We have been to many Cracker Barrels in the country (it's our thing to do on vacation) but this one was our least favorite. Things came out cold, vegetables soggy and mushy (even for canned vegetables they were overdone), ham was cooked to jerky like "perfection". Our server was a nice young man but we sure feel bad that he has to share the tip with the chef. Sorry, we did not return for breakfast...
(2)
Allyn J.
No wait! That's what you get for going during dinner. Waitress was on top of Drink Refills, and we didn't need to ask. Given how quiet was, I would have expected to see her a bit more often, but she certainly wasn't having a lack of service. We all got different kinds of fish, and they were all great. 1.) Fish Fry - Cod. No malt vinegar came to the table (as advertised), but I didn't ask for it. It was good, not Fish n Chips OMG good, but good. 2.) A haddock Dinner. - It it's standard preparation, this was good. 3.) A custom design. We saw the pecan crusted catfish, but didn't want catfish. We asked if we could do a pecan crusted haddock. A few minutes later the answer was Yes! (slight upcharge to add pecans, no big deal in my book) This was the one that stole the show for me personally. Each came with two sides, nothing amazing, but nothing bad about any of them. We did agree however that the breakfast sides (specicially the cheesy hash brown casserole, is of better quality in the mornings) Otherwise, the food was certainly good, my company with me was fantastic as always, and I got leftovers which I just had... Note, I don't think I have found fish yes, that is really good as leftovers... But it was food, and I am cheap, and like to eat leftovers.. So there ya go!
(5)
Jessica J.
Being from the south, there are times where you just crave down home comfort food. Now, Cracker Barrel isn't always the most satisfying way to curb that craving but it will do in a pinch. Driving down Grand Avenue in the height of shopping and vacationer season on a Thursday is bad enough. Trying to go to dinner? Whole other monster. Cracker Barrel seemed least crowded, so we took our chances. As we parked, a charter bus of senior citizens pulled up and let the masses off at the door... Well, you guessed it, now there was a really good wait. All the waiting areas were beyond crowded, so we decided to walk and browse the store - where the rude crowd would constantly bump into you and look at you as if you're the problem. After an annoying almost 45 minute wait, we were seated and promptly served drinks. Took our waitress a while to return for our food order, but they did just have a huge horde of seniors pile in. I will forgive that. The food is typical for a Cracker Barrel, although mine was on the chilly side of serving temp. I ate without complaint as we were starving. This quick stop had turned into a night out whether we wanted it to or not. Then the icing on the cake! I really wanted an apple dumpling - oh, it sounded SO good! I placed my order and after waiting almost 20 minutes, without any words uttered, a plate containing an apple pie slice was dropped in front of my face. Before the waitress could make her quick getaway, I yelled to her to come back. I told her, "This is clearly Apple pie - not an apple dumpling, as I ordered." She replied, "ummm no". I said, "What do you mean no?!" And she said, "that's a dumpling". I looked again at the slice of pie, wondering if I had hallucinated the whole ordeal. No, no... It was still very much a slice of Apple pie. I said, "Hun, that's a slice of Apple pie. I promise you." She said, "nope, that's what our dumplings look like." I was in utter shock and confusion at this point when I asked to speak with a manager. When the manager approached, I told her the conversation that had taken place. This is where I felt somewhat bad because she then dressed the poor waitress down in front of customers and took her back like a child to the kitchen to show her the difference between pie and dumpling. Not impressed - but what do you expect in this commercial restaurant overpopulated strip?
(2)
Chip G.
This may not be true for all Cracker Barrels, but today's visit was the second time in a month that our breakfast order was either lost or not given in a timely manner. The first time, we stuck it out, and figured it was our waitress who was new and had no idea what she was doing. We eat and paid for our food and never even bothered complaining since we figured, give the girl a break, she's new... Well this AM, we visit the same location. On the way there, I commented to my wife, remember the last time.. She said on I'm sure it will be okay. When we arrived there were a few people already eating, but we were immediately seated, no wait. We got our drinks, and all seemed fine, there was a table of 2 guys next to us that came in right after we did and had joked how tall the whip cream was on his hot coco. So all was fine, Well after the waitress vanishing and not returning for 20 more minutes 10 of them with my wife's drink empty, she brought another drink and informed us the food was coming, and we were not forgotten. I thought no big deal the guys with the hot coco hadn't gotten their food yet, but my wife pointed out that others that had come in much later then us, had already been eating. So my calm wife who never really gets mad looks over and notices the guys now eating. She said ok now I'm getting pissed. 5-10 minutes later, the waitress yet again comes out from her hiding spot to realize that we did not have our food. At this point my wife said, we're leaving and the waitress was in shock. She quickly walks to the kitchen as as we are walking past the kitchen entry we can hear her saying they are walking out. As if we were expected to spend more time. We're now close to 40 minutes and no food. We stop to put on a jacket, and I was half expecting the manager to come over and apologize, offer up a free meal or something for wasting 40 minutes of our Sunday Morning. But nope, he says let me seat you again, and get your food for you. No Sorry about that, no that is unacceptable and I'm not sure, what happened, just a, oh we lost your ticket. At that point I let him know this is 2 times in the past month and we'll never be back and we walked. So I know it's a popular place, and this review will hardly put a dent in their business. But much like their service, their Corporate complaint section of the contact us is broken, and throws an asp error upon submission of complaint. So figured I'd post this here.
(1)
Michael S.
Went for breakfast and I was very disappointed. We were in a big group but the waitress was very lackadaisical in her service. My wife's oatmeal didn't even come out on time and was of poor quality. My eggs were not fully cooked. The pancakes were decent however. It took 10 minutes to even get our bill after 3/4 of table had gotten theirs already. I will not return.
(2)
Katlyn G.
Good food and huge portions. Staff wasn't quiet on the ball even though the place only had two other tables seated.
(3)
Kim B.
Cracker Barrel is probably my favorite breakfast spot in the area. I've been to the other popular breakfast spots: Walker Bros, Wildberry Cafe, etc. but always come back here for more. Do you like crisp buttermilk pancakes? Biscuits with gravy? Hash brown casserole? Thick-cut bacon? Apple butter? Then look no further because you can have all this and more and Cracker Barrel!
Absolutely the WORST customer service. Our waiter Brando could not get it together. He brought a filthy glass of lemonade. Seemed to take a long time for the replacement. We ordered. He forgot the toppings my boyfriend ordered for his burger and I ordered crispy hashbrowns and they came nearly raw. My boyfriend and I were half way through our meal with empty drinks. He asked if we needed refills. We said yes to finish our meals. We watched him take two orders, deliver food, clean a table...no drinks. He came and got our glasses and 10 minutes later no drinks. Now I'm pissed. I asked for the manager. I tell him what happened. He doesn't care. I just told him we couldn't finish our food because we had nothing to drink not even water. No adjustments to the check. I complained to another girl and she slightly adjusted our check. I asked for the name of the manager there's boss and no one could help me with that either. Will never be back, ever.
(1)
Jen M.
while food and service were good, not as stellar as usually get at cracker barrel.
(4)
Nick D.
I usually enjoy Cracker Barrel, but not this location. The hospitality that is found at every other store i have been to was missing from the dining room. It was evident that not much effort was put into keeping the dining room clean. The floor under our table and the surrounding tables were not even swept. I'm going to guess that I was the only one to request cornbread, due to mine being hard and crusty. Why serve old cornbread that has been sitting around for longer than what it should? The only reason that one star is not given is for the one in the store that was very personable and friendly. Needless to say, I will not be back to the Gurnee location.
(2)
Lisa C.
Went to get takeout the other day...had to wait 25 minutes for them to spoon chicken and dumplings into a tray and pack up a dozen biscuits...this order was phoned in 2 hours before! Got home and the tray was only half full! Have ordered this several times and tray is always full. Never again...YOU SUCK GURNEE CRACKER BARREL!
(2)
Frank A.
The decor is pretty cool. It's really classic looking place. Lots of antique looking thingies, a nice shop inside full of vintage stuff. I swear I saw DVD's of the Andy Griffith Show and other oldies. They had huge games like a huge checker board. I also saw fruit stripes gum! I haven't had that in ages. LOL. Anyway, the place looks pretty slick. Sort of like a log cabin. As far as the food, it was decent. I wouldn't say it blew me away or anything. At the same time, it was super cheap. I mean I came with a group of four and dinner barely cracked 40 bucks. I had a 12 oz ribeye which I had virtually no expectations for. The menu claimed it was aged 28 days. I was really skeptical. It actually turned out pretty decent. Obviously, it's not the best steak but for 12 bucks???? I'd come back if I wanted a decent steak at a super cheap price. The hashbrown casserole was ok. I prefer traditional hash browns but that's just my preference. The fried apples were sweet. Tasted homely and even had the skin still on it. Service was meh. Waitress wasn't too excited. Actually she was downright depressed about something. Not a big deal. I sort of found it amusing. Overall, average service but the bill was so cheap it made up for it. Had a taste of roast beef. Not bad. Pretty standard to slightly above standard for super cheap price. Oh, one thing to mention was that our table had this "peg" game where you jump each peg with the goal of having just one peg left. I remember this game in grade school. Funny how I really suck at it now. Haha.
(4)
Jay N.
This is a standard Cracker Barrel with the store in front followed by the dining area. I wanted to give credit to the staff for giving recommendations to my friend based on her preferences as well as letting her know what Cracker Barrel does well. They also had the fireplace running which was nice. The main issue I have is that the food is on the salty side, especially the meats. They have a few more seasonal menu items, but I tend to stick with breakfast and they are still pretty solid.
(4)
Lisa V.
Visiting from out of town all I can say is the food was great, the service fast, and the atmosphere was excellent. If I ever go back to this area I would definitely be eating there again!
(4)
Susan C.
First, I want to state that I am a huge fan of ALL Cracker Barrel restaurants. I think they have a unique concept which hasn't been duplicated. Having said that, this particular Cracker Barrel is the closest one to our home ~ which is a 40 minute drive. If you don't want to wait, make this a week day trip because when summer rolls around and nearby Six Flags/Great America is open, the wait is unbearable. On a cold, rainy day, there was no wait. Our waitress, although pleasant, made a mistake on our order which was an easy fix. In addition, this was the first time our grits, a Southern staple, were served cold. I noticed the floor was dirty and eventually a waitress came around to sweep ~ the waitresses (all) uniforms were all soiled as well. We love the gift shop and always come home with some good scores. And, we come here for their Cheer Wine (a cherry soda only sold in the South). Will return ~ why not?
(3)
Maria P.
I've dined at several Cracker Barrels, even before they were in the Midwest. In comparison to other locations, I have no complaints about this one. We were greeted by a friendly staff and served rather quickly. I highly recommend one of their spring specials, the shrimp and grits. It's only $8 and comes with a side salad and a slice of special cornbread, which was also very tasty. A fabulous standby would be their dumplings. Whether you order them as a side or a meal, they are always delicious and hot!
