Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Scratch On Lake

    3.3 (240 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Gastropubs
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Scratch On Lake Takeout or Delivery

    Scratch On Lake Photos

    SCRATCH ON LAKE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    More like Scratch On Lake

    Recommended Reviews - Scratch On Lake

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Scratch Salad
    Michael R.

    Decent food and service. A good neighborhood spot with plenty of energy and in a great location.

    Truffle Truffle, Parm and Shrooms Mac
    Jana H.

    It looks better than it tastes. Lacks salt, seasoning, and it doesn't even taste like cheese. I'm not sure what kind of watery cheese sauce they use but I had to add my own cheese just to make it somewhat edible. Definitely won't be ordering from there again.

    Inside
    Miranda L.

    Was downtown Oak Park and decided to try out Scratch on Lake. The restaurant seems to be a local staple to visit and I love a scratch kitchen for fresh ingredients. The inside has a tavern/pub feel to it and they offer daily specials. It was not overly crowded for a Sunday lunch and bears game. We decided to stick to food only and ordered the mac and cheese with bacon as well as the chili mac. Our server was a bit scattered and apologized for the slower service as more people came in after us and a larger grub hub order was placed. It did leave us feeling the front of house and kitchen was understaffed. Either way we were optimistic for our food! While the mac and cheese was delicious, the chili mac felt lacking in the toppings category. Everything did taste fresh but we may not order the same entrees next time. They do offer a 10% discount for cash which made our bill about $20; great price!

    Grilled cheese and Tomato Soup
    Jennifer M.

    Scratch wrap was excellent. Great chicken flavor and the fries are fresh cut, low salt and amazing! Service was ok they were short on staff I was told. The restaurant is nice with a medium sized bar area and plenty of tables.

    Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich
    Khadijah H.

    Scratch on Lake is just that... a scratch. Ok let me give more context. This is a supposed stable in oak park that many people tend to eat at. Ive given this place a try once before but I sat outside in the summer and ordered mac and cheese along with some fries. Nothing to special so I didn't review. I decided to change that by going in to see what the hype was about. This establishment gives me the vibes that it only receives business because it's on a major street, not because it's actually good. I was not truly impressed with my visit here. It was empty during prime time on a warm weathered Saturday. My friend and I am naturally were seated right away in super worn and tattered booths. The menus definitely were old and needed to be clean. Our server was the best out of the entire experience. She was tentative alert and quick paced. My friend and I chose to order the spicy chicken sandwich. The picture speaks for itself. The slaw was overllllllly soupy and glopped all over the sandwich. The lazy skirts of sriracha on top was not creative and the cucumbers were unnecessary. Seeing as I was hungry I ate it but I was not impressed. This is besides the fact the burger was $13.75 solo and you have to pay for fries separately. The taste and quality of the meal versus the price did not match up and I really need them to humble themselves. I'm not inclined to return

    Turkey melt. Didn't come with pickles. Just huge slabs of turkey with some sort of mayo and melted cheese. Actually disgusting.

    The turkey melt was disgusting. Very unsatisfied. I am not at all a picky eater and just could not eat this. Our waiter didn't care to compensate for the terrible food.

    PULLED PORK BELLY
    Adaora O.

    This was my first time eating at Scratch on Lake. I was looking for a good sandwich near me, and I found Scratch on Lake through a Google search. I ordered carry-out and my food was ready within 15 min of ordering (A+ for timing!) I went with the Pulled pork sandwich on a subbed out gluten free bun. It was an extra few dollars for the GF bun, but it was around the same typical price other restaurants would charge. The sandwiches come with a side included, so I went for the regular fries Taste overall: The pulled pork was AMAZING. I don't like my pulled pork overly saucey, so the amount of bbq was perfect for me. If you're a sauce lover, I recommend asking for extra. The fries were OK, not my favorite and could use a little bit more seasoning and/or salt. I would definitely try a different side for next time. I will definitely be back to Scratch on Lake! Featured: Pulled pork sandwich, Regular fries

    Blueberry Margarita

    See all

    Photo of Dave W.
    0
    44
    15

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alex H.
    0
    47
    24

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Patrick O.

