Love that there's a rainforest cafe here. The kids menu is really a great deal. We got the app sampler and enjoyed that all together too. So much nostalgia! The service was quick and kind. read more

First visit to a Rainforest Cafe. The Gurnee Mills mall outlet has been there for years but I just kept passing by. The animatronic elephants outside the restaurant and ones inside are pretty well done and I consider them charming. I liked that they were built and staged in a way that would probably NOT scare children. Except for maybe the alligator in the "pond" right outside the entrance. Food: very good! We had a cheeseburger, fries, "jambalaya pasta" (name may be different), tropical cole slaw and a fountain drink and water. The pasta was very tasty and surprisingly spicy for a sort of kid-based locale. It was marked on the menu and the personable and efficient waiter also advised of the fairly high heat factor so it was not a surprise. The burger was thick, juicy, and cooked just as I'd expect "medium rare" to be. Fries, hot and well cooked. The tropical coleslaw was reasonably good but I'd suggest upping the flavor component some how, more vinegar? Spice? Mayo? Idk. With two "young seniors" dining, we each had about half our meals to bring home. Prices were as expected for a destination restaurant of the type. I will be visiting again. read more

Came here on a weekday evening with family for a birthday dinner. The restaurant was expecting a large party and had many tables blocked off but the party arrived ~30 minutes after we were seated. However, they received their food before us and we had to ask several times if our food was coming. There were 4 kids in our group and they were all tired and a few of them fell asleep waiting for the food. Our food came and they forgot to prepare my dish. We also belatedly realized at the end of our meal that they forgot to give all 4 kids the drinks that came with their kid's meals but we were so tired we didn't even bring it up. We shared the following: Korean fried chicken lettuce wraps (hand battered chicken tossed in gochujang sauce, Asian slaw, topped with pineapple salsa, peanuts, served with crisp lettuce cups): chicken was flavorful and had a slight kick. Awesome appetizer adventure (chimi-cha-chas, spinach & artichoke dip, cheese sticks, chicken strips): pretty standard but good for groups to share. I had the anaconda pasta (gluten sensitive pasta, local garden vegetables, mushrooms, basil, shaved parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, white wine tomato sauce) and fusion margarita (Cazadores Blanco Tequila, Bacardi Pineapple Rum, Midori Melon liqueur, pineapple juice, sweet & sour). The margarita literally tasted just like pineapple juice and nothing else. The anaconda pasta was just okay but didn't stand out. read more

I my wife and I could give No Stars if we could. At Check in the young lady was Rude and insisted we had to join their Membership to eat there. Which was not true. She then asked us do you have the app for the RFC? We said yes because we have ate at other locations. She then ask did you have a reservation? We said no there is over 35 tables I see that are empty. She then smarted off to my wife and that is when I said let's go. This place was empty and their employee is turning people away. We would have spent most likely $60 to $70 for the two of us. Guess they don't need the business. Will never go to this location ever again. Then as we were leaving if you get the membership for $25 we can sit you right away. No thank you!!! read more

Rainforest Cafe - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Pure nostalgia! Loved this place growing up. I finally got to share it with my children and we had a BLAST! The decor is still perfect... outdated? NAH pure time capsule into a slower, colorful, simpler time of the 90s. The service was superb and the food was wonderful. We even got lucky to be there when the balloon artist was there. The kids LOVED it. Please don't change anything. So many great memories were made. Thank you! read more

i drive here from the city of chicago with my girlfriend because we love this place. one time i spent $50 in the gift shop. i want cha cha to officiate our wedding. please? if cha cha is unavailable, i will take maya or tuka. per my girlfriends request, tracy tree can't come to the wedding, because my girlfriend thinks i'm flirting with her. we would, unironically, get married here. one time i did call and ask what the rate for renting out the restaurant would be, but they didn't know. the bathrooms here are fantastic. i really do feel like the queen of the jungle in there. i do wish, however, that the fish tanks had fish in them. right now it feels like some post-apocalyptic ocean. this is also a good place to watch star wars edits on your phone and share them with the tiger family. they were gagged, to say the least. they also want the acolyte to be renewed. we also celebrated my girlfriend's first week of med school here. the waitress was so slay and we liked her, but unfortunately i do not remember her name. hope you're doing well queen. we'll definitely be back, the rainforest cafe calls to me like the green goblin mask. 15/5 stars. read more

