A lovely, impromptu girls' evening landed us at City Gate Grille, and honestly, it was one of those why-don't-we-do-this-more-often nights. There was live jazz setting the mood, well-crafted Old Fashioneds doing their job beautifully, and just enough indulgent bites to keep us happily lingering. The French onion soup was rich and comforting, and the lamb sliders were downright amazing, tender, flavorful, and very easy to over-order. The space itself is warm, sleek, and inviting, with a comfortable, good-looking bar that makes you want to stay for "just one more." Service was friendly and attentive without hovering; exactly right for a relaxed night out. Jazz, cocktails, good food, good company. City Gate Grille gets it. read more

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I visited this location a while back and it was such a great experience! The service was exceptional, the food was delicious, and there was live jazz music. I really enjoyed my experience. read more

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There is a lot of good to say about City Gate. Starting with the staff. The hosts were friendly and always smiling. The bartender, Cindy, is a joy. And Yari is one of the most competent, knowledgeable, and friendly servers I've ever encountered. Keep her! I didn't take many photos but the presentations of the food was very well done. We loved the confit garlic cloves with cheese and pita bread. The four of us struggled with choosing our entrees as there were so many things we all wanted on the menu. Yari was super helpful. Honestly all the food was delicious. Couple that with the beautiful surroundings, low light, and live jazz in the bar, City Gate is a winner. read more

CityGate Grille - Filet. Oscar style. - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Very nice. Food was excellent and service was 5 stars! We had a party of 4 and we all enjoyed our meals.

I dined at Citygate yesterday evening for the first time. The restaurant has a cool vibe and is nicely decorated. When you walk in, there's a nice bar area with banquette seating or a few high top tables. The dining room is fairly large and there's also an outside patio on the ground floor. The bathrooms are located on the ground floor as well. There is an elevator to go down if needed. They're not close to the dining room. Our server was Carmela and she was sweet and friendly. She provided great service and was on top of everything. We were a party of four, and we all started with cocktails, old-fashioneds for three and I had a bees knees. Cindy, the bartender, made one of the best bees knees I've ever had. Next a sort of bread service was brought to the table, soft pita triangles served with roasted garlic, grated cheese and balsamic vinegar. We ordered an appetizer to share, the nightly special, which was peach bruschetta. It was grilled bread topped with mascarpone, jamon and peaches drizzled with balsamic. Very tasty. My cousins shared a Greek village salad, and my husband and I shared the Caesar salad. I like that they came out individually portioned and we didn't have to split it ourselves. Nice. For entrées, my one cousin had the salmon pesto and the other had the seared tuna. They said both entrees were very good. My husband had the grilled kobe meatloaf. My husband shared some of the meatloaf with all of us so we could taste it because it was so delicious. The meatloaf was very flavorful with a light cream sauce served with whipped potatoes, green beans and crispy onions. It was a hit. I had the whole Greek bass, which was a roasted whole branzino with herbs served with Greek potatoes and an herb infused olive oil on the side. The fish was tender and flaky; however, I make better Greek potatoes. Some were soft, some were hard and the lemon flavor was lacking. The potatoes were a miss for me, and I was so looking forward to them. We passed on dessert because we're so full, but we headed into the bar for a nightcap (all of us enjoyed Eagle Rare 10 bourbon) and listened to the live music. It was a perfect end to the night. We will definitely be dining here again. read more

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The ambiance is nice for a restaurant in a business center. The service was completely adequate. I've had great meals here and now I've had mediocre meals. It seems pretty hit or miss. I'm a fan of the elevated Greek menu items, although there's plenty of non-Greek items to choose from. There really is something for everyone here. If you're in the mood for Greek there's a nice selection to choose from Love the complimentary warm pita with roasted garlic, balsamic, and Parmesan. I ordered cocktails last time and really liked them. Also big fan of every dessert I've had here. Before tonight, I'd have rated it at least a 4, but tonight's was a bit lackluster, so 3 it is. read more