(4)
Jim T.
The service this time was terrible. Our server never came back to the table and we had to ask for another server and could not believe the response, "It's not my table". We finally asked for a manager and that took 30min to find one. The manager assigned a server to our table but came with a grudge as if we were imposing on her space. Then when the food was served not all the side dishes came, we had to keep asking were the food was. Our party of 6 was served at different times so the 1st person that was served was done eating by the time the last person was served. Only one apology and no compensation. Would I go back? NO WAY!
(2)
Nate C.
So far slow service with 2 waitresses serving our group of 10............I had the special of the day for Sunday....2 pieces of double dipped buttermilk fried chicken breasts and 2 sides...chicken was ok but way over breaded. mashed potatoes were eh...mac and cheese was good. one of the orders came out with an over done steak...sent back. a customer across from us was really pissed off about the service...he got his food and packed it up and left while bitching at the manager. Seemed like they had the "B" team working that day. Not acceptable.
(2)
Nelly O.
Horrible place! My family and I ( my husband, my 18 month old , and I )came here to eat for the first time. So we get and an employee says hello how are you guys, we answer him back and he's already gone somewhere else. We can push that to the side though.not a BIG deal. We get in the actually Resturant and I ask where is the washroom to change my son. Hostess says down the hall to your left. No direction to what hall . So I ask again and it is actually outside the Resturant in the store. If I am sitting all the way but the window how the heck am I suppose to know down the hall to the left if I go left I'm going into the kitchen! Anyhow not that big . I go in the washroom and there is an employee with all her cleaning equipment on the baby table, while she is in the stall talking on the phone. She knows someone's there so she doesn't come out , so then I had to move them! Our waitress was horrible had a cheerful attitude with everyone but us. We still tried giving it a chance !! We heard it was a great place, we were wrong!! So we order and my husband is a pretty big guy so he orders himself something else because the first plate was small, waitress gets a little attitude. So then my little guy starts crying and we know its time to go. I take him into the store while my husband gets a to go box. TEN MINS LATER! He's had enough so he asks for the check still wanting the box. They finally give the box when he's paying, says thank you and goes back. He comes back mad as ever because they already cleaned off our table. No need for a to go box. And also the place was not busy at all. A gentleman was upset about his experience there also and they gave him a discount. Unfortunately, our experience was not that bad to get a discount. Is what was told to us!
(1)
Michelle C.
Pretty good, but the bread was stiff and my apple cider was frozen. Catfish was good after the lemon squeeze, the sides were delicious. Would have rated higher but its just Cracker Barrel, subpar but still tasty.
(3)
Holly V.
I would give it a 3.5 if I was able to. The food wasn't amazing but it was good. The portions were perfect and the princing was a great deal. My family and I got the chicken dumpling, rib eye steak, and fried porkchop. With mash potatoe, fries, salad, Cole slaw, baked potato. Everyone liked what they got, we were also all full with the $40 dinner for 4. My favorite was the fried pork chop (recommend) which is the Monday special. I was not a fan of their corn bread. They were plain. Other than that everything was just good. Nothing exellent.
(3)
Kevin A.
I went to Cracker Barrel 2 weeks ago with another worker from work and she said the service is terrible and because our waitress and that we had I had to keep on telling her stuff and that I want like more napkins and more lemons and when I told her once and she should be able to get it the first and instead of me telling her stuff and that's not good service. When the worker that I work with said thank you to our waitress and she never said your welcome to her and that waitress we had did not do a very good job and if I was her boss and I would fire her ass!
(2)
Corin W.
OK, we do business meetings here a lot because it's right off the expressway and it's recognizable to people coming down from WI or up from Chgo. proper. It's just convenient. And I will say: I love eating by a huge fireplace when it's cold. The wood smell also reminds me of a lot of great historical reenactments. But then, these guys are in the business of nostalgia and I really admire their business model. They've tapped into something about the way people remember things that, from a hypnotiist's point of view, is very clever. We had a meeting last week, six of us. The waitress, April, who has waited on us before was fantastic. (There are a lot of great waitresses at this Cracker Barrel, by the way). She made sure we all had beverages then she leaned over to me and said: "I can see this a very important meeting so I'm going to leave you guys to it and you just tell me when you want to order." We were there for like a half hour before we ordered and yet she never let my coffee cup go empty. Fabulous! The food was exactly as we ordered it, except that one of our party was missing a single biscuit so she brought him a whole fresh order. (They do stuff like that all the time.) April was attentive but unobtrusive and all of us left satisfied. No one rushed us or neglected us. It was a great experience. I have to say, I've had a lot of great breakfasts here: they have some really friendly, attentive and hospitable waitresses. (Have you gotten by now that I really like friendly service?) Four stars only because you can only get the freakin' pork chops on Monday and we never end up here on a Monday. And because they discontinued the sour dough rolls--I loved the rolls...
(4)
April T.
I am no stranger to this resturant. Pros: good food (breakfast luch or dinner) friendly wait staff fluffy biscuts Cons: not local ( for me) wait for a table can be long with large groups
(4)
Bob W.
Cute old fashioned country store and restauant. Go when it's quiet so you're not tempted to shop while waiting to be seated. The menu isn't fancy and is full of dependable basics along with breakfast all day. The pancakes are the best around. Servers try hard. Great for families.
(4)
Janice G.
Not bad at all. My grilled cheese was cooked perfectly. Yes grilled cheese can be yucky. Sandwich and fries were hot and cole slaw was fresh. Service was friendly but a tad slow even though they were not busy
(3)
Scott W.
After our last no so great experience, we were invited back by the restaurant for a second chance. Great meal and service. We will be back many times.
(4)
Michael M.
I went to Great America with my wife, my sister-in-law, and her friend yesterday. Once the temperature started to really peek in the late afternoon, we all decided to take a much needed break and go get an early dinner at the Craker Barrel that we saw from the highway as we were driving in. We had a really great time and good food and it was the perfect place to go to beat the heat and save $$$ over the gross, overpriced theme park food. If I had realized how close it really is to the park, we could have even walked there. I highly recommend the Gurnee Cracker Barrel as a alternative to anything they have in the park.
(4)
Brittany Q.
Cracker Barrel is a standard off the expressway restaurant. It's extrememly packed and the food is just ok. It is good for big families as they have large dining areas. their portions are gigantic! I usually order just a few sides because there meals are too large for me to eat. I will say we had a great waitress. She was very attentive and got us everything we needed for our dining experience.
(2)
Marc C.
As a former employee of this location I would strongly recommend not eating at this location. The kitchen is absolutely disgusting and I am honestly surprised that Lake County Health department has not shut them down yet. If you honestly care about the safety of your friends and family and your own health STAY AWAY from this location!!!! It is a serious health hazard waiting to happen.
(1)
Emily W.
crackerbarreliswhyiamfat… I order the veggie plate so I feel less shame about plowing through comfort food loaded with butter, salt, lard, etc
(4)
Eagle R.
I been to several Cracker Barrel around the country so I was suprised when a most of our meal seemed to be just heated through. Maybe it was because it was mid afternoon and they wern't too busy. The only thing that was fresh was the eggs I ordered. Hash brown cassarole was too hard to eat and mashed potatoes were tasteless and got cold quickly.
(3)
Patrick J.
A close friend had told me this was the best place to go for breakfast, when my parents were in town to visit they decided to stop by here since they had been hearing the same thing and were staying at the hotel next door. They told me the food was mediocre and service was slow, I should have listened to them. I decided to stop by for breakfast since I am still trying to find a good place to go to for biscuits and gravy. I ordered that with hash browns and toast. The biscuits were soggy and hard, while the gravy was watery and thin. It was like they had taken the cheapest frozen items they could find and microwaved them. The hash browns were worse than any diner I had ever eaten at, and I have eaten at some really bad diners before. The toast was normal but only one slice had any butter on it. To make the experience all the worse, the waiter took what felt like 10 minutes just to stop by and take my order, after the food was brought out I never saw them again until I asked another waiter to find them so I could get my bill. The quality of breakfast food at the Golden Corral across the street and even the IHOP next door are far superior and provide better service and atmosphere than what you'll find here.
(1)
Tiffany L.
there is a reason why you see a cracker barrel off every single highway in the midwest. and that reason, my friends, is the hashbrown casserole.
(3)
Chad H.
Wow.... what's with all the love for Cracker Barrel? This place is below average on a good day. I could see myself liking this restaurant if I was 80 years old, because that's pretty much the average age of the customers. I like unhealthy food as much as the next guy, but this place is not good. I want to give them 1.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 2 for bell curve reasons.
(2)
Ron L.
The best pancakes ever Comes with real maple syrup
(5)
Mike L.
Cracker Barrel has good food, not great or even very good, it is very average. They offer good, homemade style food with decent portions most with a southern twist. So think lots of fried foods for lunch and dinner and biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Where they stand-out is the number of side dishes that they offer for all meals, averaging about 14 although you can only pick 2-3. It is nice to be able to pick a couple of veggies and then throw in fried apples. The front of the store is made to look like an old-time country general store and you can purchase items there at a huge markup. My family used to go here alot many years ago, now we prefer places run by locals, plus the quality has gone down hill over the years.
(3)
Anthony C.
How can you say anything bad about Cracker Barrel, it is a poor man's 4 star restuarant. There is always a wait so it is very popular and the wait for food is a little longer than comfortable, but the food is the closest thing to momma's home cooking you can get in a restuarant and even family owned places don't do it as well as Cracker Barrel.
(3)
Pamela R.
I just stopped because it was on the way to Great America and hunger got the best of me and my fiance. I'm giving 2 stars, because, I felt like another sucker to them. They kept us waiting for close to 45 minutes when the wait was supposed to be 20 minutes and they have a store conveniently there to look at there kitchy crap no one really needs. For lack of better things to do while waiting we started looking at the crap they sell. Unfortnuately, they have about 5 workers trolling the area and ready to comment on anything you touch. It was annoying, I could read sale signs, I could make decisions for myself and I could ask questions if I had any. I started smelling candles and because my fiance was off looking at other stuff it felt like the sales women targetted me because I was a women left on my own so, of course, I'd tear up shopping. She kept telling me that $29.99 was such a GREAT deal for a large candle and because I wasn't feeding into it she straightaway asked me how much I pay for candles and I said I usually don't buy them thinking that would shut her up, but she kept on making me smell her favorite candles. By time my fiance checked on me he got one taste of her persistence because she wouldn't leave me alone and kept asking if I tried all of the 10 or so candles she suggested. He couldn't take her in the least. The meal was ok, nothing to rave about, but it feed us. On the way out was their last chance to make us spend more than what we came for. This other sales lady manning the register area saw me pick up a pack of gum. I picked it up only because I never saw that brand. And she demanded I "get the blackjack! it's good it's cinnamon!" My fiance said he doesn't like cinnamon and she assured him he never had this kind before. I pointed out I had braces and she so concernly (for her paycheck) stated I could buy it and suck the flavor out! Wow, it's gross how far they fo there. Then, to make matters worse the poor girl at the register is forced to upsell, even though, we both could tell she felt wrong for doing it, but she still angered us by the persistence. It was a MAJOR turn-off. If you're gonna go - go when it's not busy, because they try there damnest to get you.
