Uptown Grill
601 1st St, La Salle, IL, 61301
Uptown Grill Menu
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Visit below restaurant in La Salle for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in La Salle for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in La Salle for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
601 1st St
La Salle, IL, 61301 - Phone (815) 224-4545
- Website https://www.uptowngrill.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Drive-Thru : No
Caters : Yes
Categories
Burgers
Burger or Hamburger is savored as the most desired fast food meal in the United States. A hamburger is basically a sandwich prepared by stuffing ground meat patty, generally beef, between two slices of a bun cut in half. Hamburger is also famous for its seasoning. Most popular condiments used in hamburgers in the United States are mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Besides ground meat patty, hamburgers are also stuffed with lettuce, onions, tomato slices, pickles, and cheese.
Hamburgers are also categorized into two types in the United States. Fast food hamburger and individual hamburgers served at restaurants are two basic types of burgers served in the United States. The individual hamburgers served at restaurants are prepared using everything including lettuce, onion, tomato, and sliced pickles as well as melted cheese on the patty or crumbled on top. American restaurants also serve veggie burgers for those who don't relish meat. Cheeseburgers are also hot favorite in the United States.
McDonalds is the most popular fast food burger restaurant serving different types of burgers in the United States. On the other hand, there are several restaurants such as Burger King are famous for serving the best hamburgers in the United States. Most burger restaurants in the United States often serve hamburgers with French fries and other condiments. If you have a liking for burgers in the United States, then you won't be disappointed. You can easily find the best burger restaurants in your city on our Restaurants Listings directory. Check the reviews and ratings of the top burger restaurants and savor yourself with the best hamburger in the city.
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Jenna W.
First off, we made a reservation online (which is fantastic because not many restaurants around here utilize that technology - saved me from making a phone call and having to interact with a person, so hooray!) When we arrived, we were seated outside, which they have a great patio and outdoor area. We ordered a round of drinks and had the salmon nachos and the mussels as appetizers and they were spectacular! Everyone ordered filets and they were cooked as we ordered (perfect medium), and I had the Yukon gold mashed potatoes and they were very good. Everything was hot and delicious. Two people ordered dessert and they said they were very good. Overall, very good experience and I will definitely be going back!
(4)Jessica S.
Best restaurant in the area by far!! Ordered a new martini "Pretty in Pink" it was heaven. Chicken parma and Gorgonzola topped tenderloins are to die for.
(5)Linette K.
Such an unexpected, yet lovely restaurant to have dinner in the area! The food is beyond expectations, the wine decently priced, and the service outstanding. If you're looking for a cute dinner date, or for some great steak after hiking Starved Rock, this place is it. They will honor your check in for crab ragoon and you will love it.
(5)Andrew C.
This place gets five stars considering its peer set in the area. Clean and classy atmosphere. Tablet menus . Service was prompt and friendly. The endive and smoked shrimp salad was quite good, but couldn't taste any smoke in the dish at all. Broiled whitefish entree was as good as advertised. Sautéed carrots and zucchini were more oily than necessary, so stick with the steamed veg instead. Strangely, French Fries on the other hand weren't greasy at all. Glad this place is open on Mondays, as very few decent restaurants in this area are.
(5)Tyler D.
I had the fish taco special and it was very good. We sat on the patio which was screened in and the fans were going which was nice. This is my second time here and I enjoyed the food. I would recommend coming here and will be back in the future.
(5)Tom G.
Uptown grill and restaurant is an amazing place to go the atmosphere inside is very personal comfortable but a little too dark for me. Sitting out side. great area nice breeze lovely flowers all around great atmosphere. even better is a summer rain came on while we were eating. the dishes are served nicely to the customers. I like they have their menu on electronic tablet which allows you to look at what you going to eat and see a visual imagery of it this is a great feature to have and it makes a lot easier decided what to have for dinner. However I highly highly recommend coming in for an early lunch or late lunch choosing the artisan cheese platter with a glass of red wine or bottle excellent choice.
(4)Jen S.
My co-workers and I stumbled upon Uptown Grill Monday while on a business trip. We were in need of a break from the car and sustenance! Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! We fell in love with both Marsha and the Uptown Grill at first site. Between the three of us we feasted on Dirty Grey Goose martinis with blue cheese stuffed olives, cabernet, Steak Diane, bacon-wrapped pork chops, horseradish mashed potatoes, and spaghetti Bolognese. We were practically licking our plates and ready to make reservations for when we passed back through LaSalle the following Wednesday... ...which we did! Round 2 included Saganaki, oysters on the half shell, chicken parma, and what we all agreed was the most amazing short rib we have ever tasted. The Uptown Grill is truly a GEM. The food satisfied our Southern-California-native palates which we're found is no easy feat in Illinois.
(5)Sam C.
Food is outstanding! White fish is anazing! Tuna nachos are too! Gelato is fantastic!
(5)Karen S.
Our first time here after Eagle watching. Kids menu and some unique burgers too! I had a Mac burger macaroni and cheese and grilled onions with home made chips so yummy. My son loved the kids spaghetti bolognese and he's 10. Great bread and great atmosphere.
(5)Desiree M.
This place is not bad, but my boyfriend and I had a bit of a strange night here. The good: The patio is awesome. It's screened in, so no bug worries and there are fans running so the air circulates. There's a decent view of the sunset and atmosphere. The music. Yes, I know, a bunch of other reviewers are griping about it. I actually think the mellow country tinged music was perfect for the mood on the patio. It may sound a bit strange in the higher energy bar area though. Friendly service. All of the workers seemed happy, helpful, and outgoing. We got about 5 "have a good night's" on our way out and they seemed genuine. The food, in my opinion was decent. My boyfriend was more impressed than I was. For the best bang for your buck I'd suggest sticking to the specials. His Thursday night burger and beer for $10 was quite good for the price. The herb marinated chicken was less impressive. The carrots were still crisp and lightly sweet, which I liked. The rice was flavorful but was too cool and a bit mushy. The bad: My biggest complaint was that everything seemed to take an extremely long time. From drink service, to food coming out, to paying the check at the end. We are on vacation, so it was cool. But if we had been on a deadline this would have been frustrating. The weird: The weird part was, certain things seemed to only effect our table. Other tables got bread baskets. We didn't. Other tables got full condiment baskets. We didn't. Other tables came in after us and got 4+ entrees at the same time as us or shortly afterwards. I didn't sense that our waitress had any problem serving us, as she was very friendly. So, I'm not sure what the problem was. Maybe they had her running around too much between inside and outside and things were getting lost in the shuffle? Just left a bit of a strange feeling overall.
(3)Isaac S.
The food was adequately flavorful. It is called the "Uptown Grill," and, despite having flatware rolled up in napkins in a less-than-"uptown" way, they immediately impressed me with their use of iPads as a menu. Although I was afraid of splashing water on it or having my child immediately smash the screen upon discovery of the touch-screen capabilities, it was an interesting gimmick. Where I was confused is that I used an iPad to search a moderately well-organized menu, but the bill was brought on paper. Why not use a Square or other similar device for point-of-sales operation. It seems like a less-than-stellar commitment to a fanciful technology.
(4)Laura K.
