I cannot give high enough praise to Prairie Grass for their takeout during this pandemic. They have become our go to place. Really great high quality, highly crafted restaurant food (you know the kind you used to go out for) that you can bring home and enjoy! Be sure to check out the daily specials. They always have something special cooking. Look for items like lobster mac and cheese, sloppy joe special for two with salad and dessert included or even a goose confit special! Finally the wines they are selling are actually very reasonably priced. My oenophile husband picked up a bottle the other day that he is really excited about and it was even less expensive than at some of the discount wine stores in the area. read more

Prairie Grass Cafe - Lobster fettuccine special. - American Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

This is for brunch Service is speedy and friendly The decor is kind of beat up and needs to be brightened. Prairie Grass the name should elicit more of that feel inside as well..open, airy, bright? not so brown? Brunch here is very good and tasty. The crepes are good, and the prairie breakfast was good. The eggs were cooked perfectly which I respect but their ancho (spelling?) sausage was dry and flaky. Overall I still give it a 4 If the decor was a bit brighter and modern maybe it would be a more fun place. read more

Food was average and over priced. I had chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes and grilled carrots. Chicken was tough; carrots overdone. Menu was limited. Will not return read more

This modern new American heartland restaurant is owned by two time James Beard Foundation award winning chef Sarah Stegner and fellow chef George Bumbaris. A local friend had recommended this far north suburban restaurant for a casual lunch which uses fresh local ingredients from Green City Market and other sustainable farms. I had their crispy chicken breast salad which was essentially well prepared fried chicken nuggets over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. I added avocado and tortilla strips for an additional $3 to give the salad more subsistence and crunchiness. The honey mustard jalapeno dressing gave the salad the right finish. The Lake Superior whitefish that my lunch mate ordered was lightly battered and fried but was cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and very accommodating and attentive, and we never felt rushed during the service. In fact, we stayed after their 2pm cutoff time for lunch service. It is hard to judge this restaurant solely on a salad entree, but overall, Sarah Stegner has herself a winner here and I look forward to some day visiting Prairie Grass Cafe for dinner. read more

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Decent restaurant in the suburbs. What I do love is on Friday, kids can make their own pizzas. This is a fun activity for the kids. My only suggestion is that they give more cheese :) The fish & chips are good and I love the cole slaw that comes with it. My friend loved her steak and the chicken wings. Waiters here have been pretty good for the times we've been here. Overall, fun place to take the kids! read more

Prairie Grass Cafe - Restaurant split the salmon burger for us - American Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

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Great dinner- Burrata Puglirae salad, Blue cheese wedge salad and crispy boneless half chicken were standouts. Excellent service.

Their hamburger never disappoints. The blackberry cream pie the best pie I have had there and that is a high compliment.

This place gets a 4 for the food and a 3 for the ambience. We went for a date night to try something new. There was a wide mix of folks there -- from families to couples to seniors. This place serves brunch (and seems to be popular for it) and I think that's where they lose some of the ambience for the dinner crowd. Even the table tops looked tired and weathered, which would work if you're eating waffles but not of you want a nice dinner out. My husband had the banana pepper cheese app which he seems to really love. I had the roasted Brussel sprouts. Oh heaven! I could have had those for dinner alone. Soooooo goooood! For dinner my husband had the burger with blue cheese without the bun. Lovely grilled red onion. He ate it up. I had the ahi tuna seared rare. The teriyaki flavor had some nice kick to it. The tuna was rare but a little more seared on the outside than I would prefer. A good place for dinner that earns a solid 3 but not amazing. Perhaps we'll try the brunch next. read more

Prairie Grass Cafe - #1 Chicago sirloin burger without bun - plus blue cheese :) - American Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

