Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)
Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)
Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)
Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)
Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)
Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)
Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)
John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)
Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)
Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)
Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)
A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)
Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)
Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)
Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)
Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)
Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)
Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)
Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)
Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)
Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)
michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)
John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)
Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)
Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)
Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)
Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)
Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)
Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)
Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)
Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)
T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)
Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)
Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)
Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)
Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)
Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)
Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)
Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)
Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)
Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)
Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)
Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)
C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)
Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)
Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)
Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)
Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)
Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)
Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)
Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)
Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)
J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)
Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)
Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)
G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)
Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)
Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)
Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)
Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)
Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)
Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)
Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)
Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
(3)
Kim J.
Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)
Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)
Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)
Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)
John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)
Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)
Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)
Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)
John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)
Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)
Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)
Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)
Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)
Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)
Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)
Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)
Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)
Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)
michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)
Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)
Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)
Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)
Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)
Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)
Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)
Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)
Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)
T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)
Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)
Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)
Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)
Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)
Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)
Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)
Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)
A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)
Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)
Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)
Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)
Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)
Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)
C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)
Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)
Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)
Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)
Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)
Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)
Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)
Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)
Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)
J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)
Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)
Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)
G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)
Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)
Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)
Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)
Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)
Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)
Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)
Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)
Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
(3)
Kim J.
Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)
Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)
Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)
Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)
Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)
Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)
Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)
Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)
Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)
Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)
Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)
Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)
John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)
Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)
Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)
Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)
Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)
A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)
Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)
Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)
Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)
Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)
Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)
Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)
Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)
Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)
michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)
Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)
Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)
Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)
Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)
Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)
Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)
Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)
Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)
T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)
John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)
Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)
Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)
Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)
Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)
Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)
C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)
Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)
Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)
Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)
Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)
Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)
Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)
Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)
Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)
J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)
Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)
Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)
G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)
Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)
Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)
Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)
Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)
Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)
Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)
Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)
Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Touristy Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Kim J.
Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
(5)Pamela M.
It's fun for kids with all of the foresty and fishy décor. Other than that, it's pretty ridiculous. The food is WAY overpriced and just average stuff on the menu. The bathrooms were pretty nasty when I was there, too. The outfits are pretty horrible. It seems they could be doing a lot more with the theme or do some refreshing of ideas every few years. Do something with features, LED lighting, video screens, interactive little things, I don't know! Something! This is the kind of place that was outdated years ago but the owners can't fathom making little tweaks and upgrades. Probably stuffy old men. I'd rather eat at a fast food counter, really.
(2)Jim F.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
(1)ALFREDO M.
Sometimes parents can't get a babysitter so they can have a nice dinner with other adults - that's where Rainforest Café comes in. Next time you poo-poo the Rainforest Café, take a look at the haggard faces of the parents waiting in line with their kids and realize they are people with jobs and car-payments and dreams - just like you. My family loves the Rainforest Café (we even joined their 'Safari Club' for the discounts) because it serves a very critical role in our lives... that's the ugly truth (sorry). The reggae/calypso/pan-African music is loud enough to drown out ANY child - this is critical to getting through our meal without constantly apologizing to the next table. The décor which I used to find so offensive - Giraffes and Zebras and Elephants peeking out of the foliage in the rain forest? Come-on-now! - that décor hypnotizes my rambunctious two year old... ask for a booth by one of the aquariums if you want to live! The drinks are weak but you really shouldn't be getting smashed in public when you have the little ones in tow. Did you know the pitcher of sangria is less expensive than two glasses of sangria? It's true! And the food?? It's fine. Anthony Bourdain won't be featuring Rainforest Café in Gurnee any time in the near future but if he had kids he might eat at a place like this. The food is fine - it really is.
(4)Tennille T.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
(3)Kim J.
Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
(5)Pamela M.
It's fun for kids with all of the foresty and fishy décor. Other than that, it's pretty ridiculous. The food is WAY overpriced and just average stuff on the menu. The bathrooms were pretty nasty when I was there, too. The outfits are pretty horrible. It seems they could be doing a lot more with the theme or do some refreshing of ideas every few years. Do something with features, LED lighting, video screens, interactive little things, I don't know! Something! This is the kind of place that was outdated years ago but the owners can't fathom making little tweaks and upgrades. Probably stuffy old men. I'd rather eat at a fast food counter, really.
(2)Jim F.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
(1)ALFREDO M.
Sometimes parents can't get a babysitter so they can have a nice dinner with other adults - that's where Rainforest Café comes in. Next time you poo-poo the Rainforest Café, take a look at the haggard faces of the parents waiting in line with their kids and realize they are people with jobs and car-payments and dreams - just like you. My family loves the Rainforest Café (we even joined their 'Safari Club' for the discounts) because it serves a very critical role in our lives... that's the ugly truth (sorry). The reggae/calypso/pan-African music is loud enough to drown out ANY child - this is critical to getting through our meal without constantly apologizing to the next table. The décor which I used to find so offensive - Giraffes and Zebras and Elephants peeking out of the foliage in the rain forest? Come-on-now! - that décor hypnotizes my rambunctious two year old... ask for a booth by one of the aquariums if you want to live! The drinks are weak but you really shouldn't be getting smashed in public when you have the little ones in tow. Did you know the pitcher of sangria is less expensive than two glasses of sangria? It's true! And the food?? It's fine. Anthony Bourdain won't be featuring Rainforest Café in Gurnee any time in the near future but if he had kids he might eat at a place like this. The food is fine - it really is.
(4)Tennille T.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
(3)Kim J.
Giving it 4 stars because of the nostalgia aspect and the smile my baby had the entire time. I brought my 9 month old here today and he was absolutely memorized. It was the best restaurant I have been to with a baby. He sat in his high chair and loved watching the animals, touching the rain, and hearing the pretend storms. The food was okay (had the appetizer platter) but the atmosphere makes it worth it!! Best baby kid friendly restaurant out there!
