Nice quiet place to eat if you just don't want to leave your hotel. Great bartender/server, but the kitchen could have been much better. I ordered a burger, medium with everything. It wasn't busy at all but the cook time seemed excessive. Beautiful presentation, but after the second bite, I realized one side was over cooked. It was done and my server asked if I wanted to have it remade. I said no it's ok, my server comped my draft beer to make up for the kitchen. Maybe just a bad night, I'll probably be be back hoping for a better kitchen. read more

Jesse's Grille - My meal served. - New American Near Me - Normal, Illinois

See all

5/5 this dinner, service, and beautiful atmosphere was so good that I specifically downloaded yelp to give a review. I saw other reviews that were not good. We arrived after long drive from Michigan and I wasn't expecting such an excellent meal. I had the Marriott Burger, other had a Smoked Chicken Panini. They couldn't have been any better. Jason gave excellent service, and the atmosphere of the hotel is beautiful. read more

This restaurant was inside Marriott hotel so was convenient. We went with workmates and both the burger and flatbread was very dry and no flavor. One person ordered a salad and it was tiny and was not given the correct dressing and of course prices were ridiculous but expected since it was in the hotel. The poor bartender was waiting all the tables so was slow getting anything. read more

The food and drinks are overpriced. A simple glass of red wine is $24. I ordered a cosmo that tasted like cherry kool aid. We had a party of three. The other two people in my party got their food. Mine never came. The appetizer showed up after the entrees. My advice? Eat elsewhere read more

My girlfriend and I ate here for "Restaurant Week". I was almost laughing when I read the review about the decor.....definitely reminds you of casino carpet, your aunt would dig it, and some random fake plants.....just kinda hangin out. There's also a giant curtain, some of it covers the buffet, but the rest of it, you kinda wonder what's on the other side. As for the food, we ate items that weren't on the everyday menu. I had an appetizer that was amazing. A crustini, topped with tomatoes, green onion, and balsamic. (or something like that) We were off to a good start. My girlfriends first course was a salad, which was a very generous portion, and a nice mix. We got a bottle of wine, which if I remember right, took some time to do. But wasn't that big of a deal. Normally for our meals, I'm the one who gets beef and she like something a little lighter, but that night we switched it up. I had salmon, nothing fancy, nothing to brag about either. She got a 4oz Filet, and I convinced her to order it "medium" (Normally she prefers medium-well) *side note for those paying attention* this is your basic, approx. temperature chart when it comes to steaks *Blue Rare-no one orders it this way *Rare- 140degrees, seard, RED *MedRare-145, still pretty red, outside cooked more *Medium-160, Still some red, but just a light red, turning brown, (right in the middle, hence the word medium) *MedWell-165-170, hint of pink *Well-180, brown, shameful, waste of food Now back to Jesse's......she ordered a 4oz Filet, medium. Now the steak that came out, looked a little bigger than a 4oz, (4oz being about the size of the bottom of a bun) But the whole thing was rare. Really rare. And as I had a hard enough time convincing her to order it medium, we had to send it back. The second time it came out, we had already shared and finished my salmon, and then we shared the steak. Which was a new one, and cooked medium rare. The manager apologized, and we didn't make a fuss about it. Dessert was so-so. So all in all, we weren't ready to go back to Jesse's that next week, but I'll probably give it another shot sometime. read more

For this to be located in a hotel, this isn't a bad place at all. Good and opened atmosphere, very clean, courteous staff...good food and drinks. Now if you are with someone, say work wise, you'd better be ready to have a good and long conversation because it takes a while for your food to come to you, but nevertheless it's good. The breakfast is buffet style and I'm not sure if it must be ordered, but in the three days in ate breakfast, I didn't see bacon served. But again, maybe it must be ordered. Of course I would be back....and I'll check on the bacon ordering. read more

This review is ONLY for the pasta bar on Wednesdays during lunch. They have a make your own pasta bar- and it's good. It also comes with salad (nice greens) and some premade pastas. They also have a nice selection of desserts. It was clean, the service was good, but it is lunch and I think they realize people are in a rush. I would go back, but probably only on a Wednesday...for lunch. read more