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The rack of lamb was perfectly cooked but I tasted the lamb shank and that was amazing. Scott W was a pleasure to have as a server. And the restaurant is very relaxed and beautifully decorated. Sorry I ate before I took pics but definitely recommend. They have a Father's Day special for the month of June that is well worth it come and find out. I'll be bac. read more

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Never been here before and was under the impression that they had live music so I came in ahead of time of my date to see if she wanted to meet me here. Upon arrival I wasn't greeted by the hostess at first. I had to get her attention.... Annoying. Then I said very clearly "do you have a bar?" She didn't say anything and started touching the computer screen searching for for a name I guess. Then she looks up at me again and says "I'm sorry what was the name ?!" I said "I didn't have a name I'm asking if you have a bar?!" She then said "oh yea I'm so sorry I thought you said something else ". Ok. So I asked again where is the bar? She said it's in the restaurant. Then I said "I'm sorry I've never been here before!" She didn't say anything welcoming at all. Instead when I walked in she said loudly "GEEEEEEZ" as if im not welcome here. Well that was all it took to set the tone. I sat at the bar and waited and waited and waited. There was a group of 4 at the end and they were greeted right away. The bartender asked what they wanted and he was without a doubt very incomeptent and unsure of hardly any of the bar's inventory. He was lost. So he disappeared on a scavenger hunt and I was still waiting and waiting. Finally a different bartender (Cindi) saw me and asked what I wanted. I then said I'd like a menu but then noticed a certain tequila and ordered that. I then asked her the price of Casamigos Blanco (2 oz). She tells me $16. Great I said , I'll have that. Cindi did a good job at trying to sell the place when I told her that I had never been here before and I told her that the hostess was very rude to me. I then decided to try the Feta Dip. It came out ICE COLD......... I flagged the other bartender down to tell him because Cindi was engaging with a very high roller apparently and well I was just a single guy with a tie by himself. She couldn't even tell that not only did I get my food but it was pushed away towards them to imply something was wrong. The other bartender sees that and asked me if something was wrong. I then said that it was ice cold. Cindi jumped in to fix the problem thankfully and that problem was solved. I was having another problem that was very obvious - I was empty on my drink almost and no effort was made by both of them in a bar with only me in it, to offer me another drink. I ate my feta dip entirely and then they took my plate even and never offering me another drink. Now I'm annoyed. Waiting for the bartender to do what a good bartender is supposed to do, I gave up. I asked for my check and noticed that the prices were wrong on the Casamigos from what she told me. Yea it was $3 but that's not the point. The point was I asked ahead of time and zero effort was made to change the price. Finally walking out of the restaurant the same rude host couldn't even say "thank you" or anything. The two of them were just staring at me like whatever. Then after I took 5 steps past the host stand I turned and said to them "thank you have a nice night too!" (Sarcastically of course). The host stand is one of the most important jobs in a restaurant especially a classy one like this because they are the guest's FIRST and LAST impression of an establishment and therefore hence my 1 star rating. I won't waste my hard earned money at this place especially in this economy and seeing their prices that high. If you're gonna be high end you better staff high end hospitality because tonight's experience was nothing of that caliber. Amateur hour at best. read more

CityGate Grille - Feta dip that came back actually hot the second time. - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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The food, service and ambience are wonderful. From the very friendly and helpful servers .

