Continental Restaurant feels like somebody found a perfectly preserved Greek diner from 1987, put it under glass for forty years, then reopened it without changing a godd@&n thing. And thank God for that. The place is gloriously old-school. The booths, the coffee, the menu, the clientele... everything feels like it belongs to an America where breakfast cost 8 bucks, nobody photographed their eggs, and every restaurant had at least one guy named Gus somewhere near the kitchen. Ryan and I ordered omelettes, because this is exactly the kind of place where ordering anything called "avocado toast" should get you escorted from the building. Then came the real magic: They brought bread first. Bread. Before breakfast. Like civilized people. Not some microscopic artisan biscuit served on slate. Actual diner bread, delivered with the confidence of a restaurant that knows carbohydrates built this country. The omelettes were excellent. Big, hot, filling, completely unconcerned with presentation, and exactly what an omelette should be. Nobody tried to drizzle anything over them. Nobody introduced us to the chickens. Nobody told us the feta had "notes." It was breakfast. Beautiful, uncomplicated breakfast. Now we need to discuss the P.O.A. Index. Catastrophic. The dining room looked like somebody had chartered a bus from an active-living community and accidentally dropped everyone off for brunch. Every direction I looked, another person appeared to be discussing property taxes, statins, or what their grandson is doing at Northwestern. The Index was circling zero. Then Aria appeared. Gold shoes. Hot. Like somebody had accidentally dropped a nightclub hostess into a Greek diner full of people who remember when FDR was president. Those shoes were doing heroic work. For a brief moment, hope returned. But ultimately, this was not that kind of evening. We ate omelettes, drank iced tea, watched senior citizens methodically destroy pancakes, and accepted the crushing reality that sometimes a man goes to eat simply to have food. And you know what? It was great. Five stars. Excellent omelettes. Bread before the meal. Pure Greek-diner nostalgia. A horrifyingly low P.O.A. Index briefly rescued by Aria's gold shoes. read more

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The Continental is tucked in a strip mall and is a real hidden gem of a place. They have a huge menu offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with many ethnic specialties. A coffee barista bar and ice cream seating area! We were welcomed in as soon as we entered. Very comfy seats and nice size tables to really spread out and relax . I was pleasingly surprised at the quality and portion sizes of the meals. They offered 4 different soups, a huge variety of fresh baked basket of breads and rolls. I ordered the Greek salad which was popping with flavor not to mention all the chunks of feta they included. Then I had the chicken kabob dinner. It came piping hot, was tender and chock full of flavor! Service was excellent and our waiter Luis took very good care and checked on us often. We'll return as there were too many other items we want to try as well as thier lamb chops, Saganaki and carrot cake! Everything here is made from scratch and is delicious! read more

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The atmosphere gives the feeling of the family restaurants I grew up going to. The service was good. Our server, Luis, was attentive to our table's needs. The food that we ordered was generous in portion size and tasted great. The Minestrone soup bowl was full of vegetables and had a great homemade flavor taste. My husband enjoyed his bowl of Matzo ball soup. The soups were included with the meals we chose. The gyros meat on my sandwich could have been a little more tender and moist, but it was still enjoyable. There seemed to be some regular customers that were given friendly greetings from the staff. read more

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The absolute best soup in the Buffalo Grove area is at continental, without a doubt. I love their chicken noodle soup it is bountiful with noodles and the broth is so delicious. read more

Continental Restaurant - Chicken noodle soup - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

The Continental Restaurant served up a tasty dish of lemon chicken dejonghe. The portion was plentiful and was deep in flavor. My only reason for not giving it a fifth star is that the acoustics need improvement. It was difficult to have a conversation with people at your table without raising your voice. All in all, I would revisit this place because of the quality of food and the large selection of dishes. read more

