Delicious food. Try the General Tso's Cauliflower! A great spot for date night or drinks after work. Not really appropriate for young kids. read more

I have been a customer since they opened. My last visit on 8/23 was disappointing. Our first two wine selections were not available. On the advice of our server we purchased a more expensive bottle of wine that wasn't worth the price. The prices had increased significantly while the portions appeared to have been downsized. I didn't have the feeling management was as attentive to the good practices that were the foundation to their success. read more

Great food, I absolutely loved the small plates (tapas) idea. Great place for drinks and to share a few plates with friends. I had the most amazing server, his name was Josh, and I highly recommend that you ask for one of his tables. He's incredibly kind, he knows every detail about the food on the menu, and the appropriate wine to pair it with. The food was great, the atmosphere was terrific, and like I said our server really made this experience a memorable one. Incredibly energetic, and honest about what we would enjoy, and what we could wait on for next time. 5 stars! Bravo. read more

First time brunch. Had the Munch Brunch. Everything was fantastic! Definitely coming back

The food was food, not great. I enjoyed the small shared veggie plates more than the larger plates. We split the fried kale, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower which were all good. I had the ahi tuna which was ok but I was not too fond of the braised greens that came with the fish. The service was okay. I would be willing to try again. read more

Food and service was amazing we sat on the patio and loved it .: great atmosphere.. good people !

Always a treat. Great place to enjoy friends and mix the food up. Prices are relative to the quality. Nice atmosphere and staff always spot on. Have never had a bad experience here. read more

Love the open kitchen. Food was delicious. Good prices. Great selection. Bartender was amazing!! Plan to return. Nice place for a date or to bring family. read more

We have enjoyed every meal. The atmosphere is comfortable. You will end up seeing your neighbors and friends there most likely. I do recommend the beets. read more

Went last night for our 4th anniversary, had an amazing time thanks to our server Rick! Rick's knowledge of the menu was very impressive, very attentive service. We will definitely be back to try his other recommendations! Excellent service, excellent food. read more

Dancing Marlin - Creme brulee ... My fave!! - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Our favorite! This place never disappoints. The food and drinks are amazing. The dishes are each so flavorful and the service is great!! They also have many GF options which is nice. The Marlin Mule's are tasty. Some of our favorite dishes are spicy garlic shrimp, fried kale, scallops, tuna poke, general tso cauliflower, crab cakes, lobster rolls, roasted bone marrow, chop salad...... it's all so good. There's a great outdoor area when it's nice out, but the inside is decorated really nice too. read more

I ordered 6 oysters on the half shell and a club soda. That was my lunch. One oyster was half an oyster in size... also I thought it odd the oysters were cut away from the shell. I didn't think much about it until I mentioned to the waitress at $3.50 an oyster I think I'm getting rooked on this tiny one. She apologized and brought me another oyster which when I slurped it down, found a lemon seed under the oyster. Just makes me a bit Leary about their food. Waitress was nice. Hostess sat me alone by the window, there was only one other patron at the place and they were seated outside. Though that was odd too... read more

The service was great, food and drinks were delicious, and came out so fast it was nearly as fast as a drive through--and when we left at least 5 staff wished us a happy Easter on our way out. Most friendly send off I've ever witnessed! read more

First time here and I know it's been around a while. Food was good ,shareable like they say, but coming out random is kind of tough.some things took a very long time, some things came out timely .I wouldn't say quickly. ( I believe we could have tried to have it all at once )drinks took a while. Service was subpar. I'm guessing it's a place that doesn't have bus help ,because a lot of tables stay dirty a long time and when you're walking in from your car and you see that on the patio, it doesn't give you a good vibe to walk inside same scene on the way out read more

Always a great place to go for small plates and a wide variety of options. The staff is fantastic and attentive to detail. read more

Food is good, what little you get. Service is amazing and fast. Great place for a snack and a drink. If you are hungry and want a normal Midwest meal, this is not the place to go. Prices are somewhat high for what little you get. Tapas, means high price and small quantity of food, sure the owners laugh all the way to the bank. read more

We brought my father here for a birthday dinner and had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious but I especially want to call out our amazing server, Stephanie Stockdale. She was kind and attentive, funny and knowledgeable, patient as we lingered over coffee (not too long, I promise). It was a lovely night, made even more special because of Stephanie. read more