CityGate Grille in Naperville, Illinois, offers a classy and lively dining experience with USDA Prime steaks, fresh seafood, and Mediterranean dishes. The ambiance is perfect for both business lunches and family dinners, enhanced by live music on weekends. Exceptional service from waitstaff like Scott ensures every guest feels welcomed and well taken care of. He was phenomenal!! Whether you're enjoying a perfectly cooked steak or a delicious seafood dish, CityGate Grille promises a memorable meal in a stylish setting. Have you tried any of their signature dishes? We Ordered the steak Rissotto along with the asparagus and Mac and cheese! Check him out!! read more

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It is a nice restaurant. The tables were spaced nicely to minimize noise. But there are silverware and dish ware stations in numerous locations around the restaurant, right next to dining tables. We happened to be at one of those tables. It was noisy. The people replenishing the stations were loud dropping silverware into the drawers and loading glasses on the shelf's. And the wait staff would come to the same locations to get what they needed. It seemed like an odd spot for a station. My filet was undercooked. I had to wait while others at our table ate their food. No consideration for the inconvenience on the bill. And we were charged for an item that the other couple at our table ordered. Also, be aware of the music on Saturday nights. Depending on where you sit in the restaurant, it could be a little loud. Stay away from the stations. Check your filet before they leave your table. read more

CityGate Grille - Many waiters used this station. - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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I had the 4 course meal special that entailed shrimp skewers, Greek salad, salmon and dessert. The food was well seasoned and delicious. The ambiance was nice for a date night or any type of celebration. I would love to come back for their live bands on the weekends. read more

CityGate Grille - Shrimp Skewers - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I took my wife here for Valentine's Day yesterday. What an amazing dining experience! The staff were very attentive! The food was excellent! Our server, Kiki was very sweet. The atmosphere was casual elegance. We did the Valentine's Day meal for two. Four courses, for a very reasonable price. Appetizers consisted of oysters on the half shell with a watermelon rind. Wow! I had the steak and lobster, my wife had the Chilean sea bass. Both were prepared to perfection. We splurged for desert and had the chocolate angel food cake. Amaaaazing!!!! Needless to say we will be going back soon to explore their regular menu! read more

It's kinda hidden in the building. Went with my dad and wife to celebrate birthdays. The food was great. We weren't dressed fancy even though it's a fancy place. Service was awesome read more

There was nothing to entertain us while we waited though, there was indeed excellent decor inside, but I would have preferred a tv or two near my table to watch my favorite drag race show. There were no straws for our water, no way in h e double hockey sticks will I ever drink out of a glass I know someone else's lips have touched, thank the holy Jesus my alcoholic beverages had straws. I timed how long it took for our appetizers to come out, 16 minutes and 50 seconds which may not seem like long but it sure felt like it when we had nothing to entertain us. Appetizers were meh the sauces were just terrible though. I ordered some weird burger for dinner where my server asked if I really wanted it, like who are you to question my intelligence?!? Even though he was a hunk and overall had a decent The reason this place is even getting a star out of me was because that burger made me want to dance!!! Dinner took pretty long for the place only being about half full. Dessert was very nice, my only issues with the food were the appetizers and the amount of time it took to get them. read more

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Restaurant is not very visible from street view but definitely worth a visit . You are welcomed with pita bread and a garlic parm spread made freshl. We had Kimela as a waitress , she was very friendly and knowledgeable. She made a great recommendation on the risotto and lamb chops . The restaurant offers jazz Friday and Saturday nights , make sure to check them out for a date night ! read more

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My wife and I enjoyed our initial dining visit. We ordered from the Restaurant Week menu and feel like we got a good representation of their menu and tastes. Very friendly and professional service from Kimela. Wild Mushroom Risotto was excellent, as was the Souvlaki. Carrot Cake and Creme Brulee desserts were tasty as well. Interesting and varied cocktail menu, with the Oishi particularly enjoyable. We'll be back for sure! read more

Great food and service. Ask for Kay, she was our waitress. The ambience and live Jazz was definitely a real plus.