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We came here with our nephew. It is a large place, with a bar. The ambiance is rustic. I liked it. We have the white fish from Lake Superior, hamburger and veggie burger, along with a blue cheese wedge salad and another salad. The salads were tasty and generous. The burgers were good and the white fish was nicely prepared. The food is good. The service is a bit of a disaster. The folks who pick up plates are ubiquitous and took one of our plates before we were ready. We had to stop them. The wait person was there and then she was...gone. We finished our food and she disappeared. We had to ask the hostess to bring our bill. The table next to us did the same. It was a perfect way to ruin good food. There are too many places that get the food and service right. It's a 10 minute drive for us. We'll likely not return soon, because of the hassle of waiting and waiting. It's a weird model where they have helpers cleaning tables and replenishing water, but the point of contact (wait staff) disappears. It's too bad. I wanted to give this 3.5 because if the service issue, but 4 is closer to being right. read more

Dear Prairie Grass: you are on the verge of losing a loyal customer who began dining with you the day you opened. We normally have a great experience at Prairie Grass, but tonight you struck out. It was my wife's birthday. All she talked about all day was the steak she was going to have at Prairie Grass. The corn fritters and drinks pre-dinner were great. We each ordered your New York strip steak, medium. The steak arrived well-done. It wasn't even close to medium or medium well. After delivering the food, the waiter disappeared for the remainder of the meal. He never checked back in on us. Part of the problem: we noticed that the restaurant had just two waiters for the entire floor plus the outdoor patio. Shame on you for understaffing! I can't entirely blame the waiter because he was handling more tables than when one waiter should be expected to handle. By the way, I was a waiter for two years myself, and I know how hard the job is. Also: the two hosts never pitched in to help. When a restaurant is under staffed the hosts need to step it up and help. The host walked past our table many times but never checked on us. After the meal was over, the waiter asked us how we liked the steaks and we let him know that they were cooked well done--and showed him a piece from each of our plates--and he agreed they were well done. The manager decided to comp us on a $12 piece of pie that was delivered to us ice cold in an ice cold bowl. It appeared they just took it out of the refrigerator and gave it to us. Who eats blueberry pie ice cold? If you're going to comp something give me a choice in the matter. My wife is a food professional, who literally wrote the guide to cooking beef for American Cattlemen. She edited over 1000 cookbooks in her career. She knows what she's talking about and she will never set foot in your restaurant again. I have a business lunch there next week and I will show up expecting a better experience. Sorry for the negative review but you earned it. The bill was $234. What a shame. read more

Outside of one of our main courses being overcooked, (steak frites) everything else was great. Waiter took off that item on the bill. Charging $4 for warm bread is kinda unnecessary! French bread warm isn't something to charge people for. The butter was ice cold - hard to spread on the bread... would pass on that! read more

Decidedly mid. Food is quite good, but not as good as prices may suggest. I didn't hate it, but I think there are far better options in the area for the price. read more

This was a disappointing birthday dinner. I hadn't been to Prairie Grass since before Covid and it was definitely not as good as I remembered. The biggest issue of the night was the poor service. We had to flag someone down to even approach our table, and in return had a gruff, impatient waiter who had no interest in being pleasant or making our meal special. Some further examples of the poor service: we asked for dishes to have cheese on the side, and they were served covered in cheese; The waiter took only two drink orders at the table and then ran off without asking anyone else if they wanted anything; and the coffee served after dinner was ice cold. The main courses were ok. My husband and son liked their whitefish and steak frites. A number of us had the salmon, which was basically a piece of plain broiled fish served with a salad on the side. The one high point of the evening were the yummy desserts: chocolate cake, vainilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, and mango ice cream. But even that wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the evening. read more

My husband and I came in on a weekend night at approximately 8pm looking to order drinks and dessert at the bar. We sat at the bar for a good 15 minutes, and were completely ignored by several staff members. We saw numerous servers go behind the bar to pour wine, and there was what appeared to be a manager that came behind the bar at one point but not a single person offered us a menu or drinks. I'm not sure if they even had a dedicated bartender, but it seemed like they had no interest in offering us any service. Eventually we got up and left. It's a shame because my husband enjoyed sitting at this bar in its former iteration of Nick and Tonys 20 years ago, but I can't see us going back here. I'm giving 2 stars because I work in the service industry and struggle giving 1 star reviews. read more

Had dinner here Friday 08/02/2024 and this place never misses a beat! The food, service, and ambiance have been consistently wonderful for years. read more

Had to reconfirm with a second visit. Had a filet both times and confirmed as good if not better than any major steak house. Ate in the bar so simply walked in. Will return. read more

