I am thrilled to say that the long wait for Burl's opening in Evanston was absolutely worth it. I decided to wait a few weeks after their opening date for the staff to find their rhythm. After the experience I had about six weeks in, I don't think it was necessary to wait because this place runs like a Swiss watch. It's clear the whole staff has abundant experience in the restaurant industry. The hubby and I had a superlative meal here. From greeting, to service, to timing of dishes delivered to the table, to overall energy in the room, we fell in love with Burl. It's not easy to find service this balanced. All were attentive at all the right times and subtle when it was necessary, such as filling water glasses and removing plates/glasses without hovering to hurry up to clear the table. I even caught the elegant swerve of one member of the wait staff. As he was walking by our table and almost picked up a wine glass about to be released by my husband, the server instead allowed the nearly empty wine glass to remain on the table instead of being removed in haste. Nope, not yet! And, wow, you saw that, and I saw that you saw that! Not being rushed to vacate a table in a place that is filling up with hungry patrons is a luxury, and it allowed me to breathe, relax, and savor the experience. So, shout out to you, young fellow who didn't push us to hurry! It also must be said, the gift of gab and personalities are strong with this posse. Very entertaining and knowledgeable. As for the meal, oh baby. Now, we enter Yumsville. I had a cocktail I will never forget, bergamot gin gimlet with a hint of thyme. The food was gorgeous and inventive. We chose breads with honey and whipped ricotta, smoked carrots with dill yogurt sauce, bolognese and rainbow trout entrees, and an off menu special Mexican chocolate pot de creme with candied kumquats for dessert. My god. Nirvana. Finally, wow, what a cool space. The renovations are beautiful, and I love all the warm Danish teak mid mod touches. The bar looks like a great place to sneak in some night without a reservation. I hope the owners, chefs, and kitchen staff are having a kickass time in that kitchen, too. It's an enjoyable theatrical experience to see all the way into the kitchen and watch the staff at work, from brick oven to staging on a large counter. This is quite a generous gesture on the part of the owners to allow us to see into their world. Honestly, I found this aspect of the restaurant very moving, and one day I will ask to sit closer to the kitchen in future to better spy on the show, or perhaps I'll invest in some opera glasses. It is safe to say that I do not agree with the one-star reviewer. Creative and farm to table food ain't cheap and I wouldn't expect it to be. This is the kind of place I save my money for, and even if one day there's a dud on the table, I believe it's worth the risk. I go out of my way to try new things, and I think that most patrons who come to Burl will be hungry for new experiences. The flavors we experienced were such a refreshing change from other local fare, and I really look forward to the variety of their promised seasonal menus. Burl, I wish you a long and successful run. I know that this undertaking was both a labor of love dream project, and a huge financial risk. It is clearly done with all your hearts and seen in every aspect of our first of many meals with you. Evanston has really needed you, and I hope you are feeling the love. We will see you again very soon! read more

Loud and too close to other patrons..My friend and I did enjoy our meal....was a bit concerned initially about the very few choices..but pleasantly surprised read more

Burl - New American Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Excellent meal - as good as I've had anywhere. Farm to table California vibe. Good wine list. Good service. Impressive that this is in Evanston. Only negative space is a bit tight, but meal really impressed me. Great job all! read more

Loved the space, the vibe - all great! Our server and other staff were attentive, knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Beware, the place is loud. The beet, eggplant starters were terrific, as was the grilled asparagus the chef delivered personally. I think he was giving it a trial run, it was terrific. I had a bite of my wife's chicken, just excellent - seemed to be the winner on our table. The pasta with the 36 hour Bolognese was a SALT bomb. I took three bites, and left it - inedible. I wanted to leave it, but we did bring it home, but tossed it. Very surprised the kitchen hasn't figured this out. At $35, what a waste. Burl is another option for those looking for a "city" experience. We will try it again and will definitely skip the Bolognese. read more

Pretty much deserves the hype, but I was pretty disappointed. With the negroni sbagliato. First, it still had gin which should be substituted for by the sbaglito-izing prosecco or other bubbly. Then, it didn't have sweet vermouth which it's supposed to. But the really egregious issue was its bubbly, cava in this case (if they even used it) had absolutely no carbonation to it. Flat as a pancake. It was not sbagliato-ed in the least. Do better Burl! And if noise is an issue for you, ask to be seated in the side room which a relief from the loud main room. read more

