I frequently stop in here for a drink after work or a quick bite to eat. The staff is friendly and attentive. They make you feel like you are long lost friends. The specials they put out are always great. I've had about everything on the menu and I would order each and everything again. I couldn't be happier that this place is so amazing and so close to home. read more

Very friendly staff,delicious meals and serene atmosphere .Will be back for sure. Thank you

Why make reservations when they won't even seat you anyways? They don't deserve business and I recommend to not come here. We called and made a reservation. We walked in and they said that they couldn't seat us for another hour. They also said they need to seat walk-ins first. Isn't the point of reservations so you don't have to wait and you get seated before the walk ins? I guess not. The manager also had nothing say. They said they couldn't seat us, a party of 2, but they could take the incoming party of 30. Stay away. read more

I actually miss this cabin lodge of a restaurant. I thought the steaks were a great price for the quality. Adding toppings such as the parmesan butter crust is a treat as well. And the bison burger was just soooo juicy... best bison burger I have ever had. read more

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Excellent! Was in town for a concert and this was next door to Courtyard. The food was great and service was as well. I had the crabmeat stuffed salmon from the specials menu and my husband had a burger. The salmon was fantastic. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Atmosphere: updated and open bar. Allows in good light. Dining area has a cabin feel & is somewhat dark. Food/drink: . Around 10 craft beers on tap. Some specialty drinks & signature cocktails. There's an extensive appetizer list (none vegan, 1 vegetarian). There's a large menu with lots of options for salads, sandwiches & entrees. However, there's pretty much nothing for a vegetarian to eat here except pasta. Even the salads seemed very meat centric so that if you asked for one without meat or cheese nothing very interesting was left. I wasn't in the mood for pasta so only had a side salad which was nice & fresh. Others in my group made some comments while dining. Calamari was considered very good. No word on the mussels. Friends were not impressed with Mac n cheese or drunken steak entrees. Bison burger was rated as good. The sweet potato fries were good & crispy. Service: waitress was friendly but impersonal. Service was attentive but not overbearing. Food came out in a timely manner. I think it would be more enjoyable here for apps & a drink at the bar rather than entrees in the dining room. However, I won't be back due to a lack of vegetarian / vegan options. read more

Thunder Bay Grille - Bison burger - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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One of my best friends had his wedding reception here. This review is based solely on the banquet and bar area that I experienced during the reception. I will say that when I first heard the wedding reception was going to be here, I had my reservations. I never thought of Thunder Bay as a reception area and I wasn't sure how they would handle it. It is with much satisfaction that I felt they did an excellent job. The servers did a good job of getting the food out to all of the guests and making sure that everyone was satisfied. With all large group settings there were a couple of mishaps, but when you have a group as large as what was there, you have to expect that. Before the meal was served there was an hors d'oeuvres table. I don't recall what all was on the table, but I do know that the mini egg rolls where pretty dang good and so was some dip they had. Each guest was given a choice of four different menu items to choose from when they RSVPed. I had the Chicken with mushroom gravy that was absolutely fantastic. My wife had the salmon and she said it was amazing. They also had a bread basket with a honey cinnamon butter that everyone seemed to really enjoy. The bar had a nice selection of beer. They had 10-12 different beers on tap, most of them craft including some local ones. It was nice to see that a chain restaurant was embracing some of the local flavor. They had the Oatmeal Stout from the Galena Brewing Company on tap, which is the first time I've seen that on tap anywhere. I really can't comment on the price because the beer was free for the guests. I never bothered on asking. Based on my experience during the reception, I'm going to have to give them a try for a regular dinner some night. read more

We chose Thunder Bay for a family dinner spot & were not disappointed. Different type of decor inside which can be misleading. The menu is a bit eclectic as well. The menu has so many different types of food, it makes you wonder if they are good at everything or nothing. This was my first visit here so I was very interested in how their menu worked for them. To start we tried the crab cake sliders, bacon wrapped dates stuffed with cheese and scallops scampi. The dates were absolutely delicious, the scallops were perfectly cooked and the crabs cakes were seasoned well & served on a fresh bun. I went on to enjoy the drunken 6oz steak which was cooked the way I ordered & very flavorful. The service was a little slow but all in all the food was terrific. read more

Thunder Bay Grille - Drunken sirloin - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Food was amazing.. service was amazing, what more can I say? So glad I found this hidden gem on my trip up north to Wisconsin. If you're planning on stopping in to Rockford for any reason, PLEASE consider eating here. You will not be disappointed! read more

