Great place for groups or a fancy date night. Food is pricy but rightfully so. When you have items like seared ahi tuna and escargot, you expect to pay the price. We enjoyed pretty much everything we tried. The wait staff was friendly and helpful since it was our first time trying topless dining here. (Small shareable plates) Went with just my husband but would love to try it again sometime with a larger group and be able to try even more items read more

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WOW, I expected this place to be good but it still exceeded my expectations. The food is phenomenal and the perfect sharing sizes for 2-6 people per plate. You can always order more for more people. But we were with a group of 5 and ordered probably 10 plates total, stuffing our faces and enjoying every bite. The food is top quality and so much flavor. We had someone with a shellfish allergy with us, and we had plenty to still choose from that didn't have shellfish. There are some hearty non seafood plates available. Some of our tables favorites: Crostini Shrimp and Grits Scallops Fig and the pig roasted bone marrow (YUM) They also have a fantastic bar with lots of selections from beer and wine down to awesome cocktails! I am not a big cocktail person and usually stick with the house white, but I tried the Marlin Mule and LOVED it! The space can get a little crowded, and I highly suggest making a reservation. Even with a reservation you can expect to wait 15-20 minutes. But just grab a drink at the bar and start planning your food adventure with the menu. It's definitely worth the wait. It's a great place to spoil yourself on a night out with friends or impress a date. I can't wait to go back! read more

Unfortunately my review is no longer here (not because there was anything wrong with it; if you violate any Yelp! terms, you receive an email saying so). I had pictures posted as well. The bone marrow is very good, almost too good for burbs. The shot is a novelty that is really not necessary but that I recommend everyone do once. Food is very good although service was very much lacking. read more

We wanted to try a new restaurant in the area and ended up choosing Dancing Marlin. It was pack on a Friday evening so make sure you make a reservation. The food is very flavorful and delicious. It is a tapas style restaurant and sharing the dishes are encouraged. However they do not bring out all the food you order at once. It was a bit annoying having one dish at a time come out every 20 minutes or so. The portions are small, which would be fine if several dishes come out at a time instead of waiting. We were seated for about an hour and food kept coming the entire time. The drinks are tasty and unique which was refreshing from the same old drinks offered at other restaurants. The atmosphere is very nice. Very simple and clean. It is a smaller place so with everyone packed in, it got a bit loud. There is another floor downstairs with more seating and the restrooms. The reason for the 4 stars is due to the staff. Our server was very polite and read the specials to us. Seemed like she was a bit overwhelmed at times, however she did check on us regularly. Random wait staff bring your food to you and about 100% of them were not pleasant. The waitress in the section next to us that brought our food several times seemed like she was annoyed. But every time I thanked her for the dish, she wouldn't say a word and would just walk away like she had better things to do. But my main concern was the fact that they never brought my daughters food out. The waitress did state her meal would take some time but after that time had come and gone I finally asked when will her food come out. She went to check and when she came back she was very apologetic and stated they no longer are serving that dish (Mac and cheese). It was about 50 minutes since we first sat down and this whole time no one told us my daughter was not going to have her meal. Good thing she was eating what we had ordered throughout the stay. When we hurried and picked something else from the menu for my daughter she put it in right away. And about another 10 minutes later the lovely waitress who was bothered with bringing our food passed out table and placed my daughters dish onto the table behind us. I heard her state it was a kids pizza to that table then just walked off. Again after another 5 minutes our waitress comes to check and I asked where the food was and she stated it came out. Well it was sitting on the parties table behind us. So she grabs it and gives it to us. So now my daughter is eating a warm pizza that was sitting on another table. Thankfully she didn't care for the taste and didn't finish it. I had to make her another dinner once we got home. I did bring it up to the manager who was fantastic and understood my concern. I just wanted the miscommunication addressed. If we do return for another meal I will make sure that the my daughters meal comes out before anything. read more

Dancing Marlin - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Some of the best food in the Frankfort/Mokena area. Our go to place any day and any time. Affordable and worth every penny.

