Exceptional service and great food. My steak was perfectly cooked. Would definitely return.

This is now a 4 to 5 star establishment. The new chef and menu have upped their game considerably. Don't dwell on the distant past when the present is so delightful. read more

I had never tried center cut before and I'm very glad that I did. I had the sea scallops and they were very very good. I ordered a baked potato on the side, and that was very nice as well. My dinner companion ordered the beet salad and it was quite good. The drinks were wonderful and the suggestions were great. Our server, Marcus did an outstanding job. He was very professional and very polished, and then we found out that it was his first week. Very nice job. As well, Mallory, the hostess for the evening, was a great face for the restaurant and did a wonderful job making us feel welcome and taking us to a great seat. The restaurants atmosphere and ambience were great, the decor is really cool, the restaurant was extraordinarily clean, and the music wasn't too loud nor was it something that would be offensive to anybody. I would definitely come back here for lunch or dinner. read more

Excellent food (I highly recommend the double bone-in pork chop) Staff is always friendly and service is excellent. One of my go-to places in the Gurnee/Grayslake area! read more

Horribly mismanaged, which is surprising for a Bowes place. Upon walking in the first time I was greeted by a very clueless hostess who was bordering on rude. Then after I proceeded to take a seat at the bar, I saw the dark haired male manager who used to be at Emil's feeling up a server, right behind the bar which was gross. The place was packed, I guess he thought no one was looking? The food was ok- absolutely nothing to write home about. My pizza was cold, and my partner's chicken was not nearly enough food for an entree. The drinks were good- they had well trained bartenders both times I went, who were friendly and accommodating. Nice atmosphere- lofted ceilings lend to an open feel that was very welcoming. But overall the vibe is a bit confused. If I want good food, I guess I'll go back to Emil's- the price you pay is worth the food you get there. Get it together, folks! read more

Been here two times. The most recent was after the Farmers Market. They had great wine specials and the choices were good. My friend and I got the special farmers market pizza special and also the veggie one. Both were very good. Many times with those type of pizzas the toppings are sparse, this was not the case, they were very good. The restaurant is very cute inside and a nice addition to center street. Our service was good, a very attentive young man who seemed interested in us enjoying our visit. I will be back. read more

129 Center Cut - Special pizza for farmers market - Steakhouses Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Great servers with personality, food delightful, martinis exquisite, but tad pricey; however, understandable with inflation. Good place for dates to family dinners. read more

Omg SLOW service! How long does it take to get cold bread? What about oysters? Tuna tartar totally tasteless other than the guacamole they had it sitting on. Seriously? Who puts tuna on guacamole? The tuna had no seasoning at all. Step right up folks, no one will know it's bland until they see the look on your face Oysters were just ok but accompanied with a sauce that was oily and bland and another sauce that was the cocktail sauce version of a Bloody Mary mix. Ugh Batting zero other than the parents letting their kids roam around getting in the way and the crying babies. Oh joy, exactly what everyone here came for after a hard days work. But let's get to the meat of the story: the main courses Steak way over cooked and (gasp) so was the seared tuna. Double header! In closing, it wasn't even worth taking pictures of the food. If you're not hungry, willing to wait 45 minutes for appetizers (dinner even longer) and enjoy overcooked everything, you'll love this place. It's even more special to see people who walked in after you, get their meal, pay and leave before you get your appetizers. Bonus points: the waitress is asked to box up full entrees after one bite and doesn't ask if there was an issue with the food. #HIRETHEBEST read more

First time at 129 Center cut as the vine was closed. I had the braised short rib with a glass of Malbec, and everything was terrific. Will definitely return a second time. read more

