We had dinner in downtown Naperville last weekend and passed Lennon's on our post dinner stroll. It looked like the place to be so this weekend we made our way back to check it out. From my understanding, the restaurant has three levels: level one is for small plates, level two is for small events, and level three is intimate fixed-prix meals. We sat on the first floor in the way back next to the dessert bar. The AC was on full blast which was a bit uncomfortable but everything else was great. Our server, Nick, was excellent. We started with the tuna tower and goat cheese. The tuna tower was good but nothing super special. The goat cheese was a home run hit though! The combo of goat cheese sitting in the arrabbiata sauce was so flavorful and paired so well with the fresh focaccia slices. I ordered the char-grilled octopus as my meal and my partner had the fried chicken. We were both shocked when the fried chicken arrived. It was a HUGE portion and my partner said it tasted great! We also got dessert on the house for our anniversary- we chose the apple tarte tatin which was a more unique dessert. Basically it was a Granny Smith apple with a chocolate core wrapped in pie crust and paired with a scoop of ice cream. read more

Lennon's - Spicy Tuna Tower - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Unfortunately, my experience at Lennons didn't quite meet my expectations. From the pictures online, the marketing, and overall brand identity, I expected to really like Lennon's. They even promote their upstairs "lounge" which I was super excited about (thinking it's a place to sit and drink). Well, the first drink I ordered was a total flop. What was supposed to be crafted cocktail tasted more like something I'd get from a sports bar. I went with a cosmo for my second, thinking there's no way that could be messed up, but again, it just tasted cheap to me. The star of dinner was the chicken & cauliflower appetizer. It was tender and flavorful, with a kick from the chili glaze. The short rib was tender, but tasted like salt more than anything. Now to the "lounge"... we were told the lounge was located on the second floor. When we walked up, all we saw was a bar with a worker sitting there working (not making drinks). This lounge seems to be a small space that can be rented out for private events. Overall, not impressed. I don't have reason to go back read more

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I was really looking forward to dining at Lennon's based on its reputation and beautiful atmosphere. The restaurant has a great aesthetic, and the staff was friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout the visit. Unfortunately, the food didn't quite live up to the experience. While everything was presented nicely, the flavors were somewhat lackluster and didn't leave a lasting impression. Nothing was necessarily bad, but for the price point and overall ambiance, I expected a bit more from the menu. The service and atmosphere make this a pleasant place to visit, but I hope the food becomes more memorable in the future. I'd be willing to give it another try based on the excellent hospitality and inviting setting. read more

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Stopped by for Happy Hour (Wed-Fri, 3-5) and the place has a cool, upscale downtown Naperville vibe. They seem to always have something going on every other Friday is comedy or live jazz, and this Wednesday they had Mahjong night. I tried the steak tacos. They looking better than they tasted. The steak was pretty chewy, and the tacos just didn't quite work for me. Since Happy Hour is still new, I'm willing to chalk it up to that. I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu because the atmosphere is worth it. Hopefully the food is a little more dialed in next time. read more

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I discovered this restaurant via Yelp, and had the chance to check it out. The good: Server Nick was excellent. He took his time explaining the menu. He checked in on us frequently. Menu: I like the small plates concept. We split 3 small plates and 1 burger. Ambiance/decor was cute. Burger was tasty. Mac n cheese was tasty The ok Ricotta and bread Meatballs - were little cold when served The fries served with burger were strange. They had no depth/texture to them. The room for improvement Drinks from the bar. They had a couple listed on their menu. My husband ordered 2 standard cocktails and they were not good. I think it is a bartender training issue. She had her phone out to learn recipes. I got a strange vibe from other employees/management. So my over all thought is to give Lennon's a 3. If it was just based on my service from Nick, they would get a 5. Other parts of my experience are what brings my score down. read more

Place is terrible for food. Calamari was very chewy and hard to eat. Portion sizes are way too small. Giving two stars because the drinks are decent. read more

We stopped in for drinks while we were bouncing around downtown Naperville, and stopped in to see what came of the old Craftsman - MAN I miss that little rooftop patio! Anyway, I am glad we stopped! The look and decor of the place is lovely, and the staff was friendly and attentive. We sat at the bar, as we came for a drink, and did not order food but did peruse the menu for the future - we will definitely return, and I will update later! The menu was interesting and inventive, looking forward to trying a few things. read more

I am glad it's here, open and in a great space (the old Craftsmen). I am interested to see how the event space on the second floor is when it opens, along w the top floor (steak house?) as that is a great (small) patio. But, everything that ha been in the building has struggled. Service - fabulous, friendly and fast. Atmosphere- we sat on the sidewalk and it was great. Love the plantings, but the DJ just isn't my thing. Food - good. Int to see how "tapas" does here w Maison S a few min away. This isn't traditional tapas - my guest lives in Madrid and was surprised they called it tapas. Burger was very good, but small, especially for $22. We loved the steak bites and burrata. $40 marg was delicious, but that is Chicago club pricing (I think - it's been a long time). We had a great evening, loved the service and food was good. I hope they continue to evolve and be successful over the long winter read more

