Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)
Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)
Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)
Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)
Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)
Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)
Kyle P.
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)
John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)
Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)
Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)
Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)
Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)
Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)
John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
(2)
Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
(3)
Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)
M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)
Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)
Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)
Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)
Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)
Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)
Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)
Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)
Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)
Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)
Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)
Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)
Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)
Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
(1)
Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)
Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)
David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)
Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)
Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)
Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)
Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)
Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)
Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)
Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)
Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)
April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)
Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)
Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)
Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)
Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)
Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Sarah S.
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)
L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)
CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)
Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)
John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)
Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)
Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)
Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)
Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)
Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)
Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)
Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)
Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)
Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)
John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)
Lisette H.
Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)
Larry H.
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
(2)
Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)
John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)
Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)
Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)
Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)
Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)
L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)
CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)
Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)
Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)
Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)
David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)
Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)
John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)
Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)
Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)
Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)
Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)
Rachael Z.
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)
Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)
Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)
M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)
Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)
Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)
Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)
Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)
Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)
Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)
Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)
Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)
Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)
Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)
Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)
Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)
Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
(1)
Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)
Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)
Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)
Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
(2)
Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)
Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)
Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)
Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)
Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)
April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)
Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)
Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)
Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)
Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)
Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)
Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)
Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)
Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)
Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)
Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)
Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)
Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)
Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)
Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)
April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)
Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)
Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)
Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)
Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)
Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)
Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)
Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)
Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
(2)
Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)
Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)
Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)
Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)
Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Sarah S.
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)
L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)
CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)
Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)
Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)
Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)
David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)
Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)
John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)
Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)
Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)
Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)
Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)
Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)
Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)
Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)
Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)
Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)
Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)
Kyle P.
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)
John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)
Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)
Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)
Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)
Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)
Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)
Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)
Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)
Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)
Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)
Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)
Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)
Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)
Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)
Lisette H.
Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)
Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)
Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)
John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
(2)
Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
(3)
Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)
M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)
Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :100 W Burlington Ave
La Grange, IL, 60525
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Lisette H.
Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)Kyle P.
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
(4)Paul R.
Wife bought the Groupon before we read the reviews on Chequers, but we've noticed that some restaurant reviews are just mean spirited, so we hoped for the best and went anyway. A 40 mile trip, one way, just to find that most of the reviews were right. Can't speak for the rest of the fare, but if you're going for the fish-n-chips......don't. As a pub, the décor works, its nice and well appointed, and the dining area is tidy. The food, however, is not. Not even fizz in the bar dispensed Coke. The fish oozed water/oil, not sure which exactly, but whatever it was it didn't add to the appeal. The chips(fries) however were pretty darn good, until the oozing liquid soaked them. I would hope the owner/manager, who sat next to the kitchen door, and acknowledged only the staff in passing, would read some of these reviews. The place has potential, but not the way it's being run at present. Fix it and they will come! The service did need praise, and gets it from us. Wait staff was courteous, and attentive and is the reason for the second star.
(2)Larry H.
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
(2)Elizabeth A.
Dreadful. I ordered the chicken pot pie. When it arrived, it was chicken pot pie filling, with a few random pieces of toasted French bread studded around the sides of the bowl. My husband had the bangers and mash. The sausages apparently were OK, but the kitchen apparently ran out of gravy, and the green beans were wrinkled and sad. We were quite disappointed, because we had visited the restaurant some years ago and had a nice time. The bill came to $50 for two unacceptable entrées and two beers. We will never ever go back.
(1)Z B.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
(2)Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
(3)Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
(2)David N.
*****KITCHEN NIGHTMARES NOMINEE***** EVERYTHING about our ONE AND ONLY VISIT SUCKED terribly. From service, to drinks, to food, it was all miserable. A sure sign of things to come should've been the couple next to us getting up and asking to leave after finally receiving some drinks and their appetizer... I wonder how long they waited. After about 10-15 minutes drinks finally came. By then, my beer was room temperature, something a frosted glass couldn't make up for. My second beer order (Black & Tan) never came, and after 20 minutes I just went to the bar and ordered it myself; it was an absolute mess...a dirty bar glass poured with reckless abandon, spilling all over, and nowhere near the advertised half & half. Service all night was slow, bumbling, and poor to say the least...with a smile! A bottle of Corona was mistakenly served with a plate of SUGAR...really?! Not noticed until after the rim was already dipped, it was a ridiculous mistake, never seen before. Anyways, on to food. Ticket times were above normal, but the place was pretty full. The "Welsh Rarebit" was simply glorified beer cheese soup served with multigrain toast. Yes, it was a joke just like it sounds. It was warm though... For my entrée, I went with the Chequers trio - three small bowls of their, what I believed to be, go-to house items: Mac and Cheese, Shepherds Pie, and Chicken Pot Pie. For $18, I expected an edible dish, which was hardly what I got (see pic, don't let it fool you). The mac and cheese, was sad; a thick layer of melted cheese covering what can only be described as macaroni noodles floating in a grainy, floury, soup-like substance which may or may not have been powdered cheese. The Chicken Pot Pie was simply done; chicken vegetable soup with a pastry puff on top. The dish was obviously overcooked, scalding hot, turning the chunks of chicken into dry chalkiness. The Shepherds Pie was average, but I expected far more from what I believed to be an English Pub. I tried a few other entrees around the table... The salmon with lemon butter caper sauce was atrocious. While the salmon seemed properly cooked, this putrid sauce over powered everything on the plate. Something soo unpleasant had to have expired and been mislabeled, because to serve this to paying customers...the chef/cook/whatever may be void of a palate/tastebuds. The "Hunters Chicken" was obviously pulled from the freezer and thrown into a pan. I've never seen chicken so slimy, and watery...and cooked all the way through! Mouth feel would've certainly led you to believe the thing was raw as all, but it was white! (SMH)... I did hear the fish portion of the "Fish & Chips" was decent, but just the fish portion. I tried one fry and, like the chicken, it was way over fried and what can only be described as dry chalk. It was obvious our displeasure, and I even attempted to steer oncoming patrons outward (Don't do it! Go back!). After all of this mess, to receive a $108.00 bill was all we needed to complete our night of disgust. Thank God for the Groupon. I guess it just goes to show you can't really trust restaurants offering up pleading internet offers (The good ones don't have too). Would it not have been for the coupon, we would've never come; but since it was for the coupon, we will never come back. Do yourself a HUGE favor, and stay far away from this mess. Listen to a veteran Yelper, and trust me when I say you'll be happy you did.
(1)Rachael Z.
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
(1)Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)Sarah S.
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)Lisette H.
Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)Larry H.
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
(2)Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
(4)Paul R.
Wife bought the Groupon before we read the reviews on Chequers, but we've noticed that some restaurant reviews are just mean spirited, so we hoped for the best and went anyway. A 40 mile trip, one way, just to find that most of the reviews were right. Can't speak for the rest of the fare, but if you're going for the fish-n-chips......don't. As a pub, the décor works, its nice and well appointed, and the dining area is tidy. The food, however, is not. Not even fizz in the bar dispensed Coke. The fish oozed water/oil, not sure which exactly, but whatever it was it didn't add to the appeal. The chips(fries) however were pretty darn good, until the oozing liquid soaked them. I would hope the owner/manager, who sat next to the kitchen door, and acknowledged only the staff in passing, would read some of these reviews. The place has potential, but not the way it's being run at present. Fix it and they will come! The service did need praise, and gets it from us. Wait staff was courteous, and attentive and is the reason for the second star.
(2)Kyle P.
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
(2)Elizabeth A.
