Loved the Three Little Pigs Burger and the Scratch Burger (we shared)! I can't believe I only just discovered this place having lived in nearby Oak Park for over 20 years. We will be back to try the Mac and Cheese and everything else too. The atmosphere is very casual, warm and inviting. Our server Laura was just as amazing. So excited to have found a new place to introduce to my friends. read more

I rarely write reviews, but I need to give this place major props! The food is ALWAYS top notch (as expected). I've never had a bad item off the menu. My family loves the different types of mac and now has started requesting to stop in when they come to visit. Last night, we came in a bit after the dinner rush. The Iowa game was delayed several hours, so it was still going on late into the evening. The server heard us talking about the score and asked what game we were talking about and would try to get it on the TVs. After a few minutes of searching channels, he said he couldn't find it, which was fine since we weren't expecting to be able to watch it anyway. But then, he came over with his personal tablet and put the game on for us so that we could watch the remainder of it while we ate. He also came over and chatted a few times with us. This all was SUCH a nice gesture and really above and beyond expectation. I 100% recommend their business. Great, stand-up people with great quality food and service! read more

Great place to eat and vibe out service was great and so was good. Just a little small for me.

Great food for the money. Had a SMALL mac & cheese with pulled pork generous portion, only ate half. Also shared the salad. Plenty to go around for three of us. Instead of waiting for a table, we sat at the bar and got excellent service. When we left, we decided that next time we will sit outside so we can hear each other. Might go back for trivia. I think it is on Wednesday at 8 & 9 PM. read more

Scratch Kitchen is awesome! The food, high end bar cuisine. Creative Burgers, fries, delicious starter options and entrees inspired by the seasons. The menu makes changes to accommodate specials which keeps things interesting! You will always have something new to try when you come to SKL. I can even over look the fact that I smell like a burger when I leave the good is so good. Well done, I look forward to being back soon! read more

My go to spot...bloody Marys and burgers are Great...service is also really good as well. Once went here 3 times in one day

Unique. Extremely unique. Some things I like, and of course, some things that I don't. First what I don't like. As soon as you walk in, you're already standing in-between 2 sets of tables; almost as if you're interrupting someone else's dinner. There's no such thing as host or hostesses here, you just kind of... seat yourself. Yeah, it's weird at first. One time, we almost sneaked in because the waitresses didn't even notice us until we had already been sitting for a while. No mater where you sit, you'll feel crowded with everyone else. The way their tables are set up, you'll be sitting closer to the stranger on your right than your date in front of you. The last thing is that I've noticed is that at every place I've ever eaten at, the waiter/waitress will always fill up your cup of water without hesitation, regardless if you're completely empty. This place, you'll have to snag their attention. The good things, well, uh, the food is bomb-licious... Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese (6/6) --- It's Mac N Cheese! With Buffalo Chicken! And Blue Cheese! It's just so good. You can get it in a small size for $7.50, or double size (large) for $15. Honestly it's a little disappointing how the larger size is exactly double the price, but since it's so much food, you really can't complain too much. House Salad (3/5) --- Let's just say, the term "salad" is used very loosely here. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty like none other, but with the amount of tortilla chips, cheese and bacon, it doesn't feel very salad-y. I went with balsamic vinaigrette and that was a good choice because the salad was already so thick. My date and I bought 2 Mac N' Cheese bowls (large & small) and 2 appetizers (fries & salad) and our bill came out to a little under $50, including tip. It's definitely over-priced because the service wasn't great, and we were in and out in under 45 minutes. However, the food is absolutely wonderful so I will continue to come here and order the usual. read more

Working across the street, I would say i am a huge fan of Scratch. There's nothing better than the occasional gourmet mac and cheese with chorizo. Not to mention they have some tasty unique burgers that are out of this world. I highly support local business and this is one of them! Along with their cafe across the street. read more

Great, new Forest Park place; soon to be staple. Yes it's loud and there are enough TVs that I can barely keep my husband's attention during the meal, but the food, staff, and beer make up for it all. I've tried many things, burgers, mac n' cheese, fries, chicken legs, and fish n' chips. All were good except the fries tend to need more salt - small issue but yet to be completely fixed. Fish from the fish and chips was cooked perfectly but the breading just fell off. Ah well, guess I didn't need the extra calories anyway. Definitely stop in, you'll find yourself hooked. This place is clearly stepping it up while other Forest Park staples are falling a bit behind. read more

Love the bar food - Good canned beer selection . Music can be loud - Service can be iffy.