Compared to the rest of the busy, chaotic mall, my meal was just as much an oasis as it was a rainforest. That said, what was an estimated 30 minute wait for two, turned into a 50 minute wait before I got the text (which IS a great feature), however, larger groups had longer waits. It's a large place, but with many tables closed for social distancing, there was only a small number of staff on hand. It sounded like the frazzled manager was getting the business from a family or two who had waited almost two hours for their table, but my service was quick and friendly. Food and beverages rolled out in no time. And I know what you're thinking. This place. Overpriced and overhyped. Well... maybe a bit. But a simple soup, salad, and appetizer turned out to be more than enough for two, and everything we had was good. So I didn't spend a fortune, and I got to enjoy fake animals and weather. I'm a sucker for atmosphere. Maybe it's because restaurants like these are being endangered themselves, but it felt good to be there. Even with a squeaky tiger tail, and no fish (in the tanks, not on the menu), and Tracy the Tree giving us the silent tree-tment... I enjoyed myself. I hope to do so again. read more

Rainforest Cafe - Give the tigers some space - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Five stars solely for the ambience and service, not the food. The first time I tried to come to the rainforest cafe was on Easter 2024. I came from an hour away and probably should've planned ahead better. It was 6pm, one hour before the restaurant was supposed to close and when I asked for a table they told me no, reservations only. I asked if I could sit at the bar and just order one drink but they said no. Then I asked if I could just sit at the bar and not order anything just to feel the beautiful ambience of rainforest cafe but they said no, so I went home. The restaurant was about 1/2 empty at the time. I'm sure everyone just wanted to go home too. I tried not to cry. The next attempt at going to rainforest cafe was for my birthday a couple weeks later. I definitely came equipped with a reservation. Walking into the restaurant towards my table felt like a great feat. I sat next to the rainbow wall and got to walk around a little bit during the occasional animotronic "show" to look at all the robotic animals. I loved the darkness in the restaurant paired with the scenery of the faux greenery and the falling raindrops. I wondered why they didn't have any real or fake fish in their fish tank. They could easily tether a fake fish into the tank. Still the tank had the bubbles running and looked very nice. The bar had brighter lighting and was positioned under a large mushroom. I don't believe I ever saw any stairs and while one path was slightly narrow it should be wide enough to fit a motorized wheelchair so I believe this restaurant is accessible (there are alternative paths but that one was pretty). I don't know how high the bar table is though since I didn't walk up close to it. My waiter was very kind and friendly. His friendliness and hospitality gave him this sort of rizz (charisma). He was very good at his job and catered to my requests. I saw the balloon man J making balloon animals for kids and the waiter was able to put me in the queue. Balloon man J comes to rainforest cafe and provides free entertainment in exchange for optional tips. My friend got the monkey in a banana tree balloon and I got the butterfly wand balloon. I didn't have cash so I Venmo'd him a tip. He was a very kind balloon man and having him in the restaurant definitely adds to the ambience. The food. I didn't come here for the food so none of the stars in my rating are attributed to the food. I ordered a cha cha frog cup with a slushee because I obviously needed the cup. I ordered a souvenir cup with some sort of beverage that I thought would taste like a piña colada but it just tasted like a smoothie that someone made at home with alcohol, my friend said the same of her different drink. The whipped cream on my drink was actually very good though. I ordered the beyond burger. I liked the French fries. The burger was very simple no fancy sauces on top just the patty, two slices of that fake yellow American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, bread. A bottle of ketchup on the side at the table. Personally I don't really like the beyond burger brand something about it gives a gasoline flavor I prefer the impossible brand or actual veggie burgers but the vegetarian options were limited. The only other option as a vegetarian was a taco salad with no meat on top and I was too hungry for a salad. I ate my entire meal no crumbs left behind. It's a kids restaurant so you can't expect some intricate burger. I got what I expected. I loved my experience at rainforest cafe. read more

