We have been wanting to try this place since last year's Christmas walk when they handed out great Hot Chocolate. Â Old downtown in a nice small city. Â Four of us went so we got to try four lunch dishes: Â Grilled Chicken salad, Pork belly Pastrami, fried oysters with crab cake, and pork tenderloin. Â We also tried the Corn Ice cream and Carmel Date Cake. Â Each dish is very unique and has it high points. Â All but the seafood was locally sourced from neighbor farms. Â Fresh chicken and pork (did not try a beef dish)
Great oysters and Crab cake for central IL.  The spice in the crab cake was very good and great balance between meaty and bread in the crab cake  The port belly pastrami was exceptional with great smoke flavor.  .  The chicken was very fresh with a nice smoked flavor and the grilled squash in the salad was wonderful.  The tenderloin had a good meat flavor with a good breading.  The breading did not overwhelm the meat. Â
Great dessert and coffee. Â
We will return as often as we can.
Love love love this place! Â We have been saying we are going to go here for about a year now! Â We are idiots for waiting this long! Â Great homemade onion rings, amazing smoked ribs and great beer selections! Â It is super small, which we love. Â They are a farm to fork type restaurant and you pretty much know where everything comes from. Â We will be back!
Review Source:Had the best breakfast here this past Saturday. Â Two words: Â HARVEST BENEDICT. Â If I'm on death row ever and get asked for my last meal request, this might be it!
The menu description of this amazing meal doesn't do it justice: 'Local farm eggs, zucchini cakes, kale, radish, hollandaise, home fries'.
The zuchini cakes take the place of the traditional English muffin. Â In addition to the description, mine had addition of some teensy, crispy baby green beans added into the kale/radish mix. Â
This was topped off with REALLY good coffee and super friendly service. Â The owner sent over a complimentary order of jam croissants (one of their side items) for us to try also - a nice treat. Â
They were divine but different from what you traditionally think of as a croissant. Â They were much heavier and had a lot of rich cream cheese taste mixed into the dough. Â Like fantastic little breakfast cheesecakes. Â Cheesecake disguised as breakfast? Â GENIUS! Â Highly recommend.
A hidden gem in Central Illinois! Farm to table at its local best.
My family and friends are regulars having enjoyed many meals at "The Harvest".
Breakfast, lunch or dinner, you will not be disappointed.
Try the Venison Tenderloins for breakfast!
Pastrami for lunch!
And my personal favorite for dinner, Ribs!!! (ask for Tasha to wait on you if she's working) Homemade Smore's for dessert... Mmmmm... with a cup of their awesome coffee.
There are only a couple other options in the Peoria area that raise the dining experience to this level.
Oh and did I mention they have great local music several nights a week?
They also have one of the best selection of world class craft beer on draught.
Make sure you check out Hometown Wine and Spirits which is right next door. Great selections and a very knowledgeable staff.
We stopped in for a quick bite, and place to change before a wedding. This was the first place to pop up in our map for a few miles so we ventured to check it out, and I'm very glad we did. The staff was beyond polite and made us feel welcome. They made adjustments for allergies and the food was great. Well worth the trip!
Review Source:Everytime I go here it gets better and better. Sunday brunch is also a real treat. I've enjoyed many bottles of wine from the place next store. Try the pizza's, the desserts, the chicken and steak. Everything has been fantastic. All of the chicken dishes use local, organic chicken. Most of the vegetables and fruit are seasonal, local and organic too. Service? Spot on. I love this place.
Review Source:The food was excellent- the noise level with live music in such a small venue overpowering. The server went AWOL and much of our service was from the water girl and the manager. Pricey for a ribeye entree (about $30). All in all dinner for 2 with drinks and appetizer $108 not including tip. MAY try again as the manager was exceptional but needs to invest in better trained staff as at these prices one should expect A+ service!
Review Source:Our 3rd time here and we hope to make it a monthly routine. We are always greeted in a friendly manner. Live music on the nights we've been there. Their "Craft Draft" beer selection rotates frequently and has been top notch. Love seeing the local farms they use for food source listed on the menu. Go here and eat!
Review Source:As vegan's that try to seek out organic and locally grown when possible, we find it hard to find a place that meets our dietary needs. Â Time and time again we find the Harvest Cafe exceeds our expectations. Â We let them know ahead of time that we are coming and they gladly prepare something scrumptious! Â
An added bonus is the fact that the staff goes above and beyond with customer service. Â Last but not least, the prices are very reasonable. Â Well worth the drive!