Continental Restaurant - Lemon chicken dejonghe. - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Always a good spot for our post-show tech crew outings in high school. It is a pretty decent location for some hang time with friends but I wouldn't say I was too impressed with the food. The place is clean enough , though the interior has been the same for a s long as I can remember. The menu is also very big, with a wide variety of choices for all 3 meals of the day. The salad I had was okay. It was supposed to be a Caesar salad, but it came with way more toppings that one normally would. The dressing was nice, though the vegetable were wet so it didn't stay on well. I also tried the mozzarella sticks as I always do. They really weren't much to go home about, and I didn't enjoy the marinara a whole lot. I would also like to add that the plate presentation was slightly lack luster and not super neat, though I know this isn't exactly "fine dining" . The grilled cheese sandwich was my main, and it was honestly just ok. Not close to the worst I've had but I feel the flavors could have been brought out a bit more. It may have been slightly overdone, but I'm not sure that was the issue. The fries that came with were good, but that's all I can say really. The presentation for the sandwich was better, but I do appreciate the pickle inclusion. I think I will always have a soft spot for Continental seeing I have many fond memories of theatre hangs, and even a Bar-Mitzvah once in their banquet space. I do hope this place is able to last, but also able to be upgraded on the inside. It's nice to have these kinds of places in the area, so I wish only the best. read more

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I have been meaning to stop by The Continental Restaurant for a good while and have never been able to make it. Boy was I wrong in not visiting sooner. I went with my wife and mother and we all thought the food was great. We started with some bread which was very good and then we had some soup. My Matzah Ball soup had the biggest matzah ball that I think I have ever had. My wife's Sweet & Sour Cabbage had such a flavorful broth and was chock full of cabbage goodness. My mother really liked her lentil soup too. I think we were all pretty full from the bread and soup and then they served our actual entrees. We tried out the West Coast Burger, the Continental Club, and the Chicken Salad Sandwich. All were very good, but we had to take most of it home due to filling up on bread and soup. Our waiter took good care of us and I look forward to returning. read more

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This restaurant is a classic of the Buffalo Grove area, Been here for ages. I've been visiting this place since the early 2000s The restaurant quality is good though they do run out of soup by evening rush, take note of this if you want soup best come earlier in the day. Green phosphate soda isn't available but they made a cool black cow and I had a good drink experience I hadn't done before so I'm perfectly happy. The hygiene audit is where things get messy. The women's bathroom is within acceptable limits but on the lower end of acceptable cleanliness. The men's room is outside of normal acceptable limits with damaged fixtures and aged units. Worth noting the women's room handicap stall someone was rude enough to leave a brown bomb in the toilet.. Come for the food, stay for the WiFi, don't use the toilets here. Seriously you'll regret it. read more

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Food, service, value.Great specials. Sit at Luis' table. You'll be glad you did. Pete the owner is often on hand.

My first visit in 31 years. This is a hidden gem. The soups and meals are awesome. I definitely Wilke back much sooner. Great service, bathrooms were very clean. read more

Continental Restaurant - Patty melt and fries. Very tasty. - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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This is THE BEST, most reliable, solid "family diner" with OUTSTANDING FOOD and SERVICE! The owner, Pete, is fantastic- he knows my favorite items and just how I like them- going on 25+ years! Salads are all FRESH, sandwiches robust and all is delicious! Yummy! read more

We've been coming here for years, and the food is always amazing with huge portions. A skillet lasts at least three meals. The staff is love and accommodating and always quick to get what is needed. I would prefer no tv in the background, but other than that, this is a cozy, family place that I will continue to frequent for years to come. read more

Continental will ALWAYS remain a staple in the area. It is easily one of the most comforting places in Buffalo Grove. Pete runs an incredible business where they always make you feel like family. I can easily go there for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and know I will eat something delicious. The menu has great variety and you can't go wrong with anything. One of my favorite menu items are their soups! A bowl of their matzo-ball soup can cure anything always! Patti is one of the women who work up front and she has taken the time to talk to my husband and I and get to know us! It always makes us feel good to go! Some other menu highlights are their salads (pro-tip ask them to chop it for you), their broasted chicken, and their grilled chicken pita! Please go try Continental and continue to support such a wonderful place! read more

