Alcove - Evanston — Restaurant in Evanston Township

We went for our wedding anniversary dinner and chose this place after a friend's recommendation. Though there were some detractions, overall the experience was very good and I highly recommend it.

We started with a glass of sparkling wine to get things started. This is one of the positives, the wine menu is good and well balanced so that you can pair to your hearts content.

For appetizers, we ordered the ceviche and grilled octopus. Truthfully, the portions were small, but when combined with dinner and a dessert, you will feel full but not bloated. The octopus was very good; though admittedly the portion was small than in some other places I have eaten it, the flavor was excellent and well balanced with greens and grilled onions. I highly recommend the octopus. The ceviche was ok to be honest. I have had a lot of ceviche from many different places and in comparison, the ceviche here was ok, nothing to write home about. The reason being is the flavor was quite muted overall. But, for someone who might be introduced to ceviche for the first time it works. For me though, I think the flavor could have been a bit more pronounced.

For dinner we ordered the braised short rib and duck breast. Both were fantastic and very flavorful. Excellent work on these dishes. The braised rib was tender and flavorful and well balanced over mashed potatoes. The duck breast came in slices and with a duck confit with a sauce, which was excellent. I recommend pairing these dishes with a good red Bordeaux. I highly recommend either of these dishes as you will not be disappointed.

For dessert we ordered the bread pudding and creme brulee. Both were outstanding and were a highlight to end the dinner. The bread pudding was sweet but not over the top sugary that did not overpower your taste buds. The creme brulee equally outstanding with a beautiful caramelized crust, with a smooth creamy custard underneath that was excellently done. You cannot go wrong with either of these two.

But the one downside was the chair and table. I was seated at a chair while my wife was seated on a booth. The chair was too fall for the table which was slightly short in height and I felt slightly hunched over. The general atmosphere however was great. There was not any loud blaring music which allowed for having a conversation. This was greatly appreciated because so many places nowadays flood you with loud music making it an unpleasant experience. This was a refreshing experience well appreciated.

Overall, we had a great experience. Though admittedly the portions were small, when paired together with a meal and dessert as a full course, you will feel full and satisfied. The price overall was a bit higher that most other places, but when viewed in comparison to the detail and flavor from the food, it is well within reason.

I highly recommend this place, especially for a special occasion.

Lastly, when driving up, you can almost miss it because it is literally under the train station, so keep an eye out. As for parking, it's Evanston so you can find some paid street parking right next to the restaurant, and it is reasonable as compared to the absurdity that is...

We were seated at our 6:30, reservation time. After 15 minutes we asked the hostess for water and whether we had a server. Our seats were along the aisle on the left of the door near the bar.We were hungry and after a while asked for bread. Our appetizer took another 20 minutes as we watched other tables arrive and be served by another server. (One party that came in 1/2 hour after we did left 1/2 hour before we did). The hostess noticed we just sitting there and took our drink order. More wait for 2 glasses of wine.The server and hostess discussed which one would get this pour. Our entres of salmon and (tough little) lamb chops took so long that I ordered more bread and (delicious) soup. It had been over an hour with no dinner. The only other time we dined here the simple entrees took so long to come out we were comped (not having complained) the dessert souflees by the apologetic server!! Our seats by the bar were noisy with crashing around in the under-bar refrigerator to the point my calm husband asked if construction was happening behind his back. There is NO busing help so servers clear and reset tables AND SERVE; AND make drinks even if they don't really know how! There is no bar tender! Last time my husband ordered a Rye Manhattan and the server made something rather strange with Jim Beam. Not even a bourbon he would want to drink. We're done here. Sorry. We wanted to find a quiet dining room with excellent food.

AND, I noticed in the on-line menu that The Chef offered Henry Farm beets and spinach. Henry is a friend I've worked with for 20 years. When I mentioned this he assured me that Elio had not been to the market all season nor had he placed any restaurant orders.

Dear Team,

Your defensive response to my thoughtful review goes neatly to the HEART of the problem. Ignoring the many Alcove factors that contributed to my writing a review at all, you attempt to discredit my observations by referring to a general “misrepresentation”. 1) My husband’s Rye Manhattan was called a “Jim Beam Manhattan” on the bill. More to the point, it was not good from the first sip. Bartender? 2) The responsibility for your web site is yours so, of course, you know where you refer to Henry’s Farm Beets and Spinach. Do you think, as you imply, that it’s not there? 3) Our server undoubtedly is one of your best. Does this address the Bottom Line? We were NOT well cared for by a combination of waiter, kitchen, and bar. If you remember the situation as you seem to, you know this is true.

I wrote my review to give voice to the most expensive, failed dining experience in our memory. After reading the article about the renovated Alcove we were really looking forward to finding a quiet, excellent restaurant to replace the many favorites in this category that have closed. We wanted to love it. That’s why we brought our appetites and tried it again for our anniversary. Our first experience should have...

I so wish I could have given more stars overall, but the front end staff and main server really failed to deliver an outstanding experience. My wife and I were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. This was noted in our reservation as well as verbally when we confirmed our reservation. When we arrived, no mention was made of our special event, by either the hostess or the server, Nick. We did not feel celebrated. Aside from not acknowledging our anniversary, Nick failed to introduce himself or even try to converse with us. It was like he was working at a roadside diner. The food was delicious, but no descriptions were provided when we ordered or when the entrees were presented. How hard is it to describe what we are eating? It would have made a big difference. When dessert arrived, my wife asked the assistant waiter if she knew it was our anniversary. She said no, took my wife's dessert back, and put a cheap candle on the plate. I appreciate her effort but it was lame. Overall, we enjoyed the food and the ambience of the restaurant, but the lackadaisical service that put no effort into making sure we as guests were enjoying ourselves really dampened the experience. For the prices we were paying, we had hopes for so much more, and we never saw a manager to lodge a complaint with. Postscript dated 6/28/25: Because we were so disappointed by Alcove, my wife and I had a do-over anniversary celebration, this time at Morton's in Schaumburg. Everything wrong at Alcove was right at Morton's. We had wonderful service where they celebrated our anniversary with custom menus, a photograph, and complimentary dessert. The food and drinks were excellent too! We only wish Alcove could learn how to make its customers feel special. Since my original post two weeks ago, no one at Alcove has contacted me, either to listen to my complaints or...