Loved the outdoor patio. Stopped in for lunch today! There were a couple yummy looking things on the menu, but I went for the veggie tacos with a side salad. The menu said it was a shareable plate but I ate it all so idk if it's really big enough to share. They weren't the best veggie tacos that I've had, but not bad! The falafel and grilled cheese looked super delicious too. My sister wanted an avocado salad but their said their avocado was all bad. Good service here. read more

Preservation - Veggie tacos and butter lettuce side salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

I want to love this place so bad. The location and ambiance is fabulous, the food is fantastic, but unfortunately one time after another the service is horrible. Every time I'm here I'm completely ignored, before, during, and after my time here. By other reviews I can tell it's not just me saying this. If you can ignore horrible service for the sake of good food and a nice outdoor patio, you'll be fine, but I'm not sure if I'm going to give this place a try again because of the service. read more

Great Aperol spritz! Bacon jam was amazing! Outdoor seating is super chill and the bartenders kept the drinks (and water) flowing.

It's not what it used to be.... I used to love this place, great food and great atmosphere... not anymore. Our server was wonderful, with a cute sense of humor. (Kaythrn I believe) The food is always good.... But... I don't enjoy sitting on a patio (when promised inside) and staring at dish racks for my entire meal while watching the hostess eat for 15+ minutes and hearing a dish cart rattling back and forth. Our group requested a paper paper and they refused .. this has never once happened. I was caught of guard as our group is 70+ and doesn't travel with their phones. read more

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Preservation does not fail to offer a relaxing atmosphere along with good food. Their drink menu is extensive. We usually order several food options and share. We started with the spring avocado salad. The avocado with tomatoes and onion on a bed of butter lettuce. The dressing is fresh and the salad is large enough to share. We also had the Korean Pork belly tacos and Vegetarian tacos. We added the lunch special to each order for $2.00 and had the french onion soup and tomato bacon soup. Both were very good. The vegetarian tacos were a little spicy , but not overpowering. The taco portions were good size and were very good. We also had the chicken pot pie. It was topped with a herbed puffed pastry. The pastry was flaky and sooo good. Highly recommend each food item we tried. Service was very good and all servers were wearing masks. Definitely will return when we are in the Geneva area. read more

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Wonderful food and environment! Very dog friendly which is an added plus. Very friendly atmosphere.

Wanted to get a few small plates for dinner. Love the wild mushroom tart. My go to for years. Lamb skewers hit the spot. Husband still not full. Prawn skewers. Nice, tender and aioli perfectly spiced. But the surprise was the gumbo! Had subpar gumbo too many times but fantastic at Preservation! Corn seafood chowder in summer is fabulous! read more

Yes, yes, yes! Since moving back to Geneva I miss this tapas place from my prior residence. But Preservation has stepped in and filled my small plate heart-hole. I love trying new foods and Preservation has a wide range of cheese boards, small bites and drinks to try. Everything is packed with rich flavor and wonderful pairings and combinations. I've just fallen in love. read more

I went on a Wednesday Night. The restaurant was pretty much empty. I got some strange looks. Someone asked what I needed, I responded a table for 1. He said give us a minute. I waited a while and was ready to leave when a girl asked if she could seat me. She asked inside or out. I said out. She then walked me through the back of the restaurant onto the back patio. I had a seat at the bar. The first man I met was my bartender. Jason. I ordered an old fashion. It was a decent old fashion. He at least did make them super fast. They did not have a cherry. They weren't worth $11. They were worth $5. The bartender never really came to check on me. Anytime I needed something I had to get his attention. I ordered the beef short rib pie with a puff pastry crust. 2 of my favorite things. It came out fairly quickly. It ended up being just a pot roast with puff pastry on top. The pastry was good. The pot roast tasted like canned soup. According to the menu they have live music every night. So if you like live music that would be great. If you're looking for a quite dinner, you can sit at one of the 5 tables inside, or eat somewhere else. When I left the restaurant, I could hear the guy playing his guitar from 3 blocks away. Over all, I don't recommend it. Food was mediocre, drinks were mediocre, service was mediocre. read more

Preservation - Old Fashion - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

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Lit atmosphere this is the best place to get a drink in downtown Geneva. Friendly service and good music. 2nd time here and will be back again soon. read more

