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    The Graceful Ordinary

    4.3 (296 reviews)
    PriceyNew American, Bars
    Open • 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    The Graceful Ordinary Photos

    THE GRACEFUL ORDINARY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Classy
    Upscale
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - The Graceful Ordinary

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    S'mores Sunday
    Kadee D.

    Firstly, anyone saying the food doesn't taste good or they leave hungry is smokin crack ..... also, sounds like you probably would of enjoyed a buffet instead. This place is incredible... the food is to die for. It's the first place I've been to and did not feel like bloated or so full to where I was sick because the portions were perfect. Nothing here fell short, in fact it's the first place in the burbs where the food wasn't overly salted or fried in some type of oil. Everything tasted fresh. The flavors were busting up in my mouth every bite I took, even down to snowball fight drink we had. I highly, highly recommend the bread cheese appetizer- this was something super unique to me as I've only had grilled up cheese one other time in Brazil, Queijo Coalho.... There was a beautiful twist on this cheese- crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory and the honey and tabbouleh were such a great finish to this dish. Pair this with the fresh bread and it was chefs kiss! We had the beer braised short rib and seabass- two completely different flavored entres that we absolutely perfect. The short rib you literally can't go wrong with- melted in my mouth with every bite - and hats off the the chef who cooked the onions so perfect to actually be able to taste them instead of just carmelizing or salting them! I would call this your typical Midwest comfort dish. The seabass was much different the salad was tangy with the lentils being rich- add a nice cooked crispy top seabass and you got yourself a unique dish of flavors that will have you thinking what's in it after hours! But the star of the show was dessert of course - OMFG - s'mores ice cream sunday ....... I died and went to heaven literally. I have never tasted ice cream that mimicked everything I've ever wanted my ice cream to taste like. It was the perfect temperature (trust me a lot of restaurants it's either rock hard or melted) this was epic. Creamy, almost pudding like and being able to taste every note was wild to me. The graham cracker - yes the freaking graham cracker was the best one I've ever tasted in my life. Clearly I've never had a graham cracker without preservatives before. The chocolate syrup .... Jeeze let me tell if I could swim in it I would.... The service was friendly, prompt and right on time. The server knew all the cues and timing of all the food to come out. She checked in everytime we got something to make sure everything was just right... you can tell she takes her job seriously but also knows how to interact with people - something a lot of servers lack these days so we really appreciated the service. As for the atmosphere- this place blows a lot of the chi city restaurants out of the water. The organic feel but fancy! Oh, and I can actually talk and hear myself think without blasting music over my head. We will be back ... but honestly please change nothing here- everything you're doing here is fantastic!

    Complimentary Butterscotch Pot de Crème to enjoy at home
    Marianne D.

    We celebrated our anniversary last night by going to dinner at this new-to-us restaurant in Saint Charles. We loved everything about The Graceful Ordinary from the ambience to the amazing service (thanks Karen!) to the creative cocktails to the delicious food. When we arrived at the table, there was an anniversary card from the staff. Nice touch! We were brought a loaf of the warm housemade bread with whipped butter to begin. Hubby ordered the Having a Moment bourbon cocktail, and I had the Honey Kiss vodka and elderflower cocktail. Love their creative cocktail list. Karen was a fabulous server, so attentive and friendly. The other staff was on top of everything from water being refilled to clearing dirty dishes and even fresh butter brought to the table when it was low. Our needs were met before we even needed to ask. Also, since Karen knew that we were splitting all the courses, she automatically had the food split between two plates. I liked that. We decided to split everything we ordered. We started with the smoked salmon deviled eggs which were creamy delicious, not to mention beautifully presented. Our second starter was the bone marrow with caramelized shallots. This dish was absolutely amazing. My only critique would be to put four pieces of bread on the plate went two people are sharing. Our next course was a salad and we went with the roasted beet salad with blue cheese and sunflower shoots dressed in a warm bacon vinaigrette. Bacon - need I say more? Our main course was the walleye with ricotta gnudi, fava beans, peas and wild mushrooms. So many flavors and textures going on. The fish was perfectly seared and moist. Delectable. We thought about dessert but we were so full from dinner that we passed. Karen wouldn't let us go without a complimentary dessert in honor of our anniversary to enjoy at home, their signature butterscotch pot de crème with sea salt caramel. The Graceful Ordinary certainly made our anniversary special with the anniversary card at the table, and the complementary dessert. If you're in the western Chicago burbs, I highly recommend checking this restaurant out.

    Ribeye with potatoes and peas
    Caron C.