We went in. We were told we had a couple minute wait that our table was being cleaned. We waited and waited. We asked when our table would be cleaned. They showed us our table right next to the hostess stand. They said the staff was limited. Ok I get that. We then asked if we could go to the bar and have a drink. We were told no that you had to be seated by the hostess at the bar, you can't just walk up. We said ok can you seat us? There were numerous open seats with the ones in between for distancing. She told us no she won't sit us there. So we said keep your table. We are leaving and won't be back. We went to Chef Klaus, had a great meal, couple drinks and a great night. The couple we met and spoke to also just walked out of Dancing Marlin for the same reason not too long before we did. read more

I had my brunch bridal shower at Dancing Marlin and it was SPECTACULAR. My guests were raving about the food, the space was perfect, and the service was fantastic. They kept the drinks fresh and the food well stocked in the buffet style brunch. Everyone was attentive and helpful. Can't thank you enough for making my day so special! read more

This is an interesting mix of features that I have not encountered before. Which is saying a lot. First off, the concept is tapas, or small plates. However, the plates and features are darn good. We started with an order of scallops, which were very good, along with smoked trout tacos, seared Ahi tuna, Paella, and Crab Stuffed Peppers. This was a good start for a party of 4, which we chased wityh a tap-drawn bottle of King Pinot Noir which was pretty good. They draw the wine into a bottle, and you pour it at the table. After that, we added in Ricotta Gnudi (tasty!) Chicken Yakatori (spicy), Avodado Tacos, Fried Green Tomato sliders, and finished it off with "Coffee and Donuts" (fried donuts with a coffee-flavored whipped mixture to slather on to them) and Turtle Cheesecake bites (small but tasty) On the critical side, some of the dishes (tacos) were really for 2. They should consider offering a 2 or 4 person order, to make it easier. We were splitting a lot of things. The service was very attentive. Bottles of ice-cold water are brought to the table. The place is busy, and a bit loud. Still, it was a great time. read more

The small portions are nice, but they don't blow me away with flavor. Also, I think they're trying to make back money they lost during the initial COVID quarantine by raising prices a ton. read more

This is a nice place to grab dinner but don't expect too much... I expected better service and food to be honest. Made a reservation, still took them about 10 minutes to get seated. I asked how long it takes to get food out since is tapas style...she said to get our orders sooner the better...well our orders all came out all at once and there was pretty much no room on the table for anything. Ordered a number of dishes. The cauliflower tacos were a waste. Tortillas fell a part and just weren't very pleasing. Just not at all satisfying. The Ahi tuna dish was good. The fried chicken shared plate was mediocre. The Mac N Cheese was alright at best. The S'mores cheese cake dessert was tasty. Prices were about what I expected, service was alright. Honestly, it's not a bad place to go out but your going to drop a penny with food and drinks. Overall, fun, lively atmosphere, plenty of options to choose from. read more

This was my first time here. Love the atmosphere. Our waitress was great and helpful in letting us know what to order. Started with a Bloody Mary which was delicious! Ended up ordering the munch brunch which was great! Lots of things to eat from it. Thinking that i would be walking up to a breakfast bar to pick whatever i wanted was a surprise when they bring the different items to your table. Nice selection and set up as a tapas menu. For those that dont like tapas you can order a larger plate of something else. Not that badly priced but could be expensive if you are drinking along with your meal. Its worth another trip to see how their menu is during the evening hours. read more

Dancing Marlin - Bloody Mary - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

The location is good. Not to busy and easy to access off the street. Highly recommend making a reservation. The staff was excellent. Ed the owner was so generous and came by the table a few times. We went for a birthday celebration, but the birthday boy had partied a little to much the night before and wasn't able to make it. There were seven of us. We sat at the long high table by the kitchen. We hardly noticed the servers coming back and forth. So, what did we eat? Just about everything. The way it works is you "share" each selection. It's all al-cart. You want four tacos to share, order four. We liked almost everything. We are big fans of bone marrow and it's hard to find. They have it. And its pretty good. They have quite a few deserts too. The drinks were good. They have on tap beer and wine. Mixed drinks and sodas. My husband and I had Bloody Mary's to start. They seemed like they were light on the mix. The Decor is really nice too. Restrooms are down the stairs or you can take the elevator down. We like trying different places. Not sure if we would come back just as a couple. A group of people was fun. Enjoy. read more

