Have passed by the restaurant many times and until relatively recently didn't even know what it was... luckily I do now. It's a fantastic, comfortable southern/bbq/American restaurant that should be on your go to list if you're in the north shore or passing thru. Only one visit (so far) so haven't had a chance to sample much of the menu, with that caveat - Hits were the jambalaya, the bbq sauce on the ribs, the pb brittle baked beans I liked (basically good baked beans with broken up pb brittle pieces)), cheesy grits, bread and maple? butter (not sure what it was but it was sweet) needed several refills, and the bananas foster dessert was the best I've had (including from N.O.), was so smooth and didn't have the strong, sometimes irritating alcohol flavor you can get with it, though sadly they don't set it aflame at the table (probably for safety reasons). Would recommend checking availability if going for dinner as they were quite busy when I went (even so, service wasn't rushed). All in all, very glad I 'discovered' Bluegrass. read more

Excellent choice for dinner! We went on a Tuesday nite and the place was packed! Tuesday nite has a special all you can eat BBQ dinner. Prices and portions are reasonable. Dishes are served with sides. We both ordered fish - Blackened Grouper and Talapia Sassafras - both were excellent choices! Decent wine menu. Noise level is a bit loud, but this is a very busy, casual restaurant and with the all you can eat BBQ dinner, many families, we really didn't mind the noise. Service was excellent even as busy as the restaurant was! Dessert - tried the Icebox Pie. Interesting, they offer a "Taster" size for their desserts in addition to regular serving size. First time I have ever seen this on a menu! Great price for the taster. The taster size was PLENTY big for 1-2 people! Enjoyed the dessert as much as dinner! Definitely would go back next time we are in Chicago! read more

Great service and amazing food. I just felt so welcomed by each staff member and the Chicken cabanara was so great. I can't wait to return.

Always have a great meal here. Had the tilapia sassafras tonight and it was so good...recommend the gumbo and ribs too read more

Bluegrass - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

One of our most favorite restaurants. Our favorites: Blackened Grouper, Etoufee, Gumbo, Fried Calamari. Everything is good. All the desserts are great AND they come in different sizes. Genius. read more

Absolutely outstanding! We are new in town and were treated so well at this casual and laid back restaurant. It's small inside but don't be fooled, the manager James and Server Joel were attentive and very entertaining. I had the beef ribs, which were really tasty. They are not fall off the bone so don't expect that but they are tender and easy to eat home made bbq sauce is really tasty. Now this brings me to the brisket, oh my goodness gracious me. This is corned beef (not regular beef brisket) it's a different take but oh so delicious . It's moist and flavorful it will knock your socks off. Cocktails were also well prepared and very moreish read more

Bluegrass - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

Nice cozy busy place. Crawfish is my favorite. Love it. Just not too much meat there. Portion is just ok, delicious just not too much. read more

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Second time I've been there and I'll definitely go back. Everything we had was good. The artichoke fritters were delicious. Today I had the Faroe Island salmon which was amazing. Cooked absolutely perfectly. Service was excellent too. Highly recommend. read more

We went here for my boyfriend's 25th birthday because he has lived in the south so I thought it be a nice change of pace, it was so good I love the location and we sat outside so we didn't get to see the inside but the outside was lovely read more

Great seafood and Cajun cooking. People and service are great. It gets busy early so suggest having reservations

Bluegrass' boils are what bring me in. (they do about four a year like lobsta-crawfish-crab usually a brewery pairs for all you can drink/eat ) Such a great family/Cheers vibe. I make it back for every boil I can. Lobsta b4 X-fish read more

Bluegrass - The boil are great fun. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

Went here twice in 3 months and I tell you, this is a great place. Before anything else, I highly recommend whatever seafood special Chef Warren had placed in his menu. January - had the Shrimp Louelle over fried rice. The Shrimp were humongous and stuffed with crab meat and served with a lemon-butter sauce. Ahh.......what a dish. I wasn't too fond of the pairing of fried rice. The rice had its share of saltiness from the soy sauce that I felt was not proper...... Feb - Forgot what I had, but a friend had the Alligator since it was Mardi-Gras.......... brought me back to the Big Easy. They even gave patrons some beads and other things as part of the celebration. March - Had the blackened grouper over a creamy corn risotto. The grouper was grilled to perfection and the combination of the slight spice of the blackening rub with the creamy risotto was perfect! Of course......the abundance of butter in the dish also helps! read more

Great ahi and burgers. Not a fan of the ribs. I love sitting at the bar. I always find the patrons interesting as is the bar tender. Fun little place. read more

I love their food so much. The grouper is fantastic. My wife really enjoyed her gumbo which they made vegetarian for her with beyond sausage. They even called the next day to ask how the meal was (we had ordered for pickup ). Five stars read more

We've ordered carry outs a few times since the Coronavirus. The foods had always been excellent and abundant. Tonight I had the sesame orange chicken which was outstanding. The staff is always polite and very professional. We will definitely be back and would highly recommend. read more

Always a great experience! Food is great, people are friendly and competent. Love going here!