I love that you can make reservations online! They have an excellent wine selection! The food is good. The prices are a little on the high side but the quality is good! My only issue is the last few times we have been here is the staff are less than friendly. When I asked about some items on the menu the waiter acted annoyed with me.
(4)Karen M.
I have to admit that my memory of this restaurant is a little hazy since we ate here at the end of a very long day that included a bike ride on the Illinois & Michigan Canal towpath and a pub crawl of most of the bars and taverns in the Utica area. However, I do remember hip, upscale, but not pretentious surroundings; a nice screened-in outdoor patio; good service from our waitress; and great food, even with something as simple as the crab cake sandwich that I ordered. It was garnished with spring greens, sprouts, and Dijon mustard and served on whole-grain wheat bread; the honey-lime cole slaw I chose for a side complimented it nicely. They also had a good wine list. We were too full for dessert, but I will definitely try something called "The Chocolate Lava Armageddon" the next time we're here. The menus come on iPads, along with helpful pictures of each dish. Total tab for two, including wine, was about $60 not including gratuity, which is not bad at all. Uptown Grill is located in downtown LaSalle, which has definitely seen better days, but don't let that stop you from trying it. It is absolutely worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in the Utica-LaSalle-Peru area. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Alefiyah M.
Called in an order for pick up on a Sunday night. The order was ready to go when we got there. We ordered two vegetarian dishes and they were delicious. They don't have a lot of vegetarian options, so we were hesitant to order from there (and had a bad experience at a restaurant next door the night before), but are so glad we did. My husband got the veggie burger with potato salad and I got the grilled portabella mushroom sandwich. The burger was flavorful and satisfying and the potato salad was very good. If I had to complain, it would be that there was no cheese on the burger and the bread was a 9-grain sandwich bread where we would have liked some kind of bun. The mushroom sandwich was juicy and very good. I got it on focaccia instead of the 9-grain and had fries on the side. We were so happy with the quality of the food and we'll definitely be back if we're in the area.
(5)Lisa H.
I am sad to say I had a very unpleasant experience at Uptown. We had decided to go to Uptown to celebrate our 7 year anniversary. This used to be a favorite place for my boyfriend and I to go whenever we visited the Starved Rock area. It had been a little while since we had been able to visit Uptown but I was a little shocked by the changes. The menus are now digital, which i guess one day will be the norm. However, I did not realize how much I prefer paper menus until my menu was telling me it only had 15% battery. I stare at screens all day from the computer to phones so it was unpleasant to have to stare at another one to pick through the menu. The menu has become much pricier. I understand this is a fine dining restaurant but the price increase was very noticeable. My boyfriend and I both noticed that multiple previous menu items were no longer available, and these were not seasonal items I am talking about. The last part that made us completely put off was that while we were sitting at our table the servers put up a folding table directly across from us with t-shirts they were either giving away or were for sale. We were going to to deal with the low battery menu, price increase and deletion of food items, but we were not going to deal with celebrating our anniversary with a shirt sale going on next to us. We may give Uptown another try, perhaps this was a fluke incident.
(2)Tom J.
Great restaurant with a friendly staff and plenty of delicious menu choices. I will definitely be back.
(5)Jon B.
"iPads and Butter Pads, A Tale of Two Restaurants" I don't know what to say about this place. Uptown's menu has something for everyone, sandwiches, salads, seafood, steaks, tex mex and even raw oysters. Uptown has something for the adventurous foodie and something for Uncle Ron who only eats meat and potatoes. When seated, I was surprised to see a tablet instead of a menu. Sure, this stands out to some. It's unique for the area, but is it necessary? Chicago Cut is an expensive steakhouse that has iPad's for menu's. The French Laundry has iPads for their wine list, because it's gigantic. I brought in a bottle of wine to be uncorked. It was an older bottle and the cork was dry, and the cork split in half. Not at all our servers fault at all. The wine list at Uptown has some interesting selections. Biale is a favorite winery. The Black Chicken Zin and Royal Punishers Petit Sirah are solid and very hard to find. The wine list was able to be sorted on the tablet, but as a whole it was jumbled and disorganized. Several of the white wines on the list are extremely old. Things like Torrontes and Sauvignon Blanc should be drunk a year or two old, not eight. My family started with oysters from the Pacific Northwest. They were extremely fresh and tasty. However, they were not shucked properly. There were bits of shell not cleaned from the oyster and the oyster was not separated from the shell. I've eaten a lot of oysters and never had them served like that. Super fresh, though. The Rumaki were great, perfectly cooked and the sauces were very tasty. The focaccia bread was good, but it was served with rock solid, foil wrapped butter pads. Super fresh oysters and iPads to butter pads. Is this knit picking? For the main course, I ordered a New York Strip. It was cooked perfectly, not enough seasoning, though. The swiss chard and broccoli rabe had a spicy zing, simple and good. Uptown is impressive, but under whelming. It's pretentious and unpretentious. I liked it, but didn't like it.
(3)Suzanne F.
We were passing through from Chicago on our way home to KCMO and stopped here for dinner. Wasn't expecting anything great but were we genuinely surprised. The restaurant is large with three separate eating experiences (alfresco, screened-in, or inside), the music selection was fabulous, the waitstaff attentive and very nice but not intrusive. The food was great and not high priced compared to what we are used to paying. The wine/beer/cocktail selection was enormous. My only regret is we don't have a place here in KC that ticks all the boxes like Uptown Grill does. If you don't stop in when you have the opportunity, it will truly be your loss.
(5)Aaron H.
Love the atmosphere and friendly staff. Doesn't matter if you are with a group of friends casually dining, work dinner meeting, or more formal occasion...this place fits the bill. All of the food is delicious and tablet menus with pictures is awesome.
(4)E B.
LOVE LOVE Burger-Me-Thursday! $10 for a gourmet bacon cheddar western burger and a beer! You can't beat that! I can't wait to try other things on their menu! Their menus are very tech-savvy and are on tablets. This can be a very upscale place but I feel that it can be dressed down a bit too. It's definitely the place I bring my guests/visitors to! Yum yum!!
(5)William D.
Uptown Grill is a great dinner option if you find yourself in the LaSalle-Peru metroplex. I confess that I awarded a bonus star for intrepidness--downtown LaSalle appears to have seen better days, but Uptown Grill perseveres with diverse and modern fare. The iPad menus are novel and fun to peruse. On the other hand, though not a germophobe, after ordering I felt the need to wash my hands as if I had been handling a hotel TV remote. The atmosphere (including music) is hip, but casual. The servers, hostess, and manager were hustling and friendly. The bread, salad, and bar were all first rate. I loved the taste of my horseradish mashed potatoes, but was disappointed that the horseradish was undetectable. Problems arose with my entrée and vegetable. In northern Illinois, one expects pork and corn to be perfectly executed. My bacon-wrapped pork chop was on the tough side and too dry. This can be attributed to the thickness of the cut, which requires the chef to leave it on the grill too long to make sure it is cooked through. So disappointing in the middle of pork country. And the iPad menu boasted that the corn was fresh-cut off the cob. I could tell when the waitress put my plate down that the corn medley had been overcooked. Instead of delicious, fresh-harvested Illinois sweet corn (it is August, after all), this tasted worse than canned corn. What a shame. The fair price of my meal, along with the positives mentioned above, still made this, my second visit to Uptown Grill, worthwhile. I'll return when business travel brings me back this way.
