Jilly's Cafe — Restaurant in Evanston Township

Definitely not a "gem". Very small room--we were literally touching elbows with people from the table next to us. We came in and started ordering from their very short menu . The waiter offered to take advantage of the "brunch" saying that it would "save us lots of money". Their brunch allows to choose 1 appetizer, 1 entree, 1 dessert, and 1 drink. They throw in the champagne (although you never know, it's not poured in front of you so could be sparkling wine). Sounds great for $24, right? We figured since we only came in for a small breakfast and not to get stuffed, and we don't drink alcohol, we would order an appetizer, an entree, a glass of juice and one coffee. The waiter then informed us outloud that "it doesn't work that way" and that we each had to order for $24. I guarantee the whole place heard him say that as if he was trying to let others know. First of all, it's none of his business what we order and he has no right to dictate. Second, he should be crystal clear and upfront about what the rules are instead of assuming we came there to eat as much as possible and advertising an option we didn't want. It is not my problem that English is not his first language. We refused the brunch and ordered what we originally wanted, which made him obviously unhappy. For goodness sake, the man was cringing when he heard the "NO" answer, as if we were idiots for not taking such and "great money-saving" offer or in any way obligated to follow his advice and make him happy. Then came the food, which tasted all right, except the very mediocre coffee and tap water with the tap water taste. There were black particles floating in the milk served with coffee. We didn't risk using the milk. To sum up, Jilly's cafe is a cafe that tries to be a restaurant. It fails in some aspects (poor service, very limited menu, crowded tables, bad water and coffee, contaminated milk). It succeeds in neatly arranged tables and OK food, at least in what we ate. We would not recommend this place to others--too much is "off" and it just isn't done right for what they are trying to sell to you. The only reason they got 2 stars instead of 1 is because we liked the...

Can't comment on the food, as we never ordered, but my wife and I had the worst experience we've ever had at a local restaurant. We had made reservations a week earlier and were looking forward to trying out this quaint-looking eatery. My wife was ignored for awhile at the door (I was parking the car) and then was pointed to a table by the kitchen and told "This is what we have." No "welcome," no "how are you tonight?" Meanwhile, the owner greeted those I presumed to be regulars with hugs and shown a table with a "reserved" sign upon it. The waitress came over to take our drink order and left before I could even finish my request for a substitute liquor; she arrived with the wrong drink. I told the owner that I was surprised by our initial reaction to the place and the brusque treatment received, wondering why we couldn't have been given a better table like the couple who came in after us. She made some irrelevant comment about it being a busy graduation weekend and that some people make a reservation and then cancel. Well, we had made reservations, (added that we were celebrating a special occasion in the online form), showed up on time, and this is the...

First time dining at Jilly’s Cafe for dinner and it’s a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. I tried their French version of Lobster Risotto and sadly, the lobster tail was overcooked to the point it stuck to the shell. This should not happen if lobster was cooked correctly. For a $50 entrée this is a silly mistake but would suggest quality check in the kitchen. The French Onion soup was also a bit small serving, served in cup size for $12. Other members in my party enjoyed their entrées which I’ve shared below. For dessert, the carrot cake was delicious. I do not recommend the lava cake, as it’s not a lava cake but chocolate cake. The “lava” was on the outside and a bit disappointing. Due to some other interesting menu items, I would like to return to give it another shot. The last suggestion for this restaurant is to offer better parking options. You have to park several blocks away and it’s paid...