Ok. Nice decor and the bar is always busy. They focus on 7-10 items on the menu now which means its just the stuff they do best. Since it is not that busy, the wait staff seem to turnover quickly so nobody has a lot of menu knowledge or knowledge about how the dishes are prepared. The bartender barely could explain the complimentary parking pass he was handing out. Not good. A good choice for a hotel guest but locals, like me, are not going to be coming here for dinner very often. read more

After driving over 700 miles, we thought it would be nice to "eat in" instead of looking for another place to eat. The only reason Jesse's Grill got two stars is because my wife liked the stuffed pepper dish which in all honesty wan't too bad. I ordered the short rib sliders and a side salad. You really can't mess up a salad but the sliders were really terriible. The bun was good, the carmelized onions were good, the meat was dry, tough and lacked seasoning. There is no way that the meat was brazed short-ribs, unless they've been sitting in the oven for a week. The meat was like mom's pot roast and mom's pot roast was always dry and tough. Disappointing for a Marriott. Cheers! read more

Have eaten here a couple times, it is ok. I think breakfast bar is better than dinner. Places like this are difficult, because would it exist without the hotel? No. But I think some of the staff tries to make it better. You can tell the bar area is run better than the sit down area. read more

Great food. Loud setting. We stopped by on our first visit to try the food for a future Sunday brunch visit. When we tried to sit in the restaurant the bartender told us we had to sit in the bar. It was very loud with other customers talking over one another. We chose a seat at a couch like table near the back. The table was very short which is great for drinking but not so good for eating. The bartender decided it was easier for him to throw empty bottles from one end of the bar into a large trash can at the other making even more noise. Neither the bartender or the waitress could find a menu for breakfast or knew if they have a brunch. We ordered the muffeletta and street tacos. Both were excellent. The house salad was very skimpy with one type of lettuce, tiny croutons, and tiny cucumber slices and can't be recommended. read more

Finally found a great a great place in Bloomington-Normal for an excellent cocktail! The food is well done with a lovely Americana style menu, but what really blew me away was the expertise and professionalism from their bartender. She was warm and welcoming with a fantastic repertoire of suggestions to tempt my palate. She recommended me a whiskey smash for my first round which was smooth and delicious. My second round was her special cucumber and basil gin martini which truly made my day. All I can say is that the next time I want a professionally made cocktail, I'm stopping in at the Marriott. Thanks Eryn! read more

Jesse's Grille - a view of the bar - New American Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Had the cobb salad with shrimp. It was good; nice, fresh ingredients, and the shrimp was perfectly cooked. Only downer: no bacon, which is a traditional "must-have" on a cobb salad. Had an after-dinner martini. Perfectly prepared (not too much vermouth). Win! read more

The food was excellent, and they certainly give you plenty! Great service, and a nice atmosphere. A little pricy for an every day lunch, but worth the money for every once in a while or a nice business lunch. read more

Not very good: Its a corporate hotel restaurant with no heart. The decor is innovative and adventurous, in a totally bland and corporate kind of way. It reminds me of what they say about carpet patterns in casinos. This is the kind of place that your old and out-of-touch aunt will think is 'neat' or 'far out' or 'funky', but those comments will be drowned out by the yawns of everybody else. They have astroturf patches of grass as some kind of zen-inspired decoration. The joint has no character, just a mishmash of contemporary ugliness that a committee at Marriott was apparently able to reach consensus on. The food: My order, an "Asian" noodle dish, was too salty but not inedible. It was served atop a huge amount of brown rice. Their french onion soup was too cold, and used bread that was obviously baked at a big factory expressly for the purpose of being used in the Marriott Corporation's branded food service establishments across the country. The mozzarella-flavored pasteurized cheese food product was off, too. One thing that almost redeemed the soup was these marvelous crackers (or maybe they were just thin slices of bread?) that came with soup. The presentation of the food was generally pleasing, but some portions were much, much larger than others. Another person in our group got a chicken cordon bleu sandwich, which was served on a boring bun with an enormous thumb print depression in the bun. Salads seemed to be well-received. The appetizers we got were fried bland crap, but since they were fried, not so bad. The service was good. Our server obsessed over us, one of his only tables that day. He said that apparently the breakfast they serve is very popular among people who aren't even staying at the hotel. They have an omelet bar and everything. That may be worth checking out, but I have no doubt it costs $15-20, and lacks the quality you would expect when paying that for breakfast. This is a total compromise restaurant. If you cannot get a group to agree on a place, but need to go somewhere 'kind of nice', then this is acceptable. Nobody will love it, but nobody will want to go back. The upshot is that next time they wont stick you with the job of picking a place to eat. read more

