My husband and I went here on a Friday at around 4pm before rush hour. It was empty. The girl asked if we had reservations to which I replied no. So she had to go make sure there were no "other reservations" Mind you the restaurant is empty. Finally We got to sit outside which was a very nice view. The waitress was nice but the water tasted like it was sitting in a metal canister so we ordered soda. The food was good. We tried the Rueben and pierogies (I recommend the cheese and potato). read more

We went there once, a few years ago. What a shame! This place could be a gold-mine if the food and service were good! The setting is beautiful overlooking Deep Lake, the food and service, not so much! As another reviewer noted, the staff seems unaware of the fact that they have 'outdoor seating!?' ("WE DO?") All the polish dishes tasted as though they came from a can or a frozen bag, and nothing was hot!? Even the crackers and bread were stale and cold! I asked the waitress if they had 'red cabbage'. I swear to god, the waitress brings out a small plate of 'shredded, 'raw' red cabbage!?' 'There ya go!' OMG! Seriously? We should have taken the hint when we saw the lovely dust encased, plastic flower displays all over the place! "CHECK PLEASE"! If you're looking for delicious, hot, homemade polish food, keep looking, this ain't it! Man, do I miss the 'Busy-Bee Resturant," on Damen and North Ave., in Chicago, or the 'White Eagle" on Milwaukee Ave., in Niles! Good luck, Stash-u, and Irene! read more

I did not want to give this restaurant any stars, but the site would not let me go any further unless I rated it. I went to Reflections with friends for my Birthday two years ago (June 2010). I loved the atmosphere and the food was good! I had the pierogies. So when my 40th Birthday came around (June 2012), I wanted to celebrate here with friends. I ordered the Half Roasted Duck, which was their Saturday special. We were having a great time and I really had my heart set on my meal. Everyone's order came at once and we were enjoying ourselves. I took one bite of the duck and to my disappointment it was dry. I talked to our waiter and explained the situation and he gladly took it back. I told everyone to keep eating and enjoy their meals. About 10 minutes later our waiter came back and said the chef will bring me a new plate. By this time everyone had completed their meals. It was 15 minutes later when our waiter came back and said he talked to the chef. The chef stated he was busy and he will get it to me when he can. I would just have to wait. I then told the waiter I did not want the meal. The Hostess (a very rude woman) shoved the plate to the waiter and left. With much skepticism and regret I accepted the plate, because I was starving. The first bite of this duck was no better than the first time it came out. The waiter apologized profusely and was very professional.. I explained to him that it was not his fault and he had done everything right. I do not know if there are new owners or new management. There were no apologies from a manager or owner, nor was the bill adjusted. I was very disappointed. This experience affected both me and my friends enjoyment of the rest of the night on a day that should have been a celebration. I will not be eating here again. read more

Wonderful neighborhood polish restaurant right on the lake. They have a great Friday night fish fry, and many great traditional polish dishes. read more

Well, this was our second time at this restaurant. Food was average. My wife and I were visiting some friends and decided to try this place again. Two of us had the Polish platter. My wife had the stuffed cabbage. and the fourth person had the sausage and kraut. Our friend had requested a separate check for him and his wife (so two checks for a table of four). To our surprise when the two checks came there was a 20% gratuity added to each of them. We questioned the manager who said that was their policy because "it was extra work". We questioned why they didn't tell us that in the first place. The server said it's on the menu. My wife said "Get a menu, and show me where it says that. She returned with a menu, and pointed to the last page where it stated that an 18% gratuity may be added to parties of 8 or more. My wife stated it says nothing about adding 20% to two separate checks. The manager said do whatever you want. This is a scam. They are trying to get extra tip money. Most people probably wouldn't notice the 20% added on. In addition, the 20% was also figured on the tax. read more

The food is decent and the service is great! Kind of a local hangout. Pierogi and pan fried walleye are the stars. Pickle soup is a local favorite. The polish platter is a terrific sample of all the excellent offerings they have. read more

