We went there for the 1st time on Christmas Eve. My husband and I agreed we won’t go back. I ordered the ribeye and it was very fatty. My baked potato was over cooked. We waited a long time for our food but with the shortage of help I expected that.
Dawn Egan
We went to Mookie's on Thanksgiving and were blown away with the food and service. Our server was so nice and went out of her way to make sure everything was great. The adults all had their Thanksgiving menu, which had so many yummy choices - turkey, ham, ribs and traditional sides like stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes. Our son got a bacon cheeseburger as he does at most places - and said it was the best burger he's ever had. The New England clam chowder was so so good. I already know I'm ordering a bowl of it next time! Everyone in our party raved over the food and we went home full and happy. I wish we had taken photos, but we were having such a nice time I forgot. I can't believe we have taken so long to visit Mookie's, we will be back very soon!
Mel Harth
Disappointed is the best way to describe our visit. First time here, will not be back. And we were really hoping it was going to be good. Took my wife and kids here for wife's birthday. Our server was well intentioned but very inexperienced. Good effort, but fell way short. Took our order, left the menu's. Not a big deal, but bad start. We still tipped 20% but that was out of courtesy. Several side orders were forgotten, entrees were mediocre, food was luke warm or cold. Kitchen was slow. Place was 1/3 full so no excuse. One person in our party ordered crab cakes, plural, for dinner. ONE crab cake, not crab cakes, arrived. It was cold. He ate a third of it, and sent it back. They microwaved it, and sent the two thirds half eaten crab cake back out instead of making a new one. Never seen anything like that before. And for these prices I was shocked. Soups and salads were good. It's a shame though. Overall it was not a good experience and we don't recommend spending your money here with so many good choices in Crystal Lake.
Tony Nowa
I think this is the best steakhouse in the area. Steaks come at the temperature you ask for. Only negative is that the salads are weak for a steak house.
K.T. S
How to describe this place? Think 1940's era bar with dark leather booths, art deco accents, and a smoky saxophone playing in the background. Almost expected to see Humphrey Bogart enjoying a drink when I turned around. This hidden gem is the real deal if you are looking for atmosphere, and awesome food. The attention to detail by the bartenders, kitchen, and wait staff is amazing. The preparation and presentation of the food, and drinks are the real treat though. There's very few places in the Northwest suburbs that deliver the caliber of food that you'll find here. Step through the doors and leave the busy world outside. You won't be disappointed. We're sorry that we didn't try it sooner!
Shane S.
We were in town for a hockey tournament and we weren't disappointed. The service was incredible and the food was delicious. We ordered the filet mignon and a New York Strip. Both were cooked to perfection and tasted fabulous. I'll definitely be back when I'm in town again.
Ang Atamian
if I could give it more than 5 stars I would based on attentive service!
Lovena Hunter
This was our first experience here and it did not disappoint. Of all the things we tried I'd say the firecracker Shrimp was by far the best thing on the menu. The shrimp was wrapped in chicken and bacon along side a sauce was a mix of sweet mango and pineapple and a spicy red sauce. It was phenomenal! The tilapia was absolutely amazing with its slightly crisp bites and creamy sauce. The Chicken Mateo was a little sweet and paired with garlic mashed potatoes to make it the perfect sweet yet savory dish. When he brought the steak to the table he lit it on fire. It was quite an experience to say the least. Great server. Wonderful food. Crystal Lakes hidden gem.
Michael Difiore
Stopped in, on a whim. Lucky me. Jay served us, and was phenomenal. The food was really really good.the bartender made us the best Manhattan I've ever had. They were undermanned, and everyone was pulling double duty, so things went a bit slowly. It was definitely worth the wait. I will return. Soon
This place definitely lived up to the hype. All of the reviews were so great that I made a reservation l, expecting it to be packed on a Saturday. To our surprise, we were one of two tables that evening. We had the artichoke dip which was amazing. I also had a french onion soup that was delicious. They definitely didn't skimp on the cheese. We both enjoyed our steaks that were cooked to perfection and the ambiance, at least that night, was intimate and quiet. Our server was very knowledgeable and great at giving recommendations since it was our first time here. We enjoyed the comfortable booth seating. Parking was a breeze as well. We absolutely enjoyed our time and recommend this place for a quiet date night.
44JE44
First time visit, so first impressions are critical, right? Take any Wisconsin supper club thoughts you might have when you walk in and put them behind your cova mask. Sit in the "leather" booth surrounded by "wood" paneling and order one of the many craft cocktails (One they smoked was pretty tasty) -- or several choices of beer. Mussels app was devoured by table mates and bread basket kept full (without asking, as service was spot on). Entree of Chicken Mateo was juicy boneless breast with creamy sauce and the Espresso rubbed filet was cooked exactly as requested (go with Med Rare). This is a $30+ entree place and we felt it was appropriately priced. We were too full for the dessert offerings, so we will just have to go back again..... which is fine by me.
R T Meier
A pleasant dining experience with some of the best fish fry in Chicago! Spicy tarter was superb, not too spicy. My Manhattan was subtle and fantastic. Service was excellent! Make a reservation!
Richard S.
Waitress was great,atmosphere nice. Now for the food. Raw oysters were the size of nickels.clam chowder was 95 % potatoes. Steak AuPoivre was tough and sinewy.prices did not reflect such sub standard food
Jeff Seydlitz
Don’t get me wrong, the food and service was great. But… the firecracker shrimp we got as an appetizer was great but only get three when we had a party of four. Hopefully they can improve on seating as booth was constantly rocked by person behind us and table was very unstable. It may not be all the booths but ours was the one in back. I will still return to try more off the menu
great food and service. highly recommend
We went there for the 1st time on Christmas Eve. My husband and I agreed we won’t go back. I ordered the ribeye and it was very fatty. My baked potato was over cooked. We waited a long time for our food but with the shortage of help I expected that.
