I've been all over this country eating wherever I go and let me tell you good people of Mount Vernon: you don't know just how good you have it by having this restaurant in town. Best pork chop of my life. Amazing mashed potatoes. The pickle fries? We ordered a second round of them; they were so good. The Italian lemonade (alcohol) was fantastic. Service was amazing. Half price apps when we came in. And prices of the food overall? Yall are getting Olive Garden prices for some of the best food you may ever have. I've had mashed potatoes at all the chain steak houses. I've had French fries everywhere. I've eaten at fairly fancy ritzy places in Vegas, NYC, San Francisco, San Antonio, Boston. All over. And literally this is some of the best food I've ever had. TRY THE PORK CHOPS. And we also appreciate being treated nicely even though my friend group was dressed up or goth girls night lol. We looked out of place but felt at home and left very very happy ladies. read more

Drinks appetizers entrees and deserts were all excellent! Both our steaks were perfect! The service was also amazing. They knew the menu and wine list intimately and had the best recommendations we could have asked for. Can't wait to dine here again and will be stopping in Mt Vernon from now on! read more

One of the oddest cheeseburgers I can recall ever ordering. While I admire the chef's / restaurant's enthusiasm to do something exotic, here, it didn't work. It's about execution. The meat was quite odd, both in consistency and taste. If I had to guess, they took reject pieces from their steaks and ground them up, perhaps several days ago? You couldn't cut through it with a fork. It had a strange taste to it. It wasn't at a warm or hot temperature and tasted stale. The onions that they added were delicious, but way too minuscule in size and bulk to have any taste impact. The bun was ordinary, despite their raving and reliance on its quality, and it being a Kaiser roll. The burger lacked customary garnish. Why I order cheeseburgers at high end establishments? In part? I like the quality thick beefsteak tomato slice and crisp, fresh lettuce. Here? No garnish at all, just a patty with a little cheese and onion. If the patty was fresh black angus and juicy, without the weird consistency and taste present here, and had they lavished it with mountains of similar onion and more cheese? --The risky and odd approach to making a cheeseburger might have proven successful. For this cheese to suffice, it, too, would have needed to be more pungent in taste, and abundant in presence. You could barely taste it. The mashed potatoes were quite good but way too salty. I literally crunched down on some salt crystals. That's when you know there's inordinate salt. Weird service and rock hard chairs made this bizarre stop on the way to St. Louis/ Denver more painful to savor. What irritates me was that I had to order a Caesar salad just to obtain roughage. And when you take the $30 for the salad and burger combined into account? That's a lot for such an odd experience. In summary, anyone who watches and implements the Gordon Ramsay Fword cheeseburger recipe on YouTube will end up with a vastly superior cheeseburger. In this town, while I am visiting only, from what I've read and seen in reviews, I'd recommend instead the frosty mug for basic food along these lines. A $24 burger better be pretty darned special to attract this sort of tab. This was just weird, not great. Sorry, no photos. read more

I am giving Rare one star, only because the bartender understands how bad it has become and was very apologetic. Rare is not what it used to be. The two entrees we had were truly uneatable. The Prime Rib Crostini had the flavor and texture of leather (I am only guessing since I have not had to ate leather.) The Shrimp Alfredo was extremely salty, as was the mashed potatoes. Plus side, the dill brined French fries were not bad. Bottom line, instead of Rare, go to Dollar General and buy a frozen dinner. read more

Started out well but soon went bad. We ordered a filet mignon and prime rib. My steak cooked medium rare was good but lacked presentation. The prime rib, which was a special that night, my dog would not eat. There was nothing but fat and gristle and extremely thin cut. You could tell our server knew it was bad as he never returned asking us about the meal, just showed up to give us the bill. Quality and professionalism which was there in the past is gone. Every aspect that brought us back has disappeared so we will not be returning. read more

Everything was fantastic! From the service, to the ambiance, to the delicious food. What a gem of a find on our way across country.

