Have I had better meals? Yes. Have I had worse meals. Oh, yes. For the prices the food is pretty good, but the atmosphere to sit in the dining car makes it very enjoyable. Everything seems to be homemade to some extent, Parmesan freshly grated for the pasta dish, upon request. I had chicken piccata and my guest had baked penne. No complaints on either dish. We will be back, the menu is extensive enough to not get bored. read more

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Sigh. I expected more. Brought friend to lunch and sat in the lovely pub/old station area - nice setting if a bit over decorated for the holidays (and three weeks past). Friend ordered a burger which she stated to be delicious; I tasted one of their homemade chips and thought it great. My chicken piccata could've been better; never had it before with the pasta so oily/greasy and chicken breasts were quite small, but tasty. Didn't care for either of the Pinot Grigio selections and found them a bit bitter. Dessert was very generous and a work of art - see photo off cheesecake. Probably would come here again if in the area but would avoid that dish. read more

Chessie's Restaurant - American Near Me - Barrington, Illinois

A different dining experience. We have eaten in the train car as well as the main dining room. The food was good. On our last visit hubby had the meatloaf but most likely would not order it again as the bourbon sauce was a little too much. I ordered the shrimp scampi over linguini pasta. The shrimp were delicious but I would have preferred more garlic in the sauce. The French onion soup was very good. This restaurant does an outstanding job in decorating for Christmas. It's just beautiful to see. read more

Just did pickup at Cheesiest for a couple of their pasta dishes with salads. So good! Brought to the car with friendly service. Will order again. read more

Have not been there for many years. Went there for my wife's birthday and was pleasantly surprised. Service was good, food was very good. We will go back. One thing, made a reservation via email to the restaurant and it was not recorded. We were seated and all turned out well. PH Palatine, IL read more

I didnt get a chance to scope out much of this vast restaurant since we were on my friend's lunch hour. We got to sit in the super cool train car. I felt like I needed to be wearing a flapper dress and should have ordered some pre-prohibition drink.... I could see this as a great date place. For being 4pm on a Thursday and us seemingly being the only souls in the place the service was super slow. We watched the waitress reapply her makeup and check crap inside her purse before she got around to processing our check. Seriously, if you see your customer in business attire with a name badge you may want to assume they are in a time crunch and lite a fire under your slow arse! I had the roasted veggie salad with chicken. It was really good. I got the half order - it was the perfect size for lunch. The veggies came on a bed of baby salad greens with a very light dressing. read more

Excellent ambience, great food, not many options for vegetarians and chicken eaters but everything tastes great. Couples are recommended to make reservations for the train bogey as they literally have a bogey converted into an eating place. read more

We stop in Chessie's once or twice per year. It is acceptable and convenient. The train car always smells musty but we overlook. Tacky fake flowers and lampshades askew. We overlook. We had lunch recently and will not return. The grilled cheese bread was very greasy and bacon was undercooked. Coleslaw had an odd taste. It was replaced with pineapple and melon. Fruit had a musty taste. This can be caused by mildew in the cold storage. Chessie's has a problem. We will not return. read more

We're long time Chessie's customers. Always enjoyed the fun train car dining experience and food was always good. Lately, things have not been as enjoyable. The biggest change (and chaser aeays) is the horrible smell from what must be some industrial cleanser they are using. They're cleaning while customers are still doning instead of waiting for them to leave. It's tereibly unappetizing. They also bissel wirh the carpet sweeper while diners are still here. It really takes away from the whole experience. Have been coming here less and less. Probably will continue that trend. read more

Chessie's is one of my favorite restaurants( I've been a customer for 25 years) and I'm so happy they have reopened during these crazy times! Never disappointed, food is always fantastic, great weekly specials, both food and drink... Friendly staff. John, the new bartender/server we had tonight was excellent! Luis, the manager, has a great team and runs this restaurant well. I highly recommend this restaurant... read more

We are regulars at Chessie's and there is a reason. The food is very good! The owners are wonderful and the staff works very hard to please. We especially recommend it around the Christmas holiday when they put up their amazing decorations! read more

Had lunch in the train dining car. Fried shrimp good. Service excellent. Prices reasonable. Will go back after lock down and try dinner service. read more

