We drove to Rockford from Madison to eat here specifically and tagged on going to the Anderson…read moregardens. We were not disappointed! Fantastic food and service! The place is really adorable too. We just happened to swing by here once after a flight delay and they were booked, so we knew it must be good. If you're up for some excellent Scandinavian fusion cooking with some adorable ambiance you found your place! Just be sure to have a reservation on the weekend. This was absolutely worth the wait and the drive!

I tell you what, Rockford, Il is a pretty quiet town. I posit it is so quiet because all of the…read morelife is situated in a rustic, vibrant, warm cafe serving up fresh brunch behind incredible hospitality. The energy inside norwegian is contagious. Everyone is your friend. The service is warm, not stuffy. The food is exactly what you want: hearty, but not heavy, flavorful and still fresh. An absolute gem in a small town. A place that acts as a glue for a community. A space for people to come together share life along an excellent, farm to table meal. Every small town needs their norwegian!

My husband and I went to Eggsclusive Cafe on a Sunday morning for breakfast. The restaurant was…read morefairly full but we were able to get a seat right away. The restaurant was nice and bright with a lot of sunlight coming through the big windows. I had the French toast combo that came with biscuits and gravy. My husband got the corned beef hash skillet. The food was really good. I highly recommend Eggsclusive Cafe!

I've only been to Rockford twice, and I've been here twice, so that's telling. I didn't even…read morerealize I had been here before until I walked in. The first time, my friend recommended Eggslusive and the second time, Yelp did. Anyway, service is quick and friendly, and prices are about what you'd expect for brunch unless you get an expensive special (which we did not ). I loved seeing items on the menu that I don't normally see on brunch menus like halal options, naan dishes, and Mediterranean meals, all of which I was tempted to get. I ended up getting the chicken tinga skillet and substituted to get something called simit as my side instead of toast. The waitress described it as kind of a pretzel bread, which I feel was accurate. Lots of sesame seeds, and it came with jam, which was delicious! The vibe is cozy and local, and come to find out that the business owner is Turkish, which we loved to know and support. I'm also not a bacon person, but I enjoyed the bacon here because I'm not a super super crispy bacon fan. The waitress was also super sweet and provided a coffee refill in a to-go cup for my husband to enjoy in the car on our way back towards Chicago. The only thing is that one of my poached eggs came out more hard boiled than runny, but everything else was great. If I could give 4.5 stars, I would. Note: we got one of 2 parking spaces left remaining, so know that parking can be a bit tight on weekend mornings.

My husband and I met my cousin and his wife here on a beautiful sunny day which made the gardens…read morelook fantastic. Two of us had the Fresco burgers. The buns were toasted which made mine dry. The sandwich itself was dry throughout. It had some kind of sauce sparingly on both sides of the burger. It wasn't served with ketchup, which is fine, if there is something to make it moist enough. Maybe if the sandwich had had more than one tomato. I asked for fruit instead of the fries and the fruit was wonderful - strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, pineapple. Another person had a lovely salad, which I didn't catch the name of, but I'm sure the unique part of it was that it had beets on top. The final person had the Nashville Fried Chicken Sandwich. He felt the sandwich was left in the fryer a little too long. Jamie H was our waiter and he was very attentive. He came and filled our drinks before they were even empty. Made sure we were happy with everything. Big problem!!! All they had left for dessert, at lunchtime, was 3 different sorbets. Very disappointing!!!

When visiting the Andersen Japanese Garden we started our visit with lunch at Fresco at the…read moreGardens. The dining room is stunning with a full wall of windows that make the inside feel like you're in the garden. They also have two outdoor seating areas and we sat in one. The patio is structured so you feel like you are seating in the trees. The menu was average. I couldn't find anything on the lunch menu that interested me so I ordered the breakfast sandwich. The bagel was huge and it came with a nice portion of scrambled eggs and sausage that seemed made in house. It was served with a bowl of fruit which was topped with delicious granola. The waiter was friendly and attentive. If we return to the garden we definitely get lunch there again.

Large menu,great service, speedy and fast. Several alternatives, clever names. Have been there…read moreseveral times always good service and fair prices. .

Finally tried Lydia's Cafe! Cute spot off of rural, the service was very attentive and quick even…read morewith a full house. I love the menu idea of naming the dishes after things in Rockford! We opted for the Guilford Omelet and the Davis Park Eggs Benedict. Both were great. We will be back for sure to try more menu items!

What a surprisingly wonderful experience we had here. Besides excellent service, I believe these…read morewere the fluffiest and best tasting pancakes I ever had! The other entrees our table had were thoroughly enjoyed as well. We only wished that the coffee was stronger. However, adding flavored creamer helped and the refills kept coming without needing to be asked, which was much appreciated. We would definitely come again when in the area.