Dreadful. I ordered the chicken pot pie. When it arrived, it was chicken pot pie filling, with a few random pieces of toasted French bread studded around the sides of the bowl. My husband had the bangers and mash. The sausages apparently were OK, but the kitchen apparently ran out of gravy, and the green beans were wrinkled and sad. We were quite disappointed, because we had visited the restaurant some years ago and had a nice time. The bill came to $50 for two unacceptable entrées and two beers. We will never ever go back.
(1)Z B.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
(3)David N.
*****KITCHEN NIGHTMARES NOMINEE***** EVERYTHING about our ONE AND ONLY VISIT SUCKED terribly. From service, to drinks, to food, it was all miserable. A sure sign of things to come should've been the couple next to us getting up and asking to leave after finally receiving some drinks and their appetizer... I wonder how long they waited. After about 10-15 minutes drinks finally came. By then, my beer was room temperature, something a frosted glass couldn't make up for. My second beer order (Black & Tan) never came, and after 20 minutes I just went to the bar and ordered it myself; it was an absolute mess...a dirty bar glass poured with reckless abandon, spilling all over, and nowhere near the advertised half & half. Service all night was slow, bumbling, and poor to say the least...with a smile! A bottle of Corona was mistakenly served with a plate of SUGAR...really?! Not noticed until after the rim was already dipped, it was a ridiculous mistake, never seen before. Anyways, on to food. Ticket times were above normal, but the place was pretty full. The "Welsh Rarebit" was simply glorified beer cheese soup served with multigrain toast. Yes, it was a joke just like it sounds. It was warm though... For my entrée, I went with the Chequers trio - three small bowls of their, what I believed to be, go-to house items: Mac and Cheese, Shepherds Pie, and Chicken Pot Pie. For $18, I expected an edible dish, which was hardly what I got (see pic, don't let it fool you). The mac and cheese, was sad; a thick layer of melted cheese covering what can only be described as macaroni noodles floating in a grainy, floury, soup-like substance which may or may not have been powdered cheese. The Chicken Pot Pie was simply done; chicken vegetable soup with a pastry puff on top. The dish was obviously overcooked, scalding hot, turning the chunks of chicken into dry chalkiness. The Shepherds Pie was average, but I expected far more from what I believed to be an English Pub. I tried a few other entrees around the table... The salmon with lemon butter caper sauce was atrocious. While the salmon seemed properly cooked, this putrid sauce over powered everything on the plate. Something soo unpleasant had to have expired and been mislabeled, because to serve this to paying customers...the chef/cook/whatever may be void of a palate/tastebuds. The "Hunters Chicken" was obviously pulled from the freezer and thrown into a pan. I've never seen chicken so slimy, and watery...and cooked all the way through! Mouth feel would've certainly led you to believe the thing was raw as all, but it was white! (SMH)... I did hear the fish portion of the "Fish & Chips" was decent, but just the fish portion. I tried one fry and, like the chicken, it was way over fried and what can only be described as dry chalk. It was obvious our displeasure, and I even attempted to steer oncoming patrons outward (Don't do it! Go back!). After all of this mess, to receive a $108.00 bill was all we needed to complete our night of disgust. Thank God for the Groupon. I guess it just goes to show you can't really trust restaurants offering up pleading internet offers (The good ones don't have too). Would it not have been for the coupon, we would've never come; but since it was for the coupon, we will never come back. Do yourself a HUGE favor, and stay far away from this mess. Listen to a veteran Yelper, and trust me when I say you'll be happy you did.
(1)Sarah S.
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)Rachael Z.
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
(1)Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
(2)Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)Sal O.
Came in to have a nice dinner.. Walked out hungry. We ordered a patty melt and chicken parmisan. Chicken was raw. Sent back to redo second time came back undercooked again. Check come and they still had the nerve to charge me for my drink and full price for patty melt. Will not eat there again.
(1)Tim R.
You've probably already read this in the other reviews of this place, but those are fairly accurate to the experience my girlfriend and I had as well. So why I am giving Chequers only 2 stars? Well let's see: we experienced slow service, the food was inauthentic to what its English equivalents ought to be, no drink specials, and it's clearly poorly-managed. The only reason Chequers is receiving 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because I was impressed with the interior decorating, particularly the fireplace, and have certainly eaten even worse food elsewhere (but not too much worse).
(2)Padme A.
Went on a Groupon. Should have saved the $20. I don't know how you can mess up English Pub food, but they do. Not good and over priced to boot. Nice outdoor back patio area, but not enough to save the place and make a return trip.
(2)Carl D.
I decided to give this place a try even though the reviews were low. The food is average, nothing to make me say I must go back here again, but it has a unique atmosphere. I had the fish and chips, nice to see that they make the fries(chips) themselves. I would have liked more flavor in the fish, but overall decent. My wife had the chicken sandwich and it was once again just ok. My daughter had the kids burger and that was very tasty.
(2)April P.
Came here with my little brother. It's super dark - so it's a pub. Um. It says it's a british pub but don't you worry your pretty little head - it's a lot like an Irish pub so the food tastes good ; ) The place smells like apple pie. I am a fan.
(4)Dave C.
We hadn't been back here in a long time and I wanted to check it out again. Nice night so we sat outside. All twelve or so tables were full. Quickly realized that there was only one waitress for the entire place! Why? Service was atrocious. Took nearly twenty minutes to get drink order then another twenty to order (I started watching the clock which is never a good sign for me). Food took another twenty minutes. Fish and chips was good, hot and tasty. Bread pudding was average. I have had much better. It was also not evenly warmed up so the outside was hot and the inside was still refrigerated. The poor waitress was running around like crazy to the point where we offered to help her carry food from the kitchen. The owner? came out and was then taking orders and trying to fill in. Sweating bullets too. In our opinion hire some cute young girls to help waitress and get some live music. The place is dying a slow death.
(2)Elizabeth S.
Shocked by the bad reviews as we just had a wonderful meal at Chequers! The bartender was super friendly and the beers selection was right on for their theme. The food was wonderful! We had the crab cakes and spinach dip as starters and both were great. Side salads were fresh and tasty then we ordered the mac n cheese, chicken caesar, Shepherd's pie and chicken pot pie. Everyone's meal came out hot and we all greatly enjoyed our food! The service was a bit slow but we were in no rush and it wasn't our servers fault as they did appear to be a bit under staffed. We were happy to enjoy our food at a leisurely pace but I could see why people in a rush might be annoyed. I would absolutely come back for dinner and to check out trivia!
(4)Todd S.
Went there on Friday. First off the hostess seemed like she wasn't sure what her role was. We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes at the bar for a drink. Spent $14 on a watered down rum and coke and a $7 Blue Moon. You read that correctly, $7 for a Blue Moon. Went outside to a nice space. I had fish n chips which contained more grease and over breading than Long John Silvers. I was only able to eat half. My wife ordered Cobb salad and got ranch dressing. Couldn't get low fat dressing because well, they don't have any. She asked for a new dressing since the ranch was watered down sour cream. She was then given watered down balsamic. Btw, this is being nice. Have to say, not pleased and definitely not going back.
(1)Jake B.
