Candlelight it such a dissapointment now. I have been unhappy with them for years. and to be honest stopped going at all. However, many of our out of towner visitors still want to go there because when they come home, they want to go to the Candlelight they remember, and get their great Chicken George. However, that place is long gone, and unfortunately so are the reasonably priced, menu selections and juicy pieces of chicken tenders that were once served. Yes it was great once, but now the pieces are so thin they are often overcooked and dried out, and incredibly overpriced. Being from this area, I have been going to Candlelight for over 50 years. Sadly it is nothing close to what it once was. If you get past the novelty of Chicken George, there is an enormously slashed selection on the menu. What was once an elaborate, plenitiful 'steakhouse' menu in leather binders has now been reduced to a placemat on the table. No longer are there 'dinners', everything is ala carte. Considering this, the prices are just ridiculous. Service is a bit disconnected, you are served by two or three different people. Staff is unfriendly and seem unhappy. Our waiter was incredibly over-the-top rude and seemed angry to be there. Unfortunately we were unlucky enough to have this same waiter several times in a row, with worse treatment each time. Needless to say, our out of town guest is finally over their desire for Chicken George. I'm glad because now I never have to go back at all. Sadly, Bob and Jan's Candlelight is gone. read more

Everything was wonderful. Service was great! It was a very, unseasonably cold night. Wish more people had enjoyed the evening out.

I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but Chicken George is bullshit. Why is this place famous for lightly fried chicken similar to what you'd get at a chinese takout? And you dip it in "Jan's Sauce", which seems to have no flavor at all. Driving between Chicago and Iowa City, Candlelight Inn seemed to be a nice place to stop. And it has a very nice interior. But I'm sorry to report the food sucks. I don't think our martinis were made with the gin we ordered. Half the menu items include this silly stupid Chicken George that wouldn't be worth buying as you walk past a stand at a fair. I had the Porky George that also comes with pork ribs. They did fall off the bone as advertised, but they were waaaaaaaaay overcooked and dry and gray and dull. I literally actually had a better pork dish for lunch at my grandparents' retirement home the next day in Iowa. My dining companions also had meals that looked only kind of good on the menu and were even worse in reality. read more

Calvin is always busy at the bar. But never too busy to say Hi and serve up some really good drinks. I got in late tonight after a long day. The Bang Bang Shrimp and a couple Deschutes really helped. I always enjoy the chicken George and Jan sauce. I had a Ribeye/ Rare last week and it was perfect. The salad and breadsticks are top shelf. read more

Came here on a recommendation and told I had to try the Chicken George. Very yummy dish with a huge serving. The sauce, a restaurant specialty similar to a yogurt-based honey mustard, gives a nice twist. Friendly staff and nice decor. read more

Visited this spot a few weeks ago and I'm still thinking about how sweet Courtney was! She left an impression that was so positive, I'd travel back just to request her to be my server! Food was delicious but this review is for her customer service! read more

I took my 93-year-old dad and an 88-year-old friend of his to dinner at Candlelight Inn in Rock Falls! From the moment I pulled up under the awning with multiple employees helping me with my dad and his walker, getting him seated in his chair, the wonderful waitress, the delicious prime rib, multiple employees helping us out the door, and even helping my dad into the car! I really cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for their kindness, and the most wonderful prime rib I've ever had! Dad had been craving prime rib for a week, and so he was thrilled! read more

There is no discernible difference in the food at this location versus the location in Sterling. I happen to prefer this location due to it's proximity to local hotels and the Interstate. Plus I just like this facility's layout a bit better. As a person who grew up in the area, now living elsewhere, my kids insist on me bringing home an order of Chicken George for them. They have take-out orders by the pound that come in a box, making them all the more easy to take along on the plane. It's not as good as dining in on piping hot Chicken George but it's the next best thing. read more

The house made Cucumber dressing was the perfect topping for the very fresh side salad. What can I say about the Chicken George that everyone else hasn't said.... Nothing, It's the flipping bomb !!! The Jan sauce is the perfect dipping sauce. Services by Kyle was great, and the atmosphere is very nice and warming. Next time I will try the crab cake, Bang Bang shrimp and a Ribeye. read more

From the outside this looked like just another cheap restaurant next to a highway motel. But wow was it upscale on the inside, we were definitely surprised by everything, the atmosphere, the cleanliness, the food, the service, everything was top notch. We had never tried Chicken George, so asked the server about it while she took our drink orders. When she brought out our appetizer she also brought us samples of the Chicken George. I had the prime rib and she had wings. The food was excellent, service was attentive without being overbearing... just can't say enough about this place. read more

After a year of not dining out, my family decided to treat ourselves to the Candlelight. We've been coming here for years! As always the food was excellent along with the service. The only disappointment was that the menu is now alacarte. Now there is a separate charge for every side. For example-Previously a side salad and potato were included with the majority of the dinners . When one or two sides are added to each entre, the meal becomes relatively expensive causing some in my party to hesitate ordering a side. I realize it's been a tough year due to Covid-19, but we felt that the change to alacarte was unnecessary. (We understand and would have no objection for a modest price increase for a traditional entre with sides.) Bottom line - still a restaurant with great food! read more

Kin was great! Even though it was busy she still provided great service, definitely recommend coming!

