Run, don't walk, to this wonderful little hole in the wall lovingly run by a seriously impressive hubby (chef)-wife (killer dessert maker!!) duo. Who cares that it's in the middle of a pretty much deserted area and in an unappealing-looking building (formerly a beer barn/restaurant)?!? You'll forget all of that once inside. Because there are just 2 people preparing all the farm-to-table meals (seriously!), the number of reservations for any given night is pretty limited. Reservations are a must! On our night recently - they would have just 30 diners total - spaced out over several hours. We got there a bit early, so we waited briefly at the bar and chatted up the super friendly, knowledgeable bartender. She's been with the couple since they opened 3 years ago. The main server for the night - beware -- is *intense*, friendly - but intense. She impressively ran through the chalkboard menu in intense detail --- the food, where exactly it's from (they are serious about farm-to-table!), tidbits about the suppliers, how the dishes are prepared -- and then informed us that we would all need to order together so the kitchen wasn't overwhelmed. And she means it. Chop, chop! My BF and I - along with my hubs - were trying to figure out wine first and then what we would share for food, and the server was NOT happy when she came over and found out that we weren't ready (off with their head! That's the look we got.). She first suggested we wait till the next hour (!!) to order -- but then gave in when we assured her we would be ready shortly. Sheesh! She clearly reveres "Chef" -- but this was a lot. She later chilled out, and we relaxed. Thank goodness. Not a super great start - but no matter! There are 2 wine lists -- one that has 'by the glass' & bottle options that are more in line with mainstream prices. Then there's a premium list, if you so choose. Great idea all around! We ordered a really nice bottle of Nebiolo after the excellent bartender allowed us some tastings of various wines. She also helped with menu explanations that were more down to earth than the Sergeant Major Server's explanations. The food!! Oh, the food. Apps: * Kale salad -- bits of white anchovy (but not fishy!), Parmesan, & crunchy bits -- I forget what all was in it, but it was incredibly flavorful. * Homemade rosemary focaccia w/ roasted garlic EVOO (the roasted garlic slathered onto the bread like butter!) -- YUM! Entrees: * Trout cakes: INCREDIBLE. Star of the night. Fresh trout chopped down to resemble crab cakes. Very little filler. The aioli the 2 cakes were on was to die for. Broccolini perfectly roasted. * Pork chop: Next fave of the night. Perfectly cooked, and though we were a bit turned off by the prospect of "vinegar peppers" (sheshito), the roasted confit garlic and in-house smoked pork belly all came together to make a flavorful dish. (Hubs still wasn't totally sold on the vinegar taste, but I loved it). * Ricotta Gnocchi Pomodoro: very plain but flavorful, chewy gnocchi (not typical) with a nice, fresh tomato sauce. Simple but good. Dessert --- omg omg SO good. Quick note first --- Jillian popped out of the kitchen to check on everyone, and she told us she's never had any formal training. WHAT?!? These desserts she made were nothing short of excellent. I'm only sorry we didn't have room for her cheesecake! * Chocolate flan -- holy mackerel, if I could have one thing before I die, it will be this dish (and I'm not a dessert person!!) Velvety, chocolate-moosy masterful pudding/custard topped with a perfect, light, crunchy, caramelly tasting top. Insane. * The Sticky Bun --- I could never eat a whole one of these - a wildly-rich, buttery, cinnamony bun with a slight exterior crunch -- served with 3 scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream "to cut the sweetness," says Jillian (!!!). WOAH. So flavorful. Def a dish to share. A really wonderful night. Seriously. It's a laid back place (no fancy dress needed!) with a very fine focus on simple, good, fresh food. Just our speed. We can't wait to go back (Jillian told us she's pregnant - so we might have to wait till she's back or sneak in a visit before she takes off! ). Gotta try the homemade chips/onion-caviar dip; the duck, the steak frites, and even those $32 (!!) roasted fresh mushrooms (a side item!). Menu items are constantly changing -- sometimes even in the middle of service (!!) --- but here's hoping there are some staples Chef returns to. read more

