A great anchor for Downtown Downers Grove. The food and drinks are solid, and service is consistently good. Great music, too!

Excellent menu items from cocktails to food. Not too many changes to the menu that you lose track or get disappointed because your item is missing. But just enough changes to keep you interested in what's new! Servers fun and friendly. Music playing is always awesome!! read more

This place ROCKS! Great food, nice cocktails and friendly staff. If the weather is permitting make sure you dine on their patio. We had one of the most magic times under their string of lights, enjoying lite breezes, cocktails and delicious appetizers. read more

I've been wanting to come here for 6 months. Got my first try last night. It was great. Sitting at my table I felt like I was in a New York or Bucktown restaurant. This place tries and wins in my opinion. A quick look around at the facility and I can see they paid for nice decor. Can't quite put my finger on what kind of restaurant, but it's great. Had the 'fattie' steak(wonderful) and shrimp polenta(great). Also French onion soup, and 'wild boar' empanadas(all great). Servers know what they are talking about, and check the table frequently. Will come back again. Wife and I loved it. read more

Cadence Kitchen - Seating area - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

The food and wait staff were equally amazing! Definitely recommend sitting outside if the weather permits!

Great selection of upscale tasty apps and entrees, and craft cocktails. Transforms you from the burbs to a vibrant urban atmosphere!

Came here for a wedding shower, and I will say that the event space was really nice! As for the service, it was very inconsistent. I am sure it is hard to work a party of that size, but we hardly had anyone check on our table. As for the food, it was okay. I am eager to come back and try for a non-party visit. read more

Called to make a reservation for 12 ladies for Sunday at 5pm - which they accepted on the phone. A friend then pointed out Cadence isn't open on Sundays. I wish they would have said that on the phone or called to tell me. One star because I was excited to visit Cadence with my friends and it didn't happen. read more

Been here many times over the years, including the first night they opened in Downers. Pros: best outdoor space in Downers Grove. The best place to hold a large gathering in Downtown DG. Good vibe, but it does get loud inside. Cons: The food quality is not consistent. As you can see on many of these reviews, some give it 5 stars and others say it's terrible. I don't agree with either. I've been here at least a dozen times and the first few were great experiences. However, post COVID, I've been disappointed with the food. Service has actually been great, but almost all my dishes have been mediocre. It's tough to keep giving this place chances with some of the other restaurants nearby. The surprising thing is one of my favorites is Foxtail which is owned by the same people. I've never had a bad meal there and they have the best burger in Downers. I struggle to understand how these two restaurants are related sometimes. I'm hoping Cadence can improve on consistency and quality because I've had some great evenings there. read more

I've been here a few more times since my review and continue to really enjoy it. Robert, behind the bar, is always attentive and will remember you. He also has good food and drink recommendations. My favorite thing to get here is still the octopus. They change the preparation up, which I really appreciate considering that I get it every time I'm here. The protein itself is always cooked perfectly and each preparation has been really tasty. The pork rinds were good, but it's fried pork skin so that's not surprising. Nothing blew me away about them. The sauce had a decent heat and overall I'd get again, particularly if I were sharing with a large group. The burrata preparations differ widely (which I do appreciate, again, considering I tend to get some of the same dishes every time) and I've found some to be better than others. Their fall prep, which had pepitos and pears was my favorite. Overall I think it could use some nice olive oil as a finish but it is a good option. I will continue to frequent and sit at the bar, particularly if Robert is there. read more

Cadence Kitchen - octopus, pork rinds and burrata - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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The food was awesome and it was only bested by our servers. Fantastic dining experience. I can't wait to back for Ramen night! (I just wish I could remember what night of the week it is). read more

Worst chicken sandwich I've ever had, and that includes the McChicken...not sure what chef would have come up with that but it, but the people in Nashville would definitely have an issue with them invoking Nashville hot chicken to describe it. It was essentially a frozen chicken patty with a piece of butter lettuce. Short staffed which led to below average service and over priced. Avoid at all costs IMO read more

My husband has been craving ramen, so I thought we would go try their Tuesday ramen special. It was very disappointing: not much flavor, not enough broth, very little meat, and hardly any veggies. The egg was hard cooked instead of soft boiled. I tried the house burger, which I ordered medium. It was very rare. Based on our first experience, it's hard to understand why it has been named one of the best new restaurants by West Suburban Living. I doubt we will try it again. read more

Cadence has upped their music game. Kudos! Their new drinks are sooooo good too! Excellent service too, every time.

