This place exceeded my expectations but they were low going in. I went with my family for dinner during a week night during frigid temps and high wind gusts so no planes were flying. It would have been great to watch. The portions are huge- order 1/2 portion on whatever you can. Fish and chips- yumm! Kids chicken fingers and fries- my son enjoyed it Chicken soba bowl- no flavor accept soy sauce and they used too much of it- don't get it. Wonton nachos- a pregnant woman's dream or for the munchies Minus 1 star for amount of grease left in food. They are reusing it too much or not draining it enough. read more

Very nice location on the Schaumburg Airport. Food is good. Don't miss the pot roast. Delicious! The server got the chili order wrong but that was very minor. Big menu and everything I've tried is good. Service was fast and very friendly. Management very friendly as well. Handicapped parking designed badly. Handicapped customers actually end up walking a longer distance than normal parking, But curbside pick up of carry out orders helps! Good specials every day and a seasonal specials list is nice. read more

Pilot Pete's is always a great experience! I bring all the family who visits Chicago to this place. The experience starts with the fun purple airplane seats in the waiting aisle and continues into the dining area where we always request to sit next to the windows so we can watch the small Schaumburg runway and see a passing Metra train. Oh wait! This is a restaurant! Back to the food. The Million Dollar burger is good, but I love their pan bakes. I'm disappointed that the three cheese tortellini pan bake is off the menu, but you'll be sure to find something that tastes scrumptious! (Maybe steer away from the AYCE fish fry or wet side salads though.) read more

Nice view, ok food. I went to Pilot Pete's with my wife and daughter on a Wednesday night, It wasn't busy, red flag. The food was ok, I ordered the BBQ Combo. However, it does have a nice atmosphere, and view of the Schaumburg airport and jets is "pretty cool"-my daughter. Service was ok, they were attentive to my daughter, made the dine in experience fun for her. I might go back after a few years, or take someone who visits from out of town. read more

Someone recommended the lobster roll. I found it off-putting that it contained red pepper. Despite that, it wasn't good anyway. The food is nothing to sing about. I also met my parents up there another time, and the soup I received was so disgusting I lost my appetite. The waiter apologized and tried to make amends. However it wasn't his fault. I don't recommend this place for the food quality. Service was poor the first time I went. Yet my friends still left a great tip. Second time was better service. People I talk like the food here. I guess my standards are just a little higher . read more

Not a fan of their French onion soup, It lacked flavor. Also the service here was pretty bad :/

Never been here before. Atmosphere was cool. The food was ok. You can tell certain things are not freshly prepared, like the seasonal veggies are obviously frozen, the cheesecake is not special or prepared in-house, and the salad dressings come from a jug, not homemade. Otherwise, not a bad place to eat. FYI, if you don't want to be around a bunch or f kids, definitely don't go here. read more

I have three boys (8,5 & 2). Going to Pete's is worth its time if you get a good window seat for lunch or at least when the sun is up! :) If you can, you will be able to watch planes, helicopters, trains, fuel trucks, assorted airport stuff. The kids will be anxiously waiting for the next piece of machinery in between bites of Mac & cheese or other kid pleasing fare. And the parent can lazily eat their meal in relative peace. ;) There is choices to please everyone, but nothing that is a "gotta have" item. I however loved the Banana's Foster. YUM! Also the Margarita's (sans kiddos) are tasty too. read more

A great place for either lunch or dinner. To have your food while you watch planes land and take off is a very cool experience. The bruschetta was great, the tortilla soup was average, but their burgers were excellent. The open kitchen was interesting, as you can see what the cooks are doing with your food. The atmosphere around the restaurant is, as expected, a hip aviation theme, with model planes hanging from the ceiling, and ACTUAL plane seats in the waiting area. Service was a little suspect and at times unkind, but the experience was definitely unique and memorable. read more

I had the New England Clam Chowder which was good and thick. In fact, it was filling to the point that it was almost a meal in itself. I had the Oscar Chicken: boneless grilled chicken covered with crabmeat and served with asparagus, which is supposed to be on top of the chicken but I think it was on the side. And there wasn't too much crabmeat on it but that's OK; it still had a great crabmeat taste. It came with mixed vegetables: cauliflower and broccoli. It was a delicious meal, but I had to take half of it home because the soup was so filling. I went with a group and almost everyone said the same thing and they took home leftovers. Some of the others in my party had pasta and it looked like ALOT of pasta. I would definitely come again. I might try the steak next time. Also it was cool seeing the planes take off. What restaurant can you go to and see that?? I still have one question though: Who is Pete?? If half the menu items are named after Pete (IE "Pete's Za"), then I expect to learn a little something about Pete. Couldn't the menus have some sort of biography? And who is Ashley? read more