(2)
Shefali M.
Consistently delicious!! My favorite part is people watching in the Country Store...more specifically, old people watching. Man, grannies crack me up! I'm a huge fan of brinner--breakfast for dinner. Don't miss out on the hashbrown casserole! You can get a complete breakfast, with tip, for under $10. And by complete I mean eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrown casserole, 3 types of meat, grits, and cinnamon apples. Growing up, I was always a fan of their homemade chocolate milkshakes. I haven't had one at the Gurnee location, but I'm sure their fab.
(4)
Syretta H.
Ok I went here eons ago and did not like it....fast forward to 2009......I was with a friend and we were on our way home from church. She said she had a taste for pancakes from Cracker Barrel...OK...we can go... Well, I don't remember what I had eons ago that made me say that I never wanted to go back...but what I had on Sunday wasn't half bad! Fried catfish platter, mac n cheese and green beans. The cornbread muffins weren't half bad either. I don't know that it would be my FIRST choice but I would go back...just not a Sunday after church.....(it was PACKED- I had to buy something from the store to subside my angry stomach....)
(3)
Wanderin' J.
Not all Cracker Barrel restaurants are the same. The food does vary and so does the service. At this particular location, we were very pleased with our dinner. Our granddaughter just graduated from Navy boot camp at nearby Great Lakes. This was the place she chose to have her first restaurant meal since she arrived in that area nearly two months ago. It had all been Navy food. She loves Cracker Barrels. Everyone (all six of us) walked away pleased with their meal and with the service. For me it was the hand breaded catfish. I love the catfish at Cracker Barrel. You can almost always guarantee it to be absolutely delicious ... and it was. For others, the vegetables were a big winner as was being able to order okra - an item not readily available in the Pacific NW. The chicken fried steak was good and big enough to share between two plates. It was a great place and, of course, it's always fun to walk through their Old Country Store.
(4)
D. J.
Good: -The catfish you can choose from the Uncle Herschel's Favorite -Order the Uncle Herschel's -Order the Momma's Pancake Breakfast -The Buttermilk pancakes taste great -The biscuits -The meal prices are decent -The service here was good -Big menu to choose from -Big open space to eat, nice atmosphere Bad: -That only 2 eggs come with their associated meals
(3)
Alice A.
Got an order of Chicken and Dumplings to go. Order was prompt and fast. The chicken and dumplings aren't too bad. I can't eat too many of the dumplings though. Biting in to chunks of dough doesnt sit well in my stomach. What i don't recommend is the mashed potatoes. It was very dry and bland. It didnt taste fresh and is very flaky/dry. I dont think i've ever had horrible mashed potatoes from a restaurant before. This is a first. Nothing about those were good. My homemade ones are so much better. So avoid those when you are there. Their breakfast selection looks good. I will be stopping by some time to try it and update this review.
(3)
Chris C.
No waiting to get in. Food was fair :( ordered fried chicken - got dried up chicken fingers, and waitress forgot our biscuits
(2)
Odranre B.
shop-eat-shop...located in a hard to find area (the inner roads to get here is a labyrinth)...this restaurant has been here forever and is a familiar place for the locals...i occasionally stop by here when i'm in the area...the menu has not really changed...food is ok (not great, but not bad either)...portion and price is good...dumplings is my choice of sides...and as always, according to the peg game - i'm just "plain dumb"...
(3)
Delia S.
Ever wanted to like a place that you have tried them again and again and get the same result ? My hubby loves the breakfast here and I agree when it's not cold. We placed our order and are waiter just seemed to hate his job. I would look around for him so I could get more coffee. If that was not bad he would bring some of the food out with only some of it so by the time we get the rest our food was cold. Needed condiments but that was just asking for too much :( I did tell our waiter he just didn't seem to care then went to stand in a long line to pay with only one cashier. Saw what looks like a manger just walk by ... Really ! Finally came to help with the lines never asked me how everything was hmmmm ... I will just buy the pancake mix and make it at home.
(1)
Edward R.
I love the fact that while you wait to be seated their is something to do in the meantime, from shopping in their nostalgic store to relaxing outside on the rocking chairs they have for sale. Their breakfast and customer service has always been on point and never disappointing to me and family, it's too bad we don't have one closer to Chicago. As for today's visit, it was just as we expected....perfect! Can't wait to come back again.
(5)
Mark F.
As a family of 3, our total bill was $25. Repeat - a family of three, hungry folks ate at a restaurant with three meals and beverages for a grand total of $25! It was a reverse sticker shock. I have not been to a Cracker Barrel in years. I forgot about the decor, the chicken & dumplings and the giant store. As my nostalgia took me back to the late 80s/early 90s, it appeared the the menu pricing also took that trip with me. The food was mediocre but it came out piping hot in an incredibly short amount of time. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. With correct expectations, we'll come back for an easy-going, affordable meal again.
(4)
Lady B.
After finding out that CB sells a specific item that I wanted I called and had a very pleasant experience on the phone with the female employee. However, when I went to the store (the same day but a few hours later) it was a totally didn't experience.....not one single employee greeted me when I walked in, didn't offer any assistance, and when I made eye contact with the same employee more than once she basically gave me the stank eye every time. Really?? After spending 20mns looking around I decided to buy the item that was being held for me (I was told I had 4 days to pick it up) when I got the the counter the cashier told me they put it away. Umm what???!!!! What sucks about this situation is that CB is the only place in a 500 mile radius that sells the item that I like. Dilemmas, dilemmas. lol
(2)
Brandon B.
Good food, good service, but except to eait more than the time they tell. Was told 15 to 20 mins and waited 45 mins to and 1 hour
(2)
Effie D.
Next best thing to a home cooked meal. Very cozy with the lit wood fireplace. Their buttermilk chicken special on Sundays is the way to go. I crave it. Their pancakes are the best I've ever had. I always have their add only water pancake mix in my cupboard. great for families.
(5)
Andy P.
Cracker barrel is one of my family's favorite chain breakfast options. The decor is relaxing, the servers are great (most of the time) and as soon as drinks are ordered, a plate of biscuits can be brought out if requested. Mama's pancake or french toast breakfasts are excellent and my father raves about the chicken fried steak. The old-fashioned store is a fun experience. Tons of candy, including so many vintage favorites, and lots of great stuff to look at. My daughter loves both the restaurant and the shop and this is a place that we have regularly attended.
(4)
Gerald P.
You know, I always get so excited when I find out that a trip to Cracker Barrel is upcoming but then once I'm there I remember that the food is actually not that great. I mean, it's not bad...it's just not especially better than any other restaurant. What dish are they known for at Cracker Barrel? I'm going to order whatever that is next time I'm in to test out my theory. Anyway, This place is more about the experience: the store, the friendly staff, the big rocking chairs out front that keep you busy until they call your name for a table. Checkers! But then... that's pretty much it. It's like someone put a big, shiny Hollywood facade on the front of an IHOP. I wanted to give 3 stars because there truly isn't anything spectacular about the food, but a 4th star is definitely in order for the service. A friendly and attentive staff are SO important and this Cracker Barrel location is doing it right. From the big smiles that greeted us when we first walked in to the manager who took our order anyway - we thought she was the waitress - but she never skipped a beat. Such professional :) Thanks for a great experience (even though the food is mediocre).
(4)
Mad I.
$7.69 gets you a main dish, 2 sides & a muffin/biscuit! Well priced "comfort food", fun to try out. Nice checker boards and rocking chairs out front to entertain. The Chicken dumplings we tasty, nice white breast meat. Good portions, check it out!
(4)
Anacany E.
Be careful!! We had a fried chicken burger and it was not undercooked it was NOT COOKED!! Calling the health department
(1)
Barbara M.
I have been to more than dozens of cracker barrels and this one is by far the worst in customer service. Mothers day...my mom had to wait for a cornbread muffin. We were finished eating and still no cornbread muffin. As we were leaving, they told us that there were no more. On a day like Mothers Day you would think that they would have planned accordingly. Oh not to mention the server forgot my son's entire meal. The manager took it off which was a kind gesture to compensate for her inattentiveness. Thanks for ruining my mother's day. Won't be back. Good service is everything. Just a suggestion, put your absolute top servers on holidays. Not happy at all.
(1)
Valerie O.
I love Cracker Barrel but unfortunately this is the worst location I've ever been to. Our dinners took over 30 minutes to come out and I had to repeatedly as the server for one of my sides. The side didn't come out till after we were done with dinner. The server noticed and didn't even say sorry. I just asked for a box to take the side home. Also the cornbread was overcooked and hard. I gave an extra star because I enjoyed the gift shop. The employees in the gift shop were friendly and nice unlike our server.
(3)
Shaun E.
First time visiting this Cracker Barrel Old Country Store location. We were greeted by the country store employees with an enthusiastic feeling. Once seated, it was an okay setting. Not your normal crowded dinning room setting. Server was very stern, in a way robotic. No smile, just to the point. The food was okay, service was just your plain ordinary type of restaurant. I preferred the other location closer to the Wisconsin border. Overall, it didn't quite impress me. Recommend this location, if you're really in the mood for it, otherwise, lots of other restaurants in the area worth visiting.
(3)
Dave K.
Good food and great service. Our server was Desmond. He was extremely customer focused and took care of our table really well. We will continue to eat at this establishment thanks to Desmond and the quality of service he provides.
(5)
Jennifer H.
I'm not sure I'll come back at least not soon and order what I did. I didn't want the grits but they came with. The eggs (will try to upload photo) were runny in my opinion. I like my scrambled eggs completely cooked. The gravy has a different flavor to become accustomed to, but goes well with the delicious biscuits. The country fried steak was also pretty good but thr sausage patties were bland or something. Not my thing i guess here. I make better ones at home with bulk pork country sausage that i get at mariano's. Service was fast but since it's a Saturday and summer morning near six flags I did wait a little to be seated. I have been here a couple times before throughout the last 10 years and not too many issues but not really impressed.
(3)
Josh L.
Great breakfast food, good coffee, but not great for vegetarians. The hash browns and the gravy has animal fat in them. The biscuits are delicious though! Service is usually great. This place is also great for groups. We popped in with 12 on a Tuesday morning & were basically sat immediately.
(4)
Maxine W.