Lennon's - Dinner and drinks for 3 - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Lennon's serves tapas and craft cocktails in an aesthetically pleasing space. The second floor of this three-story restaurant has live entertainment and the top floor is slated to be a steakhouse. Sarah took care of us and was fabulous, friendly and engaging. She was always checking on us. My husband ordered an old-fashioned and I went with Sarah's suggestion, the Cloud Cover. Pisco, spiced pineapple, lemon juice and egg white - delightful. We shared four small plates for dinner starting with a beautiful gem salad. Watercress with blue cheese, snap peas, apple slices, cranberries dressed with a sherry vinaigrette. My only complaint was the salad was overdressed. Of course when I see deviled eggs on a menu, it's a must. The BLT deviled eggs didn't disappoint with its smokey bacon. The next small plate we shared was the charred Spanish octopus with gigante beans and red chili aïoli. The octopus was tender and charred perfectly. Last up, the beef tenderloin steak bites skewered with mushrooms with a chimichurri sauce and fried leeks. There were only two small steak bites on each of the three skewers, a very small portion. Definitely not worth $24 for the amount of steak that probably amounted to 2-3 ounces. However, the steak was tender and flavorful, but the star of the show actually was the fried leeks. Just give me a plate of those. We ended our dining experience sharing a dessert, the granny smith tarte tatin. A nice ending to our meal. I hope to go back to experience Lennon's brunch on a weekend, also an evening listening to live music on the second floor with one of their craft cocktails in hand. I hope this restaurant succeeds because everything from the decor to the friendly staff to the delicious food and creative cocktails was fantastic. read more

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Loved the service, trendy vibe, amazing new spot in downtown Naperville. Live entertainment on the second floor and steak house coming soon on the third floor. The owner was extremely kind and approachable. read more

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New restaurant in downtown Naperville? Have to try it! Walked in and appreciated the warm, nicely decorated atmosphere. Meeting a friend, I enjoy the concept of tapas, small plates, so we can try more dishes. Cherokee, our waitress, was friendly and helpful with suggestions. We split three small plates. I wanted to enjoy the meatballs more than I did (this was not her recommendation but I wanted to try it). The description sounds like it will be super flavorful but I feel it fell flat, lacking. The salmon was tasty and the penne was super tasty with loads of flavor. 2 out of 3 were good. read more

Service and Management issues...... We had dinner at Lennon's Saturday night (March Madness weekend). When we arrived at 6PM, we were the only customers in the restaurant. (found that very odd). The food was very good but the service experience was very disappointing. Ordered the Fried chicken dinner (which takes 25 minutes to make). After about 25-30 minutes, the other dinner meals were being served BUT no chicken dinner. When we inquired with our waiter, the response was another 15 minutes. After 30 minutes later we finally got the meal. Unfortunately, the other dishes which arrived 45 minutes earlier were now cold. An hour to make a chicken dinner with a restaurant that was not busy. We complained to the Manager about our experience and NO apologies and was very apathetic to our dining experience.. An unforgettable dining experience. read more

Ordered the spiced lamb balls and beef tenderloin bites. Great food. Nice wines by the glass also.

Food was amazing! The service was also very very good. The restaurant itself was very clean and a beautiful space! Jose was our server and he was awesome. read more

Super friendly and welcoming staff. Oren has been nothing but accommodating and friendly! live Dj's playing commercial hits and crowd favorites. Upscale yet welcoming decor. The food is amazing as well. If you haven't stopped by, make sure to check out Napervilles newest hot spot! read more

Lennon's - The Lennon's Big Burger is amazing, highly recommend Adding the fried egg is a must! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I loved my experience at Lennon's. The drinks and food was great. The atmosphere was fantastic. Jose Diaz was a great service. The food came out very quickly. read more

Second time coming to this restaurant. The calamari is great and the braised short rib is 10/10. The ambiance is great and there is no long wait for the food. read more

The service is terrible. The food was also very disappointing. My wife and I had the Octopus. It was a very small portion served with beans. The Octopus itself was not very good. The steak bits were overcooked and served on a plate with enough oil change the oil in my car. We then went upstairs and enjoyed the music of Shawn Kumar, who was the best thing about the entire evening. Even upstairs, getting a drink was nearly impossible. The had no servers in the area. People had to go and get their own drinks. I don't understand why they would bring in a great music band and not have anyone to serve the people who came out to enjoy the music. It's a shame because the place looks great and has great potential. But, potential and looks don't mean anything if the food and the service doesn't improve. ​ read more

Great selection of shareable small plates. Very good service at the table. We will be back.