Stopped in here before a show at Ravinia and was pleasantly surprised. The service was good and everything we tried was really yummy: the spicy calamari, fried shrimp, and jambalaya. My pama-tini was also on point. My only regret was that we couldn't take our leftovers. A solid choice for date night or a group meal. read more

Excellent BBQ and Southern Cooking! Flavorful food and great service.

Stopped in for lunch on a Friday with a friend. First time for us and we wanted to go somewhere new in the area. Nice location just west of US41 off of Old Deerfield Rd. Easy parking. We walked in and was greeted by one of the owners (husband and wife owners I believe). She seated us outside on their patio. Very nice place with a nice patio area with plenty of shade. Menu is full of good choices. Cajun influences with good variety of things to meet anyone's interests. I ended up ordering their Jambalaya and 1/2 Rib Combo. It was SO GOOD!! Well seasoned and prepared. Their Cajun BBQ sauce is so tasty without being overwhelming. They had this baked beans that was mixed with caramel and pecan blend. Wow. Without asking they gave us a free chocolate bread pudding dessert. It was still very warm. Just melted in your mouth. Very nice of them since it was our first time there. Highly recommend this place! Great service staff as well. Love the home feel with accompanying awesome food. read more

This was my first visit to Bluegrass since my girlfriend and I had heard good things about this place so we decided to give it a try. I read the reviews so we knew to arrive prior to 6pm since that is when the dinner "rush" arrives which is very accurate. It is a smaller dining area so the place fills up quickly. Since it was our first time visiting, we wanted to try as many items on the menu as we could. So we ordered the Shrimp Carbonara, Chicken Carbonara, Shrimp & Grits, Orange Sesame Shrimp, Crawfish Ettouffe, Bowl of Gumbo, a side of the creamy corn &crawfish risotto, and several of the $4 mini martinis. I would have to say the Shrimp & Grits was my favorite by far. The Smoked Cheddar Grits made the dish fabulous. The service and the staff was very good and I would recommend Bluegrass to anyone. read more

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Five stars - a taste of home(NOLA) food was very good excellent blend of seasoning & spices. Service with a smile from beginning to end. The owner actually walks around greets guests and have Conversation. We didn't have to find the seafood in our dishes like other places we have experienced, and I must add the seafood was fresh not frozen. (If your from New Orleans you know the difference) we will definitely revisit soon. Thinking of that Bananas Foster as I type this. A must try. read more

Was visiting my family in highland park and met my sister for lunch at bluegrass last week. Same quality of food and service as I've enjoyed here fir more than 15 years. Hands on management by owners is welcome to see in an era if chains and franchising. My favorite salad and terrific brewed ice tea. Pleasant atmosphere. Very accommodating to our requests. I rarely give 5 stars. But bluegrass deserves it. Plenty of parking. So happy to write this review. read more

I went there years ago and after a long hiatus put it back into circulation. I wound up a few times with different groups recently and every times I walked in I've felt like a VIP. The staff was so welcoming and friendly. The food and drinks are outstanding - I don't know why I waited so long to return! read more

Bluegrass came highly recommended to me through several clients as a tasty solution for Thanksgiving. I couldn't be more pleased. The food was fantastic the customer service is unbelievable. so genuine and even followed up the next day, with a phone call to see how the food was and to wish us a happy holiday, I have never had this experience before , amazing ! read more

Good food and good service. Only problem is the music outside. The music and the traffic noise impede conversation.

Not inexpensive but great value. Had the blue plate special with fresh grouper redfish and red beans - fish came out hot and cooked perfectly. Icebox Pie - thickened cream filling with chocolate Carmel pecans in graham cracker crust was unique fabulous. Service great. Wish I had tried it sooner but you know we get into a rut sometimes! read more

Always consistently good and service is great. I love the Cajun options and the calamari.