I was there yesterday for a veggie burger. Yum! You can tell it's home made and fresh daily. Loved it. I like to read some of the reviews before I post mine to get a good perspective of what to write about. With that said, there were a lot of negatives about the service. I have to say when it comes to the service industry, niceness and respect is a two way street. I was nice to the bartender and he was nice to me. I read all of the ingredients in the veggie burger because I have specific dietary needs. There was no less and no extra than what I read directly on the menu. I see this being a place that wouldn't fight you if you needed something without bacon on it. That is something so minuscule, I don't think they would want to lose business over a $1 side salad. I really wish I lived closer so I can come here more often. Yes, it is small, but they have so much to offer! read more

Location on Lake Street was ridiculously bad service! Food wasn't good enough to put up with the poor service and lack of attention of the staff. We were seated and told they would bring a chair for the third person at our table. They didn't. We had her standing for a good 15 minutes and had to ask again. My food was cold and they said they would come back and correct. They didn't. My husband and I were given the wrong beer and they never bothered to fix it. No apologies. No money off our tab. Not rude, but just didn't care! A lot of burger places around so you're service can't be bad if you want to survive. read more

I have always enjoyed every meal I have had. Now that I know that they deliver, I'm in trouble.

Food is excellent!!!!! Service needs a nice polishing! We did go in the beginning but the restaurant was not crazy busy so it cannot be that that difficult. I will definitely return for the awesome truffle fries and Greek burgers! read more

My husband and I LOVE this place. We found it about 2 months ago and go there every other week. However, my husband ventures there at times without me too. They make all their food from scratch and put their own twang on it. Awesome place. Plus the craft beer selection is AWESOME!!! Oh and staff knows about all of them! read more

I had a great time. From the time I walked in to the time I left. It has a great ambiance. Very laid back, chalk board walls, and TONS of beers! The Mac & Cheese is heavenly! Plus they are open til 2am (including the kitchen on Fri & Sat). read more

The burgers are really good!!! We had the special, an Asian turkey burger.... Man oh man was it tasty!!! The burger was juicy and there was cilantro in the burgers and it was topped with a spicy sauce. They definitely need to add this to the menu!!! Queso fries were packed with flavor!! I like spicy food and the fries were spicy. Topped with Jalapeños and bacon. I will be back to try other items. read more

Visited on Friday night - and this place was absolutely amazing. The burger was fantastic. I had the Scratch burger and it was absolutely perfect. Definitely worth stopping by to check it out. Only thing that would make me love it even more - a kids menu with small plate options! Please scratch kitchen, help a mom out. read more

Creative menu. Greek burger is something I dream about. Try their soups, fresh made daily with great favors. And they have some of the best Mac ever. I love that they are always coming up with new Mac flavor combinations. Good fries. These peeps really care about the quality of their food. Definitely refreshing in every way compared to competition on Madison ave. service is always great read more

Good craft beer and decent burgers. The place is super tiny, so make sure you get there early if you are going during dinner time.

I love this place for a late night bite to eat and unique drink selections on Madison. The menu could offer a few more options and fries with their burgers instead of only as an additional side but the food is consistently tasty and the place has a great ambiance. I love when there's live music! read more

This place is bad ass. The food was excellent everyone got a variation of the mac and cheese and all loved it. The service and drinks were great too. We will be back read more

Freakin amazing scratch burger, awesome service and a very fast tasty chocolate peanut butter porter. :)

This place has a great craft beer selection and everything I've had on the menu is good. Great burgers. It's a great place to watch a game or meet up with friends. They have trivia on Wednesdays or Thursdays. read more

The truffle Mac n Cheese and Fire Mac are amazing. There's a decent beer selection, and the staff are really nice. You can sign up to receive deals via text. read more

The best food around. Very kind server and chef. The burgers are THEE Best! You will not go wrong ordering anything from here. Kudos!!