One of the Worst Dining Experiences I've Ever Had I visited Rare on a Tuesday evening, expecting a decent mid-week dinner. What I got instead was a complete disaster. Despite it being a slow night, I waited over an hour and 20 minutes for a meal--and I was dining alone. I started with the baked oysters, which were a major letdown. They were clearly frozen, likely microwaved, and lacked any real flavor. For $22, I expected at least some freshness, but they were rubbery and completely tasteless. Then came the main course: a cold steak--literally cold to the touch. It was supposed to be cooked to order, but not only was it flavorless, it seemed like it had been sitting around and forgotten. The side dish was equally bizarre: canned peas with bacon--an odd and unpleasant pairing that tasted like it came straight from a can. Between the long wait, poor food quality, and high prices, this was hands down one of the worst meals I've ever had. I won't be returning, and I wouldn't recommend Rare to anyone looking for a quality dining experience. read more

Rare Chop House - Frozen oysters - Steakhouses Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

Used to love this place, but since the original owner passed away it has gone downhill. Ordered a prime rib and they actually threw it on a fry grill. The chefs no longer look like chefs, they are dressed in street clothes now. The professionalism has gone down the drain!!! read more

So I will start with the good. The decor and the ambiance is very nice. Our waiter Johnny was fantastic. Our side salads were crisp and the vinaigrette is one of the best I've ever had. Now for the rest. We weren't given a drink menu until after we ordered our meals. It was extremely odd. They also do not offer coffee. The lemons were very sloppy as well. The baked potatoes were not warm. For the main course we had the 12 ounce ribeye. It was the most bland pieces of meat I've ever had. No seasoning at all. I had really high hopes for Rare but left disappointed read more

Great service ! Attentive and happy when I found a really good Sauvignon Blanc DuckHorn Vineyards. Ready for excellent steak

I ate here on Jan 22 on my way home from Florida. I chose the restaurant based on Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc ratings and what I perceived to be a quality dining experience. To say the least it was certainly not even close to quality. The restaurant is nice lookin and wasn't busy at all. The host and my waiter didn't spend more then 30 seconds on Me any time He stopped at the table. I had to ask what, if any specials there were and was given a clipboard of a crumpled, xeroxed list of wines and drinks. He never explained that there were "two kinds of pours" for wines and was brought probably a 5 oz glass. When asked if I wanted another glass I said yes and a larger pour. He never said what the price was going to be and I ended up spending $45 on wine along. When the 8oz Filet arrived the presentation was underwhelming at best. Steak, Green beans and cold mashed potatoes and nothing else. There was no salt and pepper on the table and I had to ask for bread. I was almost done with My Meal when He came back to check on Me. The Rare has great potential but at this rate They need a quality staff and consistency in their service and food. read more

Very good food and service. Very nice place for some upper-scale dining. It's pricey but the quality and deliverance and atmosphere of everything seems to be in balance. read more

Cheddar jalapeño grits were the best thing we had. They were delicious. The rest of the food was good. We were pleasantly surprised by our stop here. read more

There was a large group of us and it went very well. Our server was attentive and our food was great!

Doesn't seem like a place that does take out but I called in an order and was happy to find out that I could. Shrimp scampi (no peppers) - great lemon flavor, paired perfectly with the cooked shrimp. This was good! Caesar salad - simple salad that paired well with the scampi Took a while to get my meal once I showed up because the host was in the back of the house and the bar was busy. Don't forget to ask for utensils if you get takeout as it doesn't come standard. read more

Rare Chop House - Shrimp Scampi - Steakhouses Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

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Cozy but elevated place for dinner. Plenty of seating, good variety on the menu but the steak reigned supreme! read more

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Been hearing ads for this place and good reviews, an hour drive but thought would give it a try. The steaks and pork chop were amazing, tender and good flavor. Bruschetta was good, the tomato confit is nice in the winter months. The gooey butter cake was great. Service was good, plate presentation was meh read more

Rare Chop House - Appetizers - Steakhouses Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

