Nice signs drew my interest to this local watering hole, also known as Scratch on Lake. Cute inside. Decorative, simple and classic British/American Bar. Friendly service. I had a Moscow Mule. Straight forward drink, $16. It is a mixed drink, labeled as such. Clean place. Closes early in the city of Oak Park. The parking is paid until 8pm, then if you stay after 8pm is free , but not overnight. You need to find a nearby paid garage parking for overnight. They are located on a vibrant street. I did not try the food, but they do serve food as well here. This is a beautiful community, right off the CTA Green Line and the Burlington Metra "Oak Park" Exit. Incredible homes around, many places of Worship, vibrant parks. Family friendly city. Nice relaxing bar to stop in and enjoy the time , friendly people. read more

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Pretty good food, vibe was laid back. Service was fine but it wasn't busy so I can't say if things are different in the evenings and on weekends. Would definitely come back at a different time to see if there's a different experience. read more

we arrived and after waiting 10 minutes without acknowledging us, we were told someone would us when they had time. We then were seated without menus and waited some more. Hadn't been there for a while and now I know why. read more

The environment was great. Great turkey sandwich. Children's menu. Had beer samples that night, we had the raspberry. I would like to go back but live no where near there. Oak Park was nice and location was great. read more

We ordered a cheeseburger bowl and an Asian bowl to go to take with us to a comedy show. First the app said to track the meal and showed it still being prepared. I went on to wait and out for was already bagged on the counter getting cold. It was tied in a knot and we were on a tight schedule so I went with the assumption that they did the order correctly. There were no napkins or forks in the bag. Lucky the venue had some to give us even tho they didn't provide food. My husband found his bowl to be great. My cheeseburger one was not. The meat was a bit dry and since the restaurant failed to give me the house sauce that was supposed to come with it, I was forced to eat dry cook ground beef. I also paid 4$extra for a FRIED egg. Instead I had a hard boiled egg. Over all for $20 for my bowl I was highly disappointed. It was just a house salad with dry cold ground beef. Parking was ridiculous. When I walked in no one greeted me. No waitress stand or anything. I just wondering to the back where I saw paper bags sitting. No one cared that I grabbed my order either. Won't go back. read more

Their demerits are all easily avoidable, that's the part that hurts. The fries? They don't have to be drippingly soggy. The chicken? It doesn't have to be beef-jerky rubbery and dry. The staff? They don't have to be so distracted or lackadaisical. Beers taste like they're served in a glass that wasn't washed out. Again, avoidable. Gets by on outdoor seating and location. Somehow stays consistently mid. read more

Just ordered take out. They got 50% of the order right and then said we have to call uber to get it fixed. Scratch put the food in the container but won't take responsibility. It's not Ubers fault the wrong meal was sent. It's the fault of the restaurant. We ordered 2 burgers with a side salad. Received 1 burger with Mac and cheese. How is that Ubers fault? read more

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

Scratch On Lake - Scratch Salad - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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. read more

Scratch On Lake - Truffle Truffle, Parm and Shrooms Mac - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

tried to place a carry out order. they answered the phone and asked if they could put me on hold for a minutes and it was just under 15 min and they never came back to me. tried calling 6 more times over a 30 min period. no one answerved the phone again and the voicemail was full. I know you can order from Uber Eats or grub hub but why should I pay up when I'm picking up. horrible service!!!!!! read more

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

Not good work! I order a double smash burger. It comes with American cheese and a special sauce, bread and butter pickle and lettuce. This burger looked good when I open the box. The first bite left me confused! The bun was soft but everything else was bad!!! The bread and butter pickles was salty , the special sauce ...salty! The American cheese ...salty! Burger patties ....again salty!!!!!!!!!! The patties also was bright red in the middle, not medium,but rare! I spent an extra dollar on coleslaw....salty! Fries was good because they had no salt! This was just a bad experience!!!! Please learn balance!!!!! My blood pressure is thru the roof!!! read more

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

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! read more

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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. read more

Scratch On Lake - Grilled cheese and Tomato Soup - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Smash burger was overcooked - and dry. Fries? Dry. Mac and cheese? Wet! Do they not drain their pasta? Total for two: 62 bucks Plus tip. No bueno. read more