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Cant wait to go back. It was a birthday celebration so we stayed a while. I chose the Special Mahi Mahi Tacos. So good that when everyone had dessert, I ordered a second round! YumYum Service was great and they didn't call us out for the size or happiness of the party. read more

Always the best food and drinks! Service is great and all employees are enjoyable and happy to be there. Recommend over and over again! I do wish they would bring back the Tom loves Cucumbers drink! read more

Our server Madison was great; friendly, attentive and well educated on the menu. The food was good as if was the first time I visited three years ago. The 3 stars is for the DISGUSTING use of gloves the management makes the staff wear. Using gloves causes cross contamination of germs including COVID! Using gloves is a poor psychological barrier of germs. WASH YOUR HANDS people! And when you use a mask- cover your nose- it's connected to your throat (hostess!!!). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/business-employers/bars-restaurants.html read more

Love the food and service is great. Easy to make a online reservation. Outdoor dining super cute and nice.

Great food, excellent wait staff, unique and interesting (& great) menu. I highly recommend Dancing Marlin.

The food is different to say the least. It was pretty good. A tapas (small plates) kinda place. Kinda pricey. Great service though.

We ordered take out on a Sunday. The DM cheeseburger was pretty good as were the Mac and cheese and fish tacos. The chopped salad was a joke. I think the cost was $16 and I've had far better salads at fast food places. They didn't even include the dressing and there was almost no chicken. What a rip. The portions were all small and not worth the price. Hope your dine in is a better value. read more

Always a great meal at the Marlin. The lobster roles are highly addictive and you can't stop at one!

The service overall was great, the cocktails were also great! But the food definitely wasn't up to par. We've had tapas before and we were expecting a lot of flavors and the use of natural spices.. this wasn't the case. A lot of butter and oil was used for the flavor.. we probably won't be returning. read more

Dancing Marlin - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Love the menu and vibe at Dancing Marlin. The quality of the food is fantastic and the unique spin on classics is great. I especially love the gf menu...I know I can trust the food I'm served to not make me I'll. read more

Excellent service!!! Fantastic food. Everything came out piping hot and tasty. The drinks were ahhmaazing! This place is a gem. read more

Dancing Marlin - The Lobster Mash...1 pound of delicious lobster and mashed potatoes!! - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

We just went to Dancing Marlin for our anniversary last night. It was amazing! I had a spirit flight and sampled several different drinks that I wouldn't have normally tried. The wine and spirits were on tap and they had a great selection. My husband liked the beer selection, although they were only in bottles (no beers on tap). As far as the food goes, the fried kale was delicious, we had never had anything quite like it. We met one of the owners(?) or manager named Tom. He came to our table and when we told him we loved the kale, he said that they buy it from a local farmer. Other things we loved: gnocchi, sausage flatbread, tuna nachos, coffee/donuts dessert. We will definitely be back. This is a great restaurant for foodies, romantic dinners, and fun occasions. read more

Dancing Marlin - Desserts: carrot cake and PB&J - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

What's not to love at the Dancing Marlin? Service was impeccable. Our server, Dez, the owner, Tom and even the chefs were very personable-- stopping by our table to check on us. Dez was very attentive and knew the menu like the back of her hand. She gave us her honest feedback on certain menu items and was very eager to know how we honestly liked each dish. We got to the restaurant at 5 but as we dined customers started piling in and took over the main floor and lower level of the restaurant. You'd definitely need to make reservations for this restaurant. We were told there were 204 reservations that night. The decor/ambience at the restaurant was understated and streamlined. What's impressive is how the restaurant went green and used reclaimed farmhouse lumber for their tables and floors and use kegs for all their wine since commercial wine bottles are not recyclable. The food was good. Very fresh tasting. Each dish was done with a twist but you still tasted every ingredient. Nothing was overwhelming. The dining style is described as American tapas or small plates to share. We had the seared ahi tuna, scallops, pork tenderloin, red pepper stuffed crab cakes (which I was told was the top ordered menu item for the past several months). We capped dinner with the caramel donuts and coffee mousse which was a nice twist. These were all recommended by Dez, and she didn't steer us wrong. I was happy with everything, and will definitely be back again --- with friends. UPDATE: we came back for brunch the following day, and I must say I'm a fan of the breakfast fare at DM. We had chicken and waffles, salmon scramble, morning tacos and took home the crab Benedict and monkey bread. Of the above, if say my favorite would be the chicken and waffles followed by the salmon scramble. read more