I went on a Saturday evening. The restaurant wasn't terribly crowded and we got seated in the train car!! It was cool and I wish I knew the history behind it. Our waitress seemed taxed with the two groups of people seated near us. Another waiter also helped out when ours was MIA. I started with a Stella on draft. My spouse and I then got our salads. We got tossed salad with basalmic, bleu cheese, and creamy garlic, cumulatively. I wasn't terribly fond of the dressing. I ordered the regular prime rib and loaded baked potato. It came on a big plate with vegetables and horseradish sauce. They forgot to give me a steak knife so I had to wait for the waitress to come back. The prime rib had a good meat to fat ratio, but I've had more tender prime rib. The horseradish sauce left something to be desired. It came with vegetables that were pretty fresh, just like the salad before. My spouse got a Tuscan pasta. Not very good. It tasted like a conglomeration of a few different types of pasta. For desert, we got the creme brûlée and chocolate lava cake combo. I thought the lava cake was dry and lacked flavor, but the first one was good. I liked how they brought around a desert tray. The food was presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner. 4 stars: decent prime rib, aesthetically pleasing food, unique atmosphere, decent service, and overall experience. If the food tasted better it would be a 5 star restaurant. read more

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A friend & I stopped in for dinner on a Tuesday evening. My husband & I recently moved to the Village so I was excited to be able to walk to restaurants downtown and this was my first time dining at Chessie's. Even though it was a weekday, the restaurant had a fair amount of people dining, but my friend & I were able to be seated right away in the lounge. The food was OK, nothing terrible/nothing spectacular -- out of pure coincidence, my friend & I ordered the same item (crab salad melt sandwich). The service was on the lackluster side. Our server was polite, but the lounge area has a chalkboard hanging near the bar with the specials written on it. When I asked our server what one of the specials was, he literally said, "I don't know. These change every day; no one has ordered that today that I know of. I'd have to ask the chef." Uhhhhh....OK. I thought it was part of the job as a server to know the specials? I was like, "OK then, I'll just order something off the regular menu." I mean what. My friend & I had to flag him down a few times to get our drinks refilled. So pros, it's within walking distance to my house and it has a decent menu & bar. I'd be willing to give it another chance with my husband...maybe I ordered the wrong thing and I'd get a bit of better server next time. read more

Went to Chessie's for the first time about 10 days ago. Great ambiance. Ordered the Linguini Alfredo. I have been thinking about that dish every day since. If you get a chance, sit int he train car. Overall, a bit pricy for my taste, which prevented a 5 star review. read more

Bad service, hostess rude and refused to accommodate our party celebrating a birthday. Reservations were made to be seated in the train car. Requested two separate tables a party of four and the other party was five. Hostess had two tables that were a six top. One next to the other, other tables were open that were a four top and along the window were two tops five that were open. Our reservations was for 7pm. The hostess argued that she could not seat us together even though one table had been seated already. My party of four was not allowed to sit near my daughters group. The hostess sat us at the complete opposite end of the train car. The entire dinner ended with the table behind my daughter open, the hostess had one table removed . So it was now a four top instead of a table of six. We were only four and could have been placed right there. But she was not going to accommodate our group. She argued with us and made sure we did not get to be near the party. Other tables were open but her choice to put us at the back of the train was appalling. Food was good but that too took an hour and a half to get after our soup and appetizers. We were eating dinner around 8:30. VERY DISAPPOINTING. Not recommended for rude and poor service!! We have been here before and never encountered this. We always sit at separate tables but next to each other. So I know this wasn't their policy. read more

Poor customer experience again. Bartender could care less about taking care of dining room customers. More important to chat it up with coworker on Tuesday. Tortilla soup had stale tortilla's which I mentioned to server but still charge us for it. Ugh what a shame this place is poorly owned and operated. Bring Lisa back and have her turn your Business to profitable read more

Nice place, excellent food, attentive staff. I attended lunch with a large group and we sat in the railroad car. Good view of CN and Metra trains. read more

