A lot has changed since the last time we visited a few years ago. We were looking to break out of what I call our "DeKalb" funk since we have been eating a lot in DeKalb when we do eat out. I thought of Hoffman House, which is co-located inside a hotel. We'd eaten there years ago, and their prime rib was very good. While driving north, my wife looked it up. They changed from a white table cloth restaurant to more of a sports bar theme. Their entree list was rather anemic and just not worth the trip, except they did offer Prime Rib on Saturday. We made the trip. For starters, when you walk in there is no hostess station. The bartender told us "Sit where ever you want." so we found a booth that was clean and sat down. The seating was, well worn as in worn out. The seat covers were chipping on the chairs, and the booth seating was just dead. Our server arrived and we placed our order. My wife ordered tea, and I had a Guiness draft which was properly poured. The server brought out 4 honey buns, which are light and fluffy, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with a honey butter blend. They are best when they arrive - HOT. (Eat them as they arrive) It wasn't very long before the main course came out. No salad was offered. My Prime Rib was ordered and served medium rare, and the baked potato was cooked properly. I was expecting some horseradish sauce with the Prime Rib - nope. My wife did enjoy her shaved Prime Rib sandwich - the roll it was on was nice, and she opted for the premium onion strings, which were tasty. Why just okay? This was a place to go for a nice dinner with your family. It has transformed into a tired sports bar. Lots of screens, but it's kind of half-hearted with regards to the sports bar theme. Servers aren't in sports uniforms, there isn't a lot of stuff on the walls. The seating is worn out and should be either refinished or replaced. It feel like they ran out of money or concepts during the conversion, and just stopped. There is nothing compelling here to bring us back. read more

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Our family contracted the Hoffman House to provide food for our family reunion. My immediate family is vegan, so we ordered food from the vegan menu and it was tasteless, not prepared according the description on menu, the veggies were raw unseasoned and inedible. I have contacted the contact at Hoffman House to be reimbursed for the meals. I will update my review if this matter is settled to my satisfaction which looks like being reimbursed for the meals that none of us ate. read more

There is no longer a salad well. Even though the menu here says there is. Gone 3 years. Just a hotel sports bar now. Did not stay

The food was decent and the service good. It was a bar, which is not my preferred ambiance, but it was connected to the hotel I was staying at, so I would return there at some point in the future read more

We are long time customers of the HH. Admittedly we miss the fine dining that used to be offered but we enjoyed a nice Friday night fish fry. They may have been a little short on servers as these gals were hopping. My baked cod with baked potato and a cup of clam chowder were excellent. Others at our table had the all you can eat fried dinner and no one had any complaints. read more

Connected to hotel which is a plus. Very busy. Our server got everything right and somehow managed to take care of us, despite the crowd. Walleye breading is thick and not tasty. Next time I will try the Cod. Overall a good meal. I would eat here again and will try something else on the menu. read more

The food wasn't very good. Prime rib was flavorless, green beans were chewy. No longer offering au gratin potatoes and the atmosphere is more like a sports bar. read more

HH used to be awesome. Now it's just ok. Went for fish fry, it's not like the pictures. Breading was disgusting, peeled it off and ate the fish which tasted like oil. So sad they changed it to this. Took out the best salad bar in Rockford. Been coming here for 40 years. Sad! read more

This was a nice place, it reminded me of old supper clubs. We had the fish fry and the food was delicious. But the best part was the wait staff. I didn't get her name but she was amazing. She was there when we needed her and away so we could just enjoy. Very personable!! read more

Stopped by after checking in and grabbed a bite! Good sports viewing with a couple giant screens in addition to the normal tvs around the room. The two old fashions that I had were on the sweeter side but great with the fried food. Gotta try cheese curds when you're this close to Wisconsin! read more

Hoffman House - Butterflied Prawns - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Their soup and salad bar is a meal in itself and has finally reopened after the pandemic. But please wear masks and use the provided hand sanitizer people! Honestly I would not mind a bit if that practice remains. I wish I could say more about their menu but every time I'm here it seems to be Friday and I cannot pass up walleye. The breading can sometimes be too thick or not crispy enough but overall it is worth the price. My guy was very happy with his filet this last time and was a big fan of the mashed potatoes and gravy. This isn't a fancy place but the food is solid and the all you can eat walleye on Fridays is a catch. No pun intended. read more

Hoffman House - All you can eat walleye on Fridays! - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

The fish fried is ok. No salad bar available that is not favorite for the customers. Hopefully the salad bar will be back.