At first we are intimidated to eat in here. From the outside It looks like a high end retaurant. But when we approach inside we were sit down nicely by the server and explain the kinds of food to us. It's a typical american diner. I ended up trying the "100$ burger" because I was curious by the name. Happy to try this spot. read more

Second time that my pickup order was not ready when promised. I was told it would be ready in 25 min. I gave them an extra 15 min. Got here and had to wait another 10 min. Not a biggie but I had to pick up my son... Screwed up everything. Food is good and they are nice but service seems unreliable. read more

Nice location. Unfortunately, we didn't eat there. They don't take reservations, and we were told 4:30 for birthday dinner would be no problem and wouldn't have to wait with my 5 and 2 year old grandchildren. The wait was 45 minutes. Maybe another day. read more

I've been to this place probably about four or five times. That being said, I think I can sum up the place pretty well based on a number of experiences. First of all, the menu is pretty extensive. There's a lot on there, and generally, the food is decent. Large portions, prices are cheap. I've tried the burger, the lobster nachos (very good, by the way), chicken wings (also excellent), Cuban sandwich (decent), and a few other things. I'd like to try more things, but decided after my last experience, I'd never go back. The beer on tap is watered down. I don't know what is the problem, but no matter what beer you order (Sam Adams, 312, etc.), the beer tastes very weak. I suspect their taps haven't been cleaned in a while. For example, I ordered a Sam Adams Noble Pils, which usually has a nice hoppiness to it, only to taste a very bland, watered down beer. Same happened with a 312, which, granted does not have a whole lot of flavor, but still tasted off the two times I got it there. Service is anywhere from decent to very poor. The last two times I went, the server was very slow...with the last time I went, they didn't even come to the table--I was waiting for probably a good 10 minutes, then walked out. They weren't even busy at that time, either. The burger that they tout so much isn't anything special. Maybe if the cook put more char on it and used some salt and pepper seasoning it, maybe I'd have a different opinion. Overall, I'd recommend going somewhere else. It could be a great restaurant, but they need to focus more on customer service! read more

We decided to go to Pilot Pete's one Sunday's evening to meet up with a couple friends who been there many times in the past and liked the place. It wasn't very crowded; I suppose it was way past the end of Bears game. So, seating was not an issue. Once seated, the first thing we noticed was the waitress's crude behavior. We felt rushed to order. Through out the visit, the attitude didn't get any better. One of us order Mojito (skip it!), the rest just had bottled beers. There was only one soup per menu (Soupe du jour), that day the soup was (I think) chicken tortilla soup. I wasn't sure because the waitress wasn't sure!! She said the soup was "Chicken tortilla, cream soup with jerked chicken thing". I thought there were two "soupe du jour". I love chicken tortilla soup, but luckily, I decided to skip the soup that day. One of us, decided to order one. There was not a single strip of tortilla on that soup (came with a pack of crackers). and from what I was told about the taste, I was glad I didn't order any. For my meal, I ordered Lobster Roll (the menu said, it was a special recipes from Pilot Pete's cousin from Maine). Okay, I was a sucker. The filling is more like lobster salad that you can buy from the deli section in any grocery store and it was a bit salty. The bread is not bad (then again, slap some butter on any roll and grilled it, it would turn out tasty). My meal came with coleslaw and french fries. We also order Apple Crisp as dessert. The apple had a funny (because I couldn't identify it) taste. The place seems very popular with the locals. Maybe we just came on a bad night. Would I ever go back? Maybe not. There are so many other places that serve better food, it doesn't seem worth the trip back. read more

Pilot Pete's has become a new favorite of mine. We've been here on several occasions and we've always had a great meal. For starters, they have several Nacho appetizers. I've been impressed with the ones we've tried because they have always layered the toppings so even the chips further down on the plate were great. I'm also a fan of their Chicken Fingers. I can tell they're battered and fried right on the spot and come out light and crispy. read more

Went there on Friday for the first time, everyone came to the conclusion it was OK but we won't be rushing back. However our server was excellent! I had the Mac & Cheese bake, while the mac and cheese was good the chicken in it was very dry and over cooked. Another person ordered the Cuban sandwich-it was supposed to have pulled pork but we only found one tiny piece on the sandwich and that was disappointing. read more

I liked the food. I had the bbq wings. Wife had chicken fingers. The portions were really good. But the real reason you come is to watch the planes come and go. And there was almost 0 activity today. read more

