Tallgrass Restaurant — Restaurant in Lockport

I noticed that the restaurant had reopened under new guidance from a locally known Chef and Mixologist couple. The previous iteration of Tallgrass was always a culinary experience but had a bit of rigidity to it that sometimes detracted from the overall experience. I still love what the old Tallgrass did from a culinary standpoint but this is the present and here is my review.

This experience was well above and beyond that of the old days.

The scene - The look and vibe of Tallgrass is now chic, cool and a bit modern even though some of the old restaurant's elements remain. There is a new and absolutely amazing patio waiting on warmer weather. I'll take a 5 pm Thursday reservation every week from May 15th through October 31st!!

Pro Tip - Order the bread service and compound butter spreads when you order your drinks. You will want it with your appetizers and your charcuterie board if going in that direction.

First - The main menu and the specials menu had so many amazing items on it. The warm date and bacon appetizer was delicious, unique and a perfect start. That focaccia bread would've been perfect to scoop up the remaining date and bacon salad.

Second - the cocktail menu options are unique, flavorful and well composed. Madison oversees the "bar" program and it is flourishing. Lots of choices and this evening we tried 5 different cocktails. Our favorites were the Bacon Fat Washed Vodka Martini and the Warmed Spiced Cocktail which was perfect for a cold evening.

Third - We ordered the Charcuterie board and loaded it up with 5 different options. The Chef (owner) introduced the area to the À la carte version of charcuterie dining some years ago and he brought it to Tallgrass. AMEN. Photo of our board is in the pics. Order a bottle and a board, sit back and enjoy.

Fourth - We were already fairly full so we skipped proper entrées. As a person who loves to explore food it is my mission to come back and try as many items on the menu before they disappear into the ether due to seasonality and the culinary whims (freedom) of the Chef.

Fifth - Dessert... our table ordered separate desserts and the Canelés that I had were superb. Crispy, chewy, light and fluffy all in one. Yum.

A few items of note - it is an older building so frigid temps can impact the experience. We dressed for walking from public parking to the restaurant and it suited us well inside. The entry is no longer through the basement. It is on that newly created patio side (courtyard). The staff are fantastic. Friendly, perfectly attentive and approachable are a few words that I would use to describe them.

In short - Highly recommend, will repeat and...

Downtown Lockport is lucky to have Tallgrass in the neighborhood. It is the best fine dining experience you will get hands down in the area without driving to Naperville, Oak Brook or Chicago. Nothing compares or comes close to it.

Went here for my birthday dinner. The menu had a nice "Happy Birthday" placer in it which was nice. A complimentary glass of champagne is always a plus in my book! Our server was very attentive but I did not get her name.

I have dined here before in 2023 before the renovations and wow, it's very nice inside. The place itself is beautiful and the exterior took a huge upgrade and looks great. The entrees were plated wonderfully. The food is top notch. I wasn't impressed with the filet mignon, felt it lacked flavor. The diver scallops were amazing though and the butternut squash with it was my favorite. The cheese and meat selection was a nice touch to the menu. Wife ordered the gnocci and it was good but I've had better.

The drinks were absolutley delicious and the bartender knew what she was doing. The mocktail selection was also great if you don't drink alcohol. The Tallgrass old fashion was delicious, get it smoked, fun to see!

The one thing that was distracting for my wife and I was how cold our feet got sitting by the windows. I have never had my feet get that cold eating anywhere before (really need to figure that out). We ate for about 2 hours or so and during dessert my wife was like we have to go, my feet are frozen.

Overall, I'd give it a solid 4 but really for the location considering the mediocre places all around it, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5. I give it 5 stars just because it's nice to have a place like this close to home and hope to see it succeed with making small changes. I will definitley be back and recommend friends and family here. Wish there was just a bar area because I'd come just for drinks and some meat and cheese during the week. Great work and cheers to...

Fantastic all around. A lot of people have never heard of Tallgrass and you could walk right past it and not even know that the restaurant is there. There are no walk ins, no drinks at the bar and reservations are required. Thankfully enough people have heard of Tallgrass to have it come up in discussions about great restaurants. The Service is exceptional from the beginning until the end. The menu provides multiple choices of that are served as either a three, four, five or seven course meal. We all had the 4 courses and we probably did not need the fourth course. I started my meal with House Smoked Salmon Benedict followed with a trio of three soups served in the same bowl, Grilled Lamb rack and chop served with a Butternut squash puree and i finished my meal with a cheese assortment while the others enjoyed the deserts. All in all the food was exceptional as I would expect based upon the review. My favorite was the Smoked Salmon, which was served with a crisp egg, potato disc, caper, spinach and hollandaise sauce. The perfectly soft boiled egg covered the salmon and potatoes just enough to make this dish amazing. My second favorite was the trio of soups in one bowl. The soups were Potato/Leek, Brocolli/Fennel. and Squash/Sage. Not only did this trio of soups provide a very visual experience int he three colors, the taste, both individually and mixed was amazing. All in all an amazing experience in fine dining that I would...