Emily took excellent care of us at the bar and was so kind and considerate, my friend and I will definitely be back. Great service all night :) read more

Hipster gourmet burger place in downtown forest park. I highly recommend this place. I have eaten in on several occasions and even had some of the off menu items like the turkey leg at the forest park feat this past weekend. You can't go wrong with any of the burgers or fries which are different than anything you've tried. They don't have gluten free buns but they encourage you to bring them with you. read more

This place has a great atmosphere and the people who work here are super nice. But the food was not good. My boyfriend order a burger and the bun was soggy from all the sauce so it was falling apart as he attempted to eat it. Our friend order the nachos and they came out cold. I have a gluten allergy and there is absolutely nothing I could eat here so I just had a cider and ate at home :( read more

My family and I have been to SKL quite a few times. The atmosphere was a comfortable and casual scene. We were welcomed as we came in and the wait staff was very nice and informative when it came to answering questions about allergies. The food was served in a reasonable fashion of time. The food was absolutely delicious and the helping was generous. In fact, we had to take home what was left in a to go box for the next day. The price was reasonable for the amount that was served. My family and I were loving the "Kids Movie Night" which makes it an all around special night. If there were more stars, we would pick them all! Thank you for the delicious meal! read more

First time at scratch kitchen tonight. Cozy environment, fits about 20-30 people with the bar. I had the Greek burger and it was amazing, as were the truffle fries. They claim to have a wide beer selection but 3 of my requests were 'out'. For being open 3 weeks I would say they are off to a good start but the management should really get their wait staff up to speed on what they have/don't have currently. read more

Truly excellent burger, and the place has a clever, economical style. Fabulous that so much on the menu is local and all is homemade (even the delicious ketchup.) I love the IDEA of serving drinks only in cans, if not so much the reality. My cider was not quite cold, and the aluminum taste gets old after a while. read more

OK I will get to the point. You get 4 stars when I exclude the following from the rating. Your air conditioning was broken it was hot in there and you've got something like 6-8 huge (hot) televisions going. Turn them off for the night if you have a temperature problem, a couple of folks came in and turned right around and back out the door. You bill your self as having paleo options, yet don't have a special burger that does not have cheese also or some other non compliant ingredient. You were happy to make adjustments though. Pretty good overall. Temp on my burger was a bit overcooked but still good. Had the lamb burger good flavors could taste the feta and mint. The tszitsi sauce was adequate but needs a little kick. Your tables are a bit odd. They are too long across (from person to person) they should be about 6-8 inches shorter. Watch people when they come in and sit down they are looking around at the tables because for 2 people you feel like you are too far away. I like this place for what it is. The name makes it sound a bit more clean food focused than it is you or you could elaborate more. But it does taste homemade scratch. The multiple TVs every 2 feet in a small room and very loud music take away from this casual fun dinner. I think the owners are playing stuff that makes them happy, it was not bad but too loud in your face. If the AC conks out again turn the TVs off, go to walmart and grab a couple of fans, and keep the ice water flowing. Sorry repeating myself here. Overall great concept. I like a short focused menu that you are working on executing well. Keep up the good work. The server was very nice no rushing, attentive etc, but could not tell us about the food as she had not tried most things. I will be back but please I know you guys are aligned on details make the experience, but don't let the easy ones fall through the cracks. read more

Awesome establishment! The Friday fish and chips are a must. Can't wait to try the Mac n Cheese!

Been there a couple of times now, First time had a great experience not too crowded and food was very good, Had the bbq pulled pork. It was really good great flavor and just a bit of a kick those who don't like kicks order with no sauce and enjoy, the next time we went it was very warm out and it was so very uncomfortable in there I was sweating bullets the air didn't work well. I could hardly eat what I had and I don't remember what I had, Too many televisions, Garlic French fries were great read more

Good salads and burgers here. I wasn't expecting an overkill of bacon, but who complains about too much bacon. Well other than heart attack survivors. read more

Ordered Truffle and Mushroom Mac n Cheese for pick up. Noddles were cooked perfectly and sauce was creamy and savory, enough flavor for each and every bite. read more

Very happy we went. I got the French dip sandwich, which had mashed potatoes in it! In the sandwich! Perfect. Husband loved his Italian sausage burger. Great experience, great food, husband proclaimed it his new favorite restaurant. Will be back. read more

We only had the chorizo fries and a couple beers but we would go all the way back (~45 minute drive) just for the fries. They are so good. Plus $1 Hamm's, can't beat that. read more

The burgers are delicious. They have an appetizer (sorry. can't remeber the name that is sausage on baguette...OH YUMMY YUM YUM !!!! ) Friendly staff. The ONLY reason I can't give 5 stars is the noise level. I have been there 3x and either the music or TV is so loud, you have to yell to speak. Annoying. read more