I had the Matzo Ball soup and due to dietary restrictions, a plate of ground beef with a baked potato. The server was attentive and friendly and the manager came around to verify my order. Everything was cooked to perfection & delicious! read more

We've passed by here quite a few times and I'm not sure why we've never stopped. That finally changed over the weekend . We promptly sat down and had coffee within a couple minutes. Both of our omelettes were excellent as were the hash browns. Our waiter did an excellent job of keeping our coffees filled. Overall, we had a very satisfying visit. Highly recommend this restaraunt if you're in the area! read more

Continental is usually customer friendly. However, today, January 16,2026, we came last. Handicapped parking spaces were covered by ice. Lot owners failed to salt them. So handicapped space users were left at risk, It would have taken a few minutes to shake out a bag of salt or sand on them. But restaurant owners ignored its most vulnerable customers. It just blamed lot owners for not taking care of the parking spaces. Inside, the owner's son tried to put me at a table right in front of the cold front door. I had to ask to be moved. An employee wanted to remove an extra napkin and place setting after I asked for a different table, without asking if I needed them. While I was eating, a server came over and asked if I wanted a to-go box. I wasn't even half way through my meal and he was rushing the table. You get the picture. I hope owner Pete corrects this situation. read more

When you eats here you're guaranteed to know half the people in the restaurant. Pete is always so nice. #iraeats. #iraeats1 read more

Continental Restaurant - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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It is always a pure delight to discover a "real" restaurant from the past! We went there for lunch to celebrate my 80th birthday, along with my brother and sister-in-law (they had recommended the place), and thoroughly enjoyed the good food, comfortable and inviting ambiance, and friendly, attentive service. Best of all, it is a conversation-friendly establishment, a rare occurrence these days. Their menu selection is an extensive variety of American, Greek, and Jewish dishes. Almost everything comes with a side and a large bowl of real home-made soup (matzo ball or cabbage are my favorites). The portions are robust! They remind me of the once-famous Ashkenaz deli in the city on Morris Ave. Try them, you won't be disappointed. read more

Good food good service and good choices! The owner, Pete, is always very welcoming and attentive! Always a good visit!!

Great food and generous portions. Fabulous soups.As of late pricing has increased quite a bit.

Continental has a large menu. The food is good, and the soups are excellent. Famous Matzah Balls and great split pea. Owner Pete is very personable and remembers patrons. read more

Pretty meh. Tuna "melt" was cold. Bagel was burnt. Corned Beef Hash was solid. Coffee was bad. Serv9ce was froendly. Check took a while to show up. read more

Continental Restaurant - Family style Greek place. - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

One of the best n most consistent restaurants in town. Pete and his talented team of professionals working there never disappoint! Ordering right now as a matter of fact. read more

Good food and service always excellent. Never fails to be a lovely experience with friendly staff and reasonable prices.

I wanted some nice hot soup without having to travel too far for it, Yelp led me to Continental Restaurant and I was not disappointed. Hubs and I came here for lunch. At a quick scan of the menu, there is something for everyone no matter what you're craving. I ordered the split pea soup (it's one of my favorites) and hubs ordered the Spinach Bowl Salad. My soup arrive hot and topped with fresh, garlicky croutons. It was the perfect combination for a chilly day. Our order came with a small plate of fresh bread and butter. The soup was perfect consistency for split pea, not so thick that you feel like you're eating chili and not so thin that isn't filling. It was not salty either! A win in my book! Hubs salad was plentiful with spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, fresh mushrooms, crispy bacon bits, and eggs. He topped it with a creamy garlic dressing making it taste very fancy! Everything on the salad was very fresh. I know it's just soup and salad, but I'll be back to try other dishes! I also learned to check their Facebook page for updates on their daily specials as well as their daily soups. Service was quick. Our server was friendly and kept our glasses filled. The dining crowd was an older crowd, but everyone seemed to be regulars there. The inside was clean and comfortable. I'll be back! read more