The steak was well seasoned and cooked to a nice medium rare. Â The potato cake was nicely seasoned. Â Nice friendly service. Â A big group started coming in, shortly after I sat down which made the restaurant a bit cool every time the door opened. Â If it is cold out be prepared for cool blasts of air when the door opens.
Review Source:Deliciosity in the middle of a cornfield in Delavan, IL (pop. 240). The visual impact and decor alone told me that the food would be good (I was right). Â I'm a foodie, I'm naturally picky (some would say critical), I'm a NYer, and I've not been thrilled with the culinary experiences I've had in central IL. Â Harvest Cafe stands out. Â It doesn't belong here in this tiny town, but thankfully, it is here. And the food is good enough that despite the confederate flags flapping in the breeze just around the corner (not affiliated with Harvest Cafe), I shall return. Â Â
I went for Sunday brunch. Â The service was excellent and though I'm not normally a big fan of sausage and biscuits, I couldn't resist the temptation of locally sourced lamb sausage. Â Good call on my part. Â The chorizo hash was also fantastic. Â Portions were pretty big and despite wanting to try everything on the menu, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all. Â So, a return trip is warranted.
We stopped here on our way from St Louis to Chicago, being greatly amused by the concept of a fancy restaurant in a tiny town.
Both the watermelon cocktail and cheese plate I had were quite good. They didn't have any veggie entrees on the menu so I had the server ask the chef about this. She came back with news of the "really great mushrooms" that he would turn into a pasta dish for me for $18. I thought that seemed pricey for a veggie pasta, but decided to go for it.
Well, I was blown away. Oversized ribbons of fresh tagliatelle were perfectly cooked and seasoned in a wonderfully light yet incredibly flavorful butter and lemon sauce, adorned with a huge hen of the woods mushroom with the kind of substantial meaty bite I've only known in trumpet mushrooms. Added to the mix were pine nuts, kale, garlic, onion, and FLASH-FRIED SPINACH. Seriously, WHAT? What kind of MADMAN spins up the deep fryer to make a friggin delicacy like flash-fried spinach as an unannounced mix-in for an off-menu vegetarian dish??
We finished with a s'mores-inspired dish with chocolate ice cream, toasted marshmallows and homemade graham crackers. It was excellent.
One of the most delicious meals I've had all year. Can't wait for an excuse to go back!
We always make a reservation and almost always get a booth (even though we don't ask for one). The one time we didn't get a booth, the hostess asked if a table was okay, so in their eyes I'm thinking that a reservation=booth. Often they have live music--once they had a classical guitarist and a flamenco dancer...in DELAVAN!
But on to the food! Oh, the food! We've been here for Sunday brunch and dinner and have always been very pleased. Their lamb sausage gravy and biscuits is so delicious that it is on my 'last meal' list. The only thing about going on Sundays is that Delavan is dry, so there is no chance for a mimosa or Bloody Mary. The food makes is worth while though.
For dinner, give yourself enough time to stop in at the wine/liquor tasting room next door. They have an impressive collection of spirits from all over, not just locally. If you purchase wine for your dinner at HC, they waive the corking fee.
At our most recent visit to HC, we shared a lobster/squash appetizer. It was a combination I would have never thought of, but it was delicious. The fried green tomato salad was crunchy, tangy goodness. I highly recommend any of their pizzas. The Midwestern is excellent...prosciutto, peaches (yep), mozzarella and gorgonzola. Man, was that good.
Service is excellent, decor is great. All around great place that you would never expect to experience in Delavan, but makes you appreciate it all the more.
Went for lunch on a Sunday all the way from Chicago because our favorite spot in Bloomington is closed on Sunday. The food was great as always, but the waiter seemed very disinterested and immediately had a bad attitude. They also was short staffed. Waiting for refills and forgetting food and drinks made the experience less memorable.
Review Source:As we entered we saw a booth empty, a table for 6 empty and another table for 8 or so with a sign that said "reserved". Â After telling the hostess that we did not have reservations, we stood for about 10 minutes. Then we waited for another 15 at the bar. It was Father's Day, and they seemed a bit short-handed on the wait staff.
After we were seated in a booth, one of the empty tables for 6 was then turned into a table for 2 and a table for 4. A couple was then seated at the table for 4. Â Not sure why were were left standing for so long. Weird.
The food however made up for all of the unwelcoming feelings that we received when we first walked in as we seemed penalized for not having a reservation. Â
Our waitress asked if we looked at the menu while sitting at the bar. I said that we were not offered menus. She apologized. Â
The menu is fantastic and ingredients are from local farms. The place is probably perfect-sized on any other day. Avoid going there on Mother's/Father's Day and you should be OK, or make sure to make a reservation!!!
