The food was OK but the atmosphere - not so much.  I made a point of telling the waitress it was our anniversary - not because I was looking for a freebie but because I wanted her to know we picked her restaurant to celebrate.  No real response on this other than "enjoy your evening."  Our "romantic" dinner was drowned out by TVs, music and busboys singing loudly in the next room.  Probably best to go there with a group or girls/boys night out...not a couple's place, in my  opinion.
Review Source:My husband and I have been going on date night every Friday night for the past 3 years. Â We get around and we love trying new places. Â I passed by Rack House on the way home and decided to try it. Â Checked out the reviews and some were good so let's try it. Â Nice greeting at the front door ...place looks good inside so we are off to a good start. That's where the fun stopped for us. My waiter was not very interested in us....no smile, no conversation,blank stare. Â His personality was almost as dry as the ribs and chicken we were served. Â He was only half apologetic when I complained...saying he could see the "very burnt and dry" was somewhat charbroiled but most folks like their food. Â He said he would talk to his manager and then came back and said they would take 13.00 off of the bill. Â Management didn't even stop by to see how we were doing or what we were served. Â Looking at the burnt ribs probably were not high on his list of things to do but neither was paying 33.00 for a meal that we barely touched. Â The final insult of the evening was being told by the waiter that we didnt need to bother leaving a tip because the manager told him that he would be taken care of. Â REALLY???? Â In other words, we don't need your money and don't care about you returning because we take care of our own. Â My husband's stomach is now upset and i had to stop at Portillo's on the way home because I was still very hungry. Â I wonder if they would have served that to their family or friends. Â Probably not but lucky I wasn' t a food critic. Â I was just a customer that you didn't even bother to say "goodbye" or "thanks for coming" to on our way out. Â I work in the Hospitality Industry and was thinking of coming back for Mother's DayBrunch. Â I am a paying customer that oftentimes recommend the places we try out to other in my field. Â Most importantly, I am a human being and should have been treated as such. Â On the up note, the bar was jam packed so looks like the drinks were flowing quite well.
Review Source:This is a fun place. Â I'll certainly go back when I'm in town again. Incredible selection of on tap beer and cocktails. Â Even though we overwhelmed the waitress with first 4 then 8 and then eventually 15 people in our party, she had a great attitude and seemed to really enjoy her job. Â
The ribs and beef brisket are excellent. Â Their burgers and fish tacos looked great too. Â
Yankees however, cannot make good turnip greens. Â I regret giving them a chance.
Holy mixed reviews, Batman! Â
I have now been here twice for dinner, and I feel qualified as an "expert" on Rack House. Â (Ok, not really, but stay with me.)
The hostess was the same both times. Â She is bright, friendly, and a GREAT choice for the front of the house. Â We were greeted promptly and personally - no robotic quality - I felt like she cared that I was there. Â My first visit was on a quiet evening, so we were able to sit immediately. Â
My second visit was on a busy Friday night during a Hawks game.  The hostess let us  know that a booth was just about to leave, and that it would be cleaned and ready in a flash.  In less than 10 minutes, we were on our way to the table - when she thanked us for sticking around.  GREAT service there.
The menu is a good size - not too overwhelming, nor was it limiting. Â The waitstaff was professional, alert, and took a moment to talk about the food. Â I never felt swayed to order anything in particular, but I did feel like I was making an informed choice. Â
The BBQ meat is smoked for 24 hours or more. Â I know this is a flavor I do not care for, so I was able to avoid disappointment. Â Its not you, it's me. Â ;)
The cheese curds are 12 step program good, my burger was cooked right and flavorful, and my husband is loving the smoked BBQ meats. Â
I am happy to have a new place nearby that I can count on! Â Welcome Rack House, and best of luck for your success!
Stopped in last night on a whim.
The beer selection was good, and the other drinks on the menu looked OK, if a little pricey. They did have one of my favorite local craft brews on tap. The bar was pretty full, and noisy, especially for a Thursday evening at 5pm.
The food was unremarkable. Â My wife's chicken was nicely smoked, but the BBQ sauce was overly sweet and honey-tasting. Â The beans seemed to be undercooked. My sandwich (the Little Havana) wasn't bad, but not anything to write home about. Â The garlic mashed potatoes didn't have any garlic flavor. We both agreed that the cornbread was very good, probably the highlight of our meal.
They had a problem with their point of sale system while we were in (pro tip - don't unplug the master terminal), and a gentleman I presume to be the general manager took the opportunity to complain that the fireplace guy hasn't been returning his calls for two weeks and he was still waiting for patio furniture to be delivered and it was going to be in the 70s this weekend......