Worse restaurant in Lake County, IL. Place smells like well water, service is awful. We were served a basket of crackers when we finally got our table. All of the packages were crushed! Save your money, go elsewhere. read more

Haven't been here in a while and was a bit disappointed this time. The ambiance is still great, nice bar, accordion player in the dining room etc. Attentive wait staff. The night we went (a Tuesday) the kitchen was very slow. Appetizer and soup came out quickly, waited a long time on the Walleye. Borscht while very good was plain cold. Pickle soup was terrific. We ordered the Walleye, which has always been great. This time it was overcooked and over spiced with too many breadcrumbs. However the Polish platter was as good as usual. Advice: order the specials. read more

1. The hostess was so RUDE, I believe she was the owner tried to seat 6 at a table for 4. 2. Asked to sample the Prime Rib, told it was pre-cut...an absolute no no...never precut Prime Rib...got more attitude from the owner. 3. the wine was served in the smallest white wine glass I have ever seen along with a Martini served in a glass 1/2 full. 4. Pork Loin dinner 1 slice of pork covered in gravy with a teenie cup of applesauce. 5. Totally ignored our table for the dessert cart...To sum it up, if you gave me a free dinner I wouldn't go back... read more

Beautiful views and the food is very good. Being 1st generation American, I'm pretty choosy about my polish food and I have not been disappointed. I need to make time to get back here again and get my ethnic fix. read more

If you like frozen vegetables this is the place for you. Service very poor and servers are rude . I stopped going and made my family frozen tv dinners and we like them more than reflections food. read more

I had my wedding reception at Reflections this last weekend and I could not be happier with the food and the service. Anna was so helpful and helped make my reception truly wonderful. I would not only recommend this restaurant for just a night out- but if you're planning a party- they're great to work with! read more

Should have known right from the beginning that this wasn't going to be good. Staff and owner completely ignored us while waiting to get seated. After standing there a few minutes we realized that the sign-in table wasn't anywhere near the door. All of the cracker packages in the basket were crushed and looked like they've been around a while. Server also forgot the silverware. My meal was awful (DRY breaded pork loin) served with even more awful tasting sauerkraut and the smallest container of applesauce that I've ever seen. Well water that's served with lemon (to hide the flavor?) was equally awful. It smelled gross...and so do the washrooms. Go elsewhere, anywhere but this place. read more

Relaxing atmosphere, well made drinks, good food and above all a friendly attentive staff. Can't wait to return and bring a few friends.

Have eaten here for years. It is a charming place that has beautiful views of Deep Lake. I love the Polish Platter. Just about everything is home made, the desserts are awesome and the staff is excellent! read more

I'm home! This place is right on Deep Lake and I almost don't want to say how good it is because the secret will be out. If you like Polish food - GO! read more

Going to reflections is like visiting moms kitchen. Amazing cabbage rolls and delicious breaded pork. The service is great, the ambiance is incredible. Rustic down home feel good with a sunset to die for! If your looking for a commercial and speedy atmosphere and service, this place is not for you. Finding a local family restaurant that caterers to all is hard to come by. We came here recently with a group of out of town guests and we were well taken care of by our server Donna. The food us great, service spectacular. Exceeded our expectations, we will be back! read more

I was surprised to see the range of reviews on this place. My girlfriend and I ate at Reflections tonight, and experienced none of the disheartening things mentioned in some of the one- and two-star reviews. We walked in about 4:30, without reservations, and were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant, but still with a nice view of twilight on the lake. From then on, everything was wonderful. We tried the shrimp scampi appetizer, as well as the barley sausage and kraut appetizer, both of which were quite tasty. For the main course, I had the prime rib, which was delicious, and my girlfriend had the roast duck, which was just superb - nice and crispy skin, but moist and flavorful meat. We were so full, we couldn't fit it any dessert, but we did take a house-made Napoleon back home to Chicago with us for later, and I'm glad we did! That too was top notch - slightly browned flaky layers of pastry dough with a light yet rich-tasting pastry cream filling. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive throughout our meal, even after the restaurant really began filling up. A man named John provided some soft, unobtrusive dinner music on the piano. The prices were quite reasonable too. For the two appetizers, the two main couses with soup or salad, the dessert, two mixed drinks and a glass of wine, we came in at under $75.00 Something to consider when looking at the variety of reviews here, I think a lot depends on your expectations. If you're looking a trendy place with nouvelle cuisine and esoteric sauces, this isn't it. In general, the food here is of the hearty variety, and is prepared quite simply, yet deliciously. It has that comforting feel and taste of home cooking, and I mean that as a high compliment. As I said, we were pleased with everything, start to finish, and will definitely go back. read more

