Visited Cork & Oats in Lansing on Mother's Day and really wanted to love the experience because the atmosphere and vibe are definitely there. It's a nice neighborhood spot located right in the heart of Lansing, easy to get to, and parking was available which made things convenient. We arrived around 4:30 PM before the main dining area opened at 5 PM, so we were able to sit on the speakeasy side at the bar while we waited. The ambiance was really nice and gave a grown, relaxed vibe. Once the dining side opened, service was a little slow -- which I tried to understand since dinner service was just getting started. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill after the food arrived. I ordered the salmon and potatoes along with a salad, and both dishes had hair in them. Seeing a long strand of hair in my food completely ruined my appetite. I politely showed the waitress, and they took the food back. What was even more disappointing was that when the food came back out, it honestly seemed like the same plate reheated because it was no longer hot. At that point, I couldn't even enjoy the meal anymore. To their credit, they did compensate us for the meals, and I appreciate them trying to make it right. But experiences like that stick with you. I truly want to support Black-owned establishments and see them win, especially when they create spaces with such a great atmosphere and potential. I just hope more attention is paid to food preparation and quality control moving forward because the vibe alone can't make up for an experience like that. read more

Me and Latrice A came on a Sunday afternoon to have brunch. The outside was adorable as I parked my car. There is a lovely painted mural of flowers on the side of the building that was magical. The establishment is a little on the small side, but the overall décor is lovely. For brunch, I started with the Truffle Butter Lobster Bites (lobster tossed in truffle butter with chili peppers and ginger sauce) and got the Chimichurri Steak and Frites (grilled steak topped with chimichurri). The menu stated that the steak came with frites, but I got what looked like smashed potatoes instead and that was fine by me. The portion size of the dish did not disappoint and I ended up taking it home to have later as my dinner. The Truffle Butter Lobster Bites were amazing! I can't say I tasted the truffle flavor, but I felt like the chili peppers and ginger sauce overrode it. Truffle is such a subtle flavor, but that said I still enjoyed this dish a lot. Actually had me mad for not ordering some to go as I had a dream about it and woke up mad that I didn't have it. Latrice A and I split the Challan French Toast. This came with a sweet + savory blueberry sausage. The french toast was very good, the sausage didn't work for me. I thought it was on the dry side. While we were eating, the table across from us ordered the french toast. We immediately noticed that their serving was very different from our order as it was cut from much thicker slices of challan bread. We mentioned that to our server and then I believe the manager came over to discuss. As we had already eaten into ours, I showed her the photos so she could see the difference. She explained that she thought the kitchen may have used the slices from the end of the loaf and that could have been the difference. That said, she took it the bill and gave us a 20% credit on the bill. For me this location is a bit of a haul as it is about 30 miles from where I live in the city. But I would maybe do a bit of planning and come during a time when the traffic isn't so bad so I can get those lobster bites and not wake up mad the next day after dreaming about them...HAHAHAHAHAHA! read more

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Just recently visited for my husband's birthday. The food was good but what shocked me was the bill at the end. For a party of 2 with just a main dish, side of bread and 3 drinks, our tab was close to $400. I do order top shelf tequila when I get margaritas but I've never had a top shelf drink that cost 75 dollars per glass. When we noticed the oversight we were told that I was charged double but final tab was $50 per drink. I think along with ala cart menu prices they need to do the same with drink prices Im still in shock of the price because it was a small glass and ice filled. Cute presentation but again $50 to $75 for a margaritas is absolutely insane. I had to honor the bill because that's what I ordered but this alone will be the reason why I would not return. read more

Cork Oak - $50 dollar drink - Wine Bars Near Me - Lansing, Illinois

My friend and I went to visit this restaurant last Thursday. Our reservation was for 6:00 pm. I got there at 6:00 and was seated almost immediately. We ordered our drinks shortly after and it was received drinks at 6:30. When we got our drinks at 6:30-ish is when we ordered our food, to which we received at 7:00. Shortly after our food arrived my friend ordered another drink and it came around 20 minutes later (I have the pictures to prove this). In the midst of us eating we noticed the waitress came over several times trying to collect our food that we were not finished with, this should have been apparent. Soon after my friend received her drink around 7:20, give or take, the manager (I believe) came over and asked us to leave and that there's an hour and 30 minute table limit. Keep in mind, this was not mentioned to us nor is it anywhere on the site. My issue was: 1. Our drinks and food took awhile to come out. Reservations at 6, food at 7, were we expected to be finished eating in 30 minutes? 2. We were still eating, buying food. Even the most upscale restaurants wouldn't have done this. 3. They moved us to another part of the restaurant, a lounge area, even still-- interrupting our dinner abruptly was uncalled for. If we would have known about a time limit we would have considered the lounge area, which is like a bar (not the vibes we were going for). Or another restaurant all together. The food was great but I did not enjoy the service. We spent a decent amount and I nor my friend appreciated this. read more

