Huge menu, which sometimes equates to food that is mediocre, but that is not the case here…read more Everything I've ever had has been outstanding. Hands down the best pancakes in town. The restaurant is always clean, and I've always had kind and attentive service without feeling like I was being rushed.

I don't usually write reviews about places I visit, but today I had such a unique experience that I…read morefeel like I should share it. The place is Garden Berry Cafe in Ottawa. The name is quite a mouthful, but it definitely makes you curious enough to go inside and see what it's about. The interior is very grey and urban, with some fake flowers here and there. The menu is pretty large and has a lot of interesting-sounding options. After we looked through it for a minute, one of the waitresses brought us another menu saying, "Here's our special menu." It was mostly coffee drinks, which, unfortunately, didn't look particularly appealing to me. I ordered the Route 14 crepes, and apparently the name was quite challenging. The waitress asked me "What?" at least twice, so eventually I just pointed to it on the menu. Then she proceeded to write down my order by basically cheat-sheeting from my menu. Lol. My husband ordered one of the breakfast skillets. The food looked good when it arrived. But oh boy... My crepes were stuffed with mushrooms, onions, cheddar cheese, and spinach, topped with hollandaise sauce. The cheddar was melted and the spinach was fine. The crepes themselves actually tasted good. But the onions were raw and crunchy, and the mushrooms were so undercooked that they were rubbery and hadn't even been properly browned. The hollandaise was sprinkled with something that looked like paprika, although it smelled strongly of cinnamon, which was... interesting. When one of the waitresses asked how everything was going, I politely explained what was wrong with my dish. They apologized, said they would tell the kitchen, and offered to replace it. I declined because, honestly, I wasn't interested in taking the chance of getting the exact same thing again. I was perfectly willing to just finish what I could, pay, and quietly never come back. But then the waitress came back. And this time, instead of simply acknowledging the issue, she explained that next time I need to make sure to ask for my vegetables to be "well done." She also added that she always eats raw mushrooms. Soooo... am I supposed to order breakfast and specifically say, "Could you please make sure my vegetables are actually cooked?" I've never thought I needed to specify that mushrooms and onions should be cooked when ordering a breakfast dish. It felt like I had to take responsibility for the kitchen not properly cooking the ingredients in the first place. That second conversation honestly upset me more than the food itself. I had already accepted the situation and wasn't demanding anything. But being told that it was essentially my mistake for not ordering the vegetables correctly was not something I expected. The total was $36 for two meals and one regular coffee. The food had potential, and my crepes themselves were actually tasty. But unfortunately, the experience -- especially the way the complaint was handled -- was enough for me to decide that I won't be coming back.

We loved this placed!…read more It was very off season so we were waiting all week until Thursday when they were open to try it. Our large group of 3 families enjoyed breakfast here and the lovely staff were very accommodating to our chaos. 3 grandparents, 4 parents and 4 toddlers to order, eat and we all enjoyed ourselves. We all loved the treats, the food, and best coffee we could find in the starved rock area! I got for the 4 I was in charge of: 2 hot vanilla latte, a kids French toast with bacon, a biscuit and gravy, cream horn, cinnamon roll, and more treats I can't recall now. Highly recommend this cute little stop and if we are in the area again we'd definitely stop by!

Cute shop on the outskirts of town. Staff was super welcoming and friendly. The baking goods were…read morenot only delicious, but incredibly affordable ($3!)

We were in town to see a performance at the Vince Carney Community Theater, and found Acres Bistro…read morethanks to Yelp. Other than having to deal with a freight train that stopped on the tracks right as we were trying to get to the restaurant from the theater, and having to go way out to the west end of town to get around it, everything about our experience was superb! I'm pretty sure we were seated by the owner, who was amazing to talk to. You could tell she loved what she did and what they provide to their customers. She put us in the charge of the bartender, who brought our drinks, took our orders, and checked on us regularly throughout the meal, even though she was doing double duty. We had a large lunch, so we weren't going to eat much for dinner. As soon as I read the menu I realized I was going to have a hard time deciding, but I love cinnamon ice cream, so I knew I needed to leave enough room for dessert. I ended up ordering the grilled cheese, which came with bacon (hold the tomato), and the homemade chips as my side. Everything was delicious. I brought half of my meal home, and it was just as delicious when reheated with my air fryer a few days later. My husband had the Acres Pretzel, which was huge and yummy. (I had a bite to try it!) The cheese sauce with it was thinner than expected, but very good. We started out with a Manhattan for me and some Lena Brewing caramel pecan coffee stout for him. Mine was perfectly crafted, and I took a sip of his, which was also yummy. In addition to my cinnamon ice cream, we each had a dessert drink. He had the Chocolate Caramel Kiss, and I had the Banana Bread. Again, very yummy. The cost of all of this came to under $75, which we thought was marvelous. Coming out from the city, the prices here are definitely more reasonable and much appreciated! We have this restaurant on our radar now, so anytime we are out this way again, we will head there. We are already making plans to come out and see a show next summer, if not before that. To the owner and all the other staff, thanks for such a lovely experience! You have a wonderful establishment!