(4)Barbra F.
We decided to stop here for an early dinner. While my husband and son waited for a table while I visited their restroom. I was in complete shock by how dirty it was. One toilet was clogged, for what appeared to be a long time. The garbage cans were overflowing with paper towels. The restroom needed help. (I will spare you the details) At the table, I started searching the internet to see what gluten free choices they had. The internet said they did not have a gluten free menu but they could make modifications. When the server arrived, I explained the situation and she told me there was no gluten free menu, at all. I told my husband that I would be fine with water and would eat later. However, he decided that he wasn't interested in a $15 burger...so we paid for the drinks and left.
(1)Tim S.
We dine out everyday and have to say this was one of our worst experiences in well over a year at a restaurant but certainly not one of the least expensive. Our bill came to $160 (2 Adults, 1 Child). Poor food, poor service, poor attitudes. The fish have all been removed (cost saving measure) and the empty tanks look ridiculous. WE WON'T BE GOING BACK
(1)Liliya S.
I am giving it 4 stars just because of all the good memories associated with this place dating back to 2006 when we used to celebrate special events and bring all our Chicago visitors there. I am not sure if the management/ownership has changed at this place but it's no longer what it used to be. I remember long waiting lines on the weekend but it it's no longer the case. It looks kind of dead most times we pass by. I guess I can see why. While cocktails are still very good here, the food quality is something that needs to be addressed. Last time we were here fajitas felt like they were just out of the microwave poorly warmed up. Guacamole was brown and spoiled. The decor and the whole atmosphere inside is simply incomparable though, always feels like a little paradise.
(4)Tony A.
I recently had dinner here again and decided to update my review of two years ago. There are some considerable changes that have taken place. Their menu has been updated and have some nice dishes available. Their drink menu also has changed and has some cool new choices. The staff seem to be more on top of things and are friendly. Again, the main attraction of this restaurant is the atmosphere. Being a novelty it deserves 3 stars. There are a ton more better restaurants in the area for a much better price. If you're looking for a fun place for a kid's birthday or other special occasion it might be more suitable.
(3)Mark F.
This was such a let down of a visit and experience. Normally, our visits at Rainforest are pretty delicious, the service is good to great, and a manager stops by to say hi and see how everything went. During this visit, the food was blah, the service was non-existent, and I don't know if I saw a manager on the floor during our dining experience. I'm sure we'll go back because my 3 year old loves it here but my expectations have definitely been lowered.
(2)Dan S.
The do what they do. That's all they can do. You want ambiance and kid friendly atmosphere? They got thaton lock. Gorillas monkeys Lions zebras giraffes elephants all animatronic of course including animatronic tree that has about as much personality as the live staff at the fabulous Rainforest Cafe. But I don't come here for the personal interactions, I come here for the entertainment the random strikes of lightning the water dripping from the ceiling. Get in here if you have kids. It's a magical wonderland. The seafood plate was on par with the price.
(3)Eric E.
When you're trapped inside Gurnee Mills the option to eat well disappears. We arrived at Rainforest around 3:30pm which was definitely their down time. They were fully staffed but very few people were dining. Therein started the drawn out waiting game. First, it took the schmuck seating guy a good ten minutes to turn around and figure out how to seat us in one of their many empty tables. This guy would have gotten confused doing my sons first grade math. Once seated it took yet another 15 minutes for a server to come out and greet us for drinks. 5-10 minutes after ordering drinks we finally had them. Our regular server was apologetic for the wait but she was simply covering for an inept staff of morons. Anyways, onto the food.. I've eaten at the Rainforest in Woodfield before and remembered their food as being bland. That said I was surprised that their turkey club actually had a good taste. Green beans on the side were excellent too. The bottom line is my son really wanted to eat here and liked it, so the experience was a win for him...which is all that matters. If you set foot in here though be prepared to wait and wait and wait. And if you come when they're busy..well....let's put it this way...you better bring a Snickers bar and be willing to deal with stupid well.
(2)Ashley R.
Awful! Came to sit down after shopping and there wss a 20 minute wait considering there was 10 plus tables open when we got in it wasn't really necessary. Service took forever while our waitress cleaned a table. .. waited 5 minutes for her to bring back soda n water. Ordered my burger medium rare with fries and a side or mayo. 45 mins later the food comes out well done and no mayo and this caused confusion with whose order it was since me and another ordered the same burger. Asked waitress which one was which n she just took the burger away n cane back 5 minutes later while my friends ate without me. I never asked the rude waitress to take it away n cook it more considering i wanted it medium rare. Duh! Waitress came back n asked if we needed anything 20 mins later and saw we had empty plates. Rather than bringing the bill she disappeared for 10-15 mins. We asked host to find her because we wanted to go. Still nowhere to be found. She finally came back n didn't apologize! Got our bills n went to help another table! She sucked n so does the food. I guess if i go again it'll be to the one in Vegas.
(1)Madison C.
One of my favorites in Gurnee. Usually stop for a bite to eat after shopping. Great atmosphere, great food. Lots of entertainment for the kids. It's a very unique experience.
(5)Pamela M.
It's fun for kids with all of the foresty and fishy décor. Other than that, it's pretty ridiculous. The food is WAY overpriced and just average stuff on the menu. The bathrooms were pretty nasty when I was there, too. The outfits are pretty horrible. It seems they could be doing a lot more with the theme or do some refreshing of ideas every few years. Do something with features, LED lighting, video screens, interactive little things, I don't know! Something! This is the kind of place that was outdated years ago but the owners can't fathom making little tweaks and upgrades. Probably stuffy old men. I'd rather eat at a fast food counter, really.
