Restaurants near Merriner Park

Have ALWAYS enjoyed eating at the Reserve in the Harrah's Joliet location. Over the many years , I've become good friends with several of the chefs and servers, and have never been disappointed with either food or service. KUDOS.

Cut 158 Chophouse is my favorite restaurant for special occasions. I had been talking to my husband about the restaurant after going there for the first time last December. Earlier this year, I made a reservation for our Valentine's Day dinner. We arrived at scheduled time and was immediately seated at a table on the second level of restaurant. My husband was very impressed over the great menu selections. The food, the service, and the overall ambience of the restaurant contributed to a perfect evening!

This was our first time at the Midway Duck Inn and it definitely won’t be our last. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. The vibe is great, nothing overly pretentious, but a nice, laid back, woodsy vibe. The service was excellent. I read about the duck wontons in other reviews and decided to give them a try. SO good! Since we were here for Valentine’s Day, we opted for the filet and lobster and the filet and shrimp. We weren’t sure what to expect getting lobster from a place in the middle of nowhere in central IL but it was fantastic! The steaks were cooked perfectly and the augratins were delicious. The old fashioneds were great. There are very few restaurants/bars around here that make a good old fashioned. This will definitely be one of our new date night spots!

Would recommend sandwiches: ribeye and hamburger were excellent! Shrimp and chicken dinners were overcooked and lacked flavor. Waitress and bartender were excellent! Large glass of wine was greatly appreciated! We’ll definitely go back for house-made dessert’. .

I am a platinum rewards member, so it was “all you can eat shrimp” weekend. The food was really delicious. I only ate once, but my husband ate plenty. The service was great, the drinks were good, and the food was seasoned well. We will be back soon.