Sitting on the deck over-looking the Lake on a beautiful summer afternoon is heaven. And the food is pretty good too.

We enjoyed the Polish platter to get a chance to try their Polish fare. The food was very good. Service was impeccable and the atmosphere was very nice. we enjoyed an will go back. read more

I think this is a nearly perfect restaurant; excellent quality, atmosphere, and value. Remember it is European focused, so salads and/or vegetarian entrees are NOT their forte. What they do have is perhaps the best roast duck in the Chicago area; a large half bird, moist, but not greasy (duck is only on Sat-Sun). The bread basket was a bit lacking for my taste, and the potatoes in the delicious picle soup could have been more neatly cut. But that's as negative as I can be after two visits. The vegetable offering was freshly cooked string beans; a welcome change from many restaurants of this type. I've heard they do a good job with walleye, a wonderful mild white fish, and salmon as well. The dessert cake selection is wonderful; if you like orange, he "dreamsicle" cake is delicious and refreshing. I would mention the amazing view over the lake, but there are only four tables for four that get it, and I don't want to disappoint. Management told me there can be long waits on Friday and Saturday night; Sunday afternoon was pleasantly busy but not crowded. read more

Well, I had to change my rating to 3 stars due to my 2 past experiences. One time I sat in the bar with my friend where we had a great time but after a few drinks tried to order food. We asked for menus which we got but no one ever took our order. They said the servers were busy and would be right there. After 40 minutes I called my husband to order to pizza and come pick us up. The bartender felt bad and bought us a drink which was nice but you should be able to get food at a restaurant. Then last time I was excited to go sit on their deck outside because the weather was nice. We got there early for dinner to have a better chance of getting a seat outside. When we got there they said there was a long wait for the patio. I saw there was only one name on the list. So, they seated us in the back of the restaurant inside by the exit door. In about 20 mins there were tables open on the patio. I was hoping to be a regular here because I live nearby and the food is great but, unfortunately, they only have certain people they treat well. read more

This was our first trip to Reflections. Seating @5:00P on a Saturday evening was fast and the waiter arrived quickly. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials, and was attentive during our stay. We had two Polish specialties; both were more than ample and very good. All around a very positive experience. read more

This was our third visit to this facility. Once again, we enjoyed it. My wife and I both had fish. I had the perch and my wife had walleye. Both were very good, properly cooked and not "fishy" at all. Both were served with rather unusual coleslaw which was very nice and very fresh. Guessing it is homemade there. Their pickle soup is a specialty which is really worth trying (It's much better than it sounds - really)! Our server was a young lady named Joanna who provided very good, friendly service. One of the best servers we've had in some time (and we dine out frequently). The lake view is very good and during summer, the view from their patio would be exceptional. The facility, overall, is a little worn around the edges bit that's fine in this case as it gives a comfortable Wisconsin "supper club" feel even though it is in Illinois. Now for the not-so-good: The "hostess" who seated us was a noticeably crabby old woman named Kathy who clearly was not interested in welcoming us. When will restaurants learn that the host/hostess provides the first impression customers get and that job should not be occupied by individuals with bad personalities or air heads? The second not-so-good was pretty minor but the bread/cracker basket (1) was soiled from handling (2) the napkin liner was also soiled and (3) the crackers were broken and crushed. That said, we enjoyed our dinners, the facility, the really good service. We will return again when we are in the area. read more