Service was really good, our waitress was really attentive. I love focaccia and olive oil, probably one of my favorite bread services. I had the salmon fresca, and it was really light and delicious. My husband enjoyed the ribs. Between the bread, salads, and entrees, it's always two meals (at least for me). It's also a really cozy atmosphere, I love the booths, it makes for a really nice date night. If you want a good experience though maybe ask for a corner. We ended up having a family of 6 kids/parents being seated right next to us. read more

Friday's all-you-can-eat fish fry was pretty amazing. For a Midwest location the fish tasted very fresh and was seasoned and cooked well. The rosemary potato hash was off the charts. The appetizer of calamari was equally delicious, although the serving size was way too large for just 2 people. Considering calamari doesn't really keep well, much of it was wasted. The Caesar salad came pre-tossed with dressing, and I must say-- they were so generous with the dressing that I almost couldn't find the salad! Maybe next time I will ask them to put the dressing on the side. The biscuits and cinnamon butter... I could write a whole review on this one item. It's fantastic. I don't know why, it's just biscuits and butter but- WOW! Our waiter was attentive and courteous. Food was brought out quickly and we were overall very impressed with everything. I will be back. For sure. Apparently there's an all-you-can-eat brunch in Sunday's involving mimosas UPDATE: this is my second time having brunch here-- by far one of the best brunches I've ever been to. They even have an omelet and waffle bar read more

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We came here for the first time tonight and the service and food were both incredible. Our server (I believe his name was Todd) gave us great service. I ordered the bouillabaisse and my husband ordered the New York Strip, and both came out perfectly! Everything was delicious and came out much faster than expected. Great experience overall. We will definitely be back! read more

Thunder Bay Grille - New York Strip - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Last time I gave a great review . Tonight I ask them to throw away my food and give me my bill . My food was wrong and it was seven minutes before I saw a server . Ask Ashley she will tell you I'm not afraid to raise my hand and ask for help . No one came . Must be the staff change to the I don't care crew . My company has stationed me here for two Months for work . I used to love the place I could walk from the hotel have a couple beers a great dinner and walk back . I will not go back the bad service lost three to four 50 to 90 dollar meals a week . Again Ashley is great on her game a great server the rest of the staff lost my and my company's business. I will make sure all from my Company who comes down to never take a client there and to not go back . Kinda sad I don't know shit about this town and lost a great place to eat after a long day at work . read more

Good food, very friendly waitress. Not overly busy on a Thursday night so food came fairly quickly.

Always delish for Sunday buffet brunch includes; prime rib, Belgium waffles, made to order omelettes, and many other dishes, salads, fruits, desserts and a good bloody mary! read more

Thunder Bay Grille - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

What a wonderful find with a fun theme. Very surprised with the deep selections of entrees and appetizers. Fancier than I anticipated and the outcome of the meals served were well described. Our server Brenda was very accommodating and helpful and they brought our 4 year old son's meal quickly since I mentioned he's a slow eater. The crab-mango-avocado stack really entertained our 11 month old. I feel the prices are very fair for the higher grade of food served here. read more

If you have 4 hours to spend for dinner, this is a great place for you. This wasn't even worth a 1 star rating. We made reservations for 6:30, checked in and was told there is still a 30 minute wait regardless of a reservation. What's the point of a reservation if we're still waiting? We finally got sat and we waited 10 minutes for a greet and 15 minutes for waters to come. Currently sitting at the table at 8:09 being sat at 7:00, and we just got our salads. Safe to say this was a bad choice unfortunately for our first dinner from out of town. Don't waste your time. read more

Rockford location - Thanksgiving Day Brunch. Great service and a great buffet! And staff that went the extra mile for us. Came out after dinner to find a dead battery - on Thanksgiving. One of their staff (a young man whose name I did not get unfortunately) came out and gave us a jump. This is one of our go to restaurants anyway - now you've jumped to the top of the list. Thank you to all of the staff. read more

Went twice during my week staying next door. Dinner one night and brunch on Sunday. Both times, servers were friendly and pretty attentive. Food was excellent and brunch offers so many items you can't taste them all and will definitely eat too much. If you have a Bloody Mary, get the "spicy" one.... it isn't all that spicy but the flavor is wonderful. Will definitely return if in Rockford again. read more

Songul is a wonderful person, it's hard to find as friendly of a waitress as she is! Even if you come in 15 minutes before closing, they will serve their hungry customers. They also have amazing food. Great Italian options (and great cheese curds)! read more

Stopped in tonight to celebrate our anniversary, our server Kagan was amazing! He was very polite and always stopped to make sure everything was good and we had full drink! We will definitely come back again!! read more

Great good!! Salmon is excellent as well as the rib tips. Good soups and salads. The biscuits are amazing. Check this place out!

