Mockingbird Bar + Garden — Restaurant in Dundee Township

Our first time here. We're always looking for quality restaurants in the western part of the metro and this seemed to fit the bill. So you know, this is during COVID time so many restrictions and guidelines apply. Some bright spots. Mainly the apps. The deviled eggs with roe were on point as well as the oven fired artichokes. Both were strong! Also, McKenna as the server was cheerful and informative.

When we arrived it was just a few minutes for our reserved table to be "sanitized" as our hostess said. So we previewed some cool looking masks that were sale on the host stand. They had a gromlet built in so you can sip a drink with a mask on. Well not exactly. More on that later.

As stated, we picked up those apps and ordered two different "craft cocktails". Presentation was nice but the cocktails seemed light. The reason? They're batched and with the large batch and added ice, that makes cocktail watered down. When your batch is five gallon glass containers and they can be seen on the bar counter, it confirmed it. You should know better.

Our pizzas took a bit but were pretty good, not great. One was well done and the crust was burnt. I woulda sent it back but my girlfriend said no. While waiting for the pizzas I went inside (with mask) to use the bathroom. Once inside, the staff was NOT wearing masks while handling food and while bartending. Cmon, what's the point of "sanitizing" my table and selling masks at the host stand if your staff isn't compliant? And if you're selling mask with a pop out whole (gromlet) for a straw but don't put straws with your drinks, again, what's the point?

From our table we could see inside as a patron walks in through the bar/open kitchen area (it's a small space) to and from the bathroom. The owner or manger could easily see this but let's forget that while she was inside talking to a coworker who had her mask down.

After I paid and tipped 30% I went inside, masked of course, and asked the bartender why he wasn't wearing a mask and he said only in the kitchen. Then the female owner/manger chimed in and said yes in the kitchen. I said no they're not, it's an open kitchen, have a look. She then said, hey you have to wear your masks in the kitchen to her staff. Which they then... didn't put them on. It's a damn fail guys. I put my faith and trust in you that you're doing your best for me, your customer, my well being, my family. You chose to compromise me and challenge my efforts of the past few months of staying Covid free. Are you guys looking to close as cases rise in Illinois? I can tell you this. I won't be back because you don't value me nor others as a customer.

UPDATE: I always appreciate the response from a caring owner, so thank you. I stand corrected on your infusions I perceived as batched cocktails. In summary I’d suggest refine the cocktails to express the nuance of their ingredients. Don’t allow kitchen to send out burnt crusted pizzas and lastly and most importantly wear masks at all time in kitchen and bar areas period. Do not take liberties nor assume anyone won’t sneeze or emit droplets in you small interior space during our current pandemic. It’s just a liability and irresponsible. All the high end chefs I follow are all aboard as they don’t want to compromise any customers, staff or closings at this time. We’re in it together. I also added another star. Be...

As a recently-suburbanized couple in our mid-twenties, my fiancée and I have struggled to find restaurants in the area that live up to our snobby, city-slicker standards (mostly kidding, but also not). We became discouraged after a few local recommendations fell flat; between the so-so service, frozen food, and preposterous prices we gave up hope... Then we found Mockingbird

Mockingbird Bar + Garden delivers an excellent experience across the board- the food, the service, the atmosphere keep us coming back for more. We have only ever sat at the bar and ordered a spread of appetizers, pizza, and entrees to share. We like the bar because you get a view of the eccentric back bar and the beautiful tile pizza oven in which most of the food is cooked!

Starting with the drinks- the rotating menu of creative cocktails keeps things fresh and fun, and has even encouraged us to try new drinks and liquors. Moriah (our favorite) and the rest of the bartenders are friendly, quick, and expert cocktail makers! I would recommend the Red Riah to anyone who wants to like Old Fashions, but is more of a light liquor person like I am.

Now to the food... the food... THE FOOD! Patrick, the man in charge in the kitchen, does not miss. Every time we go in, there are new menu items or specials, and they never fail to blow us away. Pricing is fair for the servings, and you can tell everything is fresh and made to order. Gentleman beware, you may find your date entranced watching Patrick work the oven more than a few times throughout your visit... but when the food comes out this good every time, you can't really blame them. I am not even going to include recommendations, because I can promise anything that looks good to you will be incredible. We try everything new on the menu, and have gotten into a terrible habit of ordering WAY TOO MUCH FOOD and justifying it saying that we will eat the leftovers for lunch. Patrick and the kitchen are a well-oiled machine, food always comes out quickly and perfect temperature. Thank you guys for everything you do back there.

The owner, Kathleen is extremely friendly and welcoming. I was once joking to her that the woven placemats at the bar weren't sitting flat, and were taking up too much space for the ridiculous amount of food we ordered. Sure enough, next time we were in there, there were new leather placemats that work much better. It was a silly little thing, but that kind of responsiveness and attention to detail goes a long way for us. Thank you Kathleen and team for giving us our favorite restaurant in the whole Dundee/Carpentersville/Algonquin area. See you...

No idea what the complainers are complaining about. Coming from McH County, where good food and friendly service is hard to find, we found this place delightful. Sunday afternoon. Not crowded. On the plus side - the food was very well prepared, well seasoned, reasonable portions, moderate price point, attractively served. We had a crostata filled with poached egg, sausage, bacon, caramelized onion - from wood fired oven. No greasy taste or texture. A perfect portion to satisfy but not bloat your tummy. Very nice tasting. Ice tea was apparently the only available softdrink, and it was very good. The drip coffee (they have a full coffee menu) satisfied my extremely particular husband. We had a 3 oz portion of lemon curd for dessert - to die for. Now, service - if you're needing to be in and out in 35 minutes, there is a McDonald nearby, but this place takes precise care with their cooking and presentation. Everything is made fresh, to order. We were there about an hour, give or take, but we were in no hurry since the place is calm, friendly, and beautiful. We sat outside - lots of people-watching in this very busy, upscale downtown area. The servers were all just as nice as could be and appropriately attentive. So why the four stars? Very picky complaints, but for us, a couple things were of concern. Our server, a nice young guy, was not very informed or informative. We had to ask several times about non-alcoholic beverages - like this: "Can I have a cola, please?" "I'm really sorry, we don't have that." "Can I get maybe a Sprite?" Same reply. Finally, after many tries, we discovered they did have iced tea, three kinds in fact. But he just said yes we have it and brought one, without offering a choice. So, that's a training issue. Also, the coffee, first cup, was amazing, fresh, non-acidic, no stale taste. Second cup - not so good, Not so fresh. Same with the tea. First one awesome, refill not so much. And lastly, the recorded music was too loud and too rap. Yes, we're old, we don't rap. But it was impossible to hold a conversation. The live music -- yep, we're onboard. The canned music? Turn it off or make its quality match the excellent quality of the food and atmosphere. Anyway, picky aside, we'll go again....