1st off don't come here unless you want rude service, completely raw steaks and a trip to the emergency room. We had a reservation for 730 (after a walk in a week prior to make sure they could accommodate our party of 8 with an extremely bad dairy allergy and a baby). I'll start here: It took 15 min to get our table ready after our reservation. 745- The host had no idea when our table would be ready. Dan said "I took the reservation I know we have it". We get sat finally and our server was very confused and had no idea what wines they "had in vs their actual stock". We order a few bottles for our table of 8 after constant back and forth with the server (Gretchen). We make sure our server knows we have a extreme dairy allergy at our table on top of it! We order our food after lack of menus and water. Our appetizers come out with DAIRY after making sure they didn't! We brush it off as a restaurant owned family.... It gets worse then Half the main orders of prime rib were raw, I love red meat and they were gross! THEN, They ADDED CHEESE ON THE DAIRY ALLERGY PERSONS main ORDER!! To add to the mess the other orders of steak were raw and I mean RAW and the manager Dan comes over and agrees and says yes those look "raw". He was kinda unprofessional about his approach. I am a manager for a restaurant so I understand stuff happens but.. I have no words! That meat was horrible! I would have never sent that out to a table, period! On top of that another order was completely wrong due to server not knowing what was ordered and she was not able to handle a large table. To get worse Gretchen (our server) comes over and makes a rude comment ( in front of the manager and our table) by stating that "it was the customer who made the mistake." After that point the customer who was a part of our large party made a comment to Dan (the manager on duty) that it was rude for her to say that and we want a new server. He sends a new server over. She was extremely nice (I think her name was Annabelle). If it wasn't Annabelle we would have left. Then Dan at the end of our messed up meal brings over 2 $50 gift cards. He makes the situation worse not better! He said to our company declines the gift cards due to the way he handled it: " I am trying to help, I don't need the attitude." The person we had visiting was in disbelief! I'm not saying the customer is always right but that is no way to handle a situation like that. At that point i tipped Annabelle and left after receiving multiple rude looks from - Dan and Gretchen- When we got home we realized they charged us for a bottle of wine we never received since they were out. This restaurant is going to get someone very sick or cause a lawsuit against them by serving people with severe allergies with such little care to no care. My two sense. Train your employees how to handle mess ups or situations like this. Two, find a new manager who's actually making dining experiences better not worse and find a new chief who cares more. Food runners need to not serve chewy looking raw meat and send it back before it even leaves the kitchen. Customers also notice when the entire staff has been made aware of "how horrible" the table is and can see everyone staring and huddling together to share and laugh at said table including the manager. Very unprofessional. This is not how you conduct business. Keep running your restaurant like this and it's only a matter of time. Our family will not be returning and I have since heard other bad experiences similar to ours. I would love to hear back from someone in regards to this horrible service. This was by far the very worst experience I have ever received at any restaurant and that goes far being a General Manager for a restaurant for years. Never in my life has a restaurants food made me sick from just look to start. I expect no money, no refund $400 later. I expect an apology! read more

My first time here was for dinner with a group of 10. It was a pretty awful experience, but the waiter was very nice and they comped most of our meals since some were forgotten about and some weren't even edible. The manager said their head chef was out that night due to a family emergency, and he was also very nice and considerate. After that experience, I figured I would at least give Center Cut another chance for lunch since a lot of people do speak pretty highly of it. We came with a group of 5, and we were the first ones in the restaurant at 11:30am on a Sunday. Not a great sign to me, but who knows! Service was good, food was okay, just nothing special. The waitress did bring out a birthday dessert for me, on the house, which was very sweet! My mimosa actually was delicious now that I think about it, but the food was overall just a little bland. This could be a great place if they just work on sprucing up some of their dishes and practicing on their dinnertime rush. Inside and outside of the restaurant has a nice overall vibe. read more

The only vegetable that is offered is bok choy. There is no substitution or options. If you don't want bok choy with your prime rib..... that's too bad for you. As we sat waiting for dinner we were dripped on from the ceiling casually stated to us from the Server, "it's only the condensation". The prime rib was like a thin ribeye and when I asked for more aujus I was told by the server, " I didn't give you a lot so I didn't charge you for more aujus. Wait.....they charge extra for aujus??!!! The dessert was two cookies with ice cream. So, we got it. Don't go there! 2 frozen cookies that have been in the freezer for 7 days. We needed a steak knife to cut it but we couldn't get our servers attention. Nobody cares!!! NOBODY! I hope they get their act together because for a $120.00 bill, we expect more!!! read more

It took a while for someone to notice that my family and I were there, but the food was amazing! Ambiance was okay, wish they were more welcoming. read more

Met my bestie here for drinks & apps yesterday. What an elegant cocktail area! Very nice!!!

