Great Escape Restaurant

First of all, I’d like to say that I’ve always enjoyed The Great Escape—the nostalgia, the baked French onion soup, the Reuben sandwich. I’ve been taking my coaching staff, work colleagues, and friends here for years. Not to mention, my father frequents the restaurant monthly for lunch with friends, too. My dad raves over The Great Escape’s BLT, always saying the same thing—the amount of bacon they put on it is second to none.

With my father’s health (pancreatic cancer) rapidly deteriorating, I decided to reserve a table for 8 this past Saturday. Granted, the place was hopping with what looked like a wedding that rented out the entire covered porch. Our reservation was for 2 p.m. We arrived at 1:55 p.m., and we weren’t seated until 2:15 p.m. No biggie in my book. We ordered rounds of drinks and entrees across the table. We even obliged the photographer who was taking pictures. Long story short, we spent over 450 dollars, which under normal circumstances is entirely worth it for “the experience,” especially for my father who was likely enjoying his last ever meal from one of his favorite places before going into hospice. What struck a nerve with me was after one hour and 30 minutes, at 3:45 p.m., we were asked to leave because the next party was already there.

If I had known that The Great Escape double-booked our table, I’d never have made a reservation. Subsequently, 450 dollars spent for 7 adults and a kid on an early Saturday dinner, I would venture to say, is enough of an investment to not get run off our table after only an hour and thirty minutes.

I reached out to the restaurant, requesting a professional email from the owner Brian Great, as I wanted to share this experience through a private medium. But after no response other than a “Hi, thanks for contacting us. We've received your message and appreciate you reaching out,” I’ve decided to post my feedback as a review.

The Great Escape is the kind of place local Leyden-area folks save up for in order to celebrate special occasions. Down the road, I truly hope the owner, Brian Great, ensures that all his patrons, whether returning customers or new diners, especially when they’ve made reservations while also paying good money, never have to “eat and run” like my family did this past Saturday.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

We had a group of 10, each of us found something to our liking, the menu had a huge variety of appetizers, soups, and salads, dinners and handheld sandwiches! The service was great, friendly and quick! It was a nice touch that an owner/manager came and visited with us and share some history of the Resturant. I would highly recommend The Great Escape in Schiller Park.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our server was Frankie and she gave us excellent service!! Her recommendations were on point and the food was superb, superb.!👍👍👍😋🫶

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Found this place on Google-- was staying at a nearby hotel. If I lived there I'd be there all the time.

Great classic vibe, extensive and shockingly good and affordable menu.

All wrapped up with the kind of friendly service you only find at small town local establishments.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is my updated review. I am dropping my review from Five stars to Two stars. My simple burger was overcooked and the bun was dry. My dinner companion left half of his Turkey dinner for the garbage.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

This was my first time trying this restaurant. The service was outstanding (10/10)! Unfortunately the food was bland. There was a serious lack of flavor. I ate half of the meal (the lunch Salmon) and took the rest to go but once I got back to my hotel I threw it away. Honestly I don't know why I even took to go. Some may enjoy this place but it's a No for me.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 5

Second time I have been there for a party. Everything was good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Older looking restaurant but great service and food, large menu with lots of choice. The food was mostly home style meals.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Been there a few times and always good service, excellent food. I would always recommend.this place for lunch or dinner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Broasted Chicken

The mustard crusted bass was absolutely delicious. I would highly recommend it 😁

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Disappointed as I viewed the pdf menu online a few days before our reservation and it showed Beyond Burger as an option and vegetarian and gluten free menus available. Once at the restaurant, I ordered the Beyond Burger and was told they no longer offer these. I then asked for the vegetarian menu and was told they don’t have those either. The waitress was very nice and suggested pasta with alfredo sauce and I saw macaroni and cheese on the menu so I ordered that and asked for veggies to be added. While it was good, they should be aware that pasta and heavy cream or cheese sauces don’t make the best options for vegetarians. We usually like a protein option and not just heavy carbs. I did have the spinach salad as well but was hoping for hard boiled egg as an addition. Definitely a great place if you are a meat eater. Ambiance and service was very nice.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

So gooood! Stuff mushrooms, pasta, and lobster bisque! Great service and great drinks as well

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fabulous dinner in a great atmosphere.

Parking: Electric charging stations that are FREE for patrons!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Breaded Pork Tenderloin

We are still talking about the sweet potato fries!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great Escape is a GREAT ESCAPE!!! Awesome food, and the owner is friendly!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5