Must've been an off day because the famous burger just didn't cut it for me. The bun was tepid, barely toasted and didn't taste at all fresh, the burger was just ok and needed seasoning. Pass the salt and pepper please! $15.50 for a Bloody Mary is outrageous and so cost prohibitive why would anyyone get a second drink?? Service could've been better and waited a bit too long to get our orders taken. Atmosphere was lIke going to an office complex cafeteria with gorgeous view of a packed parking lot. Highly unlikely I'd come back here to be gouged. Next. read more

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Sorry to say. Noisy. Lost its creative menus. Crab cake sandwich was served like I was at a drug store counter. Cold bun. Cake seemed from frozen - in middle of plate with sliced avocado. Nothing else. Cole slaw in side bowl inedible ! One star for good fries . They charge for bread before dinner. Not going back. read more

First of all, be aware that they are automatically adding on an 18% service charge for curbside pickup. They didn't tell me--I only know this because I asked if I could add on a tip and then they told me about the service charge. I understand that things are tougher during the pandemic, but that seemed pretty sneaky to me, rather than just asking if I'd like to leave a gratuity... That said, my burger was pretty freaking fantastic. But honestly, the whole sneaky service charge thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and we decided that we wouldn't go there again until we could dine in. read more

The food was ok. The serving staff, including the host, and the waitress, were acting like legal head cases. At the entrance to the Prairie Grass Cafe at 1PM, the place was 95% empty: Me (to the host): Hello, are you open? Host, the thin lady with blond hair: Carlucci? Me: HELLO. Are you open? Host: Carlucci? Me: excuse me, I didn't understand. (To my husband: I didn't understand what she said). My husband: Are you open? Host: I was just trying to find out if you have a reservation. Is there a difference between these 2 statements: -Carlucci? and -Hello. Do you have a reservation? The waitress, lady in her 60s, speaking much louder than normal, with polish accent, acted a lot more friendly than normal. She visited our table asking if everything was ok probably 6 times within 10 minutes LOUDLY (I ordered a burger, and my husband had a salad, we had a mineral water, and the baguette bread with butter for which they charge $6). When the waitress brought the check, she decided to announce my husband's last name with the full volume bullhorn amplified voice to the entire restaurant, having read his name on his credit card: Mister V..., thank you very much! (affectionately): Have a ooooowonderful day! Really, it took me a couple of hours to collect myself after this psychiatric experience at this Prairie Jackass Cafe. Surprisingly, it's located at the privileged neighbourhood. Even at restaurants in the middle of the poor areas throughout the US and in the world, I found much friendlier reception and better food. The restaurants with high end prices and white tablecloth I have attended in the past, if they considered their staff being trained, it always creates a good experience for their customers, but this one was definitely not the case. read more

i've been eating it at prairie Grass for 20 years. Food and service is always top-notch. But for the entire 20 years that I've eaten there once it's summer and you have a seat in one of their booths, the sun is directly in your eyes if you're facing West. It is beyond annoying! I have complained to the manager many times as have many other patrons....so why they don't put in electric shades is puzzling not to mention incredibly poor customer service. It's so inconsiderate for such a successful restaurant. My dinner tonight was completely unenjoyable with that bright sun in our eyes, and I love sitting in a booth as does my husband. So a word to the wise, if you go there in the summer between five and 730 do not sit at a booth!! read more

The selection was very limited. I should have checked the menu before coming to this establishment. I was in the mood for chicken since I had beef, seafood, and Pizza. However they only have pretty mundane chicken dishes to choose from. I just picked their so called Chicago #1 burger so that caught my eyes. It took me 30 minutes to get here so I am kinda disappointed. Their fish selection was also very ok. Just next time you decide to go to a fancy place that you have to drive awhile to get their, do your research. The reason I gave it a three star is also because of the main server. The host was nice. The second server was friendly but my main waiter was cold and unfriendly. read more