So, even though my first experience at Rack House Kitchen was not at all good, I decided to give them another chance. That was my mistake.
My boss and I went for lunch yesterday (4/16) and I ordered the Bahn Mi Sandwich (pork) with tater tots. When it arrived, I was surprised, as I was expecting the bread to be a toasted baguette of some sort- but it was on two slices of toasted white bread instead. Whatever, not a big deal. However, the pork itself was pounded so incredibly thin and was inedible, because it was so dry. I ended up just taking the pork off and making a veggie sandwich. I didn't send it back because we were on lunch break but I definitely won't be returning.
Ok if you are coming to the rack house with the thought that you will enjoy a nice sit down restaurant experience you will most likely be disappointed.
Based on my experience I would rather refer to the rack house as a watering hole with typical bar food (appetizers including fried cheese curds, burgers and the likes) and an expanded choice but also more expensive offerings of BBQ based entrees.
Overall the experience was OK. The target customer seemed to be more younger white males based on the "flirting" attitude of our waitress with neighboring tables.
Drinks were fine, burger was fine, beef brisket was just OK. Food was definitely on the greasy side. I would not make a detour to come back here. However they will have a beer garden in the back as soon as the weather warms up and that could become a cool place for happy hour and I may come back for that. Most likely won't be back for dinner through.
Decided to drive down to AH to try the new place. Â Arrived around 6:30, and had only a 15 min wait, but seems the tables were available earlier. Â The parking lot was pretty packed -- we got the last space. Â Both of us had the Carolina Pork. Â Very good, could have used a side of sauce. Â Had the sauteed spinach; hubbie had the mac and cheese. Â Spinach was really a treat - fresh and nicely prepared. Â Mac and cheese was a little dry. Â Coleslaw was good; cornbread could have been warmer, but flavor was good, and I especially liked the corn kernals in the bread. Â Each had a beer -- Stella and a 5 Rabbit. Â Both were good. Â Server was attentive. Â No issues, but it didn't blow our socks off. Â We'll come back to enjoy the night on the patio.
Review Source:Came here a few weeks ago and tried a few things. Â We went on a Sunday and they had their $.50 wing special so we had a few in each sauce (rub/whiskey bbq/insanity) the rub was good the bbq was really good I liked the sauce a lot better then Lincoln Whiskey Kitchen and to Insanity,... the server said that he likes it hot but these aren't too hot well to me they were really "insane" hot I had to ask for milk the only thing I can compare it to is the hottest sauce and BWW and I had the same reaction. So if you can't handle the BWW sauce I would say stay away from Insanity. Â I had the cheeseburger with bbq sauce and it was good but I like Blackfinn's burgers better. Â My husband had a steak and it said it was fine. Â I would like to try a couple other things on the menu but I wouldn't get the burger again. I also had the Dolly Parton Moonshine but after insanity it was a little hard to taste the distinct flavors of the drink but it was definitely strong and i think it was $7,
Review Source:SERIOUSLY.. OWNERS OF THIS PLACE. READ THIS...... Nothing new about this place. Same layout as Blackies. Came in tonight, bar was OK, about ten people. Asked for drink list, and the bartender acted like we were wasting his time and had the worst expression on his face, no smile, barely talked. so we didn't order with him and went to our table. Sat down at a booth as you walk into the right in dining room, waitress didn't come by for 5 min. Then she got our drink order, rang that in, came back to tell us the bartender was backed up, took our appetizer orders, rang that in, brought our our apps, ate the whole thing, then brought our 5 drinks after ordering them 20 minutes ago!!!! 20 min for 2 beers, 2 sangrias, and a cocktail.... Really? Place was dead-no excuse for that!
FOOD~ honestly... The Mac n cheese and corn bread was the only good thing. In my group, most of us work/manage restaurants. We ordered a lot of different things. Now,I'm writing this so hopefully management can see this. Nachos-good. Spinach dip-good. Tuna-good. Pork chops-horrible and dry, . Ridiculous. Brisket- more fat than meat, honestly. Chicken-really dry. Ribs- a joke. Garbage. Pulled pork-great. Mac and cheese- awesome. Corn bread-awesome
SERVICE~ Our waitress tried her best, hard to do when bus boys are slacking, still gave a 20% tip, but awful. They brought out steak knives after we finished eating. Plates on table sooooooo long after we finished our apps. Service was awful in general but the Bar took the cake for worst service in this place....Would it hurt for a bartender to say "hello" and have a smile on his face?!? Wont step in this place again, If changes aren't made in service and food quality, this place won't be around in a few years!