The restaurant food was good the waitress was good but the Management was terrible when requested to come over and talk to us about a noisy table of kids all she did when she came to the table was hand us our bill did not even ask what the problem was when we asked if this restaurant was Chucky cheese she said no it is not but it is a family restaurant and they had talked to them about the noise and there is nothing more she could do she could move us to another table (we were already done eating) so basically they would not do anything else !! They could have moved the noisy table to another area and let us finish our meal and dinks in peace but they did not care!!! read more

The food and drinks were delicious! The staff were very accommodating with allergies (especially seafood allergies). Songul made the trip a million times worth it! She is a phenomenal server, who didn't make the wait feel long and was very considerate with allergies! She offered great suggestions and overall checked on our table the perfect amount! read more

We usually love Thunder Bay for dinner, Brunch, celebrations, you name it! Tonight we popped in for dinner, early, not busy and order their amazing Seafood Fondue for an appetizer - it was great, husband ordered a bison burger and it was also great. I ordered the Ribeye steak cooked medium. The steak was almost raw, half of it was gristle and inedible and it was so tough I could hardly cut it with a steak knife. The absolute worst steak I have ever had, anywhere. On a positive note, our server, Yvette, was amazing. She was positive, professional and had a smile on her pretty face at all times. Thank you, Yvette. read more

We left in the middle of our visit. Many empty tables but a half hour wait. We sat at the bar and no one even acknowledged our presence or took a drink order. Bathroom was filthy and only one sink worked. People at the hostess station were either rude, clueless or oblivious. We didn't stay long enough for food. I really hope that's their redeeming quality. read more

First time staying in Rockford. We had a great dinner, here, on a Friday pm. Definitely call for reservations. The walleye I had was delicious and my husband loved his steak. Friendly staff. Not fancy; has the charm of a rustic cabin. Generous portions are reasonably priced (we're from Chicago area). Definitely will visit again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more

Good food, terrible service. We gave this place a second chance after having been disappointed a few years ago. We were hopeful once we saw the new menu. We had just picked up a couple of friends from the airport and we were starving. After going over the options in town, we decided for Thunder Bay for the seafood. I ordered the mussels as app and they were ok. Not as good as Red Lobster's. Two of us got the Jambalaya and it was good. The problem this time wasn't the food. It was the wait. It took over an hour to get our food. The waiter, nice young kid, never once offered an apology or an explanation. Once I asked, he simply said "I'll check on it". I asked to speak to the manager who never showed up. So, my advice: only go when not starving. As for us, we will not be read more

Husband and I went to celebrate our anniversary on a Tuesday night. We had been here several times before and had enjoyed our meals then. The restaurant was not busy. Our server was excellent, friendly and knowledgeable. We had crab cakes as an appetizer, which were very good. Husband ordered Seafood Diablo which he loved. I ordered The Filet Medallion Trio, medium rare. My entree arrived and it was medium well. The waitress agreed that it was not right and took it back to the kitchen. By the time my entree came back, my husband was almost done eating, so it was quite some time. My steak was raw! Our server was very apologetic, not her fault, but only offered to take it back again for another one. I declined, at this point I was done and so was my husband. She offered a box to take home, no other compensation. She wished us a happy anniversary and left the to go box. No dinner for me. We probably won't ever go back. Don't know why it lists San Fran for my location. This was at the Rockford, IL location. read more

This place is amazing ! Great environment, everyone has a positive vibe / energy I've lived in Rockford all my life and never came here because no one had said anything about this place , but I totally recommend it !! read more

Outstanding My wife and I ate at the Rockford location on August 31, 2014. Service was very good. We loved the pop pop shrimp as an appetizer. The salad was excellent. I had the Cedar Plank Salmon, and it was outstanding. We WILL be going back. read more

Came here on the Friday before Valentine's Day. I wasn't sure what to expect but the place was very nice inside. May not be a complete comparison but I would say a fancier Red Lobster. We had a party of four. Thunder Bay Grille had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner deal, that my girlfriend and I went with. The food was very good. The waiter was very personable. He didn't forget anything that we asked for and checked on us throughout the night. Overall good food, good environment, and good service. read more