Candlelight is always on the top of my list when I come back to town to visit family. Yes, we all love the Chicken George but there is so much more to enjoy! I love the Quinoa Power Salad and when I want comfort food, the Hot Prime Rib open faced sandwich is to die for! The Chef is always adding elevated and new items to the menu which is such a treat for a small town. The staff always makes you feel at home with a welcoming smile and attentive service. Candlelight is clean, well maintained, and definitely the nicest and best restaurant for miles. read more

This 5 star rating is for a great server!! I can't say enough about the way she treats customers like they are her family! The smile she has on her face makes it seem like a wonderful place to work! I always ask for her when I visit!! WAY TO GO Courtney!! Keep up the great work!! read more

Visiting from out of state, first time to Illinois. A recommendation was given for the Inn and a great recommendation it was! Seated quickly although the parking lot was full. Evidently they have rooms to host gatherings because two private parties were happening! I read about their Chicken George story on the web and planned on ordering it. My son, a local, ordered Chicken George. I knew I could sample it so I checked the menu. Ordered Prime Stack and horderves consisting of French Onion Soup and Cheese Curds to share. Absolutely loved the soup, already went back and ordered the soup to go! Cheese Curds we're crunchy, hot and the cheese melts in your mouth! I am not a big eater but I elbowed my way in to get more bites of those tasty nuggets before they were devoured. Now to the main course... Prime Stack... Great name, defines it perfectly. Hearty serving of buttery smooth mashed potatoes with sliced prime meat piled on and topped with crunchy fried onions. The combination is a great match, the crunch and the smooth potatoes and great meat was to die for! Chicken George did live up to all reviews, the Jan Sauce dip was sweet and paired perfectly! Now for the service.. Almost impossible but it topped the food. Courtney served us and was pleasant and attentive.( Not too attentive, I am not a fan of the server hanging out or constantly interrupting my meal.) She and the food made it a wonderful visit and I will be the one recommending the Inn to everyone and as they say, " I'll be back!! Thanks so much for the great experience. read more

Great food and nice people working there. I didn't know it was already well known when I looked it up on Yelp but now I know why.

Great Food, Great experience! We got the Large family dinner of George's chicken and 6 sides. The food was all delicious, my only comment is that the sides are small and if I had known I would have gotten double of 3 instead of 6 sides. We will be back!! read more

Candlelight Inn - Large family dinner - Steakhouses Near Me - Rock Falls, Illinois

Love, love the chicken george. 1st time here. Friend of mine loves ty his place and I can see why. Great ambiance. Huge portions. 1 lb of chicken tenders in an order. Next time we will order the appetizer size which is 1/2 lb. Still more than generous. We will definitely be back. read more

Its terrible seafood linguine is macaroni and cheese(Kraft) and coleslaw was gross won't go back

Has the best Chicken George! Kim is the best server, friendly and prompt!

First time here and wow was it awesome. I'm traveling out of town and a good home cooked taste was exactly what I needed. Had the meatloaf and potatoes that was out of this world! Real potatoes! The ambience is so quaint and staff were just wonderful. We will definitly be back again! read more

Carry out chicken George is excellent. Prime rib is top of the line. Good service with quick seating!!!

Great service and wonderfully clean water glasses. Chicken stripes were cold and tough......1p.m. onion rings about the same...... should have done a fast food restaurant read more

The food was amazing! We tried the chicken George buffalo style and the onion rings, the service from Renée was absolutely incredible. We were on our way back to Chicago from Iowa and this place got our attention. Definitely a must! read more

Candlelight Inn - Delicious Chicken George and onion rings - Steakhouses Near Me - Rock Falls, Illinois

i order pick up from this place since i was stuck in Rock Falls for a business trip. Since ive been told that this was the nicest restaurant in the town, i was shocked at the food. i ordered the baked cod with mashed potato and side salad. The cod was dry and flavorless. The mashed potato had no flavor and tasted like powder. The salad was the best thing, however, thats not saying much since it was miniscule and seemed like it came from a instant salad bag. I ordered the strawberry shortcake...... however I was unaware that it meant I would receive a frozen piece of dry cake. I will definitely not be patronizing this restaurant anymore. I would rather grab food from a fast food chain at half the price and better quality. read more

Wonderful ambiance! 1.99 jumbo margaritas! Great deal! Must get the breaded cauliflower, and chicken george! Huge portions but for a great value read more

This is right off the interstate. I eat here regularly and love their food. The best thing on the menu, and what they are known for, is their "Chicken George" and its accompanying "Jan Sauce." My second favorite entrée is their Chef Salad. I sometimes get their Fettuccine Alfredo, but its nothing special. read more

The restaurant atmosphere was very nice portion size are better than average price is average and the service was great I would come here again. read more

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We had a long drive from St.Louis to Rock Falls, IL, for our Nephew's wedding. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the service and the food at The Candlelight Inn! Great beer selection, fine wines and wonderful food. My Crab Cakes were delicious and Debbie's Surf & Turf w/ scallops and rare beef was fantastic. Try an appetizer order of the Chicken George too! read more