I think I have to update this. We ate here this past week, and I was thoroughly impressed. The menu has been updated and is now solidly a tier above Emil's. Our server absolutely amazing (I believe her name was Anabelle....if the owners are reading this, please thank her!!) We will be back here. read more

Have been a few times and have always had great service and great food. We live around the corner and this is the top of our list when we're eating in downtown Grayslake. read more

We live in Grayslake, and have tried pretty much every restaurant along Center Street, and this is by far our favorite. Two visits stand out: On our first visit, a few months after they opened, DH and I were there for a date night without kids. I ordered lobster bisque, he ordered French onion soup, and we both ordered specials - mine was a pasta dish, his I believe was osso bucco or something similar. We ended up splitting an order of creme brulee for dessert. Everything was delicious, and the portions were reasonable, a bit on the too-big side for me. I personally prefer going to a restaurant where you can order a soup, salad, main course, and dessert, eat everything, and not feel like you're going to explode. I've lived mostly in the Midwest my entire life, with a few years spent on the west coast, and I really miss the reasonable portion sizes they have out there. I'd rather pay a little extra for very good food I can eat right there than get a gigantic plate to attempt to reheat at home. My only complaint was the creme brulee - we were close enough to the kitchen that I could watch it being made, and the person doing the brulee didn't really know what he was doing and burned the sugar without melting it all the way. The custard itself was delicious. On a more recent visit, I ordered the lobster bisque (seriously, this is the best place for lobster bisque!) beet salad, and Yellowfin tuna. Everything was tasty, but I did need to order extra snow peas for the tuna dish - the little pile of veggies the tuna was sitting on was mostly onions, and didn't have that bright green vibrant color I was expecting from the description. I really like snow peas and was looking forward to eating them. The server accommodated my request quickly, and I enjoyed the rest of the meal with that extra amount of snow peas. The tuna was cooked perfectly - nice sear on the outside, but raw through the middle. My husband ordered French onion soup again, plus their fish special of the day, which was an Alaskan cod over a warm pasta salad, also delicious. His fish was also perfectly cooked, tender and flaky without being dry. For dessert, I ordered the cheesecake, and he ordered the warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla gelato. I would go back just for the gelato - it was perfectly creamy and not too sweet, and complemented the cookie very well. The cheesecake was good - nothing spectacular, but pleasantly sweet and creamy, with a good amount of strawberries and strawberry sauce. Our server was also very accommodating about helping us choose a wine - we went through several samples before we found one we both liked and could order a bottle. I'm very sensitive to noisy spaces - I really dislike sitting in a restaurant and feeling like I have to shout to be heard by my dinner companions. That's never been an issue here, despite how the interior space looks. I also intensely dislike having TVs in the dining area, as it can make it hard for me to concentrate on conversations, and again, that's not an issue here. This is our favorite local restaurant for nice meals. They haven't hit everything out the park on any single visit - there's always just one element that isn't quite there, but overall they deliver a reliably tasty experience in a pleasant environment, and I have noticed their food and service improving over time, which to me says they're willing to listen to customers and change. read more

I'd put it in the hot and new category right now. Big spacious place with new everything. It's a bit pricey if you go all out but there are options on the menu for everyone like sandwiches and wood fired pizza's. I learned tonight the current menu is a limited menu and will change next week. The atmosphere in the Resturant is high energy and noisy. You have 3 separate rooms to choose from to sit. The front bar area were we sat has a huge bar, lounge area and high and low top tables and a long community table. The back is separated into 2 areas by a partition wall. One side has a view of the kitchen and the other side reminded me of a country club room. All rooms have high big screen TV's which give it a bit of a sports bar vibe. Definitely a causal dress type of place. The food was great. Two people ordered the double cut pork chops (Huge) and gave them great reviews. Another person had the Amish Chicken with risotto which he was ecstatic about and probably what I will order next time. I had the 5oz filet which was fine but I would recommend paying extra for the 9 oz. Our server was Sarah and she was great and very friendly. So service was top notch. Great addition to town. Well done. read more

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First time in for a light lunch. Upscale bar/restaurant & decor, which the area could definitely use. All barn wood, recycled glass and stacked stone with window that open up out to the street... Large bar area, with the requisite televisions. Bar equipped with purse hooks and outlets so you can plug in. Probably gets pretty loud in there when the place is full. Could have used more staff on board even though it was 2pm. Bartender was waiting tables in bar. He was friendly and able to describe items on the menu and make recommendations. I tried the beet salad ($12, uninspiring & bland) and a side of grilled asparagus which was very good. Only real problem I can see was that 2 of the TVs were tuned to Fox news, pervayer of alternate facts. read more