We decided to stop in for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon after doing a whiskey tasting across…read morethe street at Kennay Farms Distillery. The entrance is a little hard to find as you have to walk thru a small boutique store to enter the restaurant. Fortunately for us,a nice lady who worked in the store came out and took us to the restaurant. I believe they are all owned by the same person We were lucky enough to get a table on their ekevated patio that overlook the alley garden. Alyssa was our server and was super helpful and friendly. My wife started with their Lemon Lavender Gin Spritz which was one of the many crafted cocktails they offer. I had a nice white wine blend that was suggested off their extensive wine list. We shared the Bruschetta Burrata with toast on the side as my wife is Gluten free. Super fresh and very tasty. They offer many made from scratch sandwiches and entrees along with a few daily specials A real hidden gem located in Rochelle on Lincoln Highway.

We were in the area and wanted to eat breakfast. The restaurant had a lot of people. We had a very…read morefriendly waitress . I ordered the 3 meat omelette with cheesy grits,pancake , and a cup of coffee. They have Farmer's Brothers Coffee, my favorite. My sister had eggs with turkey bacon , potatoes and a pancake. We both loved our meals. The grits were the best I've had. The omelette had the right amount of meat and cheese . The pancake was delicious. It reminded me of the black bear diner's pancakes , if you know you know.

When visiting for breakfast, I had the BEST pancakes I have ever encountered. The scent of vanilla…read moreentices you before you even take your first bite. The syrup is served warm, which is the best way to have it. Alongside my pancakes, I got an orange juice. Fresh squeezed and absolutely delicious. I don't typically like orange juice, but Mom's orange juice change the whole game. The wait staff is incredibly friendly and has eagerness to deliver exactly what you're craving.

I was in town for work and this place was right by the company I was working with so stopped here…read morefor lunch on a very snowy day. My waitress was great and kept my coffee full which was very much appreciated. I got the julienne salad which was big and great. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town for work

We dropped in based on the strength of the reviews. Heck, another restaurant's people were here…read moreeating for a birthday party. This is your typical family run restaurant. Family friendly, good service, and the usual kitsch decorations. I ordered their Cinnamon Roll Pancake. I asked the waitress how large they were - they were LARGE, so I only ordered one. Good call. My wife had their veggie omelet, which came with tomato, onion, green pepper and mushrooms. It came with hash browns and toast. I ordered a side of sausage patties. The sausage patty was large too - it looked like a hamburger (but obviously wasn't). The Cinnamon Roll Pancake was exactly as described - the waitress offered to bring out maple syrup, but said most people didn't use it so I passed on that (and didn't need it). My wife enjoyed her omelet. I had a root beer (I know, but it was lunch time in my weak defense) and my wife went with the coffee. She said she didn't like the coffee - she isn't one who goes for the fancy coffee - we don't have a Keurig or Nespresso machine - just a plain old Mr. Coffee Jr at home, and if she didn't like the coffee, that says something to me. Service was very prompt from the moment we were greeted at the door until we left. The mens room was clean. The deodorizer in the urinal needed to be changed - it was completely exhausted.

The place gets very busy on a Sunday morning. Lots of folks waiting inside and outside, blocking…read morethe restrooms, the entrances and holding the doors open. It gets uncomfortably warm inside, especially by the doors. Lots of people mean the wait staff have to navigate and at two times during our meal they had to have one of my family members get up from their seat to allow someone to pass. They really need to properly accommodate the people having to wait to be seated. That's my one star deduction. That said, the food is good. The wait staff are very attentive. And it is my family's favorite breakfast place in Sterling. I have not been during the week but have to assume it's much less crowded. Enjoy!

Had breakfast, with pancakes. Fairly busy but service was still good. Classic diner with booths,…read moretables but no counter. Everything was fresh, hot, and delicious.

The food and the service was great. Very reasonable prices. I had a very good hamburger;…read more delicious French fries. My friend had a great, huge omelet.

We have gone here a couple times for breakfast when we camp at Shabbona. Food is good and waiters…read moreare nice. I would suggest to the business that blasting Fox and Friends in the morning while your clientele is eating might not be best practice. There might be regulars who like being told what to believe first thing in the morning, but anyone traveling through might think twice about stopping a second time if they don't like politics while eating breakfast. If you are paying for cable, put on Sportscenter and let the patrons watch Cubs and Sox highlights. Just two cents from someone who grew up in a restaurant family.

Great local restaurant in the Marseilles area. Upon entering you're immediately greeted and feel…read morevery welcome. The place is small but doesn't feel tight. I had both breakfast and their lunch. For breakfast I had the pancakes and they were so delicious and flavorful. Additionally I made a gourmet version if hash browns by making them crispy, adding cheese, onions, peppers and mushrooms and they were amazing! They also had a spicy ketchup which I highly recommend. For lunch I had a sand which and soup and it was all very filling and delicious. I will definitely visit again when training in Marseilles and highly recommend this place. They are extremely affordable too.

Good ole fashion breakfast. Ordered two eggs and corn beef hash. Like eating at bar. Old…read moreschool place. Delicious