Very good, slightly upscale restaurant in northern Naperville! We came in on a Friday night and there was some fun live music. While we did enjoy it, it was too loud and was difficult to have conversation with others at our table. The food was really great for the most part. Those in our party had the snapper, the salmon, sea bass, and lobster risotto and everyone really enjoyed their entrees. The crab cake was also a delicious appetizer. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the calamari, I found it a bit chewy. The chocolate cake and bananas foster bread pudding were delicious! A complimentary dessert is fairly common for celebrations (we were there for an anniversary) but this was not offered here. Not a huge deal but a little surprising and a bit of a bummer. Service was as great overall. They were very careful with a dairy allergy and we were well taken care of. We look forward to trying the steak on our next visit! read more

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Augustus always takes care of us! He recalls our favorite spot in the dining room. The food is delicious.

I came here one Friday night, to enjoy the jazz tunes of Harold Dawson. The venue is really nice when you enter the bar area. It was my first visit, so I wasn't sure what to order. I ordered the grilled calamari which was very tasty. The service itself was great, my waitress was very nice. I had a really good time for my first visit. I ordered a dirty martini with blue cheese olives which was made very well. Then I tried the saxy dawson with edible flowers and it was such a unique drink that I will try it again. read more

CityGate Grille - Saxy Dawson with edible flowers.... - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

This review is based on their Thanksgiving dinner service. I do feel it was slightly overpriced for the quality of food, but I also feel it's worth it to not have to cook as well as the privilege of being able to dine out on a holiday. The brioche sausage stuffing was superb and the turkey was moist and flavorful. The mashed potatoes and green bean casserole were very disappointing and the glazed sweet potatoes were just large hunks of baked sweet potato - so if those are your favorite Thanksgiving sides, be aware they aren't great. There was a vegetarian and a pescatarian option for a main, but if you are vegan, I would probably pick a different place. Even with the negatives I mentioned, I'd come back if I was in town and didn't have a place to go for Thanksgiving. And everyone working there was so friendly and helpful. If they could fix the side a bit it would have been 5 stars. read more

CityGate Grille - This was the Thankgiving 2023 buffet menu. - American Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Came here with a group of 4. Wife had the rack of lamb. I had skirt steak & mishroom risotto. We also had some apps. Everything was very tasty. Wife really enjoyed the lamb. My steak was very tasty and tender (despite being one of the lower cost steaks). And the risotto was really awesome. Thanks to the waiter for suggesting I get the steak with risotto rather than potatoes! Service is attentive and friendly. Restaurant had a nice atmosphere. The only thing we weren't a fan of was the creme Brulee. It has a different taste. Kind of like a burnt marshmallow taste. It wasn't bad, just different. Sadly, on top of taste, it had a hair in it. See my pictures. Would have been 5 stars, but, down to 2. read more

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Last year for my BD in March my food was excellent!! This year for our 26th year anniversary food wasn't good at all. We were so disappointed. read more

Sadly, I wish I could rate this higher, but we were incredibly underwhelmed. The service was good - no complaints there. It's just the food didn't have that WOW factor. Nothing notably memorable. In fact, I left disappointed at the amount of money we spent because I know I could have gotten that wow meal elsewhere for what we spent. It was restaurant week so we opted for that which was a 4 course meal. The starter was corn fritters... these were tasty & probably the highlight of the entire meal. Then I had the anv.... something soup (basically a Greek lemon chicken). Typically I love this type of soup... here it was extremely bland. Our waiter did bring us out some lemon wedges so we could kind of doctor it tableside. With lemon & pepper, I managed to make the soup a bit more palatable. Main course... sliced strip steak with chimichurri. I also picked baked potato & honey carrots for my sides. The steak was just meh... it was cooked to the correct temperature, just not that flavorful. Boring, in fact. And lastly, the creme brulee for my final course. This is my FAVORITE dessert. I was looking forward to this so much. And it was just not very good. Instead of that tasty caramelized crunch on top, it had a burnt flavor instead. I had a bite and pushed it aside. So so disappointed. read more

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Love this place! Only holding back a star because I haven't yet had the steak. Went there recently for a light dinner. Great appetizers, good salads, fantastic service and ambiance. I'll be back. read more