(2)Jim F.
Typical for a Rainforest restaurant and, unfortunately, typical for a Landry's. The service was ok, but the food was a poor value. I point to the supposedly "Awesome appetizer". 15.99 for a cheap arrangement of bar snacks. I could go to TGI Friday or Chili's and get a far better value for the money. Dead fish in the tanks added to the poor experience. I own two tanks and am not disturbed by the "Circle of life", but cannot say the same for my family or others in the restautant, who were treated with indifference about removing the fish. I am a Landry's rewards member and the only reason we went here was to redeem my birthday gift. I felt the additional 175 I spent was not worth the 25 dollar savings and won't return.
(2)Ann B.
Horrible service 20 min to take order had to ask 4 times to get a glass of water twice to get sons souviner glass drink weakest cocktail iv'e had in ages bathrooms dirty then dive bar iv'e been in food was good but way overpriced 115 $ for 2 adults and 3 kids
(2)Ai L.
Great atmosphere and the restaurant is clean. Staff are hit and miss, but the food is consistently bad!! Seriously, how hard is it for a chain to attempt to make decadent food? Unfortunately, I've been to other Rainforest cafe's and they were not good either, but this one is especially bad! We have kids and they love it, so we come here once or twice a year. My husband and I really can't force myself to go any more than this. The food is terrible and the only good item is the tri color chips (straight from a bag I assume). It's sad really because if this restaurant tried just a tiny bit harder with the food, they would make a huge profit and maybe half fill their empty place. Maybe, with the ridiculous prices they charge for the terrible food, they are making a profit and so they don't need to change? I stopped wondering why and have accepted the place is just bad! I dread coming here because I know I'll be hungry and forced to eat something and it will just suck.
(2)John A.
It's a theme restaurant for kids and they do a nice job pulling it off. It's a one in a very blue moon kind of a place. You been there once and you never really need to go back unless little kids pester you enough. My daughter and her friends went there for dinner last night and they each ordered a chicken dish. This morning she wakes up vomiting. Maybe the flu? She calls her friends to see how they are and all 3 of them are throwing up. My daughter calls the restaurant to let them know that there is a possibility that they need to look into this as other customers might be at risk. Manager tells her is must have been what she had for breakfast then hangs up on her. Really? The diagnosis of food poisoning is usually made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances...granted. All three of them from different homes having different meals prior to last nights dinner and having no breakfast this morning are all throwing up at the same time. Only common thread between the 3 of them is the fact that they all had chicken last night at Rain Forest Cafe. It happens I guess but they get 0 stars for the food poisoning, rudeness and lack of consideration for other patrons. 3 stars for kid friendly clean sort of cool atmosphere. That's 1 1/2 stars. Math tells me to round up but I would otherwise give them 1 star. Sorry.
(2)Rita W.
This is the worst Rainforest Cafe I have been to. We brought our family while at the nearby waterpark, service was horrible, manager did not care. We have always had no problem paying more than the food was worth at the other locations because it was a great family experience. There are many other places nearby that appreciate your business and are not rude.
(1)Camill D.
I read the reviews and I wasn't going to go, but I did anyway. Well I will tell you that they was awesome and on point! They greeted & sat me as soon as I came in. They recommended several different items which I tried the ones they recommended. Fast service and the food was great! I would say don't just go by the reviews try them out yourself like I did! I will be making another trip! Btw it's very kid friendly my daughter and niece really enjoyed themselves.
(4)Chris T.
I had a birthday party there last night for my Four year old grandson. Food was really good, staff was courteous and attentive. Asked man at check out if he had a screwdriver so I could open a few toys. He did and let me borrow it. A little pricy but all in all a nice time.
(4)Bob C.
You know what you're getting before you sit down. Loud noises. Expensive prices to offset the massive overhead. Kids running around like it's recess. What you don't expect is just decent food. I understand this restaurant is "for the kids" and a place for them to be in awe of animatronics and visual effects. Not the case. We sat by the "gorilla land" which looked like he was built in 1988 looming over us. He has not been serviced in some time and looked as if he was stuck in "stroke mode." Clicking noises and jerking motions; quite scary for your average 2 year old minus the defects... Service wasn't bad. I like how the place was empty yet we had to wait...aka spend 10 minutes in the gift shop...yeah im sure thats planned out... The waitress was good but seemed fake. Very over excited about everything which was annoying; but still somewhat speedy service. The food? I got the pizza. Pizza? Flatbread. Ragu spaghetti sauce. Some (underlined) cheese. Slices of italian sausage. Some grass looking seasoning on it. Thank God for that grass stuff! At least it had some taste! Next time, I'm asking for some crushed red pepper...More like frozen Red Baron than $12.99 restaurant pizza. The quantity was enormous. My guest and I both couldn't finish our portions. So we got two meals for the price of one; one benefit of this place. With all that said, yes it's a cute place to go to once every 5 years or so. I wouldn't suggest two adults going here. If you do, stock up on the sangria or margaritas. Wait, they're so watered down you'd need 5 of them to equal one at your local Mexican restaurant... You pay for the fish, the fake thunderstorms, and the Disney rejected animatronics...
(3)A. K.
As far as the theme goes - 5 stars! Everything looks /sounds so real and rainforesty...love it. Food - BLEKH. Our appetizers were ok but i ordered the lobster bisque ravioli for my entree...omg it was as if someone dumped an entire jar of salt in it. It was waaaaaay too salty. Food was horrid. After a day of shopping at Gurnee i was famished...so disappointed in their food. Oh well.