Our waiter Karl was great and the food was delicious! However, we saw three roaches crawl from the building onto the patio. The manager addressed the table of women right next to us and offered them a round of drinks. Meanwhile, my husband had to killed one in order to avoid it crawling on his foot. We mentioned this to the manager. He not only disregarded our comment, but also walked away after chatting with the table next to us about the issue- completely ignoring us. It was insulting, and I'm beyond disgusted. Beside the possible cleanliness of the establishment, why not address our party about the incident as well? Although the food was great, we will not be back. read more

Cadence Kitchen - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I would say maybe a 4.5? But I'll round up, because my 0.5 is such a tiny "concern" and I think Cadence Kitchen is a really welcome addition to Downtown Downers Grove. Cadence Kitchen is where the old Lemon Tree Grocer is. I can't really speak to the inside, as we chose to dine on the patio, but when I did run in to use the facilities it appeared to be 1) fancy and 2) dim/good date lighting. They had a large bar, table seating, and a banquet/rental area. Their patio is gorgeous! They have some smaller tables, one larger table, and an outdoor couch & table with full service. Patio is dog friendly . Food was fantastic and definitely different than anything that is currently available in the immediate area, which was what lured us in that evening. I had or sampled: mussels, popcorn, mushroom risotto, the shrimp polenta (-shrimp), sorbet (mango), and fresh brewed ice tea. My friend also had mussels and a few drinks. Everything was fantastic. While the mushroom risotto is the obvious vegetarian choice, I personally ordered the polenta (took off the shrimp and subbed for asparagus to make it vegetarian) because I'm not a huge fan of mushroom. However, I tasted my friend's mushroom risotto and 100% I will be ordering that dish next time. It somehow made me forget about my extreme hatred of mushroom. I would recommend everything we ate! My "eh" portion of the 5 stars (0.5/5) is really only that I think drinks, both alcoholic and non, took awhile to get to the table after being ordered. That's it! If they can get that together, 5 stars WITHOUT HESITATION. read more

Cadence Kitchen was a mixed bag on our first visit. 3.5 stars? The food was tasty but in general too salty. Trout dip was tasty (and you'd expect it to be salty), the Brussels sprouts w/duck confit was a filling dish, as it contained pieces of duck. The pepper crusted tuna was distinctly peppery but also a bit too salty. The grilled asparagus was also too salty for my taste thereby lacking the sense of vegetable goodness I'd expected. My companion enjoyed the house salad and the bucatini, although the garlic was a bit too intense with the bucatini. Both desserts were quite good; the lemon berry tart and the chocolate honey cake. Our server was totally friendly, attentive, and skillful. The room has a conversation-friendly noise level, and the seating was comfortable throughout a leisurely dinner. Another puzzling aspect of CK - they never make or serve decaf coffee, which I see as unusual for a dinner restaurant. Caffeinated coffee at dinner time just doesn't work for me, and I do enjoy some coffee with and after a tasty dinner. We'll be back to Cadence Kitchen again, and perhaps ask for some guidance as to the salt level of different dishes. read more

Suggest waiting until they get some of the kinks worked out. Could be a 4/5 star place. Atmosphere : 5 Menu and drink options : 5 Went the Friday after it officially opened. Food took awhile to arrive - around 20 min for appetizers and another 35-40 minutes for entree to arrive after that. Popcorn was good, smoke trout fish dip was tasty, but I found a bone in it and the chorizo rolls were luke warm and lacked flavor. Drinks were pretty tasty but we didn't receive them until after our appetizers arrived. As for entrees, we were literally ready to ask for our check by the time they finally arrived. My shrimp and polenta entree was cold, like sitting awhile cold. The pork schnitzel was piping hot and had good flavor and the burger was great, however I did bite into a hard piece of cartilage or something. While I understand that isn't the restaurants fault per se, there were several misses at dinner. I think this can be a great place, but will likely wait a few months before I return. read more