    Patrick O.

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    the service is terrible. the food is ok nothing really stood out to me though. The bar selection is nice though.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tasha F.
    56
    165
    9

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anna S.
    0
    14
    19

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Red E.
    316
    10
    19

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bill C.
    3
    213
    21

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mark S.
    0
    47
    13

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Patrick O.

    Patrick O.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Patrick O.

    Patrick O.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rie U.
    233
    423
    1213

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Patrick O.

    Patrick O.

    We are a burger restaurant

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Good food. Good beer. The service was decent. Great location in Oak Park. Wish they had more than one basketball game showing on all the TVs

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sany N.
    205
    394
    1166

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Patrick O.

    Patrick O.

    Thanks for the review

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tina B.
    3
    61
    92

    4 years ago

    So so tasty. The fries were fabulous and the coder selection is even better! Salad was meh, but burger was good. Service was outstanding!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 6

    Ask the Community - Scratch On Lake

    Does this place offer NFL Sunday Ticket games?

    I’m not sure. They do have ESPN though.

    Do you have a happy hour here?

    I believe they have.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    You might also consider

    One Lake Brewing

    One Lake Brewing

    3.8
    (108 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    One Lake Brewing has the cutest bingo evening that is worth driving in for…read more The food is delicious, the servers and staff are warm and welcoming, and the crowd is hilarious! The interior looks nice and I love the feel of the restaurant as a whole. the ambiance is great!

    Inattentive staff. I came in thirsty and hungry.. i left thirsty and hungry…read more i sat at the bar (the only one at the bar for the most part) . The original bartender disappeared without taking my food order . I had to get the attention of the following bartender to order a goddess salad w no onion. The salad came with onions, (no big deal I'll pick them off). Finished said salad and beer (not once was i acknowledged during that time). I sat there with an empty beer glass & a plate with onions for about 10-15 mins. At this point no one else is at the bar.. (early eve 730).. the bartender scraped off plates into the garbage directly in front of me several times yet failed to look up every single time . She finally returns , grabs the plate , scrapes off the onions and asked if i'd like anything else . (she took the order, she should have noticed and acknowledges the onion error ). I opted for a short pour but i would have ordered a burger and at least two more beers had there been any presence of customer service. (This doesn't fall just on the bartender, there were several opportunities for others to notice a patron at the bar with an empty beer glass and empty plate for too long a time). Management and Staff need training. Pros: Salad was great but small. Beer was great, nice selection.

    Photos
    Brewer giving story about beer
    Brewer giving story about beer
    One Lake Brewing
    One Lake Brewing

    See all

    New Village Gastro Pub

    New Village Gastro Pub

    4.7
    (288 reviews)
    14.4 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Minority-owned & operated

    The food and service is always great here! Nice place to gather with friends and chit chat…read more 9/10: bulgogi and beef brisket is always a solid choice 8/10 silken tofu soup was okay - more of a mala hot pot style 9/10: so tteok so tteok a classic! 5/10: fried dumplings were meh

    We came on a Sunday evening for an early dinner with a large group (~20 people) and squeezed into…read more~4 tables. The restaurant was much smaller than I expected and filled up quickly. Our group shared the following: popcorn chicken, stir-fried chicken gizzards, fried eggs with Spam, corn cheese, truffle French fries, seafood pancake, bossam (pork belly, shrimp paste, lettuce wrap), rose tteokbokki, steamed egg souffle with cheese, spam and kimchi fried rice, station noodles (beef broth, veggies), and strawberry bingsoo. My favorite of the night was the rose tteokbokki. The tteokbokki was perfectly chewy and I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce. The popcorn chicken was also good and paired well with the sauce it came with. The bossam was on the dry side and the seafood pancake was pretty standard. The fries were good but wouldn't pay $10 for a basket of fries if we came back next time. The corn cheese was also good but the plate was small. There was a call button at each table which was convenient. Food came out individually as it was ready instead of all at once which was to be expected for our party size.

