Community Tavern — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

UPDATE TO REVIEW: Thank you to the owners of Community Tavern for their reply to my review, specifically addressing the 3% added "Employees Health Insurance Service Fee," - I sincerely appreciate it. I did look on-line before I posted the review and noticed that it's mentioned on the reservations page, not the home page, which is where I think it should be. I also didn't see the notification on the menu, but I guess I missed it, so my mistake and I apologize. Either way, again, thank you and I still stand by the review of the restaurant, the food and servers ~ all excellent. And forgive me if I used the wrong pronoun for Sade, which has been addressed.

Community Tavern is a sweet gem. It blends the vibe of small and cozy along with expansive, up-scale and gourmet dining. It's evident that the owner and the chef are paying attention to their ingredients and how it all ends up on our plates. We were a party of 4 and shared Kim-Cheese Fries, Spring Pea Salad, Green Papaya Salad, Mushroom Butter Dumplings, White Prawn Carbonara, Community Bibimbap, Spring Vegetable Crepes and the CDK Flat Iron. Everything sang. Colorful and distinctive and fresh flavors and textures. (Sorry, no pics. Too busy inhaling everything.)

The experience was equally elevated with our EXCELLENT server, Sade. They were well informed (on the reservation it was noted that one of us has a garlic allergy.) It was one of the first things they mentioned when they came to the table. Just a really nice personality and sincerely appreciated their knowledge and experience. Additionally, the food runners and everyone else were great. Also, to note, the clientele is eclectic and very family/kid friendly and that's nice to see.

Lastly to mention and not food related, is the 3% "Employees Health Insurance Service Fee." Don't get me wrong, EVERYONE should have access to insurance, but having it tacked on to the bill, without notification feels disingenuous. Even though it's noted, on the bill (at the very bottom) "We're happy to remove this fee at your request," it didn't sit well with us. Let's face it, who after several glasses of wine or fancy craft cocktails reads the fine print. I guess the expression, "Buyer beware" is appropriate here. After our lockdown, I understand the real need to support our local businesses and the people they employ, but the way this is handled doesn't feel right to me. Maybe something noted on the menu or a table tent that explains what the 3% service fee covers would be a couple of suggestions. Or perhaps weave the 3% into the pricing on the menu and eliminate this fee completely.

With that being said, I would absolutely still recommend Community Tavern.

Everyone . . . Have fun exploring your next...

Food: This place has a burger that was consistently ranked in the top ten of the best burgers in Chicago, so I had to try it. It did not disappoint. One of the best burgers I've ever had, hands down. Juicy, cheesy, greasy, and filling, with sweet pickles. They had really nice fancier items as well, like pork dumplings and scallops which we also tried. The chef truly is creative with a lot of control and care over the menu items.

Service: When we first arrived, it was mostly empty, and we didn't have a reservation. I had looked on their website previously and it said they had open tables to reserve between 6:30pm and 7 for that night, right before we left for the restaurant. It only took about 10 minutes or so to get there. After arriving and being greeted at the hostess stand, the hostess sent us packing saying they had no openings until 8:30! I immediately hopped on their website booked for a reservation for two at 7pm. We went back inside, where the hostess was surprised, and then proceeded to seat us. So either the hostess just missed seeing there was a table open or someone just cancelled. Either way, BOOK A RESERVATION. The place filled up quickly after that and was extremely busy. Our server was friendly, we got our food and drinks on time, but we were only able to place one drink order, as the server did not come back around to ask for refills. Water was refilled constantly, but I would have liked a full beer with my burger. In and out in less than 2 hours.

Atmosphere/Decor: Busy. Busy. Busy. The tables and chairs were a little squeezed together but very comfortable. They had a family room in the back for larger parties, and the inside reminded me of a combination of an old grandma's kitchen with an updated, hipster vibe. Lighting was a bit darker to throw a chill mood, and the bar extended all the way to the back, all tables and floors were wood grain.

Vibe: Mix of people coming in for drinks, coming in on dates, friends eating out and families having meals together.

Drinks: The drink menu and wine list looked fantastic, would have liked to try another drink besides the one beer I had, which was good. Good selection of local breweries on tap. The bartender was constantly shaking and mixing drinks behind us.

Price: One appetizer, Two meals, two drinks, and dessert ran us exactly $91, before tip.

Parking: Street parking is available right outside the restaurant on the same street. We were able to grab a spot right in front, although, it fills up fast, and may require a longer walk than we had. Parking is $2.50/the...

It's taken me too long to write a review about Community, and I adore them being a part of our community. I don't have any pictures because I usually eat the food way too quickly when it comes to the table. However, I do want to review our most recent experience.

We came in on a Thursday night that was relatively busy. We had a reservation that included my wife, two and a half year old son and myself. We were promptly seated at a table that had a high chair waiting. When we approached the table, the table next to us of two women, one of the women commented to the other just saying, "Look" with a head nod, that I noticed out of the corner of my eye.

All is well, we sat, ordered our food, with an appetizer for my wife and I, and continued on our dining experience. My son is generally good when dining out and tonight was no different. His food arrived first (Kudos to the staff to know to get a kids food out ASAP) and he started in eating and enjoying his food. The women next us then left. Hopefully not because of my son because he was on his best behavior. Servers came to our table, filled our waters and one even chatted with my son. They were extremely friendly and very understanding.

Our mussels then came and WOW, just WOW. Champagne and Brie broth on a huge order of mussels for a start was just amazing! We enjoyed every bite and dunked our bread into the broth until there was almost no more. The best! Our meals then started coming out, my wife's Sea Bass and my Chicken Roulade. Both amazing and so flavorful.

We opted to skip dessert, but our experience was amazing. We've ordered delivery a few times through the Pandemic, but since the deal they have "Kids Eat Free Tuesday - Thursday, and Sunday" we rarely were able to get him anything since that is Dine-In only. We were glad we did. We all had a good time and enjoyed our night despite others.

That being said, I feel this place is entirely kid friendly (It doesn't look it at the front) but they do their best to make sure every guest, young or old are happy. And they did just that.

We will totally be back! (or order.. or both..)

UPDATE: Adding Pictures from a recent visit. Pictured are the champagne and Brie mussels and the Community Bibimbap with CDK...