Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Northfield Township

3.5 stars rounded up- we are excited to have Lazy Dog here in Northbrook!

We opted to go around 4:45 in hopes that if we had to wait long we would be eating right around 6. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait. However, when leaving around 6:30pm it was packed and there was a wait. We joined the beer club earlier in the day which gave us an awesome discount. The manager was extremely nice and came over to our table and due to joining the membership that day we also got a free appetizer. Our server was on top of everything and we never had to wait very long for anything.

Apps: ✔️cheese curds ✔️bacon cheddar biscuits ✔️sweet potato tots

Entrees: ✔️Beer battered fish tacos with beans and rice ✔️Bibimbab ✔️Wedge salad ✔️ Kids Mac and Cheese

The apps were okay. The cheese curds were very tasty, but they were room temperature when they came out. The dipping sauces were flavorful. The biscuits were a bit of a let down. They also were not very warm and that took away from their taste. I look forward to trying some of their other apps. I would absolutely get the cheese curds again!

My husband very much enjoyed the Bibimbap and wedge salad. He was very impressed.

My tacos were very good, I didn’t care for the carrot slaw as I’m not a person who enjoys spicy food. However, that was easily taken off. The tartar sauce and coleslaw provided a nice taste along with the star of the show the beer battered fish! One bite into my taco and the tortilla fell apart. However, this was a happy accident because I then started to mix the beans, rice, and tacos together in more of a burrito bowl. The beans were excellently seasoned with cilantro and the rice had peas, carrots, and corn which added to the whole experience. I left wanting to recreate a bowl version of this. A deconstructed fish taco bowl would be awesome.

My daughter had the Mac and cheese which we were delighted to see was Kraft. She does not care for fancy Mac and cheeses so it was a major win for us. She also was able to choose carrots which was a nice side to have as an option. Other options were watermelon, mashed potatoes, and fries.

Drinks 🍻 Perhaps I can update my review at a later time but I enjoyed all the beers my husband sampled and we left there with our 8 cans for the membership.

They have my beloved COKE ZERO 👏🏻

Overall, the best thing I can say is that my husband, daughter, and I all had dishes we normally wouldn’t choose from for dinner. It was nice to have so many options. The menu is a huge and while they have staples that’ll satisfy picky eaters they also had different bowls, salads, and dishes. We are grateful Lazy Dog chose Northbrook because we need some family friendly restaurants in the area to bring people. We will try brunch...

My 15 daughter is intellectually disabled. She was invited to the restaurant by her friend who also has a disability. I thought they were going to a little greasy spoon mom and pop place where you pay for your food and sit down to eat. When I pulled up and saw Lazy Dog my heart, went to my throat because I didn’t know how she was gonna navigate the tip! I was scheduled to work and I couldn’t stay with her! I gently approached the hostesses – there were three of them there, I think one was an actual server – and I explained the situation. Two of the servers immediately hopped into action. They were responsive, receptive, and compassionate. My message registered right away. They smiled, they assured me, and they immediately went to get the Waiter so I could meet him and share my concern directly. When the waiter came over, he introduced himself as Moses. He told me that he understood; that he would be certain to help my daughter navigate the tip, and any other things that she found to be challenging. When Moses left me, he went straight to my daughter’s table to introduce himself and say hi. I felt so thankful! My job is nearby so I asked my daughter to call me when she was close to being done with her food. She forgot to do that. By the time she called me, she had already finished her food. I asked her to wait, but I didn’t get there in time. Moses helped her pay for her food; and he helped her pay the tip. He was compassionate and respectful, and he did not make her feel disabled. He gently told her that he was there to help her and she didn’t need to worry. I arrived about two minutes after she had paid and I felt so relieved! I sent her in with some cash to tell him an extra thank you. He, literally, did not want to take it! My daughter had to tell him, “My mom‘s going to be upset with me if you don’t take this because she told me to give it to you” in order for Moses to take it. This was my daughter‘s first time independently sitting at this kind of restaurant. What a blessing to have Moses for...

The second Lazy Dog location we've visited, with the first being that in Vernon Hills, IL ("VH"). This time we ate from the brunch menu.

Food 4/5: consistent with VH's. Tried today:

Best: Pancake tacos w/potato pancake (same "hash browns" as that served with the quiche) Good: bacon candy. It's a standby starter; what can one say? Good: Ham quiche w/potato pancake (called "hash browns" in the menu) Good: fish w/oven roasted baby potatoes Good: chocolate mousse with regular coffee and hot tea.

Service 5/5: Great attitude and classier than other eateries where the server stands over the diner's handheld POS machine while the then-uncomfortable diner decides how much to tip. Here, ours said she would return for it. Thanks!

Atmosphere 3/5: The interior looked like the old Granite City and then, as well as currently at VH, dark lighting prevailed/s. The interior was clean, though. We ate outside where many new-to-Lazy Dog diners had their dogs.

As at the VH location, this Lazy Dog promoted a $5/month membership which passed on to its paying members "perks." That's a cash grab we steered clear of, as the same kinds of perks are given to diners with "free" -- although giving contact info isn't truly free -- memberships at competing eateries. We're already letting the vendor sell our contact info to others as well as email or text us marketing materials, and we're already tipping well and paying significantly higher prices for menu items than from just a few years ago. So why should customers pay a monthly fee...