places do because that would have provided a little more sauce for the potatoes. The presentation of our steaks was a little off too since the steak and the scoop of potatoes were the only things on our plates. I guess I'm used to things being a little more dressed up when they charge these kinds of prices. The other people in our party thought their food was okay but not spectacular. It all just seemed rather bare bones without a lot of thought behind it. The bill plus tip for my daughter and myself was just over $100 and I think that's pretty high for what we got. The service, however, was excellent. All in all, I don't think I'll go back there. read more

I would have given them more stars but staff were all unmasked. Unfortunately I would not go back because of this.

I hope you aren't concerned about COVID if you dine here. We ate outside but people kept coming in and out, no masks (patrons and some staff). Our waitress did ask if we had a preference on her exposure to us. However the 30 people that went right by us didn't seem to care at all. Food was good....didn't like the disregard for our preferences. Don't mind that people have different ones, only if they are within a foot of me without protection read more

Had dinner there last night. Great cozy and comfortable place, nice decor, great service and especially excellent food. A great mix of steaks, seafood and pasta. A good choice of small plates as well The cheesecake was also a treat. We will be back read more

While the menu looks appealing the food simply is not. Bland and flavorless reheated frozen food paired with a sub-par wine list and okay cocktails. I added tons of salt to my seafood pasta and still seemed to be eating cardboard. Meanwhile my husbands meal was all salt. The couple next to us ordered mussels and they came out frozen! Definitely not worth the money here. The space is pleasant but I recommend the owner either down-scale the menu and price point or upscale the chef and food and alcohol sources. read more

Came in on Wednesday for half price glasses of wine and mussels and I've never had better!! We tried some mussels, lobster Mac n cheese, wedge salad and burger and I'm blown away!!! I've had a few different lobster Mac n cheese's and THIS WAS THE BEST hands down!! we will DEFINITELY be coming back as soon as we can. Extra shoutout to our outstanding server Brittany for taking great care of us with a smile the whole time! She's super friendly and always made sure we had everything we need. You won't be disappointed!! read more

Absolutely my favorite place to go on a date night! The food is amazing. We went one time and they were out of everything we wanted so we just ordered some random things on the menu and dealt with it. We went again a few weeks ago and tried pretty much every small plate! All are amazing. My favorite is either the pork belly with jalapeño grits or the pomegranate meatballs. The service is nice too! Indoor seating is better than outdoor. read more

Been there twice now. First time the place was a ghost town. I ordered the 44 ounce porterhouse and it was overcooked! So we went back a second time. I was going to order a better cut of meat but there was an hour and a half wait! So we left. You should probably call ahead and see how busy they are. The place is VERY tiny. But they seem to have the artisanal food niche that everyone's looking for now. I will update my review after I've eaten there a second time and like I said tried some better quality food read more

Excellent. Fried alligator tail appetizer, bourbon brined pork chops with loaded baked potato and brussel sprouts and finished with the homemade donuts. Ordered the whiskey tango cocktail too. Delicious. read more

Wanted to try this place for a while and wasn't disappointed! I got the New York Strip which was cooked perfectly and the brussel sprouts and garlic mash potatoes spot on. My wife got the lobster pot pie didn't know if she'd like it but she loved it lots of lobster and the tarragon cream sauce was the perfect sauce for the pot pie! read more

Second time here. First time was lunch. Karren member what I ordered but I remember it being good. This time we had the barbecue chicken with a broccoli slaw. Sooooo good. She had the Merlot, I had some fat tire and Amstel Light. Waitress tempted us with the dessert menu and we ended up having to carrot cake. That was so good it should be illegal. This is not a low cost venue. Bring a credit card. The newly built outside dining area was really nice. They now have upstairs deck about 14 or 15 feet above. Check it out. Don't be freaked out by all of the road closed signs. You could just pull right in and park in front or across the street. read more

Love this place. We have went to this establishment a couple of times now. The service is always amazing and the food is even better. Classic American fare with a twist. Love it! Extremely cool cocktail list also. Make reservations, it's the easiest way to get a table. Can't wait to go back! Lobster Pop Tarts is a must. read more

Great Meal and service. Loved the hickory smoked beef short rib and the bacon Wrapped Wagyu Meatloaf. Don't leave with out getting desert. The carrot cake and Nutella donuts are to die for. read more

Bold American Fare - Steakhouses Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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If you are looking for a very diverse menu, great food, and crafted cocktails, this is the place! Parking lot in back is a big plus with all the construction going on. Heard about their fantastic steaks, but when I got there, I decided to try their special of the night, a pork shank. Yum! Our guys had the mussels for an appetizer and said they were the best. Gourmet prepared and presented! What a neat place. Will absolutely go back! Have to try one if their fabulous desserts next time! read more

Okay second time ordering, was the BEST BURGER I've had great place! Yes and there is a pandemic going on but just the best lobster Mac and cheese great fries very friendly when I was picking it up so far everything has been beyond the best. Try it people you will see read more

Fantastic craft cocktails, expertly curated seasonal menu, killer specials (seriously- whatever the special is, get it) Perfect steaks, the best Brussels sprouts that you will ever eat (with house cured pork belly!) Always surprising & never disappointing. After many visits, Bold always exceeds expectations. Bold is a local gem & immediately overtook Montarra as our "go to" date night spot. It's a smaller space, with a small kitchen, where the chef personally prepares your dish with a keen eye on crafted ingredients & perfect execution. What to expect: a menu that will keep you coming back to try all the things (or just to eat the chicken & waffles for the fourth visit in a row cuz OMG..heaven) A neighborhood crowd, dates, families , groups of friends.. You probably won't have room for dessert but trust me & GET DESSERT. (On our last visit the warm Nutella doughnuts were orgasmic.) Have a cocktail or 2 & prepare to be WoWed. read more