(2)Andreita C.
We love to treat ourselves to some rainfores cafe food and drinks. My ten year old daughter still enjoys it after many years of taking her. She always orders the python pasta. I go for the coconut shrimp and the awesome appetizer. We just went for their new years eve celebration. It was laaaaaame!!! Balloon drop. Seriously??? I expected more. They make such a big deal about their new years eve party. For nothing!!!! The worst part was that we ordered a volcano and it tasted old..........
(5)Becky S.
Have been wanting to visit this place forever... I have driven past it a thousand times and finally took the plunge last weekend. I was not impressed with the hostess, who told us that we had a 20 minute wait, even though there wasn't anybody in the dining area. She told us that there weren't enough servers to be able to seat us. I thought that when dining out, servers had to wait on customers - and not the other way around. We did wait the 20 minutes, only to find out that the food was nothing special. Though the 20 minute wait for servers to arrive does irk me - our server did refill our drinks a few times, and the kids were entertained by the animals in the place so I am not giving the lowest score.
(2)Timmy M.
Not as good as I was hoping for and to expensive for the quality of food. Service is like most others stated "hit or miss" this is more of a atmosphere place. Young to middle age kids would have a blast here and would love to go back but as a adult without young kids it's kinda like a one time deal for me
(3)Kuan S.
So I ordered a hot tea and a Reuben with cole slaw. My wife had a turkey wrap with a clam chowder. Our son and daughter shared fried shrimp with fries. Although we didn't ask for extra salt, all of our food came that way. The tea first came out in a filthy cup. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. The second time it came out, it tasted like soap water. The server was extra nice which is why this place gets one star. Come check out the fish with your kids, then promptly leave.
(1)Dee W.
Clearly we haven't been here in years but when we returned this time around, it was with our two kids. First of all, my kids loved the atmosphere and our server was super nice and accommodating. My daughter wanted to look at the fish and I am disappointed that we weren't able to get a seat next to the fish as originally requested when there were open tables next to the fish. Disappointment #1 We ordered drinks for the kids and a hot tea for the hubby. The cup that the tea came in was filthy. The inside had black marks that if you ran your finger along it, you had black stuff on your finger. Disappointment #2 I was going for healthy so I had the turkey wrap but it was super salty and I ended up only eating half of it. Our kids' popcorn shrimp was also salty and I had asked if they had any sides of fruit instead of more salty fries, I was told that wasn't an option - it was either salty chips or fries. The hubby's reuben sandwich was also very salty and a bit on the dry side. I loved the atmosphere which was so fun and the server was great but the food just isn't worth it for us.
(2)Greg B.
Food was ok. He a salad. Kids all enjoyed their meal. Chick parm was a huge serving. Well, all servings were enormous. We were seated at 6 and it was busy. Server was hustling, but drinks and refills took quite a while. Refills were equally slow. Was asked about 4 times during the meal if things were ok...I found that odd. Maybe once or twice, but four times? After we got bill, took an additional 15 minutes to check out. Did not like the suggested tip amounts at bottom of bill, but that is there as a courtesy. Overall, decent food, but horribly expensive. After 15 minutes, the twitching animals becomes annoying and even the kids were wanting to go. Not returning.
(2)Y J.
First and last visit to Rainforest Cafe' in Gurnee. Food and service was TERRIBLE. Chucky Cheese has better food than what I had yesterday. Server took forever to come and then asked if it was our first time. We said yes and then she asked for our order. Not sure what she's going to do with that info because she didn't offer anything special, recommend any menu items, or give any info about restaurant. We had to get up to find her each time we needed her. She only came frequently when it was time for bill and tip.-----So sorry I tipped her. 1/2 of our order was delivered. The waitress saw only 1/2 order on the table and then started waiting on her other tables. We had to ask her where the rest of the food was and then she finally went to get it. The children's meals looked like they were thrown together. My son had 2 or 3 tiny chicken nuggets but we wanted chicken fingers. We got the fingers but had to pay extra. My shrimp meal had the smallest shrimp in the world and no salt. My husband's burger was very dry. The lava cake I ordered for my husband's birthday was great until I realized it was a $16 dessert. We've paid that before for a birthday dessert but the restaurant was much nicer than this. NEVER GOING BACK. $100 WASTED
(1)Jeff G.
We will NEVER return!!! We've been two times with our daughter. She's gotten food poisoning both times! She's only ever gotten food poisoning two times.... Both times at this same establishment. Customer beware. First time, she had tomato soup. Second time, kids pizza. I should be collecting the vomit tonight and returning it to them in a to-go box damn it.
(1)michael w.
if you must go, go to the one downtown for quality of service alone. The Gurnee location has basically the same food, ambiance, etc, but the quality of service is lacking. The gal we had did not know how much items cost, how much drinks cost, etc. One of our boys knocked over his lemonade, we contained the spill with napkins. We notified our waitress of the mess. A seperate staff member brought extra napkins and commented that we had a mess, but did nothing to clean it up or remove it. Unforgivable in my book. My wife finally cleaned up the mess so that the boys space was free again. Our tip reflected this. If you have been here before then you know what to expect price-wise. If it is your first time, be prepared to pay twice what you would normally pay for food. Note to cafe members, Landrys Restaurants now own them, so the old cafe member cards are no longer good. Although to credit this location, they honored our old card this one last time. You need to switch over to the Landry loyalty program. Have not done so yet so no more details to provide.
(2)Jenifer W.