(4)Rob L.
Hadn't been here for a few years and that was a big mistake. I mean, what's not to like about homemade Gorgonzola potato chips and Belgian Saison Farmhouse Ale? In all seriousness there isn't another establishment in the Illinois Valley that approaches the level of quality seen in the city and suburbs. This is not what we call "foofy" food but rather American classics made with fresh ingredients with perhaps a twist or two. Great place for dates and gatherings. Best restaurant within a 50 mile radius.
(5)Mark H.
Excellent meal. Great service. Clean, nice decor. Friendly staff, great waitress, Nel. We had grouper sandwich, BLT burger, spinach salad. We would visit again when driving through LaSalle.
(4)Christian H.
The food was unbelievable! The half pound burger was so delicious! Very modern restaurant setting.... Menus are iPads!
(5)Rhonda H.
I had the Parmesan white fish...the best thing I ever ate! Had a side of slaw...not fresh and very limp. Service was good but the music was HORRIBLE. We could not believe what we heard!!!! I would go back for the fish! The menu was ridiculous. What a waste of money. Get better music.
(4)Jill D.
My boyfriend and I took a weekend trip to Starved Rock and were looking for a place to eat dinner. We basically wandered into Uptown Grill and were very pleased! The atmosphere was cool and the clientele was interesting - some people pretty dressed up, others in jeans. We had just come from hiking at Matthiessen State Park and we didn't feel underdressed or out of place. The menus were sweet, too, on the tablets. We started with crab rangoon, which I was a little worried about, but it ended up being delicious. I also had a bowl of their baked french onion soup which was AMAZING! I am a huge french onion soup fan and order it literally everywhere, and I was really impressed. My entree came with a "lots of leaf" salad. I am a really boring person and only like ranch dressing, which they didn't have, but the server suggested the buttermilk dill dressing, which was yummy. As my entree, I ordered the pasta purses with parsley white wine cream sauce. That was super good! I would eat it everyday. Yum!! The only bad part about the Uptown Grill is that I live two hours away. :)
(5)Holly M.
In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "You know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation." We had an 8:00 reservation last night for a work party, but we still had to wait 40 minutes for an open table. I don't think they quite grasped the idea of a reservation. The manager guy was bussing tables, washing dishes, and trying to help the hostess, so there were definitely some staffing issues happening during a busy Saturday night dinner rush. Eventually we just sat at the bar and ordered drinks and finally got a table that opened around 8:40-8:45. The menus were really cool and since they were on I-pads you could pull up actual pictures of the food items. I ordered a cup of the tomato bisque soup, which was essentially a marinara sauce with lots of garlic (but still flavorful). My pasta was excellent--chicken, spinach, and little noodles in an Alfredo sauce. It was quite tasty. I found the bathrooms quite scary in comparison to the classy interior of the restaurant--like something you'd find in a dive bar. But otherwise, the Uptown Grill wasn't terrible. The food made up for the mediocre service, but I probably wouldn't make the journey again.
(3)Jessamyn W.
I was super impressed by the tablet menus. However, they may be confusing if you're not technologically adept. The food is good, but there are a lot of spicy options, so I would not recommend this place if you don't like spicy food. The service was pretty good.
(4)Linda B.
Revisited several times this summer, being in town for emergencies. Each time the service was outstanding, great place for a beer at a reasonable price at the bar. The fajitas and fish tacos are good, the salmon on two occasions a little over cooked, the whitefish was swimming in butter and not very flavorful, but the herb roasted chicken is wonderful. This is a nice place to sit outside, or inside to enjoy the eclectic playlist of the owner!
(3)Rob G.
This place surprised us pleasantly. We were halfway between hither and yon on the endless interstate and decided to Yelp La Salle. The Uptown Grill is just that - a fusion between uptown and a grill. Smart, warm decor. Salads, burgers, and more made in a sophisticated way. We had the fish tacos (fried, but I'm on vacation) and a chicken Waldorf salad. Both were delicious. The iced tea was made with a hint of mint. The waitress did a pro job dispite the lunch rush which poured in right after we arrived. BTW - Most of the patrons speared to be dressed business casual. So, it's not a jeans and tee shirt place. We'll be back and recommending it to our fellow travelers.
(4)Rachel E.
Went back for a date night with my husband. This time we sat indoors, did not have the baby with us, and ordered different entrees. Much better. The service was better also. This place is not kid friendly, saw a couple with a baby a few tables next to us having the same struggle we did the first time when we brought our daughter. Shrimp tacos were delicious. Atmosphere inside is sophisticated and our server was great. We will try it again sometime.
(4)Natasha S.
Very nice restaurant, sophisticated without being snooty. Menus were presented on ipads which was an interesting experience; you can see pictures of the food to help with your decision. Ordered the salad with a salmon burger. The salad was very nice, with macerated figs, gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, and lots of spinach. The salmon burger was a bit salty. My father's chicken marsala was very good, and the crab cake was nice as well. Although I didn't have room for dessert, if I did I'm sure the crazy chocolate lava concoction called "The Armageddon" would have been my choice. The restaurant was quiet as we went on a Sunday, but overall it was a very pleasant experience.
(4)Aaron J.
Favorite place in the area. Tried several meals and loved them all. The burger special is amazing value and always good. Beer selection is great as well.
(5)Sandy K.
Great place!! Had the shrooms..tasty. Whitefish was excellent as were the rosemary mashed potatoes. Will be back and tell my friends. Great waitress too; attentive but not in your face.
(5)Ladeebug L.
I love fish and was very pleased to see the Lent specials. I had to have the Cioppino. The flavor was good but salty for my taste. Unfortunately I would say it was not made to order. All of the seafood in the dish was overcooked. Since all of the seafood except for the king crab is quick cooking I was very disappointed. I would have thought that they would have premade the broth/tomato stock and cook the dish to order but I don't think so. Very dissappointing for the price.
(3)Taylor B.
Great food and excellent service! We were traveling home and in the La Salle area around dinner time. I found the restaurant using the Yelp app so we decided to give it a try. Ragged and weary from the road we parked outside and walked in to a pleasant surprise. They have a very elegant setting yet we didn't feel out of place as a band of weary travelers. We received a warm welcome by the hostess and we were seated on the patio. Ashley was our server and she was great, very personable and gave us great recommendations from the menu. The Crab Rangoon and the fish Tacos are both excellent although the Rangoon would be better served with a sweet and sour sauce. To sum it up; great food, great service, and good atmosphere. Can't wait till our travel ring us to La Salle again.
(5)Livvy O.
I would have given this a 5 star but my boyfriend's meal was not all that great. My meal however was really good. I ordered the swiss and onion burger...it was very juicy and thick. It came with fries, a small noodle dish, and I ordered sauteed mushrooms on the side. The mushrooms were good but it's hard to compete with the Renaissance Faire's mushrooms!! My boyfriend ordered the mesquite chicken breasts which I agreed did not taste like much. Kind of bland tasting. He wanted more sauce on his. He didn't really like the rice either. I actually tried 2 of their tea's. I didn't really like the peach but I normally don't like peach flavored things but I like real peaches but I gave it a try anyways. I swapped that one for the Mint tea which I thought was very refreshing. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream and whip cream...sooo good. They had a nice coffee selection too...but I was too stuffed. Just a side note - their menu has a variety of different food varities like saganaki, fajitas, burgers, steaks, and seafood so I think anyone can find something to eat at this place.
