I have been wanting to try The Little Gem since Thursday night out when I tried their Wagu Sliders and Fish & Chips. We visited to celebrate a birthday on a Saturday night with a reservation and were seated by the window to our delight. The ambiance in the restaurant is so cozy and rustic, a wonderful vibe. We were first brought Garlic Pesto Bread that was still warm and delicious. Later we ordered drinks and appetizers. Both the Honey Whipped Goat Cheese and Beet Salad were phenomenal and so unique. For entrees we ordered the Beef Tartare, Caesar Salad with Blackened Salmon (an added request), Italian Sausage Orecchiette, and Braised Beef Short Ribs. Absolutely nothing disappointed and everything our waitress Lauren recommended was spot on. She is a rockstar! For dessert we ordered two chocolate mousses, and Crème Brûlée to share. The perfect way to end our night. This is a great upscale date spot or place to celebrate as it is on the pricier side, but we could not have been happier with our food, service, and overall experience. read more

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I been here twice; one time for breakfast then dinner. Both times the experience was amazing. The Eggs Benedict are one of the best I had. It is a very cute restaurant. I would also recommend getting the Fig and Honey Brie Crostinis. read more

The Little Gem Cafe - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

We had a special brunch/lunch here as a group this summer. While we were seated quickly and had no issues with our reservation, service left much to be desired. We had children with us and asked for their menu items to come as fast as they could. However, the server was extremely short with us and didn't even bring drinks quickly. While the restaurant was not very busy, it too a very long time to get our food - especially one in our group who didn't get food until almost everyone else was done. The food itself was ok, but I would say that nothing was exceptional - somewhat bland entrees and lacking originality. Could be what we ordered...as I know many people find the food here to be quite good. The prices are reasonable for the area but I was disappointed with the general unfriendly service and time to receive food. I've been here previously and we had a somewhat lackluster meal that time also. The previous time, they were pleasant enough but food was only ok - entrees were not very hot when we received them. All in all, there are friendlier spots in the area. read more

Great place for drinks and dinner. It was a perfect evening to sit outside. The drinks were made perfect and lots of options on the menu. We weren't very hungry and just wanted to share something so ordered the mixed seafood salad. The portion was fairly small so wouldn't consider it an entree salad. I've been here before with my husband and we ordered entrees and everything was very good. Service is friendly and prompt. I definitely recommend! read more

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My husband and I went to this delightful restaurant to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Right away, we were greeted with complimentary champagne to celebrate and we were promised complimentary dessert after the meal. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and our server was incredibly attentive and personable. The ambiance was romantic and homey. This is indeed a little gem! Don't miss out on this wonderful experience! read more

Ok experience. We were seated in the bar area and there was a funky musty smell that was borderline unpleasant. The server didn't know the menu as we would have expected and attempted to remove plates when we were clearly still eating. Not the best services Food was ok but for shrimp risotto that wasn't awesome, a shared house salad and 2 glasses of wine for $80 before tip? There are so many other amazing restaurants for same price or even less. I won't be rushing to return. read more

Went for Mother's Day prefix brunch and it was literally laughable at what I was served. The 2 adults and 2 children were over $300 and the food we were served was at best OKAY. We had deviled eggs which turned out to be 1 egg filled with mayo to the brim i couldn't even stomach it and I love deviled eggs. Next course was a Caesar salad that had wilted lettuce, steak and eggs course was okay but my meat was over cooked. You did get a mimosa and we had a few additional drinks but for the four of us for brunch it was ridiculously overpriced for what they served. The service wasn't great either but she was clearly new so I'll give her some grace but not clearing plates and it was also just super slow with how dead the space was. Anyways it was a great Mother's Day other than the brunch and thankfully we just laughed thru it but we def won't be back to this place. read more

They run special deals, which we used to have dinner. My son had the steak, which was more expensive than the deal, but I had the fish, which the al carte pricing was less than the deal. My server realized this and offered a $25 gift card. When I wanted to dine and use it, the rude owner said "I can't help you." And hung up on me. read more