I visited this Gurnee location (rather belligerantly) last night at the pleading of my children, and I realized again how very much I loathe it. Here's a recent breakdown / update: The good: The onion rings - this one item was above-average in quality, and the only item I would consider ordering again. The bad: The hostess at the front told me we had to wait to be seated --- in the meantime, SEVERAL families walked past, right to the seating person, and got sat right away... come on people - coordinate! Second, the potato chips which come standard with sandwiches were stale, and I almost broke a tooth. Third, the prices are stupid for the quality of food you get. The UGLY: We waited FIVE minutes after being sat for the server to come to the table, and an additional FIVE minutes for drinks to be brought back to us. After ordering, we waited THIRTY MINUTES before the food came, and it only came after I had to ask for a manager to find out where it was. 30 minutes for a burger, a cold sandwich, and 2 orders of dino nuggets - seriously??? Please, please avoid this place - they don't even deserve 1 star - a 2 hour dinner with two kids at 6:00 at night is ridiculous... if you need to get a "jungle" fix, try the parking lot outside - with limited spaces it's truly survival of the fittest....
(1)Rebecca K.
had a great time at rainforest cafe. our host was a young man by the name of cleve--he was by far the best host ever. he had so much enthusiasm and energy. we loved our mini tour of the rainforest before being seated!! cleve made our dining experience a really beautiful time.
(5)Karen L.
We were really hungry and went to eat here because of convenience. The service and food were surprisingly outstanding. Had the coconut shrimp and the pot roast. Pot roast tasted as good as homemade and while the coconut shrimps were a bit small, they gave you eight of them! All in all, great service and great food!
(4)Brittany F.
Honestly when coming to a place like this, you have to expect high prices. The prices were not that bad 12-15$ for a cheeseburger isn't bad. We went with 8 people and the bill came to 120$ without tip. 150$ with tip, for 8 people that is not highly priced. The experience for the kids was awesome. They are both 9 and had never been before, they thought it was absolutely fabulous when it started raining with the thunder and lightening! Great for a date or with kids! I would recommend it to anyone. Our age range was 9-79. And everyone enjoyed it!
(5)Aaron M.
My three kids love this place. Food and service is regular. Nothing amazing nor nothing bad. What I love is that my kids are entertained by atmosphere which makes life easy for a brief moment.
(4)Rebecca S.
We brought my daughter here for her birthday this weekend, because she thinks any place that has moving gorillas on the walls is pretty incredible (she's only four). The atmosphere is pretty cool; there are plenty of animals all around the restaurant to look at, the thunderstorm in the middle is very pretty to look at and there are fish tanks full of beautiful fish that are captivating for the kids to look at. The food? Think Applebee's. It's pretty overpriced, and just okay. But I've never heard of anyone wanting to go to the Rainforest Cafe because of the insanely good cuisine. It's a fun place to take the kids, the atmosphere is pretty cool and our server was great- very helpful coordinating the chocolate volcano dessert for our daughter's birthday. All and all? A fun special occasion place.
(3)Gregory C.
From massive tropical aquariums, waterfalls, and hourly indoor rainstorms, to animatronic elephants and gorillas, my kids adore this place. Adults, however, BEWARE. Service is slow. In fact, Rainforest Cafe's waitstaff makes Dennys look like a NASCAR pit crew model of speed and efficiency. Give yourself at least 90 minutes--if it's crowded, you'll need even more time. Food is expensive. Although portions are large, you're getting second-rate TGI Fridays food for Ritz Carlton prices. Entrees range between $12-30. I've eaten here a few times, and I have never been happy with the food quality. The decor is neat, and of course there is a gift shop to commemorate your dinner with Rainforest-themed plates T-shirts and Happy Meal-like trinkets. The sluggish service does allow you to walk around the place and check out the animatronics and aquariums with your kids. Bottom Line: Interesting place to go for a special occasion with the kids, but not a place to eat regularly.
(2)Derek D.
First of all I don't think the rainforest cafe gets a good enough chance in some of these reviews. Yes the food maybe a little over priced and a little under whelming, but to see the smile on my two little girlies faces when those tigers, elephants, and gorillas start moving and making a bunch of noise is priceless! Wednesday is kids day and it was a great event for kids aging from 2 thought 12. They had all spectrums of entertainment on hand! If you are looking for a quite evening out with a loved one go somewhere else! Five stars would have been awarded only if the food would have been above standard, but it wasn't bad by any means.
(4)T G.
I'm a local and every two years or so I must drop into a coma and forget how horrible this place is, and somehow show up hoping things improved. First off, as others have said, whatever you expect to pay for standard american fare (Burgers, pasta, etc.) you will pay triple the price of what you normally pay at another restaurant. What you are really paying here for is the atmosphere. I would recommend just walking in with the kids and let them see the fish tanks and the mechanical monkees and just leave. Save yourself $100 for a burgers and chicken nuggets! On this last visit we ordered a bowel of queso and chips as an app. Well for $9.95 we received the most horribly stale chips and lukewarm queso I have ever eaten. After this visit (and others) I leave with deep regret. Hopefully I will remember how rotten the food is at this place and won't fall into another coma.
(1)John K.
Very kid friendly, great food, exceptional staff. We go there often. Highly recommend. Recommend Volcano Ice cream cake.
(4)Kristy S.