Rainforest Cafe - A woman holds her two souvenir drinks, cha cha frog cup and glass cup with the rainforest cafe logo. - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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We stopped here on our way to Great Wolf Lodge (5 min away) because we thought our two year old would enjoy the atmosphere. He liked seeing the different animals and everything and we liked how we could walk in the gift shop while we waited for the food. The food itself wasn't terrible, but wasn't anything special. The mozzarella sticks that we started with weren't very good. For our meals we had a burger, salad & stirfry. The burger was comparable to one that I could make on the grill at home. The stirfry was not authentic tasting and the salad was just meh. It satisfied our tastebuds & our son had fun, but if you're looking for a place to enjoy good food I suggest going elsewhere. read more

My first time here and I'd come back. Not for the food or drinks, but just the fun atmosphere. Although, the food was decent. I had the alfredo ravioli with mushrooms and steak. I also had a margarita. The drink wasn't great. All in all, it was a fun experience for me and my kid. read more

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Came here for the Ambiance, food, service, and atmosphere the day was excited! Service was prompt and the server was amazing. The kids love the place, the only down side was they were cleaning the fish tanks and the alligator was not working. I have the steak fajitas and they were great, nice & steamy, the side ingredients were such a nice compliment. The kids loved the volcano and be prepared to share since it's a huge portion. Will definitely be back! read more

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I really think consideration for Rainforest Cafe as a dining option starts with, "Do we want to eat a meal next to animatronic gorillas and be interrupted by thunderstorm flashes every thirty minutes?" If so, you've checked the first box for a satisfying Rainforest Cafe experience. From the giant tree frog ICEE cup to the loud elephant noises trumpeting from the speaker, the Rainforest Cafe delivered the experience we were hoping for and then some. Looking at reviews, I can agree that what you pick really does matter. The flatbreads were great, would order again. The beastly burger, much better than expected, juicy, flavorful, and sufficient. The fajitas left a lot to be desired. But then I remember, I came here because I prioritized the leopard that nods its head up and down at me every few minutes over the food. Our kids loved it and the experience was worth every cent. Would I come back apart from my kids requesting it for their birthday, unlikely. But if they do, I'll happily pay for it, while strategically choosing certain entrees over others. And last but not least, I need to give a huge shout out to Jordan. What incredible, kind, attentive service. For a place that is charging for ambiance and service (I'm just being honest), we felt like she gave us more than we paid for. She definitely contributed to making our experience at this Rainforest Cafe hard to rate lower than four stars. read more

Nice bartender and good To-Go order! I stopped in here on a Saturday Covid evening to place a To-Go order at the bar. The restaurant did a nice job with social distancing and everything looked nice and clean. My order was taken by Rolando at the bar and he was very nice in answering my questions. I ordered the Pastalaya since I figured it would travel well. And, it did! It was a little spicey and had a bunch of protein mixed in- chicken, sausage, and shrimp. It had plenty of flavor and I was able to mix it with plain pasta at home and ate at least 4 meals out of it. I also ordered a side of Caribbean rice but I was kinda hoping for some coconut or fruity flair, but instead it was what I would consider Cuban rice, a darker rice mixed with maybe black beans. It was OK, but not what I was going for. I would recommend the Pastalaya though and I appreciate Rolando's niceness at the bar while I waited for my order. If you're looking for something different to take home during Covid times, I would recommend this dish. Enjoy! read more

