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    Scratch On Lake

    3.2 (238 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Gastropubs
    Open 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Scratch On Lake Takeout or Delivery

    Scratch On Lake Photos

    SCRATCH ON LAKE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Scratch On Lake

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    Reviews With Photos

    Scratch Salad
    Michael R.

    Decent food and service. A good neighborhood spot with plenty of energy and in a great location.

    Truffle Truffle, Parm and Shrooms Mac
    Jana H.

    It looks better than it tastes. Lacks salt, seasoning, and it doesn't even taste like cheese. I'm not sure what kind of watery cheese sauce they use but I had to add my own cheese just to make it somewhat edible. Definitely won't be ordering from there again.

    Inside
    Miranda L.

    Was downtown Oak Park and decided to try out Scratch on Lake. The restaurant seems to be a local staple to visit and I love a scratch kitchen for fresh ingredients. The inside has a tavern/pub feel to it and they offer daily specials. It was not overly crowded for a Sunday lunch and bears game. We decided to stick to food only and ordered the mac and cheese with bacon as well as the chili mac. Our server was a bit scattered and apologized for the slower service as more people came in after us and a larger grub hub order was placed. It did leave us feeling the front of house and kitchen was understaffed. Either way we were optimistic for our food! While the mac and cheese was delicious, the chili mac felt lacking in the toppings category. Everything did taste fresh but we may not order the same entrees next time. They do offer a 10% discount for cash which made our bill about $20; great price!

    Grilled cheese and Tomato Soup
    Jennifer M.

    Scratch wrap was excellent. Great chicken flavor and the fries are fresh cut, low salt and amazing! Service was ok they were short on staff I was told. The restaurant is nice with a medium sized bar area and plenty of tables.

    Turkey melt. Didn't come with pickles. Just huge slabs of turkey with some sort of mayo and melted cheese. Actually disgusting.

    The turkey melt was disgusting. Very unsatisfied. I am not at all a picky eater and just could not eat this. Our waiter didn't care to compensate for the terrible food.

    Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich
    Khadijah H.

    Scratch on Lake is just that... a scratch. Ok let me give more context. This is a supposed stable in oak park that many people tend to eat at. Ive given this place a try once before but I sat outside in the summer and ordered mac and cheese along with some fries. Nothing to special so I didn't review. I decided to change that by going in to see what the hype was about. This establishment gives me the vibes that it only receives business because it's on a major street, not because it's actually good. I was not truly impressed with my visit here. It was empty during prime time on a warm weathered Saturday. My friend and I am naturally were seated right away in super worn and tattered booths. The menus definitely were old and needed to be clean. Our server was the best out of the entire experience. She was tentative alert and quick paced. My friend and I chose to order the spicy chicken sandwich. The picture speaks for itself. The slaw was overllllllly soupy and glopped all over the sandwich. The lazy skirts of sriracha on top was not creative and the cucumbers were unnecessary. Seeing as I was hungry I ate it but I was not impressed. This is besides the fact the burger was $13.75 solo and you have to pay for fries separately. The taste and quality of the meal versus the price did not match up and I really need them to humble themselves. I'm not inclined to return

    PULLED PORK BELLY
    Adaora O.

    This was my first time eating at Scratch on Lake. I was looking for a good sandwich near me, and I found Scratch on Lake through a Google search. I ordered carry-out and my food was ready within 15 min of ordering (A+ for timing!) I went with the Pulled pork sandwich on a subbed out gluten free bun. It was an extra few dollars for the GF bun, but it was around the same typical price other restaurants would charge. The sandwiches come with a side included, so I went for the regular fries Taste overall: The pulled pork was AMAZING. I don't like my pulled pork overly saucey, so the amount of bbq was perfect for me. If you're a sauce lover, I recommend asking for extra. The fries were OK, not my favorite and could use a little bit more seasoning and/or salt. I would definitely try a different side for next time. I will definitely be back to Scratch on Lake! Featured: Pulled pork sandwich, Regular fries

    Blueberry Margarita
    Maronda H.