We went here because it was my daughters birthday and we were going to the indoor waterpark to celebrate, we were here last monday, we sat in the station with the monkeys, Server was horribly slow, after 15 mins i got up to ask a server if she knew where ours was since we had yet to be served. our waitress walks up with her attitude and says what can i get you, we order our drinks. all together it was slow and the waitress was horrible and rude, I am in the inudstry myself and could not believe the service that we got, there were 6 of us, 3 adults 2 children and an infant, we were here for two days to celebrate the birthday, all she wanted was her birthday cake in the end, So i tell her that it was her birthday and she said reallyl can you prove it! with her wonderful attitude again! we tell her that it is in two days but we are celebrating today since everyone else is working on the day of the birthday! really you are asking a 6 year old to prove it was her birthday! really! when the bill came i was very tempted to leave nothing, instead she got 10%, i will never go back here agian and I will be calling corporate, i have never been treated like this or make my daughter fell like this because you are in a bad mood! maybe you should have called in sick
(1)Ron S.
Fun for the Kids! It's all about the ambiance. From the huge fish tanks to the indoor waterfall, it's got a definite unique feel to it. My 2 year old daughter loved that she was surrounded by the different animals. There's something cool about eating in the jungle, thunderstorms and all. My only gripe is the cost. Even though the menu items sound exotic, it's your standard fare. So, don't expect to have an out of the ordinary meal.
(3)Gary G.
Kids love it. Seems a little pricey but lots of food.
(4)Christine C.
We enjoyed our visit, it was not over crowded for a Friday night but then again it's a pricey place to eat. I got a salmon on a wooden plank with rice and veggies - it was 19.99 and the salad was extra at 3.99. As if they couldn't throw the salad in for free. The animated animals are fun but scared my little man (19 Months) a little. He also did not like the thunderstorms. I love the fish tanks and try to sit near them whenever we go (which is only once every few years). I also happen to agree with one of the other writers that it was once a much better place to eat at. But today's servers were fake, the floor was disgusting, and the darkness of the place is probably how they try to "hide" the mess. The menu has not changed much and they say that the kids menu is all about healthy but then you read it and it is NOT - it's just the same stuff you can find on any kids menu - high sodium mac and cheese, grilled cheese, nuggets... pizza... just nothing good. So he shared my rice and beans and salad with me instead.. and my salmon which was in fact very delicious and well cooked. At least the portions are of a good size. My hubby even had to bring some of his ribs home (I loved the sauce they were in). If you go here - go for the atmosphere, sit next to a fish tank and enjoy!
(3)Anshel S.
I've been to this place only a few times before as a small child, not much has changed, but the prices are a little bit higher. This is a great place for kids to go to and a fun place for families to have dinner. They are all about the ambiance and the menu item names, but the food isn't too bad either. It is certainly a bit pricey for what you get, but this last time I got a pizza and it was fairly large, tasty and inexpensive considering its size relative to a regular pizza joint.
(4)C M.
I went with my 3 yr old and it was great. We sat next to the fish tank. It is a bit pricey but I enjoyed the Cesar salad with chicken. My daughter ended up eating my stuff. My only comment would be for any business to up the ante on the kids menu. Some have great pallets and enjoy healthy choices.
(4)Ed F.
What's a parent to do? Younger kids like this place for the atmosphere (although some get a little scared by the show). Older kids won't pick this as a destination, but will go to keep the piece Parents recognize that the food is over-priced ($12 for a burger), that service is focused on the high margin items (are you SURE you don't want appetizers... don't forget to celebrate the occasion with one of our signature Volcano's - $15 for ice cream and a brownie), or that they push you in and out through their store. As a parent, the best you can do is limit the family to one visit -EVER. Do whatever it takes to avoid future visits (don't you remember that mommy got sick the last time, or, if we go somewhere else we'll take you for ice cream afterward).
(2)Leticia R.
Delicious food, beautiful set up with animal families in different spots and music playing in the background. I wish they would make the background music available for purchase. We celebrated my son's birthday and everyone had a fun time watching the show of animal families at different times throughout the hour. Their aquariums are so fascinating as you enjoy your meal and so eye captiving that you just oooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaah as you eat!!!!
(5)Rene G.
It's has been years since I've been to this Rainforest Cafe. Food was good as usual, but not our experience at the beginning. We were told to follow the step to the aquarium were we would be seated. Waited possibly about 3-5 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. I had to stop a waitress to ask if we should sit our selves! Which replied to give her a few mins to get a table ready. Suprised me because the restaurant was not busy. Did see the manager and staff look over before to see if any guest were waiting. Hello!... Finally was seated and waitress came............. skipping that.... food was good. Wife & I shared the mix fajitas. Meats were good and juicy. The salsa, pico de gallo and rice were good, but downside not enough meat or tortillas included in the platter for the price. Overall experience after sitting done was good. Food, service and all. Just the beginning was the minor complaint. have had better service at our locations.... May go back if ever in the area again.
(3)Courtney S.
My husband and I have been to this restaurant a few time, the atmosphere is great for kids and adults! Great portions size for the price and fairly good service from the wait staff, can sometimes take a while to get drinks or refills... Just depends on the server you get!
(4)Yan H.
This restaurant is a good example of why doing some research before trying a new place is a good idea. The food here is overpriced for the level of food served, but it will be obvious to anyone sitting in the restaurant that the extra cost you paid is not going into the kitchen. Mixed feelings on the interior, some things like the fish tanks look very nice, while the music, and animatronics is a bit much. This restaurant did not work for me, but then again I don't think i am their target demographic. So why did I come here in the first place?..... see beginning of my review .....heh
(2)Peter T.