I dare you to find something more American than Cracker Barrel. For real. Cracker Barrel is one of those places where as soon as you walk through the door you could literally be anywhere in the country. Its not just because its a chain with the same food/decor everywhere. It's as much to do with the clientele as it does with the restaurant. There are 3 kinds of people you'll always find at Cracker Barrel, no matter where you are: 1. Truckers/road trippers who are hungry for dinner and saw the sign from the highway 2. PWT/townies in their Sunday best dressed up for a nice meal at Cracker Barrel. (you can also find these people purchasing the knick knacks in the gift shop up front) 3. Weary travelers who are either A) checking into the hotel next door for the night and ready for dinner or B) checking out of their hotel and ready for breakfast before resuming their road trips. Last night I guess I fit mostly into the "weary traveler" category. I wasn't staying at the La Quinta next door, but I had traveled all the way up to Gurnee from Arlington Heights for some discount shopping. And boy oh boy was I ready to gorge myself on some down home artery cloggin' country food. This Cracker Barrel experience was the same as every other. Sit down, order unsweet tea, country fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, hash brown casserole (I had to go with 2 potato dishes. I just couldn't make up my mind), cornbread muffins and biscuits with apple butter. Play that crazy peg game until you win or until your meal comes (I went from certified 'eg-no-ra-moose' to genius in the time it took for the food to come out). Stuff your face with food until you just cant eat any more, but wish you could eat some more. Get your check, marvel at how full you and your dinner partner can get for less than $30. Go up front, pay the cashier, dream sweet dreams of sawmill gravy. 'MERICA!
(4)
Robert P.
Its consistent Cracker Barrel. The nice thing is you know what you're going to get....... comfort food. The food is good but nothing sets it apart. I'd recommend the Chicken 'n' dumplins. For breakfast most any dish is good.
(3)
Cari T.
I came here with co-workers for dinner because it's close to our office. For a weekday, I was impressed by the number of people that were eating there. When you first enter the building you have to go through the "store" before getting to the restaurant. The store seemed to have a lot of random neat gift items that you can pick up for bdays or for yourself. I didn't look close enough to see if the prices were fair though. Once we were seated we were a little overwhelmed by the menu because there were SO MANY options. They also serve breakfast all day long. I should have just gotten breakfast because you probably can't screw up breakfast food, right? I ended up ordering the chopped steak. It was so bland. The green beans were fine though. I got excited about the biscuits but they tasted worse than KFC biscuits. They tasted like school cafeteria food. One of my co-workers had the fried catfish and raved about it and also loved their cole slaw. I guess I just got the wrong dish? Our server was ok. She wasn't mean or rude but wasn't all that friendly either. I'm not from the area so I don't know what's the norm for "friendly service". Overall, the price for the food was pretty cheap, and there are a lot of options so I guess you will have to try them out to see if you can find something you like?
(2)
Adriane P.
Aww shucks! A diner chain with country stores attached! Shewt. Do you like comfort food the way your gramma (or someone's gramma. Somewhere...) makes? Piping hot coffee? Cookie cutter Kitsch-y country decor that's obviously mass produced? Breakfast food galor....including a Hash Brown Cassorole, the breakfast skillets cousin? A store full of souvenirs, pseudo country stuff, jams, apple butters, bandanas, mugs and goo gaws? Dining with truckers and tourists due to this being next to a major highway and near hotel and close to a theme park and giant outlet mall (Six Flags and Gurnee Mills)? Amazing BISCUITS?! I said, ah maze ing biscuits. Then... Reckon you should visit.
(3)
Dr. C.
Great Service, Great Food and I must say I have never walked into any Cracker Barrel Restaurant and was able to be seated in one minute! The Best Experience Yet and the Family Will Be eating there again in the morning!
(5)
Vincenzo C.
I like me some Cracker Barrel... Except this one. Been there 3 times, service was poor and the food was lousy. Bland, overcooked, small portions. Not going back...
(2)
Tony M.
Always great tasting country fresh food every time I come here. Prices are great for the whole family to eat a lot and fill up! The service is ok, I just come for the breakfast food mainly every time I am here. I don't come here for the service. It is a hit or miss with service, sometimes it is great, sometimes it is ok.
(5)
Gaby F.
Took family here en route to Great America. Truly awful experience, filthy uncleared or more tables sat for 30 mins. Waitress forgot order, silverware was not brought. Water glasses were dirty. 45 Min wait for breakfast at 10am. Horrible, there are Greek diners nearby, find one! The managers here should be fired.
(1)
Yeon J.
They are always so welcoming and we have been going to this store for years and they never let us down.
(5)
Manny C.
An all American restaurant, meatloaf, steak, chicken and dumplings. Ordered the Cracker Barrel sampler. Meatloaf, ham, chicken and dumplings. Decent side order, the meatloaf was okay, ham was a little salty and the chicken and dumplings was ok. The dumpling was a little doughy.
(3)
Kelly J.
By far the slowest serving restaurant ever. No matter how many customers they have here...you always have to wait on service. Management must be the worst as they have too many tables per server.
(1)
Mike J.
I hate leaving a bad review for this place as the food is always decent...but the service is always horrendous. You can be the only table in the place and always get bad service (even the hosts seem to never be at their station ready to sit and greet customers). To the Female Manager: when an employee calls and asks for your help at the front counter, then don't continue to sit your fat @ss at your desk and question the employee. You made all of us standing in line realize why the service is always bad. Set an example and don't be so upset that you had to get up from your desk to help the customers.
(1)
Jennie E.
Great store with holiday goodies! There are also cast iron pans, specialty food, old time candies as well as women's & children's clothing to fit the holidays. There is a restaurant attached which I hear has great comfort food and by looking at the menu, that is a perfect description. I can't wait to try it the next time I stop by. The staff is friendly and helpful. Apparently, the store is always changing so get what you want and stock up because it might be gone the next time (from what I hear).
(4)
Lisa A.
If it wasn't for their dumplings and a decent meal for the price, I really wouldn't be going there. The service is inconsistent. Sometimes we get a really good server, but usually not... What really bothers me the most is there inability to monitor when service is desired. I tried to ask for some rolls first before dinner, but the waiter insisted on serving rolls with dinner even though we said we were hungry now and didn't want to wait. The only thing this waiter was good at was refilling the drinks. When we were done with the meal, he never came back until we asked another server to look for him. Oh well...go for the dumplings!
(3)
Judy L.
Ordered a chopped steak and it came like a dried up hockey puck, no gravy. I asked for gravy and they only had turkey gravy!They have no clue how to make a chopped steak dinner! I ordered the steamed broccoli and cauliflower and it was warm but raw! It was so hard I couldn't chew it! When I complained to the waitress, all she did was say she saw it come out of the steamer and did nothing else! After passing this cracker barrel for years and remembering the good meals I had gotten years ago at other locations, I was very disappointed in the food and the service. I will never go back!
(1)
M P.
Was craving breakfast, opted to go here instead of IHOP--hoping for a better quality meal and overall experience. Should've gone to IHOP. The service was awful. Our waitress messed up just about everything. Ordered an omelet, pancakes, and some toast: took about 40 minutes for the food to come out. I'm no chef, but I know it only takes about 10 minutes to make that meal. And, low and behold, when the food came out--it was cold!! Sent it back. Got a whole new omelet which was better. Omelet still wasn't that great though. Upside: meal ended up being free. Still wouldn't recommend.
(2)
George Z.
The service here was solid. You can't expect the employees to be crazy happy to everyone knowing that they are a busy location next to six flags. We had a nice waiter, and the service was overall courteous. The food is where the store/restaurant lost a star. The biscuits are phenomenal, as are the dumplings, chicken, beef, and oatmeal granola pancakes. There were a few items, however, that were just bland such as the green beans, grits (which you could add honey to), & the corn muffins. The price was great, having each item cost about $9 & under with a respectable portion size. $40 total for 2, 2 full tummies, and a lot of leftovers. Great place!
(4)
Timothy S.
Hostess was not accommodating and very obviously did not want to be there. The food, while good took about 45 minutes when the place was almost empty. And last but not least the bathroom smelled like pee and was a complete mess!! I would not recommend this place at all.
(2)
Christopher H.
For a chain restaurant, its pretty darn good!
(4)
Beryl C.
There's 1 good thing about my move from the city to the burb -- I live only 10 mins away from a Cracker Barrel. OMG -- their food is so good and consistent. The service is excellent. The manager always come to your table to ask how everything is. The wait staffs are extremely attentive. I always order the Chicken Fried Chicken. For about $8.99, you get the entree plus 3 sides and biscuits or corn muffins. For sides, I always order corn, carrots and fried apples. The fried apples is a a must to have -- they are not quite deep-fried in any means -- instead they taste like the filling from an apple pie. And dint forget to ask them for their Apple Butter. I put the apple butter on my chicken, carrots and muffins. I wish they will open up in the city and then I can go during lunch hours!!!!!
(5)
Char P.
Only for the hasbrown casserole. YUM!
(4)
Rich A.
Can't go wrong with Cracker Barrel for Bkfast
(4)
Leocris L.
good old fashioned food. i wish there was one closer to home. i like the sides the most. it's hard to decide on which ones to get because they're all great. good variety and quite tasty. i think i like their meatloaf probably the best. the staff is always fast and friendly. and i like how the entrance is an old towne shop.
(4)
Dave S.
Oh good lord I need this place to open somewhere near me quick as I would be eating breakfast here everyday. I an mot a huge fan of Cracker Barrel for dinner but I could eat breakfast food every meal for the rest of my life. Here I what I recieved for freaking $8.95: A bloody 10oz steak, grits, biscuits and gravy, three eggs, cheesy hashbrown casserole, and some cinnamon apples. I ate ALL of it, not a crumb was left it was so frekaing good. Although the apples were a little more sweet than I needed, I had to give some of them to Lara. The biscuits and gravy were good but nothing like you find in Southern Indiana or in Kentucky. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to find out of this workd biscuits and gravy in the chicago metro area. I dare you all to prove it otherwise. The service was good and I will be back when I am in the area. Cracker Barrels can only be found off of interstes. Hello corporate office, I live within walking distance of TWO major interstates and short driving distances to MANY more. I am patiently waiting for one to pop up closer to me!
(5)
Vinny The Vacuum S.
Life got a whole lot better when this Cracker Barrel opened. My all time favorite dish is country fried steak with corn and green beans slathered in sausage gravy, and this place has the best offering outside of Texas. The portions are big, the drinks are refillable, and the prices are right. You won't leave here hungry or broke.
(5)
Jonathan K.
good country style breakfast food. hearty eating....
(4)
Rozen O.
This restaurant has great food! Their service is great, the staff is really friendly, & always on top of everything that you ask for. I love their general store right next to the restaurant and I always end up buying some candy or little knick knacks, or puzzle books that they sell. We make special trips to this location whenever we're shopping at Gurnee Mills.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast, Brunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Henriett C.
We have been to many Cracker Barrels in the country (it's our thing to do on vacation) but this one was our least favorite. Things came out cold, vegetables soggy and mushy (even for canned vegetables they were overdone), ham was cooked to jerky like "perfection". Our server was a nice young man but we sure feel bad that he has to share the tip with the chef. Sorry, we did not return for breakfast...
(2)Allyn J.