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this was a disappointment for us ...the service was excellent and the food was promptly delivered --but I had the fish and chips and for $29 I got three fish sticks about the size of my index finger, three potato strips and a cup of Cole slaw ..they all tasted just fine but it looked like something from the Kid's menu...I am a senior citizen and don't eat a lot, but we got home, I ate some leftover pizza as I was still hungry...somewhat disappointing given prices and reputation of this restaurant. read more

I really wasn't impressed unfortunately. I've had this on my list for years as the "burger" was one of the tops in Chicagoland. The burger was basically like a hamburger steak for $22 with a couple wedges of potato. Overall just "meh". My colleague went with the swordfish and was recommended by our server. She liked it but at $38 for a lunch item it was a bit over the top. Overall the place is just fine and I'd come back, but pricy for what it is. The service was fine but disappeared for large amounts of time. I'll give it another try at some point but really shouldn't have an off day when I'm paying $125+ for lunch for 3. read more

We dine at Prairie Grass Cafe a couple times a month. Everything is great. The salads are especially great featuring celeriac, pea shoots, and other uncommon but wonderful ingredients. I loved the cauliflower soup, vegetarian wild rice burger, and Lake Superior white fish on our most recent visit. The service is excellent, and we love Pierre the sommelier. read more

Fantastic service from start to finish. Everyone loved the bread and apps and was thrilled with their entrees.

Quality and service are consistently very reliable and high. A neighborhood gem that endures

Best meal of my life. Lucked in to this gem on a trip and regret only how far away it is from where I live - about 2,000 miles. Everything we ate was delicious and perfectly prepared, especially the sautéed fish. Cooked perfectly, light little delicate crust, laid on a lovely lemony sauce. Best fish I've ever tasted, and I'm very particular about my fish. Service - impeccable, friendly, not intrusive. Prices very fair. Can't wait to drive across America again so I can enjoy the place again. read more

It's been a few years since my last voyage to the Prairie, but a planned furniture browsing trip to Dania in the neighborhood brought us here for brunch! We stopped by later on a weekend (closer to 1pm) and didn't have to wait for a table, though we requested bar seats so we could catch the Cubs game. Service was friendly, quick, and efficient. I wanted something brunch-y, so I ordered the blueberry pancakes. When they arrived, I confirmed they were indeed blueberry, since the berries weren't really visible, but they were baked within the batter. I was satisfied with the portion size. My side of crispy potatoes were seasoned perfectly, with a nice crunch to them! Husband tried the bunless burger - still touted as Chicago magazine's #1! - and it was right up his alley, with the bleu cheese crust, meaty patty, and potato wedges. The only (literal) headache was having to survive the noise of that turbo blender when a manager made a smoothie. Yikes! A blender that highly powered and noisy was definitely not necessary to blend fruit and liquids. Earplug alert! read more

Prairie Grass Cafe - Blueberry pancakes - American Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

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I cute little restaurant in the Northshore. Good food and nice atmosphere. I've been going here for a while now. They have a fairly large facility just off the highway in northbrook. The restaurant is reasonably quiet despite the large space. There is a bar area as well as private rooms and a main floor. The place does get busy at times (although for the life of me I can't figure out a pattern to its busy hours). Food is upscale comfort food. Nothing too exotic on the menu but everything is quality and tasty. Our favorites include the Ahi tuna and the chicken cutlets. The cutlets are lightly breaded in a lemon caper sauce. Served with veggies they fill you up and warm you up. On a cold Chicago day they are perfect. Year round they serve a selection of delicious pie. The pies aren't too sweet like grocery store pies. The cream pies are light and tasty and the fruit pies have fresh fruit. The blueberry pie during the summer and the raspberry cream pie are our favorites here. Price point here is a bit more expensive than Chilis. Plan to spend $50+ for two people. Overall, nice place, with good food. Nothing that will blow you away but definitely a few dishes that might become part of your regular comfort food rotation. read more