What a solidly great place this it. The have about a 10 page menu and everything is exceptional even the turkey club is amazingly perfect. My husband had thaw Athenian chicken and he ate every drop. This time I went for the matzoh ball soup which is the closets to my grandmothers that I've ever had. Next up I thought I'd eat light and got the cantaloupe stuffed with chicken salad, a hard boiled and lots of nice sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Excellent service as well. I e never been disappointed after having eaten here. read more

Continental Restaurant - Stuffed Tomato, Cantaloupe or Avocado - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Had a great first night in town at this family run restaurant. Right there makes it 5 stars. W only had soups, but they were yummy. Great server...wish I could remember her name. Smiled the whole time. Manager was very nice. Would go. Again read more

My family recently (December 21, 2025) held my father's Shiva here at the Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove. Because they have a relationship with the Shalom funeral home in Arlington Heights, the process was incredibly easy. The funeral home confirmed the day and time with the restaurant, and the rest was simple. We stopped in, made a few selections from the menu, and the staff took care of the rest. Peter (the owner) was wonderful and caring. We were very grateful for a quick decision and plan. The bartender (unfortunately, I didn't get his name) on the evening was kind, helpful, and patient. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was lovely, respectful, and relaxing. Thank you all. read more

Poor food quality! My vegetables were burnt, and the chicken was fatty and disgusting. This was my third consecutive bad experience at this place, and I'm not likely to return ever again. read more

Came here for lunch Wednesday with my girlfriend and her adult son, my first visit. It's like pulling teeth to get me to go to any eatery much more than $10 a full plate, let alone $20, let alone without both soup and salad. But two weeks ago she gave me her leftovers from a Chicken Oscar plate she took to her place. It was so much it took me 2 days to finish it. Essentially 3 servings for the price of one between the two of us. Still I wrestled with the idea of spending that much cash to eat out, Yet I could not ignore the vast portions. A week later after a doctor appt., I had to go see for myself. I was speechless. A sign posted near where we were seated said "Great Food Served Here". They weren't kidding. They could have substituted "Service" or "Portions" for "Food"; it would have applied. The waitress was off the charts as well as the food. My lady had blueberry crepes. Her son had tons of gyro meat to go with sweet potato fries. I had the BBQ beef brisket with perfectly fried crinkly fries and cabbage soup, a first for me. I managed to scarf down the gigantic portion of fries but could only eat like a fifth of the BBQ sandwich and half the soup, served in a large bowl (and superb in flavor, a bit like onion soup) - and not a cup. I had to take home both the sandwich and soup, something those who've known me over time know I seldom do. The root beer was a perfect fit to the meal. Over the decades I have most of the time dined at establishments on the southwest side of Chicago, southwest and west suburbs as I have lived that way much of my life. But since my lady lives up in Buffalo and I'm currently in Evanston, I've had ample opportunity in recent years to dine up north for various cuisines. This is one of the best, IMO, a Greek American restaurant with umpteen offerings, including a fair amount of Greek items, available for my food pleasure. The food easily cuts the mustard, pardon the pun. The atmosphere accommodating. The overall ambience with its pictures on the wall unassuming but nice. The waitress (dang, can't recall her name) was A+, just like the food and all else, worthy of my largest tip ever to any server. Owner Pete stopped by to briefly chat with us. You can't do better than this. Admittedly, you normally won't get me to fork over this kind of money, especially without some real dazzle. But this place exceeded all expectations. It won't be too long before we're here again. The pork souvlaki (AKA kebobs) got my attention for my next visit and for little more than Dengeos charges for theirs. Great times with a great lady and her son with great food and portions to boot. Wonderful experience. Highly recommended. 5 stars all the way read more

