Niko's Lodge

We sat on the patio and two tables were smoking. My wife 'very' politely asked them to stop since it's not allowed in IL and we had an infant. A guy at one table insulted my wife for asking. I told the manager that the guy was smoking and that he insulted my wife and the manager went right over to that table...and comped them an appetizer saying he's sorry for the trouble!

Completely unbelievable, insulting, and stupid. We called him out on it and he showed no remorse, just trying to keep them happy he said. We got up and left before our meals came. We found the owner and he comped us a meal inside. A nice gesture but I still wanted to leave.  My wife convinced me to take the offer. The food was terrible. My pasta was sopping with olive oil and tasted of jarred garlic. I ate only a few bites and couldn't stomach any more. My wife's burger looked like a previously frozen, plastic-looking, manufactured burger patty and wasn't appetizing in appearance at all.  Hard to explain, it looked sterile. We will never be eating there again.

Groupon had a deal so I decided to give Niko's a shot. We went on a Monday night and were seated immediately. The lodge atmosphere was nice and had a classier feel than what I first expected. Also, based on Yelp reviews I really wasn't expecting much except for a fun s'more time for my daughter.

Our server was very prompt and informed and I would score service decently high based on a single experience. When it comes to food, the bread was nothing special but was warm and tasty. The salad  was surprisingly fresh and crisp and my opinion started to change. Also, my daughter ordered the chicken and we had it come out immediately so she could get started. I'll say the chicken is delicious and roasted in an open rotisserie located in the restaurant. Since it appears on the menu so frequently, it was good to know that Niko's could nail their signature dish. I ordered the chicken and bacon macaroni for my entree and was surprised at the giant portion that came out. I was, however, surprised at how lacking in flavor it was. I realize there are a thousand takes on how macaroni and cheese should taste with a variety of sauces, seasonings, and toppings, but this dish was just plain bland. It was highlighted by the pieces if chicken but wasn't nearly enough to make it sustainable. Also, the breadcrumbs were clearly burnt and that was very disappointing. Definitely a quantity over quality entree.

I'll say one thing about the s'mores, it is a really fun idea and they offer a few different options for roasting the marshmallows. My two complaints are, not enough trash cans to dispose of bags and sticks, and location of the wood burning fires. Both wood fires are located on the front sidewalk, right next to the parking lot. I realize they may not have had a lot of options, but basically standing in a parking lot roasting marshmallows lost its charm pretty quickly.

My wife and I went here for our second visit, the first time is when they first opened. It was ok. about 6 months later we went back. it was  about 9:00 pm. Dinner was in service and we asked if we were too late for a seat. a server walking by said not at all. she sat us in her section, she said she would be right with us..... after about 10 minutes we began to look around and we saw our server talking with her manager (not sure what it was about) we gave it a couple more minutes .... nothing..... we left.....