I would return to give them another try. Â The coffee was good. My Breakfast strata was excellent and perfectly seasoned. The greens next to it were well dressed. My husband had the pork pastrami sandwich with fries and a bowl of onion soup. Also excellent.
I live in Michigan and every time I come to visit I look forward to having a meal here. The last time I was here I had one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life-tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked for me "blue rare". I always take care to explain to the server how I would like my steak and if I'm ever told they are unable to cook it that way; I either order an other entree or order with the understanding it will not be cooked exactly as I would like, as is the case with some thin cuts of meat. So tonight when I received my steak and cut into it with great anticipation I was very disappointed to find it was unevenly cooked with one end was barely rare and the other end was much more cooked to a medium rare/medium level. I explained to the waiter my problem and he took the steak back to the kitchen. Well the entire table was rather stunned when he returned with the same piece of meat and informed me the chef stated "I don't know how I could cook a steak any more rare than that".
Maybe my thoughts of customer service are outdated, but I was very disappointed by this response. Coming to enjoy a meal here was one my favorite things during visits to my family, but now I don't know that I will ever return again. Â Also 2 people whom ate the hamburger had severe abdominal distress including vomiting.
I came to Delavan to visit my sister and brother in-law, never in my wildest dreams would I have thougt that there would be a place of this caliber in such a small town.
They took me here for dinner first and then my sister and I came back for breakfast the next morning. Both times the food was delicious and the prices are unbeatable. I did feel that the food took longer than most restaurants to come out of the kitchen but we werent in a rush and it was obvious that they make most of their food fresh from scratch so I didn't mind.
If you are in the area you must come here! My sister told me that their lunch is great too, I will have to try it on my next visit.
Oh dear. Â I had intended to visit Harvest Cafe back in January, but due to my own fault, I got the directions wrong, and ran out of time before I had to get to a meeting in Springfield. Â So, when my travels brought me back to this area this weekend, I was so excited to finally visit Harvest Cafe. Â This place came highly recommended by several people whom I like and whose opinions I respect. Â That, coupled with the awesome menu I viewed online, had me salivating as I neared the restaurant. Â
Sadly, this was one very disappointing breakfast. Â To get a good feel for their food, I ordered the biscuit with lamb sausage cream gravy, and the crab cake benedict, all for myself. Â Beignets have been added as a comp lagniappe "amuse." Â Now for the review:
Pros: Â 1) the restaurant is very attractive, with dark wood furniture, and large windows in the front to bring in the morning light. Â 2) Â the staff are friendly and excellent, offering coffee refills, and expediting my order when I explained I had time constraints, and packing up the leftovers for me to take with me. Â 3) Â the coffee is delicious. Â 4) Â the food is largely locally sourced. Â 5) Â the lamb sausage gravy was immensely flavorful, and well prepared. Â 6. Â the home fries served with the benedict were crispy and tasty, though they needed a bit more salt. Â 7. Â portion size was very impressively generous, enough to satisfy the heartiest appetite.
Neutral: Â 1) Â the poached eggs were slightly undercooked; I love runny yolks, but I like my whites a bit more cooked; they were also a bit watery, as if they weren't dried on a towel before being placed on the crab cakes. Â 2) Â the crab cakes, while full of crab, smelled and tasted a bit "fishy" in an "off" way; don't get me wrong, as I love seafood, especially fishy-tasting seafood, but this seemed just a bit old, and I did have some gastrointestinal distress later in the day, but that could have been tied to my salad and quiche at lunch.
Cons:  1)  the beignets, while crispy on the outside, were raw on the inside, a sign that the oil in which they were cooked was too hot.  2)  the biscuit that came with the excellent gravy, while homemade, was as hard and dense as a bad scone.  3)  cold plates!  I sampled everything as soon as it came out of the kitchen and was placed on my table, and the cold plates had already caused the home fries and the crab cakes to become lukewarm; the same  happened with the gravy that tasted good, but was barely warm.  This one flaw had a ripple effect that really ruined the meal.  I like my food hot, or at least very warm (and it was brought right out from the kitchen, so it isn't the serving staff's fault.
Because of the strong recommendations, I may return again, but right now, I just have a bad taste in my mouth. Â It is possible that my explanation of time constraints caused the kitchen to cut corners, but I had 45 minutes for breakfast, so I don't think that my time constraint is a good excuse. Â I was also the first person in the restaurant that morning, but that shouldn't be an excuse, either. Â The Harvest Cafe has potential, but also has enough technical flaws to make me hope they get their act together before I visit again.