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While spending the night in Mt Vernon we opted for the Chop House for dinner, there were three of us. We did have a reservation but that was probably not necessary on a Thursday evening at 5:30. They have a small parking lot on the side of the building. We were seated immediately upon arrival. Our waitress was prompt, kind and efficient. She was knowledgable about the menu, wine list and answered all our questions. My friends both had a glass of wine. I would have liked some bread but it was not offered and we didn't ask. Just something I think is a nice touch at a nice resturant to start with some fresh bread while pursuing the menu. I ordered the bourbon encrusted pork chop that came with house mashed potatoes. It may have been the best pork chop I have even eaten. Seasoned to perfection and so tender I could cut it with my folk. The potatoes were hot and creamy and a nice compliment to my chop. One friend had a chicken pasta dish and she said it was good. The third guest had a steak, their speciality with a baked potato and he really enjoyed that along with a baked potato. We shared a bourbon flavored butterscotch pudding for dessert. I didn't really care of it. It was creamy with candied walnuts and whip cream on the top. The walnuts were the favorite thing about this dessert. I really didn't take butterscotch or bourbon in the pudding. Proof was not in the pudding. Decor is very nice, staff and service were excellent. I would definitely go again if in the area. read more

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We returned to Rare Chop House to celebrate my birthday at my favorite high end restaurant in Mount Vernon, IL. The restaurant is in a beautiful restored brick building just South of the court house square. Reservations are needed as the restaurant fills up as the night goes on even on a Tuesday night... This can be done by phone or by Open Table. We were immediately seated and well served by Rachel through out our meal. We started with the Roast Beef Crostini appetizer that was off menu and quite good and large enough for our four person group. The beef was nicely cooked and served on a crispy crostini with creamy horseradish sauce and green onions. Worth a try but is priced like an entree at $30 as it easily fed our group. We had great entrees with a menu full of food that you want to eat! The Chicken Marsala entree was the best of our group - great sweet marsala flavors on the chicken and creamed potato - great value at half the beef costs... The Chicken Alfredo was also excellent with a succulent grilled chicken breast served over a cheesy alfredo covered pasta. The two beef entrees we had were everything you would expect for a nice chop house restaurant. The Market Price 8 oz Filet Mignon and 12 oz Rib-Eye Steak were both welled cooked to our preferences. The Filet Mignon was a tall filet topped with a fried onion ring on top of the house steak sauce. While the filet was fine, I would have preferred to have a significantly larger topper with more sauce. The restaurant should also add more topping choices to the menu like an Oscar choice. The Market Price 12 oz Rib-Eye was expensive for the quality of the meat with too much fat and gristle for the price. With today's inflation this may be the new normal but the chicken dishes were much tastier and much cheaper. The desserts were good. The restaurant gave me a free dessert of my choice and had a wide selection of choices. My German Chocolate Cake came drizzled in chocolate syrup with a beautiful Rare Chophouse BD Card adorning the cake and was quite tasty. The NY Cheese Cake was relatively tall, dense and creamy and came with all 3 choices of toppings of chocolate, caramel and strawberry. A good choice and what you would expect from Rare. Overall we had a nice meal for a special occasion with great service in a nice environment. The restrooms are clean and large with stall rooms and sinks which was especially nice for my aging mom with her walker. We look forward to eating here again soon. read more

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I came here on recommendation from my barber and boy did this place not disappoint. The ambiance is quiet and chill and the bar layout seems chic. I came here with my housemate and got seated instantly on a Friday night. He got the Mahi Mahi and I got the jalapeno lime butter NY strip. This place's food is flavorful and well cooked! I would say the fish was a bit on the sweet side but the mushrooms and rice were well cooked and cleanly done. The NY strip had the occasional bit of sinew but was well seasoned and was cooked to order, rare. The meat was well seasoned and the jalapeno lime butter added something that I don't normally, get in a steak, citrus! The house mash is a mix of both potato and cauliflower, and if they didn't tell me that they include cauliflower in their mash I would have no idea but it was also well flavored and would certainly order again. I wish the steak was a bit more tender but what can you do. NY strip has a bit more chew than some other cuts. Honestly the highlight of the meal was dessert. My friend ordered the butterscotch pudding with candied nuts which was fantastic but a bit more whipped cream than I hoped and I got the gooey buttercake. This cake was fan-freaking-tastic. easily the best thing I've eaten in Mount Vernon since I've gotten here. Highly recommend it to anyone else if you come here! Honestly the experience was great but service was a tad slow and the prices make it so that its not something you can eat often but if you get the chance and the budget, highly recommend giving this place a shot! I would come here just for their buttercake on days I'm craving it, maybe that and a cocktail and nothing more. read more