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The BEST salmon I've ever had! Great atmosphere and our waitress Carly was extremely friendly and very adaptable to my food allergies (not to mention super knowledgeable about the changing menus). My fiance and I are from Ohio and have eaten all over, but this place definitely changed the game! read more

Dancing Marlin - best salmon I've ever had! Great atmosphere and our waitress Carly was friendly and very adaptable to my food allergies - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

This restaurant always has great food and service. Atmosphere is very relaxing. On a nice warm night you. An enjoy their patio. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I will start by saying we had a 730 reservation and got seated at 8. Not a huge deal... We ordered crab dip, mushroom flatbread, scallops, the garlic shrimp, and their special which was Mahi Mahi tacos. The food was pretty good and our server was great, although I don't believe he gave us his name. However, for a few drinks and 5 shareable plates it was almost 90 bucks. That just seems really high for a suburban restaurant. Literally, a plate of 2 tacos is 14 dollars. I think for the portions the prices should go down slightly. Overall it was a good experience. But I'm not overly impressed. It was also pretty cute inside and I liked the ambiance. A little cramped, I kept getting bumped into in my chair but what are you gonna do? read more

I went to Dancing Marlin for the first time last time and it was one of the BEST dinners I have ever had! Our server Carley (sorry unsure of spelling) was awesome! She was very helping in navigating the tapas style and had really good recommendations! Carley recommended the cocktail flight for me and it was such a good way to experience their multiple mixed drink on tap they have (all awesome too!). We had the bacon wrapped shrimp, crab stuffed peppers, bone marrow, salmon tacos and ended with a slider. It was all AWESOME. Nothing was just EH it was all the best and most flavorful food I've ever eaten! Carley made sure we never had an empty drink and would check on each food or drink selection after we tried it to make sure we loved what we got! 100% will be going back and will be asking for Carley again! read more

We decided to stay local for dinner with my wife. We typically would travel to the city on Saturday night. However, based on many great reviews we wanted to give it a try. This place didn't disappoint. Moment we walked in we got seated. Our server Katie was super nice, attentive and well oriented on all menu items. Our drinks were well made and food was delicious. We loved everything we have ordered. Food can satisfied everyone's palette. Flavors stood up to a good plate presentation. Ambiance is awesome as well. Great place to come and enjoy good meal with your friends and family. Definitely will be coming back. read more

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We've been here 100+ times and typically one of our favorite places locally, but tonight was a severe disappointment. We sat at the outside patio, which is great on a summer evening and the service was good as usual, but we ordered the prime NY strip steak as one of the dishes we would share. This place is kind of tapas sharing style, which is one of the fun things about eating here. We order the NY strip every time we eat here and It is their signature, choicest and most expensive item since they opened several years ago. We always order it medium and it is usually done just right. Tonight it came out so well done and b that I had no choice but to send it back. Our waitress seemed a little surprised, but I showed her how extremely well done and burned the steak was. She didn't seem overly concerned about it and I expressed my concern that they speak with whoever had prepared the steak since this is the first time it was prepared so terribly. She was very nice and took it off our bill, but my concern is that they have gotten so busy and are raking in the dollars that the quality is now going downhill. I hope it's not the case and will give it a try again in a week or so. I appreciate the response from management and we have been back a few times since my not so great experience. Our favorite NY strip steak was very tasty the last few times and service very adequate. read more