Live jazz music & fabulous cocktails - the perfect start to a great meal. If you like garlic, they serve their fresh baked bread basket with roasted garlic cloves in an olive oil parmesan spread. Mmmmm. For my main course, I had the pesto Salmon. I usually don't like sauce or toppings on my fish, but this was terrific with the perfect amount of accent without overpowering the fish. For dessert, the bourbon bread pudding was just the right size to share and fight over every last bite. The dining room has gorgeous windows on one wall but unfortunately the drapes were closed. Hoping to see the view on out next visit. read more

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Finally made it back here and City did not disappoint. Funny enough, we had the same waiter as the last time. His name is Scott and all I can say is ask him what he thinks. His suggestions never disappoints! He knows his stuff. This time, we had the bacon wrapped scallops, butternut squash soup, seafood risotto, the 14 oz ribeye and truffle mac cheese. We finished the night off with the greek yogurt cheesecake. We're not cheesecake ppl but we took Scott's suggestion and tried it. It was fantastic! More fluffy than regular cheesecake and has a baklava crust. read more

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Classic American food and everything was cooked well but a bit on the pricey side. The portions are large and I left stuffed with food half the entree to spare. I probably could have gotten away with the seafood tower and a soup/salad The crab cake from the seafood tower was the star. Chunky pieces of crab throughout. The calamari was a bit lackluster, not too crispy and served with a sweet and sour sauce. Everything else in the tower was as expected, nothing disappointing. This skirt steak and risotto came with a hefty portion of steak instead of a smaller side portion that I was somehow envisioning. The risotto was also cooked well, but flavors weren't too my personal tastes. I'm used to creamier risottos whereas this one tasted more tomato based. Wasn't bad though Lobster ravioli was good. Very creamy and had lots of lobster read more

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Thanksgiving buffet was fabulous! The service, food and ambiance were exceptional. Eddie Merlot cannot compare!

This place is fantastic! We've been there more than once and each time it does not disappoint. The food, drinks, atmosphere, and service are all great! Definitely worth checking out! read more

Me and my Husband visited on 2-17-24 they were highlighting a local jazz musician Harold Dawson. The first drawback no valet parking and the save adjacent to the restaurant had about 20 spaces so we had to park in the parking garage which wasn't to far but if you have on a cute heel or bad weather. Once inside the restaurant was beautiful once seated away from where we requested to be seated where we could see the musician . The noise level was overbearing from the other guest. The service staff was informative and attentive . Now to the food I ordered the Basil salmon with whipped potatoes and garlic spinach. My husband ordered the chicken with whipped potatoes. The food was okay my spinach was too salty. Oh I forgot the underwhelming crab cake appetizer and the pita bread with oil and garlic which didn't match the restaurant menu at all where was the warm bread I was confused by this one for sure. The drinks were good I ordered the city gate rum punch and my husband ordered the Oishi old fashion which he said smelled fragrant but didn't have any taste. We wanted dessert but the waiter gave us the honest opinion that the cake was dry and the other options weren't too our liking. Let me not forget the bathroom isn't located in the restaurant which was shocking to walk down a flight of stairs by the emergency exit. Oh and coat check misplaced my husband coat took them 5 minutes to locate. Overall I'd return if there's music and I could get my requested seat. read more

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We were sadly underwhelmed. Not a busy night in the restaurant. Was a wedding downstairs so maybe that's why. Food was mediocre. Service, we had to ask multiple times for a glass of wine and for a condiment. Maybe it was an off night. Our first time in this area, if we visit again, we would pick another place. Hope others have better experiences. Sharing so you can set expectations and hopefully be wow'd!! read more

Service and ambiance were good, however the food was a different story Got a bruschetta starter which was really good except half the bread was burnt. The mushroom and steak risotto was ok, steak was completely overdone and the long bell peppers were odd to have in the dish. Ribeye was under and the scallops with veg were hardly a meal Overall price didn't justify the quality of the food read more