We used to live over here and this place was a favorite so we stopped by when we were in the neighborhood. The lady who seated us as been there since I can remember. My favorite thing on the menu (Pete's Nest) was not on the menu anymore but they said they make it on request so I ordered that and my hubby ordered hash and eggs. It took a while to get our food which we understood because there was only one server who was spread a bit thin. Unfortunately two bites in, I realized my food was barely warm. Tried to flag the waitress but was able to get the hostess' attention and she brought the plates back to the kitchen for us. To their credit, the next plate was completely remade (not just reheated) and served piping hot. My food was plentiful and delicious and my husband was unable to finish his either. Overall it was okay but I was definitely disappointed in the service. It was hard to get the server's attention even when she was near our table and we definitely didn't get the coffee refills we were hoping for. I'd give them another try because we have had many excellent meals here. read more

Continental Restaurant - Pete's Nest - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Went to the Continental for the first time. Wife and I split the lox platter and it was delicious. Some of the best lox I've ever had and it was big enough to take home for another day. Great service and good coffee too. We will be back soon. read more

Fantastic breakfast spot. They also serve lunch and dinner. I love them because I can get breakfast any time of day with their all day breakfast items. Their pancakes are amazing and it always hits the spot after coming back from travelling. The chocolate chip pancakes are the best with layers of chocolate chips between each pancake. The french toast was surprisingly good with the fruit topping. I love how they are open every day of the week to give me more opportunities to get breakfast for dinner. read more

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I have been here a lot over the years. Good breakfasts, great burgers, and some good half chicken dishes (except for the fried chicken which is better elsewhere. One of the best things on the menu is the skirt steak. It is a huge portion. I normally clean my plate but for this I had to take half home. At $35 it is pricey, but I got two complete meals out of it. read more

Service is ok. Ambiance typical, much better than IHOP. Food is a disaster. I ordered the stir fry chicken and it seems they just poured teriyaki sauce on it. It would've been ok if the teriyaki sauce tasted good but not like the usual teriyaki you expect. The rice was swimming in the salty sauce. My wife ordered chopped steak and when it arrived, it was like a burger steak -- ground beef made into a patty. It was a medium rare steak with onions on top and the "steak" tasted bland. Even the bread they served in the beginning tasted awful. How can you go wrong with bread? I don't have gourmet taste but wasn't expecting it to be this bad. The only good thing about it is my son liked the pancakes and eggs. Sigh! What a waste! read more

Continental Restaurant - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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The Continental always serves large portions of good food at a reasonable price. My friend and I ate dinner there Sept. 14, when they were having a "Doggie Dine Out" event on the patio, and we were very excited to be able to take our dogs to a nearby restaurant! I started with matzo ball soup, which was included with my meal. The bowl was huge, as was the matzo ball! I also ordered the Chicken Oscar entree, which was yummy and enormous. I was impressed by the amount of chicken and crab it included, and because I finished the soup, I ended up bringing more than half of my dinner home. My dog was served a large container full of rice, a couple kinds of meat (ham and turkey?) and cheese. She was in HEAVEN. As a huge plus -- for this event, the dogs' meals were free! It was such a nice opportunity, and I'd definitely return with her if dogs are invited again. read more

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Please is clean and spacious, Service quick, and the menu simple and manageable. Looks like they segment menu's for time of day, great to not be overwhelming. read more

Continental Restaurant - Honorary Booth of long time patrons - American Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

This is a full range restaurant. It has a large menu with varied choices. We've had delicious sandwiches and breakfast entrees and were very happy with both. The staff is particularly friendly and courteous. read more

The service was great as always,Pete the owner sat us down as soon as we arrived.The waiter was terrific and the food was great as always.Highly recommend for any meal. Marc read more

Service horrible rude waiter the owners are great people but they have a bad staff odds are they just can't get good help the food is decent not fantastic but not garbage prices are extremely expensive for a neighborhood dinner can litterly go out to a fancy steakhouse for the same price and get great food and service it's clean enough though the restrooms are struggling it amazes me how there still open for business I'm not the only one who feels this way other customers feel the same way we talk outside waiting for our family's to leave read more