It's a little inconsistent. Like I said my friends and I come here a decent amount. The food is usually solid, sometimes though, it can be a little less than great. Not bad. Just kind of, fine if you will. Overall still not bad, I mean we do keep on showing up for happy hours, but I wouldn't say the food is anything too different from your run of the mill bar food. Service has always been decent and the spot is nice and spacious though. Ideally I'd give it a 3.5/5 if I could but I can't ‍ read more

Very disappointed. I paid for prime rib (which was expensive) and also got a cold baked potato, and a salad that could be equivalent to something you'd get at a cheap diner. But the bill was as high as it used to be before all the changes were made to the restaurant that had a nice atmosphere. The eating experience was not enjoyable. Felt like a fast food restaurant... Sure do miss the mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and veggie and a great piece of prime rib at a nice sit down restaurant that takes pride in what is being served to customers. Now the atmosphere has completely changed. Have to find another restaurant that warrants an expensive dinner with friends. read more

It's not Hoffman House anymore. You enter/eat in a bar setting (Scoreboard), not a restaurant. There are two menus, HH menu is much smaller. You seat yourself and then we sat there because no one was coming. I eventually went up and asked for menus. We ordered and our food came, except I was supposed to get rolls w/butter and a salad. The fish fry was serviceable. I wouldn't eat it again. The fries were awful. Pale, undercooked, and no flavor. My friend's burger was so greasy she couldn't pick it up. Server never came back to check on drinks, food, if I wanted more fish. She only stopped by after she saw someone else was helping us. We told them about our experience and while it made it right for us this evening, we'll never be back. You've done a disservice to what was a great restaurant. read more

Hoffman House - Fish fry - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

This place is great. Lovely ladies serving drinks and great food. Takes me back to a past America that is so hard to find these days.

They advertise like it's a 4 Star restaurant. They are a sports bar trying to be a restaurant. The kitchen came up so short. First I ordered fish and broccoli. The fish was cooked. The broccoli was ugly, but eatable. Almost mush. The second meal was a hamburger. Hamburger was cooked from frozen. A good size patty. If the chef claims to be a professional I'd fire 'em. Fries were soft and under cooked. Forget about them being dropped twice. I like the waitress and the bartenders they were communicators, kind polite well spoken. Well spoken polite maybe even kind communication goes so far when it comes to customer service. Sincere. read more

So our server was outstanding she was so on the ball that makes for a great experience. I had a chief cocktail that was tasty and a glass of the restaurant wine. Very good flavors. The salad bar was so enjoyable many different things. The warm bacon dressing yum. I have never had that before but if I go back will have that on a salad. The soup very good it was cream of vegetables and beef with vegetables. The cream soup was a bigger winner with our table. And there was 6 of us. The rolls so good. With the honey butter. I got the prime rib with fried prawns. Steak was cooked perfectly and the prawns very good I liked the cocktail sauce. The couple next to us got engaged and the server was managing that along with all her other guests. It was my kids 15 birthday and they got a cake and we sang. So fun. Will look forward to getting back. read more

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Open the restaurant back up with the salad bar. Nice atmosphere. Now just a bar that serves food.

I meet a good friend here to celebrate our July's Birthday. The service was great and the food was delicious. My friend had the ribeye and she said it was one of the best she had in a long time. I also tasted it and it was seasoned well and cooked perfectly and I would order it next time , if I didn't love their prime rib. I ordered the 1lb slice and it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The French onion soups and real Wisconsin cheese curds also was worth the money. The meal comes with unlimited soup amd salad bar which has everything you need for a perfect salad and the blue cheese dressing tasted homemade and contained many chunks of blue cheese in the dressing. The place is a true supper club experience from the 50's with great service, updated interior and amazing food. The prices are also reasonable for the quality and size of the portions. read more

Hoffman House - Prime Rib of Beef & twice baked potato. - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Better uodate the menu & delete the pics of food you USED to serve. Taking out the salad bar? BIG MISTAKE. BIG.