I am not sure if anyone has explained to the owners of this establishment that Newcastle is not the only beer brewed in England. An English pub should have good examples of the various styles of English beer and these guys don't. They didn't even have Bass, the most famous of all the English beers commercially available in the US. As a beer nerd, I was offended. As a cook I was also a little offended. In what part of England do they put chunks of green and red bell peppers in their bangers? Why did these bangers not taste anywhere close to the genuine article? The mashed potatoes were way under-seasoned as well. I must admit that the fries were very good.
(1)Eric K.
Don'tpressbuydon'tpressbuydon'tpressbuy. . . DAMN. I just pressed "buy" for the groupon. Did this a couple months ago and sat on it until Mrs. K saw the expiration date was coming up. In retrospect, it would have been better for it to expire and for us to live a little longer as every artery in my body was railing at me . . . like "really, you dumb ass, you thought this would be grilled chicken and Pita?!? It's an English F'ing PUB! The English invented fat." The room itself is not bad. All cotswolds cozy, dark wood, pictures of the Queen mum and royal fam plastered about. Nice oaky fireplace in the front. We had lived in LaGrange for awhile and had never tried this place. So, once the Groupon hit, we figured "let's give it a throw". We went on a Thursday night and, seriously, what a rookie move to go there when the temp was 104 outside with a million percent humidity. This joint has ZERO, NADA, NO energy whatsoever. That was clue #1. Clue #2 was it took, ohhhh, maybe 15 MINUTES for a server to acknowledge our presence. Her name was "Hi, my name is Brittanycourtneyjenniejoell and I'm here working for tips and don't really give a shit how your experience is tonight, because when I'm done I'm going to hit the biggest bong you've ever seen and pass out to Skrillex. Ohhh, and in 28 days, I'll be, like, back at U of I majoring in restaurants and hospitality". Clue#3 was 15 minutes to get two (easy) mixed drinks. Clue #4 was they were out of two items on the menu. Of course, both of which we wanted. We ordered the crab cakes and wedge salads to start, then the app platter for our "entree". Crab cakes were mostly bread crumbs and the crab was flaked, not lump. A sure sign of cheap. Wedges were "meh". The spinach and artichoke dip was fairly decent. There, I said one nice thing. They were out of (natch) blue cheese dressing for the Buffalo Wings and served ranch dressing instead, which makes them what? Evansville wings?!? How this place has managed to stay in business this long is just ahhhhmazing. 'm probably (definitely?) going to regret this . . . but . . . I'll try this place again in the darkest depths of winter when the fire place is blazing and the wind outside is howling. This is a winter joint, plain and simple. Seriously, how can you 'F up a bowl of soup, crusty bread and a pint of Guinness? I'll let you know.
(1)Jeff H.
Chequers is worth a try. We, like others, were a bit surprised at some of the reviews here... It is an English style Pub that serves good "Pub" style food, not a 5 star, fine dining restaurant. The spinach/artichoke appetizer was good, we had the fish and chips, crab cake sandwich and cobb salad and all were excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Service was very good, although we were in no hurry as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and watch the hockey game. Overall, our group would give Chequers 3-1/2 stars and will be returning.
(3)Chris H.
Awful place...The Hostess/Greeter made us feel about as welcome as a pork sandwich at a bar mitzvah!! We ordered fish and chips and bangers and mash...HUGE mistake..I should have realized as soon as I saw the Shepherds pie was made with beef!! Shepherds look after sheep hence shepherds pie is made with LAMB!! This place is about as close to REAL English food as instant mash potato is to real mash potato! The fish and chips were disgusting with frozen fries instead of real chips and the fish was under cooked in the middle. The Bangers and Mash used German sausage not English. Everything was done on the cheap side and gives nothing like an authentic copy of the true dish. With 2 beers it cost $50 for this crap!! And to top it all off by the time we got home we were both feeling extremely ill and our night was over. I read other reviews and see it's a big Groupon place...personally I'd forget the Groupon and save the disappointment wish I'd read the reviews before we decided to try it.
(1)Suwat T.
It's only worth it if you have a Groupon to come here. Service is slow and the wait staff is incompetent. At least the fish and chips are tasty.
(2)Kimberly E.
Went to sit at the bar at 8 pm on a Friday night. There were more waitresses standing around than customers eating dinner. The few customers they had were 60+. Quaint inside, but could use some refreshing, so it doesn't look like your grandmothers house. Bar was clean and service was quick, but they were blasting a "Musac" station over the sound system. The loud elevator music was pretty jarring and out of place for the surroundings. We were ushered out if the bar before 10 so that they could close early. Such a shame that a cute-ish place in a great area is stuck in the dark ages. It wouldn't take much to spruce things up to draw a bigger, more hip crowd.
(2)Carmella P.
One of the best spaces for a restaurant I've ever been in -- cozy, warm, & inviting classy pub decor with a beautiful view out the window. Too bad the food doesn't match up. They claim to be an AUTHENTIC English Pub, yet the chips were ordinary fries. My sandwich substituted sirloin steak for prime rib with no warning AND my waitress must not have understood me when I asked for the Welsh Rarebit since she told me they were out of it. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF CHEESE AND BREAD? And still be offering grilled cheese sandwiches? It was almost comical! Still, I'd be willing to go back on a snowy day right around the holidays, just to experience the ambiance. P.S. Get rid of the homoerotic nude photo in the Ladies Room. It was jarring, to say the least.
(3)Steve N.
Usually pretty good overall. I've been to Chequers a few times now. It seems to depend on who the chef is the night that I've gone that will determine how good the food is. I went in early 2012 and got the fish and chips - it was great and the server was very friendly, though overworked. Everyone else in my group was very happy. Then I went at end of 2012 and the meal was mildly good, and the young server was friendly and attentive. I'd go back to give it another go to see if they are improving or not. It's worth a try.
(3)Kay C.
I bought a Groupon and gave this place a try. It is clear why they need groupon to promote their business. Horrible service and food was just ok. Would not give this place a try again even if it was free.
(1)Jessica M.
I ate at Checquers last night because my husband got a groupon. I was leery because of its low reviews on yelp, but we had a great time. It has a really homey atmosphere with a big fireplace and a traditional wood bar. There were a lot of fellow diners, but it wasn't loud (which is one of my pet peeves). So nice to be able to have a relaxed conversation instead of shouting over loud music! And our food was great! My husband got the french dip on a pretzel roll, which was FANTASTIC. (I wish I had ordered it too). I had the burger special ($2 burgers on tuesday and wednesday) which was also good. The best part was their house-cut fries which were delish. The only weakness was the service. Our waiter was a really nice guy, but seemed a little out to lunch. But it didn't ruin the meal - we just had to be a tiny bit more patient. We'll definitely be back!
(4)Sarah S.
I don't leave a lot of reviews, but I feel like this place got a bad rap. My husband and 5 1/2 yr old daughter had a lovely dinner on Saturday 7/13 in the English Garden. It is really lovely back there and we had good service and good food. My husband had the fish n chips, which he enjoyed. I had the turkey burger which I souped up (added Swiss, bacon and thousand island) and they got it right. Daughter had the Mac and cheese (naturally) and she enjoyed it. We were treated well, and had a nice quiet evening.
(4)L S.