    Photos
    2024 Yelp Top 100 Restaurant in the U.S.
    2024 Yelp Top 100 Restaurant in the U.S.
    Sea Snail and Squid Muchim
    Sea Snail and Squid Muchim
    Karaoke

    See all

    Karaoke
    Kindred Gastropub

    Kindred Gastropub

    3.8
    (93 reviews)
    17.8 mi

    Chilaquiles Berry Basil Bliss…read more This place is cool inside and has outdoor seating which would be nice for a warm day. The service was friendly and the drink was very good. The food was pretty good but not amazing. $45 all in may be a bit pricey.

    We wanted to like this place - but disorganization and average food let us down. We saw online…read morethey were offering Lisle Restaurant week so we thought a perfect time to try a new place. We made a reservation, too. Kindred is a unique place in that it's in a strip mall and you enter part of the mall to get to the front entrance of Kindred. We walked in and there was nobody at the front desk but a sign that said Seat Yourself. We walk into the bar (b/c that was all we saw) and the bartender gives us the option of a table in the corner or a table right next to the bathroom. We noticed tables right by the window that were open, but those apparently weren't available. We took the corner. We sat and a waitress brought us menus. I asked about the Restaurant Week. She said she knew it was going on, but didn't know what the options were. She was very nice about it, but I had to prod her to find a menu for it. She came back a few minutes later for our drink order and I asked again for the Restaurant Week menu and she again alluded to not knowing what it was. I dropped it but if your restaurant is offering it - your staff should know what is on it and should promote it. Drinks...I ordered a martini - my husband said "diet coke or coke zero." She said - we don't have that. He then said "diet pepsi". She said - they have RC Cola Zero. My husband and I look at each other and we're like "ugh.". Only having RC as your pop of choice is an indicator to us of cheapness/not great food. Skip ahead - another couple comes into the bar at that point and the bartender offers the couple the table by the bathroom. The couple pointed to the tables by the window and I think the bartender said they were reserved. The couple said they had a reservation tonight. I couldn't catch the rest, but they ending up sitting at the table by the restroom. Very confusing. Then - it all made sense - a family of 5 came into the bar...(b/c still no person at the front desk and the seat yourself sign) - said they had a reservation and all of a sudden, someone appears and seats them in a completely different room. Apparently - there is a dining room that we all should have been sitting in. But - having no person at the front desk, a sign that says seat yourself, having an entrance in a strip mall side, and the bartender not explaining anything - was a problem. Skip ahead. Food - we got fried pickles (which were extremely salty) , STK Wrap (just okay), and Garlic Chicken bowl (little garlic). Nothing outstanding and nothing that would warrant us coming back.

    Photos
    Kindred Gastropub
    Massive burger and fries
    Massive burger and fries
    Front room

    See all

    Front room
    Citrine Cafe

    Citrine Cafe

    4.1
    (274 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    this place is the place to go as they have their act together in every aspect…read more went on a thursday night with an opentable reservation for my friend and myself as we were catching up. my friend is a wine person (i'm no where near what he is) who has travelled the world in pursuit of wine and has a wine collection that would knock your socks off---and he picked this place based upon having a good wine selection--and he and the server talked wine, with me clueless as i'm a no knowledge wine person! the service was excellent. our server did not rush us and answered every question in detail as there were some things we just did not understand on the menu. the food presentation was top notch and well prepared. i have the amish chicken and it was not only presented nicely, but was juicy--even the white meat! had the octopus for an appetizer and that was quite good. my friend had a pasta which was quite tasty, so really, i conclude the food is well prepared and well presented. the ambiance is comfy and it is the the type of place you can come dressed up or in jeans. so make the reservation and go.... we were there talking til after close a bit and not once did they rush us out, so i say go, figure about 50-75/person, but make the open table reservation.

    Wasn't totally impressed with this place. Went because a friend dragged me here because she knew a…read moreserver who was worked here but the food was mediocre the drinks were Meh. I don't think we'll be returning services will not that great either or friendly I should say

    Photos
    Private dining
    Private dining
    Mushroom Ravioli
    Mushroom Ravioli
    Wine

    See all

    Wine

    Scratch On Lake - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...