Not sure how we came across Gem, don't remember if it was a recommendation or not. But whatever the reason, I am glad we discovered this place if only for the Fig & Honey Brie Crostini, ended up getting two orders of those (triple cream mascarpone and Black Mission Fig). We walked into a very cute and intimate space with exposed bricks and low lighting. We were seated immediately and our server was right on top of us to welcome us. I started with a bottle of Portell Cava Brut. Of course these folks had no idea who we were because the server brought over a stopper for the bottle...it did not get use :-) As I mentioned earlier, we started with the Fig & Honey Brie Crostini. This was a lovely combination of savory and sweet and did not last long, hence the second order. For dinner we all went for the Braised Boneless Short Ribs (creamy polenta, crispy onions, Brussel sprouts) and the Gouda Stuffed Pork Chop (green beans, crispy Yukon potato, chimichurri). Both of these dishes were excellent, with the flavors nicely blending together. The short rib meat was very tender to the point where you didn't really need a knife. The pork chop was interesting because in my mind's eye I could not imagine how the the gouda and chimichurri would work, but it did. We didn't do dessert because I had a cake I made waiting at home for us. But the meal was a very good one. Service was great and our server was checking in on us enough to see that we were ok, but not to the point of not letting us enjoy each other's company. We could come back here for a meal. I would like to check out their brunch menu to see it holds up...you know brunch is my favorite food group :-) read more

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My son and his girlfriend went to this place last night and he's very demanding when it comes to burgers!! Actually I could say with certainty that he's tried burgers in every continent! He told me that this place had really good burgers little expensive though.. Service was great Jeremy was great bartender, They really enjoyed the atmosphere the music was a bit too loud but the ambience was fun. Overall recommend go try their food and check them out! read more

Came here on a Saturday just before 5:00 and service was pretty bad. There were at least four waitstaff around but service was extremely slow and inattentive. At one point, we asked to be moved because the staff were just complaining about work only a few feet away from us. The food was good with good portion sizes. Calamari was my favorite. However, the prices are a bit too ambitious for what you get. Their dishes are not worth $30/plate. As an aside, they really need to clean their fan blades. Gross. read more

The Little Gem Cafe - So much caked up dust and germs right above our heads and plates. - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Great location amazing food and service. We were vacationing in Chicago looking for a great place to eat and have a drink and we are happy we found The Little Gem Cafe. When in Chicago, we will definitely come back. read more

Food outstanding , always on point!! Creative menu, beautiful presentation. Delicious' Small restaurant, spacious seating. Never feels crowded. Acoustic s can make it sound crowded.service excellent Fun price fixe menus. read more

The place was very good. We went for appetizers and drinks. Great service and atmosphere. Will definitely go back. read more

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Excellent in all aspects! Very friendly and attentive staff. Great for cocktails With a good wine selection.

If you're looking for a special place to have wonderful dinner, the Little Gem Cafe is a sure bet. The food, service, and ambiance are top-notch. We came from Detroit to spend the weekend in Chicago celebrating my husband's 80 birthday. On a friend's recommendation, we went to this restaurant. We were immediately seated as we had reservations. The warmth of the brick walls and lighting created an intimate setting. It had an old (in a nice way) and comfortable feel, which was perfect for our gathering. I ordered the paella, which I believe, was the best meal I've ever eaten. Carlos, our waiter, helped me pair it with a sparkling wine. It was perfection. After the meal, we enjoyed a delicious chocolate mousse and crème brûlée. Thank you, The Little Gem Cafe for making our celebration so memorable. A special thanks to Carlos whose warmth and kindness will not be forgotten. read more

The Little Gem Cafe - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Deafening beyond belief; what a waste to us each to drop $60 on a meal and leave with a pounding headache. Food was just okay; waiter was apathetic, parking at area garage not complimentary, menu so-so. Decor fabulous - and the reason I suggested coming here to my guests though I haven't been back in a decade, back when it was fabulous. Places like this don't seem to care that you have to scream to be heard across the table. Sad. read more

Something that I love more than finding a good happy hour- is discovering hidden gems wherever I go! The Little Gem Cafe is located in the Chicago/Oakpark area and is definitely a treasure in the neighborhood! I sat on the side that has live jazz and loved it! Even Connor loved it - that's his little hand, giving the thumbs up at the end of the video! Lol The food was so tasty and the service was great! Eats in the Sea Scallops Au Gratin - sooooo good! Fried Calamari- loved it! The breading was super light and crunchy Salmon Filet New Zealand Lamb Chops Orecchiette Pasta Everything was so good! Fun fact: Tuesday- Thursday, they have a date night special that comes with a 3 Course Dinner for 2 , with a Bottle of Wine! You choose 1 Appetizer and 1 Dessert, 2 Salads and 2 Entrees!!! Go check them out and tell 'em that Planes & Plates sent you!!! Enjoy! read more

