The event at Gem was part of an annual weekend in Oak Park, called Jazz Thaw. Gem was full of people, energy, nourishing food, soulful Jazz.
Michael
Great food at a very reasonable price and no cover for the live music. Really a great way to spend the evening!
Cori Hobbs
I've been to this restaurant many times and usually enjoy the food and service. However, my last visit was extremely disappointing and ended with me feeling unwell as I had to vomit upon leaving.
When I was seated, I wasn't offered any bread, and the waiter seemed disinterested in his work. There were only two other groups in the restaurant, so I expected better service. The food took a long time to arrive, and when it finally did, it was both bland and cold.
What upset me the most, though, was when I noticed a roach crawling right next to my plate. I immediately alerted the waiter, who quickly came over to kill it. He then informed me that he would contact a manager while apologizing, explaining that they had recently sprayed, which was the reason for the roaches being present.
After waiting for 25 minutes with no further assistance, the waiter returned with a bill for $135 and a $30 gift card. I politely paid the bill but told him to keep the gift card, as I will not be returning. The service was poor, and the food made me sick shortly after leaving. This was the worst dining experience I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Joe
Good first experience. Window seat is nice, but maybe not in winter as you get a cold blast every time the door opens. Will be back for sure.
Elizabeth
We came here for NYE dinner and live music. The music was great. The dinner was ok. As an appetizer, I had the fig and brie crostinis, which were very yummy. However, the crostinis were not assembled with attention to detail, so I reassembled myself. The main course was salmon with seasonal veggies. The salmon was well-cooked, but the flavors of the salmon and seasonal veggies were very underwhelming. Lastly, we had lemon cheesecake with blueberry sauce and tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was delicious, and the cheesecake was good. However, the cheesecake seemed to have come straight out of a box, and, again, lack of attention to detail in dressing it. We spent about $300 overall but not a $300 meal.
Sandie Neri
My family and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the service.
Sofia
love the liveliness of the atmosphere, but just geez.. I came here a year ago and had a 10/10 experience. The jazz band was great the food was even better! This time. November 2024. I am appalled by what was served to me. Who on earth would ask for a great piece of steak to be SMOTHERED in a BURNT. Disgusting. Inedible sage sauce. the recipe before was good. This one was only a slap to the face. And to make up for it, the chef brought out a panned cooked UNCOOKED “cookie” LOADED with salt. Felt as if whoever is working in that kitchen doesn’t care about the feedback they receive. Their ego is bigger than my empty stomach. still ended up paying 150 for a dinner for two although I didn’t eat. I will not come back to this place and I hope others will save their appetite instead of having it ruined.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
LtngMD
Live music background guitar playing oldies was very pleasant and not too loud. Prime rib (fri/sat special) that the waiter Kyle said was ‘excellent' or ‘wonderful' was rather tasteless and thin cut for $48 - disappointing after the buildup. Kyle was a great waitperson. Be careful as they add a 20% tip into the bill before they give it to you.
Will
Excellent main dishes! The bartender was having a rough night and got backed up. Our Mains arrived at the same time as our first drink order. Tasty stuff, though!
Karen
Although the electricity went out due to a storm, the waitstaff were very attentive and made accommodations so we could continue our evening in candlelight and light fare serve-are foods. Very nice!
A star was lost in service category because I received the wrong cocktail. I ordered the Gem Cosmo and received the Little Gem. That said, I drank it because it was good, and staff allowed my fellow diner to taste 3 wines before settling on one. Very nice. I ordered the scallops, which were very good in spite of being over-cooked. 2 desserts were delivered with a candle for our birthday girl - thank you!
Diana
Maybe just a bad night but it took too long for the food. We needed to leave at 8 for a play (reservation 6:15) and we had to ask the server to get our food which came at 7:45. The server was quite pleasant and brought us a cordial to apologize for the slow kitchen. Food was good but I've had better there before. We will go again since this was the first time there was a problem.
Tiffany
Encore! by Little Gem Is not open during the day, and they don’t even know it! The host was just as surprised as we were when our group of 6 came in with a confirmed reservation via OpenTable. Reserve at your own risk!
Made a brunch reservation for 6 here, because both Google Maps and OpenTable said that this restaurant was open, and OpenTable had reservations for Sunday brunch. It also shares a name and building with a sister restaurant that is definitely open for brunch. All of this would indicate that this restaurant would be open, or at least open as overflow for the sister restaurant. When I arrived at Encore! it was CLOSED. When I went next door to the sister restaurant to inquire about our reservation, I was told by a Little Gem host that Encore! was closed, and our reservation didn't exist. I didn't expect the host to fix this situation-- it wasn't his fault, after all, and he can't magically produce a table-- but he didn't apologize, alert a manager, or even suggest restaurants nearby (I'd highly recommend Cozy Corner for brunch over this place any day). This is not to speak ill of the host, but I get the sene that his response is a reflection of poor management. Just seems like a weird way to run a restaurant. I can't speak on the food or dining experience, but overall Little Gem and Encore! just seem disorganized and mismanaged. Plus it seems that the owner fights with people in the Google reviews? I'd go ahead and pass on this one.
MaryAnn Drosos
We held a baby shower on a Saturday from 11-2, everything was great. Tables were setup when we arrived to decorate. Servers & bartender John were very helpful & attentive. Food was delicious. Judith was a true gem to work with! Highly recommended!
