Lark re-opened with a full menu after being closed for a beat and I finally got a chance to check it out. Their cocktail menu is fantastic and it was hard to choose which one. I went with the Daisy Jane which was perfectly balanced as well as nice and fresh. It tasted like spring! Korea to Brazil and the Lark Old Fashioned were also had by others at the table and were enjoyed as well. For a starter we ordered the Decatur Cheese Curds which along with the cocktail were probably my favorite of the evening. Entrees we tried included the mint and pea ravioli, spring vegetable risotto, and the spring ragu fazoletti. The service was fast and friendly. The interior is well designed with nice ambiance. I would return again when the menu rotates. read more

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Ok since the business has unfortunately closed now, I feel like I am able to write this review in a light that could hopefully been viewed as constructive criticism. I initially didn't write the review because I truly wanted this place to succeed and do well and hoped we just caught them on a bad night. Now I'm writing it for the owners in hopes that they can understand why we chose not to return and hopefully the issues raised will help them on their next venture. First off, the drinks were great. (Honestly if Lark just reopened as a speakeasy style cocktail bar, I'd be there in a heartbeat.) It was just very unfortunate that the first one didn't come out until 10 minutes after we ordered and then we waited another 10 minutes for the other two. My wife was 2/3rds into her old fashioned before the other 2 people received their drinks (and one of them was just a glass of wine!). And let's be real: a restaurant's gotta do a few things right to get by, and one of them is sending the drinks to the table at the same time. Secondly, our server did not only start working at Lark that day, but we were her first table ever! She was super nice and tried her best, but the service was very hit and miss understandably. We really felt for her. It felt like a really bad move by management to have a completely new server start on a Friday night. And unfortunately I'm certain our dining experience suffered because of this. And with the exception of our server, the other staff didn't feel all too friendly or welcoming. I could have gotten better service and a warmer reception down the street and pay 1/3 of the price. The place felt very cozy and was well decorated, and we had a lot of time to enjoy the scenery while we waited an hour for our food to arrive after we ordered. Yeah, you read that right. One hour. When it finally came I was disappointed with burger, especially since it was a 25+ dollar burger. The brisket was really dry and burned but on the upside the fries were very good! The other people in my party had the bone-in pork chop, which was very well made and delicious, but all it came with was a bed of cabbage. Afterwards we all agreed that for a $35 plate, you shouldn't be leaving the restaurant still hungry. Again, we really wanted to like Lark. And especially since this was a birthday dinner (which we made a reservation for a week prior) we were really trying our hardest to like it. But even though we mentioned it was a birthday dinner in our online reservation and mentioned it again at the hostess desk, we didn't even get a "happy birthday!"... I know, it's a small thing, but small things add up. And sadly nothing really added up that night except the 3 figure bill for 3 people. Ultimately it cost way too much for way too little in return. So, to the owners, we really do hope you're able to get another shot at making an upscale restaurant work because we love the other businesses you've been involved in and we know you can find a. Way to make it work. I hope you're able to take this review with the constructive spirit in which it was meant to be given. Until next time hopefully! read more

Did not expect the food to be so amazing when we walked in. The hostess and servers were a little rude but maybe they were just having a bad day... we all enjoyed our drinks and dinner. Smaller restaurant so reservations are needed. You are not able to change or request anything different that's on the menu, for example the pork is cooked medium with pink by the bone, no option to change. Was not an issue for us but might be for others. Again, food was amazing- Would definitely come here again when around Janesville. read more

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Such a great restaurant! We had the chicken pumpkin gnocchi which was delicious. We wanted a Mocktail, and they made a nonalcoholic penicillin cocktail. The best! Highly recommend this place! read more

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Jordanian Schwarma. Is the best Schwarma I've ever had. Years ago, when I visited, I discovered this. Every time I go to the Mediterranean or Middle East, I order Schwarma... trying to find/replicate that flavor. Who knew... that I could find it in Janesville Wisconsin. I was ranting about that to my eating buddies, and complimented the chef on my way out... that it was the closest I'd found to that amazing Jordanian Schwarma. He revealed that it is in fact an authentic Jordanian recipe from a Jordanian friend of his. YES! And the drinks... off the charts excellent. Loved the Rainy Days. On point! Highly recommend Lark!! read more

The food was something you would expect from a fine dining place in Chicago. Lots of cooking passion here. Had the pork chop and cooked to perfection. Besides the food was a true mixologist behind the bar with combinations of ingredients for cocktails that were fantastic. Do yourself a favor and stop by. You won't be disappointed. read more

Lark - Mac & Cheese with Jerk Pork - New American Near Me - Janesville, Wisconsin

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We ordered 20 ounces steak, unfortunately, it was uncooked. The pasts was quite oily, and salad came without dressing. Cheese curds were okay. There was only one server, she seemed very busy. Overall, we found the place to be overrated and didn't have a great experience. read more

Average food and average service. Nothing special. They were out of two items and it was 6:30pm.