No wait! That's what you get for going during dinner. Waitress was on top of Drink Refills, and we didn't need to ask. Given how quiet was, I would have expected to see her a bit more often, but she certainly wasn't having a lack of service. We all got different kinds of fish, and they were all great. 1.) Fish Fry - Cod. No malt vinegar came to the table (as advertised), but I didn't ask for it. It was good, not Fish n Chips OMG good, but good. 2.) A haddock Dinner. - It it's standard preparation, this was good. 3.) A custom design. We saw the pecan crusted catfish, but didn't want catfish. We asked if we could do a pecan crusted haddock. A few minutes later the answer was Yes! (slight upcharge to add pecans, no big deal in my book) This was the one that stole the show for me personally. Each came with two sides, nothing amazing, but nothing bad about any of them. We did agree however that the breakfast sides (specicially the cheesy hash brown casserole, is of better quality in the mornings) Otherwise, the food was certainly good, my company with me was fantastic as always, and I got leftovers which I just had... Note, I don't think I have found fish yes, that is really good as leftovers... But it was food, and I am cheap, and like to eat leftovers.. So there ya go!
(5)Jessica J.
Being from the south, there are times where you just crave down home comfort food. Now, Cracker Barrel isn't always the most satisfying way to curb that craving but it will do in a pinch. Driving down Grand Avenue in the height of shopping and vacationer season on a Thursday is bad enough. Trying to go to dinner? Whole other monster. Cracker Barrel seemed least crowded, so we took our chances. As we parked, a charter bus of senior citizens pulled up and let the masses off at the door... Well, you guessed it, now there was a really good wait. All the waiting areas were beyond crowded, so we decided to walk and browse the store - where the rude crowd would constantly bump into you and look at you as if you're the problem. After an annoying almost 45 minute wait, we were seated and promptly served drinks. Took our waitress a while to return for our food order, but they did just have a huge horde of seniors pile in. I will forgive that. The food is typical for a Cracker Barrel, although mine was on the chilly side of serving temp. I ate without complaint as we were starving. This quick stop had turned into a night out whether we wanted it to or not. Then the icing on the cake! I really wanted an apple dumpling - oh, it sounded SO good! I placed my order and after waiting almost 20 minutes, without any words uttered, a plate containing an apple pie slice was dropped in front of my face. Before the waitress could make her quick getaway, I yelled to her to come back. I told her, "This is clearly Apple pie - not an apple dumpling, as I ordered." She replied, "ummm no". I said, "What do you mean no?!" And she said, "that's a dumpling". I looked again at the slice of pie, wondering if I had hallucinated the whole ordeal. No, no... It was still very much a slice of Apple pie. I said, "Hun, that's a slice of Apple pie. I promise you." She said, "nope, that's what our dumplings look like." I was in utter shock and confusion at this point when I asked to speak with a manager. When the manager approached, I told her the conversation that had taken place. This is where I felt somewhat bad because she then dressed the poor waitress down in front of customers and took her back like a child to the kitchen to show her the difference between pie and dumpling. Not impressed - but what do you expect in this commercial restaurant overpopulated strip?
(2)Chip G.
This may not be true for all Cracker Barrels, but today's visit was the second time in a month that our breakfast order was either lost or not given in a timely manner. The first time, we stuck it out, and figured it was our waitress who was new and had no idea what she was doing. We eat and paid for our food and never even bothered complaining since we figured, give the girl a break, she's new... Well this AM, we visit the same location. On the way there, I commented to my wife, remember the last time.. She said on I'm sure it will be okay. When we arrived there were a few people already eating, but we were immediately seated, no wait. We got our drinks, and all seemed fine, there was a table of 2 guys next to us that came in right after we did and had joked how tall the whip cream was on his hot coco. So all was fine, Well after the waitress vanishing and not returning for 20 more minutes 10 of them with my wife's drink empty, she brought another drink and informed us the food was coming, and we were not forgotten. I thought no big deal the guys with the hot coco hadn't gotten their food yet, but my wife pointed out that others that had come in much later then us, had already been eating. So my calm wife who never really gets mad looks over and notices the guys now eating. She said ok now I'm getting pissed. 5-10 minutes later, the waitress yet again comes out from her hiding spot to realize that we did not have our food. At this point my wife said, we're leaving and the waitress was in shock. She quickly walks to the kitchen as as we are walking past the kitchen entry we can hear her saying they are walking out. As if we were expected to spend more time. We're now close to 40 minutes and no food. We stop to put on a jacket, and I was half expecting the manager to come over and apologize, offer up a free meal or something for wasting 40 minutes of our Sunday Morning. But nope, he says let me seat you again, and get your food for you. No Sorry about that, no that is unacceptable and I'm not sure, what happened, just a, oh we lost your ticket. At that point I let him know this is 2 times in the past month and we'll never be back and we walked. So I know it's a popular place, and this review will hardly put a dent in their business. But much like their service, their Corporate complaint section of the contact us is broken, and throws an asp error upon submission of complaint. So figured I'd post this here.
(1)Michael S.
Went for breakfast and I was very disappointed. We were in a big group but the waitress was very lackadaisical in her service. My wife's oatmeal didn't even come out on time and was of poor quality. My eggs were not fully cooked. The pancakes were decent however. It took 10 minutes to even get our bill after 3/4 of table had gotten theirs already. I will not return.
(2)Katlyn G.
Good food and huge portions. Staff wasn't quiet on the ball even though the place only had two other tables seated.
(3)Kim B.
Cracker Barrel is probably my favorite breakfast spot in the area. I've been to the other popular breakfast spots: Walker Bros, Wildberry Cafe, etc. but always come back here for more. Do you like crisp buttermilk pancakes? Biscuits with gravy? Hash brown casserole? Thick-cut bacon? Apple butter? Then look no further because you can have all this and more and Cracker Barrel!
(4)Meghan H.
BISCUITS!!! YUM Cornbread! pretty good with a nice and buttery crunch on the outside and soft interior, though I found that the cornbread taste was not as strong as I would have liked. You can't beat the atmosphere of Cracker Barrel. It sure is a one of a kind type of place in that respect. I love how homey it is with the huge wood-burning fire they have going and the wooded/rustic décor. Charming. The service is truly excellent. Our waiter was so informed and on top of things. The eggs were standard - nothing to rave about, but not bad. The bacon was good - no issues, again - just standard The sugared ham was quite good! The pancakes were really yummy! I am really a big fan of Cracker Barrel - right when you walk in, it's like you are transported to a different place and time. (sounds kitschy, I know, but it's a good place to go if you are looking to just "escape" and forget the stresses and petty things of everyday life). Though this location is kind of random with it being in the Chicago suburb of Gurnee and not down south or something, ....I really liked the experience I had at this Cracker Barrel and hope to be back again soon.
(4)Amanda E.
Absolutely the WORST customer service. Our waiter Brando could not get it together. He brought a filthy glass of lemonade. Seemed to take a long time for the replacement. We ordered. He forgot the toppings my boyfriend ordered for his burger and I ordered crispy hashbrowns and they came nearly raw. My boyfriend and I were half way through our meal with empty drinks. He asked if we needed refills. We said yes to finish our meals. We watched him take two orders, deliver food, clean a table...no drinks. He came and got our glasses and 10 minutes later no drinks. Now I'm pissed. I asked for the manager. I tell him what happened. He doesn't care. I just told him we couldn't finish our food because we had nothing to drink not even water. No adjustments to the check. I complained to another girl and she slightly adjusted our check. I asked for the name of the manager there's boss and no one could help me with that either. Will never be back, ever.
(1)Jen M.
while food and service were good, not as stellar as usually get at cracker barrel.
(4)Nick D.
I usually enjoy Cracker Barrel, but not this location. The hospitality that is found at every other store i have been to was missing from the dining room. It was evident that not much effort was put into keeping the dining room clean. The floor under our table and the surrounding tables were not even swept. I'm going to guess that I was the only one to request cornbread, due to mine being hard and crusty. Why serve old cornbread that has been sitting around for longer than what it should? The only reason that one star is not given is for the one in the store that was very personable and friendly. Needless to say, I will not be back to the Gurnee location.
(2)Lisa C.
Went to get takeout the other day...had to wait 25 minutes for them to spoon chicken and dumplings into a tray and pack up a dozen biscuits...this order was phoned in 2 hours before! Got home and the tray was only half full! Have ordered this several times and tray is always full. Never again...YOU SUCK GURNEE CRACKER BARREL!
(2)Frank A.
The decor is pretty cool. It's really classic looking place. Lots of antique looking thingies, a nice shop inside full of vintage stuff. I swear I saw DVD's of the Andy Griffith Show and other oldies. They had huge games like a huge checker board. I also saw fruit stripes gum! I haven't had that in ages. LOL. Anyway, the place looks pretty slick. Sort of like a log cabin. As far as the food, it was decent. I wouldn't say it blew me away or anything. At the same time, it was super cheap. I mean I came with a group of four and dinner barely cracked 40 bucks. I had a 12 oz ribeye which I had virtually no expectations for. The menu claimed it was aged 28 days. I was really skeptical. It actually turned out pretty decent. Obviously, it's not the best steak but for 12 bucks???? I'd come back if I wanted a decent steak at a super cheap price. The hashbrown casserole was ok. I prefer traditional hash browns but that's just my preference. The fried apples were sweet. Tasted homely and even had the skin still on it. Service was meh. Waitress wasn't too excited. Actually she was downright depressed about something. Not a big deal. I sort of found it amusing. Overall, average service but the bill was so cheap it made up for it. Had a taste of roast beef. Not bad. Pretty standard to slightly above standard for super cheap price. Oh, one thing to mention was that our table had this "peg" game where you jump each peg with the goal of having just one peg left. I remember this game in grade school. Funny how I really suck at it now. Haha.
(4)Jay N.
This is a standard Cracker Barrel with the store in front followed by the dining area. I wanted to give credit to the staff for giving recommendations to my friend based on her preferences as well as letting her know what Cracker Barrel does well. They also had the fireplace running which was nice. The main issue I have is that the food is on the salty side, especially the meats. They have a few more seasonal menu items, but I tend to stick with breakfast and they are still pretty solid.
(4)Lisa V.
Visiting from out of town all I can say is the food was great, the service fast, and the atmosphere was excellent. If I ever go back to this area I would definitely be eating there again!
(4)Susan C.
First, I want to state that I am a huge fan of ALL Cracker Barrel restaurants. I think they have a unique concept which hasn't been duplicated. Having said that, this particular Cracker Barrel is the closest one to our home ~ which is a 40 minute drive. If you don't want to wait, make this a week day trip because when summer rolls around and nearby Six Flags/Great America is open, the wait is unbearable. On a cold, rainy day, there was no wait. Our waitress, although pleasant, made a mistake on our order which was an easy fix. In addition, this was the first time our grits, a Southern staple, were served cold. I noticed the floor was dirty and eventually a waitress came around to sweep ~ the waitresses (all) uniforms were all soiled as well. We love the gift shop and always come home with some good scores. And, we come here for their Cheer Wine (a cherry soda only sold in the South). Will return ~ why not?
