We went, hoping for a nice bit of pub food. Â It's an "Ale House", right? Â The place isn't sure what it is or what it wants to be, and it needs to pick an identity and refine it, both in food and decor. Â
Went on a Saturday, early evening. Â There is no "decor" tospeak of, other than some sparkly christmas lights at the bar. Â The interior is all painted brown, no decorations other than 12 tvs mounted high, all sports programs. Â
Server didn't know the specials of the evening. Â
THE FOOD. Â Oddly, the calamari was cooked to the proper doneness, but the breading was heavy with grease, and the "balsamic reduction" drizzle didn't really add anything to it. Â A pool of marinara on the plate was useless for actual "dipping". Â Lame. Tiny serving, high price.
I had shrimp and fish tacos. Â Big mistake. Â 6 overcooked medium sized shrimp (think about 1 inch in diameter), THREE per taco. Â THREE??? on double corn tortillas that were dried out from over heating, on a base of lots of shredded lettuce. Â I got one fish taco as well, but the fish piece was tiny, again laid on a huge pile of lettuce. Â I'd call these Lettuce Tacos with shrimp, not vice versa.
The rice? I kept saying, "what the hell is this?" Â It was like converted Basmati rice, with some lame attempt at seasoning it. tasted terrible.
Other diner had steak; potato was overcooked and dry, like it had spent too much time under the heat lamps. The veg, on the other hand was undercooked. Â Steak was adequate. Maybe pasta would have been a better choice, but I figured it's not an Italian place, so why risk it? Â Clearly they have no clue on Mexican food either, so why offer tacos? Â The only good thing was the beer, but it was overpriced. Â We walked out pretty disappointed after dropping almost $70 there. Â Will not return. Â Pick a few things for your menu, do them well, and stop trying to be so "cute" with the presentations.
My husband and I really wanted to like this place, since it's on the East side. We've been here a few times. The first time we only had appetizers and drinks. I don't drink beer but my husband does and he was impressed with the selection. He ended up with a draft beer, we were shocked to see it was $6 for each one. OUCH! We're in STC, not Chicago. We also had the hummus. It was good, nothing special but came with pita bread and veggies in a LARGE portion. Oh and my bloody Mary was very good. The second time we had dinner. There was one waiter/host working, the others called in. I have to give AJ credit, he did great for only being him. One table complained about the music. Another that the margaritas didn't come in a margarita glass...etc. I felt bad for him. We got sandwiches, the we're good. We did eat quickly and leave because none of the TV's had the White Sox game. Normally, we'd ask to change one of the TV's but it wasn't worth complaining since every other customer was. We'll give it another shot.
Review Source:We visited this place recently on a Saturday night and were seated right away. Â Our experience was great, so it's disappointing to see so many tables on a weekend night. Â This is a great addition to this side of town. Â If you like beer, definitely give this place a try. Â I got the sense they were still trying to figure things out (it's a fairly new place), but the service was great and the food was good. Â Their offerings are fairly standard (burgers, salads, apps), but all tasty. Â We had the buffalo chicken dip for an app and it was very tasty...I've been craving it since! Â I had a salad that was really very good and my husband had a burger. Â The food is a bit pricey for what you get, but it's fresh and the atmosphere is inviting. Â I definitely hope this place lasts!
Review Source:I don't think I've ever had a worse bartender. Typically I don't sit at the bar for dinner but had to endure this gal who obviously wasn't interested in being there. I don't think she smiled once, was unfriendly, sloppy and short with everyone. More interested in her bar chores than her customers. I heard her tell someone "I've been doing this for 15 years , I think I can handle it" Maybe the rest of the wait staff is better, but the attitude at the bar has to have some negative impact.
The food was just okay and a bit on the pricey side. It could have been exceptional and would not have made up for the poor service. I won't be back.
First time trying this new restaurant. Â Stopped in with my husband the day (Saturday) before St. Patrick's Day. Â Restaurant was less than half full, around 5:00 PM. Â Seated right away, but had to wait a bit for waiter to come over and take our drink order. Â My Husband asked about the specials and the waiter rattled off their beer/drink specials, but nothing about the food (first clue something might be wrong), I chimed in and asked about the food specials which he told us about, included a corn beef and cabbage special for 13.00. Â My husband ordered a Michelob Ultra and the waiter left. Â Came back with no drinks and said you ordered a (insert random beer name here) draft? Â My husband said no and restated his request and then we gave our food order. Â My husband ordered the corned beef and cabbage special and I ordered the jalepeno glazed salmon. Â Beer and my drink order came a few minutes later. Â Food came and the top of salmon was beyond dried out. Â Was supposed to be pan seared, not pan "dried". Â Rice was bland and green beans were drenched in oil. Â I picked at the bottom of the piece of salmon, but didn't eat anything else. Â My husband's dinner was a very small portion and the corned beef was cut into chunks rather than sliced across the grain. Â Cabbage was not cooked through. Â Very dissapointing, especially for 13.00. Â The only reason I am giving 3 stars is because the waiter could see I didn't eat my meal and brought the Manager over who offered to remove it from the bill. Â On the positive side, the standard "pub food" burgers and such being served around us looked huge and amazing and the beer selection was extensive. Â Might be good for that, but anything beyond the standard fare I would not risk. Â I also noticed several things on their menu (and they are relatively new) were blacked out with a marker.