I had lunch at the Rack House today at noon. Â I made reservations for myself and one other person in my party, but it didn't seem like that they were needed. Â There was a decent crowd in there, but you can probably just show up and be seated right away with no problems. Â The seating is arranged the same was as Boston Blackies was before, but I always thought it was a nice looking place so there was no change needed. Â I was greeted right away by the hostess and our orders were taken pretty quickly which was great. Â I ordred the BBQ combo with 2 choices and got the ribs and the brisket which came with a side of coleslaw and cornbread, plus your choice of an additional side. Â I'm a big fan of veggies so I ordered the sauteed spinach. Â The spinach was good but tasted a little on the salty side. Â I'm not a big fan of coleslaw so I left that alone. Â The cornbread was really good and the ribs and brisket I thought were excellent. Â It's definitely the best BBQ that I've had in Arlington Heights ever and I've grown up there my whole life. Â Our waiter was friendly, but I drink a lot of ice tea with my lunch and it would have been nice if he came by a few more times with some refill offers, but it was fairly busy in there. Â I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for good BBQ in Arlington Heights area and I plan on going back soon.
Review Source:I've stopped in at the Rack House a couple times since they've opened and will definitely continue to frequent this new restaurant. I was especially looking forward to the opening since it is unlike all the chain restaurant/bars in the area, and it did not fall short. It makes you feel like you aren't even in the suburbs.
Each time I was greeted by the upbeat and friendly hostess. The first time I stopped in was to watch a hawks game with a friend. We each enjoyed the extensive craft beer selection and how can you go wrong with cheese curds...yumm! Service was excellent, and drinks were tasty. It was cool to see the different types of moonshine. Â
The second time I went to Rack House was this past Sunday for St. Patty's Day with a group of friends. We had a blast. They had an authentic Irish bagpipe band! They were slammed busy, and we still had efficient service. Our bartender Adam was very attentive and went above and beyond to make sure we were having a good time. I had a burger, and it was cooked to perfection... very flavorful and not the least bit dry.
If you're looking for a good time over drinks, or food with business and family, the Rack House is a great spot. The bar has a great vibe, and I will definitely be back soon!
So I work nearby (basically across the street from) Rack House Kitchen & Tavern and was anxious to try a new local restaurant - and especially one that was not a chain like so many other restaurants in the suburbs.
A small group of co-workers and I went out to lunch there today and we were not sure what to expect.. unfortunately, what we got was quite a mixed bag.
First of all, they did a great job of updating the inside and outside from the former restaurant at this location, Boston Blackies. It looks a little more classy, while still retaining a clean and comfortable atmosphere. We did not sit at the bar, but it looks like a great place to try a flight of whiskeys and catch up with friends.
The service was immediately great, from the hostess to the waitress and our drinks and appetizer arrived very quickly from the kitchen. We tried the sampler for 2.. the Reuben rolls and corn nuggets were standouts there (I would order either by itself) and we considered the rest to be just above average bar fare). The fried pickles were cut too thin and not quite crispy enough and the ribs had barely any meat on the bone. Still, compared to a chain like the Applebee's down the street this was rather tasty.
Here's where the problem comes in for us: the lunch service was somewhat crowded (which is a great sign for any restaurant), but the kitchen obviously still has a few kinks to work out and there was some kind of mess-up with the orders at our table. This kind of thing can happen, of course, but 45 minutes of waiting for 2 burgers and a french dip sandwich can put quite a damper on the group's mood!
Thankfully, a manager recognized the problem and both the manager and waitress dealt with the issue quickly and efficiently.
Finally able to dig into the food, I was happy to see that the burger was cooked to medium-rare as I ordered it and was very flavorful. I don't quite think that it was worth $11, but it's one of the best burgers I've had in the area. The fries were somewhat generic and lacked crunch (seemed like they were either not being fried at a hot enough temperature or had been sitting around for a while) but this was indicative of the kitchen for this lunch service.
To be fair, many tables did not seem to have issues getting their food from the kitchen but there were some other tables in our section that looked to have had exceptionally long waits as well.
I have a lot of love for places with good service so I will definitely be back for dinner and drinks to give Rack House another shot (hopefully they're learning from their mistakes) and report back to everyone on Yelp! :) I hear that whiskey flights are half-price on Tuesdays.. Yummm.
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