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. read more

Scratch On Lake - Turkey melt. Didn't come with pickles. Just huge slabs of turkey with some sort of mayo and melted cheese. Actually disgusting. - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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 read more

Scratch On Lake - Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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I was craving fish and chips and Scratch On Lake scratched that itch. But was it the best fish and chips? Probably not. They have a pretty vast menu, not super busy, and generally friendly to a crazy toddler. Would I come back? Probably not. read more

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 read more

Scratch On Lake - PULLED PORK BELLY - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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. read more

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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!! read more

Scratch On Lake - Scratch Burger & fries - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

While on a little weekend getaway, stopped by this cute restaurant in the Oak Park section of Chicago, where everything is made from scratch. The food and service was phenomenal. They also have a pretty impressive cocktail list as well. The peach basil margarita is really refreshing. It was so good I was tempted to get another one lol. For lunch we kept it simple with the sandwiches. I had the lamb burger, and instead of fries got a side salad, with a really delicious lemon dressing. One of my friends got the smash burger and my other friend got a Cuban sandwich. Again to be brutally honest, you can't go wrong with anything off the menu all the food is fire. They also have nice weekly specials, like 1/2 priced burger night on Mondays, fish fry on Fridays, plus a host of other 1/2 priced deals. I told my friend, that I want to come back here for the next visit. Price point matches the food quality as well. SKL is such a nice addition to the Oak Park area. Will most definitely return read more

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I was disappointed twice in one visit. I have been somewhat loyal to SK when a craving for a nice juicy burger would hit. However, this time I ordered a burger at Scratch on Lake and after the first couple of bites, I I noticed on my third bite that the burger was really dry. It looked like it was reheated and/or like it was made prior and then it was quickly reheated. The server was very nice and understanding and accommodating and offered to bring me a new burger. Due to time restraints I was not able to sit down and enjoy the second burger, instead I had it "to go." Upon returning home. I cut the burger in half and noticed that it looked the same as the first one (visually texture wise). I wanted to give it a fair chance so I took a bite...only to be disappointed, it was exactly the same as the first one in the restaurant, very dry and dense, this burger almost tastes like a packaged/preformed burger. I can honestly say that I will not be ordering any more burgers from Scratch Kitchen. Over the years with expansion and a new storefront opening up on Lake Street, I have noticed that Scratch Kitchen burgers are not what it "used to be" when they first opened at their original location in Forest Park. The quality has gone down, including the french fries, which every time I have ordered from there, the fries were very limp and looks extra greasy, I get it, they are french fries so they are greasy, but they are very limp and when I eat fries I would like for it to be somewhat crispy...at least have some texture, other than being 'limp.' Goodbye SK read more

It is 930 p.m. on a Friday night and I wanted to grab a burger and a glass of wine. Imagine it taking 5 minutes to be greeted in an almost empty restaurant. Ordered red wine. No offer of water (pretty standard in the industry to offer). Asked if kitchen still open. Bartender said yes and presented me a menu. Took another 5 minutes for her to recognize i had made a decision (too busy chatting with other employees). Order a scratch burger. It came so over cooked it was almost inedible but I was starving. Never got a check back. Had to ask for water. Watched the BT spray down the bat next to me eating. I guess they close at 1030???? To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I eat here every few months and normally enjoy myself. Whomever is responsible for the p.m. shift needs to understand service. I know this place caters to a young crowd but they deserve to know what good service should look like. Tonight was NOT it. Alot of years in the restaurant business makes me a harsh critic because I know what it should look like. Bummed it was such a disappointment. read more

I've been here a handful of times this summer and I've never left happy about my experience. I've tried multiple food options and they're mediocre at best and definitely way overpriced. The staff I've interacted with are cordial but they are not good at their jobs and don't seem to care. I really don't understand how this place is still in business. read more

The burger here was sloppy goodness even with a single patty. Lots of flavor, and I love the crunch on this smashburger-style patty. The burger was a little light on the side fries that can be added on, though. The other oddity? The skillet cookie had great flavor but was served...not quite warm? Semi-cold? Lukewarm? Either way, NOT hot, the first time that I was not warned to not touch the skillet, which is a bad sign. I almost need to ask Scratch to heat that cookie up next time! Love a good bar kitchen near my house, so I'll be back to try some other stuff on the menu. The curds were OK but not amazing; that scratch burger is certainly the reason to give this a look. read more