Ok. Â I went there last fall with my college age daughter and husband. Â The steak sandwich with bleu cheese was amazing. Â My daughter's lunch was very good, too. Â My husband's burger was yummy. Â The hitch was the coffee we ordered after the meal. Â Both coffee cups had lipstick on the edges. Â Not a deal breaker as the rest of the meal was pretty terrific. Â
So why the two stars? Â I went there today with my mother. Â I had talked it up quite a bit and she wanted to see for herself. We arrived @ 12:15. Â Probably six tables were occupied; so not very busy. Â I ordered the steak sandwich again. Â The waitress came back a few minutes later and said they were out of steak. Â hmmmm. Â I ordered the fish n chips as it was Friday and that sounded good. Â My mom ordered a hamburger. Â The order came after quite a wait. Â That surprised us as it wasn't busy at all. Â The fries on my plate looked like they were from the bottom of the basket. Â Ok. Â The fish was good. Â
We thought we'd treat ourselves to dessert.  They only have about four items on the dessert menu and they all sounded great.  Mom wanted the pumpin cake with ice cream.  I ordered the banana with ice cream as the waitress really talked this one up.  She came back to the table with the news that the pumpkin cake was not available.  hmmm.  Well, let's just split the banana dessert!  Couple minutes later she returns to say that actually, the pumpkin cake is in, the banana dessert is out.  Let's  just get the check and go, we don't need dessert anyway!
How can they be "out of" any menu items at the start of the lunch hour? Â I have no idea what was going on there today, but with all those factors, I won't be back. Â It was frustrating to say the least. Â Sorry Harvest Cafe.
Have made the drive out to Harvest Cafe twice from Peoria; it is definitely worth it. We went once for breakfast and the other time for dinner. I liked breakfast better (I had the Chorizo Hash), but my fried chicken dinner was also good. I think I hadn't had fried chicken in so long, I had too high expectations. My girlfriend had the pizza for dinner. She liked it, but we are are still comparing midwest pizza to NYC pizza. It seems like it should be simple to replicate, but we are still searching.
Get out of Peoria, get out of East Peoria, leave Morton, escape Washington, get to Delavan.
Very nice restaurant and great food. Â We purchased wine in the shop next door, as they had some of our favorites. Â The Harvest Cafe does not charge a corkage fee, and we were sure to tip the server for her added work. Â The salads were nice and fresh, and lemon poppyseed ranch was very good. Â Bread was great and stretchy! Â I had the skate, which was excellent. Â Husband had the fried chicken, which he said was very good. Â It came with a serving of midwesternized black beans...which means sweet. Â Friends had the duck pasta, but said it was too smoky tasting. Â We had the smores and bread pudding desserts and both were excellent. Â The only think that kept me from checking the fifth star was the smoky duck pasta. Â It's worth the drive to Delavan! Â Be sure to make a reservation on a weekend night, as it was almost full.
Review Source:A select menu executed very well: this is a strength of The Harvest Cafe, in Delavan. My wife and I have eaten here several times. The chef uses sous-vide for most of the items on the menu, resulting in supremely tender meat, poultry, and fish.
The menu changes somewhat, seasonally. If you can get it, the boar tenderloin is not to be missed. Â When they feature it, the trout is especially delicious. Don't be afraid of the pork belly: it's worth enjoying again and again--when they have it.
The ribs are nicely done, though I am not a fan of the sauce that comes on the plate. I have found that the chef has a tendency to slightly overcook the sirloin steak, yet it still comes out very tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. Â The side dishes are also quite good.
Pass by the smoked tomato soup--much, much too smoky! The onion soup (when they have it) is an intriguing delight.
It can become quite noisy in the restaurant when the full dinner crowd is there: not a restaurant then for quiet conversation!
The lunch menu is also very good, featuring a juicy, thick hamburger and a very good steak sandwich. The brisket sandwich is unusual--I enjoyed it except for the giardinera vegetables, which don't quite work for me. Â The French fries get better each time we eat there. Â The fish and chips on the menu currently is very good.
The one thing we'd like to see improved is the speed of getting dishes out of the kitchen. Twice when we have been there for a lunch, the kitchen was v-e-r-y slow, even though the first time we were nearly the only diners there!
The Harvest Cafe is open Wed-Sat for lunch and dinner. They serve breakfast weekend mornings. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for Fri. or Sat.
My hubby and I went here for breakfast on Sunday and loved it! I am very impressed!! I love the atmosphere here and the music they played as the background. One of the main things I love however about this place is their use of local ingredients!
