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Veranda Inn
Rating Details »
Categories: American (Traditional), Greek [Edit]
Neighborhood: Portage Park5700 W Irving Park Rd
(between Major Ave & Mango Ave)
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 283-8800
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
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- Category:
- American (Traditional)
- Location:
- Skokie, IL
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8 reviews for Veranda Inn
Who knew that french fries smothered in lemon juice, olive oil, and FETA CHEESE could be this good? Made the trip this far west totally worth it (on top of cheating on my gluten-free diet and trying bites of a few delicious cupcakes).
Kudos for hosting Iron Cupcake competitions while not pressuring food orders from cupcake consumers...points taken away for not making sure there are enough staff members present to handle the influx of salt-needing customers. (You've gotta combat all that sugar with something, right?) And if you care about where your money goes, there was pro-Republican paraphernalia on a table near the front door.
Cupcakes. That's right. Cupcakes. I came to Veranda for the cupcakes.
Confused? Don't be!
Veranda was the host of the first Iron:Cupcake Chicago challenge, and if you know me; well, you know why I was there!
Let's talk about how great this place is! A little further west than what I normally travel, however parking is a breeze with both a small lot for customers and plenty of non-zoned street parking. It's quite spacious inside (and apparently they have rooftop dining, which I missed) and the staff is incredibly gracious.
While waiting around for the judges to eat their cupcakes I sat at the bar and had one of their specialty martinis - the Black Martini. Oh my. So good. Very very cherry. Not too sweet, not too strong. Ugh. Now I want one. I also ordered gyros because as weird as it sounds, I don't really eat cake and I was so hungry. It came with soup of the day which was okay, but the plate itself was stacked high with the meat. I like my meat. Only downside? Not enough pita or tzatziki.
My plan is to go back again and again. My next trip? July 6th. Around 6pm. So if you're in the area, stop in; eat some Greek and chow on some cupcakes. The whole thing is kinda awesome.
I can't remark on pricing, as we attended a family-style banquet yesterday after a memorial service, but I can tell you the three basic things I look for in a restaurant, regardless of price:
1. the food was good
2. the restaurant was kept immaculately clean
3. the staff was attentive
I can't really qualify anything about these criteria without knowing what it costs to eat there, but I'd be willing to pay for my own meal the next time I visit.
Last time I went here and I called in for take out, they said 10 minutes. I got there 15 minutes later and had to wait another 20 minutes. On top of that the gyros plate was not good, it had the same amount of meat as the regular sandwich for 5 dollars more and plus they didn't even give me the soup it was suppose to come with. I won't be back.
1 Previous Review:
-
6/2/2009
Only had take out once but the gyros are awesome! I will be going back for sure.
I drive past this place all of the time so when a friend of mine that lives in the area suggested it, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it. There aren't many restaurants in Portage Park so I was excited to try something new. When you walk in, there is this huge bar. It might be a little to big for the space. Don't get me wrong a bar is always a good sign. The service was very good but the place wasn't very busy when we were there at 8pm on a Friday.
There are all sorts of meat on the menu, after all it is a Char house. it was hard to choose a cut. I loved the prime rib kabob I ordered. It was tender, well seasoned and perfectly medium rare. The Verandatini I had was very nice as were the Pomegranate martinis at my table. My local friend ordered the steak and shrimp. The shrimp tasted a little fishy to her. The table split the peach Melba. The dessert list was a little lackluster.
I'd go back if I were determined to stay in a fabulous parking spot but I wouldn't go out of my way to go. It's definitely not Gibson's but they had a table for us at 8 pm on a Friday. Have a couple of drinks and a steak!
Probably one of the nicer restaurants in Portage Park. The inside looks great and the staff and service is top notch. The food is consistently good, but the prices are a little over the top, especially in this neighborhood. And although the ribs may not be as good as at Gale St. Inn, they are still excellent and you never have to wait for seating on a Friday or Saturday night.
This place is never really busy, which is one of it's more charming characteristics. The owners have put a lot of effort to create a really pleasant atmosphere, and it shows. Unfortunately the menu doesn't meet the same level of quality. There aren't too many different options as dinners go, so if you don't like meat this might not be an ideal spot. That being said, everything I've had here has been slightly above average. It just hasn't been good enough to justify it's price. There isn't much in the way of deserts and drinks are kind of pricey, but they make a damn good cup of coffee. I'd go back, but I'm in no hurry.
I've been here once , within the first six months of their opening. From the outside , it looks like a really nice what I thought to be Italian restaurant. The restaurant was more of a Greek diner , a little of everything from steaks to fish and chicken , along with a few pastas. I barely rember what we ordered , all I really remember is that nobody liked this place. I thought it was ok , nothing was spit your food out aweful , but nobody felt really good about their meal. I know we got baked clams , which was a special of the day , they were ok. My mother got some sort of pasta with a pale tomato sauce , she wasn't a fan , and I gave one bites worth of a try before I knew I wasn't a fan. My wife got some sort of a pasta dish with chicken , she barely ate it , I declined a taste. My son ordered a steak , I'm not sure which cut , he liked it just fine , I hade to agree it was ok. I know I got a fish dish , which kind I don't remember , but I ate it all and liked it just fine. I wish I had more details but the visit was in my pre yelping days. All I really know is I probably wouldn't go back here, although if somebody really wanted to go here , I wouldn't have too much to protest about.