I have eaten here several times. The Polish options are always excellent. I've never ordered their other entrees but I wouldn't order Fettucini Alfredo at a Polish restaurant and expect it to be authentic! The service is Diner like. The deck views are awesome, may be buggy. Inside is ok, live music usually good. Bar has Northwoods feel. Owners have typical European expressionless attitude, so no shock there! They are almost always busy and don't really seem to care about building their business, obviously they are making enough money. I'd recommend for Polish food only, with the exception of the Chicken Dijon which we've had twice and is very good. read more

We have eaten there perhaps 10 times. Service has always been good and staff was courteous and friendly. Have never run into any problems. The menu does have some items that are not "Polish" food, but a limited selection. Overall selection is limited, but they do a good job with their menu items. Tastes home made, and a whole lot more interesting than Applebee's. I am not enough of a fan of polish food to go there frequently, but it is a great resource when I'm in the mood for it. read more

Great hidden gem!! Eat inside or out Great view looking out to lake. I love the Polish sampler platter. I have eaten here many times and everything is good. Can get pretty busy sometimes too read more

We have been there many times. It's always been excellent: food & service. And beautiful view of the lake! Favorites are the pickle soup and the pork with sauerkraut. read more

Very good food. Nice atmosphere and service. A "supper club" kind of place. Nice to see this type of restaurant still exists. Worth the drive. Give it a try! read more

Beautiful location on deep lake. Food is average at best. They do better at Polish dishes than the American dishes. Lately it appears management has slacked off a bit, as the place is quite sloppy most of the time. read more

If you are looking for an outdoor patio and like Polish food, it is easy to give this restaurant 5 stars. If you don't plan ahead and make a reservation for the patio, or if you are not a fan of Polish food, then of course you can find things to complain about. Like all good places it gets busy, and if you are going to be here at sunset then you will want to bring sunglasses as, surprise surprise, the setting sun will reflect off the lake and can be a bit overwhelming at times. read more

Food was great! Very friendly but not enough staff to accommodate the amount of people!

Sunday, Feburary 19,2012 The house specialty was Ellen's pork chops. What a disappointment for a house speciality item. They were tough to cut, dry, tasteless and chewy, basically , over cooked. The homemade chicken soup was good as well as the homemade mashed potatoes and cucumber salad served with the entree. The server spilt soup as he served it ,as well as the entree juices over the chair next to my purse. After we were asked how dinner was and we told the waiter that we were not happy with it, he did ask us if we wanted to reorder something else. However, since my husband and I both ordered the House Special, and weren't happy with it, our concern was how good the other food would be. We will try the resturant again because it was a homey atmosphere and the staff was friendly, but will be more discerning about the entrees that we will order. I also ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and I had two to three sips before the glass was empty. The bolla wine glass looked large, but was decieving. R.T.P. read more

Never again wi we go. The service was so slow it took 20 minutes to get a drink order in. Our waitress (an older lady with white hair) rarely checked in on us. The wine glasses were dirty, they brought out the wrong drinks and when we asked for extra BBQ sauce they brought ketchup! For the amount you spend it is not worth it. read more

While spending time in Chicago with family, which I do a lot, my brother recommended this place. Went with him & my two sons. There was a wait of a little over half an hour, surprisingly, at 2:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon. Our waitress explained that someone booked a group reservation for 50 for a furneral, & 90 people showed up, overwhelming the restaurant a bit. But how can you turn someone in mourning away, right? So we walked around outside & enjoyed the view, which is lovely, while we waited. Wound up dining on the deck. That was nice, but it was a bit windy that day; we just had to hang on to our napkins! We all ordered the Polish platter, a nice little sampling that includes 3 pierogi, polish sausage with kraut, a bit of sweet red cabbage and a stuffed cabbage roll... not bad for $12.95. Entrees are served with your choice of soup or salad, so 3 of the 4 of us ordered the soup of the day--Pickle Soup! OMG.... it was awesome! I so want to go back & have that again! Overall, pretty good... the food could've been a little warmer, but it was still quite good. I will definitely be back... but I'm calling ahead to time it for when they have pickle soup! read more

