Emil's Tavern on Center — Restaurant in Grayslake

Our visit to Emil's Tavern on Center was met with a mix of positives and areas that could use improvement. Arriving on a Saturday night, we found the place to be decently packed, reflecting its popularity among patrons.

Unfortunately, the seating arrangement was not ideal. Despite requesting a booth, we were seated at a larger 7-8 seater booth, which felt excessive for just two people. It would have been more comfortable to have a smaller, more intimate space.

To our disappointment, the restaurant was out of their specials, limiting our choices for the evening. However, the Bee's Sting pizza with mushrooms that we ordered turned out to be a highlight. The pizza had a nice, crispy crust and the combination of flavors was enjoyable. We also tried the Buffalo chicken wrap with Sweet potato fries, which was decent but did not stand out as exceptional.

One minor inconvenience was the initial lack of plates when our food was served. We thought we would have to eat directly from the shared platter, but plates were eventually provided. However, it would have been better if this detail had been addressed promptly.

Regrettably, the service fell short when we wanted to order Buffalo sauce. Despite our request, the server did not return to our table, leaving us without the desired condiment for our meal. This lack of attentiveness was disappointing and affected our overall experience.

Despite these shortcomings, the ambiance of Emil's Tavern on Center was pleasant and had a lively atmosphere. The staff members were friendly and accommodating when initially seating us, and the Summer Shandy beer I ordered was enjoyable.

While Emil's Tavern on Center had its moments of satisfaction, the issues with seating, unavailability of specials, lack of attention to detail, and incomplete service prevented us from having a truly exceptional dining experience. With some improvements, this establishment has the potential to provide a more consistent and enjoyable visit for...

My family and I came to your establishment this evening for dinner. We sat 15 minutes before Mary L (our server) came over to greet us and take drink orders, we ordered 1 water 1 tea and 1 sprite to drink we ordered 2 Emil’s Special Salads and I buffalo chicken wrap. We received our food roughly 15 minutes later and then 2 of the drinks about 10 minutes into our meal, the tea came after that. Our server checked on us once and seemed to be annoyed that she was working. We neatly stacked our plates to the side of the table when we were finished and waited about 10 more minutes for Mary to come over and clear our plates, she moved a napkin off my daughters plate and commented that she didn’t eat much of her food, my daughter didn’t eat all of the wrap because it was greasy we were not even going to complain about that. Mary brought our check back and said I took $5 off tell them you had a coupon if they ask, as she was taking plates away she decided to grab a napkin off the our table and blow her nose, she walked away with the plates. I waited for her to return and finally went to bring my check up to the bartender to pay. I didn’t leave Mary a tip because her service was poor. She followed my family and I out the door and asked why I didn’t tip her, I explained to her that her service was poor and she yelled and said I just didn’t want to tip. My husband and I often eat at The Center Cut and I can tell you it’s not because I didn’t want to tip. My family owned a restaurant my entire life and I am very familiar with food service. Mary was a nice lady but probably better serve your establishment...

Visited yesterday, a gals lunch. The hostess was very friendly and accomodating but that’s where the good service ended. We ended up taking a seat in the bar area as there was a fundraiser for a baseball team setting up in the restaurant area. Waited forever for the server to notice us. I had to ask for water 3 times before I finally got some. I ordered the veggie wrap without cheese (dairy allergy) and asked for veggies to not be cooked in butter. The waitress gave me a snarky look with a reply, “well, that’s what we use.” I was like, okay then, can you just ask them not to use any when they do the veggies. She replied, well I have to ask. Came back and said yeah, they’ll do that. She was very rude, and hey, sorry, but I can usually work around dairy in restaurants and I don’t make a fuss. Food came to table, it was awful. Giant rubbery, gummy tortilla with a few strips of peppers and a gob of mushrooms drowned in a gross teriyaki sauce. Fries were basically cardboard, like what you’d get if you bought a bag of frozen Great Value fries from Walmart, and cold. Cole slaw was good but you only get about 3 tablespoons of that, and a wilted, warm pickle. Not a great experience, not to mention overpriced (WAY) for what I ended up with. I’ll stick with their Mundelein location. Was there in December, food was good and service was excellent. But no thanks to the Grayslake location,...