OK so since I still hadnt used the Groupon from last time, we figured, one more chance. Prime Rib sml $19 lge $24 served with Yorkshire pudding, veg and a potato. Plate came cold as did the Yorkshire pudding and all the veg. Rib was luke warm but the rim of the plate was so tall made it hard to cut. Potato was nice n warm. SERIOUSLY.. When I asked the server regarding the cold food he said he would ask chef... The pudding was warm when he put it on the plate as was the veg. Great but if the plate is stone cold so will everything else be! I asked for the manager or the owner and was told "we're running things ourselves". Dear Owners of Chequers, RUN YOUR BUSINESS!! Quality, quality, quality! is everything, get things fixed before you dont have a business left. All these complaints on here should be telling you something...if you were there, you'd know first hand. If you dont care then close, let another restaurant open, stop wasting your time and more so, stop serving mediocre food. Server did comp our drinks but when we got the bill... guess what...we were charged $20 and $25 for our meals... so even the menu wasnt correct. As a Brit, I am totally embarrassed to even call this an English pub/eatery.
(1)CheesecakeChick I.
liked the atmosphere here. it was cold Friday night and the fire was welcoming. we began with cocktails and crab cake appetizer. we enjoyed both! really liked the sauce on the crab cake. thought 9.50 for a martini slightly pricey, but it was well made. for our entrees, my friends had the rib eye steak and the beer batter shrimp, i had the trio of chicken pot pie, shepherds pie and macaroni and cheese. all three of us diners were delighted with our selections. i know my trio was too much food and had the remainder packed up in a to-go box. then we moved on to dessert. although the chocolate walnut bread pudding was just ok, the creme brulee was phenomenal!!! the surprise bottom layer of chocolate ganache just added something special to a somewhat commonplace dessert.
(4)Jeremy T.
Come for the Groupon, stay for the...actually don't stay at all. Awful! Horrible! Lousy! Those are three words I would use if I would've given this joint two stars. I wish it was possible to give out an eighth of a star. Then I would be able to use words like abysmal and abhorrent. Similar to a lot of reviewers of Chequers, I was bamboozled by Groupon into coming here. After staring at vibrant stock photo of delicious fish & chips I instinctively pressed buy on my phone. Boy that was a mistake that will haunt me and my coronary arteries for years to come. The food was kind of bland and took absurdly long to come out. I can honestly say that this was some of the worse service I've ever experienced. This is coming from a guy who frequents Wicker Park. The young waitress chose to display her poor skills in awareness, multitasking, and people skills. After I ordered my beer I watched it sit a lone at the bar for seven minutes. I finally got it after the fifth time she walked passed it and she was completely unaware that it was sitting there. I should take this time to mention that the place was not even at 1/4 capacity. This was the first of a long string of disappointments. Most of the time spent at this place was waiting for our food. 25 plus minutes for silly onion rings doesn't make any sense. Then another 25 minutes for my fish & chips and 10 minutes for another beer and another 6 minutes for extra sauce. I could keep going, but I choose not to. Through all of this the waitress was complete unaware that I grew a beard by the time she handed me the check. Finally, the food was ridiculously greasy. I was hard for me to enjoy my meal without feeling my heart slow down. I decided to save my food and warmed it up the next day and what a got was a disgusting pool of grease of my plate. Zero on the re-heat value scale. Also, the bartender really needs to clean out the tap lines. I honestly hope that the waitress didn't mark my Groupon as used so I can get my money back.
(1)Michelle Marie R.
Great place if you score a fireside table but we were told they weren't seating in that section because there were not enough servers. Also the menu claimed to have Stella and Amstel on draft (score!) but we were informed they were out? Spinach n Artichoke dip was fantastic and our server was pleasant. I may give this place one more shot.
(2)Matt J.
Ugh. That's a bad way to start a review. My wife and I went here last night and from the looks of the bar, it was promising. Everything went downhill from there. The Guinness I had was terrible. It was poured at one fell swoop (poured and served in less than 2 minutes) and tasted thin. As I looked around the place, it was a sharp, well-appointed English pub with wooden tables and a nice bar. However, there were vinyl tablecloths! I really felt like they were shooting for the over-60 demographic, which is fine but not what I imagined. The onion rings were good. The $2 burger special was a 1/4 lb. patty and my wife said it was good. The 1/2 lb. burger I had was fine. The menu was extensive with regular pub food and more elaborate dinners but, and this is a really odd thing, despite the look of the bar, the whole place had an air of desperation about it. It's a shame. I'd really rather give this place 2 1/2 stars than a flat 2 but I can't give it three. Considering the quality of the food at Irish Times has really gone down in the past year or so, this place should be primed to take its place.
(2)David P.
Chequers is an English style pub type restaurant. Loved the decor. The service was excellent. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious. My partner had the fish & chips, which I also tried and it was delicious. I ordered the Sheppards Pie. It was equally delicious. We will definitely be back here again and will recommend it to our friends and family. Please give it a try.
(5)Christine H.
Last night was a beautiful night to eat outside and enjoy the weather after a long winter. We chose Chequers because of their English Garden. We do not like sitting on the street next to traffic and we think Chequers has the nicest outdoor patio. We arrived and asked the hostess if we could sit outside and she told us the owner decided that she didn't want it opened. Every other restaurant in the area had outdoor seating that night so we left and went somewhere else and sat outside. We used to eat at this restaurant at least once a month all year long but since Karen doesn't work here any more this place is not the same. I used to rave about this restaurant to my son and daughter in law and they were planning to eat there one night and as they were walking in some people were walking out and told them not to waste their time and money and go somewhere else. They said the food and service was terrible. We won't be coming here anymore or recommending this place to anyone.
(1)John D.
Service at this place is very weak. The hostess who I was later told is the owner was rude as hell. Food was ok.
(1)Laura F.
We had a groupon for Chequers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. The fish and chips were outstanding. Our daughter loved the mac and cheese with bangers. The service was excellent and efficient. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall a great experience! We would recommend!
(4)Phyllis S.
Poor service, took about 5 minutes after being seated before waitress arrived at table. We ordered drinks and food at exact same time, took 30 minutes to get our fish and chips. The waitress then came and asked, what did you order. The food was just okay, will never go back again.
(1)Tony G.
It pains me to give this 'restaurant' even one star. How they are still in business I have no idea. The service is somewhere between non-existent and horrid. Sloooowwwww. service. And, we happened to be there on Arbor Day this year, which apparently qualifies as a 'holiday' where the Groupon is not valid. Are you kidding me? We did find this out after we ordered our crappy appetizer that took about 40 minutes to deliver. After another half hour or so we finally got to order our entrees, which came out another 45 minutes later. What a waste of an evening. We actually talked to the 'manager' Karen, and I just can't imagine how someone so lazy and un-helpful could possibly be considered to run a restaurant. We ate our crappy meals and got the heck out of there to never return. We asked for, and received, a refund from Groupon. You'd have to pay me to return. Should've read the reviews before we went...that's on us. I only hope they go out of business soon so something that doesn't suck can open in its place.
(1)Julia M.
