The Rhoyal Bistro Live — Restaurant in Thornton Township

I really wanted to love this place. My first visit a couple of weeks ago (Saturday around 3pm, party of 10) had its bumps but overall felt promising. I tried the salmon, catfish fillets, chicken & waffles, spinach dip, and buffalo wings, and I enjoyed it all. That said, even during that first visit, my chicken & waffles had to be remade. My entire table got their food, and I didn’t receive mine until everyone was basically finished eating. By the time it came out, I had lost interest and had to take it to go. The male manager admitted he didn’t like how my plate looked and had the kitchen remake it, but in the meantime, I ordered a $12 side to hold me over. That side wasn’t comped, and my meal wasn’t discounted, which didn’t sit right considering I didn’t get to enjoy the food with my table. The chicken itself was good, but the waffle was not, and it’s not a dish I’d ever order again. In hindsight, I wish I had just ordered the catfish that day.

My second visit this past Friday was even more disappointing. I had a reservation for 2 at 7:30pm, arrived 15 minutes early, and was told by the host that unless we wanted a high-top table (I had reserved a standard table), we would have to wait with no time estimate. Thankfully, a Black female manager stepped in and was able to seat us shortly after, but the whole situation felt unorganized.

When the restaurant is crowded, the wait between being seated and actually seeing your server is far too long—10 to 20 minutes at least. I overheard other tables complaining about the same thing. This location has been open for two years, so they should be better prepared to manage crowds by now.

Both times my servers have been fantastic—friendly, professional, and personable—but the food quality is inconsistent. I loved the catfish my mom had on my first visit, so I ordered it for myself this time. What I got didn’t even taste like catfish—it was extremely fishy (similar to tilapia and were much smaller in size compared to the serving I sat my first visit) and nothing like my previous visit. The macaroni was dry, separated, and barely warm. It honestly felt like I was eating at a completely different restaurant.

Another odd thing: soda refills aren’t free. The drinks come in tiny cups—maybe 6 ounces—and they’re filled mostly with ice. You’re charged for every refill, which is something I’ve never experienced at a sit-down restaurant that serves fountain drinks (as opposed to cans or glass bottles).

The drinks are always excellent—I’ll give them that—but overall the inconsistency in food, chaotic service during busy times, and overpriced menu make it hard to recommend. Sadly, after my second visit, I don’t plan on returning anytime...

We came on Saturday for Brunch to celebrate our friend 50th birthday, and it was a DISATER. It's absolutely the worst place I've gone to. Service was a trouches. From the time the hostess finally stopped congregating with other employees and seated us. We started to realize this was not a good idea. WE ordered the Supreme Birthday celebration (crown, champagne, sash, and song). My friend received a kid sized crown and was missing some jewels and kid size sash (Dee took the sash and never returned with the appropriate size). We ordered coffee, and Dee said it was brewing. After waiting 35 minutes, I went to the bar and complained about the wobbly table and no coffee. Brook, the manager, lied about the coffee being made and gave us EVERY excuse she could think of regarding the poor service. Brook took no accountability and didn't offer any resolution. We sat there for 1 1/2 hours waiting for COFFEE and no FOOD! Really, did they go to Columbia to get it, or did the tarriffs kick in from Trump???? One of the guests started getting sick because she took her medication thinking she would have her meal. STILL NO table snacks, bread, or coffee. Dee, the waitress constantly lied, saying she was horrible making coffee and wasn't allowed to brew it. In Dee's defense, she was the ONLY server/waitress working. There was another female with braids who didn't bother to help Dee but mean mugged and rolled her eyes at our table. Do you think we want her touching or being around our food. HELL NO. BAD VIBE AND HORRIBLE ATTITUDE! She was as useless as Brooks excuses. We decided to leave... A white Mercedes pulled up and delivered coffee, bread, and other essentials. We sat there for 1 1/2 hrs and never got bread (crackers, table snack) or coffee (which are basic restaurant items). I asked for coffee and got lies instead. Bare essentials weren't available. I even went to the bar and asked for assistance since that was where the staff was hanging out with each other. The table across from us was that there before us, finally got their food as we were leaving after 1 1/2 hrs later. We received NO FOOD, NO COFFEE, NO APOLOGY, NOTHING. THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY WAS THE DJ WAS DOING HIS JOB. Word of advice: staff needs to be trained, order your supplies in advance, prepare before you open, be punctual (early = on time / on time = late) take accountability, be honest with customers, be attentive to customer needs, don't insult customers intelligence with LIES BROOK!!! I take responsibility because I planned MY/OUR FRIEND 50 BIRTHDAY BRUNCH, and YOUR establishment...

We came here to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday . I don't like to leave negative reviews but I must tell our experience from last night. You make your reservation through Open Table and then you can see other reviews too and we said we would still give them a try. We should have cancelled unfortunately . Our reservation was at 9pm & we were waiting in a really long line for a while then waited to be taken to our table to be seated not a big deal. She took us to a high chair table when we requested a regular table. I informed her we requested a table and she said this is what we have, let her see about it and she brought others to the same type of high table and they said the same thing. She said let her talk to the manager and was gone for about 20+ minutes. At least the music and atmosphere was good while we stood there waiting. She finally came back and took us to a table which we appreciated it. I liked the table and view of the stage. It didn't take that long (15+min) for our waiter to come over. We placed our orders quickly because reviews stated very long wait times for food. We played it safe & ordered Bistro burger with fries and BBQ wings & fries. The DJ and live music saved our experience from a total fail ($15 entertainment fee person). Our food took about 1.5+ hours to come out ! Our food finally arrived & it was barely luke warm not hot . The BBQ wings sauce was the only thing saved the wings because the chicken had no flavor and didn't taste fresh. Both our fries we inedible because of the ridiculous amount of salt added. The burger was so well done it was dried out and burnt in the back. We informed the waiter about our fries and he went to replace them ,we asked for no salt at all this time. It was literally 11 something once we received the fries . I didn't want to send the burger back because of how long it took for the fries so I just asked for a little mustard and mayo to add to it. The kitchen & bar need help and or to be trained properly ! Drinks kept being sent back all night from tables multiple times. Waitresses came to our table at least three times with other peoples food and drinks asking are these for you? They need a numbering system or something. I don't mind paying for good food & service. This place has so much potential, it's beautiful and hopefully it will get better because I can see the vision. I'm sorry the money we spent for the food wasn't worth it. I did enjoy Live Entertainment! We paid, tipped the waiter and regretted...