I have gone to the pasta bar (April 2014) and everything was good. I would go again. Problems: Making a reservation is not easy. Leave a message to make a reservation? I want to speak to someone when I call. I feel this pushes people away due to lack of assistance. No info on the internet? The lunch menu posted is from 2012! Not the most attentive wait staff. read more

The menu here has been pared down significantly since my last visit. The quality of the food is good, not great. The service? Oh my, we stood at the hostess station for a good 10 minutes and watched a couple of employees walk right by before we were finally acknowledged and seated. Perhaps this place is struggling and some of it has to do with a lack of marketing, but some of it may have to do with the nonchalance with which the hostess tends to her duties. read more

I gotta be honest - I feel like the reviews are a little harsh for this place. It's your pretty typical hotel restaurant/bar and I thought it was OK. I had a meal and a bunch of drinks during my two night Marriott stay. Drinks Pretty typical hotel bar - they had about 4 beers on tap but it was one of the only places in Illinois I visited that had Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap. That is always worth something to me. Of course, drinks were a little on the steep side. Food I had a grilled chicken sandwich here late one night after some drinks. It tasted pretty darn good. The chicken was actually juicy and fresh and the french fries were piping hot. I absolutely devoured it. My wife liked her quesadilla, as well. Service The service was a little spotty, at times. Sometimes the bartenders were there and sometimes they weren't. I do think they were doing multiple jobs at times, but you still had to wait. Overall, I was totally cool with this place. The drinks were on point - beers were super cold. And, the food wasn't half bad. If I was in this hotel for an extended period of time, I'd probably eat a bunch of meals here because there aren't too many choices in the area. read more

The new Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal, IL is home to Jesse's Grille, which features "an eclectic selection of casual cuisine and wines from continental U.S." My wife and I strolled in at 6:30 on a Thursday evening and were seated immediately. The menu had some nice variety but nothing surprising. We started with an onion dip with homemade chips. It was good, but not substantially better than the stuff you buy in a plastic container from Kroger. Entree prices range from $6 for a Cesar salad to $28 for a filet. I had the skirt steak sandwich ($9) with fries and my wife had some sort of goat cheese and mushroom panini ($9). It would have made for a good appetizer, but was too rich for a meal. We didn't have any cocktails, but they serve Pepsi products. What I liked most about it was that the building is wireless and because it's a hotel, the server was totally fine with us pulling out a laptop to do some work after the meal as well. Overall, it's not somewhere that I will crave but definitely somewhere I will return to. read more

Checking out decided to grab breakfast, except we didn't get breakfast. Only guests in the restaurant and no one came to serve us. Left after sitting for 10 minutes. read more

I had the salmon Dijonaise and a couple of drinks for dinner last night. Everything was well prepared, great service... Highly recommend... Not cheap... But certainly not the typical overpriced hotel prices either. read more

I have only been here for breakfast and a few drinks on two different occasions. The smoked tuna is delicious and served properly with diced onion, cream cheese, a bagel and some spices. The breakfast prices are decent. The drinks are the same you can get anywhere but more expensive. read more

We stopped by the Jessie's Grill at the Marriott after a show at the Normal Theater. We had their special for dessert which was lava cake with a side of ice cream. Each was only three dollars. It was a fun place with enough activity to feel like you were part of the community and certainly a reasonable price for being inside of a fine hotel. read more

Substituting cheap liquor for the name brand shots? Don't you think we'd know, esp. since it wasn't hidden in a well drink. Or the bar tender (or the instructions from the bar maid) were constantly screwing up. Not just for me, but for everyone. The drinks were filled to the rim, but the cocktail waitress spilled several times, including onto one lady in our party. The mistakes were becoming comical. read more

easily the worst experience I have had at a restaurant ever. Just incase the half-minded people that manage these clowns read this, here is my advice. Either half more staff or shut it down. you were understaffed on a Friday night at 630 with the place half full. take the filet of the menu. the fact that you actually felt comfortable sending out our steaks like that was incredible. if you can't cook it... don't offer it. Lousy... just lousy all around. I recommended to the hotel GM to shut you down or re-staff before someone gets sick or decides that the Marriott might not be for them.. read more