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We booked a reservation through Resy for a party of four at 7pm, 2 weeks in advance. Also note this dining experience is a European style dining experience expect to spend 2.5-3 hours dining there. We showed up 10 minutes early to our reservation and they seated us at the bar while we waited for our table. A hostess came up to my wife and stated that they would make the reservation work for our party of 4, because they saw a party of 2 listed. This surprised us because on her Resy app it stated "4 guests". Hostess came back and apologized and said she looked at the wrong reservation - no problem. Bar service was slow, there were 2 other people at the bar and then the 4 of us. We ordered 4 drinks and didn't get them until we were seated, which was around 20 minutes total waiting for 4 drinks, but the drinks were delicious! Now the food menu...there is no physical menu, you have to read it on a chalk board. The staff does take note of your allergies BUT if you want food modifications they do not allow that. My friend wanted the steak tartare without the egg and the waitress stated "we do not allow any modifications to any of the food items on our menu". He decided not to order it after that. Overall table service was excellent! Here is our order and review: Duck Fat Potatoes - amazing, delicious, and a must order! Fried Brie - very good! It looks like a giant fried cheese stick and it was delicious! Morels Mushroom - this was delicious! Dry aged cowboy Ribeye - this was the biggest disappointment of the night. My wife and I decided to split the steak and our friends did the same thing. We ordered two steaks and each steak is $135 but you can only get it medium rare. It's unfortunate that you pay that much and can't even cook it to your liking, which for us is medium. The steak was very underwhelming. Too raw in the middle and very chewy. Jillian did stop by and asked us about our steak and she seemed a little surprised that we weren't too fond of it because it was too rare. Now the desserts were awesome! We decided to split between the 4 of us. Chocolate Creme brûlée- so good and not super sweet! Very enjoyable. Pistachio Cheesecake - I love cheesecake and pistachios are always good Grilled stickies - this was the winner for us! Vanilla ice cream with honey drizzle on top of the grilled sticky. Yes, I will order this all the time. We were happy we got to try this place but for us it was very underwhelming, especially with that dry aged cowboy ribeye. read more

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Everything about this restaurant screams class....drinks at the bar awaiting our reservation..party of 5...there is a lounge area...bar area with stools and a dining table ( we were seated there and it was nice and secluded from other diners) and a high table...maybe 9 tables in dining room. Reservations a MUST...dinner reservations are stacked because each meal is individually prepared by one chef....service at the bar and at our table was exceptional..will definitely return in the future....oh yeah....you have to try the Bone Marow!!!! read more

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This place has been on my bucket list for a while but because of the drive from Pittsburgh, have been procrastinating. I finally had the chance when I went with some friends for a special occasion and loved the experience. The menu is short but every dish is unique and crafted with care. We came specifically for the chips and caviar and it did not disappoint. The beets were also very refreshing and delicious. Mushrooms were a bit on the oily side and was expecting a bit more meat in the pasta. Desserts ended the dinner wonderfully as we loved the fresh figs on top. Will definitely be back to try new menu items when the season changes! read more

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Amazing food and service at this place! Jillian is the most welcoming and sweet host. We came this day for the Harvest Dinner, six courses with wine pairing available. All ingredients are locally grown and sourced, so fresh and flavorful. Highly recommend. read more

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The food was top quality and worth the higher pricing. Pork chop was perfect! Jillian is a hands on owner and so very personable. She is a pleasant extra to a very nice atmosphere. But unfortunately not everything was as expected. Our meal took three hours with no food served in the first 75 minutes. The problem as explained was a mishandling of our salad orders to the kitchen which caused a severe backup of everything that followed and I do mean everything. We were forewarned that service had some issues by friends who were there recently. I suspect our experience was a bit more complex than theirs. Service aside this restaurant deserves a five. Once taken into account the best I can do is a three. But we will be back looking for a five the next time around. read more

Jillian’s - This is the complete food menu sans dessert. - Caterers Near Me - New Kensington, Pennsylvania

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This was by far the WORST experience I have ever had in my lifetime. My husband and I went here for our wedding anniversary dinner. This was our first time here & we did not know what to expect. The menu was not posted online but we knew it was 'farm to table.' We arrive at 5pm for dinner & sit down next to 4 extremely loud people. There was a total of 8 of us in the entire place. There was a small menu of items such as trout, lamb and tomahawk pork chop written on a chalk board. Oh & a side of mushrooms for $35. My husband & I agreed that there was nothing on the menu we would be interested in eating so we informed the server & left. No issues. Walking out a lady was walking in and she shouted across the parking lot asking us if we had a reservation. I said yes but we talked to the server. As we were leaving she ran inside & before we could even pull out charged us $100 for not following through with out reservation. As we arrived at our favorite local restaurant (that would never treat us this way) my sweet husband called Jillians. He spoke with her himself & she was rude, aggressive & defensive right off the bat. As we were trying to explain the situation she was yelling over us asking us what we wanted to eat (saying they had everything we could want on the menu), that she lost out on money & had 42 other people wanting reservations. (There was 8 people in the entire place). After getting her 2 cents out she hung up on us. I went back & read a lot of the reviews & see that the food was mediocre at best. I am SOOOO glad we did not eat at this place. I am sooo glad we went where we did and were treated with such kindness. I have zero interest in ever trying this place & I will be sure to share my experience. 0/10 Have the day you deserve Jillian. read more