We went here last night for the first time and it was excellent! Our server Carly could not have been nicer or more attentive. She was a pleasure and made some great recommendations as well. The food and drinks were awesome. It was close to a perfect experience that could have only been better had we not FORGOTTEN TO GIVE HER OUR CREDIT CARD when we paid the check!! ‍ We promise not to accidentally dine and dash next time. Definitely recommend this restaurant and of course, ask for Carly as your server! read more

Disappointed based on other reviews. Had the chicken fried - tasteless and spongy, the crab stuffed peppers were ok - a bit bready. The best thing we had was the brisket - tender meat but kind of sweet - the green sauce helped but the corn bread 'purée' tastes like raw cornbread mix. The wine flight I had wasn't bad, but all the wine tasted slightly carbonated. The servers were terrific though. If you are looking for a place to hang out and try different drinks and don't really care about the food - seems like a fun place, but we won't be back. read more

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Gem in the south suburbs, kind of quality snd creativity you would expect to have to travel for, even Chicago doesn't have this kind of restaurant and certainly not for these prices! read more

A friend pushed for us to have dinner here and I'm glad we did! Cute and cozy ambiance that has dim lighting throughout the entire restaurant. It has two levels, dining on the first floor and private events are held downstairs. I've never been to a tapas style seafood restaurant and it's actually a brilliant concept. We had the seared tuna, crab stuffed peppers and the fried kale that all tasted great. My only complaint regarding the tuna was wishing that they they included a little more of the avocado purée (so good). Bourbon tarts and Pumpkin cheesecake bites for dessert both exceeded my expectations. I'm not a taco person but love fish tacos and theirs look great! I will definitely be back in the summer to try them and to check out their patio. read more

Dancing Marlin - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Very Expensive for the amount of food you get. We went with a around 12 people. The bill was around $700. One couple said,they never spent that much money on food and was going home hungry before. Ugh read more

Service was awful and the food was tasteless. Messed up orders and didn't give food at the same time. Would not recommend.

Tapas-style menu. My boyfriend and I have been to Dancing Marlin a handful of times. He lives in Frankfort so it's a nearby, often safe, choice considering he has a wheat allergy and they have so many gluten-free options*. I added the asterisk because their menu tends to change often. For example, the first time we went, it was for brunch. The service was great. They had gluten-free waffles, pancakes, etc. Go back a month or two later, they have none of the above gluten-free alternatives on their brunch menu. If you go back for dinner, they have way more. My point is, the menu fluctuates quite a bit. So, it's becoming a not so safe option. The service can be great or it can completely suck. But for me, who doesn't have any allergy, the food is normally very good. The drinks are often way too sweet and are on tap (weird). The restaurant is always nice and clean though often loud. I just wish there was more consistency in the menu options for people with allergies. read more

Very very good food and excellent service. My hubby said that this is in his top5 food experiences ever. He's 62, so he's had a lot of experiences. I loved it too. I will go back. read more

Definitely one of our favorites in the Lincolnway Area. Great food and drinks, awesome ambiance, and always friendly service. If I only had one complaint it would be that there isn't enough change in the menu for a sharing plate place. But that's a minor nit. Don't pass up a chance to go there, you'll be glad you did. read more

My experience with Dancing Marlin started a couple weeks before we even ate there. I was planning a birthday celebration, and had been turned down by 3 other big restaurants saying that they did not take any reservations of parties more than 6 on the weekends. My daughter suggested Dancing Marlin and she called to see if they would accommodate party of 14. They did not hesitate, said that the Kitchen Table was available for up to 16, and when she asked how to reserve it, she was told to just give a name and it was ours! No hassle, nothing! All I can say is I am so glad that I was turned down because this place was phenomenal. Now, I've seen this restaurant, as I live in the area, but I've never been, and I am kicking myself, as this birthday celebration was way more than I could have ever hoped for. The table was set for us when we got there at 6:00, on 7-24-21, and our server, Sean K. got to work. We had 2 children under 7 and 12 adults. He was attentive and patient as he explained our options on how to order, as most of the adults had not been there, and had suggestions on the menu items as well. He was there when we needed him, as if he had ESP, and treated the kids with such care! He suggested kiddie cocktails, and that made them feel like royalty. Sean made the meal seamless, and the food came out in a steady stream just like he said it would. I have been to many restaurants and I can say without question that Sean is one of the best servers I've had the pleasure to interact with. To say he should be recognized would be an understatement. Thank you, Sean for helping make my birthday a great one! Now to get to the actual food review. With 12 adults and 2 children, we had varied tastes and ordered all small plates. We had everything from poke to sliders to coconut shrimp, garlic shrimp, fried kale, salad, Mahi Mahi tacos, cauliflower, fig and pig, little bit of chicken fried, you name it, we ordered it! The French fries were amazing and the kids devoured all of them! I'm sure I've left some items out, but I will comment a little on the food that I actually ate. Coconut shrimp, lightly breaded, huge and perfectly cooked, fig n pig, such a blend of sweet, slightly spicy wrapped in bacon, yum! I also had the crab cakes which were so so good! I'm not much for spicy, and the dipping sauce for the coconut shrimp was just sweet enough to balance out the spice. Every person at our table not only got enough to eat, with almost nothing left on the table, but not one person had even one negative thing to say about anything that was ordered. We had brought individual cakes for dessert and ordered a scoop of ice cream to go along with. I have nothing but praise for Dancing Marlin. The staff, and the food absolutely, top notch. Thank you, Dancing Marlin, thank you, Sean for a perfect evening. This is not the last time I'll be dining there! read more