Oh man, I love this place. A friend and I had reservations at Dancing Marlin for 7:30. We went during the week, so we were seated right away and it wasn't terribly loud. There was some live music, which is always fine in my book. Dancing Marlin is tapas style, so we tried a few dishes including the bone marrow, which is hands down the best thing I have ever eaten. We also got shrimp and chorizo tacos and oysters. Our waitress Lexie was so helpful and was happy to help us with any questions about the menu that we had. They also have wine on tap; I love chardonnay, so I recommend the Martin Bay Chardonnay. I am definitely coming back with friends and family! read more

Dancing Marlin - Bone marrow - New American Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Been meaning to try this place for years and bc I was going to see a movie nearby I decided this was the perfect opportunity. I was so happy I did! I made reservations and had to wait for a bit which was fine. We went to the bar and enjoyed an old fashioned and a strawberry,pineapple mojito. Both were delicious. I even got to sample a "mango tango" which was essentially a spicy mango margarita. Only downside is the bar is TINY and I felt like there was never a good place to stand. Then we went to our table and the waitress gave us a rundown since we were first timers. (The menu is essentially tapas aka small shareable plates.) We got the crab Mac & cheese, (made w real crab meat) lobster rolls, Brussel sprouts, and the Chilean sea bass. OMG every dish was phenomenal. Best Chilean sea bass I've ever had. Every bite was crispy yet tender. The beans underneath was an odd side to compliment it, however. I def think they should put something like risotto instead but we just didn't eat them. The mini lobster rolls were buttery and delicious. I'm a max & cheese snob and this was awesome! Brussel sprouts were also delicious but pretty salty. Finished off dinner w an "affagato" with Salted caramel gelato. What a perfect finish to our meal. All and all I'm so glad we came and checked it out. We will definitely be back. read more

This is one of my favorite places to eat. What makes it even better is the owners here are the very best. They work so hard and it shows with the amazing quality of food they serve. read more

I would recommend it for a cocktail and a snack only. For a restaurant that has the appearance of healthy, fresh food, I was surprised with each dish. Examples: Starting off with fried kale.....wonderful light crisp texture but coated with so much oil. Lobster bisque....so incredibly salty I couldn't finish the 4oz little cup. Little Bit of Chicken....heavily breaded. Pig and Fig....hard to believe but not much flavor and underside of the bacon was pretty raw. Beet salad was good. Cocktails were VERY good. We are major foodies and don't mind paying $150 for dinner, but we'd like to really enjoy it for that price. Our server, Blue M, was outstanding!! Her service is what saved the night for us!!! read more

Made a reservation. Got sat by a hostess. Waited 22 minutes and never got a order in with a waiter. Got up and left. This restaurant is understaffed and not prepared for a Saturday service. I do not recommend. read more

Never can be wrong to dine here. Always a pleasurable experience with great food. Sat outside and they made it like a romantic date .

Great food! Love that they change the menu periodically, it keeps each experience unique!

We were celebrating a promotion this visit and I must say we enjoyed everything about our experience. We made a reservation the same day and were able to get a table for a 7:00 o'clock slot. The variety of food offered here still amazes me. This occasion we had a blast trying different things. The calamari kicked butt as usual. We tried the cachaca chicken and thought it was tasty. We loved the flavor. I was talked into octopus for the first time and was surprised that I enjoyed it. I've always considered trying octopus and am glad I did. The oysters hit the spot. Very fresh. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and had a nice orzo or risotto underneath. To finish the food off we caved with the delicious ahi tuna. For desert we did the blueberry lemon cheese cake bites. I swear I could eat ten of those things. Overall this was a wonderful visit. The live music added to the night as well. Can't wait for the next time!! read more

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I hosted my Wine Club Outing at the Dancing Marlin. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We each started with create your own wine flight. Desiree the bartender was excellent and help guide us through the wines on tap. The General Tso Cauliflower, Artichoke Flatbread, Little bit of chicken and fries started our evening off. All were prepared to perfection. Karen then took over and assisted with our dinner and dessert order. We finished the evening with a Cocktail Flight. Thank you Dancing Marlin! Until next time! read more

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