Hillside Restaurant — Restaurant in Grayslake

Hillside has new owners at the start of 2024, so let me preface this review by saying Hillside has been a warm and comfortable part of my lifetime in Grayslake (32 years) and I wish Gus and John the best in retirement. We came here for dinner 9 times out of 10 because it's cheap, consistent and convenient, and most sit-down diners in town are closed after lunch. Also: tableside flaming saganaki is a core memory and half the reason we love this place.

The new owners are NSCG -- North Shore Capital Group, an investment firm based in Lake Forest. Their food/entertainment division is only a couple years old and is on a buying spree, having purchased a golf course in Lake Villa and four more eateries in the area since 2020. This review strictly covers observations noticed our first time dining at Hillside under NSCG on January 7, sorry to say a few troubling things have stuck with our group...

First, a week ago the restaurant denied rumors (via Facebook) that hours were changing... they have. Dinner service is gone, completely. Breakfast-lunch only and the restaurant closes at 3pm. No more flaming saganaki. No bar. Senior discounts appear to be cut as well. Prices are also up, management blames wage increases and needed equipment upgrades.

Second, we observed a manager-type hovering around our waitress while serving food, and in front of us she seemed to snap at our waitress for nearly mixing plates up. Everyone at our table recognized the waitress was under pressure by the manager, and it made the experience uncomfortable for everyone.

Third, and most disturbing... our table saw, and was within earshot, of a manager sitting down the restaurant's eldest waitress at a nearby booth (who we recognized from dinner service) to inform that her that with dinner being eliminated she would no longer be getting any hours. The waitress left the dining room visibly upset while the rest of the staff looked on and talked, almost in shock. The manager stayed on the other side of the dining room for the remainder of our meal.

I was not going to write this review, however more than a day later our group is still talking about what happened. The food and customer-facing staff are fine, management soured the mood and left a notably bad first impression. I wish the remaining staff luck and honestly, truly hope these aren't omens of...

It pains me to put down a small family business, but honestly, this place is not worth your time and even less so your money (or vice versa as this is quite subjective).

The setting is Tarantinoesque.

Even as you walk in, you can get an idea of what's in store for you. The visually impaired, too, will be given plenty of ques as well to reconsider and walk out before it's too late. Unfortunately, curiosity and hunger got the best of us.

The evidently leaky ceiling, the fact that no one bothered to change the 6 stained tiles, the vintage "aroma" all point to a place that is well past its prime with a caretaker that doesn't seem to care all that much. On the plus side, if you were hoping to dine in a poorly sealed time capsule, you hit the jackpot!

On to the main course.

The food, it has to be said, is an insult to your senses. A collection of the cheapest of the cheap ingredients. Warmed up or tossed in a fryer with oil tracing its lineage to the early 2000s (maintained with the philosophy of "Only add, never change"). The highlight of the meal was a glass of icy Coke, which, for some reason, did not taste moldy, defying overwhelming odds against it. By comparison, McDonald's is a luxury culinary experience, deserving of at least a Michelin star.

An interesting but oh so fitting peculiarity was that of the three sets of utensils presented, not one matched another. One of the forks was even a veteran of the magician heyday, bearing the scars and noodle like waves of repeated bending over countless performances.

Lastly I will have to disappoint anyone invested in my rant, and say that the personnel was friendly and the service ok, so no complaints there.

My advice to the owner would be - It's time to retire. Let someone new, with passion and vigor, breathe much much needed fresh air into your place. The memories will always stay but the decor can and should go. Take pride in the chapter that you wrote, the folks you fed over the years, but don't linger on to see a-holes like myself write mean but true things about your...

This past September was the first time in at least a couple of years dining in at this place. When it comes to a good ol' fashioned American home cooked breakfast, Hillside is definitely on that list.

I used to come here much more often when I was living in Round Lake from May '89- Nov '02 but after moving to Beach Park, not so much unless I'm going to church which also happens to be in Grayslake which sadly isn't that often since I usually start early Sunday nights on 3rd shift and I need my sleep.

Nothing fancy or upscale but indeed just your typical American family restaurant serving up some good eats. Have never had anything but breakfast here which is delicious. I'm often in the mood for some eggs up with toast to dip in the yolk, sausage and extra hashbrowns.

Dining room is always clean, prices remain reasonable for the quality food served even as prices nationwide are climbing up and service is always super friendly.

Since I'm a bit of a foodie, I'm all over the place so unfortunately I don't get out to this venue as often as I'd like to. I do love supporting local businesses and if I get that craving for a home cooked breakfast, I'll try my best to get back to...