(4)M W.
My husband and I were driving back from downstate IL and needed to find a place for a late lunch at 3 p.m. on a Saturday. I looked up LaSalle restaurants online and found the Uptown Grill. Very glad we ventured off the interstate to find this place. The moment we walked in we were warmly welcomed by the hostess and seated on the screened-in patio. It was a warm but breezy day so we enjoyed the patio seating very much. Inside, the atmosphere was cozy and looked very inviting. The menus are on tablets (complete with nice photos of the dishes--very helpful) and we made our choice of the pork tenderloin sandwiches. We were pleasantly surprised that the "homemade" tenderloin description from the menu seemed to be true. The sandwiches were large and nicely seasoned, with pickle, fresh tomato, lettuce, and onion on the side. We ordered fries as a side, and they were fresh and hot, very nice. Our waitress was attentive and helpful, and did a great job of keeping our sodas full. There was a dessert menu, and all the items sounded amazingly good. We ended up getting a brownie to go, which was rich and delicious. If we are in the area again, we will absolutely stop in and have lunch or dinner. Definitely a gem.
(4)Da W.
My first burn ribeye steak experience in a decent restaurant. They did replaced it with a new one, again burned :-( i've had good ribeye here before, but today was horrible. other food was nice. The smoked trout was excellent! So no more steak for me but they do have plenty of other dishes that I'll be coming back to.
(2)Jim S.
An upscale type restaurant. Our group of 10+ were treated royally by the waiters & helpers. The appetizers & main meal meats were great, sorta ruined by powdered cold potatoes. Order a baked potato.
(4)Chrissy N.
As my family is spread around IL, this was a great spot mid-way for everyone, to meet on Father's day. Our reservation was at 2pm, and we were seated promptly. Well, by seated, I mean 8 people crammed around a round table. My father and boyfriend and bro-in-law are TALL guys, and the leg and knee situation throughout the entire luncheon was SO uncomfortable. Not to mention that table-top room was scarce with that many people around that table. The menu looked great, lots of choices. And yummy bread came out to the table. Our waitress agreed to split the check as we asked, and that worked out great- which some restaurants can never seem to master. But the actual wait service was a bit "off." She was not very friendly, stone-faced, set (dropped) plates down a but carelessly, was not aware of how she was reaching across people's faces, and kind of made me feel that she was not very pleased, or was having a bad day, or something. She was also not attuned to HOW crammed we were at the table, and I had to ask a few times if she could take away empty appetizer plates and salad plates, because she brought out the main dishes and was holding them up waiting for us to move plates to make room, but I feel she should have cleared those before she brought out everyone's entree plates. Food: I got the spaghetti carbonara- quite tasty! Boyfriend got a huge steak. It looked good, he said it tasted "ok". We also got a cheese sampler tray which was pretty good, came with a card with all the cheese descriptions, and included some figs, nuts, marmalade and honey. I don't recall her asking if anyone wanted coffee or dessert after the meal, because I would have gotten some. In summary: Food was ok, beer selection good, ambiance was nice- a nice restaurant, beautiful outdoor patio. Family friendly, and quite a large place too- several dining areas. Service left something to be desired. I would never make an actual trip down state to go here, but if you're in the area, street parking is ample, and it's nice.
(2)T B.
Well they deleated my post from their facebook page so this will probably get deleted too. You really lose respect for a place when you type a review and then they delete it. They obviously know they are doing something wrong. Lets see how long before they delete this one. Went here 8/16/14 and service was horrible. You make a reservation plan on not getting seated till about 45 minutes later. Then complain to the manager and have him tell you "nothing I can do about it now". Sure after my group just spent over $200 in your crappy place!
(1)Susan F.
Pleasantly surprised in the middle of downtown LaSalle! Lots of options on the menu, service was friendly and efficient. Good beer options and a red velvet birthday cupcake after hiking all day at Starved Rock. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area!
(5)Pam D.
They have Rumaki. Talk about blissful childhood memories!!!! Well to be honest, it is an upscale version of Rumaki with fancy pants bacon and dipping sauces, but still ... I haven't seen Rumaki on a menu in ages. Unfortunately, the water chestnut was soggy. Part of the pleasure of eating this dish is a textural one. The crisp bacon, the crunchy chestnut and the chewy chicken liver. Anyhow, it was ok, but it could have been bliss. Really. When we checked in via Yelp, we got a free Crab Rangoon appetizer. Cool beans! It was good too. The margarita was wonderful and HUGE. Perfect combo. The smoked trout sandwich was good, but parts of the trout was overly salty. Christopher's bacon wrapped pork chops were good as well. The restaurant is very nice and service was friendly and attentive. We stopped here for dinner after our canal boat ride on down the way a bit. When we get back to this area, we'll be back for another nice dinner.
(4)Gina M.
Thoughtfully prepared dishes, varied menu. Come for dinner or stop for appetizers and cocktails . The cheese platter is fun to share while you unwind with a well prepared cocktail,
(5)Zachary C.
My girlfriend and I were at starved rock state park hiking all day and looking for a place to eat. I checked out the menu of uptown and we decided that it sounded good. We walked in and the atmosphere was very cool and very inviting. We decided to sit at the bar and eat and have a few drinks. They have a decent selection of very solid craft beers. The bartender and wait staff were extremely attentive and friendly making sure we had what we needed and making small talk about what brought us here and other fun things to do in the area. The food was great too we were very pleased with not only the quality of the food, but the price. We started with the crab Rangoon, which in my opinion were better than some higher end Chinese restaurants that I have eaten at. My girlfriend ordered the bow tie pasta with bacon, peas, spinach, and Roma tomatoes and it was fabulous. I ordered the Wednesday special of Wiener schnitzel and it had to be one of the better schnitzels I have had and I have had some pretty decent schnitzels in the past. All in all I would say that this restaurant is a must if you are in the La Salle area whether it be hiking, business, or the winery this is a top notch place to eat
(4)Suzie K.
Great good. Wanted some good food in our travels cross country. Glad we stopped by. The burgers were good. We had the lamb burger as well.
(5)Ed H.
The broiled whitefish Parmesan is the best seafood dish in the area. Lemon caper butter is the right touch and adds great flavor.
(4)Kyle L.
This place is great - never had a bad dish. They have a nice drink menu as well. The Tuesday fish taco special is my favorite. Outdoor seating is nice when seasonably appropriate.
(5)Beth H.
Mediocre, bland food. No diaper changing stations. Nothing memorable. Won't go back again.
(1)Laura K.
I trekked out to LaSalle to visit the Marien Mae bridal boutique just down the road from Uptown Grill. After working up an appetite trying on wedding dresses, my mom and I headed here for lunch. Mom had visited before and told me we were in for a great meal. Just like she is with so many other things, Mom was right about Uptown Grill. We were there at 1:30 on a Saturday and the place was packed (including a child's birthday party in the back room that was mercifully quiet). I ordered the tuna burger and my mouth is still watering thinking about it. The patty was made from tuna, capers, cilantro and onions. The burger was topped with alfalfa sprouts and chipotle mayo. Absolutely delicious. Mom talked me into dessert and we split a phyllo cup filled with mascarpone cheese, honey, raspberries and strawberries. It was heaven in a little cup. If I make another journey out to LaSalle, I'm definitely heading back to Uptown Grill!