We went to Mookie's on Thanksgiving and were blown away with the food and service. Our server was so nice and went out of her way to make sure everything was great. The adults all had their Thanksgiving menu, which had so many yummy choices - turkey, ham, ribs and traditional sides like stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes. Our son got a bacon cheeseburger as he does at most places - and said it was the best burger he's ever had. The New England clam chowder was so so good. I already know I'm ordering a bowl of it next time! Everyone in our party raved over the food and we went home full and happy. I wish we had taken photos, but we were having such a nice time I forgot. I can't believe we have taken so long to visit Mookie's, we will be back very soon!
Disappointed is the best way to describe our visit. First time here, will not be back. And we were really hoping it was going to be good. Took my wife and kids here for wife's birthday. Our server was well intentioned but very inexperienced. Good effort, but fell way short. Took our order, left the menu's. Not a big deal, but bad start. We still tipped 20% but that was out of courtesy. Several side orders were forgotten, entrees were mediocre, food was luke warm or cold. Kitchen was slow. Place was 1/3 full so no excuse. One person in our party ordered crab cakes, plural, for dinner. ONE crab cake, not crab cakes, arrived. It was cold. He ate a third of it, and sent it back. They microwaved it, and sent the two thirds half eaten crab cake back out instead of making a new one. Never seen anything like that before. And for these prices I was shocked. Soups and salads were good. It's a shame though. Overall it was not a good experience and we don't recommend spending your money here with so many good choices in Crystal Lake.
I think this is the best steakhouse in the area. Steaks come at the temperature you ask for. Only negative is that the salads are weak for a steak house.
How to describe this place? Think 1940's era bar with dark leather booths, art deco accents, and a smoky saxophone playing in the background. Almost expected to see Humphrey Bogart enjoying a drink when I turned around. This hidden gem is the real deal if you are looking for atmosphere, and awesome food. The attention to detail by the bartenders, kitchen, and wait staff is amazing. The preparation and presentation of the food, and drinks are the real treat though. There's very few places in the Northwest suburbs that deliver the caliber of food that you'll find here. Step through the doors and leave the busy world outside. You won't be disappointed. We're sorry that we didn't try it sooner!
We were in town for a hockey tournament and we weren't disappointed. The service was incredible and the food was delicious. We ordered the filet mignon and a New York Strip. Both were cooked to perfection and tasted fabulous. I'll definitely be back when I'm in town again.
if I could give it more than 5 stars I would based on attentive service!
This was our first experience here and it did not disappoint. Of all the things we tried I'd say the firecracker Shrimp was by far the best thing on the menu. The shrimp was wrapped in chicken and bacon along side a sauce was a mix of sweet mango and pineapple and a spicy red sauce. It was phenomenal! The tilapia was absolutely amazing with its slightly crisp bites and creamy sauce. The Chicken Mateo was a little sweet and paired with garlic mashed potatoes to make it the perfect sweet yet savory dish. When he brought the steak to the table he lit it on fire. It was quite an experience to say the least. Great server. Wonderful food. Crystal Lakes hidden gem.
Stopped in, on a whim. Lucky me. Jay served us, and was phenomenal. The food was really really good.the bartender made us the best Manhattan I've ever had. They were undermanned, and everyone was pulling double duty, so things went a bit slowly. It was definitely worth the wait. I will return. Soon
Restaurantji Recommends
This place definitely lived up to the hype. All of the reviews were so great that I made a reservation l, expecting it to be packed on a Saturday. To our surprise, we were one of two tables that evening. We had the artichoke dip which was amazing. I also had a french onion soup that was delicious. They definitely didn't skimp on the cheese. We both enjoyed our steaks that were cooked to perfection and the ambiance, at least that night, was intimate and quiet. Our server was very knowledgeable and great at giving recommendations since it was our first time here. We enjoyed the comfortable booth seating. Parking was a breeze as well. We absolutely enjoyed our time and recommend this place for a quiet date night.
First time visit, so first impressions are critical, right? Take any Wisconsin supper club thoughts you might have when you walk in and put them behind your cova mask. Sit in the "leather" booth surrounded by "wood" paneling and order one of the many craft cocktails (One they smoked was pretty tasty) -- or several choices of beer. Mussels app was devoured by table mates and bread basket kept full (without asking, as service was spot on). Entree of Chicken Mateo was juicy boneless breast with creamy sauce and the Espresso rubbed filet was cooked exactly as requested (go with Med Rare). This is a $30+ entree place and we felt it was appropriately priced. We were too full for the dessert offerings, so we will just have to go back again..... which is fine by me.
A pleasant dining experience with some of the best fish fry in Chicago! Spicy tarter was superb, not too spicy. My Manhattan was subtle and fantastic. Service was excellent! Make a reservation!
Waitress was great,atmosphere nice. Now for the food. Raw oysters were the size of nickels.clam chowder was 95 % potatoes. Steak AuPoivre was tough and sinewy.prices did not reflect such sub standard food
Don’t get me wrong, the food and service was great. But… the firecracker shrimp we got as an appetizer was great but only get three when we had a party of four. Hopefully they can improve on seating as booth was constantly rocked by person behind us and table was very unstable. It may not be all the booths but ours was the one in back. I will still return to try more off the menu