Love the vibe, cool decor, cozy wooden booth, and plenty of space between tables. Everyone on staff was masked, which was appreciated. No wait to be seated for lunch today. I got the Impossible Burger, and upgraded to a gluten-free bun and sweet potato fries, which came to $19. That is definitely more than I typically pay for a veggie burger and fries, but I was really grateful they offered not just one, but a few entrees that were vegetarian + gluten-free. That can be a tricky combo. My burger and fries were delicious. Service was prompt and friendly. We had a great time and will definitely come back. read more

Scratch On Lake - Impossible Burger - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Great food don't get me wrong, but my only problem is having to SEPARATELY PAY for a side of fries. I paid $22 for an impossible burger AND an order of fries when the side of fries should already be included. read more

Love the food always. Bring back the pizza! Friendly staff, friendly patrons. Always love the ambiance. Friday and Saturday rocks with the special guest rocking it out! And I love the weekly specials. On Friday special was the Birria Burger. Can't wait u til they do that one again. Love you SCRATCH IN LAKE read more

wish i could give 0 stars. my family and i ate here yesterday 1/2/2025 around 7-730pm. we came for trivia and only had the scratch house salad with grilled chicken. at around 3am this morning, all of us have been nonstop vomiting. Either the chicken wasn't cooked fully or the lettuce wasn't washed. Only 1 person in my family did not touch the salad and they are perfectly fine. BEWARE WHAT YOU EAT HERE YOU WILL GET FOOD POISONING THEY ARE NOT HANDLING THEIR FOOD SAFELY! i will be telling everyone i know and posting on every platform about the poor food handling and food poisoning. UPDATE: i called the oak park health department and they stated that this restaurant has been a problem. BEWARE SECOND UPDATE: update: My mother and I posted the reviews to allow the public to understand our troubling experience on 1/3/2025. The owner of this business looked for my mothers information and sent her a private message harassing her for telling the public the truth about the poor food handling this restaurant practices on 1/4/2025. I will be providing a screenshot for everyone to see how the owner talks to anyone who leaves a bad review. if the owner cannot handle truthful negative reviews then maybe he shouldn't be owning a business. Beware everyone! if you leave a bad review the owner will stalk you and message you PRIVATELY and harass you for leaving HONEST NEGATIVE REVIEWS ABOUT THIS DISGUSTING PLACE! read more

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Came here with friends after a long day of day drinking and everything hit the spot. The tater tots were a perfect start. For dinner, I ordered the Cheeseburger Bowl because I hadn't seen a vegetable in 24 hours and it was delicious. Completely inhaled it. One of my friends ordered the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese in the smaller portion and there was so much food! She doesn't do leftovers so I took it home and it was amazing on day 2. Definitely will be back! read more

I recently visited Scratch on Lake restaurant, and I have to say that I was highly disappointed with my experience. I wanted to grab a bite to eat after leaving puppy training class with my dog. Usually, I would NEVER take my dog to a restaurant; however, due to another dog being on the patio, I thought it would be okay. Even seeing the dog there, I still wanted to ensure it was okay. I asked a server, and he said yeah and pointed me to a table. Then what I assumed to be a manager came out and asked if there would be one at my party. I confirmed, and he brought me water. A few minutes later, a different server came over and told me that, unfortunately, dogs were not allowed on the patio even though one was already on the deck. At this point, my pup was lying down while the other dog was eager to see other guests and continuously approaching people. I had high hopes and wanted to try this place! However, this experience really put a sour taste in my mouth. It honestly hurt my feelings as I just wanted a quick meal after class this afternoon. Overall, I would not recommend Scratch on Lake restaurant. Many other options offer better food, service, and ambiance for a similar price. Save your money and go elsewhere. This 1-star review is due to the CLEAR discrimination that I experienced today. If another party was allowed to dine with their dog, why wasn't I? read more

Scratch On Lake - The other dog that was allowed to stay - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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I love the burgers here. But for some reason the kitchen is always closed early even though they say they are open to 11pm. Try the scratch burger!! read more