I went to Chequers on 10/16/11 because I had a Groupon. I waited 10 minutes for someone to seat me. The bartender said out would be a minute. A waitress seated me and my friend at a table for 2 right next to the bar, after I requested a quieter table by the wall for 4 persons. I was told it was very busy. The same person proceeded to seat a couple at the table I requested, who came in after me. Another table by the wall opened up. When I asked for a manager, it was her (Karen). She was extremely rude to me and said "you can have that table if you're going to be that way." The service by our waitress was acceptable. The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib special. It was fatty and overseasoned. I will never go here again!
(1)Shirley A.
We decided to try out this place because it looked charming and clean. The Friday Special was Prime Rib. I would not recommend this place. The bartender was extremely rude. There were no prices on the wine list. The drinks were skimpy but tastey. The appetizers were pretty good but pricey. The Prime RIb looked appealling but was loaded with garlic (I am allergic). The mashed potatoes were over-seasoned. It was a complete waste of money. I felt bad that I couldn't eat half my meal and still had to pay for it. Bad idea...bad staff.
(2)Kelly S.
I met my dad here for dinner while he was in town on business on St Patrick's Day. We were a little limited on time. After walking through the VERY festive Palmer Place up the street, we opted to come back here for a more low key dining experience. This is a quintessential English pub, exuding charm with its dark wood paneling, exposed brick walls, and outdoor fireplace on the patio. Don't be fooled! We expected a whole lot more from this place. We entered to an empty dining room. The host asked if we would like to sit outside. YES! It was 72 out... in March. Then a manager/ host lady came up and told the host that all of the outdoor tables were reserved. Making us and the host feel really awkward. She then huffed and puffed and took us out to sit on the patio. Mkay. Sorry to inconvenience you??? Our server was completely frazzled, nutty, and awkward the entire time. It took forever for everything. He forgot silverware, forgot waters. My starter salad had brown, wilted lettuce. My fish and chips were a bit soggy. The only good parts of the entire experience were my Black and Blue and the bagpipe player. He was charming and put me in the St Pat's spirit. I would stop in here again for a beer... but nothing more.
(2)Baron M.
Used a Living Social coupon on our visit. It was a beautiful summer night and the wife and I sat in the back patio. A little dark back there, but no big deal. I ordered the Bangers and mash while my wife got the the prime rib sandwich. My entree had two sausages, a large helping of mashed potatoes and a microwaved frozen vegetable medley of carrots, zuchini and cauliflower. Wifes sandwich was decent sized and came with fries. No salad included and no table munchies. I had a $7 glass of Bass Ale and she had a glass of house wine. Service was attentive and the food was decent. Bill came to $50 including tax and tip. Based on some of the other reviews, I can't say it was a bad experience, but value-wise, I don't see myself going back.
(2)Melissa M.
Went here last night with a groupon. Food was fine, my boyfriend and I each had the Chequers Trio....sampler portions of Mac 'n Cheese, Shephards Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. My favorite was the Mac'nCheese...I should not be suprised. Shephards Pie was my next favorite...not as 'deep dish' as I've had before....but OK...and Chicken Pot Pie...not my favorite dish in general...but this was definitely OK. Service was OK....but I can see why the other Yelp reviews skew a little low. We went on a Sunday night and they had pretty good traffic....I could imagine if they get really busy they might not be able to handle a crowd too effectively. Also, I tend to get nervous when I see lots of "rules" on a menu....no splitting of checks, no cell phones allowed (which I'm OK with...but if you have to state a rule), sharing of plates is a $3 charge. It reminds me of my grandmother's house where she had to put notes everywhere for expected behavior (I'll spare you the details of the notes my grandma had). However, very passable....but nothing that would make me go again without a really good deal (groupon or entertainment coupon).
(3)Jenn_Leigh L.
Food was ok, we were there at 6:30pm on a Saturday, place was 1/4 full and it took forever to get soups, food, and the check. We finally left after 8:30pm. Seriously, will never go there again, might do take out though. This place can no way be in business too much longer. All the other restaurants in LaGrange were packed with waiting times. In no way can this place survive competing with the other establishments in this town.
(2)Amory D.
My wife and I came into the restaurant on 10/23/09 for dinner around 7:00pm. We chose the restaurant since we have not been here before. When we arrived, we seated ourselves in front of the bar (a high traffic area where the wait staff are constantly moving). As we sat down, two waiters looked at us then looked at each other to decide who was going to be our waiter. I overheard one say "it's up to you" then they dispersed. The wife and I found that surprising as we waited for menus. After about 3-5 minutes we were not given menus or even greeted by anyone. I noticed that two of the three waiters passed by us on a few occasions, without even noticing that we have yet to be tended to. After about 5 minutes total, we decided to leave. If they can't even give us menus within 3 minutes of sitting down in a half-full dining room, we concluded that there will be a problem with the dining experience. After quietly leaving Chequers, we went to Palmer's Place around the corner. Palmer's was about 75% at capacity, yet we were seated immediately, and greeted within one minute. Our waitress was checking on us every 5 minutes in a non-evasive way. As we completed portions of our meal, our table was cleared instantly. The final bill was very reasonable (less than $40 for two). It was a great way to offset the negative experience from Chequers.
(1)Kyle P.
Was a little nervous about going here after walking by and checking the reviews...but I had already purchased a Groupon so we bit the bullet and gave it a try. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our visit. There was an annoying girl in the bar who was talking WAY too loudly - but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Luckily she finished her beer quickly and left. BYE FELICIA! The table had fish and chips, shepard's pie and a burger. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal. The waitress seemed a little scatter-brained but that being said, our orders were correct and service was quick - so can't really complain. Give this place a chance - maybe you'll like it!
(4)John B.
Why 5 stars? Because so many have low balled this otherwise fine restaurant I feel the need to skew the curve toward a responsible rating. Consider forgetting the past. This place has a new chef David Humphrey, a Cordon Bleu alumni who has revamped the menu. The Good: Essentially everything except the actual farming is done on premises. Sausages, deserts and even sides benefit and distinguish Chequer's from the "made from an ingredient list" restaurant. The Bad: The menu suffers from an organization that makes it unclear what you are ordering. For example I ordered Salisbury expecting the usual Salisbury steak. It turned out to be hamburger. A good burger, but not what I thought I ordered. Surprise! The Ugly: New York Strip $24. Okay, I'll buy that. Roasted Chicken $25. I have not ordered the chicken yet but that better one succulent chicken carcass. I'll post a picture of the new menu for your consideration. The Booze: Having a tall Mai Tai, complete with umbrella. Attention to detail is evident in the smoothness of this widely interpreted cocktail. No problem with being very particular in your adult medication of choice. Very accommodating bar maestro. Our regular server is a delightful woman named Georgie. Great memory for repeat customers, and honest evaluations of the various menu items. Ask for her by name. She has a Chequere'd past you might say.
(5)Bill R.