Very young bartenders/waitstaff. No clue how to mix drinks, properly. Salad came with no gorgonzola, forgot the iced tea and brought water instead, French fries were cold, Pete's Pie was BLAND and missing a great deal of corn, brought wrong potato with entrée, switched shrimp sauces with 2 guests at our table, and left our menus on the table for far too long. Many things on the menu but quality control is lacking.. Did not see planes take off/land, sadly - ( no fault of the restaurant) for my grandson's first visit ( ours too) and just an overall disappointment. We won't be back. read more

Dreadful. Just horrible. I thought that I had found my place for chili cheese nachos. Wrong. Worst nachos ever! I mean they claim to have a "Seven Time Award Winning 'Best Chili'"! I figured this must be the place then. I should have noticed that they put 'best chili' in quotes themselves- they don't even believe it. The worst chili I've ever even seen. It was more like ground beef soup - like a broth with beef, few visible beans. It was pretty rough. So I ordered the nachos and told them I wanted it real cheesy and I even ordered an extra bowl of chili to make it extra good. Oh my goodness. They give you a lot, but it was inedible. There was thin plaques of cheese on a few of the chips. No actual cheese really. If they've won awards for this chili, I'd like to know from whom and when because I guarantee it wasn't for this stuff. These nachos and chili were all talk. No taste, sadly. read more

See all

I brought 8 Madison Wis Seniors to have their dinner last night. We really enjoy the food there because there have so many selections of food and beverages. We love our waitress an hostess. They were so nice to us. Food were delicious. Thanks them for everything. I suggest anyone to stop by and have lunch or dinner. It's worth if ur money read more

This used to be one of our favorites. The chicken fingers are the best. Now we went and the prices are much higher and the menu is much smaller. We had two cod fish dinners and two drinks (cola and iced tea). Our cost was $50. The drinks were charged at $4.00 for a coke and $3.75 for iced tea. Outrageous. We will not go back again. They are gouging their customers. read more

I was excited. It was my first time to Pilot Pete's and I had heard good things. And as a bonus - it's a mile from my house. Sadly, I didn't share the same sentiments as some of my friends. The food was okay. Nothing fantastic. Definitely overpriced. I ordered the chicken tenders and a minestrone soup. The chicken tenders were over battered - not the way I enjoy them. The "minestrone" soup consisted of a few tri-color rotini noodles and a scoop of a frozen vegetable medley. As an Italian woman, I know what minestrone soup is, and that definitely wasn't it. The atmosphere is something out of a cheesy 80's movie. It's kind of old and run down, and could use some improvements. Our waitress was nice though - and on top of taking care of our table. Would I give it another shot? Sure. If I were too lazy to drive somewhere better. read more

First night in town, staying right around the corner, we'll be bringing the airplane down in a few days, and we're hungry. Pilot Pete's seemed like the perfect match, especially after reading the reviews. And the Yelpers didn't disappoint again. The place is adorable, full of aviation kitsch and a great view of the ramp. We got seated pretty quickly in a booth near the windows. Our only complaint was that the hanging light fixtures over those booths are set at the perfect level to wish you had a ball cap. They are 6" above your head and blinding, so you can't see anything in the room but your table mates. The food portions are gigantic; I'm pretty sure my buffalo sandwich had a *whole* (as in double) chicken breast on it, plus the fries and soup that came with it. Service and pricing were just fine- friendly enough on both fronts. We didn't venture to the drink or dessert menus, but will next time. read more

Such a fun place! The decor is perfect for the aviation enthusiast in your family, regardless of their age. The restaurant has a great view of the ramp and runway and is very convenient for us pilots as it sits right above the FBO. If you are vegan, they make a great vegetable pasta dish and the drinks at the bar are really good, too! The portion size of the food is enormous so you definitely get your money's worth and compared to city prices, you won't believe it! I highly recommend Pilot Pete's - I will bring all my friends and family here and we are becoming regulars here every time we go fly. read more

When i was a teenager earning my pilots licenses, this place was a frequent stop. It gave me and my friends a destination to fly to. For pilots, this place is ok, because it is just sorta cool to fly to a restaurant and finally give your private license some sort of practical purpose. For EVERYONE else, think Crapplebees with an aviation theme. Just like those applebees-type restaurants, the food is prepared haphazardly by some guy wearing a blindfold I assume. Dry salads, poor service, diner-type food. NOTHING notable except for the airplane watching, if you are into aviation. When the weather is warm, just pack a picnic and sit on the grass to watch planes, you'll be much happier. read more

Was here over the weekend when it snowed enough to cover the runway. Table right by the window overlooking it. Saw some planes take off. The place has planes hanging on the ceiling and it's just a cool atmosphere. Chad waited on us and he was awesome. Very attentive. I had the buffalo chicken sandwich with fries and slaw. It was huge. Had to take half home. Everyone I went with loved there food. They have plane seats in the waiting area, but we didn't have to wait. Way cool place right at the airport. read more

