Lucky Platter — Restaurant in Evanston Township

(I will never read a reply) First off, I saw 3 rats in the back kitchen area. They even had a sign to leave the doors shut because of the rats. I'd say more about where I saw the rats come from but I'd rather get beaten with barb wire baseball bats than give this place any assistance.

It's a real shame that Evanston trademarks like Pineyard, Davis Street Fish Market, and Tommy Nevins bit the dust, but because this place is the only restaurant in Mid/South Evanston that many 50+ year old boomers know, they get all the tired old people who want to sit down and talk since they are too old to do things anymore. It only exists because there is no other sit down restaurant in the area that serves regular food.

They couldn't even get a BBQ chicken sandwich right. Even while starving, the sandwich had no taste at all. I had to drink a sip of water with each bite because no saliva was coming out. The bun and chicken were dry and I guess they made cuts on their BBQ sauce budget because there was none. The fries were wet and limp and half cold like they came out of a freezer. So $18 for a sandwich that tastes worse than a $3 chicken sandwich from a gas station. Never seen a place mess up a BBQ sandwich. Even a child can make one, lol. They even messed up cornbread. Damp and half warm half cold like they came out of a freezer.

Not just that, the chicken had hard gristle. Gristle is inedible and can't be chewed. I had to spit into a napkin like 10 times during my meal.

I've been in their kitchen many times over the years because I work within the building and it is ALWAYS dirty. So dirty they had a rat problem a month ago. I've seen the workers go from emptying the trash and handling mop buckets to handling...

Quirky interior decor. Not over the top and in your face like a lot of corporate chains do when they are trying to be odd and unique, but subtle and fun accents that are not distracting. Odd portraits are everywhere.

So for the food, excellent fare. Appetizers we're a house salad and some fried pickles. My wife loves the salad and the pickles were great. For dinner, I had the Smoked Gouda Burger (med rare) and a side of Mac and Cheese. Both very tasty. My wife had the Tuna Melt with Beans and Rice. Daughter had a kids Mac and Cheese and regular fries (they do have Sweet Potato Fries too). Coca Cola products for soft drinks. Everything was really great, no issues, really good food. We did get a piece of chocolate cake to go.

Service is friendly, attentive and close at hand. A few booths are available in addition to regular smaller tables. Staff is quick to check to see if your party needs tables pushed together for larger groups.

Kids eat free Sunday nights, (there are some stipulations that are printed on the menu). A Evanston staple they do sell memorabilia with their logo, shirts, sweaters, mugs....etc.

If you're looking for a bit of Americana ala Evanston, this is about the best place to be to avoid the corporate cookie cutter restaurants that are all too plentiful in this...

Poor service started the moment I walked in. I asked for a table for two, indicating that I was meeting a friend who was not there yet and was denied a table. I was asked to wait until my friend arrived to be seated. The restaurant was not packed, plenty of tables available. When my friend arrived 5 minutes later, we were seated at a tiny booth by the bathroom. We decided that since the place was quite empty, we would move and did so asking a server if it was ok to do so. He said sure. A few minutes later a server came to us and said we could sit there, but we needed to be finished by 10AM because the section was reserved for a large party. He told us that gave us 50 minutes to eat. We offered to move again but he said no, 50 minutes was plenty of time. ??? So we ate, and we watched as 10AM approached. And then we went past our deadline.... and no large party ever materialized. Server tried to rush us off by giving us the check, but we were hot by then and wouldn't budge. I can't even rate the food because I felt the need to fast shovel it in my mouth before I could even appreciate it. No tips from us. If you want repeat customers, don't treat them like garbage. We are local gals, and you can bet we will not be back, and we will direct our friends and...