I had the eggs benedict (love!!) w/ home fries. I loved the home fries--very tasty! I also had their coffee which I thought was great. My husband had the sampler breakfast w/ eggs, bacon, home fries, and pancakes. He loved it! We also shared a biscuit w/ honey.
I will definitely be back to try their lunch and dinner, as well as breakfast again. LOVE!
Yummy yummy yummy, I got love in my tummy! :)
And I must say, I got a lot of love for Harvest Cafe!
My whole dining experience was top notch! First impressions were wonderful. My boyfriend and I were warmly greeted by a friendly host as soon as we stepped in. The restaurant had a great energy, filled with families, couples on dates, and friends enjoying the night. Not only did I enjoy the social atmosphere, the interior was delightful and was actually a surprise to me. Compared to the outside, a very old Mayberry type street, the inside was quite modern. I'm no interior designer but I thought it was a nice mix between modern and rustic. Very cool.
Now, for my favorite part of my of the night: THE FOOD!
I had a glass of pino grigio and it came with a tiny decanter! That was such a great idea because it allowed my wine to breathe before my entree. But that didn't stop me from pouring a little in my wine glass and sipping it throughout the appetizer. haha.
We had the Calamari, Sausage, and Gnocchi to start. Everything was delicious. I've never had gnocchi before but from what I read, it was exactly what it was suppose to taste like- light and flavorful! For my entree, I had the duck pasta and it was heavenly! Like, cue the choir and shine a beam of light on it, heavenly! Another great surprise were the pickled grapes in the dish! OMG, they were amazing and I wish had one every bite! It just worked so well with the duck and pesto sauce. So, needless to say, I highly recommend this plate!
Overall, I loved it! Five-Stars all the way. Amazing food without the pretentiousness. What else can you ask for? Â I cannot wait to try their breakfast and lunch. This is definitely my new favorite place in central Illinois!
Having heard good things, we drove over an hour to visit the Harvest Cafe. I'm happy to say that both the food and the service were definitely worth the drive. The lunch menu is not what I would call extensive, offering about 8 sandwiches, 6 pizzas, 2 soups, and if I recall correctly 3 salads. However, every thing we ate was fabulous. I ordered the steak sandwich. It came on a pretzel roll with onions and mushrooms that were caramelized. The sandwich literally melted in my mouth. The hand cut french fries that came with the sandwich were perfectly seasoned. I am typically not a french fry eater, but I could not stop eating these fries.
My husband ordered the fried egg sandwich. To hear the name of this sandwich does it an injustice. Home made bread, topped with fresh greens, home made bacon, and two perfectly prepared farm fresh eggs. A dollop of soft cheese that was a perfect accompaniment to the sandwich. Once again, fried egg sandwiches are not my thing, but this one could make me a convert. Â This lunch also came with the fabulous fries. We actually wondered if the catsup might not have been home made as well.
Our meal with drinks was around $20.00 which could sound high for lunch, but, as foodies, Â we both agreed that we've not had as good a lunch anywhere in Peoria or Bloomington.
Good, slightly foofy breakfast. I had the french toast which came topped with whipped marscapone and a little container of syrup and was a bargain at $5.99 Â I also had part of a carmel roll with pistachios. Both of the items were very good and we'll be back for lunch or dinner! Service was also very good.
Review Source:Absolutely fabulous!! Â My hubby & I thoroughly enjoyed the Harvest Cafe for breakfast. Â We split a carmel pistachio roll - so warm and ooey-gooey. Â I had the eggs benedict with home fries. Â Prepared and served perfectly! Â It was a large portion too - I couldn't finish. Â My husband had the biscuit and lamb sausage gravy. Â It had to have been the largest biscuit I've ever seen. Â He thought the sausage was a tad salty, but I thought it was perfect. Â
Service and atmosphere was great! Â Our meal with tip was under $25. Â Only bummer is that it is about an hour's drive for us. Â We'll definitely be back though - it's worth it!!
My husband and I and another couple met up to have breakfast. Â (They also have lunch and dinner). Â This was our first time, but our friend chatted it up that we had to make the drive. Â We are from Peoria, so our drive was around 40 minutes. Â I had the mushroom omlette witj a side of home fries. Â The home fries are fantastic! Next time I'm getting the French toast my friend had :)
Review Source:This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in the area. It is worth the trip out to Delavan to eat here. Everything on the menu is great, and for as nice of a place as it is, they prices are really great. Even the hamburger here is mind blowing and it is actually cheaper than a chain restaurant burger.
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