Wow. We arrived shortly before it opened so when they asked us to wait until 4:00 pm, it was understandable. When we came back at 4, we were told they were setting up for an event and asked us to wait another half hour but offered to seat us outside. One of our party was not too happy about it but we stayed because they told us they could seat us inside in 10 minutes. They actually were back in 5 minutes and told us they could seat us inside. We were then led past a number of desirable empty tables to the ONLY table in the place where the sun was shining directly into the eyes of 2 of the 4 diners. We took this as an intentional slight, and left feeling quite insulted But all's well that ends well. We ate at Francesca's, a few doors down, and the food (and the service) were amazing. read more

INCREDIBLE food. They have interesting mocktails (not on the menu, but just ask!). The salmon was in the most delicious sauce I've ever had. The mezze plates were nicely portioned. The steak was tender and melts in your mouth. Everything was quick and the ambiance is really swanky. Really excited to come back for date night! (Doesn't look super kid friendly) read more

Attractive menu that unfortunately left a lot to be desired. The focaccia was the highlight, the fried chicken was bland and dry. The mac & cheese was pathetic. Naperville is in desperate need of a high quality non corporate owned spot. This did not impress. read more

Hard to know where to begin... the bugs, the bad sewer smell, the bad food, or the terrible seating and service. Shared 5 small (extremely small portion) plates. Lamb meatballs -bad, Salmon - yuck fishy, tiny tenderloin skewers with less than an ounce of meat, octopus served with pinto beans What?! , .... Nothing tasted good. Served wrong vintage bottle of wine, had a reservation for 5 and sat at a table for 4 with many open larger tables. $$$$$ cost and the waitress was dismissive. Won't ever go back. read more

Girls' night at Lennons in Naperville did not disappoint! The food was next-level especially the goat cheese & arrabbiata (obsessed ) and those bourbon cocktails? 10/10, no notes. The vibe was super luxe, the DJ was vibin', and our waiter was honestly the best so accommodating! Only downside? It was freezing inside but other than that, it was giving everything it needed to give. We'll definitely be back! read more

Lennon's - Baked fresh goat's milk cheese with spicy arrabbiata and crisp focaccia - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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Absolutely recommend Lennon's! Amazing vibe, loved the city kinda music. We had tapas and everything was delicious. We were so full so did not order big plates. Next time! Drinks were top notch. We met Jeremy the owner, who was absolutely fantastic and since we had birthday girl at our table he offered us drinks and a treat. Definitely go to check it out, its a nice additiin to Naperville down town. Cool place! read more

Great service. Very Friendly. Food was excellent. Well prepared. Even the food that wasn't quite to my taste was still excellent. I could have eaten a dozen of the deviled eggs. The steak bites are excellent. The Salmon was absolutely delicious. And the Little gem Salad was fabulous. The little one loved the Mac and cheese with bacon. Only oddity is most of the tables and chairs are very tall. Great food, great value, great atmosphere. read more

This was a solid place with kind and prompt staff. Cozy atmosphere and fun drinks. The manager overheard us talking and brought us a special treat to take home which was very thoughtful. read more

Food was decent, cocktails a bit disappointing. Ambiance was very nice but music was awful and way too loud. Classier music or at least softer is preferred. Don't need to be listening to "wake me up before you go-go" at a nice place. read more

Went in right before closing to get a drink and some food, but they closed the kitchen 10 minutes earlier. They let us sit there past closing and allowed us to order anyway. We ordered the Lennon's Big Burger which did not come out rushed or any less. It was one of the best burgers I've had in the suburbs and I wish I took a picture. The cherry on top was that they didn't charge us for food. The owner was extremely kind and welcoming. read more

What a great experience! Great food, service, ambiance, & music (had an awesome DJ)! Deviled eggs, lamb meatballs and fried chicken were some of our faves. Owner even came to ask how everything was and took action when there was a minor hiccup. Will definitely be back and can't wait for their third floor to open this year! read more

Amazing restaurant! Beautiful decor and atmosphere inside along with some really nice outdoor spots and live music upstairs. Food and drinks were spot on, appetizers were . The octopus in ceviche were delicious. Highly recommend and will definitely go back! read more

I went there with my friends this weekend to celebrate my girlfriend's promotion hearing about this new place last month I was saving it for the perfect opportunity, and it did not disappoint! The service was absolutely great. Eddie was the real MVP of the night! Great and friendly service and really made my girlfriends night that much more special! Staff went above and beyond to make sure we were all taken care of! Would recommend if you wanna try a bunch of different things for dinner! read more

Only went in for cocktails on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Was warmly greeted and told we could sit anywhere - the host even suggested upstairs. The place was empty at 8:00 except for a few people sitting at the bar downstairs and a few larger parties dining in the back on the first floor - surprising for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving - but maybe the older, more mature crowd didn't go out on this night. We opted for second floor table where the menu was using QR code only to find they were only offering shots and very basic, basic drinks upstairs - like 1 alcohol and 1 mixer. No martinis. So down the stairs we went, in search of an adult-like drink and sat at the bar. Looked at the menu of alcohol selections on their website, only to be told by the bartender that they don't offer those. Why do you have menus on a website that you don't offer? And this is a bar... Like you can't make the drinks that are on a cocktail menu - tells me they may not be replacing their alcohol like Bailey's or Kailua after they ran out. I opted for espresso martini, which was OK... Nothing to write home about. Very measured drink... Mostly simple syrup tasted like ... an espresso martini is usually very dark in color... When I can see through the glass, it tells me it's a weak espresso. Frankly, will not be back and I'm disappointed to say that given how promising and optimistic I was when we first walked in. read more

Food was phenomenal. Getting to do the small plates, trying multiple things, is a neat concept. All the fresh made bread and cheeses, can't go wrong!! read more