Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Naperville

First time here and so glad we decided to give it a try. We went on a sunday night at around 5pm and let me tell you it was super packed! So I highly recommend reserving a table so you don't have to wait. But even though we were just a walk-in they had us at a table in 10 mins so that was awesome. The atmosphere is a little loud as it is packed and it is an open space, really neat decoration, very industrial with exposed wood beams, rafters, metal work like the awesome stag above the large fireplace they have inside.

By the way this fireplace puts off A LOT of heat, very cozy a few tables away but right next to it I'm sure you'd be sweating, I know I would be. Good spot if you're the type who's always cold though. We were greeted right away by our server Alyssa M, she gave us a quick overview of the menu, specials and housemade products like the 300+ sauces they have (wow!). Alyssa M was wonderful, very attentive, knowledgeable of the menu, always had our drinks filled right away.

The pacing of the food was excellent too, good timing between appetizers and our actual meal as sometimes you don't get enough time to enjoy your appetizers before your meal, but Lazy Dog has it perfect. We started with the candied bacon, queso and chips, and buffalo cauliflower.

We wished we had three orders of the candied bacon it was that delicious, it was crispy, sweet with a tiny hint of spice. The queso was good too, cheesy with the right balance of diced peppers, black beans and spices. Though I wish the chips were a little smaller for easier dipping, they were still crispy and good though! The buffalo cauliflower wasn't too bad, though I wish there was a little more buffalo sauce on it (I think I may just be used to CPK's version haha).

For our meals I got the St. Louis BBQ ribs with mashed cauliflower substitute and cole slaw, Alyssa gave us 4 of their most popular sauces but we gravitated to the barbecue sauce, which is also used on the St. Louis Ribs, and wow was it delicious! Slaw was also good not too saucy and perfectly crunchy, but I didn't eat the mashed cauliflower because it was way too salty. It would've been good if it didn't have so much salt on it. My husband had the bacon ranch burger with cheese and fries, I had a bite and though it was too done for me (it was medium well, I like medium rare), it was still juicy and well seasoned.

For our drinks I couldn't decide which sangria to try, but luckily they had a sangria flight so I had all three! For my taste the best was the white, light and fruity, more on the tropical side. I don't like rose much so I wasn't into that one, a little too sour for me. The red was great too if you prefer red which I normally do, but that white really hit the spot!

Of course we finished off with a couple desserts because we couldn't decide on just one. We had the s'mores and the butter cake. The s'more was incredible, Alyssa told us that they make the marshmallow in house too and it was beauteous block of artfully toasted marshmallow sitting atop a warm and fudgy brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. One bite and we were in s'mores heaven. Will definitely get that one again! The butter cake comes with strawberry compote but we had it on the side, it also came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the cake was okay but it was a little dry, I wish it was a bit more buttery. Still good though, but the s'mores was better overall.

Highly recommend this restaurant, great spot for a date night with perfect ambience and gorgeous industrial decor. The servers are all friendly and knowledgeable, a clean establishment, and well managed. Food and drinks were excellent overall and an A+ experience. Ask for Alyssa M she's amazing, I know we will...

At some point the frozen meatloaf meal was actually delicious that even my teen ate it- which was initially a big concern. Finally decided to eat in. Reviews say food is good and the frozen meal was good, what could be so bad? Chicken tortilla soup that was bland and tasted just like boiled chicken with no seasonings. Waiter was kind enough to remove the soup and take the soup off the bill which was great. My ribs with the new sweet and sour sauce was just as tasteless and I was not impressed nor could eat more than few pieces of meat simply bc I was really trying to enjoy this place. It really just tasted meaty(?) and I was really looking forward to the ribs as I do enjoy Korean bbq and such but these ribs were not worth it and I was again disappointed with another item. I do have to say the fries that came were delicious and since I do like fries, I will give them credit there. We also had chicken Alfredo and that did not smell delicious and the person who ordered was disappointed- chicken Alfredo is a staple in our home and this was not anywhere close to anything worth bragging about. Too much pepper and that was the only thing you could taste but of course some folks will eat up when they’re starving so half the plate was gone but most definitely not anything I or my dinner guest would eat again. The chicken lettuce wraps were delicious but if you can season that chicken well enough, what happened to the rest of the dishes? I was happy with the drinks and they were strong enough and made well. The total bill practically gave me a coronary as the food was not worth it and I have zero clue what these other people are eating. Do we have to visit at a different time? Not sure but not worth the risk.

Folks did mention the service in other posts and our service was okay enough. I had to ask twice for my second drink but nothing that was worth getting frustrated over. I had to ask for ketchup and that’s not something I am used to having to do but again nothing to be upset over. One review mentioned this place not having any vegan options- it’s 2024, specifically search for a place that only serves lettuce and simply avoid this place because the cooks have no idea what...

We visited Lazy Dog yesterday hoping to try something new as a family, but unfortunately our experience was overshadowed by poor management.

First, I want to highlight our server Heidi — she was absolutely amazing. Despite being swamped with tables, she was attentive, kind, and went out of her way to ensure we had a good experience. We come from a family of servers and bartenders, so we know the challenges, and Heidi truly gave it her all. She deserves recognition.

The issue was with management — specifically Rachel, who failed to step in when needed. Our son has severe food allergies (egg, tree nut, and peanut), and when Heidi asked for a manager to come speak with us, no one came. We waited, ordered, and even when food began arriving for our daughter, still no manager had approached us. Only after repeatedly asking did Rachel finally come over, but instead of addressing the concern directly, she seemed uninterested and dismissive. Allergies are not something that should ever be brushed off, especially when a child’s safety is at stake.

Heidi ended up doing what the manager should have done when asked from the start — she wrote down the allergies and took it upon herself to go ask the kitchen even though she was busy. The manager finally came back and told us she confirmed with the kitchen after Heidi had already done so and told us she was going to have our food remade so we can eat it all together she handed us a gift card and walked away. We weren’t looking for freebies — we wanted care, leadership, and accountability.

Thankfully, when we spoke with another manager at the end Sergio , he was understanding and genuinely listened. We handed him the gift card and let him know that’s not what we intended from voicing our concerns. Because of him, Heidi and because the food was great, we’re open to giving Lazy Dog another chance in the future. But Rachel’s lack of urgency and unwillingness to help a struggling server or a family dealing with serious allergies is unacceptable.

We hope Lazy Dog takes this feedback seriously — great staff like Heidi should have the support of their managers, and families with allergies should feel safe and valued,...