(5)Mike C.
After 2 times eating here I'd say that this restaurant is somewhat of a mystery to me. Everything about it says standard fare. But the way the flavors are blended together when you get the food, you know that somewhere in the back there is a someone who has given it a little more thought than that. Generally house made potato chips are a disappointment. here they were crisp, not soggy, and well seasoned. And the salmon burger is really nicely flavored. Okay so perhaps it's not a super fine dining place like you'd have in Chicago. But the attention that is given to the food is more than I've seen in many more fancy places.
(4)Jamie M.
Our party of five enjoyed an early (and extended) dinner on Sunday 10/13/13. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and offered recommendations on her favorites. Even though we lingered after we finished eating, we never felt rushed or squeezed out to make room. We will definitely be back!
(4)Bar C.
It's a nice looking place and one of the few places in the area that is open on a Monday. I ordered a bacon bleu cheese burger. I couldn't taste the bleu cheese. I also ordered an ice tea and it had mint, which I could not drink. They give you homemade chips at the bar, which were very good. The menu is on a tablet, which was cool. If they had put the bleu cheese that they use on the cheese plate, I'm sure it would have made the burger great. If you pay extra for bleu cheese, use a quality product...
(3)Nancy B.
I was thrilled to find this restaurant, every thing we ordered was fabulous.
(5)John C.
Here visiting family and went here for lunch. Great food and atmosphere. Try the homemade chips and the fish tacos.
(5)Jonda M.
This is one of our favorite places in the L-P area. We first visited 10 years ago when we spent part of our honeymoon at Starved Rock. Now we live here and when we want a nice meal this is where we go. The last time we were here my husband got the Burger Me Thursday deal which you get the gourmet burger special and a beer for $10. What a deal! I got the pork tenderloin for the first time and I gotta say its the best in the Valley! We love, love, love the crab Rangoon appetizer and the service is always good. For a nicer restaurant it is kid friendly and they have a good selection of kids meal.
(4)Doug M.
Excellent service. Food was spectacular. I had the filet. Asked for special treatment and delivered perfectly. Waitress was wonderful with a great sense of humor especially after I spilt my water. My wife had the white fish and it was wonderful. Highly recommend the visit. We traveled an hour and were glad we did.
(5)Janean S.
Our FAVORITE restaurant in the area! My husband is from nearby and we always eat here at least once when we are visiting family. The cool thing this time was the new tablets used as menus. They were easier to read when the lights were turned down for dinner. You can also select the item you are interested in and see a picture. Awesome use of technology! We will always visit when we are in the area!!!
(5)Marshall U.
One of our favorite places to eat while visiting family. If you are passing through the town, you need to stop and eat here. Everything you order will come out great.
(4)Kathy G.
We stopped here on a whim while we were driving through town. Just the exterior of the building made me want to go in. I love the outdoor dining area, a little protected with a roof and fencing but with a nice outdoor feel. We ordered our drinks which were served promptly and I ordered a sausage and bow tie pasta dish that was loaded with kale and parmesan cheese. It was heavenly. The food was fantastic, the service incredible. We will stop by next time we are nearby.
(4)Patti K.
NOT worth the trip. Nothing was GOOD except rumaki. Food was not hot, service was mediocre even with only 5 tables of customers. Gave this place a second chance and will not be going back. Even the bread was stale. Suggest driving further for better quality, decor cannot make up for OK food.
(2)Ian C.
Overall impression - pretty good; need to come back again for a better look, which I definitely will. Was pleased to see 2 brothers bitter end on the draft list. I had the French onion soup only - it was good - I'd give it a B+. My friend had the Swiss & onion burger & fries. Fries were average; burger was passable but not great. Obviously burgers are not the target here, as the menu is big. Nice place - give it a try.
(4)Sarah S.
I attended a rehearsal dinner at the Uptown Grill. The servers were friendly and I was a big fan of their wide tea selection. Their background music was also terrific. I wasn't a fan of my bacon-wrapped pork chops that were about as dry as they come though I understand it's hard to cook for a group. I'm pretty sure that was the feedback on the chicken breast dishes, too. The veg pesto pasta dish was better though too much pesto for my sister's liking. Where they made up for all the entrees was in dessert -- the brownie sundae was huge and amazingly tasty!
(3)Todd G.
My girlfriend and I planned a weekend getaway to (surprise!) Starved Rock. We were warned by several friends that the food at the local restaurants in Oglesby wasn't the best. One even warned us that we may want to pack sandwiches and bring our own food. So, we did. Thankfully, Uptown Grill made me leave those PB&J sandwiches behind. Uptown Grill uses menus on iPad-like devices that shows pictures of all the food dishes as well as wine suggestions for each dish. I had the garlic butter infused chicken breast....delicious--especially with the fresh pesto. My girlfriend had the braised coffee crusted pork fillet. It too was delicious and didn't taste overly-caffeinated (i.e. it didn't taste like you were eating coffee). We both had the roasted garlic & rosemary smashed potatoes. Again: delicious! We split a bottle of a Ginocchio--a local wine from August Hill Winery. We actually enjoyed dinner so much that we came back the following day for lunch. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and suggested some local places to visit (including the Tasting Room of August Hill). If you spend a day at Starved Rock, make sure to include a trip to Uptown Grill...you won't be disappointed.
(5)Pat H.
Classy establishment in downtown La Salle with a great menu and attentive service. Tastefully decorated in a manner that would fit nicely in any world class city. THE destination for dinner when visiting the Illinois river valley.
(5)Scott P.
We spent the day hiking and headed to la salle for a bite to eat. We spoke with 2 locals and they said this is the best restaurant in town. They were right. We had 6 people all order different entrées. The burgers are served open face, and are delicious. I got the homeade pesto pasta purses. This is some of the best pesto I have ever had. My friend got the fajitas and she loved them as well. The fish tacos, made with tilapia were also very good. Excellent selection of beer and a extensive menu.
(5)Janee M.
We had the smoked trout app, smoked ham n bean soup, poached pear and blue cheese salad, fish tacos and the apple jalapeño pie. EvERyThing was amazing!!!! I live in the chicago suburbs and have been to many fine dining establishments. This place rocks!! Not a weak link. One of my new favorite restaurants in the now extended ChiTown metro area. Def ask for Heather as your server. She's the best!
(5)Kimberly J.
We also had a weekend trip at Starved Rock and decided to stop here for lunch before heading back home. Monday Feb 10th a late lunch. I was happy to see that we were not the only people having a late lunch :o) We shared the Baked Onion soup which was good. I had the Southwest Turkey Burger with seasoned potato chips and my husband had the Half Pound Burger with honey lime coleslaw. I enjoyed my burger, it was very tasty. I would get this again. My husband said his burger was just another burger. The chips were okay I have had better and the coleslaw was very good. We will definitely come back and try something different.
(4)Julia S.