Some of the best shrimp and grits I've ever had. Large, well fried and seasoned calamari app, too. I had their chicken and shrimp special (the chicken had a sweet BBQ sauce which was good but a bit too sweet). It was also cooked perfectly and delicious. A small, quiet place. Average age is well north of 40 so certainly not a hipster spot! Great food and nice, friendly service! read more

Great food and service. Curbside service works well during pandemic and they always follow up with a call asking how the meal was. Great neighborhood restaurant with gourmet-level food. read more

Awesome place. Authentic Cajun food and genuine people. Best baby back ribs I've ever had. Their house BBQ sauce is the best sauce I've had personally. Gus's BBQ in old town Pasadena is now my #2. Also the shrimp and grits are award winning. I've only had shrimp and grits at one other place in Seattle that was equivalent to this. Awesome and amazing!! read more

Bluegrass - Shrimp and Grits and 1/2 Rack!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

I wish I could give zero stars but it won't let me. My husband and I came here at 5 with my two little kids and there were literally dozens of tables open. The hostess looked at me like I had 2 heads when I asked for a table for four and whether they had a kids menu. They told us the wait would be 40 minutes. We won't be coming back. Definitely come here if you need to be reminded that you are in Highland Park. read more

Are you looking for a great restaurant for date night? Try Bluegrass in Highland Park: 1) make a reservation, 2) definitely say hello to Louis at the bar (he will take excellent care of you), 3) bluegrass martini and french martini and the sazarac were fantastic, 4) My wife had the grouper and I had the corned beef platter, both were to die for, 5) service was exceptional and even the owner introduced himself to us. They take great pride in their restaurant and go above and beyond to make sure you have a great experience, 6) bananas foster...drop the mike read more

We're going back! Crawfish etoufe and shrimp and grits first time there were flavorful. May try BBQ this time. So many choices, so little stomach area to stuff. Friendly staff. read more

Great food. Personal service. Portions are huge. I had the calamari, and it comes in a giant cocktail glass. It is more than enough for 3-4 people as an appetizer. In October, they have Octoberfest specials. The pork shank is very nice with a crispy outside and tender, flavorful pork inside. Delicious. The service was fantastic. Constant attention to my satisfaction. read more

Bluegrass - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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I went here tonight with a group of my coworkers. We had 13 people and the restaurant worked with us on less than an hour's notice to find us some tables together on their nice outdoor patio. Everybody there was very friendly and helpful. About half of us had the corned beef brisket and we all agreed that it was superb! Everyone in our group enjoyed their entrées. We will definitely stop by again the next time we're in town. read more

We were at Bluegrass for dinner a couple of weeks ago, our second time there, the first time being a couple of years ago. I remember the last time we ate there we thought it was fantastic - great creole/cajun food - but hadn't been back since Bluegrass is about 20 miles from home. This time the food was pretty mediocre, more like a cajun Denny's. The jambalaya and etouffee were both starchy and lacked any heat, the "pit smoked" ribs had no smoke flavor to them (or really any flavor to them) and were overcooked. Not sure what happened over the years, but definitely not worth the drive back. read more

We tried this restaurant for the first time. Cute decor, a busy family place. Our waitress, Alyssa, was especially sweet. We were tired and a bit put off with the price of libations but she changed our mood. Our expectations of a Cajun restaurant is for authentic Cajun cuisine. The gumbo was very neutral. Same for the jambalaya we ordered, but the clientele probably doesn't like a spicy menu and their formula works for them. They asked how we liked it and I told them and they were very nice and concerned. They removed the gumbo from our bill which wasn't necessary but very nice of them. read more

I just ate here for the first time on Sunday and I will definitely be back. I had the Tilapia Sassafras and my partner had the Sunday Smoker Special. Everything was excellent including the perfectly​ cooked green beans. The two of us also shared the taster-sized Ice Box Pie and it was a huge portion. We expected a small sample size but instead were presented with a large full piece of pie accompanied by a generous portion of whipped cream on the side. The service was also fantastic and our server, Danielle, was not only knowledgeable about the menu but was also completely delightful. Thanks for taking great care of us, Danielle. I'm more than impressed and looked forward to trying the jambalaya next time. read more

One of the only places that you can get authentic New Orleans food. Their Mardi Gras decorations are super lame though, it takes the ambiance down a notch for sure. You can order authentic Mardi Gras decor on Etsy, rather than getting the tacky stuff from party city. Otherwise the food is great and staff is pleasant. read more

Great local restaurant that has been around forever. We sat in there patio during the summer months very cozy and relaxing. Staff very friendly almost like family. Little pricey but amazing food. read more