Dancing Marlin - The Kitchen Table - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Everything was absolutely amazing except the bill, but that's to be expected when the food is this insanely good. I tried several sea food items there that I previously believed I would never try and was surprised I loved them all. read more

Not good and pricey for what they offer. Came in Valentine's Day. I'm writing this review from the table as we wait for the check. Won't be back. read more

It was fun to be able to taste and share different dishes. Our waiter was excellent, explained everything and all the different specials, so many I wish they had them printed out. Shared the calamari, ahi poke bowl and brisket tacos. All were delicious. My only complaint was the music was kinda loud and I wished I opted for the outdoor patio. read more

Innovative and imaginative menu. Our problem here was that everything sounded so delicious that we had a very hard time deciding what to order. The dishes are small, "tapas" size servings, so it's best to come here with several people. Order one dish each and share. There were four of us - but we ordered seven items. Plenty for everyone and all delicious. One caution: the baked bone marrow is just way too much for one person, so make sure others at the table like it, or you won't finish it. read more

Best food! great service and super fun atmosphere I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone!

Recently had tapas and a few glasses of red Zinfandel. Delicious. We sat at the bar. It didn't feel cramped. Andrea our bartender was friendly as well as professional. This restaurant is beautiful clean as well. We had a great time. read more

Second time here. Love tapas style which allows you to try so many different plates. We tried 5 different plates plus dessert. Each plate was better than the next. The creme brûlée was to die for. Best I've ever had. The restaurant is trendy looking. We sat outside. The patio was cozy and relaxing. I sit outside whenever I can as We don't get enough outdoor dining in Illinois! We were lucky enough to walk right in to sit down but on weekend nights I'd recommend a reservation. Can't wait to go back. read more

Dancing Marlin - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

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What a great date night place for my wife and I We so enjoy making our own mini dinner buffet.

Went to a concert in Tinley Park and this was a good location near the Amphitheater for me to meet my wife, taking the train from Chicago. I am always skeptical of negative reviews as we are interested in the quality of the food, not so much the service or the alcohol. The Dancing Marlin was disappointing for us. First I ordered an iced tea and got an instant tea. What kind of seafood restaurant serves instant tea? That should have been a clue as I have certainly never experienced this before and sent it back. To be fair the Calamari was really good and the fried Kale was OK but the Taco special with "fresh" caught cod was extremely bland. The Octopus was tasty but very over cooked and quite rubbery. We would have liked to order more food but decided against it after the almost inedible Octopus. read more

A great place!! Food was fantastic and the service was great. I will be sure to visit again soon.

The food here is amazingly executed! They change the menu every season so your taste buds are always in for a great surprise. I had the carrot cake today it was listed on the specials menu, I hope they keep running this because it was gluten free and it didn't taste like. The cake was moist and the presentation was something u would expect from a Michelin star restaurant. Definitely a perfect place to come for a date night or to grab a tasty drink from the bar. read more

Dancing Marlin - Berry cobbler - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

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Love this place. Awesome seafood, brunch and hospitality. Can't wait to get in one of these Fridays to grab a drink and dozen oysters!!!

I often forget and take this place for granted but it really is fantastic and our homegrown pride and joy here in Frankfort. Small plates are perfect for me because I'm the guy who wants to try everything on the menu. Everything is great. The bone marrow is a top five favorite dish that I crave every couple months. Fish specials are always on point, cocktails are solid, love the eclectic menu. I think I've had everything on the menu and there's not one clunker. Service is always OUTSTANDING and I'm always amazed at the kitchen cranking back there, looks pretty tight. Anyhoo this was one of the places we made sure to order often from during the pandemic because they're good people and our favorite local place. Well done. read more