I recently needed to drive with my wife to the Galena area. There are so many restaurants there that I have not tried yet. I almost felt overwhelmed about where to start. I had to sort out where I was going to go, according to the time they opened and user ratings on Yelp. I was looking for somewhere for lunch and many of the restaurants in the Geneva area are open only for dinner. The restaurant that I chose to go to was Preservation in Geneva. The entire area of Geneva almost feels like you are in another state out of Illinois. The streets have a unique incline and decline similar to San Francisco. The restaurants in the area also are extremely unique to their structure. Many are located in alleyways or attached to houses. The main draw for myself and my wife to go to Preservation restaurant was the outdoor seating area. Many have claimed that it is fantastic. The parking to get to most of the restaurants including Preservation is either street or in the parking garage. I was lucky enough to snag a spot in front of the restaurant. At first, I did not know which way to enter, but soon realized I needed to walk down an alley to meet the host. The restaurant also has a window service-only chicken eatery somewhat attached to Preservation restaurant. I walked down the uneven alleyway to my seat. There is a bar that is set up like somewhere off of a beach in Florida in the outdoor area. The vibe is very relaxed. The servers are all in plain clothes. The music played from the bar, but they have weekly musical guests that perform in the outdoor area. I sat waiting for our waitress enjoying the fantastic summer breeze. I truly felt like I was not in Illinois and I was on vacation. The menu is made up of small bites and sandwiches. This is definitely a place to go for drinks and a small bite to eat before or after dinner. I ordered myself a Cubano sandwich with a bowl of bacon tomato soup. My wife ordered their turkey sandwich and a cup of their French onion soup. The Cubano sandwich was good and the soup was very rich and flavorful. My wife enjoyed her turkey sandwich. Her soup was also flavorful and delicious. I will say that this place does have good food, but the main draw is the outdoor area. I could definitely see myself coming back here just to have a drink and enjoy the unique vibe that the restaurant has to offer. Everyone at the restaurant also was extremely friendly. I have more restaurants that I have reviewed in the Galena area that I will be posting soon. I rate Preservation a 7 out of 10 for the fantastic outdoor seating area. read more

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One of my favorite local restaurants. Great atmosphere. The back patio is awesome. Food is consistently very good. Drinks are great. I've had business lunches here, dinner with my wife, Santa for the kids ... it always works. Shrimp & grits are on point. I've enjoyed everything I've had here. My one and only complaint: management, please bring back the pickled watermelon rind!! read more

We had a fantastic experience. The steak skewers, chicken pot pie, and French onion soup were delicious. Our server was attention and gave us great suggestions. Will definitely be back. read more

Love love love what the owners have done with this space. You have Atlas Chicken Shack on one side, Preservation on the other and then the large, year round heated patio in the back. You can order food from either restaurant or simply sit on the patio and sip your favorite beverage. They have live music most weekends. It can get a little loud but still enjoyable, especially love the steel drums on cold Sundays. I highly recommend the Mac 'n Cheese from Preservation. They also have a great variety of charcuterie items to choose from. If you want something a little less fancy, hit up Atlas Chicken Shack for some tenders & rice balls. Delicious! read more

The food here was good, but not great. I got the $14.50 short rib pie since it looked good. Part way through my meal, I was looking for salt, which they didn't have at the table. The portions are small and the food was bland. I tried some of my friend's dishes and was not impressed by any of them. We were seated in the backroom that was painted black and felt a little claustrophobic. The $11 whiskey cola wasn't very good. This cocktail was very sweet and tasted like straight cola syrup mixed with whiskey. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) read more

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I like what Preservation is trying to do. I just never feel comfortable there. Our last visit was a few days ago. We made a reservation assuming we'd be in the little room behind the restaurant. We were not we were seated in the outdoor area. Kudos to them for trying to make us cozy, blankets and all. But it's not working on a 25 degree day. Sorry.... We asked to be moved inside but the hostess said no. I wouldn't normally call her out but she was rude about it. 4 people are in your restaurant you have empty tables in the area they thought they reserved. Seat them there!! The drinks were very good the food there is good not great but this last time out 0 stars for the ambiance. A great summer spot however!! read more

Beautiful large outside bar and dining area, delicious unique food and drink. Lots of live music on weekends. Easy parking

Outdoor seating with heat lamps created a cozy ambiance. Pork belly tacos (delicious, spiced), falafel (yum), lots of great drink options. A big win in our book! read more

Preservation - Falafel - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

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Food and drink were outstanding. Servers could not have been more helpful. I hadn't been in a long time and was pleasantly surprised by the outdoor area in the back. However, I was unpleasantly surprised that there were three dogs back there with their owners (two of which allowed their dogs to sit in the middle of the aisles). Hard to focus on my companion and the meal overhearing repeated refrains of "oh sorry" and "don't jump" as people stumble near our table! read more