Hidden gem in the South Chicago suburbs! The building has a custom hand painted mural on the outside and the decor continues on the inside. The staff was very attentive, the owner was so nice and stopped by to introduce herself and check on us. The real star was the food! Everything was beautifully plated and tastes just as good as it looked and generous portions. I had the lycee lux margarita, it was so good I had 2! Cant wait to go back! read more

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This place is so cute! First time going we had a great time! The people are so nice. The ambiance was perfect for an enjoyable evening with friends. The meal was delicious! After dinner we adjourned to the bar area. It is so cozy! My friends and I had a great time. We will definitely make this one of our favorite hang outs! read more

Cork Oak - Dinner area - Wine Bars Near Me - Lansing, Illinois

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I attended for a birthday dinner, party of 4. We sat in the speakeasy, we ordered the seafood pasta, 45 minutes the pasta never came, we had to go back to the bar because the server never checked on us. She came back to say they are sold out the pasta after us waiting 45 minutes. We asked to speak to the manager, took the manager 30 minutes to come to the table. My cup was also dirty and had lipstick stains. They were not busy so this is unacceptable. Will not return. read more

Very elegant well decorated space. Service was excellent, food was phenomenal, drinks were delicious and they had some pretty nice happy hour selections. Great for an intimate date night or girls night out! I would definitely recommend and can't wait to go back to try out more items from the menu. read more

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We really enjoyed our visit. The food was great, the service was 10/10 & the ambiance was very nice. The speak easy was a nice way to wind down after dinner. The seating was small however; very nice place. read more

I gave 1 star because I never got to experience the food. If the food is like the customer service I dont want it. 1st businesses like this have to understand we want to spend out money in black own businesses 1st! But I called for a week put online request foe a call back on their website no response or answer when I did get through they where full. I tell the young lady what I experienced asked for a manager she put me on hold then hung up! REALLY! Just want the manager to know what potential customers are experiencing! read more

This was a place that was recommended and never again will I ever go back too! First let's start with the attitude of their staff! From the moment you walk inside the energy felt tense! This was a rarely not so busy Saturday night. There is only one unisex (1 stall) bathroom which is not hardly appropriate for the size of this restaurant! It feels like the layout was not well planned out and lots of work needs to be done to improve the sluggish,The food left a lot to be desired. The attitude of the hostess was the worst I have experienced! I believe the owner was there named Darryl and he could care less of my parties complaints! Since I asked to speak to the manager! The hostess replied with an attitude! Well the damn owner is here! Please AVOID This place!!! read more

Visited this recently opened, black owned restaurant in Lansing, IL for an early Sunday dinner. Positives: Very intimate, nice decor, friendly staff and food was tasty. Negatives: most items are al la carte and not a great value for the price paid. I ordered the salmon, which was tasty but for $28 it would be nice to include a few pieces of veggies on the side. I ordered the lollipop lamb chops as an appetizer for the table, however they brought the salmon dinner entree out before my appetizer item arrived so had to send the salmon back so it wouldn't get cold. Also, my brother's entree did not even come out at the same time as mine and he had to wait additional time for his seafood plate that had a few seafood items with a bunch of French fries for $50! There is only one unisex ( 1 stall) bathroom which is not hardly appropriate for the size of this restaurant! It feels like the layout was not well planned out and lots of work needs to be done to improve the sluggish, disorganized service I experienced. read more

I met a friend here, neither of us had ever been. When I walked in the door the host was rather short and rude. He didn't say hello...instead went right into asking if I had a reservation. I replied; "Hi no, I don't I'm meeting a friend she's already here seated at the bar." Annoyed with me, he asked for her name to still look up a reservation even though I said no to that question moments before. I repeated she was sitting at the bar and gave her last name to ease the tension to which he annoyingly said "which bar we have two?". Again, I had never been there so I didn't know they had two sides or two bars but I felt bad for not knowing because he made me feel like my not knowing was getting on his nerves. I apologized for not knowing and pulled out my phone to call my friend when another host could sense the awkwardness interjected and said come in I'll help you find her. I think I might've just sat her on this side. On to the bar service. There was no wine or bourbon list which was odd given the establishments name. We sat on the end of the bar away from the wine, I asked the bartender what wine they had and everything was met with the reply of I don't know and walking back and forth to look. My friend had already ordered a glass of white but was advised that they were uncertain of how long the bottle had been open. Given that I couldn't get answers really on the wine I asked for a sidecar. Again, the bartender looked around and asked me what I would like it made with and proceeded to name things that you don't use to make a sidecar like Jamison because they only had a tiny bit of cognac left in the bottle. My friend ordered a manhattan because her wine was really bad. I ordered an old fashioned next and it was ok. The drinks were poorly executed... we also ordered a bottle of water, a San Pelligrino. When we got the bill, the bottle of water was $15! They charged us more for the water than my friends wine. Our total was $99 For four drinks and a bottle of water with the gratuity already added in for us. We agreed that we wouldn't be returning. The music was ok. The one stall bathroom that doesn't have a lock on the entry door was strange. People had to keep guessing if someone was in there. The overall experience was bad. read more