We've been to Chessie's a number of times over the past 15 years or so. Food has always been good. We decided that it might be a good place for Mother's Day brunch. Bad idea. Really bad idea. Food was great, but the service really wasn't ready for prime time. And this wasn't really the servers' fault. Management put ONE bartender on for Mother's Day brunch, and seated every table in the place at the same time. To make it worse, they then gave the bartender tables that she had to serve. We ordered drinks when we got there. There were only three of us. My son got his soda in about five minutes (yes, five, despite the fact that we were 12 feet from the bar). Wife's mimosa came about ten minutes later. My drink? Well, I had already been through the buffet line, eaten my plate of food, gone back, got a couple chicken fingers, and still no drink. The waitress asked if we needed anything, and I said "I'd like my drink removed from my bill. You know, since I never got it." She said she'd grab it immediately. To which I said "why bother? We've finished eating." A while later I see her talking with the manager. He walks over to the bar, has my drink mixed, and hands it to the waitress. She brings it and says "I'm so sorry, this is on the house." "Um, we're done eating, we're ready to leave, but I guess I'll sit here and gulp this down." The manager didn't bother to bring it himself, which would've gone a long way. He never said a thing, never came by the table. We will not be going back. read more

We have been going here for many years. The food has always been good! We were there as a group just recently and paid separately. We gave the waitress some cash and debited the rest. Thought it was fine, until someone else in our group called me and he noticed on his credit card was charged my amount, which was more than his bill. I checked my statement and also saw that my card was billed way higher than my bill. My receipt that I signed was not that way! and noticed we did not get an itemized receipt! We both contacted the company and they did reverse the charges, and apologized, BUT DID NOT OFFER US ANY DISCOUNT OR CREDIT! As a business owner it is a typically a common courtesy you SHOULD offer something in return. All they said was hope you return. WELL several years ago I was there with some friends and they paid with their credit card I paid cash. The server came back to us and said we had a balance (WHICH WAS MY AMOUNT) even thought I paid CASH! SO, It took us several years to come back and now when we finally did and another occurrence happened again. WE WILL NEVER GO BACK AGAIN and several of our friends that have been there too! read more

I really wanted to like this place, but alas.... One star for ambiance and my server, Michelle, was super amazing. The rest is really sad: my girlfriends and I walk into the restaurant and we're greeted by the friendly hostess, however, Our 8 top was not ready (the restaurant was empty at 6pm when we arrived). There seemed to be some confusion so Mr. Manager joins in. The first thing out of his mouth is not, "Good Evening" or "Hello"; it's, "Are you going to eat dinner?". WTF?! "Um, yeahhhhh, that's why we're here!" I said. Mind you, collectively, my husband and I have been in the restaurant industry for over 40 years. So, needless to say I'm shocked. I say, "We can take our business elsewhere if we're an inconvenience to you." Mr. Manager replies, "That's your prerogative." Wow. I'd like to leave, but don't want to impose my will upon my friends. So we stay. As we're walking to our table, we pass Mr. Manager, he shakes his head! Douche! Michelle apologized profusely and was very efficient. My kids would've loved this place, but the food was Meh. There is a reason it was empty during dinner rush. read more

Outstanding service, great food and a very nice location. I look forward to returning to this cozy place!

Came here one afternoon, in between lunch and dinner time. We ordered appetizers (calamari, potato skins and broccoli crab bites). All were delicious. Since it was a Wednesday, bottles of wine are 1/2 off so we took advantage of that. We sat in the bar area. It's a very cozy space. We did not sit in the train car. Service was very attentive. read more

I used to come here for lunch and it was always wonderful. I returned tonight with my in-laws and brother in law and we all had a great time. I loved the sweet potato encrusted fresh salmon and everyone else was extremely happy with their food too. Our toddler daughter loved the trains and we all loved the ambiance. It was the night before her birthday and they even came out and sang her a sincere happy birthday. Everyone in the restaurant joined in too...it was great! The history and the architecture of the restaurant and the surrounding Ice House Mall is really cool. read more

Went with a group and during the day. Service was amazing and so was the food. The sweet potato salmon was delicious! I will definitely go back. All the desserts are homemade. They look amazing. read more

Good experience here! Brought my daughter here as part of our "girls day" and ate lunch in the train car. It was definitely out of the ordinary which made it so much fun! Our server was excellent, food met expectations, and atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I had the chessie's chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries- was tasty & filling, chicken was a tad dryer than preferred but still tasty nonetheless. My daughter got grilled cheese with fruit and was very satisfied. This place would be good for date night, parties, and is perfect for a new & fun experience for kids. Will definitely be back! read more