The menu items look and read AMAZING!!! The wait staff was hit or miss. We walk in and sit ourselves no acknowledgement from staff, no direction where to sit. One waitress was fooling around on a computer another was serving. We sat for 43 mins waiting for someone to acknowledge us. I'm usually the one expecting more from business' so I let my friends deal in their time, mine was ten minutes ago theirs was 43 mins. At that point a waitress was walking by and my friends BOTH asked if we have a server. She said yes I'll get her but quickly corrected herself and said I can take your orders. She took all three orders and put them in and mentioned it to our server then our server decided to do her job. She brought us water and the server who took our order delivered our food quickly. This was our first visit so we decided to all get something different and share. Started - 1# Chicken wings - excellent cook and seasoning I was shocked they were legs FULL legs not drummettes. Order 1 - St Patty special Corned Beef sandwich on rye w/fries Order 2 Mediterranean Fries Order 3 - Friday Happy Hour special Cod fish and fries Of these three meals the BEST was the item that is not a menu staple the Corned beef. It was amazing and worth the price. The rest was just ok let me explain. The fish was cooked too fast the outside was crispy but directly under the skin was this mushy batter on all three pieces. The Mediterranean fries were good they just needed a binder or sauce to blend or make the meal come together. We were there almost 3 hours waiting, eating, and talking and the waitress covering our section stood by a computer in a corner doing who knows what certainly not serving us or the others around us. After finishing our meal we realized the waitress never asked to refill our water glass I don't know maybe customers only get one glass of water. The good news - it's a tall glass. Let's put a ribbon on this review and shut it down the place is tight but spacious I don't think the use of space is good, nice music playing in the background. But when you say scratch I'd like to see more items made FROM SCRATCH on the menu. Also highlight those scratch item and ask wait staff to do the same. Don't leave first time customers to their own decisions. In the end when our waitress finally came to the table I asked "did you forget about us" she stumbled and fumbled then finally the truth came out I was distracted and she apologized. Oh well we all have good and bad days. And that's the scratch on Scratch on Lake Oak Park. read more

Service was amazing. Your staff is very friendly and professional. I had a Cuban that was really good, the rest of our party seemed to enjoy theirs as well. Great drink selections and nice atmosphere. My wife comes here a lot, I may be joining her more! read more

drinks were good , food not so good, we got the buffalo Mac n cheese and it was one of the most disgusting we have ever tasted super watery no flavor don't know what that was but it was not cheese the "buffalo chicken" didn't have buffalo sauce it was like a dry rub but the chicken was super dry read more

Walked over to Scratch for lunch on a Saturday. It was pretty crowded but found a table to sit at. It took awhile to get a waitress to take our order but the place was pretty crowded. Two of us ordered the fire burger with fries. It was good no doubt. I actually expected it to be spicier but it was pretty tame. A nice heat from start to finish. The fries were good. The place has plenty of tvs and a full bar to watch games. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. read more

I have hesitated writing this review as I always try to see the best in people. However, after part of my party (4 people) waited 40 minutes for a couple of beers and soft drinks and the rest of our party (14 people) got drinks almost 50 minutes after we arrived I feel the need to indicate how poor the service is. We are regulars. We wait to be seated, we wait for menus. We move tables to accommodate our party.Some people order 2 drinks at a time because it's easier than having to wait. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been brought a can of beer without a glass. Tonight I was served a turkey burger that was pink and then was told by my server that the cook said it was done even though it was pink because that is the way their meat is. I am a chef, cooked turkey isn't pink. I did get a replacement burger which is still pink. We go to many many brew pubs in the area and I have never experienced such poor service. Not even when things opened up during the pandemic and every place was short staffed. It is almost comical how poor the service is and it's a shame because when the food is cooked properly, it is delicious. They used to have some of The best fish tacos I have ever had. Another frustration is when you walk back to the rest room and multiple staff members are sitting on the side shooting the breeze or eating while customers are going unserved. I want to like this place but I haven't been given a reason to so a zero star review seems appropriate but Yelp won't allow it so one it is. read more

Scratch On Lake - American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

The food is so good here. Scratch burger has a truffled arugula that is wonderful if you out an egg on it. Problem: Pepsi products. It's the reason we don't go here more than once a year. It's just too awful. read more