Palace Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Elgin

We visited this restaurant to try African cuisine for the first time. It was a slow evening, as we were the only guests dining in. We ordered the snapper, goat soup, and a cheeseburger (with ketchup, mayo, and lettuce only) for my picky eater son.

The restaurant itself is beautiful. It has a great atmosphere, with unlimited potential.

The snapper and jollof rice were amazing! The flavors were on point, and we honestly wanted more rice because it was that good.

However, there were some issues.

The wait was long. Even though we were the only ones dining in, the food took much longer than expected.

The drinks weren’t sweet. Both the lemonade and sweet tea tasted more like unsweetened versions. A little more sweetness (or an option to add it) would be nice.

We ordered a cheeseburger with just ketchup, mayo, and lettuce for our picky eater, but it came with all the toppings. Plus, instead of the brioche bun listed on the menu, it was served on sliced bread. If you were out of the bun, a quick heads-up would’ve been appreciated so we could adjust the order. Still, we were charged the full $16.

The burger took so long that they brought out a side of fries as a courtesy, but by then, my husband and I were halfway through our meal.

For $22, we were expecting more than four or five pieces of goat. The flavor of the soup was good, though. Just wish there was more meat.

The fufu tasted off. It had a boxed, instant mashed potato flavor, which wasn’t what we were expecting. Granted, this was my first time tasting it, but the server said it was made from plantain, so I was expecting a plantain flavor.

We get that it’s a new restaurant, so hopefully, this feedback helps because the potential is definitely there. A few tweaks to service speed, communication, and portion sizes could make a huge difference. Wish...

So my grand daughter and six friends went to Sandhills to a restaurant for a bday celebration and the wait was too long so I recommended the palace as I’ve been there before. The restaurant was quiet and not that many people there. Since they’re teenagers 17,18 I decided to pop in and sit alone just in case the atmosphere was different. They were enjoying themselves however Joe continued to come to their table to tell them to quiet down as different people were celebrating Juneteenth. Sir there was no disturbance or crowd, there was no noise!! And Juneteenth was yesterday. They all work! They all are well mannered. So after enough I texted to settle the tab and leave, they enjoyed themselves and the food, the waitress enjoyed it too. You followed them outside accusing them of not paying for a meal after your waitress charged 8 meals for 7 people. I felt bad for them but I will never return or recommend this establishment...

Our experience was fantastic!

I went with several adults and children. We had a variety of appetizers and entrees, all of which had just as much to enjoy in presentation as it did on flavor.

We had fried plantains, fried shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and calamari for appetizers - none of it lasted long, and kids and adults alike enjoyed them.

Entrees were gorgeous and savory! From the tilapia, eguru, shrimp stir fry, and even a few cheeseburgers, the presentations were vibrant and the taste was rich and wonderful. My son couldn’t get enough of the jollof rice, and we all shared some of the meals since they were too good to keep to ourselves.

We had the Morning Glory brunch meal as well and the grits were amazing, the waffles were the best we have had, and all of the other food with it was excellent.

A lot of love is evident in the art of these...