First timer here for a birthday dinner! A group of us girls had a booth table and our server was very nice and friendly. We started off with drinks and apps, the raspberry beret was tangy and refreshing and for apps the cheese curds and Brussels were good. For dinner, I opted for a small plate (the pork belly) because I had a late lunch and it still filled me up. It was okay! The menu was pretty small (small plates and there was about 4-5 options for large plates). They did have plenty of options of various liquor for drinks though and a wine list. Not sure if I would go back for the food unless they update that but would go back for drinks! read more

Lark - Pork belly - New American Near Me - Janesville, Wisconsin

I've heard a lot of good things about The Lark. A lot... My parents eat there frequently for special occasions, locals say it's a place to go for a nice upscale dinner or lunch, or to treat myself to something nice. My mom and I were at the Janesville WineWalk, and needed to stop somewhere and have a bite while we wait for our designated driver to come pick us up. So my mom says let's go into the Lark and just get a couple of sides really quickly. I said sounds great. Little did I know great was an understatement!! She ordered the Brussel sprouts, I ordered the crème brûlée, which I have never had before in my life, but always sounded fancy and like something I would like to try once. So her sprouts come out first, and at this point we decide to share both dishes, and I'm so glad we did, because oh 'em gee!! It's very very very rare for Brussel sprouts to me mouth watering, can't wait to stuff another bite in your mouth, so so so devine, but these really, really were! Savory, perfect amount of crunch on the outside, give on the inside, so many different flavors that change throughout the chewing experience... yum! The crème brûlée was also a taste adventure, but I've never had any version of it before, so I've nothing to compare it to! Haha. The bottom layer was this delicious creamy custard like, covered in this shield of caremelized sugar like a wall you had to break through with spoon or fork until you had these delightful little shards of vanilla caramel candy glass, and atop that was some bananas and caramel sauce. It was so, so, so very, very good. Sharing those two amazing dishes was the best part of that whacky day, and I'd love to go back and try more of that food. Highly recommend to anyone!!! read more

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Lark We were fortunate to find this enjoyable restaurant in Janesville. We are so glad we did. Expecting an average meal we were so pleasantly surprised to get a great dinner. We had some great appetizers one consisted of carrots with a creamy bbq sauce and one with pork belly. We had the pork chop which was one of if not the best pork chop I've ever had. Truly awesome. Janesville your so lucky to have such a talented chef in your town. If I'm within a 100 miles of here I'm coming back and I can't wait. Thank you read more

The only gourmet-ish spot this far outside of Madison and near or in Janesville. This isn't an Olive Garden so expect quality food at normal portions, not the standard obesity inducing American sized portions. The waiter was pleasant and took our picture but could be more knowledgeable about the offerings. It would be nice to see a couple more small plates and large plates to have just a smidge more variety. Otherwise, nothing was lacking. read more

What a gem! Very diverse cocktail menu. Food was outstanding. Welcoming service and interior. Overall excellent!!

This is a very hard review to write. Because we had both great food and bad food, great service and meh service. We ordered sisig and brussels sprouts for appetizers. I thought both were a little on the salty side but otherwise both dishes were done well. Not a fan generally of too much sesame seeds on my food and the sprouts had a little too heavy handed sprinkle but ok, I can just scrape it off. For main course we ordered a pork chop as well as a fried chicken with mac and cheese to share. The pork chop was a thick generous cut and deliciously juicy. Definitely surprised both of us. The fried chicken with mac and cheese was fried breaded chicken tenders. It was served already cut up. We each took a couple of bites of both the chicken and mac n cheese, then looked at each other confused. It was so salty we just could not take another bite. Flagged our lovely server down to let her know and take the dish away. Then she asked if we would like anything else or to pack up the food cos the kitchen could not remake the dish. The reason was that the mac and cheese sauce is the same sauce. Oh well. We decided to order dessert to fill up instead. When we got the check. The fried chicken dish was still on it even though we had sent it back. Again, slightly surprised but maybe they made a mistake? Brought this up to our server and she went to get the manager. All we got from the manager is that "I eat this dish all the time, this is how we always make it. If you want, we can pack it up for you to take home." Wow, lady. If you eat this much salt "all the time", I'd be very worried about your health. It's SO SALTY that we deemed it INEDIBLE. How hard is it to understand that? Well, guess we will never come back again. read more

