The Iron Rail — Restaurant in Bolingbroke

Wife and I had heard several good reports and she'd had a positive experience at lunch there the day before so we decided to try it for dinner. Our observations: Be prepared for an extended visit. Our impression was that the restaurant is understaffed and consequently service is extremely slow. It was 15 minutes after we sat down before our waiter showed up, and another 10 minutes before he brought our drinks and took our order. Then another 20-25 minutes before the food arrived. We'd We had a 6:00 reservation and it was 7:00 before our meal arrived. We had to flag another waiter down for refills on our drinks. Check service was fine after the meal, but we were not prepared for the time it took to begin eating. Food quality was disappointing. The mashed potatoes were O.K. The broccoli was plain, but O.K. The entries were overdone and not impressive .. especially for the price. The best things about the meal were the biscuits before the meal and the dessert afterward. We gave the meal a "B." Atmosphere depends on your expectation and mood. The proprietor has done an excellent job of renovating an old RR station into a classy restaurant. However, because the interior is all brick and hardwood it is NOISY. If you want a fun, raucous experience, this is a great place. If you want a quiet romantic dinner, go somewhere else. Our overall impression was that this place would be fine for lunch, but our dinner experience was disappointing. Good atmosphere and friendly staff overshadowed by mediocre...

Food: The food is EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD! I’m working my way through the entire menu, because everything is awesome! Service: AWESOME! Our server was a young man named Nick, and he was charismatic and very attentive to our requests. The chef has MAGIC HANDS! He came out and greeted the guests, he was kind enough to give us complimentary CARROT MUFFINS! They were delicious! The chef cooks like he grew up in the Deep South, he uses smoked turkey to season the collard greens…OMG! Come to find out, he came to us from Guys Grocery Games, he has some serious cooking credentials. Atmosphere: Gorgeous, and very clean. It feels like you’re dining in your grandma’s kitchen. Very warm and friendly, it...

Amazing food, great service, and staff are super friendly.

Giving them four stars for service only because we heard the wait staff manager lighting up the wait staff while we and everyone else were sitting and standing in the waiting area waiting to be seated. I operate on the premise of praise in public and reprimand in private. Got the feeling the staff were a little chapped and embarrassed after they realized they were reprimanded in front of the customers they would be serving and attempting to obtain tips from. Hopefully ownership addresses this issue quickly and mentors the manager on how to handle issues like these to avoid this situation in the future and avoid high...