I made a yelp account just to tell you about how BAD my experience was. Avoid this place, for similar quality please check out the Burger King next door. They have a dumpster out back that could be the next thunder bay grille. read more

Great Beer.Good Food. Fantastic Service. I came across this place to eat lunch, I'm from chicago and Rockford is a drive but let me tell you. The Beer I had was awesome TIGHTHEAD SCARLET. I also had the Bison Melt Meatloaf very delicious. The skewer steaks with bourbon BBQ sauce was out of this world. The sauce is extradionary it literally holds up its description. The homemade chips are great too. Great decor and atmosphere, also great service. I'm impressed by this place. Only thing I noticed that was off were the utensils. They needed to be rewash. read more

Thunder Bay Grille - Bison Melt. I had the blue cheese on the side. Awesome homemade chips. And TIGHTHEAD Scarlett pint. Tasty. Filling. Delicious. - American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

There food isn't bad. Have been there for buffets several times. Went just recently to the Breakfast with Santa. Had a good time. The problem is that half of us got a food born illness. Our group was four separate households. Every household had people throwing up. Seven out of twelve of us got it. We only met at the restaurant; so it had to have come from the restaurant. My wife and son both emailed them. They said they were sorry, but that we would need doctor reports to prove that it was from them. We are not people that try to scam restaurants anything like that. They didn't offer any kind of compensation at all. My wife couldn't go to work and grandson missed school. We did suggest that they get shields over the food to prevent contamination. Won't be going back again! What happened to The customer is king! read more

Despite its schizophrenic decor, this restaurant is a definite YAY! I'm a huge fan of tapas restaurants, but I rarely get to enjoy their fare due to typically small portions and high pricetags. At Thunder Bay Grille, this not so. All of their tapas options are scrumptious, with a wonderful fancy-restaurant presentation (complete with garnishes, swirled sauces, and wonderful colors), generous portions, and reasonable price tags--most were less than $6 each. Everything we tried was excellent, from the stellar cheesy seafood fondue (which had a bisque-like richness) to the spicy tuna nachos (with just the perfect kick; so good we ordered two); to buffalo sliders and feta-olive flatbread. The restaurant has a very extensive entree menu besides, but we never made it that far. The only odd part about the place was its atmosphere inconsistencies the traditionally Spanish tapas concept was combined with definitely audible multiple-decade tunes and woodsy log-cabin decor. The huge fireplace in the main dining room was a nice contrast to the snow outside, and everything was cozy and well-maintained enough to make the inconsistencies just amusing additions. read more

I visited Thunder Bay Grille for the first time recently because we had family in town and decided to go there for the Sunday brunch. Everyone in my family whose tried it before, said it was amazing so thats why they chose it. I didnt even know they had a brunch buffet and boy have I been missing out. Everything I tried was so delicious! Theu had a lot of great breakfast and lunch options. They also have an omelette station and a waffle station. I didnt hear anybody complain about any of the food. The only thing that could have been a little better was if the drinks were refilled faster. We did have a large party so I wont hold it against them. Im really surprised that with all the reviews for this place that more people havent mentioned the brunch. I cant wait to go back! read more

Drove by this place for years but never stopped in until last month. It looks a little dated on the outside and the signage made me think of Red Lobster, but it was down the street from our hotel, why not? I was so pleasantly surprised. Slightly dated decor, updated menu. Service was ... very good, albeit a bit ... 'regimental?' Good beer selection, addictive bread basket. I ordered the shrimp platter and was very happy with it, will remember this place for next time we're in town (we're rewards members with a hotel chain nearby and were visiting family). read more

Went for Easter Brunch last Sunday. I was very disappointed with the service. The food options were good but the lack of staff and service was terrible. I expected it to be crowded and slow but it seemed management at this restaurant is lacking. After a 1 1/2 wait to be seated we barely had any attention from waitress. I noticed as parties left their tables the empty table sat for long periods of time before it was cleared up, this is when lobby and any available space was overcrowded with hungry people. I feel management should have planned better for the crowd and staffed accordingly. I did feel bad for the wait staff. They did not have enough help. I will try to visit again and hopefully the service will be better on a normal day. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Rockford, it's like you stepped into a beautiful lodge atop the mountain. Excellent dishes, good prices, very friendly staff. Their brunch is an amazing deal. If you've never been, definitely give Thunder Bay a try. read more