While the atmosphere, with its moving animals and shooting stars is fun to have dinner to, it would be much more fun with some good inexpensive food. A lot of what you seem to pay for was the atmosphere. The food was ok,but nowhere near what we ended up paying. The server was nice, but not great, and the manager checked up during the meal, but none of that could make for the disappointment we all felt after that meal. Won't be returning to a Rainforest Cafe in the near future.
(2)Rick S.
Its super awsome inside ,the sound of rain...the mist ,the fish tanks but dont come here to eat.Tho I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup,the rest was a waste of money.I payed 60+ for a burger,and a chicken alfrefo pasta and 2 drinks 2 soups.A busboy at Olive Garden down the street could have cooked better pasta.Very dissapointed at the price of the food vs quality.Luckly I had an awsome date there with me ;) hmnnn....maybe if we had just stopped by for dessert it would have been a much better experience....
(2)Christy F.
Food was only ok, took a little while to get drink refills. One of my friends ordered the turkey wrap (I think!) and had to order something else because it didnt taste good. For the price, I dont think it's worth it.
(1)ALFREDO M.
Sometimes parents can't get a babysitter so they can have a nice dinner with other adults - that's where Rainforest Café comes in. Next time you poo-poo the Rainforest Café, take a look at the haggard faces of the parents waiting in line with their kids and realize they are people with jobs and car-payments and dreams - just like you. My family loves the Rainforest Café (we even joined their 'Safari Club' for the discounts) because it serves a very critical role in our lives... that's the ugly truth (sorry). The reggae/calypso/pan-African music is loud enough to drown out ANY child - this is critical to getting through our meal without constantly apologizing to the next table. The décor which I used to find so offensive - Giraffes and Zebras and Elephants peeking out of the foliage in the rain forest? Come-on-now! - that décor hypnotizes my rambunctious two year old... ask for a booth by one of the aquariums if you want to live! The drinks are weak but you really shouldn't be getting smashed in public when you have the little ones in tow. Did you know the pitcher of sangria is less expensive than two glasses of sangria? It's true! And the food?? It's fine. Anthony Bourdain won't be featuring Rainforest Café in Gurnee any time in the near future but if he had kids he might eat at a place like this. The food is fine - it really is.
(4)Tennille T.
Not too much to say. Overpriced average food that you can get from any kid-friendly restaurant. I wouldn't return. Not because anything was "wrong" but because there wasn't anything special about the place that interested me or the kids to go back.
(3)J M.
Meh. $58.00 plus tip for 2 kids and 2 adults who had only side salads. Servers with attitude problems. LONG LONG wait to cash out. I think what you pay for here is the sounds effects and "lightning". I wasn't overly impressed, i went because my kid had asked to go. It'll be a long while (if at all) before I pay that kind of money for "meh" food. Kids running everyhwere like they are in a playground....well, at least I can consider mine well behaved!
(2)Chris D.
The concept of Rainforest Cafe is fun. I love the decor of the restaurant. I have to say my first impression of this location was a total dud. IT looked as if the bus boy decided to sweep the dirt, food scraps, and crayons from the restaurant under our table. Even though no one was saying it we were all thinking if this is what the dining room is like, what kind of condition is the kitchen in. Secondly, I felt like the prices for the menu were unrealistic. We only ordered an app sampler for the three of us. We could not find anything that was unique to this restaurant that we could not find for 1/2 to 3/4 of their prices. Based on the high prices and the garbage scowl under our table we left. I will never go to another Rainforest Cafe ever again. Way over rated.
(1)Skirmante K.
My family decided to take my dad out for dinner for his birthday. At first, he was complaining and didn't want to go. We did go at a time between lunch/dinner..so overall the place was empty. We were seated by a great view (the aquarium) which was nice. I'd rate this place a 5, however the only down side is the elephant behind us that kept screaming in our ears every 15 minutes or so. The sound effects and food were fantastic! My dad enjoyed the overall experience, as well did my family. I'll surely be returning again! The service was fantastic. It was a nice family lunch.
(4)G P.
I'm going to say this nice and clear people... Your paying for atmosphere, and its the best bang for the buck in atmosphere around in this man's opinion. However they displays they have stopped fixing in some respects, but I'm not complaining. Waterscapes make me happier than anything and the star sky is just too cool. Their meat, burger, and pizza dishes are always great to me. Mojo Bones are the bomb, the sauce is great and flavorful. Quesidillas are another fav and burgers are "cheap" (cheaper on the menu) and filling. I can never finish one meal, always left overs. Appetizers are standard and not super amazing, but salads are massive if you like those. You can get a whole meal as a salad. I would stay away from pastas. Go meats here, they do a class A job on steaks, ribs, burgers... Note: its a family place, expect kids and some hectic-ness, but man don't let it deter you. Free birthday sparkler dessert!!! :)
(4)Joe G.
Rainforest Cafe has been around for a long time, and over the years, we've watched the menu change and evolve. Our most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment, and the waiter even commented when introducing himself that this was their "new menu," and wryly noted that it mainly consisted of having eliminated items from the old menu. He got bonus points for honesty and good service, but I have to say, the new menu is rather more minimalistic and somewhat less enjoyable. I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, it was done up very nicely, but it was, in the end, just a cheeseburger. I had been hoping for something a little more interesting for lunch. The real draw for Rainforest is the restaurant environment itself, starting with the large animated crocodile and snake outside, the fantastic fish tanks throughout, and the animated animal displays inside. Lighting effects periodically run through various phases, including sudden thunderstorms. It is a lot of fun for the kids, but be prepared to pay premium prices for the privilege. Rainforest is pretty expensive: our five person group spent over $70 for a light lunch. I get the feeling that they're not doing as well as they once were. The gift shop seemed to have fewer offerings, and they used to frequently have a trainer with a bird (or maybe it was a snake) out front, but we didn't see any this time, and we were there for lunch and passed it again around dinnertime. It's a great bit of entertainment, in any case, not to be missed if you have kids and are in the area. If you don't want to spend money, be sure to at least look in from the outside, and enjoy the crocodile and snake. If you can take the kids into a store without them begging you for everything in sight, then the large overhead fish tank is a must-see too.