My wife and I give Chequers of LaGrange 2-Stars. While I usually strive to give good reviews to the restaurants that we visit, to keep it real, this was not one of the top 10 that we have gone to in the Lagrange area. We gave it a 2-Star rating because of our server who was trying very hard to be responsive to our service and trying to cover the cook in the kitchen. My wife ordered Sheperds Pie and I ordered Baby Back Ribs. We also ordered an appetizer. The waitress brought our appetizer and about 15 minutes later she returned to our table stating to me that the cook informed her that the ribs were not yet seasoned enough to be prepared. (Whatever that means) I am not sure of. However, I am flexible and ordered fish and chips. The meal arrived and the Sheperds PIe was not appealing to the eye at all, and the taste of the dish was pretty much the same. The Fish and Chips looked appealing, but the only part of the dish that was good were the fries as they were well done the way I like them. The fish was soaked in oil and the breading pealed away from the fish. For a moment I thought I might have ordered 1/2 cup of oil with breaded fish. We loved the atmosphere as it was of old English and a quaint place to dine. However, our recommendation to the owner is to seek a new cook who knows how to prepare meals. The oil was obviously not high enough to rapidly cook the fish which is why it was so oily. Our rating is a 2-Star, take a pass on this one until a new chef is secured in Chequers of Lagrange's kitchen.
(2)Karma K.
I've taken my 90 year old Dad here for dinner twice and both times had great service and food. The only issue we had both times was waitstaff took a while to provide menus and take drink orders. This seems like an ongoing problem. Too bad, because overall service was good and the food is solid. They serve hearty, English pub type of fare. If you are in the mood for a baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled shrimp heads you might want to go some place else. If you are in the mood for fish and chips (some of the best I've had) shepards pie or a burger, you are at a great place. They also have tons of appetizers and my Dad and I have made a meal out of sharing a few and washing them down with some stouts. They have a beautiful English garden in the rear of the building, complete with an outdoor fireplace. The interior is a bit dark but it's quiet. I recommend eating inside on a cold, wintery Chicago evening. Ya, I like this place and since my dad likes it too it's A-OK with me!
(4)Paul R.
Wife bought the Groupon before we read the reviews on Chequers, but we've noticed that some restaurant reviews are just mean spirited, so we hoped for the best and went anyway. A 40 mile trip, one way, just to find that most of the reviews were right. Can't speak for the rest of the fare, but if you're going for the fish-n-chips......don't. As a pub, the décor works, its nice and well appointed, and the dining area is tidy. The food, however, is not. Not even fizz in the bar dispensed Coke. The fish oozed water/oil, not sure which exactly, but whatever it was it didn't add to the appeal. The chips(fries) however were pretty darn good, until the oozing liquid soaked them. I would hope the owner/manager, who sat next to the kitchen door, and acknowledged only the staff in passing, would read some of these reviews. The place has potential, but not the way it's being run at present. Fix it and they will come! The service did need praise, and gets it from us. Wait staff was courteous, and attentive and is the reason for the second star.
(2)Larry H.
My wife and I went here for dinner tonight (08/15/2015). I bought a Groupon to use, and my wife had a gift certificate for the balance. They had a live jazz band playing. Now, I've been to Chequers before, and it's always been my experience that the food is good, but the service stinks. Let me address these one at a time. The food is very good. I've had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the shepherd's pie. Tonight, I had the bangers and mash. The plate comes with two sausages, mashed potatoes, and beans. The beans had a rich flavor, as did the mashed potatoes. However, they were very short of salt. Now, that's ok with me, because I like to control the salt. The sausage was excellent; it makes me want to find some to bring home to cook! My wife had shepherd's pie. That, too, was excellent. The beef had a great flavor. The fish and chips is also very good. As I said, I have no problem with the food! As for the service, that's another story. Now, it's not the fault of the servers. I have 25 years in the restaurant business, and I know they understaffed the place. There are two servers for the entire place. They squeeze tables into the dining room, and our server had to climb over things to get to the patrons. It took a long time for us to get our food, which leads me to believe they understaffed the kitchen, as well. I don't blame the server, but the management leaves much to be desired. There was a band playing. This restaurant is relatively small, and there are only hard surfaces in the place. In order to have a conversation with my wife, I either had to yell or get right into her ear. A band is fine, but they need to control the volume more. The worst part of the evening was when we paid the bill. We used the Groupon, and when we gave the server the gift certificate, we were told that they couldn't take the tip out of the cert. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I had to go to the manager, who promptly told me that they would look into it. What they ended up doing was giving us the change from the gift certificate so we could use that to leave a tip. We were told this was policy. It's the dumbest policy I've ever heard of. Would I go there again? Maybe, but since they gave us cash instead of giving us another gift certificate, there is no guarantee that we'll return. This policy is dumb, and I suggest they change it.
(2)Elizabeth A.
Dreadful. I ordered the chicken pot pie. When it arrived, it was chicken pot pie filling, with a few random pieces of toasted French bread studded around the sides of the bowl. My husband had the bangers and mash. The sausages apparently were OK, but the kitchen apparently ran out of gravy, and the green beans were wrinkled and sad. We were quite disappointed, because we had visited the restaurant some years ago and had a nice time. The bill came to $50 for two unacceptable entrées and two beers. We will never ever go back.
(1)Z B.
I went here one other time for my b-day last year. Everything went well, and wanted to go again. We decided for St. Pats Day we would come, but for carry-out. I saw some bad service on a busy day. Then I went home for my dinner. Fish was on top of fries, and the fish wasn't crispy, but the fries were fine. Had to use the toaster to made the fish crispy. Everything else was okay. I also tried the Sheppards Pie which was great. Nice and tasty meat and very good mashed potatoes. My experience today wasn't the best service or anything else, but they have to work harder on their service and carry out food.
(3)Luke B.
This is a duplicate entry for Chequers. I strongly recommend checking out the over 40 reviews for the other Chequers entry. Still not going back...
(1)David N.
*****KITCHEN NIGHTMARES NOMINEE***** EVERYTHING about our ONE AND ONLY VISIT SUCKED terribly. From service, to drinks, to food, it was all miserable. A sure sign of things to come should've been the couple next to us getting up and asking to leave after finally receiving some drinks and their appetizer... I wonder how long they waited. After about 10-15 minutes drinks finally came. By then, my beer was room temperature, something a frosted glass couldn't make up for. My second beer order (Black & Tan) never came, and after 20 minutes I just went to the bar and ordered it myself; it was an absolute mess...a dirty bar glass poured with reckless abandon, spilling all over, and nowhere near the advertised half & half. Service all night was slow, bumbling, and poor to say the least...with a smile! A bottle of Corona was mistakenly served with a plate of SUGAR...really?! Not noticed until after the rim was already dipped, it was a ridiculous mistake, never seen before. Anyways, on to food. Ticket times were above normal, but the place was pretty full. The "Welsh Rarebit" was simply glorified beer cheese soup served with multigrain toast. Yes, it was a joke just like it sounds. It was warm though... For my entrée, I went with the Chequers trio - three small bowls of their, what I believed to be, go-to house items: Mac and Cheese, Shepherds Pie, and Chicken Pot Pie. For $18, I expected an edible dish, which was hardly what I got (see pic, don't let it fool you). The mac and cheese, was sad; a thick layer of melted cheese covering what can only be described as macaroni noodles floating in a grainy, floury, soup-like substance which may or may not have been powdered cheese. The Chicken Pot Pie was simply done; chicken vegetable soup with a pastry puff on top. The dish was obviously overcooked, scalding hot, turning the chunks of chicken into dry chalkiness. The Shepherds Pie was average, but I expected far more from what I believed to be an English Pub. I tried a few other entrees around the table... The salmon with lemon butter caper sauce was atrocious. While the salmon seemed properly cooked, this putrid sauce over powered everything on the plate. Something soo unpleasant had to have expired and been mislabeled, because to serve this to paying customers...the chef/cook/whatever may be void of a palate/tastebuds. The "Hunters Chicken" was obviously pulled from the freezer and thrown into a pan. I've never seen chicken so slimy, and watery...and cooked all the way through! Mouth feel would've certainly led you to believe the thing was raw as all, but it was white! (SMH)... I did hear the fish portion of the "Fish & Chips" was decent, but just the fish portion. I tried one fry and, like the chicken, it was way over fried and what can only be described as dry chalk. It was obvious our displeasure, and I even attempted to steer oncoming patrons outward (Don't do it! Go back!). After all of this mess, to receive a $108.00 bill was all we needed to complete our night of disgust. Thank God for the Groupon. I guess it just goes to show you can't really trust restaurants offering up pleading internet offers (The good ones don't have too). Would it not have been for the coupon, we would've never come; but since it was for the coupon, we will never come back. Do yourself a HUGE favor, and stay far away from this mess. Listen to a veteran Yelper, and trust me when I say you'll be happy you did.