The food, drinks & service at this place are outstanding! I cannot get enough of the Purple Rain cocktail or the whipped ricotta starter. My husband's shrimp polenta was fantastic. And check out the adorable note they sent home with our leftovers (pic in comments). So happy to have this gem close to home! read more

Cadence Kitchen - Thank you note from our waiter - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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The ambiance of this restaurant is quite fancy and modern. Some dishes were great and some weren't. The popcorn for example was quite bland and vegetarian entrees weren't any good. However, the cauliflower starter was bomb! The meat entrees were quite tasty! And the cocktails were definitely strong. The best part about this restaurant is you can get decent food, good drinks, and a nice environment without breaking the bank :) Good spot for a first date for those in the suburbs but make sure to reserve a table 'cause the wait time otherwise will be 60 mins (we put our name down at 6:30 and got a table an hour later) read more

I've been a frequent patron of Cadence since it's opening a few years ago. The food and cocktails are reliably good and the service is excellent. Case in point, we recently experienced a misunderstanding with a bar bill and once the management was made aware, they corrected it immediately. They clearly place value on their customers and as a long term resident of Downers Grove, that matters to me. I'll certainly be back. read more

Been here a few times and have had nothing but great experiences. The food is always really tasty and the drink are fun and unique. I will definitely be coming back! read more

What a great place! Came here sort of as an impromptu dinner date with my wife to give the appearance that things are normal again. Well I came in thinking that it wouldn't feel normal, but surprisingly and much to my delight, it felt oddly... normal . We ended up getting the chicken and waffle entree and a salad, which both were extremely satisfying. Great service, and great food. read more

Cadence has done an outstanding job at navigating their business through the pandemic. We had dinner last night in their outdoor space, all socially distanced but still feeling normal, almost like an European outdoor cafe. What what also nice is the new and updated menu items. First, Robert's updated red sangria mix is DELICIOUS. It's not the typical watered down wine with fruit juice. He soaks his fruit in the wine and adds brandy, like real sangria recipes. I really enjoyed my drink. The scallops appetizer has been updated and has a nice summer fresh taste with sprouts and grains. We tried the pork pillows and was that a fun dish - a lighter version of pork rinds with a delicious dipping sauce. We hope Cadence continues this expansive outdoor seating for years beyond the pandemic. It was a perfect evening of outdoors, great service and superb food. read more

Cadence Kitchen - Pork pillows - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Food was fine. The service was terrible. It took us thirty minutes to place a cocktail order.

Great experience , excellent Spanish octopus , and Crab Beignets were amazing . Great service from Heather and manager Rob and Mary provide great service ! read more

Every food item I've gotten has been great. Nice beer list, inventive cocktails. I've especially enjoyed the salmon, risotto, gnudi, and a forbidden rice dish. read more

Great food and atmosphere, service was also top notch! I will go back again when I am in the area. Highly recommended.

First, I saw on yelp that it is not kid friendly. So I Facebook messaged them and asked if that was true. Todd, chef, got back to me right away and said it's absolutely not true, they have kids items and high chairs. We went as a group of six including my 1 yr old and 4 yr old. Todd was right! Staff was very accommodating and were happy to see my children. Second, food drinks and ambiance were all awesome! I ate fresh octopus almost daily for a year on Zanzibar and Cadence's is very good. Tried a lot, will order octopus, brussel sprouts, and mushroom risotto again! read more

Cadence Kitchen - American Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Yes! I stopped by the recently opened Downtown Downers Grove Cadence Kitchen for a glass of wine with a dear friend and share widowed war stories. The ambiance is superb. It had the brisk pace of an upscale Downtown Chicago Bistro. Right now they are in the midst of a soft opening. While the menu is limited, each item sampled last night was tasty and authentic. We sampled Brussels sprouts w/duck comfit, a trout spread and chorizo balls. Each each were prepared just right. I highly suggest you sample this new Downers Grove eatery. read more