Amazing food and ambience, everything from the salads to the delicious beef and trout and pasta to the chocolate crème brûlée and olive oil cake for dessert was amazing. My favorites were the beet and goat cheese salad, and the trout. It could not have been better, we will be back! read more

Best service...ALL staff (relatively small number) from the bartender to the servers. Very cheerful and helpful and efficient and attentive to all of our requests. The food was amazing. 4 of us shared the Cowboy Ribeye, Duck Fat Potatoes (AMAZING!), and a wedge salad with great dressing. A nice touch: Jillian periodically checked in on us to see how things were going with our meal. Loved so many things about this place that we will definitely return! read more

I just visited Jillian's for the first time, and it definitely won't be the last! Jillian was so kind and welcoming, and the ambiance was so cozy and stylish. The food was incredible. We ordered the wedge salad, white bean dip, burgers, and cheesecake for dessert- and honestly, I couldn't even pick a favorite. Everything was amazing. If you're thinking about checking this place out, do it! Such a gem. Can't wait to come back!! read more

Jillian’s - White bean dip and blue cheese wedge - Caterers Near Me - New Kensington, Pennsylvania

Way overpriced. Staff not helpful. Seated without a word on how things there work. No one came to ask if we wanted a drink. Who writes prices on a chalkboard and rubs them out with a cloudy new price. We walked out. read more

The food, the atmosphere and the staff were all spectacular!!! We went twice in one week while visiting the area. Cannot recommend this enough!! read more

Jillian’s - Mushroom toast - Caterers Near Me - New Kensington, Pennsylvania

This place is fabulous! It was our first time there and by the way we were welcomed we felt as if we were regulars. Jillian sat and chat with us with such ease and familiarity. The food..... oh the food!! Beef stew, tomahawk pork chop, white bean dip, truffled gratin. TO DIE FOR!!! Definitely a place to go and experience, we will absolutely be back. read more

Now called Jillian's Restaurant - this is a must try! When you enter there is a super cute bar area with a sitting area and the dining area. The menu is not huge, but the flavors and quality of the food is fantastic. We chose to start with a few cocktails that were great and each had a salad with the bread service. All delicious! The Australian wagyu was cooked to perfection and the Summer Seafood Scampi was spot on. The scallops were literally the best I've had in my life! We took home a piece of the moussaka that is absolute perfection. This was a drive for us, but we will be back! Keep up the good work! read more

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Excellent experience at the newly renamed Jillian's. Perfectly cooked tomahawk with wild mushrooms and crispy potatoes. Their handcrafted cocktails always pair well with all their carefully curated dishes. I can appreciate the care and preparation that goes into their featured entrees, we have never been disappointed in any of our meal selections. They also frequently have live music, pay them a visit! read more

Jillian’s - Tomahawk steak, wild mushrooms, crispy potatoes with rampch (ask them about it) - Caterers Near Me - New Kensington, Pennsylvania

Amazing - best place in New Kensington for a fine dining experience. They have an awesome oyster special on Thursdays, and a fresh and revolving menu weekly, with brunch on Sundays. We had the best steak we have ever eaten anywhere, accompanied by duck fat roast potatoes and veggies. Highly recommend! read more

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Call for Catering AKA Jillian's was PHENOMENAL! I highly, highly recommend this restaurant. Great relaxing bar and lounge area. Dining room is not large, but it is roomy as the tables are nicely spaced and the room is comfortably "Spartan" in it's decor. Every dish the three of us ordered was fantastic! You gotta go! read more

Jillian's was amazing. Great atmosphere, Jillian is an amazing host & the food is top tier! Highly recommend. read more

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I just can't say enough about how well executed the dishes at this unassuming gem in New Kensington are. Had the rare chance to hit them for lunch after taking mom to an appointment. Do not put off trying their food. Everything is fresh and good. It may not look open from the outside but once you get inside you are transported to a hip modern made fresh paradise. They also have great cocktails and bar seating. read more

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A great culinary experience for brunch, lunch or dinner! Jillian does a great job at running the front of the house while Chef Phil creates magic in the kitchen. A very personal experience for each of their guests. Looking forward to see all of the great business they'll bring to New Ken! read more

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Menu varies and is fabulous. Really appreciated the service ...didn't feel rushed, felt like an old fashioned dining experience!!! The chef takes care of your entire meal + Jillian, his fiancé, delivers excellence (but with a down home, personal touch). We will def be going back there and from Pittsburgh, the drive wasn't bad at all!! read more