129 Center Cut - Grilled asparagus! - Steakhouses Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Overall, we had a nice experience here with a couple caveats. I had steak, which was perfectly cooked. I've seen other reviews saying the steak was "tasteless," but they just let the meat speak for itself as you should expect from a steak house. If you want a steak with a bunch of garbage on it, I hear there's an Applebee's not far away. They'll even give it a stupid name for free. The Brussels sprouts were more or less just steamed, which I think was a missed opportunity. It's like they realized a piece of meat by itself on a plate is weird, so instead of adding an interesting side, they leaned into the weird by adding some wet, green balls. We both had cocktails, and they were good though the pours were suspiciously light. I don't mind spending $12 on a cocktail, but my spirits better be lifted at the end of it. Otherwise, I would just crush some crispy bois out by the train tracks like I'm in a John Mellencamp song. My wife got the crème brulee, which she loves. Unfortunately, it was scrambled. Now, I'm not a crème brulee expert, but I'm quite sure scrambled eggs aren't, as the French say, "kosher." The chef clearly rushed the order. They also had TVs on the whole time, which I personally can't stand. It's like they decided to make a nice steak house but didn't want to seem snobby so they threw some LCDs in there for the commoners. It is worth noting that none of the commoners I saw, this commoner included, were watching whatever game was on. The server mostly left us alone, which I like but I understand some people like to have someone asking about their meal over and over. I don't know if this is a conscious choice or they were shorthanded, but there you are. Maybe it was the $12 cocktails, but we still had a nice time. I don't think we'll go back, but we drank our way to a 4 star review, so I guess everyone wins. read more

We have had dinner here a few times and have never been disappointed. The inside is beautifully decoration and has a nice atmosphere. Even though it is a large space, it feels comfortable at your individual table. Service has always been friendly and quick. read more

We held a private event here for family members passing, and the staff was amazing! From helping us set up to making sure everyone was taken care of and cleaned up after! My grandmother, who is not a big eater that the food was so delicious that she wants to go back and have it again!!!! Honestly, the salads were so fresh and yummy. They were beyond delicious and the pizzas from their special oven or some of the best I've had. Thank you to the team for taking such good care of us last month. read more

There is a difference between ambiance and concert. The management however does not this difference. Unless of course they are trying to be known as "that restaurant" you know the one where people go to get drunk and listen to loud music. If that's their goal, then they can check that box on their list. Done. If they were looking to bring a touch of ambiance with their good food, they missed the mark completely. But there is a fix for their problem, it's called a volume knob. My wife and I have been there a half dozen times over the past two months and have taken other couples there because up until last Saturday night it was a fun little place with good food and a nice atmosphere. But we were so embarrassed to be there with a couple last Saturday to have a good meal and to talk. It was so loud we couldn't hear each other at all. I called over the manager to ask if they were going to have a concert schedule so we know what night 'not' to come. It was clear that it didn't dawn on him that some of his patrons were there to enjoy the food and to talk. I will not be going back unless I call first to see if they are going to be having a concert. I want to give it one star because of the loud music but I will give it two stars because the food is decent. read more

Was out with my bf super excited to be out to a nice dinner. Drinks were a mess across the board. Then the appetizers came out, we ordered sushi n some others. Sushi was made with microwave rice...I'm korean..I know RICE! Then the duck wings came out NOT COOKED at all. I could go on and on...but the server was nice so we weren't making a huge deal. Manager not 1x tried to rectify the situation. Service besides the waiter was just awful! Never going back. read more

Great fine dining in the middle of downtown Grayslake. Atmosphere is perfect for summer dining

This place was amazing! Our server Marcus really took care of us and ensured we had everything we needed! The food was absolutely delicious! My steak was perfectly cooked. My friend let me try her rack of lamb and I kind of wished I ordered that. The Old Fashions are dangerously loaded and one and half in and I was feeling really good. I highly recommend this place and I know we will be back! read more

Delicious steak. Great salads (not just iceberg and a slice of tomato) Travelled surprisingly well! read more

After being closed due to Covid went up there to have their wood fire pizza. Delicious!! Server Adam was very attentive. The best server I've had at 129. Pizza did not disappoint! read more

129 Center Cut - $4 draft beers on Thursday and Sunday! - Steakhouses Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