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We've eaten here twice. First was about 2 years ago and we weren't really impressed. Tried again last weekend and we were both very impressed. The dining room is very nice and is what you would expect from a higher end place. Our server was great, very prompt and very attentive. We both started with Caesar sales and they were good. Fresh lettuce and decent size portion. I had NY Strip and my wife had filet. Both of us got baked potatoes. The steaks both came out at right temperature for medium well. They were seasoned well and very tender. We brought half home and even reheated the next day they were fork tender. I often get steak sauce with steaks, but these didn't need any. I wasn't a big fan of the spices that form the bed the strip comes on and would skip next time. The baked potatoes were also done right. We opted to split the brownie desert. It was great. I am guessing just from it that the deserts here may be really outstanding/. Will definitely return. read more

For a place that requires a reservation and costs as much as it does, I would really expect the food and the service to be better. Our food all came out as separate times which was really strange and the server never came back to check on us. My steak was cooked as it should have been, but it was not seasoned at all, and it was barely lukewarm. My friend's fettuccine was dry and definitely overcooked. For spending one hundred dollars on two plates, I really expected better quality food and service and very disappointing and will not be back read more

Great happy hour. Half priced wine, beer and apps so worth it to stop by just for that! I like the live music in the bar area. Not too loud so you can still carry conversations. Seems like the place to see and be seen in MV these days. read more

beautiful restaurant, really over priced, not so good food, worst steak ever. Service had much to be desired

We are traveling through the area. It's been difficult to find a great restaurant. We saw Rare online and thought it looked great! And it was! I got the Beast Burger (boar, bison, elk, waygu) without the bun and the special roasted broccoli with Parmesan. Delish! Hubby got the special: Prime Rib with mushrooms and the special broccoli. Also excellent! Great atmosphere and layout. We will def come back when we travel this way. Ashley in the bar was prompt, courteous, and friendly. Highly recommend!! read more

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Excellent food, excellent service from Jonny. We enjoyed the entire experience and we'll be back. You won't be disappointed if you give Rare Chop House a try. read more

Good quality steak. Flavorful. Ready in a reasonable amount of time . Nice seating atmosphere , quiet, quaint , private. Will be back. read more

The food was so good!!! And I really like the environment; it was very chill. On top of that, our servers Mitchell and Jonathan (we came here twice while in town) were great! I couldn't try most of the foods/desserts in the pictures because of my allergies, but the people who I went with that ate them said that they were super good. I'm stingy and the price point is higher than I experience typically, but despite that, I'd definitely come back again if I travel to this town again. read more

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This is the best food you're going to find in the entire county! If this were in a major city, I would be probably be leaving three stars... maybe four. It would be struggling to keep his head above water as far as the menu goes; competing with other fine-dining restaurants in 2021. Overall, the menu is pretty basic, kind of reminiscent of the 90s. The appetizers, for the most part, are definitely outdated. But the food is well prepared and generally quite delicious. They definitely know how to cook a steak here. My grandmother absolutely loved it. They also know how to cook a chicken here, and the salads aren't bad either. The ambience is really gorgeous, and definitely deserves five stars. Someone put a lot of thought into the design of this place and it is just a pleasure to dine in. Like I said, I found some of the items on the menu a little funny, the preparation of the cheese bread was strange, to say the least. The salad was great as far as the ingredients were concerned, but it was prepared in a very old-school Midwestern fashion, with way too much dressing. But honestly, in THIS AREA, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING better as far as cuisine is concerned, so I'm leaving a a five star review. Heck, I would leave 10 stars if I could, just based on the quality of the other food around here. If you've eaten at this restaurant, and you've eaten in other places in this area regularly, you know what I mean. The chicken really was delicious. The chef cooked it quite delicately, bringing out some sweetness of the meat. It was given the same attention duck would get, and I was grateful for that. I loved the potatoes and sauce, as well. You probably can't really go wrong here as far as entrees are concerned. If you want and decent meal, and you find yourself in southern Illinois, go here. Run! Don't walk to Rare Chop House! I was so relieved and excited to find this place on my recent visit home. They also have a very good wine selection. It's probably also the best wine selection you'll find for at least a two hour drive in any direction. read more