It's a classy place for dinner and drinks with the Jazz in the background. Great food and great atmosphere. We love to dance with the soft jazz there. I wish they have a designated dance floor for us (Haha). read more

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Went here for our first time this week to celebrate our anniversary (got a babysitter for our two children and everything) and were really disappointed. We will definitely not be returning. I looked at the menu ahead of time and had several dishes picked out that I wanted to try. First up was the Greek lemon soup appetizer. It was just average. Not spectacular, but the 2nd best thing that we ate that night, which is saying a lot. The best thing we ate was the complimentary warm pita bread with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese served to all guests dining there. The meal quickly went downhill. I ordered the shrimp cous cous and my husband ordered one of the specials for the week, Grouper. I also ordered a side of Greek potatoes since the cous cous didn't come with any sides. The shrimp cous cous wasn't very good. WAY TOO MANY sun dried tomatoes for me (and even for my Italian, pasta/tomato loving husband). The waiter forgot to place the order for the Greek potatoes and we didn't see him for approx 12-14 minutes after our food was served, so by the time he showed up at the table my husband was already nearly finished with his meal. So never got to try those. It would have been nice if he offered to bring them out anyway at no charge just so I could have tried them. There was 3/4 of my meal left because it was just not good. My husband wouldn't even eat it. No worries though because I had 2 desserts that I had my eye on and I thought that would for surely fill me up. Wrong again. :( We ordered the crème brûlée (which if I'm being honest was the main reason that we picked this restaurant, because it's my favorite dessert for special occasions). We also received a complimentary piece of the chocolate cake since it was our anniversary. Between my husband and I we ate about 4 bites of the chocolate cake (it was extremely dry and not good) and we had about the same amount of the crème brûlée. The crème brûlée was INCREDIBLY over cooked. It didn't have a smooth consistency like custard. It was thick and wouldn't even budge off the spoon if turned upside down and the spoon was shaken. Very disappointing. The server returned at the end of the meal and was surprised that there was so much dessert left. He asked if we wanted it boxed up and we declined. Our bill was close to $150 for the 2 of us, so this wasn't an inexpensive meal. The only reason the restaurant is even receiving any stars is because of the pita bread at the beginning and the ambiance. It's a BEAUTIFUL space. The restaurant was very clean. The manager (at least I believe it was the manager) came over right as we were getting the check and talked to us for a few minutes. He was a very nice man and very pleasant. However the service was awful (for an early 5:00pm dining time on a Wednesday/school night) and the food was even worse. I wish I had taken a picture of the desserts so I could share how much was left. read more

I rated four stars because I come here often and generally really love the food and experience. The restaurant is very nice. The service is exceptional. Today, I ordered the grilled corn salad which was on the specials menu. Everything was very fresh. Corn, Romain, tomato, avocado. It was a perfect lunch. I added steak for a protein. And it was very good. My only suggestion is that the salad was very flavorless. Adding maybe a white flavored balsamic really elevate this salad. I would not order it again because it was so flavorless. read more

Had a wonderful dinner at CityGate while in town for work with 3 other colleagues. The service was impeccable and the food fantastic. There were a few things on the menu I wanted to try, but settled on the pest salmon-it was cooked perfectly and tasted fantastic, as did the garlic spinach. I was also seriously eyeing my dinner companions' plates, especially the crab cakes and horseradish encrusted filet (both of which were reported to be fabulous). I will be in town for business a few times a year and staying at the hotel right there, so imagine I will be back. read more

Good food, depending on time you dine, service can get a bit slow with bar service and a dinner/happy hour rush. Good selection on menu and rotate features pretty regularly. Friendly staff and bartenders. read more

Went here for happy hour and the food was clearly frozen food fried or reheated. I've never had such terrible bar food. The bar tender was also rude and acted like she didn't want to serve us even though the place was basically empty. I would never go back here. read more