I am not sure what caused my family and I not to enjoy this highly rated restaurant, but I have a couple of ideas. First off, if you are a restaurant in the Midwest you need to serve iced tea and not try to upsell someone to your specialty mocktail. I had a old-fashioned that was overly sweetened. I feel that the menu must have changed because it was not the same pictured on yelp. We had a really hard time finding something that we really wanted to order, but we settled on 4 dishes, 2 of my party went for the steaks. The cut of meat was beautiful and very thick, however the execution was bad with an overwhelming taste of lime covering and hiding the taste of a quality piece of meat. Veggies were burnt and also laden in the lime dressing. We also ordered a medium temp and a medium rare, neither of the steaks were cooked to correct temp and then the waitress mixed the two steaks up at delivery to the table. Two of us went with the fried Chicken and Mac and cheese. Overall dish isn't bad, but offended by the use of two chicken strips as the chicken of the $33 dollar dish, minimally I expected a piece of chicken or at least a full breast. This restaurant might succeed in a coastal large city, but not in Janesville Wisconsin. It's almost like they are trying too hard to be fancy, but the only thing fancy is their prices. It was a Thursday night and there was only three tables with diners, I feel that I am not the only one with this opinion. I never felt comfortable at the restaurant, partially because I was entertaining and I was embarrassed. Service was mediocre at best. Ambiance suffered with lack of diners in the restaurant. read more

Our first time at Lark and it won't be the last. We started with delicious cocktails, that were recomended by our server. I had the Peace Of Mind made with fresh peas. Yum! We ordered the mushroom bruschetta and brussel sprouts for an appetizer which was amazing. All of our entrees were heavenly with the pork chop being the best I have ever tasted. This restaurant would be tough competition for any of the downtown epicurean eateries at half the price. read more

Excellent food and service in a great atmosphere. First time in that part of Janesville (we're from Rockford). My wife and I both had the Beef Tenderloin, which really can be described by "it melts in your mouth." Also enjoyed the Artisanal Cheese Board. We'd like to go back, and the friends we were with enjoyed it as well. read more

This is a trIcky review for me. I dined at Lark in December with my boss. My food was faultless, but my boss had some real issues. He ordered his steak medium-rare, and it came out more medium-well. When he asked the server to have it re-done, the server's attitude was less than pleasant. After the server took the steak back, the kitchen staff cut the original steak in half and sent it back out to show that they believed it to be medium-rare in the middle. Two things: 1-It wasn't medium-rare in the middle, so "kitchen shows up the customer" fail; 2-I spent many years working in kitchens, and you NEVER do that. It just makes the kitchen look like a bunch of jerks. Cook off a new steak, get it right, and make the customer happy. Had I been here solo, I probably would have gone five stars, but watching that steak fiasco was a major eye opener.... read more

This locally owned restaurant is exceptional--food/menu, drinks, waitstaff and atmosphere. The bar tender is a mixologist creating tasty drinks to satisfy any craving. The menu is varied with many appealing choices. I/we were in the mood to 'graze' so we ordered several small plates. The Brussels sprouts glazed with balsamic vinegar were excellent as were the smashed potatoes. The white fish appetizer was so outstanding I ordered one to go to eat on my flight back to Texas the next day. I wish this restaurant was located in my home neighborhood. read more

Lark is my favorite Janesville restaurant for celebration. The food is like nothing I've experienced before, total mouth orgasm from the very first taste. Staff is very friendly and helpful, quick to refill beverages and assist as needed. read more

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stopped in here for the first time - amazing service! The food was out of this world !! Highly recommend the taquitos & sigsig small plate!

I dined at Lark for the first time in December and was worried when they temporarily closed for three months the beginning of this year. Now that they've reopened they seem to be catching their stride. My dinner was wonderful. I started with a lovely beet root and orange salad. The whipped feta underneath the beets and arugula provided a lovely saltiness that balanced the sweetness of the oranges perfectly. The pan seared walleye on polenta with asparagus was perfectly cooked and delicious. I live in Colorado and don't often find walleye on restaurant menus, so it's a treat when I'm back where it is more common. Evan, the bartender and my server this evening, was super friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. He also mixed up a perfect bespoke dessert cocktail for me. The dining room is quiet and comfortable with lots of warm wood and lark-themed artwork. I'm in Janesville about once a month and intend to make Lark part of my regular dinner rotation. read more