The Little Gem Cafe - New Zealand Lamb Chops - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Smaller sized, dimly lit, dark wood, classy, nice little sidewalk patio. Service was cool and reserved, but attentive and sufficient. I ordered the petit filet mignon, medium. The outside had the perfect char and the inside was cooked perfectly and was super juicy. It was accompanied by herb butter and a red wine reduction. The side of broccoli was cooked just right--not soggy, but right between crunchy and tender. I also ordered an additional side, the whipped potatoes. They were smooth and buttery, though I prefer my potatoes with skin on and with more seasoning (this is just personal preference). I had a couple of cocktails--the basil mojito and their take on the Pimm's cup. Both were light and refreshing. Pretty reasonably priced at 12.00 each. They had several interesting martinis and a couple bourbon/whiskey drinks. The menu had several elevated, sophisticated dishes, such as salmon, braised short ribs on pasta made in-house, branzino, and more. I really waffled on the cavetelli pasta with short ribs vs the filet mignon--I may have to go back and try the former. Prices aren't cheap, but appropriate for this level of food. Two drinks, an extra side, and my entree was just over 86 dollars including tax, but not tip. This spot is near paid parking, lots of street parking, a short walk from the Frank Lloyd Wright home and Ernest Hemingway's birth home. They also have brunch and a date night menu. They have a bar next door that hosts live music sometimes. Could be a great brunch or dinner option while exploring the area. read more

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Love the ambiance, love the staff, love the live music!!!! So happy to have this GEM in my neighborhood!! read more

Ordered from the luncheon menu. The one on display outside was different than the one inside. Ordered a quiche. No taste. No cheese. Burned (not too brown) crust. Very poor, Also had a salad that came with. Lovely looking with a nice variety-- different cherry tomatoes and slices of different radishes. However, the dressing sucked. Just vinegar and oil--no seasoning, not even salt. What a lousy meal! It's so close to where I live, I could walk there anytime. But I won't! read more

Went there after our walking tour nearby. Very nice establishment. Attentive and helpful staff. Nice seasonal drink choices and even a special holiday menu. The stacked eggplant appetizer was very good, we recommend it! read more

Little Gem on Marion has always been a favorite of mine and I've been meaning to get there for a few months. When I read that Judith had brought in a new Chef I knew I needed to pay them a visit, so I took myself to lunch today. It was the right decision! First, my favorite server, Kyle was handling the entire room and did a great job. He is welcoming, personable and professional, and highly efficient. Everything I look for in a server. Based on my today's experiece I can't say enough about the culinary skills of Chef Stas. I ordered the salmon fillet which was served to perfection. The presentaion was crisp and impressive. The fillet was perfectly cooked with a beautifully thin golden crust on the outside but moist and flaky on the inside, served on a bed of wonderfully seasoned chopped corn, asparagus, peas, and zuchinni. So yummy! Thak you Judith and your team for creating an amazing dining experience. Your efforts are appreciated and never disappoint! read more

This is one of the family favorites. It's super hard to get all four of us to enjoy the same place, but Little Gem delivers time after time. The girls love the soups and the pasta with pesto and sausage, but they LIVE for the pretzel skillet cookie. That is one of the best desserts we have ever had - anywhere. They make a great cocktail - whether their own or one on request. I've tried at least six different entrees and never had a bad one. I have a lot of issues with many restaurants in terms of the usual offerings and usually end up with a max of maybe 2-3 things I can actually eat, but here not so! I hope they stay around forever! read more

All I can say is... I definitely must go again for the food, service & ambiance. Great live music. see you soon! We'll bring some friends.