While I enjoyed a very tasty Smoked Turkey Sandwich on sourdough... we lived through a gusher of a thunderstorm on the back outdoor patio. The Sammy was melt-in-your-mouth worth it though. And the little butter lettuce salad accompaniment was delish. I'm most definitely going back there for more. Yummm... read more

Never again. Party of four and obviously our server didn't place the order for one person in our group. After finally reappearing after getting our food ( 20 minutes later) , not noticing one person didn't have a plate in front of them , she said the kitchen was backed up. Really?? for a salad and a ham sandwich??? Not an apology, nothing. Plenty of other restaurants in the area that appreciate our business and provide better service. read more

It's small inside but has huge flavor! Dine al fresco and it's like you've entered a different place all together. It's private, inviting, and quiet where you can eat and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones without shouting. The wine list is pretty extensive. They offer small plates (tapas) style for sharing. We had the bacon jam crostini, brioche grilled cheese, asparagus soup, red pepper polenta, charcuterie and cheese plate combo. To drink we had the beerenauslese / 2009 / heinz eifel / rheinhessen wine which is a really sweet it tasted like notes of apricot, sweet grapes, and a smoky flavor at the end, and I had they ginger hibiscus craft soda (I thought it was soda when our waitress was explaining it) but by the end of the night I noticed it said craft beer. There goes my temporary no drink for this month lol. I really enjoyed the bacon jam crostini because it's sweet but not too sweet, smoky, and tasted like BBQ. The brioche grilled cheese was okay but pairing it with asparagus soup made it better. I really liked the asparagus soup because it had notes of umami with crunchy bits to me like fried pork skin (chicharonnes) and some creme fresh. The red pepper polenta was good although thick it could have had layers of sauce instead of all on top, but it was like a thick grits. Our meat and cheese platter was okay too, what was great was we were able to pick 2 meats and 2 cheeses and create our own platter. The duck prosciutto was rich, deep, and really decadent and they other meat salami and cheeses were settle flavors. This is a great spot for light bites or just wine! read more

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Came here for a celebratory dinner a few weeks ago and experienced one of the worst dining experiences I have had in years. The food was all pretty average, bland, and extremely expensive for what was received, and also took a very long time to come out. The ambiance was strange. The live music was grating on the ears and so abrasive, squealing, and loud that it was unpleasant. The TVs were showing sports -- is this a classy small plates vibe or a sports bar or some secret third thing? The service was very poor, despite it not being busy. We were initially sat at a dirty table near a very loud fellow customer. We relocated ourselves because no one was checking with us, and we proceeded to be neglected with long waits and empty glasses for most of the night, while our server chit-chatted with other servers mere feet away. Our total was over $100 with tip and we left still hungry, with a headache. This spot used to be great. What happened? read more

Preservation thrives on an excellent kitchen but suffers from a workforce which is immature and haphazard in its service. The venue boasts a great open outdoor space next to a parking garage with a rear courtyard where live music was playing. It's perfect for a summer night. It's mostly picnic seating throughout and the indoor area wasn't particularly notable. Our first impression of the service was of a young hostess engaging on her phone to the extent we suspected some wayward teenager had posted up at the wrong podium. She eventually brought us to our table though. Four of us came in and shared the all cow cheese plate, the Spanish olives, and a number of entrees. I was a little disappointed in the cheese plate but the rest was perfect. Eating tapas style seemed to be the right choice as everything seemed built to share. The lamb sliders, Korean tacos, and the steak skewers were all perfectly prepared. No notes - just pure culinary delight. It's notable that this was all at a very reasonable value and I would venture to call this the best food I've had in the Western Suburbs. We had three servers during our time there. Not sure what their system was but none of them were particularly attentive, which is a shame because they would've scored a great many more drink orders with tips to boot. The drink menu was excellent on all counts as well. Lots of great craft beer and unique cocktails with a broad profile of flavors. The Viking Blood was among the most memorable but it's clear that their mixology was as well composed as their menu. Whatever the excuse for the service, the kitchen will surely outlast the poor performers, and I suspect my next visit will be a pure play 5 star performance. read more

The food and the atmosphere were great, but be prepared to spend a lot of money! We've gone a couple times, sat both inside and outside. The back patio is great! And the food is very unique. read more