SUPER everything! We enjoyed the friendly service and boy was the food yummy! Nice portions ( enough for leftovers) and the ambiance was neat! The train is really neat! It was fun and great food combined for a super nite out! Yes! We recommend Chessie's Barrington! read more

This is where I went for my prom dinner a LONG time ago! It makes me smile to know they are still in business after all these years. Their food is traditional steakhouse style dishes. The old train car is what they are known for. You can dine in there if you wish. The people who work there are really nice and treat you like family. :) read more

Expected more after a client recommended Chessie's. Ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, hold the cheese, fresh fruit instead of fries. Sandwich came with buttered bun and smothered in mayo. Clueless staff, nuff said. read more

I have been wanting to come here for a while now and I finally got the opportunity last week. My friend and I met for dinner and to our happy surprise they had half price bottles of wine that night. The food we tried was great, the service was very good as well. We appreciated one of the bartenders asking a fellow employee to cover for him so he could give us a tour of the rest of the restaurant, including the meeting/social gathering space. I'm looking forward to coming back and sampling some additional items on their menu. read more

So disappointed. Dirty dishes, a waitress that literally rolled her eyes at us, food took 2 hours and then it was cold.

My wife and I tried this historic restaurant for dinner and look forward to returning. The servers were very nice and helpful. We love fish and were impressed with the vast variety of seafood and fish. The atmosphere is unique; it's worth the trip! read more

This place is like an Applebee's in a train car. Heavy sauces, big portions, typical old school suburban restaurant. Many seniors like to dine here. The menu is probably familiar to them from their childhood. read more

Michelle was an outstanding, lovely server. The food was good. Cute atmosphere. Enjoyable evening.

I've enjoyed Chessies for over 30 years. The warm wood panel bar room is inviting and comfortable. My kids enjoy eating in the train dining car, watching trains go by outside the window. While Chessies has several pricey but good items on the menu, the appetizers, sandwiches and lighter dinners are the best of what they offer. Try the chicken tenders with honey mustard or BBQ sauce, served with house made chips, they're great. The steak sandwich is a standout too. My family loves the onion loaf which is perfectly fried and not dripping with grease like many places. The broccoli crab bites are light and fun and taste terrific. This is also one of my favorite places for a Friday fish fry. The fish is light and crisp and served up with fries, coleslaw and fresh tarter sauce. Every so often, usually on a Friday night the specials include fried clams. These are awesome, the best I've had in the Midwest. They remind me of the clam shacks I went to as a kid in Boston. Chessies is not the newest hottest place with trendy food and loud music. It's more like an old friend, warm and inviting. It's a place you can relax and count on a good meal. read more

This is a great restaurant.. food is very good and it's very affordable..the entrees come with either a soup or salad.. drinks are very generous and very inexpensive.. this restaurant is a real bargain.. read more

I ate here in Sept.2017 and would not go back. After trying to find the entrance and waiting too long for someone to seat me, I asked to be seated in the train car. I noticed a special "Chessie burger" so that's what I ordered. The whole mall was depressing;not at all like Barrington Hills where I had come from. Service wasn't very good,and the burger and fries were O.K. The train car could use at least a good cleaning,and so could the employee roster. read more

First off, there's a musty smell when you walk in, but since it has an old train car, I guess we overlooked that. The ambiance and service were good, but alas the food is terrible. Everything was bland. Calamari was "strips", so not fresh. BBQ sauce was super sweet. Chili bland, salads bland, grilled cheese yuck. Nothing that we ordered was really good. Too bad, this place has a lot of potential. read more

I always expect more from this place. Cool venue, but service tends to resemble maple syrup coming out of the freezer. Might be some of the best chicken tenders and honey mustard in the area as well as the artichoke appetizer. This place could be so much cooler, i just don't get it, maybe it's a tax write off for its silent partner the Clintons read more

We went here for Easter Brunch and it was just terrible. Too small of a space for big brunch. The entrance is right in front of brunch line so people are almost on top of food bar waiting to be seated. Food was sub par, not much in the line of choices, food was not filled right away. read more