You can take this review however you like. I don't write reviews to disrespect anyone's establishment, but when I write a review and then receive a nasty, unwelcoming response from the manager, I feel like i should say something. I started going through the reviews for this restaurant and I noticed a pattern. The current manager, Judith L. Only responds to black people reviews with irritation or disgust, while praising and welcoming back other people despite their review. Other reviews, which also gave less stars than mine, were much more negative than mine. I attached some pictures and again you guys can determine for yourself but I advise you to look through the reviews yourself. A black woman shared her opinion of the food and Judith wasn't nice and apologetic about her experience. Meanwhile there are several 1 and 2 star reviews from non-black people complaining about the music, the food, the service, and the prices. Some even said they would t be back. Did Judith respond with attitude or snarky, sarcastic comments? Absolutely not! She welcomed them back, thanked them for coming, apologized for their experience, and told them to contact her personally to fix any problems. I agree with the other review about not feeling welcomed. Not from the staff. The people who waited on us where pleasant, but after receiving Judith's response, I KNOW I'm not welcome. Again, take this how you like. I write dozens of reviews and I never made anything about race. However, I do recognize a pattern. So, Judith should be happy to know that I won't be back and neither of us have to deal with the other. read more

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We stopped by for brunch and absolutely loved it! The cafe is charming and quaint and we received excellent and attentive service from Mariia. We sipped on glasses of cava and their signature little gem martini. We dined on the smoked salmon benedict that was amazing! Surprisingly, the chilaquiles were also amazing! I will definitely be back for more fine foods. read more

We dined at Little Gem Cafe with friends. It is a nice relaxed restaurant with good food and the service was also pleasant. I thought it was a bit strange that they really seem to push and indicated on the bill that tips be in cash. It is a nice place to go with friends and have a leisurely paced meal with time for conversation. read more

Went here for lunch. Our waiter was amazing and very attentive. The restaurant is beautifully designed. Now the food is absolutely amazing!!!! I had the sliced prime rib sandwich with the truffle fries and it was perfection!!!! read more

Was lovely 4 years ago . Disappointing! Food , service , loud live music! Can't enjoy conversation nor bartender can hear what are we ordering. Voodoo decor , stinky smell . Muscles had nothing inside , few of them were like dry raisins , broken no broth . Save your money and go somewhere alse . This is very honest review. read more

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On our date night we visited The Little Gem Cafe. Let's start with the pros..... The decor was eclectic and gave the place a very romantic aesthetic. They also offer outdoor dining which would have been perfect for the warm indian summer evening. But since our reservation was for live music, we were seated in the sister restaurant next door....I will get to this in more detail in a bit....The music was smooth jazz and the musician was very good. He even spent some time walking around and socializing we everyone. I really enjoyed that. It was a very nice touch. Now the cons.....Like I mentioned, we were seated in the sister restaurant, which was next door, called Encore. This is where the live music is performed. This appeared to cause some confusion for patrons, including us. The setting was intimate, that is to say it was small and seating was limited. We arrive early, so we had out choice of seating, although the hostess was trying to seat us at the bar. Although we didn't know it at the time, we opted to set next to were the musician would be performing. We had ideal seating for the show. Although our waiter was attentive initially, they appeared to be understaffed and not equipped to deal with the crowd. We ordered everything at once and he cleared the excess dishes away at the end. I'm thankful we were sitting at a larger table. We were able to clear the used dishes to the other side of the table. I will admit, he made sure our water glasses were never empty but he only came to check on us once after we initally ordered. We were there for 2 and half hours. The food was less than desirable. We started with the calamari. It was excellent, although I didn't understand why they put the sauce underneath it, instead of on the side. We just asked for sauce on the side. Next drinks, I had an old fashioned and my wife had a margarita. The drinks weren't mixed well and we didn't enjoy the drinks. For entrees, my wife had the salmon. It wasn't seasoned and overcooked. I had the lamb chops. They couldv'e been seasoned more and I don't prefer my food to be covered in gravy but the gravy provided more flavor.....Side note, the lamb chops tasted better than they looked on the plate. The experience overall was just ok. The live music and the available street parking save the evening from being terrible. read more

Decided to check out Lilttle Gem Cafe in Oak Park. Reserved a table for 2. We were seated right away... and to our surprise, they had live music playing soulful blues... this was AMAZING!!! We had a couple of cocktails... they were great! The food was top notch, and the service was outstanding. The ambiance was romantic with the low lights and intimate setting. Then, the live music began. It had us bobbing our heads and singing along. Thus was such a great experience... oh, and we even got a free dessert for checking in on Yelp. I completely recommend the Little Gem to all. This place will not disappoint. read more