Loved the mushroom tart and all 3 salads that we tried. Chicken pot pie needed a bit of salt and pepper but was otherwise lovely. Service was very efficient and young servers were really sweet. read more

This unique resurgent in Geneva with signature drinks and Ana amazing wine bar, Preservation is a destination for family and for couples. Plenty of seating in the front and you can walk through the inside for some amazing back room seating and outdoor seating with very delecious small portion foods I was there with friends we ordered Spicy falafel served with tzakziki sauce walnut and parsley it costs 9 bucks and there were 6 falafel counts , steak skewers seared with Serrano ham Mustard sauce and blue cheese which costs 12 bucks , grilled prawn skewers served with hot Calabrian aioli which costs 10 bucks and we al ordered out my favorite drink old fashioned which I will give 8/10 . Amazing ambiance only minus point was one of the servers kept wanting to clean up our plates before we finished and was coming very frequently in an other wise amazing experience read more

Preservation - Old fashioned - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

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Really cool place, especially the outdoor area. I had the pork belly tacos with kimchi and they were delicious. We also split the spicy falafel app which was very good. Decent but limited beer menu. Out waitress was very helpful and provided excellent, attentive service. We'll be back many times. read more

Preservation - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

It's a nice place to eat with friends as live music plays. It was a nice place; however, if you are picky on how the staff should dress, I would not recommend this place as the team doesn't have a proper uniform for the restaurant. read more

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Preservation was our go to place for great wine and small plates basically since they opened. Stopped by this afternoon for a glass of wine at the back bar. Wine was good, no complaints. The total vibe has changed. The outdoor area is a conglomeration of a wine bar, a sports bar and a fast food eatery with Atlas right there. The inside has a well worn look to it. Bathroom has a soap dispenser that has come off the wall, back area was just kind of dirty and dingy. It feels like it's lost its way and could really use a facelift too. read more

Really enjoyed the Bacon Jam on grilled baguette with blue cheese and arugula. Ordered suggested Bera Muscato made a perfect pairing. Delicious. Great place to nibble and chat! read more

Preservation - Bacon Jam grilled baguette with Bera Muscato - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

Party of 3 for appetizers and dinner. Appetizers were fairly quick but served several minutes apart. Dinners were served over 5 minutes apart and when we asked why our dinners were coming out separately with so much time in between our server said the chef sends them out as he finishes them. If true, that's ridiculous. Other tables were getting their food at the same time. One person had lamb skewers which were good. One person had chicken breast salad and it was ok. I had flatbread (sausage/cheese) and it arrived looking like a bad pizza with half the cheese not melted. So not impressed and will not be returning. Many other better restaurant choices in Geneva. read more

Of Course I told My Wife she would struggle to get into any popular Breakfast joint on a late Sunday Morning...But that didn't stop her from trying and after trying like 3 joints she suggested Preservation...They opened at 11 and we had a couple of their specialty drinks , verdict ? Damn good ? Food ? Way above average, French onion soup for us is a treat done right and their FOS is right there ! Split some kind of amazing grilled cheese on buttery flakey bread .... I'd didn't suck !!! Finished with Homemade Pot Pies , beautifully done....I was here once before ( or so I'm told) but I didn't remember how amazing this place is.... Looks like I'll be hanging out there a lot more, the outside bar looks killer....Enjoy ! read more

Came here during the week for a late lunch and sat outside. The bar/patio is large and shaded so it was very comfortable. The food and drinks were amazing. I had the Mutha Theresa cocktail and the lamb sliders and both were My husband had the Korean pork belly tacos and they were delicious as well. Our service was fine, a little slow but nothing to complain about. I didn't go inside the restaurant but I highly recommend dining on the patio! read more

Went here last night for drinks and dinner with friends. Shared a bottle of Malbec with a friend, it was wonderful! Had the bacon jam on a grilled baguette with blue cheese, it was so good! Highly recommend. My husband and I split the chicken pot pie for dinner and it was perfect for splitting since we were going to order other appetizers since all the food has been phenomenal so far, we wanted to try more! We were able to add on an additional Al Pastore tofu taco since the original appetizers come with 3, we added on an additional one. When I come back, it'll be for these tacos alone. It blew me out of the water! The flavor was on point & the El Pastor was so tender and all the other flavors of the onions & Queso was so on point. We ended the evening with the focaccia lamb sliders. Those were gone in about two bites and 30 seconds! The lamb with cucumber & the tzatziki sauce on focaccia? Who would've thought? Focaccia? I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this establishment. Food was great, the drinks were good, the live music was wonderful, and our service was impeccable. We'll be back. read more