I haven't been here in over 4 years. I remember it being a great lunch spot. I popped in around 11 to grab a bite to eat, but mainly to get some work done. As soon as I walked in I smelled a funky odor, it made me question if I should even order. As we walking closer to the booth section, the smell went away. Within a few minutes, someone came up to serve me water. My waiter then came and introduced himself and right away asked if I was ready to order. I questioned a few things on the menu and then made my final selection. I went with the salmon board minus the bagel and I asked for avocado on the side. Well, my board came out with no avocado. I didn't say anything. The food was good, but everything was a bit over salted. My favorite part was the marinated onion. The service was alright. I didn't appreciate that I felt rushed. My meal was only half gone and someone came and tried to take my plate. The establishment was only half filled, so they weren't in need of a table. I felt like I needed to finish up and leave quickly which I wasn't a fan of since that wasn't my original intent. read more

Prairie Grass Cafe - American Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

Long time customer, even during covid. There for a 5:15 Saturday night reservation. The restaurant was not crowded at the time. We ordered the special and was told it was sold out! When asked how this could be, the manager replied it was not their fault bc their supplier didn't adequately supply them. When asked why they offered it as the special, he didn't have an answer. We also were shocked by the $4 charge for bread and butter, which the manager said if we were such good customers we should have known that they had been charging for bread and butter for a long time! Not returning too soon! read more

I never write reviews except where i ad a great experience. Last evening for my mom's birthday i took her to Prairie Grass because over the years the food has been good. the restaurant has changed, for bread and butter there is an additional cost. I left the restaurant extremely disappointed. a saucer amount of salad cost $15 and it was inedible. of the three meals each was disappointingly nasty. for my mom's birthday they brought over a mimi cupcake. I spent nearly $200 for three diners and wished that I would have spent the money somewhere which had tasty food. read more

Attractive interior; and I really appreciated being able to speak to my wife. Im tired of loud, noisy restaurant that makes having a conversation impossible. It has a varied menu, reasonably priced food, and attentive but non hovering service. read more

Very disappointing birthday lunch. I hadn't been to Prairie Grass since before Covid and definitely not the OLD restaurant. The menu was so paired down/limited and my son was given a chocolate cupcake with a candle no 'Happy Birthday' written in Chocolate on the plate (so embarrassing). Love Chef Sarah and had loved this restaurant and how special the guests were made to feel 3 years back, but will not be returning. It felt like any other restaurant serving lunch nothing special including the food. read more

Neighborhood gem! Special place, special food and a historic chef who we are all lucky to experience on a consistent basis.

The inaugural "Sensory Sensitive " dinner was as well thought out and respectful and anything I've experienced at PG over the years. From the lighting, noise level, seating, fidget boxes, headphones and take always were all executed perfectly. As for the meals, absolutely up to their usual standard of putting out wonder meals. Children cannot wait to go back this week. Thank you for doing this. read more

Our hotel the Renaisance in Northbrook, Il. called and was told they had outdoor seating and allowed dogs under the table. When we arrived the manager said the hotel gave us incorrect information and they did not have outdoor dining--there is a tent with tables and chairs. The hotel info was what the restaurant told them when they called. When I informed the manager we would not be back the man said "please do not come back". If you are looking for rudeness this is your place. The food cannot be good enough to warrant eating at this poorly run restaurant. read more

Comfortable vibe with inviting interior. Brought back memories of those dining rooms at an upscale lodge in the Rockies. (Too bad the only view is I-94 !!) But you came here to eat, right? The menu has something for any appetite ( and or food allergy, aversion, diet). From gluten to gluten-free, omnivore to ovo-lacto vegan, the menu selections have something for everybody. We ordered 2 salads. A Caesar ( add on very large shrimp ) and The Cobb. Both were freshly made and tossed lightly with dressing. Warm bacon on the Cobb was a nice touch. Only problem was a hard-boiled egg that looked like a full moon ( covered with a grey ring......not pretty). Beware of trained kitchen staff that can't properly prep a hard boiled egg.. It starts with an egg, and who knows what they'll mess up next ??? Overall, terrific service. Laid back / chill atmosphere. Its a keeper. read more

We had dinner here on a Friday night before visiting the gardens nearby. I made a reservation for 5:30 and we were seated right away. Our server was great! We ordered a baked feta as an appetizer and it was seriously delicious. Husband got the seasonal bass dish and I got the beet salad and asked for it to be a meal by adding grilled chicken, which they accommodated just fine. Their homemade vanilla ice cream is delicious! Will be back again for sure. read more

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