(1)Rachael Z.
I visited Chequers of Saugatuck while in Michigan, and when I saw this restaurant in LaGrange I thought...it couldn't be...or could it? It was. This is the same restaurant, service, atmosphere and all alike. I was thrilled! I had one of the best dining experiences in my life in Saugatuck and was pumped to try to duplicate it here. I ordered the same meal (just to double triple check) and yep, same thing. Half order of fish and chips (which is what hubby ordered in Michigan) which came with more than enough food. This time, I opted for a red velvet martini. The taste was fantastic, but I was surprised to see remnants of cream floating at the top of the drink - it was offputting but still delicious nonetheless. I highly recommend this location. Food is great, and service feels very homey and real. Look for Groupon's! It's a great deal.
(5)Super S.
Really nice outside space, actually the best outside space around. Food wasn't too bad but we waited FOREVER for our meal. Apparently there was a new chef and the kitchen was not running smoothly. I have been here many times over the last 15 years hoping the service and food will get better because I like the decor, the location, and especially sitting outside and I want to like the place, but it never fails to disappoint. I am always amazed it is still in business. Maybe because there are a lot of chumps like me that keep giving it a second chance.
(2)Bethany G.
Sat at the bar Sunday with a friend and got drinks and dinner. Had a groupon valid for food and booze. First off, the bartender was immediately and obviously bothered by our presence. The entire time he had an attitude, was cocky, and just overall a plain jerk. For the duration of our stay, every 5 minutes or so he would creepily just stand in front of us and listen to our private conversation, interjecting with his own opinions and thoughts. We were obviously NOT speaking to him and did NOT want his opinions on our very private convo. Still...he made sure to let us know that he knew more than we did on every topic we discussed. That was the awkward part of dinner. Now on to the food. We both ordered the "full portion" of fish and chips. Our meals came out surprisingly quick and steaming hot. (That's a good thing, finally) the full portion included three paltry pieces of fried fish over a measly amount of fries, a tiny PLASTIC container of generic coleslaw (which neither of us could stomach even a bite of) and 2 plastic containers of ketchup and tarter sauce. Again, both tasteless. I had to beg for malt vinegar (because now the bartender had conveniently disappeared). Weird, since fish and chips should automatically be served with vinegar in any proper Irish pub. So, the fish. I picked up the first piece and immediately it started DRIPPING some kind of thin liquid. Disgusting. I didn't want to know if it was grease or water. But wait, there's more! The other two pieces of fish dripped the same amount of lovely fluid as well! ALL OVER MY FRIES. now all my chips were SOAKING wet with whatever that repulsive stuff was. THANKFULLY a server was walking behind me, stopped, and witnessed the whole scene. Without any questions from me, she ASSured me that it was "just water, don't worry. We don't leave out fish just sitting out." Ummm...thanks?? Didn't know I was speaking to you and also didn't realize that I needed your assurance on my sickening wet fries and now anemic tiny pieces of fish. She, just like the bartender, was cocky and rude. She, just like the bartender, creepily stood there staring at us whilst we were trying to eat our now repugnant meals. I decided to peel the wet fried greasy breading/batter of my fish off, to reveal the child size portions of cod that would now be my full meal. (Sorry, can't indulge in soaking wet watery 'chips' or my plastic contained mayo soaked 'coleslaw' as part of my dinner) The naked fish was edible. Thank god for malt vinegar. Now onto the bill. My groupon was valid for $30. Bartender smugly took down the number from my phone and ten minutes later (really?) came back with the bill. I didn't investigate too much, as I wanted to pay for my friend as well (who was too nice to complain but only ate half her meal) I noticed that the bartender only took off $26 and charged me for the rest. I quickly realized that he wasn't including out two drinks into the groupon, that PLAINLY stated included alcohol as well. Loss of $4 isn't a lot I know, but still, lack of competence and attention to detail on his part, and that $4 could've bought me a delicious side of coleslaw at Popeye's. Just sayin. All in all, my first trip to Chequers will most definitely be my last. At least it was $26 less than I would've paid. My suggestion to anyone eating here: don't sit at the bar unless you're super lonely and want to feel like an ass and have a convo with a condescending twenty something bar keep. And do NOT order their signature fish n chips. You'll end up consuming more grease and water than you would at an Old Country Buffet. Why am I even giving it 2 stars you may ask? The Black and Tan (even tho taking 9 minutes to pour) was good, and gave us 9 minutes without the bartender creepily standing inches away from us listening to our every word. He seemed to even decipher our whispers. 2 stars for unscrewable beer! Never again. You want great Irish food with non creepy servers and an excellent selection of craft beer?? Go to Irish Times in Brookfield. Always have a 5 star time there. I have no idea how Chequers has been open as long as it has been. (Mob front perhaps?)
(2)Rick M.
Bought a Groupon a few months ago, went there last nite in early August. We were all pleasantly surprised. The onion rings were so good that we ordered a second helping. The fish and chips were excellent. My daughters aren't meat eaters, so they got side dishes: a salad with a delicious dressing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. Everything was very good. I had the chicken pot pie. Since we'd been to Checquers before and my kids had ordered pot pies, this version was different from the past. The earlier versions had a crust covering the whole top of the bowl, just like a pot pie you'd buy at the grocer. This version had a square roll in the middle of the bowl on top of the thick soupy ingredients. It was good, just different from what you'd usually expect from a pot pie. Finally, the waitress and the restaurant staff were all very good and attentive. There's been some bad reviews for Chequers, but we all had very good meals and left the restaurant highly satisfied.
(5)Suzanne Z.
We tried this place w a groupon. We had the half order of fish and chips. It was pretty good. Half was more than enough too. It came with a nice coleslaw and tartar sauce. We also treated ourselves to the red velvet cake martini. The pepto bismol pink was slightly off putting but the drink was tasty. Super friendly staff and quick service. It was a really nice time. I would go back!
(5)Jules H.