Kid friendly do not recommend the food but love the animals and all the surroundings. read more

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A once great restaurant has lost it's way. Upon arriving the aquarium to be empty of fish giving you that wow feeling for the children we were taking there. The restaurant was half full and service was sub par at best. Appetizer was delivered without plates and drink refills were difficult to get. The food here was extremely poor and of poor quality. read more

I needed to come on here and say I had an AMAZING experience at Rainforest Cafe! I have always dreamt of coming to one when I was little and at the age of 20, I was able to do it. My friend and I came in on a busy Friday, the weekend before Christmas, and we were seated right away. Not only that, the server was WONDERFUL!! If you guys come here and are served by Dina, you guys are in good hands! Dina was wonderful and always made sure we had everything we needed. Not only that, but the food was amazing!!!! We had an appetizer plater that satisfied our various cravings and it came out really quickly. For our main course, it was also really delicious! I got the Coconut shrimp which I highly recommend. My friend got the Rainforest burger which she claimed was also amazing!!! Now here comes the best part, the dessert was the best thing ever!! We got the Volcano/lava (I forgot the name) brownie and ice cream dessert!! It came with a sparkler and was really good! The brownie was so soft and the ice cream with chocolate and caramel drizzle ended our amazing night!! Not only that, but this place is so family welcoming! The place made it so amazing with the jungle like decoration and they also had a person making balloons for the children:) really made me feel like a kid again! If you are indecisive about coming, don't be!! It's an awesome experience:) read more

Rainforest Cafe - My friend enjoying the desert with Dina having an amazing attitude while bringing it out!!! - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

I am very sad to see this one completely go downhill as the last Rainforest Cafe in Illinois. We didn't even get to sit down because we were turned away from an EMPTY restaurant because we didn't have reservations. First of all, when did Rainforest Cafe take reservations? Second, we showed up at 6:15 and the restaurant apparently closes at 7. What kind of restaurant has this turned into? I am not kidding when I say that the place was empty. I so disappointed in seeing this one sputter out. It was fun while it lasted read more

We are nostalgic about this place because we have gone for our kids' birthdays since they were little. The one near us in Woodfield closed but whenever we are up by Gurnee, we will make a point to come here for dinner. There are always interesting new items on the menu, which keeps things fresh and interesting. And they contracted with balloon artists who go table to table (for tips) and make fun creations for the kids - we even saw him do an elephant for an elderly lady in a wheelchair Food and drinks were all good - it's not going to be top notch fine dining scale, but if you put decent good dishes with the ambiance, it's definitely worth the visit read more

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Our waiter Jeff was amazing. The food was ok and the ambiance for the kids is what you come for.

Really fun place, I know the food isn't great, but everything else from the animatronics, stuff sold, and more is awesome fun. A throwback to fun read more

The service was not that good food took a long time and when ask for catup for a food never got it she never came back to ask if we need any thing we speed over 120 it was a 40 min drive we had a reverse and they said they were behind it was not crowded so that was a joke read more

wait to wait 20 minutes to sit down not to bad, its been at-least 29 minutes still no drinks. The lighting is nice the knifes and forks are a little dirty, im not very happy with the waiting time. I ORDERED FIRST and i still haven't gotten my food while a bunch of people have. I'm getting hungry. Kids running around. Finally got my drinks 10/10 they are amazing y'all should definitely try these drinks! Still waiting on food. It's been about 9 minutes still waiting the drunks are really good but not filling. Id rather have my food, We still haven't even gotten our SOUP appetizer. Finally got our food but with our appetizer which is kinda weird, the fries are good 7/10 the blue mountain chicken sandwich 8/10. 8/10 for the shrimpkims. Mac and cheese 7/10. Pulled pork sandwich 8/10. read more