Update: 8/4/19 - lark just gets better and better. Returned for dinner with family. Enjoyed the elote dish, along with the crispy skin salmon, tuna, and much more. Dinner was outstanding and really appreciate the local sourcing of ingredients. We sat in the window and it felt perfectly cosmopolitan. Pro tip- the cocktail menu is well thought out and expertly prepared. Easily as good as you'd find in madison or Chicago, A favorite for sure. Update: Mother's Day Brunch 2018 Perfect. Maple bourbon old fashioned was delicious. Our party had the Lark Burger, Finally. Janesville gets a restaurant worth visiting again and again. My parents live in Janesville and when we visit from Madison it is always a serious struggle to come up with satisfying local dining options. Not a fan of chains at all. Last night we tried a new(er) steak house on main st. Not particularly pleased. But I give them credit for trying downtown, even though the steakhouse served frozen vegetables in...August. In Wisconsin. So while we were leaving we passed Lark. My wife googled it, read the magic words "seasonal menu" so we stopped with our kids at nearly 9pm. We were greeted warmly. The space was nicely decorated, well laid out, with a bar to the right and a dining room toward the back. I particularly liked the wallpaper treatment and how the material on the banquets worked so well with the other design elements. It is simple, but elegant. Our friendly server came by, and answered all of our questions. Even though we had already eaten dinnerC we ordered three small plates and two desserts. The charcuterie/cheese board was good. It included Spanish chorizo, speck and prosciutto, along with some carr valley cheese, and pimento cheese. Again, it was good, but it was fantastic for Janesville! Next up was the Hot Chicken. This came with 4 crispy fried chicken wings over thin corn cakes, a small amount of braised greens, and finished with micro greens and a hot and sweet sauce. I liked it despite the outside of the chicken being a bit overdone. It was more toward black than golden brown. But again, the quality of the ingredients were evident. And keep in mind...this is still a new restaurant and these minor things are expected. Burrata salad is up next. It arrived nicely plated with fresh black cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata, some olive oil, balsamic, salt. What a far cry from the pink food service tomatoes we experienced down the street a little earlier at a different establishment. Love burrata with tomatoes (in season). It is like the essence of summer sitting on your plate. I don't think the burrata was made in house, but the quality was super high. Not everyone wants to, or has the labor, to make fresh cheese in house. And that's ok. But again...burrata. In Janesville. That's cause enough for celebration! I ordered an aviation. This classic cocktail was as good as any I've had anywhere. This bar program seems to know what they are doing. And this is amazing for Janesville. We shared the brûlée of cafe con leche, and the tres leche torte. Both excellent and well prepared. In closing, I'd like to say that this restaurant is s very good thing for janesville. I hope it is just the thing to spur other ambitious and passionate locally owned restaurants to appear. Janesville has a downtown that has so much potential. I've always thought this since first seeing it 20 years ago. But it's up to folks to support it. I hope they do. We will be back. read more

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This place is too good for Janesville. I am so happy that it has survived this long. It's hard to imagine a restaurant this nice surviving in a town where the overall favorite is Olive Garden, but I really appreciate that they are here. read more

Wowza! Amazing menu. Delicious food. Cheerful attentive service. What more could a girl ask for? Started with a Mai Tai, had the Artisanal Cheese Plate for my entree and finished off with a piece of mock apple pie with cheddar. Everything was delicious and since we were seated outside we were able to enjoy live music in the park across the street. The only tiny note I have is that the folding seats for outdoors were a bit small and a touch uncomfortable for this curvaceous woman. Although I would have preferred a sturdier seat, it didn't stop me from enjoying my dinner. read more

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Never in my life have I had such amazing cheese curds! Cheddar, Beer battered and topped with a spicy seasoning,NO SAUCE NEEDED. If you love Cheese curds and a good cocktail, y'all need to visit here. They also have some of the best bartenders in the state line and over 40 craft cocktails! read more

Lark - New American Near Me - Janesville, Wisconsin

We were headed through Janesville on our way from Chicago to Madison and chose Lark based on Yelp reviews and couldn't have been more impressed. Great atmosphere, friendly service, excellent hand crafted cocktails, and very tasty food!! We had the Tikka Tacos and Larkburger. Both were excellent. HIGHLY recommended! Oh... and the live music was very good too!! read more

Lark - New American Near Me - Janesville, Wisconsin

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This is a good Jainesville find for anyone looking for a decent restaurant near Main Street. They have a wonderful cocktail selection and good spread of wines. The portions are small to medium relative to other restaurants but the prices are a bit higher. I enjoyed some white wine and the salmon and cauliflower from their seasonal menu. They have a cool vibe and a trendy ambience which I loved. Our server forgot to bring my second glass of wine and left us for 15-20 minutes without stopping by, but we were in the window cubby, so kind of out of the way. It's an interesting and cool restaurant that I would certainly return to! read more

Really good food and drinks. Must try the pork chop and sour dough bread with ricotta cheese and rhubarb. So good!