We started out with their variety shrooms that are lightly hand breaded they were delicious! Next french onion soup which was amazing and flavorful. They bread basket has there homemade sourdough and focciacia bread! Our entrees were opened faced Gorgonzola meatloaf with homemade french fries. The meal could of been hotter but everything tasted great. I got the Gorgonzola medallions with crispy sourdough under the meat. It was served with a rich mushroom sauce. It melted in your mouth. I wish I could have got plain mashed potatoes since there was quite a bit of mushroom sauce but there mashed that night was horseradish mashed. Got there raspberry cream cake wasn't special. We are dessert fanatics! Four stars all around best steak I've had in a long time!
(4)Ronald H.
My wife and I have been here a couple of times now. As I move to California, it's a place I will miss. On our first visit, I had a Hank's Root Beer that I thought had a really nice flavor. I really appreciate it when restaurants provide the choice of a root beer that is not one of the big 3-4 brands. The iced tea was Mint Iced Tea (one of the few flavored iced teas that I like), and this one had a good, but not overpowering, mint flavor. We would not ordinarily have gone for the Crab Rangoon at this kind of restaurant, but it was a free offer for Yelp check-in, so we had it. I actually tasted the crab, quite nicely done. We also had the Roasted Cheese with warm salsa and chips, another good appetizer choice. For my main course, I had a good Caesar Salad and Side of Fetuccini Alfredo that was almost as good as what I make. My wife had the Spaghetti Bolognese, which was good but not "Wow!". They served some excellent bread: dark & light rye, and white. While a really good bread is generally a sign of the pastry chef and tasty dessert ahead, I was disappointed with the cookie. As I said, we've been there a few times, although it's a pretty good hike from our house. Now, being hours by plane, I'm sorry we're unlikely to return.
(4)Brent W.
This place is the real deal...and in LaSalle, IL no less, who knew? Well, thankfully my buddy did, who happens to hail from this area and recommended it, as well as the tons of people who were dining there that evening (the place was packed). First off, the menu reads like a novel. It is huge, almost to the point of being ott. Mostly steaks, chops, seafood and pasta dishes with tons of soups and salads to choose from too. Strangely, in the midst of all of this predictable mid-up scale fare, they have several "tex-mex" and fajitas entrees. Oh well, their place, they can do what they choose. Started with the "lot's of leaf" salad which had about every conceivable type of lettuce you could think of. Bacon bits, egg, artichoke, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, this thing had it all and it was excellent. Also had the Sesame encrusted Seared Ahi tuna app, it was pretty tasty and was exactly as you'd expect this dish to be. The bread service was outstanding too and paired nicely w. the Salad and seared Tuna. Oh and speaking of service...our server was pretty aggressive and utilitarian in nature, overly so. She was efficient and delivered on all fronts but possessed very little polish, a bit gauche if you will. For the entree i chose the garlic and herb buttered Shrimp...not one ot usually order this at a restaurant as it's one of the easiest dishes to do on your own but there you have it....very good.
(4)Amanda Z.
A recent trip a bit further south for work had my coworker and I scrounging for something to nourish us through our afternoon of work tasks. Luckily, we were close to downtown and happened upon Uptown Grill. Clearly, this is the place to be if you're a LaSalle resident! There was almost a wait for lunch, but luckily we were able to eat at the bar. Sadly, we did not get to imbibe while we were there, but the drinks looked pretty good. I went with the portabello sandwich with a side of veggies rather than the home-made chips. Truly, the sandwich was marvelous. A schmear of cheese and some sprouts complimented the flavors of the mushroom well. I ate the entire thing. The veggies, while good, were not steamed as promised. Well, thye MAY have been steamed, but then were promptly doused in some sort of a butter sauce that took me off guard. I couldn't tell. I ate them, but it would have been nice to know about the sauce. My coworker raved about his tuna burger and said that the home-made chips were as delicious as they looked. Service was very friendly and attentive. We were able to dine and get outta there in time to finish our afternoon of work fun. I would definitely go back for lunch, and I'd love to try out the dinner menu. Lots of options with a really lovely ambience. Honestly, it didn't feel like I was in a small-town restaurant. Well done!
(4)Jessica J.
We went to Starved Rock for the weekend and my mother was SUPER excited about the Sunday Special - $20 for fajitas and a pitcher of margaritas for two. And don't be fooled, that does sound like an awesome deal - but what an AWESOME disappointment! I LOVE margaritas and try them every where, but never have I ever had a worse one! I couldn't even drink it. While the salt they put on was festive (blue and purple) it tasted weird. Not sure what type of tequila they used, but it was super harsh and tasted like chemicals. Not quite sure how they pulled that off... Otherwise, the food was fine and the service was pleasant.
(2)Sandy K.
We really love this place! I will say that I am not usually a fan of country dining and this place is practically in the middle of nowhereville but Uptown is an exception! Not only did my young son get a packet of Wikki Stix, he also got a Jelly Belly crayon (with jelly beans inside of it ) for coloring on the paper table cloth. SCORE and SCORE! Our server was excellent. The Mint Iced tea was perfectly refreshing and she kept it coming. I ordered the pan seared yellowfin tuna, sushi grade, and done medium rare. It was crusted with peppercorns, and white & black sesame seeds. Served with wasabi, soy, pickled ginger and rice noodles. Heaven! I tried the rosemary garlic mashed potatoes, amazing! The steamed veggie medley seemed fresh and crispy, not frozen at all. It was not drenched in butter or oil, just exactly how you would want them made at home. A+++ Hubby had the filet minon and he said is was fantastic, the kiddo liked his burger and the homeade chips were so good, I know because I snagged one. The menu is huge. You have got to check this place out when you're in the Starved Rock area!
(5)Tessa R.
Staying in town for a conference and came to Uptown Grill on recommendation. Nice atmosphere (though the music being played was a little odd) and solid menu. In our group almost all ordered steaks. I had the Gorgonzola tenderloin and it was delicious. We also had the shrooms as an appetizer but they were not as impressive as they sounded. Ordering drinks was sort of an ordeal... One person wanted the sangria and they hadn't made it that day. I ordered the ginger lemonade but 15 minutes later the server came back and said they didn't actually have the ingredients to make it. We ended up ordering wine, which was fine - but annoying that two of the cocktails on their "specials" menu weren't in fact available and also took a while to get beverages. Only other complaint would be that the steaks all were a little more done than ordered. I like my steak medium rare, but it came out medium. (Those that ordered medium got medium-well, etc.) Still a great meal and large portions. Overall a great place given the remote location.
(3)Dawn M.