Had dinner there with 3 friends last night, after reading an article in the Herald. We all enjoyed our food, although we felt that the menu was very interesting, it is VERY rich food across the board. We had the most terrible service I have experienced in a long time. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to have dinner, no appetizers. The check was wrong, water glasses left empty, no offers for a second glass of wine.... The menu is priced high for Algonquin, and the service needs to be very good to demand these prices. I wish the owners luck. They have a creative chef. read more

Is it possible for a restaurant to get even better in just a few months? Last time I went the steak and drinks were epic. This last time, holy shit guys, no joke the best meatloaf in the galaxy. What's that? You like bacon? No problem guy, cuz this delicious meatloaf sent from god is wrapped in the best bacon since Kevin Bacon. Hold up, that's not good enough? how about they toss some of the crispiest onion strings on top of this masterpiece. Hang on, are you crying now because of the onions? Only because they are so epic I hope. And the owners are funny as hell. You guys, who wants to go get a whiskey with me here...nobody? Fine, I'll go alone and get that meatloaf i heard so much about read more

This is a great little spot in Algonquin. Came for a Saturday lunch with friends, the bartender/server was amazing, sweet, attentive, and that really made our experience wonderful. We also really enjoyed our food! We tried the BLT, cheese curds and the Chicken sandwich- all were delicious. Especially the cole slaw! I would absolutely recommend this to anyone. An added plus was the ease of parking behind the restaurant! read more

Amazing food, amazing service, great owner and establishment. Everyone was so polite and on point. Thank you bold, for following the guidelines, ensuring our safety, and doing what you need to do! Everything was perfect, can't rave enough! read more

A lil pricey but the food is great. Everything is a different take on a classic dish. Drinks are great too! Highly recommended!

Went there tonight to celebrate and anniversary. Oh my the food and specials are awesome! On Tuesdays they have half priced small plates so we had the lobster pop tart and scallops. Yum! Steaks were delicious too! read more

Writing this review as my husband and I are in the car driving to another restaurant. HONEST OPINION - DONT WASTE YOUR TIME!! my husband and I decided to check out this new place in town. I will provide a timeline. 6:45 sat down 7:00 server comes over to take our drink orders (not ask us how we are. Not ask if we've been there before. Not telling us the specials. Not even telling us her name) 7:20 - after seeing our drink sitting at the bar for 10 min our kettle one martini finally came in a water glass full of ice. I tell our nameless server that we didn't order martinis on the rocks. She takes them back to the bar. Bartender fills a shaker with ice... takes our watered down martini and dumps it in the shaker and shakes it again. She then proceeds to pour them in a warm martini glass. Worst martini I have ever had in my entire life!! Think well water with olives. When we ask the server how the voodoo fondue was, she tells us it comes to them in a powder and they melt cheese and oil over it. Why we tried it? I have no idea. What did it taste like? Exactly what she described.... a prepackaged, off the truck, powdered substance. Microwaved oatmeal tasted better than this and I am almost certain, given the description we were given that it most likely comes in an instant oatmeal package. Such a mess of a place. Truly up for grabs. And the owner sipping his bottled Coors Light at the bar in between greeting new customers really adds a classy touch. Truly had high hopes. Sadly disappointed. read more

We went there on St Patty's weekend. Irish nachos were very good, kids liked them- this restaurant however does not have a kids menu,so if you're a grown up hoping to have a fancier meal once in a while and bring your children with, it is a challenge to make it work here. We ordered them a burger to split and they liked it. My husband was very happy with his choice, he said his burger was excellent. I ordered risotto and fish, risotto was to die for,but fish was overcooked and dry. The restaurant has a nice location and is in a historic building. read more

What a sweet silver-lining to have discovered Bold american fare. On my way to a local spot we found closed on Monday 8/7 - we instead popped into Bold. Now - I have a new local fave on my Watch-'em-Grow list! Our server was as welcoming as any host should and could be - the restaurants owner, who paid a visit to our table later in the visit was equally hospitable and blessedly - totally lacking the standard, disingenuous "How is everything?" and move on routine. I had snapper with crab fried rice, with citrus salad, my dining company had the double chop with brussel sprouts and asparagus: His first - the chop was FAR more flavorful than one would come to expect from this humongous hunk of meat; the sear, the juiciness - high-end skillful. I loved the pork-belly embellishment in the brussels - indulgent sure, but not gratuitous. Mine: The crab-fried rice was well prepared - I'd eat this dish in so many combinations. (mmmm, wouldn't I like to see this appear as aracnini with a golden-yolk dip sauce. MY.WORD!) The snapper was a very generous portion. I like the combination of citrus supremes (grapefruit, orange and lemons.) I would have appreciated the salad dressed - to lend a luscious-fat element to this otherwise very light (dry by design - NOT poor execution) dish. Say, a concoction of rice wine vinegar, sweet chili sauce, minced shallot and tarragon - perhaps.) ** Readers: bear in mind my propensity to make suggestions for experimentation is not a dig, rather just my creative gears working their wonder. ** In short: I will go back - often! The entire menu was an "ooh-I-want-that, oh,-and-that" kind of read. As for any prior negative reviews: Remember diners - We have a choice to encourage with positive, or kill with negative. Choose wisely - lest we scare all the creative risk-takers away. Art is subjective. Humans - flawed. If you prefer cookie-cutter reproduced experiences - eat corporate. read more