I am a wayward catholic and somehow during the middle of "lent" I was commanded to eat fish on Friday. I checked in to Chequers and I was very impressed! Greeted quickly and offered our pick of a nice table. Delish dinner of deep fried shrimp and fish, plus tasty yummy crunchy perfectly cooked fries. Tasty side sauces, loved their horseradish cocktail sauce. Perfection! Great dinner and drinks!
(4)Ali P.
This is an update to my last review. Okay now I understand what everyone else was talking about....I brought my boyfriend here on a Sunday evening and decided to sit outside on the patio. The place is dead silent, which makes for a little bit of awkwardness. And while our waiter was a nice kid, you can tell he was not trained properly in hospitality. I also felt bad that he had all the patio tables and was running around. We waited for a while to order our soups and by that time we decided we didn't want to wait any longer for a meal. I ordered a cup of soup, was brought a bowl. Ordered a sparkling wine, was brought out when we we were ready to leave. I really think this place has potential! I want it to do well. I think "restaurant impossible" needs to visit this locale next.
(2)Rocky G.
We have been there before and always had a great meal with great service, so when my wife saw a groupon she grabbed it. It's about a half to forty five minute ride from our home to LaGrange, but well worth it. I'm not crazy about fish but my wife loves it, especially theirs, so I ordered a slab of ribs. I could only eat 1/2 but I'm sure looking forward to tomorrow's Bears game to eat the other 1/2. We have been there before and we like going there once every couple of months, so yes we'll be back, by the way did I mention the fantastic service?
(5)Anna L.
Stopped in this weekend. Our group had the ribs, fish and chips and English sampler (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, and Shepard pie.) Everyone enjoyed their food a lot.. my husband was pleasantly surprised that the ribs were soo moist and delicious. I'm glad I got the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted and all three dishes were good. Don't get the wine... they must use off brands.. it tasted weird. I got the pinot grigio and gagged from it. I never send anything back but I apologized to the waitress and sent it back. She was polite and accommodating. No issues with the staff.. everyone was nice. Ladies.. go in the bathroom. There is a random large picture in there of the backside of a naked man laying on a bed. Its shocking and soo out of place. I posted a pic of it on here in the photos for the Restaurant.
(3)Mandy V.
Pretty good food, but as the waitress brought my beer she called it skunk breath bc it was Heineken ... But it has a GREAT atmosphere-- looks like a true English pub!!! A little pricey. Id probably go again
(3)Derek H.
I've been back several times and had several inconsistent and unpleasant experiences. You'd think an English- themed restaurant could be consistent in making a Snakebite, but every time I order one, it comes out differently. The last (and I mean LAST time) I went here, we were one of four tables occupied. The TV was on, but had no sound. There was no music playing and you could hear the other conversations at other tables. We asked if they could turn on some music and the waitress came back shortly to tell us the system was broken- sorry. Before finishing our meals and having the table cleared, the waitress brought our check and said 'whenever you're ready with this. What s the fu#%ing hurry? Are we holding up the table or something? Shortly thereafter, the interior music kicked in. Wait- wasn't it broken?
(1)Lisette H.
Why all the bad reviews!!!! This place is great, we ordered the fish and chips and pretzel dip both were amazing. Went on a groupon but will definitely be going again!!!!!
(5)Tina N.
What in the world?! I seriously have absolutely no idea how this place remains open! If I was able to give this place no stars.. I would. For starters, we were sat without menus & it took at least 7-8 minutes to be greeted. It all went downhill fast after that. Drink order was simple (before my husband sat) water & Sprite. I was still undecided so the kids ordered their drinks. The waitress came back with an Iced Tea & Sprite. Huh? Who ordered Iced Tea? Well, anyway she left it on the table in case we wanted it. When the Hubs came in we both ordered a beer. His was warm & mine.. well it was cold, but I asked for salt ( I ordered a Corona) and at first I thought she was sooooo clever because she gave me a plate (with what appeared to be salt on it), my beer and a glass. Genius, right? I could rim my glass like a margarita?! Score! Well, until I took a drink and realized it was SUGAR. Yep. Sugar. Who does that? Oh and when we told her it was sugar you would think she would be apologetic... she laughed and asked how it tasted. Wow! Moving on. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit, which we have never seen before and thought it looked interesting. It was melted cheese with horseradish and multi-grain toast. It was virtually flavorless (with the exception of the horseradish) and just blah. THE SERVICE WAS SO SLOW! It took a very long time for everything.. drinks ... appetizer... just everything. I ordered the hunters chicken (which is the weeks special) - I seriously had to keep looking at it because the mouth feel I got when I was trying to eat it felt as if it were raw. My husband thinks it may have been frozen previously. YUCK! Also at the table was Salmon with lemon caper sauce, the Chequers trio and fish and chips. No. No & a half a yes. The sauce on the salmon overpowered it and was so overwhelming, you did not even know what you were eating. The trio was no good & the fries with the fish and chips tasted rancid. The one good thing I can say about the WHOLE meal was the fish was actually quite tasty. Our youngest diner was pleasantly surprised (with only the fish obviously). We will NOT be back. EVER!
(1)Esther Z.
Been here a few times and my husband and I get our favorites and then share. Love the reuben sandwich and he loves the fish and chips. Have always had great service from one server in particular, Anna. They have live music on occasion so great place to just stop in for a drink as well. If you are looking for some good comfort food during the week, stop in.
(3)John P.
I believe that you might get fewer complaints published on Yelp if you were to allow customers to send you feedback via your website. I tried to do that, but it doesn't seem like there's any place to send in Contact Us submissions. One other small piece of advice, since I am a restaurant designer - you should consider renovating, particularly for the front facade (it is not inviting at all). It is a general rule of thumb for restaurants that they should remodel every 10 years or so.
(2)Rachel G.
All I can saw is the Burgers were delicious! The service was fine and the waitress was very attentive. I read the reviews and was floored at many of the reviews. I love burgers and if you don't wan to take a chance on the service then maybe take it to go. My family enjoyed the food and we're very picky when it comes to burgers. Would we go back? sure
(3)Aja G.
It is a story that has been told: We went had a groupon. The food was moderate to tasty. The service and the wait time were inexcusably poor. It was a Friday evening and the place was far from full. The waitress was not a multitasker and clearly forgot to put our order in--it does not take 25 minutes to make onion rings.Our meal took another 20 minutes. Some of the food splashed on the vinyl table clothes, which dripped down onto my pursue.The waitress never brought napkins, was slow with the not-so-delicious refills and took 10 minutes to bring the bill. Though she was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a vase of water. While the food was decent the aggravation does not warrant the final product--I won't be back Edit: This food has no, what I've termed" re-heat value." It is so greasy that once cold it become soggy and spongy. Definitely skip.
(1)M H.
Went tonight for dinner and it was a great experience!! There were 4 of us and we all loved our entrees. The service was spectacular and the atmosphere was perfect. We used a groupon we bought earlier in the day and there were no problems what so ever. All of us said we can't wait to go back!!!! This is such a cute place!
(5)Craig S.
Didn't dislike it. In fact, I really like the ambiance -- it pulls off that authentic feel. The authenticity pretty much stops there, though. The food is good, but I didn't feel like I was eating anything other than standard American fare. Nice for the atmosphere, for sure. I think I'll go again in the winter.
(3)