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I didn't even realize this place has only three stars until coming to write this review. We had a really great experience! Everyone was super friendly, food was delicious and came out fast, price was high, but what isn't the closer you get to Chicago? We were pumped for the thunderstorms and got to sit through three of them. Also, we ordered cocktails in the souvenir glass which lets you take the glass home. Can't quite believe it was only $14 total for the cocktail and glass. Anyway, I'd recommend this place and we'll definitely go back. read more

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We hosted our daughter's baby shower here. We had the most wonderful staff. Our server Glenda and hostess Simi were the best. The food was really good and served fast. We were able to bring in our own cake too. Everyone had a great time. read more

Rainforest Cafe - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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My son and I both enjoyed our meals here, me the burger and him the kids pasta. The service was attentive and friendly and the food good quality. You pay a little bit more for the ambience but I think it's worth it. If you don't like it there's other places to eat. The only disappointment was their reward system was off-line and I don't plan to be back in this area for several more months. read more

Look. The only reason a reasonable adult chooses to go here is because either they lost a bet or they have one or more children and they want to offer them something "special". So it is with my wife and I and that's what we did to close out a kids weekend of fun at Fright Fest. I have been to this restaurant in the past both at this location and others and I have come to expect bad food, obsessive noise and either parents or kids behaving badly. Today they were short staffed so we we were offered a 30-40 minute wait. Fine. Surprisingly we were seated within 18 minutes. Then the menu shows up and it's no longer a novel of mediocrity. Shrunk waaay down. Got the special. Blackened fish tacos with a jalapeño and black bean sauce. It. Was. Excellent. Add in a wandering staff member making balloon animals for the kids and there you have it. When my kids age out of this phase I won't be back thereafter but for now-this place was great and better than before. read more

One of our family favorite place.this is a great exciting adventurous place to dine with family and friends. We never had to wait for to be seated. The staff is super friendly and nice. The food came out really quick and it was nice we liked almost everything we ordered .we need to return to eat more and of course desserts! read more

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Fun place for kids. Pretty pricey for adults and the food wasn't very good. I loved the food options for kids and my kiddos really had a great time read more

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My boyfriend and I visited on a Saturday evening for dinner and hoped it would bring a positive dose of nostalgia, as neither of us has visited since childhood. We didn't have a bad experience, but our reviews are certainly mixed. Positives: We were able to be seated immediately on a busy Saturday without reservations because there were some high-top tables open near the bar. While this restaurant was made for kids, they do a great job keeping the bar area adult-friendly. Our server was super friendly and charismatic, helping us decide what to order and offering his favorite menu items. Most importantly, the food we got was great. I loved the anaconda pasta I got and the chocolate volcano we split for dessert gave us enough leftovers for two days! Negatives: The hostess was inattentive and ignored some people who walked up to the (inconveniently big/tall) stand while addressing others who had showed up later. The menu was small and quirky; it noted allergen-free foods, but not vegetarian ones, and didn't seem to have a ton of vegetarian options. The prices were appropriately wild, so I would recommend saving this place for a special occasion. Our server seemed to be running everything, which meant that he wasn't around when we had questions and that getting our food and check took a long time. We are glad to have visited for the first time in so long, but probably won't drive out of our way to come back to this location. read more

Rainforest Cafe - The anaconda pasta (with garlic bread) at the Rainforest Cafe in Gurnee, Illinois. - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

I absolutely love The Rainforest Cafe. I've been to 3 different locations, including Vegas, and I'm always happy with my food choice, the ambience, the animated animals and the thunderstorm! This time I had the Mushroom and Spinach Flatbread with Alfredo sauce and it was OH. SO. Yummy! Between the spinach, mushrooms and Alfredo sauce, ugh it was just too good! The also have really good Coke! My only complaint is the Animal Souvenir Cups. They are HUGE. WAY BIGGER then I expected them to be. They're taller then their menus and they're really, really wide. I don't know how they expect a child to carry that big, bulky, heavy thing around. They won't and it'll end up in the parents hand. I'd prefer that it was a third the size and more compact! Since I'm stuck with it, I decided to buy some moss and fake flowers to put in it and use it as a different keepsake. read more