    I had heard great things and it didn't disappoint! I had the ribeye cooked perfectly and the Brussel sprouts side! It was my birthday and waiting at our table was a card signed by staff. A nice touch. It isn't for the faint of heart regarding prices but worth it. It was a bit noisy but the space is beautiful so it offset the inconvenience of the noise. But if you have someone in your party who struggles with hearing, you may want to ask for a corner table...they also have a nice balcony with seating when the weather permits

    Pork belly
    Roy B.

    The food,the service,the atmosphere, everything was perfect. I highly recommend this for special occasions. It will not disappoint.

    Suzy S.

    What a beautiful restaurant lit by real candles (as opposed to battery operated mini lights.) We had a great meal with amazing service. We will definitely be back!

    Steak and eggs
    Kim M.

    Update: This place really frustrates me. While their brunch is by far my favorite in the area, and the mussels are the dinner standout here - outside of the collaboration a few years back - i can't get a steak here cooked to my requested temperature for the life of me. Medium rare almost always comes out more medium well, and ordering rare to try and get it closer to medium rare is more like raw. The service however, also almost always on point. So will continue to go for the brunch and the mussels, but never again for the steak. Not after that many times, for that price that's a gamble on being cooked as requested.

    Daniel B.

    Where to start? How about with the grace of finding a place like this? Absolutely impeccable experience on every level. The service is outstanding. The atmosphere vibe & actual construction of the place is so cool. And the food Yep, it's amazing. Everything we had was really good. As for negatives, the room is a bit loud and it's a bit pricey, but that's just how things are now. And the bottom line with the latter is that it's worth it. Once seated, the noise level was a bit too much for me and in the category of asking for what you want in life, I I asked if we could be seated in a quieter area and they quickly accommodated by setting us up at table in the corner which was so quiet, had a great view of the room, and lovely upholstered booth, it was amazing. We love a good cocktail and these were great. Very creative delicious a touch sweet but not too much and a nice touch was the extensive rim salting, but all on one side of the glass so you could have plenty or none. They bring homemade bread to the table which was really great warm almost like a pretzel bread. All the food we had was exceptional oysters, a beet salad to die for with a wonderful bacon infused dressing, and a lobster pasta in interesting cream sauce that was a tad salty but sublimely delicious. Had an intense lemon ice cream for desert with other elements. Sweet way to end the meal on a good note. The service was really great attentive, but not to intrusive. Everybody we had interaction with was super friendly. You can tell they love working there and that is one way to tell ownership of a business and how they treat their employees. The vibe was chill friendly and inviting. The restaurant was built in an old 60s or 70s vacant bank building that I always admired right on the river some of the structure of the building goes down into the water and those areas they made into outdoor patios overlooking the river, really cool. This place is great. Can't wait to go back. Don't hesitate to come here. Can't wait to try many of the other items on the creative menu.

    PEI Mussels small plate- delicious!
    Lindsay B.

    We had an incredible experience at The Graceful Ordinary for our friends birthday- I can't wait to go back. The vibes inside the restaurant are impeccable, and they have lots of outdoor space for when the weather is nice as well. Service was top notch from the hostess to our server to the sommelier- everything was perfection. The food and cocktails were also incredible. I had the Le Granda cocktail which was tart and refreshing. We started with the octopus carpaccio and the bone marrow- plus fresh baked bread. I ordered the mussels small plate (which was not small) and it was fantastic- covered in crispy frites. I want to go back and have it again soon. Others at the table had scallops, steak, and duck- and all seemed very pleased with their entrees. For dessert, they had a cocktail on the menu called the song of the South- a sweet potato based beverage- it was fantastic and a great way to end the meal. I'll be back soon for another special occasion!

    Inside

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    9 days ago

    Great dinner Great atmosphere will definitely be back the service was awesome as well!

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    2 months ago

    Great food, good service. Great atmosphere. Great place for a date-night. Excellent wine and bar choices.

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    4 months ago

    Delicious unique food with the most beautiful decor in a restraint I've ever seen. You feel like you're at an upscale Chicago restaurant!

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    4 months ago

    Sooo adorable! The decor and ambiance is off the charts! We sat in the enclosed patio overlooking the river. Everything was amazing!

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - The Graceful Ordinary

    Is there any Gluten Free options?

    There's not a designated gluten free menu. I am gluten free but not celiac. They were able to make everything we ordered gluten free to accommodate my dietary needs.

    Are walk ins available?

    Yes, but location is still very popular and you'll probably have to wait for a while. I'd recommend making reservations. Or there are many other places in the area if you choose not to wait.

    Do you have valet parking available?

    Yes The parking lot behind the restaurant does have the option to valet

    Hi my friends and I (party of 13) were wondering if the check can be split 13 ways?

    Just have one friend pick up the tab and Venmo/Zelle them what each person owes. Much easier than having a busy server do the complicated splitting. And one friend gets to enjoy all those extra points on their CC

    View All 5 Questions

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    The Graceful Ordinary - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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