I was totally disappointed at this restaurant. I saw it check please. I was hoping for good food. I order a pulled pork sandwich. I only ate 1/4 of it the bread was cold. And so was the meat. If I am going to have pork it better be at least warmed up. The pulled pork sandwich had the slaw which was too tart for my liking. My friend had the beef pie. Ok it was a very small square dish with a crust on top of it. How horrible if you are serving a pie make look like a pie or collect something else in the menu. Or is a lazy way to make a pie. The only good thing there was the French onion soup. It was tasty and it was not salty at all. I will not be coming here for sure. I had better pulled pork read more

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I am a huge fan of Atlas Chicken and within their first week of opening, we visited them twice. Naturally, I assumed that Preservation would be just as good, but unfortunately, it was just ok. The atmosphere is worth a trip here as you would think that the front bar area is just that, until you continue down the hall and not only encounter the back patio (open windows), but this really cute backyard area that is shared with Atlas. We dined on a Thursday and they had live music there which was great. They also have a long community table outside and covered which is very cool, especially on those sweltering days. For starters, we had the prawn and steak skewers. The steak skewers came with a small side salad, however, the prawn skewers were solo, quite bland, and lukewarm bordering on cold. I was not a fan. For our main course, we chose the asparagus salad, that was very tart and left an unpleasant taste in our mouths. We also had the mushroom tart and the turkey sandwich. The tart also lacked flavor and it too was lukewarm, rendering the tart not too good. I was able to swap the tart for the tomatillo chicken and biscuit and that was very good as was the turkey sandwich! I think the sandwich was the best part of my meal! For dessert, we had the bread pudding, which again, was just ok and not worth the calories. read more

Long time favorite, good food, generally (excluding the manager) good service and nice ambiance. They carry one of my favorite chardonnays by the bottle and food is very good in its taste, but the menu changes have significantly reduced the portions and options. They eliminated long time favorites like the veghie sandwiches and lamb sliders, of which are now replaced by a very small $14 lamb skewer (read: fingerlings- pinky size). Again, delicious but ridiculously small serving sizes. I will definitely visit, but it will be fewer and farther between. read more

Go check out this place before it gets cold!! The patio was exactly what we were looking for last Friday night. There was live music, string lights, spaced out tables. The food was delicious. (This place looked neat on the inside too but highly recommend the patio during summertime!) My husband & I recently moved to the area and we've been slowly checking off various restaurants. We will be back for this one! Food 5/5 - Absolutely fantastic. We ordered two shareables, and an entree for each of us. (The entrees/salads were on the smaller side so this was a perfect amount of food. Highly recommend the Grilled Prawn Skewers - had a delicious grilled flavor paired with a smoky chili sauce. The Spanish Olive Mix was good but needed some crackers or cheese to pair with it. (Was a lot of olives for two people). My husband is gluten free, and ordered the Baguette Smoked Cubano (deconstructed option for gluten free). He seemed to really enjoy it! I ordered the Crispy Duck Salad which was delicious, however two small critiques - it tasted like a salad I would eat around the holidays. There was warm rice on it & cranberries, and it just didn't feel like a summer-y salad. The spinach leaves also had a bit too much vinaigrette for my personal preferences. Drinks 5/5 - We each ordered a glass of red wine - Malbec for me & the Cab for my husband. Delicious, and a nice sized pour as well! They had an extensive wine bottle list also. Service 3/5 - Our waitress was nice, but slightly inattentive. Needed to flag down for the check at the end of the night. It was a busy evening though! Atmosphere 5/5 - We joke sometimes that Geneva feels like a vacation town and this restaurant definitely had that vibe. Live music, string lights, lively chatter, dimly lit, hidden from the road. Was a great date night spot. Allergen-Friendly 5/5 - The menu has multiple gluten free options and is marked 'GF' throughout. As someone who is dairy free, I would like to see restaurants begin to label items as DF (maybe in time). COVID Precautions 4/5 - Staff wore masks. Tables were spaced apart. Patrons were not spaced at the outside bar. Felt safe though overall! Overall giving this a 5 star despite the slightly inattentive service. This place is a gem on third street that you don't want to miss! read more

Patio is comfortable, service was attentive, live music made a nice backdrop for a tasty vegetarian-friendly meal. Make a reservation to avoid a wait. read more

Preservation - Spinach and Artichoke Bread Pudding - Wine Bars Near Me - Geneva, Illinois

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