Got there @ 8 PM after dinner rush (only open til 9:30) Was asked if I had Reservation. I said No. They had to have hushed conversation. There were clearly at least 1/2 dozen tables available. 3 to four in central part of dining area 2 on edge of area 1 by back of bar/waitress area. They chose to sit us by bar/waitress area. While sitting there we were treated to the constant sound of refrigerator doors being open and closed as well as waitress banter. In addition because of this wonderful table I was treated to waitresses hovering over me adjusting thermostat at least 3 times, they just could seem to get it right because no seemed to know how work it, I learned this because they did not seem to mind talking over my head and table conversation. While we were there (9:10) only 1 other table was seated. (in central area) Water tastes of iron which they try to hide with lemon. 1st course was chicken soup. Think " Mrs. Grass" with some carrot and a tiny piece or 2 of chicken. (not familiar with "Mrs. Grass? It's 1 step up from Ramin) Soup was just warm enough to be edible. Main course was Prime Rib. Meat was med rare as requested but it was as warm as the soup and 1/4 into consuming it was cold and only ate about half. Didn't have desert because of disappointing meal and table. read more

Reflections is one of my favorite Resturants. Jack and Anna are the ultimate hosts and are always attentive and really care about thier clients. The view is wonderful, the sunsets are free and even in cooler weather they provide outside huge heaters. The food is the reason they are always packed, everything I have ever had was top quality, hot are prepared to order. I love the pickle soup and the walleye and my husband almost always has the Pork Hock, which is really old school. When my husband does have the duck, he has to watch his plate cause it is hard not to snitch a bite. I like the Napleons and sometimes take one home to have for breakfast. The waitstaff has always been attentive and reliable. Some of the comments on an elder crowd are laughable, age is such a relative thing and most elder's know a good thing when they see it. The decor is a testament to the Lake's area and shows those who care some of the history of Lake County. This is one place where you can never go wrong. It shows how hard work and dedication can make for a sucessful endevour. read more

As a Polish American with a mother who is the best Polish cook in the world, I am greatly impressed by this restaurant. The pickle soup is fantastic and very authentic. The Polish Platter is delicious--almost as good as Mom's (no small feat). The pierogi are done just right (boiled and sauteed in bacon), kielbasa is broiled to perfection, sauerkraut is perfect as is the red cabbage side...the golumpki are one notch below perfect. Cocktails are stiff. Polish beer on tap is fantastic. Sunday lunch on the deck with a bloody Mary (not made with mix, but v8 is delicious) is the way to go. Interior is a little too old fashioned and kinda makes us Poles look like we all like paneling, but we don't...I'd prefer a fresher, lighter look....but this is old school and I'm there for the food and drinks. Service is what brought this place down to four stars...none of my servers have every been Polish or have any real knowledge on the Polish beers or food. The last server I had decided that only one bloody Mary would do the trick because she kept coming out to tell us the food was on its way, but never asked if we'd like another drink while waiting. Overall, great Polish food, old world feel, and beautiful lake view. read more

Outstanding..my mom had the duck, and usually most places either have it greasy or its dry.. This was just perfect, meat was tender and off the bone. I had two pork chops (phenomenal) while my wife doesn't like breaded things, said the breaded pork was "out of this world". The salads were crunchy fresh, while we all could tell the raspberry vinegarette was home made- and it is highly recommended. Our son had a burger, (Polish Food isn't for all I guess- the burger was a 1/2 lb, and he loved it) but I honestly think he was having second thoughts when our meals arrived. Look, if your searching for a place to casually dine, get a great view of Deep Lake, and have some great food that doesn't skimp on the ingredients, then this is the place for you. The Desserts. (Pies and Cakes- are well worth the wait, to a fine meal to top it off). The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5? Great Question. They only had one server taking care of the whole main dining room, so the service seemed to lag. She was very nice though, but if you had some extra server staff, it would most definitely be 5 stars. The prices are more than reasonable- and if you're not in a hurry and want to relax- you came to the right place!! We are coming back most definitely- watch out duck! We coming for you!! read more