My wife and I ate here with three other couples at a high-top in the bar area on Saturday December 1st. I hadn't been to this space in 20+ years and it along with most of the town has been yuppified - and I mean that in a good way - mostly at least. Regarding the latter - I'll get the negative part out of the way. This is still Grayslake - not Chicago - and $12.50 for a poorly-made Brandy Old-Fashioned with inexpensive J.Bavet brandy in a smallish glass 3/4's filled with ice cubes is flat-out too much to charge. Our table ordered a variety of food - off the top of my head I recall a French Dip sandwich, a Waldorf salad, Fettuccini Alfredo, a burger and a variety of their wood fired personal-size pizzas. Everyone was happy with their food and said they wouldn't hesitate to order it again. The space is very attractive - I guess I'd call it upscale casual - jeans and khakis are fine but my wife certainly wasn't out of place in a casual dress. A very nice bar area with a large amount of high-tops in the area. Big screen televisions scattered throughout the bar and dining areas. Live music featured a fellow playing an enjoyable mixture of acoustic music at just the right volume level. Now, if they could just train their bartenders to make a good old-fashioned and get the price down to the $8 range they'd move up a star in my book. All in all - a very enjoyable time and we'll be back. read more

Once again disappointing. Not only was there NO social distancing in the restaurant but their sushi is sub, sub, sub par. I suppose I shouldn't have expected much because their ducks wings are dry, their fries are soggy and the only mentionable thing about the place is their kitschy lamps that dangle six feet above your head. Long story short, I hope First Draft drives them out of business. read more

The food was delicious! Great sangria! Really attentive and friendly staff! Some of the best service we've had in the area. read more

One might say they're a little pricey, but it is SO WORTH IT! And in comparison to other high end places in the area, their menu is much more culinarily creative and scrumptious! read more

They ran out of both prime rib cuts and didn't offer to cover the difference of the steak we ordered. The mushrooms came out completely uncooked and we were looking so forward to that appetizer. My dirty martini was not dirty at all but was still good. Service was good. read more

Update. Don't go. Service slow and they are out of beer and out of food. Why hand me a menu of each time I ask for something you tell me you are out. It's not cute to tell your guest you as the server drank the last beer. Mark the menu and give you guests a heads up what is not available. Plenty of other places to go. Should have known this was going to be bad when it was so easy to get into. read more

The atmosphere is great, but service is sub par, and food was bad. Calamari appetizer was the worst I have ever had. It was like rubber, and the breading all flaked off. We then ordered the tuna tartare, but 5 minutes after ordering, we were told they were out of it, at 5:00, on a Sunday. Scallops were ok. The lobster was overcooked, and chewy. Kobe burger was ok. Chicken sandwich was just ok. To sum things up, way too expensive for the poor quality food, lackluster service, and small portions. read more

We had a party of 6 and all of our dinners were subpar. Disappointed again in this restaurant. Great facility with great bar but food is lacking. Service was fine. read more

Same family that owns Emils down the block runs this restaurant. Touted as more than a tavern or sports bar with pretensions of fine dining thrown in. Been there 4 times in last 5 years. That's not real frequent and there's plenty of reasons why, but first the positives. The interior is really nice architecturally and functionally. The bar area is very well done. Good bartenders there, and the front windows open up during good weather for a "street' feel like a Chicago bar. Ok, that's the good. Sour notes are the food and service in the main dining room area. Food is mediocre. Order what's listed as prime steak and you get grocery store meat. Chicken menu choices are ok, and the "artisan" pizza is good but overpriced. And most entrees on the menu are overpriced. This is not the caliber of a Morton's or Wildfire experience. So my take is definitely go for the bar, and look elsewhere for the food. read more

Excellent service and beer/wine selection. Went on a quiet Tuesday evening and really enjoyed ourselves. Will go back on 1/2 wine by the glass night. The night we went we enjoyed a goat cheese appetizer, pasta with vodka cream sauce and a great pork chop. read more

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First time at 129 Center Cut and my wife and I enjoyed all of it. The atmosphere was good. Our waitress Annabelle was very attentive and friendly. We would definitely come back pretty soon. We were hesitant to come because of the 3 star rating but of been to places with a 4 star rating that were worse than 129 Center Cut. Highly recommend. read more

My husband and I have been here many times and have never been disappointed with the food or service. Lately we have been waited on by Westin, who is just absolutely the best. He's so enthusiastically polite and genuinely caring. Give this man a raise! read more