Just had the most wonderful lunch at your restaurant this afternoon. What an amazing place with happy waitstaff amazing drinks and the food is out of this world. I grew up in Downers grove and my mother still lives right in town. You are are a great asset to the community and your server Joe was the best best part or our experience. Professional and spot on about everything!!! Well deserved 5 stars!!! read more

We went in there yesterday afternoon. There were a lot of employees there and very few customers. The bartender served us a drink and gave us a menu. We never saw him again. We finished our drinks. Finally a girl in cut off shorts came by and asked if everything was okay. It didn't appear she was working however she was nice enough to check on us. We went to Capri since there was a lack of service. We will possibly come back in the future and try you again. read more

This place is great for an upscale dinner. The appetizers offered a unique variety and they have a nice wine collection.

My wife and I had been meaning to try Cadence Kitchen for awhile, and we used our anniversary as a good excuse to finally check it out. We made reservations and although we arrived 15 minutes early, we were seated right away. Our sever, Stephan, did a wonderful job of introducing us to the restaurant and concisely explaining the menu. A server's introduction is never something I really notice or pay attention to...apparently until it's done so well. Our experience only got better from there. We ordered cocktails (Bulleit the Blue Sky and Shake It Off) and they were fantastic. Perfectly balanced flavors and a generous size. We had the Heirloom Tomato & Burrata and again, wonderful. Our entrees were the Pork Schnitzel Milanese and Pistachio Crusted Halibut. Every aspect, every flavor, was just so good (the cannellini beans with the schnitzel meal were insanely good). We finished our meal with a shared creme brulee, which was a generous size and plenty for two people. Stephan was very attentive throughout our meal, and we appreciated staff taking our picture (a Polaroid) and giving us that and a card recognizing our anniversary. All-around excellent service and attention to detail! If I had to offer one critique, it's that it was quite loud in the restaurant. We definitely had to talk at a louder than comfortable volume. After we left, we were still talking about what a great meal and experience it was - one of the best restaurant experiences we've had in awhile. Without a doubt, we'll be back!! read more

Best outdoor ambiance of any and all downtown Downers Grove restaurants! The amount of seating and the entire "look" and feel of their outdoor dining is so wonderful! Three dinners, all delicious and well presented. We had a wonderful evening! read more

Top restaurant in Downers Grove!! Always love the atmosphere, food and great drinks!!

My wife and I went to cadence kitchen last night for dinner. The food the service was excellent. We started with the avocado and shrimp toast, mussels, and grilled octopus. Also had the short ribs and mushroom risotto. Everything was excellent. Our server was devin who helped with the ordering process and she was top notch. Overall had a great time. read more

This is one of the very best ever restaurants in Downers Grove. My wife and I go about once every two weeks and have never, ever been disappointed with a menu choice. Wonderful people; cozy atmosphere; glorious surroundings. Whether you dine at 4:30 or much later, there is no better place to go to. read more

Atmosphere: 5 stars. A cool vibe. Service: 5 stars. Waitress was very on top of everything, friendly, helpful Food: 2 stars. Meh Drinks: 2 stars. Really just not good Maybe I came on an off night, but I would not recommend this restaurant to friends. Food: I had the trout salad. The trout tasted fine, but the salad itself was poorly composed. Wilted lettuce, overdressed, not fresh vegetables, and the plating was not appealing. Friend had the steak sandwich. Too much mayo, was an abnormally thin piece of strip steak, and the fries were soggy Dessert we ordered the chocolate honey cake. Cake was tiny and dry. Was nicely plated though. Drinks Friend had a beer. Beer selection was decent I had two cocktails (I love craft cocktails). Both sounded good on the menu, but just weren't well crafted. (Purple rain and tupalo honey) read more

Like the atmosphere, and staff is pretty good. Caught a buzz. Ate some food. Left happy.