Staff is nice but food is subpar. Do not order the shrimp "beignets". They are very greasy hush puppies with not a speck of shrimp found. I was informed "the shrimp was mixed in with the dough". Seriously? Could not find even the smallest piece of shrimp, no shrimp taste, must have been shrimp dust mixed in. read more

I was reluctant to go to Jesse's Grille because all of the negative reviews, but my husband and I had a FANTASTIC meal here on a Sunday night. Yes, we were the only ones there and the ambiance was a little bleak, but our food was great. We got the caramelized salmon with vegetable risotto and the blackened mahi-mahi with potatoes. Both pieces of fish were large and perfectly cooked. The caramelization on the salmon was just enough. We were also given delicious olive bread, baked in-house, that I could have eaten a whole loaf of my myself. Both entrees qualify as the best fish I've ever had in a restaurant. So, I throw my full support behind this place. AND, if you go to http://www.bloomingtonnormalcvb.org/ and download the coupon book, you can get a coupon for a buy one get one free entree deal. That's what we did and our total was $23, and we got an appetizer! We plan on printing more the coupons and going back again! read more

While I have not eaten dinner there yet, I have plans to very shortly. But in response to a previous reviewers comments about the breakfast, I will say it is a reasonable value. The omelt bar was good and although they weren't quite ready for us at opening at 6:00 a.m. it wasn't long before the omlets were on the plates and tasting good. There was ample selection of all the other usual and costumary foods for a full breakfast buffet and I believe the cost was less than $14 which included juice, coffee, etc. The service was excellent and the overal breakfast experience was pleasant and prompt. The place might be pricey for Bloomington/Normal but is probably the nicest hotel/restaurant I've visited there. read more

I went to Jesse's Grill for lunch Monday and had a great lunch! The Marriott Burger is FANTASTIC! Huge burger that tastes fresh, with fantastic fries! Was super impressed. For $9 a little expensive for a burger but completely worth it. It was huge! Service was also great. I like the atmosphere because it wasn't cramped and busy like most resturants. Sat in my comfortable oversize booth and enjoyed my lunch. Will be back for sure. read more

People are cruel. I thought the decor was incredibly nice for a hotel. Usually hotels are much flashier with too many colors. Jesse's Grille is much more toned down. I've only eaten here once so far, but I'll definitely go again. First of all, the booths are very comfortable and the pillows are awesome. $9 seems like a bit much for a burger, but it was worth it. It was huge and had very good local cheese. Sweet potato fries tend to be really hit or miss at restaurants, but these were very good and not overally salted or sweet. I didn't try any other food there yet, or any drinks or desserts, but what I got was great. When they served our food, they asked us if everything was cooked to our liking. So, if it wasn't, I wouldn't feel bad for sending it back for a while, but it was. read more

I've only eaten here once, and I was impressed. After reading the reviews on this site, I wasn't hoping for much, but I was pleasantly surprised. First, the decor: comparing it to a casino restaurant as some others have done is misleading. I looked around and asked myself if I thought I was in a casino. Had there been slot machines and black jack tables, I could have seen it, but frankly I think the decor is fine. The colors are bright, and the tables/chairs are very comfortable. It's not a fancy place, but it's not a dive by any means. As for the food, I was in a party of nine people, and between us, we had several sandwiches, salads, and the lunch buffet. Everyone, me included, was happy with their meal. I had the smoked chicken panini. It was well spiced and fresh. I had a side of French onion soup with it, and it was very good. Our waitress was attentive, and despite the restaurant being pretty busy, our food was served in a reasonable amount of time. The prices seemed reasonable for lunch; most dishes were $8-$11. As I said, I was pleasantly surprised with Jesse's Grille. Perhaps they have improved over the past couple of years. Anyway, I plan to return, and I hope others will do the same. read more

meh. it's like you're eating in a hotel, because, well, you are. no biggie if you're staying there, but if you're just strolling in for lunch? no thanks. read more