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I've been several times to rainforest as a kid and I took my boyfriend for the first time yesterday and it didn't disappoint. The way my boyfriend's eyes lit up at the cool experience and his shock at the lightening and thunder was worth every penny our waitress was super sweet, and really made our visit super special for his first time. We had the creole Mac and cheese, the meatloaf and the volcano (of course) the Mac was amazing, the meatloaf was just about perfect, a bit on the dry side but if they had an extra cup of bbq sauce on the side it would be perfect. The volcano was a bit on the pricy side but it's their flagship item soo I expected that. Overall surprised me and my expectations. read more

Rainforest Cafe - Creole Mac and cheese - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Had fun. Food was decent. I wish the fish tanks still had fish. Staff was extremely nice.

I went to rainforest cafe once in elementary school. It left such an impression that I took my boyfriend here on a date, 15 or so years later. It absolutely holds up. Food is surprisingly good, and the drinks ain't bad either. The ambiance and theming continues to impress. Amazingly kid-friendly, down to the rounded corners on the tables. Great for kids and kids-at-heart. Everyone should go to a rainforest cafe at least once. Minus one star for the price - they don't skimp on portion size, but almost $20 for three tacos is more than I want to spend. read more

Had inconvenience and both the staff and manager where rude and triggering. Honestly last time going there.

So disappointed! My kids food was inedible and my chicken/rice/beans dish was $25. My sons got mini hot dogs and the mini cheeseburgers. I truly wouldn't even feel comfortable with them eating what they were served. Our waitress Jen seemed to only have us and one other table. It took her about 15 minutes to greet us once we were sat and immediately wanted us to order everything at once. I understand you go for the outdated animatronics, but the food and service is such an oversight. So sad! read more

Great place to take kids, with a Crocodile and Boa that are fake along with other animals. Food is average, but the atmosphere is fun. read more

Rainforest Cafe - Croc at Rainforest - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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My food was good and came in a timely fashion. My friends who ordered waited a little longer and some of there food was cold and missing items. I'm glad my food was good but that makes me not want to come back. Then they want to charge 13.50 for a drink not even a double shot read more

Today the 14th of September 2024 we visited rainforest Cafe in Gurnee Mills illinois. We drove two and a half hours to get to the restaurant but it was well worth the trip. The server Karla was very professional and attendance. The food was absolutely Superior, in fact we called the chef out to the table the compliment him on the very tasty dishes. We loved all the decor the moving animals The sounds the rain coming down kids had a wonderful time and so did as adults. It was a long drive there but it was well worth the money it was well worth the atmosphere, the service and the tasty food. I was able to meet with Mark the manager and told him how wonderful his staff was and the food. Mark was very professional and very upbeat and I just really had a good feeling about the entire day. Thank you so much for making the day a memorable one for us and our grandchildren. I will recommend this restaurant to everyone I know. It was well worth the trip Lynda Norton Dixon Illinois ​​ read more

Rainforest Cafe - Jordan has a balloon monkey climbing a tree of bananas made while Grace had the octopus. They also enjoyed spending money in the gift shop. - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Service was sooooooooo slow. Food was okay. Avoided ordering dessert, because we knew it would cost our evening more time. Reservation was at 5:30, and we left at 7 pm. Ambience was pretty good, but would not do this again. read more

4 stars for atmosphere and fun for kids. The pricing is just too high for what you get. I got 3 fish tacos for $20 and that was the cheapest thing on the menu, they were too spicey and I couldnt eat them. Kids got pizza which looked good but tasted frozen, the fries were luke warm and the chips and "chilli con queso" had no chilli in it and the cheese was just plain velveeta with rotel. I am glad we went because my 4 year old and 1 year old loved the place and werent driving us crazy during dinner. Hopefully we will never want to return. read more