(3)Maria P.
I've dined at several Cracker Barrels, even before they were in the Midwest. In comparison to other locations, I have no complaints about this one. We were greeted by a friendly staff and served rather quickly. I highly recommend one of their spring specials, the shrimp and grits. It's only $8 and comes with a side salad and a slice of special cornbread, which was also very tasty. A fabulous standby would be their dumplings. Whether you order them as a side or a meal, they are always delicious and hot!
(4)Jim T.
The service this time was terrible. Our server never came back to the table and we had to ask for another server and could not believe the response, "It's not my table". We finally asked for a manager and that took 30min to find one. The manager assigned a server to our table but came with a grudge as if we were imposing on her space. Then when the food was served not all the side dishes came, we had to keep asking were the food was. Our party of 6 was served at different times so the 1st person that was served was done eating by the time the last person was served. Only one apology and no compensation. Would I go back? NO WAY!
(2)Nate C.
So far slow service with 2 waitresses serving our group of 10............I had the special of the day for Sunday....2 pieces of double dipped buttermilk fried chicken breasts and 2 sides...chicken was ok but way over breaded. mashed potatoes were eh...mac and cheese was good. one of the orders came out with an over done steak...sent back. a customer across from us was really pissed off about the service...he got his food and packed it up and left while bitching at the manager. Seemed like they had the "B" team working that day. Not acceptable.
(2)Nelly O.
Horrible place! My family and I ( my husband, my 18 month old , and I )came here to eat for the first time. So we get and an employee says hello how are you guys, we answer him back and he's already gone somewhere else. We can push that to the side though.not a BIG deal. We get in the actually Resturant and I ask where is the washroom to change my son. Hostess says down the hall to your left. No direction to what hall . So I ask again and it is actually outside the Resturant in the store. If I am sitting all the way but the window how the heck am I suppose to know down the hall to the left if I go left I'm going into the kitchen! Anyhow not that big . I go in the washroom and there is an employee with all her cleaning equipment on the baby table, while she is in the stall talking on the phone. She knows someone's there so she doesn't come out , so then I had to move them! Our waitress was horrible had a cheerful attitude with everyone but us. We still tried giving it a chance !! We heard it was a great place, we were wrong!! So we order and my husband is a pretty big guy so he orders himself something else because the first plate was small, waitress gets a little attitude. So then my little guy starts crying and we know its time to go. I take him into the store while my husband gets a to go box. TEN MINS LATER! He's had enough so he asks for the check still wanting the box. They finally give the box when he's paying, says thank you and goes back. He comes back mad as ever because they already cleaned off our table. No need for a to go box. And also the place was not busy at all. A gentleman was upset about his experience there also and they gave him a discount. Unfortunately, our experience was not that bad to get a discount. Is what was told to us!
(1)Michelle C.
Pretty good, but the bread was stiff and my apple cider was frozen. Catfish was good after the lemon squeeze, the sides were delicious. Would have rated higher but its just Cracker Barrel, subpar but still tasty.
(3)Holly V.
I would give it a 3.5 if I was able to. The food wasn't amazing but it was good. The portions were perfect and the princing was a great deal. My family and I got the chicken dumpling, rib eye steak, and fried porkchop. With mash potatoe, fries, salad, Cole slaw, baked potato. Everyone liked what they got, we were also all full with the $40 dinner for 4. My favorite was the fried pork chop (recommend) which is the Monday special. I was not a fan of their corn bread. They were plain. Other than that everything was just good. Nothing exellent.
(3)Kevin A.
I went to Cracker Barrel 2 weeks ago with another worker from work and she said the service is terrible and because our waitress and that we had I had to keep on telling her stuff and that I want like more napkins and more lemons and when I told her once and she should be able to get it the first and instead of me telling her stuff and that's not good service. When the worker that I work with said thank you to our waitress and she never said your welcome to her and that waitress we had did not do a very good job and if I was her boss and I would fire her ass!
(2)Corin W.
OK, we do business meetings here a lot because it's right off the expressway and it's recognizable to people coming down from WI or up from Chgo. proper. It's just convenient. And I will say: I love eating by a huge fireplace when it's cold. The wood smell also reminds me of a lot of great historical reenactments. But then, these guys are in the business of nostalgia and I really admire their business model. They've tapped into something about the way people remember things that, from a hypnotiist's point of view, is very clever. We had a meeting last week, six of us. The waitress, April, who has waited on us before was fantastic. (There are a lot of great waitresses at this Cracker Barrel, by the way). She made sure we all had beverages then she leaned over to me and said: "I can see this a very important meeting so I'm going to leave you guys to it and you just tell me when you want to order." We were there for like a half hour before we ordered and yet she never let my coffee cup go empty. Fabulous! The food was exactly as we ordered it, except that one of our party was missing a single biscuit so she brought him a whole fresh order. (They do stuff like that all the time.) April was attentive but unobtrusive and all of us left satisfied. No one rushed us or neglected us. It was a great experience. I have to say, I've had a lot of great breakfasts here: they have some really friendly, attentive and hospitable waitresses. (Have you gotten by now that I really like friendly service?) Four stars only because you can only get the freakin' pork chops on Monday and we never end up here on a Monday. And because they discontinued the sour dough rolls--I loved the rolls...
(4)April T.
I am no stranger to this resturant. Pros: good food (breakfast luch or dinner) friendly wait staff fluffy biscuts Cons: not local ( for me) wait for a table can be long with large groups
(4)Bob W.
Cute old fashioned country store and restauant. Go when it's quiet so you're not tempted to shop while waiting to be seated. The menu isn't fancy and is full of dependable basics along with breakfast all day. The pancakes are the best around. Servers try hard. Great for families.
(4)Janice G.
Not bad at all. My grilled cheese was cooked perfectly. Yes grilled cheese can be yucky. Sandwich and fries were hot and cole slaw was fresh. Service was friendly but a tad slow even though they were not busy
(3)Scott W.
After our last no so great experience, we were invited back by the restaurant for a second chance. Great meal and service. We will be back many times.
(4)Michael M.
I went to Great America with my wife, my sister-in-law, and her friend yesterday. Once the temperature started to really peek in the late afternoon, we all decided to take a much needed break and go get an early dinner at the Craker Barrel that we saw from the highway as we were driving in. We had a really great time and good food and it was the perfect place to go to beat the heat and save $$$ over the gross, overpriced theme park food. If I had realized how close it really is to the park, we could have even walked there. I highly recommend the Gurnee Cracker Barrel as a alternative to anything they have in the park.
(4)Brittany Q.
Cracker Barrel is a standard off the expressway restaurant. It's extrememly packed and the food is just ok. It is good for big families as they have large dining areas. their portions are gigantic! I usually order just a few sides because there meals are too large for me to eat. I will say we had a great waitress. She was very attentive and got us everything we needed for our dining experience.
(2)Marc C.
As a former employee of this location I would strongly recommend not eating at this location. The kitchen is absolutely disgusting and I am honestly surprised that Lake County Health department has not shut them down yet. If you honestly care about the safety of your friends and family and your own health STAY AWAY from this location!!!! It is a serious health hazard waiting to happen.
(1)Emily W.
crackerbarreliswhyiamfat… I order the veggie plate so I feel less shame about plowing through comfort food loaded with butter, salt, lard, etc
(4)Eagle R.
I been to several Cracker Barrel around the country so I was suprised when a most of our meal seemed to be just heated through. Maybe it was because it was mid afternoon and they wern't too busy. The only thing that was fresh was the eggs I ordered. Hash brown cassarole was too hard to eat and mashed potatoes were tasteless and got cold quickly.
(3)Patrick J.
A close friend had told me this was the best place to go for breakfast, when my parents were in town to visit they decided to stop by here since they had been hearing the same thing and were staying at the hotel next door. They told me the food was mediocre and service was slow, I should have listened to them. I decided to stop by for breakfast since I am still trying to find a good place to go to for biscuits and gravy. I ordered that with hash browns and toast. The biscuits were soggy and hard, while the gravy was watery and thin. It was like they had taken the cheapest frozen items they could find and microwaved them. The hash browns were worse than any diner I had ever eaten at, and I have eaten at some really bad diners before. The toast was normal but only one slice had any butter on it. To make the experience all the worse, the waiter took what felt like 10 minutes just to stop by and take my order, after the food was brought out I never saw them again until I asked another waiter to find them so I could get my bill. The quality of breakfast food at the Golden Corral across the street and even the IHOP next door are far superior and provide better service and atmosphere than what you'll find here.
(1)Tiffany L.
there is a reason why you see a cracker barrel off every single highway in the midwest. and that reason, my friends, is the hashbrown casserole.
(3)Chad H.
Wow.... what's with all the love for Cracker Barrel? This place is below average on a good day. I could see myself liking this restaurant if I was 80 years old, because that's pretty much the average age of the customers. I like unhealthy food as much as the next guy, but this place is not good. I want to give them 1.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 2 for bell curve reasons.
(2)Ron L.
The best pancakes ever Comes with real maple syrup
(5)Mike L.
Cracker Barrel has good food, not great or even very good, it is very average. They offer good, homemade style food with decent portions most with a southern twist. So think lots of fried foods for lunch and dinner and biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Where they stand-out is the number of side dishes that they offer for all meals, averaging about 14 although you can only pick 2-3. It is nice to be able to pick a couple of veggies and then throw in fried apples. The front of the store is made to look like an old-time country general store and you can purchase items there at a huge markup. My family used to go here alot many years ago, now we prefer places run by locals, plus the quality has gone down hill over the years.
(3)Anthony C.
How can you say anything bad about Cracker Barrel, it is a poor man's 4 star restuarant. There is always a wait so it is very popular and the wait for food is a little longer than comfortable, but the food is the closest thing to momma's home cooking you can get in a restuarant and even family owned places don't do it as well as Cracker Barrel.
(3)Pamela R.
I just stopped because it was on the way to Great America and hunger got the best of me and my fiance. I'm giving 2 stars, because, I felt like another sucker to them. They kept us waiting for close to 45 minutes when the wait was supposed to be 20 minutes and they have a store conveniently there to look at there kitchy crap no one really needs. For lack of better things to do while waiting we started looking at the crap they sell. Unfortnuately, they have about 5 workers trolling the area and ready to comment on anything you touch. It was annoying, I could read sale signs, I could make decisions for myself and I could ask questions if I had any. I started smelling candles and because my fiance was off looking at other stuff it felt like the sales women targetted me because I was a women left on my own so, of course, I'd tear up shopping. She kept telling me that $29.99 was such a GREAT deal for a large candle and because I wasn't feeding into it she straightaway asked me how much I pay for candles and I said I usually don't buy them thinking that would shut her up, but she kept on making me smell her favorite candles. By time my fiance checked on me he got one taste of her persistence because she wouldn't leave me alone and kept asking if I tried all of the 10 or so candles she suggested. He couldn't take her in the least. The meal was ok, nothing to rave about, but it feed us. On the way out was their last chance to make us spend more than what we came for. This other sales lady manning the register area saw me pick up a pack of gum. I picked it up only because I never saw that brand. And she demanded I "get the blackjack! it's good it's cinnamon!" My fiance said he doesn't like cinnamon and she assured him he never had this kind before. I pointed out I had braces and she so concernly (for her paycheck) stated I could buy it and suck the flavor out! Wow, it's gross how far they fo there. Then, to make matters worse the poor girl at the register is forced to upsell, even though, we both could tell she felt wrong for doing it, but she still angered us by the persistence. It was a MAJOR turn-off. If you're gonna go - go when it's not busy, because they try there damnest to get you.