Review Source:Pros: Lots of draft beers with info on alcohol and bitterness. Had lots of TVs with sports on mute, so it didn't feel like a rowdy sports bar. Service was good.
Cons: The food. Quesadilla was burnt and the french fries varied from very cold to slightly warm. I hope they didn't just give me other people's uneaten fries.
Conclusion: Eat at home or somewhere else, then get drunk here.
I left Spotted Fox Ale House not feeling super happy about the experience, but I guess it wasn't totally their fault, so I'm going to give them 3 stars for now. The problem was that they are in the middle of changing up their menu, so several things listed on the menu were not available, including the one thing I was looking forward to trying and my second choice. So I ended up just getting some pretty basic pasta, because I had trouble finding another vegetarian option. It was fine, but I'm not sure it was worth ten bucks. I went there with my mom, who said her meal was actually very good and a nice large portion (chicken, large half potato, delicious green beans). I've heard from other people that they have very good burgers, although the consensus seems to be that it's a little overpriced, so you might want to go one of the nights they have specials, or look for a coupon.
I hope that they finish re-doing their menu, add a few vegetarian options, and are able to stay open and do well. That part of town needs more successful businesses. It's a nice big restaurant and the service was great (I think our server was named Hannah - she is one reason I decided to go with 3 stars instead of 2, because she was very nice and gave us just the right amount of time and attention). If I go back soon I might just try some appetizers and beers - I couldn't drink this time because I was on a lunch break from work, but it looked like they had quite a few beer options which is always good!
I may be wrong, but I won't be surprised if this place simply doesn't last too long. Â Overall, its WAYY over-priced.
- Burgers are extremely overpriced (average price is $11.00) and come on 'pretzel-type' rolls or buns. Â While they weren't by any means terrible, they weren't all that great, especially at 11.00. Â
(In comparison - much larger and better tasting burgers can be found at Hawthorne's in West Chicago for an average price of $8.00 with fries, or even a "lunch special" which is available all day every day at Rosati's in West Chicago - they have a great burger, fries, and can of soda for about $5.75).
- Baked potatos come very small, or as a "half potato" with NO SIDES offered, not even butter. Â We had to ask for sour cream. Â Who eats plain potatos?
- Steak that one of my family member's had was very small (price was about 13.99) and like the burgers, worth nowhere near the price.
- Service and waitresses were indeed nice and friendly, but seemed to push "drinks" more than the dinner. Â So it seemed to be more of an atmosphere of "drinks and food", not "food and drinks." Â
- Restaurant itself was clean and nicely decorated, so there are no issues there. Â As mentioned, service for us seemed to be pretty good.
Overall though, overly expensive and you don't get a good bargain for your buck here. Â Hence why you see places like Portillo's (2 blocks up the road) always MOBBED (and Portillo's is by no means cheapy-cheap, either), and why this place isn't ever overly crowded. Â Most people are going to go where the best bargain is.
I can't say I'd never come here again, but it's not on my top list of places...
I really wanted to give this place a 3, I mean, I tried mentally, but just couldn't do it. Â So they do so some things right. Â The inside, which used to be a Bennigans, is re-decorated and looks very nice - and big open bar area and open with high ceilings, so ambience is good. Â They serve about 25 draft beers mostly from the midwest - IL, MI, WI, along with micro brews from the rest of the US, so good beer selection too. Â My wife and I sat at the bar to eat dinner, and the bartender was very nice, offered suggestions, lets you sample a beer before ordering, so that part we enjoyed, good service. Â The area that is the disappointment is the food. Â I mean, it's OK, but just sort of blah. Â We had nachos for appetizers, which is a ton of chips with shredded cheese, pica di gallo and sour cream, no jalepenos, no salsa,a nd once the chips on top are gone just plain chips, a little boring. Â We ordered the mussels first but they were out of them. Â I had fish tacos, the wife had the steak sandwich. Â She made the better choice. Â The fish tacos were more blah than the chips, it was tasteless fish with cheese pico de gallo and sour cream (sound familiar?) just blah and boring. Â her steak sandwich, which I tasted, was better, but still not what I call delicious. Â So all in all, not objectionable. Â Its close to home, so we would likely try again and somepoint, but definitely not a place I am dying to take my friends too. Â They only opened recently, so may still be working some kinks out. Â I wouldn't give up on them yet, but the food needs some love.