A wonderful dining experience was recently enjoyed at RARE. The service, food, and cocktails were impeccable. My filet was one of the best steaks I have ever had. Desert of Crème Brûlée was the crowning touch. Filet Mignon, Mashed Potato and seasonal vegetables were so good. The atmosphere of this restaurant is wonderful. read more

Excellent all around. Food is 5 star, service is good and love the ambiance. Easy to have a one on one, quaint conversation in this restaurant. Not so much in others. It is expensive so, don't go as often as we'd like to. read more

Somehow, we managed to find this hidden gem My family & I stopped by during our move. Our food was perfect & they offered great service. Classy & relaxing atmosphere. read more

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High quality food and service which you find rarely specially in MT Vernon. I wish it was little bigger though. On holidays it is almost impossible to make a reservation read more

I've had lunch here once with my BFF. It was a treat, and I'll definitely be back! I think this is a very nice addition for Mt. Vernon and southern Illinois foodies and people who can afford to splurge on a nice steakhouse meal. The outside of the building is unassuming, but inside it has a warmly decorated, modern feel, with lots of wood paneling and rich colors. The middle of the room walk-in wine cabinet with floor to ceiling glass panes is a cool feature! I enjoyed a lovely lunch of Caesar Salad and their special of Beef Tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. The beef was super tender and very delicious. This is probably one of the nicest, if not the nicest place to eat in The Vern. Just be sure you have some Andrew Jackson's on hand. You'll enjoy the splurge! read more

Rare Chop House - Stuffed mushrooms - Steakhouses Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

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Ribeye steak was tough and chewy and dry. Very little flavor. It was lukewarm as was the Mac and cheese that I chose as my 1 side. No bread, no salad. I've had better steak at a Ponderosa. Very overpriced for what you get. The service was good. read more

CHECK OUT BILLION DOLLAR BULLY OMG WONDERFUL food BUTTTTTT holly $12.00 for a Gin & Tonic, $12.00 for an Old Fashion The place had great service with ALL the staff helping each other & the atmosphere was clean !!! We give this place a thumbs up on food but do NOT order booze here !! If they had more reasonable booze prices I would have given them a 5 star I HATE when a restaurant stiffs you with liquor prices SHAME SHAME 109.00 for the 50.00 couple dinner and the rest was for 2- Gin & Tonics, 1- Old Fashion & 1-Mich Ultra WT-!!! I will not be coming back unless I only want dinner and WATER read more

Waiter was awesome. Attentive. He was good and very helpful. Crawfish etouffee sucked. No flavor. Like damn... what happened. They must of ran out of every seasoning possible. When I saw a mouthful of nothing... atleast they used the holy trinity. But bland!!!!!! Cool place. But that food sucked. Should of just gone to the store and made it myself. read more

One of the best fine dining restaurants in Mount Vernon, IL. Friendly staff. Tasty food and wide variety of wine selection read more

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If you find yourself in the middle of everything, like many of us do, watching the fall colors turn, meeting family members, or surveying oil wells, you might wonder how Michelin missed this one. The Delicious Destination Award winning Rare Chop House, housed in an architectural downtown restoration, will leave you asking, "Are you kidding me?" Absolutely worth the drive from St Louis, and a mere one hour from Cahokia, the largest surviving ancient pyramid in North America, 'Rare' is astoundingly good in every way. The staff is friendly and totally professional, effortlessly serving large gatherings in the Hart room, while the main dining room and bar remain lively but somehow intimate. Drinks? Well, they even serve George Clooney's Anejo! Simply put, the food is amazing, and while the filet is refined, buttery, and juicy, the Arrabiata couldn't be more flavorful. read more

The food was delicious, atmosphere was awesome, it was a little smoky in the restaurant due to a maintenance issue but not too bad. The wait was long though. read more