It seems that since we've retired, we get our kicks traveling around the country in search of neet…read moreout of the way restaurants, and finding Johnny Pamcakes certainly fit the bill The food was excellent and plentiful, and the service was excellent. I'm pretty sure we'll be back again soon.

Connected to hotel which is a plus. Very busy. Our server got everything right and somehow…read moremanaged to take care of us, despite the crowd. Walleye breading is thick and not tasty. Next time I will try the Cod. Overall a good meal. I would eat here again and will try something else on the menu.

A lot has changed since the last time we visited a few years ago…read more We were looking to break out of what I call our "DeKalb" funk since we have been eating a lot in DeKalb when we do eat out. I thought of Hoffman House, which is co-located inside a hotel. We'd eaten there years ago, and their prime rib was very good. While driving north, my wife looked it up. They changed from a white table cloth restaurant to more of a sports bar theme. Their entree list was rather anemic and just not worth the trip, except they did offer Prime Rib on Saturday. We made the trip. For starters, when you walk in there is no hostess station. The bartender told us "Sit where ever you want." so we found a booth that was clean and sat down. The seating was, well worn as in worn out. The seat covers were chipping on the chairs, and the booth seating was just dead. Our server arrived and we placed our order. My wife ordered tea, and I had a Guiness draft which was properly poured. The server brought out 4 honey buns, which are light and fluffy, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with a honey butter blend. They are best when they arrive - HOT. (Eat them as they arrive) It wasn't very long before the main course came out. No salad was offered. My Prime Rib was ordered and served medium rare, and the baked potato was cooked properly. I was expecting some horseradish sauce with the Prime Rib - nope. My wife did enjoy her shaved Prime Rib sandwich - the roll it was on was nice, and she opted for the premium onion strings, which were tasty. Why just okay? This was a place to go for a nice dinner with your family. It has transformed into a tired sports bar. Lots of screens, but it's kind of half-hearted with regards to the sports bar theme. Servers aren't in sports uniforms, there isn't a lot of stuff on the walls. The seating is worn out and should be either refinished or replaced. It feel like they ran out of money or concepts during the conversion, and just stopped. There is nothing compelling here to bring us back.

It was our first time dining there. The service was wonderful. We made reservations and we were…read moreseating on time. The food was great. So many choices for dessert. The waitress was very attentive but not too much. Definitely would recommend and we will be going back.

Excellent service and food as always. There is something for every member in my family with…read morespecial dietary needs so we love coming to GreenFire. We enjoyed appetizers, cocktails and a variety of delicious main entrees. Everything exceeded our expectations and tasted amazing.

They have a variety of delicious pastries, meat pies, bread pudding, and scones. They are made…read morefresh daily and their art of making pastries is top notch. I have brought several people there and all are impressed with craft.

Can we just say HOW amazing this bakery is! I am kicking myself for not asking what their names are…read morebut I plan to come here as long as it stays open. Sweet couple(if they are married) DELICIOUS baked goods and just overall a beautiful way to start your weekend. I love their BEAR CLAWS but today they didn't have them.

Fast, friendly SERVICE!! Great, tasty food items from extensive menu, prepared FRESH! Staff really…read moreseem to like what they are doing! Fair priced, good quality & quantity! Easy to go back again-&-again, -sj

5 stars for Jerry's Cafe in Rockford…read more This is a nice breakfast & lunch cafe in Rockford with some classic breakfast and lunch dishes with some Mexican dishes as well. I tried the Corned Beef Hash Skillet and the Shrimp & Grits - both were very good and big portion sizes that will definitely fill you up. The service was good, the place inside has plenty of seating but just know that it can get very busy on weekend days. Overall, a nice place to stop for a meal for breakfast or lunch.

I love The Machine Shed…read more We have been here several times in the past two years and every meal has been fantastic. The restaurant is sometimes a little loud but it is always clean. Our servers have always been pleasant and during our first visit, she walked us through the menu and told us her personal favorites. The slaw and cottage cheese is my absolute favorite part of the meal.

Make sure you are hungry before you arrive! Pretty much everything on the menu comes with "the…read morefixings". You pick two of them, we chose coleslaw and cinnamon apples. Also come with a big bread basket. Our waitress called it the meal before the meal. The slaw was good. The warm apples are more of an acquired taste. Banana bread and dinner rolls were incredible! Wife had the huge turkey dinner... see photo. She loved it. I had the Rueben sandwich, see photo. It was very good. The meat was very thin and packed high, my favorite. The marble rye was fantastic! Welcoming inside, gift shop etc. Nice people.