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Noise level dampens/overwhelms the charming ambience. Chose mussels w grilled sourdough bread and was very disappointed w small portion and lack of flavor. Three in our party, yet restaurant automatically included an 18% gratuity, something generally applied to a party of six. Easy to overlook that automatic gratuity as the bill also includes a +tip line. Disturbed by that unexpected gratuity and leaving an additional 20% tip to a rather disengaged waiter. read more

Very delightful little place for lunch Service was very sufficient. Will definitely try again.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Appetizers were delicious, ordered mussels and burrata. The mains we ordered were sea bass, the half chicken, gouda stuffed pork chop, and short ribs. Everyone practically licked their plates clean. Drinks were fabulous as well. I had the Pimms Royal, hubs had Viognier. For dessert (thanks for the free dessert, Yelp!) we ordered creme brulee and were not disappointed. The BEST part was the live music. Lovely folk-y jazz. I will definitely return! This is a great date place or terrific for a double date, which is what we came for! read more

The Little Gem Cafe - Interior of Encore, the dining room with the live music! - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Food was excellent and service was very good. A little on the pricey but worth. Parking and traffic difficult read more

Unfortunately I wouldn't really consider this a gem at all. We made reservations here for dinner one evening. We showed up and they were turning away people who also had reservations. They told us that they could seat us next door at their sister restaurant instead, but that there would be live music. We were with elderly family members and asked what kind of live music this would be. The hostess didn't know, so we said we'd wait for our table in the main restaurant to be ready. Even though she had offered this as an option, she continued to pressure us to move to the sister restaurant instead. We relented and went to the sister restaurant, where there was a private party happening-- not live music, after all. We were told the private party would be emptying out soon but we could sit at a table next to the group of about 30 people milling around and chatting until that happened. We were hungry and believed them! But the party took about an hour after that to empty out. It was pretty weird to be having a sit-down dining experience while these people thought they had reserved the entire restaurant (our waitress let us know that there had been a miscommunication about this). I ordered brussels sprouts and PEI mussels. The brussels sprouts were delicious, and a generous portion. But the mussels came out very cold in a creamy sauce. It was not great, but we didn't have many other options for dinner at this point. With our Yelp check-in, we had an offer for a free dessert. The waitress offered us chocolate mousse and we accepted. It took another twenty minutes to come out, after a pretty slow dinner overall. We had other negative encounters with this restaurant as well, that all seemed connected to the same basic issue of poor communication, bad management/planning and overworked staff. If the food was great, we'd give it another shot, but it wasn't worth the wait and uncomfortable interactions. read more

Small neighborhood restaurant. Waitstaff were attentive. The menu is seasonal. A good option for lunch near the Frank Lloyd Wright home. read more

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Posting this review after two glasses of Chardonnay that accompanied my Excellent takeout branzino - so bear with me. First of all I had this meal in house a few days ago, and loved it so much I stopped in Oak Park (the mecca!) to have it again via takeout. I ordered, the lovely smiling hostess told me it would be ready in about 20 minutes. I decided to walk and shop in Oak Park. which I clearly LOVE! Came back 40 ish minutes later, picked up my order from the still lovely hostess, fearing I had ruined it cause it would be cold and not reheat well. Let me say... a smile and pleasant greeting to a single black woman picking up takeout or eating alone, can mean the world - totally different story at Picolo Sogno in the city...but that's for a different time. Anyway got my salad and branzino home and it has just been heaven on my little porch here! I didn't even bother to reheat and it was still delicious! The only problem - I've had this meal twice. What else can I try that will be just as good? read more

The Little Gem Cafe - New American Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Came in for the fixed price dinner ($95 for two) last week; tasty. The service was friendly and the space was nice too; we had to sit inside because all of the outdoor tables were full, but that just meant we had the indoor space to ourselves with some live music on a Thursday night. The food was only OK; in fact, we didn't take the leftovers from our meal, which almost never happens. The salad was probably the best thing I had, but the mix of steak and veggie risotto entrees were average. The fig and honey brie crostinis were also only OK; served warm, but the bread was really plain. Now, as a deal, I was OK with $60 per person (after tax and tip) for this meal, but nothing about the food was special. (We had a chocolate mousse for dessert, which wasn't bad.) Love having the chance at live music, but otherwise I'm glad I checked the box on this one. read more