See all

My grandfather took me out to pilot Pete's for my my birthday. It was busy. We went around 5:30pm. Originally it was an hour late but the found a tall table right away. I had the fish fry. It was the best fish fry U ever had. I like my fried fish battered not breaded, but not to battered like Culver's fried fish. Pilot Pete's fish had the right amount of batter. The fish was fresh. The fries (chips) was very good. The hush puppies were also very good. I got an enoumus amount of food. I was very pleased with my meal. Highly recommend it. read more

The lobster nachos were super delicious, the chicken fingers are probably the best I've ever had, but everything else is sub par just like a Cheesecake Factory. Plenty of options but nothing superb. Awesome view and great place to go to for a very fun and unique atmosphere and view read more

This place is excellent food for a good price! We have been going here for years and has always been great. The aviation atmosphere is awesome! read more

We took my 3 year old here this past weekend and had a great time! We got a nice window seat and there were actually lots of planes landing and taking off for him to see, even though it was a holiday weekend. Our waitress was great, very attentive and helpful. Their menu is really huge so lots of choices. The food was good, your traditional gastropub type fare. The mac and cheese that my son got was really delish, haha! His meal also came with a frisbee which we took outside and played in the grassy area right by where all the planes are. The decor is super cute, tons of planes and aviation stuff. Great, fun spot, especially for people who love airplanes! read more

Good food that is fresh and delicious. Service was a little slow. As a pilot I have tight turn arounds, and as such devoting an hour to wait for a burger doesn't work well. The decor is friendly with lots of planes and airline memorabilia and you can watch planes do touch and gos or just watch the kids get excited about a plane pulling up on the ramp. read more

Awesome experience every time. Have brought others there for their first time. Now they bring others there. Never had a bad meal and a more than fair price. Even had my son's graduation party there. read more

This is one of my absolute favorite go-to spots! The staff in its entirety is very nice and attentive. You're always greeted right when you come in, and you're never waiting to order. Everyone is very enthusiastic about their jobs, and they even spend some nice time chatting with you. I went in just last night with my boyfriend for a late meal, and the lady at the bar remembered what I ordered last time! I couldn't believe it. My usual is the pot roast sandwich. Its one of the dishes they are known for, and I can see why. It's comfort food at its' best. I get it with extra cheese and sweet potato fries. The sweetness of the fries balances with the tang of the cheese. Perfect portion size and clean presentation. With my theatre rehearsals and office job it's hard to always cook. That's where I default to. Thanks, Pilot Pete's! read more

Made reservations for Easter. Wasn't told it was buffet only. The place was a mess. Food poorly presented. Buffet tables and plates dirty. Cold or over cooked food. Crammed onto a small table in a noisy back room. Had good experience there before, but last couple visits not so much. Makes me wonder if new owners or management. Not likely to be returning. read more

First time here at pilot Pete's for Easter brunch and unfortunately all the food was over cooked. Scrambled eggs were rubbery. Beef stroganoff and penne pasta was over cooked and mushy. Vegetable medley were soggy. Hash browns were ....... super dry. I normally don't complain much but every dish had an issue. We've been to many restaurants that offer Easter brunch buffet's in NW burbs and this has to be the bottom of our list. The price does not help either at $28 per person. read more

Easily the best restaurant I've ever been to. Best ribs in the Chicago area and they're not expensive. It sits right on a general aviation airport, so you have planes taking off and landing on nice days. Overall, excellent American food and an excellent view with great customer service. read more

Went there last night, and the staff were fantastic! So friendly and helpful. Place is great for familes, great theme and fun location at a local airport. However, the food was mediocre. They are known for their Pot roast, and it wasn't good. It was very very salty. The veggies were boring. The french onion soup was not memorable and used a bland cheese. My wife's salmon salad just was not worth ordering. My kids mac 'n cheese had almost no cheese sauce. Chicken fingers were great though and very large. My wife and I ate our kids' leftovers since they were better than what we ordered. Overall, I wouldn't go out of your way to eat there. We did, and we wouldn't go there again. Maybe because we went on a Monday night. read more

Came here to use a Groupon which was near expiration. It was my first visit. The atmosphere and service are nice but I wasn't impressed with my meal (BBQ beef brisket - the meat tasted reheated to me and the BBQ sauce was disappointing). My husband had the pot roast which he enjoyed. We both liked the chicken tortilla soup and the mashed potatoes that came with our meals. I would consider coming back to try something else from the menu, however, before making a final decision on this place. read more

Food was pretty good. Not sure if that counterbalances the noise factor and jillions of kids. If you're in the mood for a family friendly meal there's something for every appetite and it's affordable. read more

Pilot Pete's - American Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

See all