Had the 5 course meal for Valentines Day. So to start, the scallops appetizer was outstanding. Then followed by Lark salad, which was amazingly fresh, with homemade dressing. Then quail eqq brioche which literally left me speechless. Followed by flat iron steak. (The other main meal was lamb which was the only average part of the meal :) ). Finished with a chocolate cake. I had the most amazing cocktail, the daisy Jane. The service was above best. I travel and eat all over this country. This was truly an experience! read more

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Made a reservation by e-mail about a week prior. Received a response confirming within a few hours. Showed up about 5-10 minutes before the reservation and they didn't have my name down. I showed the e-mail confirmation. Two of the waitstaff discussed it and they were luckily able to make something work for me and my two friends. Cocktail menu looked great. I had a Spiced Pear Brandy Sour and it was so very good!!! Had an egg white foam that really took it next level. After dinner I had a Fig Leaf that was also really great. Food menu is perfectly concise with a good variety. Nice mix of small plate and large plate options. I went with the Tikka Tacos and did not regret it. So very tasty! Perfect size for a meal. Atmosphere was great. Loved the decor. Super chic. Saw several people come in that must not have had reservations. I must recommend you make a reservation if you are coming during a peak time. Pretty limited seating, but oh-so-worth it! read more

Lark - Spiced pear brandy sour was a gorgeous and delicious cocktail. - New American Near Me - Janesville, Wisconsin

4 of us had dinner here last night and we couldn't have more impressed. We shared the fried olives and Brussels sprouts (2 orders). The olives were great but the brussel sprouts were unfrickingbelievably good! Seriously the best I've ever had. Two of us ordered a seasonal fish large plate, one ordered the kimchi Mac and cheese and the vegetarian ordered the mushroom risotto. All were amazing. They had an interesting/wonderful drink menu as well. Highly recommend read more

This is the best food that I have had in Janesville. The service was excellent and we had an excellent romantic birthday dinner here.

I had the most amazing experience!! Totally forget I was at dinner with coworkers. Lol. We had so much fun trying all the interesting dishes and craft cocktails! My favorite app was the Brussels. The fried olives were different. I love olives and they added cheese (I think) inside. Yum. I gotta say dessert gave dinner a run for the money. Both were equally at bad ass status. I had the scallops and risotto- seasoned and golden brown. We had 1 of every dessert on the menu. - my fav was the homemade strawberry ice cream on the almond (fresh baked) cookie. I want another one right now!! The service was top notch and the icing was the owner stopping over to chat with us. Next time we're in town ... we'll be seeing what's new on the menu. Heard it changes often. Can't wait!! read more

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Delicious and creative food, service was attentive and friendly. We sat outdoors and enjoyed the weather and people-watching along with our meal. read more

Always a fan. Creative, delicious dinner s. Not terribly sorry expensive. Get meals at the market very often

I have recently edited my first review because I was contacted by the restaurant manager. She reached out to me, heard my concerns and went above and beyond to make the situation right. I am quite sure that my 'bad' experience at The Lark was indeed a fluke and I shouldn't let it cloud my judgement. All in all, I can confidently say that I will be going back for food and drink! Cheers! Original review: "I have been to this restaurant quite a few times now. It's very trendy and cute and the drinks are truly amazing! But the staff was rude to me and a friend and It left a sour taste in my mouth. I probably won't be returning." read more

Fancy food options for a nice night out. $$$ I'm not a fancy person, but the food was delicious & fun atmosphere. Lots of cocktail options too. Nice for a special occasion/treat. read more

If you are searching for your next culinary adventure, look no further than The Lark in Janesville. My husband and I visit often and just attended their second in a series of authentic Italian dinners, which offered an exquisite Italian menu paired with memorable flavor-infused cocktails prepared by Lia, their talented mixologist. The staff is attentive and welcoming, and Chef Chase is an artist at plate presentation and flavor, utilizing local resources for his creations. Stop by and bring your friends; you will be VERY pleasantly surprised. Oh, and stop by the sandwich shop next door for lunch; it's also fantastic! Cheryl R read more

Nice setting. I had the special barramundi fish last night and it was a bit heavy on the soy sauce. Loved the atmosphere and staff. If I am back in the area I'll try something else. read more