Thanksgiving buffet...$40 each! Food was ICE COLD! The pieces that were Luke warm, were average at best!!! I wish someone would have warned me before I got stuck going here. It was awful! I couldn't bring myself to eat this cold slop...so I didn't. Instead, when I got home, I immediately heated up pizza for myself. I know by the time this review is posted, it's too late to save anyone else from getting suckered for Thanksgiving but maybe I can save you for Christmas! I paid over $100 with tax and tip for my wife and I to have Thanksgiving dinner here!!! To say I was disappointed is an understatement. It sucked so bad, I would of rather stayed home and had a TV dinner than go through this experience at Hoffman House!!! Just a bad experience and I hope you don't make the same mistake I did when thinking about Christmas dinner. read more

Hoffman House - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

I really want to give this place 4 stars, as I've had really good meals here, but they're inconsistent. The chicken Parmesan was perfect on one visit; on another, the chicken breast had been overcooked and was tough and chewy. I got the fish and chips, which was excellent, but my husband ordered the fries on another visit and was served French fries that had been sitting too long, and were cold and...well, you know how French fries that have been hanging around too long taste, right? Save your calories. So, there's definitely an A crew and a B crew in the kitchen. It's unfortunate, because when it's good, it's yummy elevated bar food/comfort food/ Supper Club fare. It's a spacious place, with a generous bar and slot machines for you gamblers, and the front house staff is excellent; attentive and friendly. I had a virgin Bloody Mary during one visit, and it was so obviously house made that I commented on it. The bartender assured me that, yes, she'd mixed up the Bloody Mary mix that morning. Nice touch. Now all they have to do is make sure the kitchen is executing the menu well. read more

Hoffman House catered my wedding at Oak Hill Farm. The staff was incredibly professional. They personally greeted my husband and I to give us appetizers we missed during cocktail hour and to ensure we had everything we needed. Hoffman House was very accommodating to special requests. The staff was very responsive via email prior to the wedding for inquiries, the tasting, and details. Our guests loved the food and presentation. Thank you for making our day! read more

Hoffman House - Cider Mill Chicken - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Very good.I haven't tried the prime rib but the barbecue is really good and the hot wings are great.they even have potato skins not bad.

Stopped by last Sunday evening and some major changes have occurred. First, the Hoffman House as it once was seems to be gone; consolidated into the adjacent sports bar that did not seem overly inviting. Hard to ignore the stale "old motel" smell in the air. Definitely no longer a supper club vibe. Decided to take a pass and went elsewhere for dinner. Too bad. read more

THE best place to celebrate and enjoy truly excellent food and service! Celebrated our "Gramma's" 90th birthday this past weekend. A lifelong Rockford resident, all she wanted was her family gathered at the Hoffman house to celebrate, with children and grandchildren from across the continent! I want to especially commend Austin, the manager, who was so gracious and took great care to ensure our day was top-notch! He is truly responsible in his position, overseeing details. Our two waitresses in the private Lincoln room were efficient and friendly. (I highly recommend reserving a private room for a special family event. Call early because they are in high demand.) everyone's entrées were absolutely delicious, and the salad bar is amazing, with special touches You only get at a great Midwest restaurant, usually... Wilted spinach, salad with hot bacon dressing, chicken liver pate, cheese, spread, hummus, all those extras that make a salad bar extra delightful! But save room for their famous prime rib, or, as one member of our party ordered, the roast duck. I had the butterfly prawns with prime rib and delicious, sweet potato casserole. I made sure I saved enough to take home and enjoy for two meals afterwards! Very generous portions. The warm fried bread is amazing! Grandma was very pleased, as were everyone of our family gathered for this very special event! We plan to return soon to take grandma to enjoy the roast duck! Highly recommend, and, once again, extra kudos to Austin, the manager for being so accommodating, and paying attention to every detail! read more

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I had the Friday night fish fry and I opted for the baked fish and it was a little bland. The fried fish had much more flavor! And their portions are huge! Again it came with the unlimited soup and salad bar and a baked potato. read more

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Used to be good when they had their restaurant and salad well. All they have now is the bar with your typical bar food. Sure do miss the restaurant.! read more

For the owners of Ishnala to put out the piece of meat my wife and I received tonight, I'm appalled. Thank you for the salad bar and wonderful service we received tonight , saved you from one star. Very disappointing prime rib, tough and cold not a good combo. We both ordered the special rib and shrimp. Should have stuck with salad and shrimp and skipped the meat and cold, bland twice baked. You have a great bar and dining area please don't put out sub par meat and cold potatoes! read more