I know everyone raves about this place, but I'm not sure what all the hype is about. First, I have to say, whatever music they were playing was the WORST, slowest most lethargic sounding music I have ever heard. It was like hick-type country music on slow speed. Just horrid. For a place called "up town" this was definitely not setting any kind of "up beat" tone. We got seated a very wobbly table that would move and spill our water any time my husband leaned his arms on it. We ordered the "shrooms" to start and they were just ok. They were supposed to be stuffed with a crab and cream cheese mixture, but all we tasted was deep fried dough. No crab at all and a tiny bit of cream cheese. I ordered a chicken/pasta dish and my husband a $30 steak. The steak was huge and juicy and I would say worth the price, but the sour cream and onion mashed potatoes had a very "artificial" tasted to them and were served lukewarm to us. His $30 dish only came with one side, so I ordered extra veggies and gave them to him. I would thing for that price, you'd get a potato and another veggie. So, for my dish, it was a pasta with chicken, garlic, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. The pasta was good but the chicken tasted old, as if they pre-cooked it in the AM or night before and threw it into the dish. I have very sensitive taste buds when it comes to "fresh" tasting food and this chicken was def. not just cooked and put into the dish. It had an almost bitter tasted. When I told the waitress about it, I even told her I would just pick the chicken out and that it wasn't a big deal. She proceeded to tell me, "well let's just take it just in case" and grabbed my dish. So I sat there while my husband ate his food and I ordered another chicken-less pasta dish. When she dropped off my new dish, she said, "well, we all tasted it and it tasted just fine.. at least you know it's just not for you".. Seriously?? On top of that, the manager walked past our table 3-4 times as he was setting another table and said NOTHING as I sat there waiting for my replacement dish to come out. To me, this is horrible service and for the price of these dishes, the service should have been better and an apology should have been made by the manager. Very rude of both of them to treat a customer this way. It was also my 17 year wedding anniversary dinner and unfortunately left a bad tasted in my mouth! Literally!
(2)Teri M.
My siblings and I often visit our mom in LaSalle county and are constantly complaining about the lack of food. Can you say, Culvers AGAIN? However, over the weekend, we tried Uptown after hearing some good reviews. needless to say for we city brats, we were quite skeptical. Wow, what can I say, never judge a book by it's cover. By far the best dinner I've had in the Illinois Valley and by LaSalle co. standards this place is the best. Then menu boasts a large selection and wide variety of food. A plus for an area stuck on mediocre italian food. I had the peanut thair chicken breasts and rice and grain blend, plus they gave me an additional side, all for about $14. A STEAL. One sister had a 12 ounce prime ribe (huge) cooked very close to her ideal, my brother had ahi tuna steak with peppercorn crust that he enjoyed immensly. As for my other sister split a New York Strip with her daughter. I can't speak to their food because my sister likes her steak burnt black and that is not my preference. Service wasn't anything EXCEPTIONAL, but I was pleased and our server kept our water and cokes full, which is half the battle. I know that I will be back with my significant other for speciality cocktails when he visits with me.
(5)George A.
I ate here ate least 10 times a week when I was workin in Lasalle and can't wait to return. The quality and service is much appreciated out here.
(4)James N.
Ate here 8/10/13. Nicest place in area. Good food. Good service. Glad we didn't settle for tavern food or burger joint. My wife had a pasta dish with chicken, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes. I had infused chicken breast w pesto.chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
(5)Charles K.
Not cheap, but definitely good tasting! If you are looking for something besides the usual, this is the place to go in the Illinois Valley! Worth the short hop from Starved Rock.
(4)Janz P.
This place is fancy and you wouldn't expect to find it in a small town in the middle of nowhere Illinois. The menu is fairly extensive and everything sounds delicious. The prices are a little high and the food was a little disappointing but the overall experience was good. We enjoyed a bottle of Ministry of the Vinterior Pinot Noir which was fairly decent and not badly priced. We started with the "Shrooms" which were pretty good but for some reason not what I expected. They were deep fried on a stick. My baked potato that came with my steak was probably the best one I've had in forever. Illinois knows how to grow potatoes I guess. Or cook them. I thought they had excellent steaks as well but my peppercorn New York strip in marsala sauce was fatty and came in way too much sauce. I should have ordered the filet mignon but I wanted the pepper and for $25 I expected a decent steak. Definitely not as delicious as the other steaks I have enjoyed in Illinois but then the others were filets. The bread was tasty and free. The service was very good and the ambiance was really nice and I had fabulous company. I noticed a lot of gay and lesbian couples which was cool. Oh, and the free Jelly Bellies at the counter are a nice touch. :)
(4)Bill F.
I grew up nearby, and have eaten here a number of times. Lat time had the meatloaf with gorgonzola with wine reduction gravy. Super. Also has an excellant low cost wine list. I had a GSM (grenache, syrah, mouvedre) that was very nice at a very nice by the glass price. It ia a very nice looking restaurant in a dying down town. Service is always great, maybe because my friend lives in town, and eats there often. I don't think you can find a better local place.
(4)John C.
A truly magnificent find with wonderful food and an astonishing liquor list.
(4)Lisa R.
My husband and I drove from Indiana out to LaSalle to see our daughter sing at a competition at the High School there. We drove to the old town to see what kind of shops and diners they had. Then we stumbled upon the best looking place to eat, Uptowngrill, and went inside to dine. It was very nice, I loved the decor. The servers were also wonderful. The food and beverages were another story. I ordered the broiled whitefish parmesam and a pepsi. The free bread was the first to arrive with my pepsi. The bread was soft and delicious. The pepsi was a great disappointment. For $2.50, why are we skimping on a cola? It was lighter than the color of iced tea, I sent it back asking for no ice, but it came back the same color. So unless you like brown water, don't get a pepsi. The fish...I would prefer overcooked to undercooked if the fish is not cooked to perfection, and overcooked is excaxtly what I received. The parmesan was a deep brown color and the fish was not as flaking as it should be. I had the mashed potatoes for my side dish. They were thick as paste and tasted like they were from a box. They also had a hard shell formed around the edges(and there should not be edges on mashed potatoes), similair to a twice backed potato...or what could be from this case, reheated or left under a heat lamp too long. My husband said his pasta special dish was not bad. This coming from a man who will admit when something is awesome. So, I would rate the food 1 or 2 stars, but thanks to the wonderful server and nice atmosphere my rating was raised to a 3, because 4 would be "I'm a fan", and I am not.
(3)Terry S.
My wife and stumbled upon this place on the way home from a trip to St. Louis. We will definitely make it a must stop on the next time we make that trip. I started with the spaghetti and meatball soup, which was delicious. My wife had the baked whitefish for her entree and it was absolutely fabulous. I had the chicken parma which is a baked parmesan encrusted chicken and it also was very good. We were there on a Sunday night and the place was full and everyone around us seemed to really be enjoying their meals. The wine list and bar was very impressive. We ended our meal each getting the creme brulee, which they say is their specialty and they did not disappoint. The caramelizing was done just perfectly. Service was good. All the staff was very friendly and attentive.
(4)Joe H.
Great food & drink in the Illinois Valley! Ray consistently serves the most diverse menu in the area with daily seasonal specials in a warm & inviting environment. Dining is available alfresco during warmer months and the staff is generally friendly and knowledgeable. The Uptown has a full bar with quality micro brews and imports on tap, a large wine menu and a comprehensive list of martinis and other specialty mixed drinks. For those in need of a private party there is a full service banquet room that comfortably holds over 100 people. As an added bonus Ray brings nationally known recording artists to the Uptown on a monthly basis, proving a musical oasis to our small river community. Regarding one of the reviews above, although some prices may be higher than those oft other local establishments the quality dining experience at the Uptown is commensurate to the final bill. As a frequent traveler I can confidently assert that anyone visiting from a larger urban area will find the menu reasonably priced.
(5)Brad L.
We stopped here on an Friday night on our way up north. We loved the place. Ambiance was perfect, very tasteful but not stuffy. The wait staff was outstanding. The food was excellent. This has become a MUST DO if ever in the area.
(5)Dee R.
