Sue P.

Visited today! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great atmosphere![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Drinks were delicious as were the small plates- our table had the charcuterie as well as crab stuffed shrimp, cheese bread as well as several other plates! Stuffed crab was a bit off but otherwise everything was really good. Drinks were creative l, unique and garnished well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant was clean and decorated well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I will go back for sure!

Chris H.

We've been to Jude's for both dinner and breakfast, and each visit has been excellent. The portions were generous, and the food was delicious. For dinner, the tapas selection was the perfect mix of flavors and variety. Our breakfast was smaller but just as enjoyable. Overall, a wonderful experience every time!

Ashley H.

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Incredible, cozy, delicious![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] First off if you have the chance to sit at the bar and have bubbles wait on you well then you are one very lucky person! She's so friendly and is a true mixologist! Her drinks are so delicious I didn't want to leave! The menu is incredible with food from around the world! We didn't get to eat much because we just dropped in for a quick drink but next time we plan to eat more! Look at these beautiful drinks! Cheers - thank you bubbles

Jane O.

Well service was fine. I came in after the lunch rush so it should have been, and was attentive. Had a glass of wine after a busy day of running here and there doing this and that, around 3ish. Thought I would have a little food to go with it, so I ordered the pirogies. I was very disappointed. I expected something like comfort food but got pirogies that tasted like frozen Mrs T's I think they are, and worse, they were soaked in oil. Mushy through and through, and the onions and bacon in enough oil to swim the backstroke. I have to say I had to decline after one bite and after briefly thinking I could put them on top the bits of shredded lettuce and carrot to sorta drain the oil and soak it up. But no. I'm pretty sure the lettuce was meant to accompany it as food to be eaten, not as a paper towel. Anyway, when I got home I tried to look at the menu again and check the price on the wine, since it was a large pour but like $15, which I guess is kinda the price now days, but almost $15 for wine and almost $20 with tip is just kinda silly imo. I also noticed that the website said "now hiring". Since the servers were there and taking care of people, and the food was not so great I'm guessing they need a chef.

Mary P.

Wow! People have raved about Jude's and for good reason! Great menu with unique items! Fabulous cocktail menu. I had the Singapore sling which was fabulous Great service with helpful and fun servers! Molly was terrific. Parking can be a challenge but definitely worth a short walk. Definitely a must see! Great for a first date or date night!

Heather M.

This is an awesome little hidden gem in downtown Crystal Lake. The ambience was very nice including the patio area I was seated at. The restaurant has a cool vibe to it. The waitress was very sweet, accommodating and attentive. There are ample cocktails to choose from. The watermelon cocktail was very good and a larger pour. The honey lemon cocktail was interesting. The regular old-fashioned was delicious. The menu is very eclectic from around the world, but really cool. The chicken with prosciutto, red peppers and cheese was very good. Also the Indian chicken tiki dish had the right amount of spice to it and very flavorful. The poutine fries from the Canadian area were ok. Cary Ale House makes a better one. Overall, this is a fantastic place and I highly recommend it! I will definitely be back! Jude's definitely earned their five stars!

De'Laka B.

Beautiful sunny day to be at Jude's. Started with a strawberry mojito which was decent. The spicy ramen appetizer not so much. It wasn't noodles in a spicy broth, rather noddles in a spicy general tso sauce. Not great. Service was stellar.

Steven J.

Jude's is an interesting spot located in Downtown Crystal Lake serving cocktails and small plates in a cozy, upscale setting. We were starving after a hike and the menu sounded appealing, so we thought, why not! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere is definitely the selling point here-- charming and fancy but not overly snooty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was subpar-- our server was friendly but we didn't see much of her. The place was nearly empty so I'm not too sure why she was so inconsistent. The food was a mixed bag. We split 4 plates, and some were good and some were not. The first plate was Papadums-- a crispy Indian flatbread with various dipping sauces. This dish was complementary, and we thought it was pretty good. We also ordered Falafel, which we thought was decent, but pretty dry. We also got Thai Peanut Chicken Kabobs, which was our favorite-- very tasty and the noodles had a good kick. Finally, the fourth dish ordered was the Alligator Bites-- which were dry and barely had any meat in them. I'm not sure if we would come back-- it seems like one of those places that looks good online but is rather underwhelming in person.

Mary W.

Would a wonderful find in crystal lake. Now crystal lake have many places to eat. We are going to check out many in the next few months. This is the first. And so kind we did. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Hubby and myself really enjoyed this quant Cosy restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We booked over the phone. [[HIGHLIGHT]]But it was quite noisy and the host wrote down the wrong name.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] But she remembered the call. Its not a large place so I would recommend you book a table. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There was definitely more noisy in the bar area.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]We were seated in the back room. Table and chairs are close to each other, which we don't mind. Its a good way to meet people[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Our server was very nice. And all stuff were friendly. We were told the owner is from England. Which explains the international menu. Everyone gets a basket of Popadums. Then from there it's small plates to share. If you like Gin, this is a place for you. But cocktails. Beer, wine are also available. The food is excellent. Only one small thing. I think my Shepherds pie is better. I'm British and have made many a Shepherd pie. But it's personnel taste. We both enjoyed this place and will be going back. It's in my top 5 places. . Give it a try. Local independent restaurant give thier all.

Laura S.

This is a really cute bar / restaurant serving international cuisine - tapas style. Their plating is very nice. The bar is fully stocked with good liquor. The seating is nice with high back chairs and tables in the bar, and tables in the back restaurant. Kitchen is semi open. There is a side patio opened in nice weather and a garage style door that opens in front with seating pouring out to the side walk - love this! A nice place for a date or special evening out. Note that they require a reservation. The medallions were delicious, pirogies were good. Lamb skewers were ok, but tasted like ground lamb. Duck frites were good if you like smothered fries. To be completely honest, I reserved comfortable seating for 2 (1 of us using a cane) to celebrate an event. They shoved us in the furthest, smallest table in the back of the restaurant next to the dirty dish trays and waitress station which was very uncomfortable. I asked for a different table including a high back as they had several available. The hostess debated why she could not seat us in a different location. So disappointing. We decided to leave, meanwhile the hostess kept up her whining about where we could sit and how she really tried to find us the best table. (What?). Perhaps she needs to understand hospitality and providing positive experiences. We decided to sit ourselves at the bar and have a drink and something to eat. Here we were treated with kindness by the bartender. I enjoyed talking with him and watching him make spectacular cocktails. The experience with him made our evening much better, however it lacked the intimacy of good conversation with my friend. The bartender who took the food order ended up bringing us 2 dishes we did not order and didn't place a dessert. When we stated we didn't order the items, there was no response. It's difficult to spend over $100 and have these experiences. I'd like to try to go back for a new experience, not have to deal with the hostess and to sit at a table..

Beth A.

This is a great restaurant/bar in Crystal Lake! We came here to try their tapas style/small plate dishes, and had crispy Peking duck (so good that we got 2), lollipop chicken bbq, orange chicken, Thai peanut chicken kabobs, pinchos ribs, and duck confit poutine. My husband enjoyed the spiciness and flavor to the Thai peanut chicken kabobs and the orange chicken. My personal favorite was the crispy Peking duck. For two hungry adults, 6-7 plates was plenty of food for us. The service was excellent, with the dishes coming out within 5-10 minutes of us ordering. They recommended ordering 2-3 at a time, which provided a good flow to the meal. We didn't try any drinks this time, but now knowing their food is great, we will be back!