I have been going to this restaurant for about 7 years. I was there again today and had another excellent meal. Their specialty is "Chicken George" and even though I eat big, I cannot finish an order of this signature dish. It is a pile of portions of chicken breast in a very light and tender breading, with a secret sauce on the side, that is kinda like honey mustard. The restaurant is always clean, the service is excellent - I love that all the servers have electronic PDAs and tiny printers right on their person, so they always get the orders exactly right! Dinners include the salad, and a side, and coffee, etc.The food comes out fast, too. Excellent flavor and value. Give them a try! read more

Amazing place! We were looking for a place to eat but had our Lab worth us in the car. We ran in asking if there was a seat open close to a windows so that we could keep any eye on our doggie. The manager helped in a split second. He ran outside and reserved a place to park right up front for us. Right inside there was our table with the perfect view of our car. So accommodating! Left car running to keep doggie cool and our hot food was ready in a few minutes. read more

Candlelight is amazing!!! You must try the chicken with the special sauce - this is by far the best thing you can get on the menu! The service is always fast and there's a drive thru! read more

This place is a gem. I was traveling through the area with friends when we stopped here. The hot beef sandwich was excellent. The beef was very tender. The waitstaff was great and the atmosphere very nice. Well worth another visit if in the area. read more

Candlelight Inn - Hot Beef Sandwich. Delicious! - Steakhouses Near Me - Rock Falls, Illinois

Quality has dropped so far in the past year. The chicken George is over cooked and the salads were a 11$ iceberg lettuce salad. Casey's down the road has been making better chicken and salad. read more

While traveling cross country we found this place on Yelp, and decided to stop here. Come on, who wouldn't with a name like Candlelight Inn, good reviews, steaks and photos of a cozy fireplace. After reviewing the menu and deciding against the steaks since they were very pricey, we chose items off the special menu, my friend having a breaded pork cutlet and I had the pork chop with a fruity chutney. When we finally got our food, after a long wait with some bad (recommended) wine, my friends pork was just down right awful, with the breading hard as a rock and without flavor. And my chop was way over cooked, dry and lifeless! The chutney, if you could call it that was basically a mushy applesauce like topping, also void of flavor. We should have known better when we saw the cover of the menu bragging about how they buy from SYSCO, aka, "throw if off the back of the truck into the fryer" company. Ugh, I won't be returning here EVER! read more

This place is a cross between fine dining and a grille, I think the only reason they are still open is because the original restaurant was very popular locally for the Chicken George, and they are right next to the big hotels. I am sure most of the good ratings are from locals that have been visiting the restaurant for years. However over the years I think they have fallen short trying to turn them self into a chain restaurant opening new ones. Some of the major disappointments are, Instant Mashed Potato's, stemmed veggies taste bland and mute of all flavor, all fried food seems rushed or hurried and the flavor has gone bland. The Chicken George is either cooked to long or not long enough, the seafood is disappointing and the only thing good about the salad is the breadstick. It doesn't feel like it has been made with the same passion as it once was. The only good thing I have had there in the past 5 years has been their steaks, and even those seem to be lacking over the last year or two. The menu is also very pricey, It's disappointing the direction this restaurant is taking, it's nothing like the original one once was when I was a kid. read more

Grabbed this restaurant off GPS heading to Iowa. Cozy atmosphere, clean..very welcoming feel. Ordered the shrimp and George chicken which came with 2 sides...I chose the cottage cheese and salad. Salad arrived with freshly baked bread stick, warm and soft...yum! The menu stated that the George chicken was known thing of theirs. OMG delicious!!! Jan's sauce that came with meal for dipping, omg double delicious!!! My boyfriend got the shrimp alfredo..which had lobster, scallops, and shrimp. The scallops were best cooked scallops I've ever taste. Kudos to the chef!!! And last but not least..our waitress lexie was awesome!! read more

Great place if you're traveling through. Good food, good portions, good prices and great service. See Calvin at the bar and try the chicken George! read more

We are on a mother/daughter trip. I asked a local for recommendations for dinner. She strongly recommended this place & I'm glad we took her advice. I ordered the queen prime rib w/ broccoli cauliflower and Cesar salad the portions are large. I couldn't eat it all. I would love to see a princess cut. Mother opted for the Blackened tilapia over rice - house salad and creme brûlée. She enjoyed her meal she said the rice was cooked perfect not sticky. Her creme brûlée was ok. The top was torched table side with was fun to watch, but it didn't live up to the pageantry. The custard was a bit loose and the top didn't have that crisp crack. Over all we had a great meal. The restaurant has a great feel. It is large but the booths are tall and you feel like you have a private table. Definitely a place to go. read more

Very consistent. Chicken George is the specialty, and while it's good, I generally choose their tilapia. Their wild rice is also really good. I once got a golden Oreo dessert which was absolutely amazing, but haven't seen that offered in a while. I eat here at least monthly for work, and have never had a bad experience, at either Sterling or RF locations. read more