Review Source:Nice atmosphere, it is your typical up scale sports bar. Staff was friendly enough. They had issues with many of the TVs for the Super Bowl. My pork chop was severely over cooked, very dry. I had them replace it with the waffle fries appetizer. After the 3oz of meat and handful of pickled cabbage, this was an $11 plate of waffle fries with cheese. My wife had the Fox burger. The menu made it sound wonderful. She described it as mediocre. I had high hopes as they were very well reviewed on Yelp. We won't go back.
Review Source:Spotted Fox Ale House is a good spot for watching the game while grubbing on some respectable Pub Food.
Their are several booths and a long bar for you to cheer or scream at the tv.
The Menu is very limited:
Apps
Burgers
Sandwiches
Taco
Pasta
If you aren't in the mood for any of those items, then you are out of luck. That being said, this is an Ale House so you shouldn't be expecting Seared Tuna Salad, etc.
The burgers are premium priced in the $10-$11, but they get credit for being creative in their offerings (i.e. Pork Belly, fried egg, etc.).
The Pub Chips are a good starter; they come with enough Onion Dip to feed a few Super Bowl Parties.
The Tacos are nicely presented, but the blackened fish preparation definitely needs more blackening. The come with a bowl of buttered rice.
We live 5 minutes from the Spotted Fox. So we'll likely visit again.
Don't know if it's worth a special trip, but it;s definitely worth a Beer pit stop if you're catching a movie or shopping nearby.
Stopped in today to give it a try. The last restaurant that took this spot after Bennigans closed was horrible. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. They did a great job decorating and had lots of TVs with all the games on.
The menu was good, lots of things caught my eye. I'm a sucker for anything on a pretzel bun, so I went with a burger. Yum!! We also had the homemade guacamole, which was really good!
Great beer list - lots of good craft beers. Â The owner greeted us at our table and was very nice. Â
We'll definitely be back!
Came here to watch a Blackhawks game and was happy to see that the game was on every TV and that it was playing over the speakers! The bartender was very friendly as well! All of the food here was pretty good- my husband had a burger, I had carnitas tacos, and we started out with buffalo chicken dip! First time I had seen this at a bar :) Hope to return soon, hopefully during another game!
Review Source:If you want a decent beer after seeing a movie at the mall, check it out. Just like the movie theater, the beers are a little overpriced - $6 a pint. The service is pretty good: not too absent, not to pushy. They know when they're wanted. We sat at the bar, and mainly ordered drinks. I was up for a soup, but there wasn't any listed on the menu! The rest of the appetizers didn't appeal to me, and were pretty pricey themselves, so I passed. I did see and smell a lot of delicious food, so I wouldn't warn you against trying. The beer list was a little contradicting. The set up of the bar implied a large selection of neat beers, and the selection was pretty large, but they didn't offer anything really out of the ordinary.
With little to no competition, they can offer and charge what they want. It's not a bad place, but there's nothing around to remind you it's not that special either.
Went in for lunch look very forward to trying it out. Â Very blah inside nothing note worthy. Â Very average menu, nothing stood out as something I would go back for. Salad and sandwich almost $40 way over priced. Salad had nothing but lettuce and croutons. Sandwich just OK. For the money will not be back.
Review Source:We ate at this restaurant last Sunday. Â Great atmosphere with the Bears game on all TVs. Â We had the peppers for starters and then my husband had the steak sandwich and I had the fish tacos, everything was excellent. Â I consider myself a bit of an expert on fish tacos as I order them often and these tacos rate highly. Â Agree with the previous review that all the food served around us looked very inviting. Â Will definitely be back to try some other items, and watch some sports. A great option in St Charles. Almost forgot to mention our server, I think her name was Sarah, she was awesome, so polite and friendly.
Review Source:In the old Bennigans across from the Dead Mall in St. Charles. Â (They need to light up the outside a little better so it's easier to spot at night!)
Anyway - the space is interesting; large with the standard "wall of TV's" ambience. Â Fortunately, the sound was turned down on all of them last night. Â (I hope restaurants get away from this decorating scheme someday soon.) Â We were seated promptly by the marvelous and courteous staff. Â Unfortunately, there was the faint whiff of something unpleasant in the air. Â Plumbing issue? Â Off-putting, but not bad enough to scare us away.
The entree menu is limited and fairly pedestrian: nothing really screams "foodie destination". Â But - having said that - everywhere you look, there are LARGE, BEAUTIFUL plates of excellent food being delivered to table. Â The draft beer selection is staggering. Â The plated presentations were pretty to look at, piping hot, and quite delicious. Â My only nit to pick would be the slightly heavy hand with the salt; other than that, this just might be one of the Fox Valley's best new go-to's for tasty food at a realistic price point.
The GM was doing the table-to-table, and was a very knowledgeable and personable guy. Â He seems to really enjoy his work - and it shows.
So - step up from the franchise joints and take a drive over there. Â (And try the parmesan crusted chicken with the twice-baked cheesy potato and perfectly cooked broccoli). Â I know - sounds BORING - but comfort food at its best.
I like this place, and will be back.
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