Nice restaurant, huge menu. Service a little slow. Would recommend if in the area.
(4)Kat M.
Best restaurant in town! Whenever I'm back visiting family I have to pay a visit. Friendly staff, diverse menu (but everything is delicious), good drinks and cute atmosphere. Ideal mean would be the saganaki, a salad with their dill dressing, fajitas and any of their desserts. I want to book a flight just thinking about it!
(5)Martin H.
Closer to 4.5 stars. Great food! Service was a little slow taking our order for lunch! Onion soup was very good as were the fish tacos and the black bean burger was decent. A bit pricey though for everything.
(4)Melissa P.
I love going to Uptown. I would say they are easily the best place to eat in LaSalle. It can get really pricey if you have a lot of alcoholic beverages tacked onto your bill though. I usually try not to have too many of those even though they are good. Some of the stuff I really love from Uptown is: escargot, saganaki, shrooms, crab rangoon, garlic and shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms, fish tacos, tuna burger, cedar plank Norwegian salmon, garlic shrimp, buttermilk battered shrimp, spicy Thai peanut chicken, chicken fajita, fettuccine alfredo, roasted garlic chicken and spinach pasta, sauteed mushrooms, Uptown rice blend, creme brulee, and brownie supreme. Now I don't like the smoked trout or banana foster but I think that is a personal taste thing. I'm not saying they are bad I just don't like them. I think the banana foster has way too much caramel and it is gross. I think smoked fish is gross and no one should serve it. Everything else I've ever had there I really liked. Their hot nutty Irishman drink is good and I also like the black martini even though they don't have it on the menu anymore. Ask for it and I'm sure they will still know how to make it for you if you ask nicely. I think most of their waitresses are really friendly but a few are kind of snooty. I still enjoy going there though when I feel like having a fine dining experience for this area anyway.
(4)Josh K.
This place looks fancier than it really is. I have been in there many times wearing a baseball hat and jeans. The burgers are average and some of the sandwiches are slightly above average. However, the one constant for me has been the four cheese potato skins. While they are not your traditional shape, they are really potato wedges covered in four delicious cheeses. I go there simply for that appetizer.
(4)Meredith H.
loved uptown grill! my mom had been on a girls weekend last year and recommended that the bf and i check it out on our NYE trip. appetizer - 4 cheese potato skins drinks - sunrise martini for me, pinot grigio for him my entree - pork chop w/ mashed potatoes, grilled mushrooms/onions his entree - crab stuffed shrimp fettuccine alfredo dessert - homemade peach pie w/ ice cream coffee total before tip was $63. quite the deal! we were big fans of the potato skins, great cheesy goodness without being slimy bar food. drinks were poured generously, with the martini shaker left on the table "in case there's a little extra in there for ya". my entree was good, not great. his was delish. i am a HUGE fruit pie fan and this peach number did not disappoint, perfect hot & cold combined with good flavor. coffee was shockingly flavorful, not typical restaurant coffee. would love to come back when it's not 4 degrees out and hang on the patio with food & drinks!
(5)Laurin G.
I discovered this gem last year while looking for a restaurant in the LaSalle/Peru area on chowhound.com and my family and I have visited four times since--every time we are in the area visiting Starved Rock State Park. Just went again over the Labor Day weekend and was just as impressed as I was during previous visits. I think their prices are reasonable for the quality of the food and the ambiance. On this visit, my husband had a delicious grouper sandwich ($8.95), and I had a wonderful (and huge) balsamic grilled chicken, mesclun and strawberry salad ($13.95). My pre-teen daughter had a burger nearly as big as her head, which she assured me was delicious. My son had a kids meal of quesadillas, which he enjoyed thoroughly. Both of my kids love the Wikki Stix (yarn dipped in wax that is moldable and reusable--very cool!) that kids get when they arrive. Way better than the typical crayons. My only minor quibble from our visit this weekend is that when my daughter asked if they had root beer, the server said yes, but did not specify that it was a "micro-brew" ($4.50) root beer in a small bottle. We assumed it was fountain drink root beer (there are refills on iced tea and fountain drinks). I will be sure to verify whether there are refills on drinks next time. But there WILL certainly be a next time. Yum!
(5)Rufus S.
Have gone here a couple times the last 2 years and always order steak. Quality has gone down 2 years ago i would have given 5 stars today 3 or 4 quality has gone down.
(3)J R.
JR in SoCal: I'm missing the fried mushrooms!
(5)Brandon P.
I'm not from the La Salle area, but I was on a business trip and ended up here for lunch. Unfortunately, the soda I ordered tasted horrible. I was under the impression that I was getting a Diet Coke, but I ended up with a Diet RC that tasted like chemicals. This is a relatively expensive restaurant ($15.00 a plate), so I don't understand why they don't serve Coke or Pepsi. The meal was quickly served - I had the steak sandwich with home fries - but the food was unimpressive. In fact, it was rather bland. On the plus side, the drink that they served me to replace the RC was delightful - a cranberry iced tea. The waiting staff was nice and friendly. All in all, not an outstanding place, but it will cure your hunger.
(2)Sean Y.
What a hidden gem! The fish tacos, chicken stix, fish stix were very good - just the right amount of crunch and flavor. Enjoyed the outdoor seating which had a covered awning and screen to keep out bugs and too much sun.
(4)amanda m.
What a jem! My friend I went for a day of hiking at Starved Rock and were staying overnight in Peru. After a long day of hiking we wanted to treat ourselves to a nice dinner and cocktails. After some research I realized our choices were slim. Alas, I found the website for Uptown Grill, and I'm so happy I did. We ordered seared tuna and shrimp stuffed mushroom for an appitizer, and both were fantastic. We then shared the gorganzola tenderloin, and WOW! The tenderloin was cooked perfectly and was so tender. We wrapped up our night with a few drinks. I had some horchata rum martini drink and it was amazing. Just the right amount of sweetness I crave for a dessert drink. Our server was lovely and attentive. Overall, we had a fantastic time! Will definetly recomend to anyone visiting the area.
(4)Matt L.
Uptown never lets me down. Currently there are some renovations going on in one of the dinning rooms (bathrooms are already renovated - looks great!), so due to limited indoor space, my girlfriend and I sat outside. Luckily it was a warm evening and LaSalle is surely picking itself up (I believe in LaSalle) and so we didn't mind being outside. I ordered the prime rib. This was definitely the best piece of meat I have ever consumed. So tender and juicy, I savored all 16oz. My girlfriend ordered to sole, also amazing. We finished dinner off with a the tiramisu; quite a delicious desert. I highly recommend!
(5)Andrew T.
After a hot humid day in the park we showered up at the hotel and headed over for a late meal. We chose to sit on the screened patio and the night was just perfect. Our waitress was very nice but said in all her years there nobody has redeemed a Yelp offer. We can do better Yelpers. What a chef they must have in their kitchen. We had the Crab Rangoon appetizer. My wife ordered the Parmesan Whitefish and I got the nightly special of Steak Diane with mashed potatoes on the side. We also ordered the gelato trio with vanilla, double chocolate and mint chip. My wife who doesn't usually like mushrooms or gravy enjoyed both on the steak and the potatoes. Excellent. Every bite was just awesome and the gelato finished off the best meal we have had in a while perfectly.
(5)