    I came here Friday night with an old co-worker around 7PM. It was a nice crowd of people. It was a live band playing in the corner of the restaurant. Full side bar serving up the drinks. My Co-Worker wanted to sit inside at a booth. I preferred to have sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the nice weather. Our waiter was energetic and friendly. The menu had a list of unique and creative food names. I wanted to play it safe. So, I ordered the chicken strips with fries. My co-worker ordered the Impossible Burger which came with a lot of melted cheddar cheese on top. She had to scrap off the cheese. I enjoyed the live band and the chill vibes. The food needs some work. I would probably come again only to enjoy the music.

    Scratch Burger & fries
    Arion M.

    Tasty place to eat at in oak park! Quick service, music isn't too loud and the food comes out hot! I ordered the scratch burger (single) with the buttery garlic fries and enjoyed my food. Next time, I probably won't get the buttery garlic fries, because they weren't all that crazy lol and I think the normal fries will suffice. Looking forward to coming back here and trying their Buffalo Mac!!

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    Patrick O.

    Thanks for the review

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    6 months ago

    It's good. The pulled pork "taco" is my favorite and we order from here all the time. The location is good and the service is fast

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    6 months ago

    Nice vibe. Some great salad options. Love the Fall Harvester Salad with Ground Turkey! Decent music on weekends. Good servers.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Scratch On Lake

    Does this place offer NFL Sunday Ticket games?

    I’m not sure. They do have ESPN though.

    Do you have a happy hour here?

    I believe they have.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    This place was packed and parking was hard to find. We were sat at the back corner and it was very…read moreloud. The servers kept passing by our table and going to other tables even when we notified them we needed a server. I started with the Screwkiss Cocktail and my guy had the Melona Cocktail. Considering they had whole popsicles in them, it wasn't surprising they were on the sweeter side. However, mine took forever and a half to melt; I even had to use a spoon to try and mash it faster. Fun drink, but wouldn't get it again. The complimentary bean sprout soup was light and refreshing. We started with the Stir-Fried Chicken Gizzards. It was much more rough/tough than expected. It was my first time having it and I liked the flavor, but the texture was mehh. My guy said he's always had gizzards that were softer and preferred it like that. The Beef Brisket with Mung Bean Sprout was really good! My favorite dish for sure! It was perfectly cooked and flavored and definitely a 5/5 for me. I got a side of Glass Noodles to eat with it, but I didn't like these noodles. Glass noodles are one of my fave noodles normally. The Army Stew with Ramen Noodles was good, but the flavor was pretty monotonous so it got boring fast. Their kimchi was okay and I wish it didn't have some of the ingredients like the pepperoni. We got a side order of Tteokbokki and it was a really great choice with this dish!

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    I don't know, maybe I'm just a hater, but I've given Gretel a shot twice now and left disappointed…read moreboth times. It was mainly about the service. Disclaimer that both times we sat at the bar. So this has nothing to do with servers at the tables. It just felt cold and not at the level I would expect for the prices and reputation. For example, we ordered the smoked trout caesar salad once at the recommendation of a friend, and didn't love it. It was very, very fishy. Like not just the smoked trout itself, the dressing also tasted way heavier on the anchovies or something than we're used to. And we love caesars! We didn't say anything about it because it's literally in the name that it may be fishy. The issue was that it was so obvious we only took one bite that the bartender commented on it when he was clearing our plates. "Too fishy?" We confirmed. And then he took the full plate of food away that he himself had just agreed with wasn't great, and returned with our bill that still charged us $20 for a salad. I mean, it's fine. But it's just an example of the kind of service you get there. We were barely checked on, even when drinks were empty. Even when making eye contact. Even when we were obviously done eating for several minutes and the bartenders were staring at our plates.Even after asking for a check and watching conversations happen leisurely behind the bar while we sat there. I know sitting at the bar is a different style of service, but it ventured more into inattentive than spacious. The space is cool. The food is fine. It just doesn't make up for feeling like a burden when I'm paying $100+ for lunch for two.

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    Scratch On Lake - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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