(2)Shefali M.
Consistently delicious!! My favorite part is people watching in the Country Store...more specifically, old people watching. Man, grannies crack me up! I'm a huge fan of brinner--breakfast for dinner. Don't miss out on the hashbrown casserole! You can get a complete breakfast, with tip, for under $10. And by complete I mean eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrown casserole, 3 types of meat, grits, and cinnamon apples. Growing up, I was always a fan of their homemade chocolate milkshakes. I haven't had one at the Gurnee location, but I'm sure their fab.
(4)Syretta H.
Ok I went here eons ago and did not like it....fast forward to 2009......I was with a friend and we were on our way home from church. She said she had a taste for pancakes from Cracker Barrel...OK...we can go... Well, I don't remember what I had eons ago that made me say that I never wanted to go back...but what I had on Sunday wasn't half bad! Fried catfish platter, mac n cheese and green beans. The cornbread muffins weren't half bad either. I don't know that it would be my FIRST choice but I would go back...just not a Sunday after church.....(it was PACKED- I had to buy something from the store to subside my angry stomach....)
(3)Wanderin' J.
Not all Cracker Barrel restaurants are the same. The food does vary and so does the service. At this particular location, we were very pleased with our dinner. Our granddaughter just graduated from Navy boot camp at nearby Great Lakes. This was the place she chose to have her first restaurant meal since she arrived in that area nearly two months ago. It had all been Navy food. She loves Cracker Barrels. Everyone (all six of us) walked away pleased with their meal and with the service. For me it was the hand breaded catfish. I love the catfish at Cracker Barrel. You can almost always guarantee it to be absolutely delicious ... and it was. For others, the vegetables were a big winner as was being able to order okra - an item not readily available in the Pacific NW. The chicken fried steak was good and big enough to share between two plates. It was a great place and, of course, it's always fun to walk through their Old Country Store.
(4)D. J.
Good: -The catfish you can choose from the Uncle Herschel's Favorite -Order the Uncle Herschel's -Order the Momma's Pancake Breakfast -The Buttermilk pancakes taste great -The biscuits -The meal prices are decent -The service here was good -Big menu to choose from -Big open space to eat, nice atmosphere Bad: -That only 2 eggs come with their associated meals
(3)Alice A.
Got an order of Chicken and Dumplings to go. Order was prompt and fast. The chicken and dumplings aren't too bad. I can't eat too many of the dumplings though. Biting in to chunks of dough doesnt sit well in my stomach. What i don't recommend is the mashed potatoes. It was very dry and bland. It didnt taste fresh and is very flaky/dry. I dont think i've ever had horrible mashed potatoes from a restaurant before. This is a first. Nothing about those were good. My homemade ones are so much better. So avoid those when you are there. Their breakfast selection looks good. I will be stopping by some time to try it and update this review.
(3)Chris C.
No waiting to get in. Food was fair :( ordered fried chicken - got dried up chicken fingers, and waitress forgot our biscuits
(2)Odranre B.
shop-eat-shop...located in a hard to find area (the inner roads to get here is a labyrinth)...this restaurant has been here forever and is a familiar place for the locals...i occasionally stop by here when i'm in the area...the menu has not really changed...food is ok (not great, but not bad either)...portion and price is good...dumplings is my choice of sides...and as always, according to the peg game - i'm just "plain dumb"...
(3)Delia S.
Ever wanted to like a place that you have tried them again and again and get the same result ? My hubby loves the breakfast here and I agree when it's not cold. We placed our order and are waiter just seemed to hate his job. I would look around for him so I could get more coffee. If that was not bad he would bring some of the food out with only some of it so by the time we get the rest our food was cold. Needed condiments but that was just asking for too much :( I did tell our waiter he just didn't seem to care then went to stand in a long line to pay with only one cashier. Saw what looks like a manger just walk by ... Really ! Finally came to help with the lines never asked me how everything was hmmmm ... I will just buy the pancake mix and make it at home.
(1)Edward R.
I love the fact that while you wait to be seated their is something to do in the meantime, from shopping in their nostalgic store to relaxing outside on the rocking chairs they have for sale. Their breakfast and customer service has always been on point and never disappointing to me and family, it's too bad we don't have one closer to Chicago. As for today's visit, it was just as we expected....perfect! Can't wait to come back again.
(5)Mark F.
As a family of 3, our total bill was $25. Repeat - a family of three, hungry folks ate at a restaurant with three meals and beverages for a grand total of $25! It was a reverse sticker shock. I have not been to a Cracker Barrel in years. I forgot about the decor, the chicken & dumplings and the giant store. As my nostalgia took me back to the late 80s/early 90s, it appeared the the menu pricing also took that trip with me. The food was mediocre but it came out piping hot in an incredibly short amount of time. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. With correct expectations, we'll come back for an easy-going, affordable meal again.
(4)Lady B.
After finding out that CB sells a specific item that I wanted I called and had a very pleasant experience on the phone with the female employee. However, when I went to the store (the same day but a few hours later) it was a totally didn't experience.....not one single employee greeted me when I walked in, didn't offer any assistance, and when I made eye contact with the same employee more than once she basically gave me the stank eye every time. Really?? After spending 20mns looking around I decided to buy the item that was being held for me (I was told I had 4 days to pick it up) when I got the the counter the cashier told me they put it away. Umm what???!!!! What sucks about this situation is that CB is the only place in a 500 mile radius that sells the item that I like. Dilemmas, dilemmas. lol
(2)Brandon B.
Good food, good service, but except to eait more than the time they tell. Was told 15 to 20 mins and waited 45 mins to and 1 hour
(2)Effie D.
Next best thing to a home cooked meal. Very cozy with the lit wood fireplace. Their buttermilk chicken special on Sundays is the way to go. I crave it. Their pancakes are the best I've ever had. I always have their add only water pancake mix in my cupboard. great for families.
(5)Andy P.
Cracker barrel is one of my family's favorite chain breakfast options. The decor is relaxing, the servers are great (most of the time) and as soon as drinks are ordered, a plate of biscuits can be brought out if requested. Mama's pancake or french toast breakfasts are excellent and my father raves about the chicken fried steak. The old-fashioned store is a fun experience. Tons of candy, including so many vintage favorites, and lots of great stuff to look at. My daughter loves both the restaurant and the shop and this is a place that we have regularly attended.
(4)Gerald P.
You know, I always get so excited when I find out that a trip to Cracker Barrel is upcoming but then once I'm there I remember that the food is actually not that great. I mean, it's not bad...it's just not especially better than any other restaurant. What dish are they known for at Cracker Barrel? I'm going to order whatever that is next time I'm in to test out my theory. Anyway, This place is more about the experience: the store, the friendly staff, the big rocking chairs out front that keep you busy until they call your name for a table. Checkers! But then... that's pretty much it. It's like someone put a big, shiny Hollywood facade on the front of an IHOP. I wanted to give 3 stars because there truly isn't anything spectacular about the food, but a 4th star is definitely in order for the service. A friendly and attentive staff are SO important and this Cracker Barrel location is doing it right. From the big smiles that greeted us when we first walked in to the manager who took our order anyway - we thought she was the waitress - but she never skipped a beat. Such professional :) Thanks for a great experience (even though the food is mediocre).
(4)Mad I.
$7.69 gets you a main dish, 2 sides & a muffin/biscuit! Well priced "comfort food", fun to try out. Nice checker boards and rocking chairs out front to entertain. The Chicken dumplings we tasty, nice white breast meat. Good portions, check it out!
(4)Anacany E.
Be careful!! We had a fried chicken burger and it was not undercooked it was NOT COOKED!! Calling the health department
(1)Barbara M.
I have been to more than dozens of cracker barrels and this one is by far the worst in customer service. Mothers day...my mom had to wait for a cornbread muffin. We were finished eating and still no cornbread muffin. As we were leaving, they told us that there were no more. On a day like Mothers Day you would think that they would have planned accordingly. Oh not to mention the server forgot my son's entire meal. The manager took it off which was a kind gesture to compensate for her inattentiveness. Thanks for ruining my mother's day. Won't be back. Good service is everything. Just a suggestion, put your absolute top servers on holidays. Not happy at all.
(1)Valerie O.
I love Cracker Barrel but unfortunately this is the worst location I've ever been to. Our dinners took over 30 minutes to come out and I had to repeatedly as the server for one of my sides. The side didn't come out till after we were done with dinner. The server noticed and didn't even say sorry. I just asked for a box to take the side home. Also the cornbread was overcooked and hard. I gave an extra star because I enjoyed the gift shop. The employees in the gift shop were friendly and nice unlike our server.
(3)Shaun E.
First time visiting this Cracker Barrel Old Country Store location. We were greeted by the country store employees with an enthusiastic feeling. Once seated, it was an okay setting. Not your normal crowded dinning room setting. Server was very stern, in a way robotic. No smile, just to the point. The food was okay, service was just your plain ordinary type of restaurant. I preferred the other location closer to the Wisconsin border. Overall, it didn't quite impress me. Recommend this location, if you're really in the mood for it, otherwise, lots of other restaurants in the area worth visiting.
(3)Dave K.
Good food and great service. Our server was Desmond. He was extremely customer focused and took care of our table really well. We will continue to eat at this establishment thanks to Desmond and the quality of service he provides.
(5)Jennifer H.
I'm not sure I'll come back at least not soon and order what I did. I didn't want the grits but they came with. The eggs (will try to upload photo) were runny in my opinion. I like my scrambled eggs completely cooked. The gravy has a different flavor to become accustomed to, but goes well with the delicious biscuits. The country fried steak was also pretty good but thr sausage patties were bland or something. Not my thing i guess here. I make better ones at home with bulk pork country sausage that i get at mariano's. Service was fast but since it's a Saturday and summer morning near six flags I did wait a little to be seated. I have been here a couple times before throughout the last 10 years and not too many issues but not really impressed.
(3)Josh L.
Great breakfast food, good coffee, but not great for vegetarians. The hash browns and the gravy has animal fat in them. The biscuits are delicious though! Service is usually great. This place is also great for groups. We popped in with 12 on a Tuesday morning & were basically sat immediately.