(4)Mike L.
WHY!!! OK take your kids to see the animontronitics in the front of the store but their is no reason to eat at this trashy place. The food is very bad and vastly overpriced for what it is and what you can get in the area. Bypass at all costs.
(2)Kim S.
We stopped in for lunch while at the Gurnee Mills Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. It was not overly crowded-- so we got a table right away. However, we sat for lengthy period of time before our server ever came to our table and when she finally arrived it was to simply say "I'll be right with you." We waited extraordinarily long intervals between ordering, being served, getting the check and receiving our change. I would have understood, perhaps, if the restaurant was excessively busy, but there were plenty of servers AND open tables. It was irritating to have to wait so long when you are attempting to have a 'quick lunch.' The menu, hidden in the back of a dirty, sticky 'tour guide,' was hard to read in the dark atmosphere. It also had pretty limited lunch items, serving only a minimal number of options under $10. The beverages seem outrageously priced at over $2.50 a glass. Fortunately, the food tasted good and was in large quantity. The burger was large, but not exceptional in taste. The chimichonga was tasty, but again, nothing special. I don't think I would go through the trouble and the wait to have a meal there again. The only thing I feel the restaurant has going for it is the decor. It has wonderful saltwater fish tanks for nearly each table to enjoy, anamatronics everywhere, a star filled sky overhead and it of course rains often. Be careful when leaving with your children, they may be distracted by the gift shop on the way out, filled with great (over-priced) toys and clothing. In retrospect, perhaps I should have bought something there-- since the rest of the experience wasn't worthy of remembering.
(2)Michelle W.
Good place to have lunch in Gurnee. I try to avoid it on weekends and only frequent it during work hours. Prices are a little high, but it's not like you would go there every day. The clam strips are really good and I always want to have one of their yummy sounding drinks on the menu.
(3)Michelle F.
Bring your kids to see live animals while eating fun foods. They sometimes have a trainer with a bird, and there are large aquariums with a wide variety of fish. Foods have fun names. This is more of an entertainment destination, so the prices reflect that - not a cheap lunch stop. But a fun place to come once or twice.
(3)Maggie W.
My husband and I were so excited to take our son to this restaurant today. He's 2, a bundle full of energy, and we figured he would love the animatronic animals and decor. We will not be returning. First off, BEWARE of slick sales. We ordered our son a typical kids meal. The server said, "I'll be putting his drink in this glass, is that okay?" as she quickly turns a tabletop display towards us that has a frog on it (I kid you not, she was talking so fast and flipped it so fast towards us and then turned back facing again that it was boom boom boom). We assume it's a kiddie cup and accept. Later, here comes a glass for him that I can tell is an extra charge and I asked her, "Is this extra?" ... "Oh yeah, it's a souveneir cup"... "How much is that?"... "Ummm.... I think about 7 dollars". Now, I know that the servers can't control what they market, but they CAN control how they approach it. My husband and I were ticked because she slyly bamboozled us. After that, we didn't trust anything she offered (there was a Rainforest Cafe plastic plate she offered our son for his food and we were nervous to accept because we didn't know if it was a "souveneir" plate). It was fake service and shame on them for working over parents. The food was fine, but unmemorable. The price of things was outrageous. You could get many of the same items at the food court for half the price, but let's face it... we're not paying for the food, but the "ambience". P.S. the oil they use for their fajitas smells horrible (a huge cloud of burnt smelling smoke- we were told it's a reaction of the butter oil to the searing hot skillet, but it's atrocious and you will have that smell and smoke multiple times during your dining experience because a lot of people order the fajitas. All-in-all, we gave it a shot, but won't be coming back.
(2)Jim U.
Awesome atmosphere but the food does not live up to the atmosphere. Everything we ordered obviously started out frozen and was either fried or microwaved. We spent $92 on four people, and honestly I could of had better tasting food at McDonalds.
(2)Renato P.
My kid loves this place ,I think it's like eating in some sort of Disney animatronic environment. That said , the food isn't that bad. Everything in my soul wants to hate this place , but to be honest it's actually tolerable. The fried calamari was pretty good , and that's a toughy , I've had really crappy calamari elsewhere. The southwestern egg rolls were OK, the chicken fingers were good. I really enjoyed the crab cheese dip with tortilla chips. As for entrees , the catfish was good , and I've had some brutal catfish elsewhere. The ribs were fall off the bone ... I hate fall off the bone , but they were flavorful , as a whole not too bad. The steak was good , that's it , I wish I could elaborate more than saying it wasn't bad. More of the same for the fish and chips , although I should add that the fries are waffle cut fries , and I love those. Everything is really expensive though , paying for the upkeep of the aquariums and the millions of little fiber optic lights I suppose. Look , the servers are teenagers usually , friendly if not always competent. The environment is made for the young or young at heart , full of robot animals , faux rainstorms , and fish tanks taking up entire areas of the building. If you have kids , this place is a go , if not , walk past and you can tell if you'll like it or hate it.
(3)