The service was excellent. Our dishes were well prepared and unique. The appetizers were all creative and terrific. The portions were not terribly big and the prices were on the high side for Evanston, but I would go again. read more

The food was very tasty. The service was attentive but on a busy Saturday night during every course servers asked to take out still with food plates. Twice a server pulled a plate from our table while we were eating. Never felt rushed like that ever before. Finally, the portions are small for the price. Very hard to walk out for under $75 a person. read more

The decor is nice, but it gets too loud for conversation when it gets busy. The cabbage had sauces with no flavor, the pork belly was pretty good, the bolognese was ok. The fish and chips item was regular fried fish hunks and actual french fries (with fancy labels) at a price of $31! It was a total rip off for what was listed on the menu. I felt cheated and likely will not go back because of the high prices, mediocre food items and too loud. read more

Just had a great night at Burl. It was my first time and I'm blown away. First of all, the restaurant is gorgeous, I loved the lighting, green theme, and how the white subway tile made the kitchen very visible. The service was great. Our waitress was personable and the water service was exceptional (which if you've had bad water service, you know how important this is). The best part of the service is that their entire team was always smiling. We ordered the ham and butter, crispy salad, fish fry, and chicken and it was all fantastic. I have no doubt that every single item on the menu is amazing. I'm excited to go back and know that brunch will be awesome too. Great job, Burl! read more

The farm to table felt like a scene out of Portlandia. The name of the kind chicken farmer who drives three hours to bring them the chickens....this would have been fine and amusing, but the food was truly tepid and unremarkable, if not bad (the cabbage was a weird gray lump with no flavor), and it was all overpriced for what it was. And lastly, this is the loudest restaurant I can remember being in. The acoustics at truly awful. My ears were literally ringing from the sheer volume inside. read more

Had an amazing dinner at Burl, the best restaurant I have tried in the suburbs in recent history. Great vibe , excellent service, and I loved the food. Bread, lamb chops, and the ricotta appetizer were standouts. Cocktails were excellent too! Look forward to trying brunch soon. read more

The food was amazing and the service was excellent. However, it was incredibly loud and you had to yell for the person across from you to hear you. The buzz on the Facebook Evanston Restaurants page is the same. Food is great but the acoustics make it a less pleasant experience. I hope it's an issue they are able to fix. read more

We had dinner at Burl last night and it did not disappoint. The servers are very attentive without being intrusive. They are knowledgeable about the food and beverages and made some excellent recommendations. The food is absolutely delicious! We started with chicken liver pate that was so good that had we been home we would have licked the plate! The chicken and fish and chips were equally delicious. Our only complaint is the noise level. Restaurants do tend to be loud but Burl was extremely loud. That said we will go back again for bother wonderful Mel. read more

We had dinner at the Burl bar last evening. What a great addition to Evanston and the Central Street scene! From the beautiful updated space to the service and locally sourced food we couldn't have enjoyed it more. read more

We are so excited Burl is open! We've been walking by this place for months watching the progress and happy to say the wait was worth it!! The atmosphere is awesome and the food is AMAZING. We ordered a few things to share and loved everything. We started with the eggplant. The bread it is served with was delicious and the eggplant was bright and flavorful. For dinner, we shared the salad, fish and chips and the sweet potato cavatelli. Each dish was perfect and the brown butter sauce on the cavatelli was outstanding. We ended with the apple crisp and ate every bite. Please go check out this fabulous addition to the Central Street neighborhood in Evanston. read more

Burl is such a welcome addition to Evanston. There's no longer a reason to go to the city for an exceptional meal. Burl has raised the bar on service and cuisine. The staff has obviously had experience with some of the best restaurant groups in Chicago. They know how to get it done seemlessly especially for a restaurant that just opened. Not a single lapse in service or food quality. We had the focaccia with ricotta, crispy salad with sunflower dressing, cabbage with mole negro, vanilla ice cream with burnt honey and it was plenty for 2 people. Generous portions; one was better than the next. It is a bit loud, but when it ticks the other boxes, who cares? You'll love it! read more