(4)Maxine W.
I dare you to find something more American than Cracker Barrel. For real. Cracker Barrel is one of those places where as soon as you walk through the door you could literally be anywhere in the country. Its not just because its a chain with the same food/decor everywhere. It's as much to do with the clientele as it does with the restaurant. There are 3 kinds of people you'll always find at Cracker Barrel, no matter where you are: 1. Truckers/road trippers who are hungry for dinner and saw the sign from the highway 2. PWT/townies in their Sunday best dressed up for a nice meal at Cracker Barrel. (you can also find these people purchasing the knick knacks in the gift shop up front) 3. Weary travelers who are either A) checking into the hotel next door for the night and ready for dinner or B) checking out of their hotel and ready for breakfast before resuming their road trips. Last night I guess I fit mostly into the "weary traveler" category. I wasn't staying at the La Quinta next door, but I had traveled all the way up to Gurnee from Arlington Heights for some discount shopping. And boy oh boy was I ready to gorge myself on some down home artery cloggin' country food. This Cracker Barrel experience was the same as every other. Sit down, order unsweet tea, country fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, hash brown casserole (I had to go with 2 potato dishes. I just couldn't make up my mind), cornbread muffins and biscuits with apple butter. Play that crazy peg game until you win or until your meal comes (I went from certified 'eg-no-ra-moose' to genius in the time it took for the food to come out). Stuff your face with food until you just cant eat any more, but wish you could eat some more. Get your check, marvel at how full you and your dinner partner can get for less than $30. Go up front, pay the cashier, dream sweet dreams of sawmill gravy. 'MERICA!
(4)Robert P.
Its consistent Cracker Barrel. The nice thing is you know what you're going to get....... comfort food. The food is good but nothing sets it apart. I'd recommend the Chicken 'n' dumplins. For breakfast most any dish is good.
(3)Cari T.
I came here with co-workers for dinner because it's close to our office. For a weekday, I was impressed by the number of people that were eating there. When you first enter the building you have to go through the "store" before getting to the restaurant. The store seemed to have a lot of random neat gift items that you can pick up for bdays or for yourself. I didn't look close enough to see if the prices were fair though. Once we were seated we were a little overwhelmed by the menu because there were SO MANY options. They also serve breakfast all day long. I should have just gotten breakfast because you probably can't screw up breakfast food, right? I ended up ordering the chopped steak. It was so bland. The green beans were fine though. I got excited about the biscuits but they tasted worse than KFC biscuits. They tasted like school cafeteria food. One of my co-workers had the fried catfish and raved about it and also loved their cole slaw. I guess I just got the wrong dish? Our server was ok. She wasn't mean or rude but wasn't all that friendly either. I'm not from the area so I don't know what's the norm for "friendly service". Overall, the price for the food was pretty cheap, and there are a lot of options so I guess you will have to try them out to see if you can find something you like?
(2)Adriane P.
Aww shucks! A diner chain with country stores attached! Shewt. Do you like comfort food the way your gramma (or someone's gramma. Somewhere...) makes? Piping hot coffee? Cookie cutter Kitsch-y country decor that's obviously mass produced? Breakfast food galor....including a Hash Brown Cassorole, the breakfast skillets cousin? A store full of souvenirs, pseudo country stuff, jams, apple butters, bandanas, mugs and goo gaws? Dining with truckers and tourists due to this being next to a major highway and near hotel and close to a theme park and giant outlet mall (Six Flags and Gurnee Mills)? Amazing BISCUITS?! I said, ah maze ing biscuits. Then... Reckon you should visit.
(3)Dr. C.
Great Service, Great Food and I must say I have never walked into any Cracker Barrel Restaurant and was able to be seated in one minute! The Best Experience Yet and the Family Will Be eating there again in the morning!
(5)Vincenzo C.
I like me some Cracker Barrel... Except this one. Been there 3 times, service was poor and the food was lousy. Bland, overcooked, small portions. Not going back...
(2)Tony M.
Always great tasting country fresh food every time I come here. Prices are great for the whole family to eat a lot and fill up! The service is ok, I just come for the breakfast food mainly every time I am here. I don't come here for the service. It is a hit or miss with service, sometimes it is great, sometimes it is ok.
(5)Gaby F.
Took family here en route to Great America. Truly awful experience, filthy uncleared or more tables sat for 30 mins. Waitress forgot order, silverware was not brought. Water glasses were dirty. 45 Min wait for breakfast at 10am. Horrible, there are Greek diners nearby, find one! The managers here should be fired.
(1)Yeon J.
They are always so welcoming and we have been going to this store for years and they never let us down.
(5)Manny C.
An all American restaurant, meatloaf, steak, chicken and dumplings. Ordered the Cracker Barrel sampler. Meatloaf, ham, chicken and dumplings. Decent side order, the meatloaf was okay, ham was a little salty and the chicken and dumplings was ok. The dumpling was a little doughy.
(3)Kelly J.
By far the slowest serving restaurant ever. No matter how many customers they have here...you always have to wait on service. Management must be the worst as they have too many tables per server.
(1)Mike J.
I hate leaving a bad review for this place as the food is always decent...but the service is always horrendous. You can be the only table in the place and always get bad service (even the hosts seem to never be at their station ready to sit and greet customers). To the Female Manager: when an employee calls and asks for your help at the front counter, then don't continue to sit your fat @ss at your desk and question the employee. You made all of us standing in line realize why the service is always bad. Set an example and don't be so upset that you had to get up from your desk to help the customers.
(1)Jennie E.
Great store with holiday goodies! There are also cast iron pans, specialty food, old time candies as well as women's & children's clothing to fit the holidays. There is a restaurant attached which I hear has great comfort food and by looking at the menu, that is a perfect description. I can't wait to try it the next time I stop by. The staff is friendly and helpful. Apparently, the store is always changing so get what you want and stock up because it might be gone the next time (from what I hear).
(4)Lisa A.
If it wasn't for their dumplings and a decent meal for the price, I really wouldn't be going there. The service is inconsistent. Sometimes we get a really good server, but usually not... What really bothers me the most is there inability to monitor when service is desired. I tried to ask for some rolls first before dinner, but the waiter insisted on serving rolls with dinner even though we said we were hungry now and didn't want to wait. The only thing this waiter was good at was refilling the drinks. When we were done with the meal, he never came back until we asked another server to look for him. Oh well...go for the dumplings!
(3)Judy L.
Ordered a chopped steak and it came like a dried up hockey puck, no gravy. I asked for gravy and they only had turkey gravy!They have no clue how to make a chopped steak dinner! I ordered the steamed broccoli and cauliflower and it was warm but raw! It was so hard I couldn't chew it! When I complained to the waitress, all she did was say she saw it come out of the steamer and did nothing else! After passing this cracker barrel for years and remembering the good meals I had gotten years ago at other locations, I was very disappointed in the food and the service. I will never go back!
(1)M P.
Was craving breakfast, opted to go here instead of IHOP--hoping for a better quality meal and overall experience. Should've gone to IHOP. The service was awful. Our waitress messed up just about everything. Ordered an omelet, pancakes, and some toast: took about 40 minutes for the food to come out. I'm no chef, but I know it only takes about 10 minutes to make that meal. And, low and behold, when the food came out--it was cold!! Sent it back. Got a whole new omelet which was better. Omelet still wasn't that great though. Upside: meal ended up being free. Still wouldn't recommend.
(2)George Z.
The service here was solid. You can't expect the employees to be crazy happy to everyone knowing that they are a busy location next to six flags. We had a nice waiter, and the service was overall courteous. The food is where the store/restaurant lost a star. The biscuits are phenomenal, as are the dumplings, chicken, beef, and oatmeal granola pancakes. There were a few items, however, that were just bland such as the green beans, grits (which you could add honey to), & the corn muffins. The price was great, having each item cost about $9 & under with a respectable portion size. $40 total for 2, 2 full tummies, and a lot of leftovers. Great place!
(4)Timothy S.
Hostess was not accommodating and very obviously did not want to be there. The food, while good took about 45 minutes when the place was almost empty. And last but not least the bathroom smelled like pee and was a complete mess!! I would not recommend this place at all.
(2)Christopher H.
For a chain restaurant, its pretty darn good!
(4)Beryl C.
There's 1 good thing about my move from the city to the burb -- I live only 10 mins away from a Cracker Barrel. OMG -- their food is so good and consistent. The service is excellent. The manager always come to your table to ask how everything is. The wait staffs are extremely attentive. I always order the Chicken Fried Chicken. For about $8.99, you get the entree plus 3 sides and biscuits or corn muffins. For sides, I always order corn, carrots and fried apples. The fried apples is a a must to have -- they are not quite deep-fried in any means -- instead they taste like the filling from an apple pie. And dint forget to ask them for their Apple Butter. I put the apple butter on my chicken, carrots and muffins. I wish they will open up in the city and then I can go during lunch hours!!!!!
(5)Char P.
Only for the hasbrown casserole. YUM!
(4)Rich A.
Can't go wrong with Cracker Barrel for Bkfast
(4)Leocris L.
good old fashioned food. i wish there was one closer to home. i like the sides the most. it's hard to decide on which ones to get because they're all great. good variety and quite tasty. i think i like their meatloaf probably the best. the staff is always fast and friendly. and i like how the entrance is an old towne shop.
(4)Dave S.
Oh good lord I need this place to open somewhere near me quick as I would be eating breakfast here everyday. I an mot a huge fan of Cracker Barrel for dinner but I could eat breakfast food every meal for the rest of my life. Here I what I recieved for freaking $8.95: A bloody 10oz steak, grits, biscuits and gravy, three eggs, cheesy hashbrown casserole, and some cinnamon apples. I ate ALL of it, not a crumb was left it was so frekaing good. Although the apples were a little more sweet than I needed, I had to give some of them to Lara. The biscuits and gravy were good but nothing like you find in Southern Indiana or in Kentucky. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to find out of this workd biscuits and gravy in the chicago metro area. I dare you all to prove it otherwise. The service was good and I will be back when I am in the area. Cracker Barrels can only be found off of interstes. Hello corporate office, I live within walking distance of TWO major interstates and short driving distances to MANY more. I am patiently waiting for one to pop up closer to me!
(5)Vinny The Vacuum S.
Life got a whole lot better when this Cracker Barrel opened. My all time favorite dish is country fried steak with corn and green beans slathered in sausage gravy, and this place has the best offering outside of Texas. The portions are big, the drinks are refillable, and the prices are right. You won't leave here hungry or broke.
(5)Jonathan K.
good country style breakfast food. hearty eating....
(4)Rozen O.
This restaurant has great food! Their service is great, the staff is really friendly, & always on top of everything that you ask for. I love their general store right next to the restaurant and I always end up buying some candy or little knick knacks, or puzzle books that they sell. We make special trips to this location whenever we're shopping at Gurnee Mills.
(5)