The event at Gem was part of an annual weekend in Oak Park, called Jazz Thaw. Gem was full of people, energy, nourishing food, soulful Jazz.
Great food at a very reasonable price and no cover for the live music. Really a great way to spend the evening!
I've been to this restaurant many times and usually enjoy the food and service. However, my last visit was extremely disappointing and ended with me feeling unwell as I had to vomit upon leaving.
When I was seated, I wasn't offered any bread, and the waiter seemed disinterested in his work. There were only two other groups in the restaurant, so I expected better service. The food took a long time to arrive, and when it finally did, it was both bland and cold.
What upset me the most, though, was when I noticed a roach crawling right next to my plate. I immediately alerted the waiter, who quickly came over to kill it. He then informed me that he would contact a manager while apologizing, explaining that they had recently sprayed, which was the reason for the roaches being present.
After waiting for 25 minutes with no further assistance, the waiter returned with a bill for $135 and a $30 gift card. I politely paid the bill but told him to keep the gift card, as I will not be returning. The service was poor, and the food made me sick shortly after leaving. This was the worst dining experience I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good first experience. Window seat is nice, but maybe not in winter as you get a cold blast every time the door opens. Will be back for sure.
We came here for NYE dinner and live music. The music was great. The dinner was ok. As an appetizer, I had the fig and brie crostinis, which were very yummy. However, the crostinis were not assembled with attention to detail, so I reassembled myself. The main course was salmon with seasonal veggies. The salmon was well-cooked, but the flavors of the salmon and seasonal veggies were very underwhelming. Lastly, we had lemon cheesecake with blueberry sauce and tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was delicious, and the cheesecake was good. However, the cheesecake seemed to have come straight out of a box, and, again, lack of attention to detail in dressing it. We spent about $300 overall but not a $300 meal.
My family and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the service.
love the liveliness of the atmosphere, but just geez.. I came here a year ago and had a 10/10 experience. The jazz band was great the food was even better! This time. November 2024. I am appalled by what was served to me. Who on earth would ask for a great piece of steak to be SMOTHERED in a BURNT. Disgusting. Inedible sage sauce. the recipe before was good. This one was only a slap to the face. And to make up for it, the chef brought out a panned cooked UNCOOKED “cookie” LOADED with salt. Felt as if whoever is working in that kitchen doesn’t care about the feedback they receive. Their ego is bigger than my empty stomach. still ended up paying 150 for a dinner for two although I didn’t eat. I will not come back to this place and I hope others will save their appetite instead of having it ruined.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Live music background guitar playing oldies was very pleasant and not too loud. Prime rib (fri/sat special) that the waiter Kyle said was ‘excellent' or ‘wonderful' was rather tasteless and thin cut for $48 - disappointing after the buildup. Kyle was a great waitperson. Be careful as they add a 20% tip into the bill before they give it to you.
Excellent main dishes! The bartender was having a rough night and got backed up. Our Mains arrived at the same time as our first drink order. Tasty stuff, though!
Although the electricity went out due to a storm, the waitstaff were very attentive and made accommodations so we could continue our evening in candlelight and light fare serve-are foods. Very nice!
Restaurantji Recommends
A star was lost in service category because I received the wrong cocktail. I ordered the Gem Cosmo and received the Little Gem. That said, I drank it because it was good, and staff allowed my fellow diner to taste 3 wines before settling on one. Very nice. I ordered the scallops, which were very good in spite of being over-cooked. 2 desserts were delivered with a candle for our birthday girl - thank you!
Maybe just a bad night but it took too long for the food. We needed to leave at 8 for a play (reservation 6:15) and we had to ask the server to get our food which came at 7:45. The server was quite pleasant and brought us a cordial to apologize for the slow kitchen. Food was good but I've had better there before. We will go again since this was the first time there was a problem.
Encore! by Little Gem Is not open during the day, and they don’t even know it! The host was just as surprised as we were when our group of 6 came in with a confirmed reservation via OpenTable. Reserve at your own risk!
Made a brunch reservation for 6 here, because both Google Maps and OpenTable said that this restaurant was open, and OpenTable had reservations for Sunday brunch. It also shares a name and building with a sister restaurant that is definitely open for brunch. All of this would indicate that this restaurant would be open, or at least open as overflow for the sister restaurant. When I arrived at Encore! it was CLOSED. When I went next door to the sister restaurant to inquire about our reservation, I was told by a Little Gem host that Encore! was closed, and our reservation didn't exist. I didn't expect the host to fix this situation-- it wasn't his fault, after all, and he can't magically produce a table-- but he didn't apologize, alert a manager, or even suggest restaurants nearby (I'd highly recommend Cozy Corner for brunch over this place any day). This is not to speak ill of the host, but I get the sene that his response is a reflection of poor management. Just seems like a weird way to run a restaurant. I can't speak on the food or dining experience, but overall Little Gem and Encore! just seem disorganized and mismanaged. Plus it seems that the owner fights with people in the Google reviews? I'd go ahead and pass on this one.
We held a baby shower on a Saturday from 11-2, everything was great. Tables were setup when we arrived to decorate. Servers & bartender John were very helpful & attentive. Food was delicious. Judith was a true gem to work with! Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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