I gave HH a mediocre review in the past. Now I won't go back. Last time there, the salad bar wasn't fresh, crackers were stale, and for the price of their "just okay" fried chicken, I can go elsewhere and buy 2 meals! What happened? This used to be my favorite restaurant in Rockford! read more

Trying different places for breakfast and stopped at the Hoffman House which is part of the Holiday Inn. The restaurant is large and has a New York look and feel to it. They played Frank Sinatra music during breakfast. I ordered the "InnJoyable Breakfast" which was eggs, sausage, potatoes and toast. Everything was good and I will try them again. My ticket was $11.47 before tip. read more

Hoffman House - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Came here to have dinner. This place was amazing! You can tell that this establishment is well run. The staff were friendly and the owner Michael Prosser was so nice. He went out of his way to make sure everyone had an amazing guest experience. The food was tasty and hot! I loved it. I would recommend this place to anyone and for events. Michael will make sure you are well taken care of. Thank Mr. Prosser for running a great establishment! I will be back. read more

I love Hoffman House. My favorite restaurant in Rockford besides Marc's Fusion. I love the fried shrimp dinner, fried prawn and the prime rib. The salad bar is the absolute best. You don't get much better than Hoffman House in Rockford read more

Hoffman House - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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When visiting my Dad in Rockford, he took me here for dinner as he heard they still had the best prime rib in the city. I hadn't been to the Hoffman House since I was a child. The restaurant is large and clean with friendly staff. We ordered cocktails and then were invited to visit the large salad bar. Lots of options and everything g was very fresh with an array of premade salads like broccoli salad, beer salad, potato salad etc.as well as all of the lettuce options with several homemade dressings to choose from including a warm onion bacon dressing. They serve warm fried bread rolls which are good but a bit too much like dessert for me. Our prime rib was excellent, and came out very rare as ordered. All was very good and we would definitely come again. read more

Hoffman House - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Hoffman House was great years ago. The salad bar, soups, excellent chicken, fish and over the top prime rib. It was a restaurant with a Wisconsin supper club feel. Then it transitioned to a run of the mill eatery serving common not so good food and the prime rib changed to a USDA choice standing rib roast. Chew on that tougher, less flavorful and much less expensive cut of meat being offered on their menu as Prime Rib Roast without a price reduction. And now it is a sports bar serving bar food. read more

I've been here twice so far. One time for a friend's birthday and I ended up getting the fish fry special, it was pretty good. Now a recent visit for dinner for our son's birthday to get their prime rib special. Which I hear they're known for in town. Sad to say, this isn't the best prime rib I've had in town as it lacked flavor. On the other hand, the special price wasn't bad. For the month of March, they're offering an 8oz prime rib dinner for $19.99. This also include a side & salad bar & soup. The prime rib tasted a little rubbery for me and tasted like it had no seasoning on it whatsoever. I was dissapointed, to say the least. However, their complimentary fried bread or donuts topped with powdered sugar was amazing! We definitely made sure to pack those home and asked for seconds. I'd probably go back, but not for their prime rib. read more

Great local iconic supper club atmosphere. Food quality always excellent. Probably the best service of any restaurant in Rockford.

This was a carry out order from their lunch menu for my family. I ordered a couple of appetizers, one of which were Southwest Egg Rolls, and they were very tasty. I think the lid of the side dressing was loose, so the dressing got all over the egg rolls, which was unfortunate. Everyone loved their food, though. I had a bbq pulled pork sandwich and it was very good. Nicely toasted buns and onion straws on the top were nice and crunchy. Pulled pork was tender and flavorful, and it had just the right amount of bbq sauce. I took one star off because of the aforementioned ranch dressing incident and also there were some spillage inside one of the three bags from the containers placed in the bag sideways. Also, I saw a bag of blue cheese, I think, left out on the bar counter unattended the entire time I was there (about 10 min). Overall, though, it's a great place for hearty and reasonably priced meals. The server who took my order on the phone and also brought my order at the restaurant, Stefan, was super nice, even though he was busy, so kudos to him! read more

My family has been going to Hoffman House since the day they opened their doors. For the first time ever the food was not good at all. Prime rib used to be fantastic. If they're going to charge $40 a plate youd think it would at least taste good. Potatoes used to be homemade, these were out of a box. We will not go back. Extremely disappointed. read more