By far one of our favorite restaurants in the area! Great atmosphere and great food! We look forward to our next night out! read more

Vault 232 - Seafood Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

Wherever you are planning to go to, stop whatever you are doing & eat at this restaurant. This was the best restaurant I have ever dined at. To the amazing food, the wonderful service, to the beautiful detailed decor. To start off they have a lovely employee open the door to welcome you into the building. We were immediately greeted at the host stand & brought to our table. Everything at our table was clean and organized. Not even a minute after we were seated our server Katie came to our table with a bubbly but professional personality. She gave us great recommendations and knew the menu to a tea. We got the bruschetta appetizer, walleye piccata and burrata vodka pasta for our entrees, and a one of a kind strawberry cheese cake dessert (bruschetta, burrata vodka pasta, strawberry cheese cake, dirty girl cocktail, and from the brunch menu, berry waffles, steak with eggs in the back are pictured below). The music that they were playing wasn't to loud & included some of my favorite songs. From the bottom of my heart everything we had to eat was absolutely amazing. The manager Kevin came to our table multiple times. He was very kind and welcoming. He made us feel like family and checked on how our food and experience was throughout our entire dinning experience. If I could give more than 5 stars for this restaurant I would. Ps. Tip your servers! They deserve it. :) read more

The last few times I have eaten at the vault, the service and food have been great. I would recommend the fire shrimp, the lobster and shrimp pasta, lemon chicken, or burrata a la vodka. Their aviation cocktail is better than most other restaurants also. If you haven't been there in a while, give them another try. The food and overall experience has improved since past years. read more

Awesome date night spot and definitely worth the visit. Great drinks, upscale bar atmosphere, and fun vibes all around

My husband and I have been here twice now, once for dinner in the "fine dining" area and once for lunch in the bar area. After or fine dining dinner experience we were very underwhelmed. The hostess interaction when we first came in was awkward and unwelcoming, and we received very slow service throughout the meal. We shared the clam chowder, fish stew, and spaghetti with mussels. When the spaghetti came out, it had meatballs instead of mussels, which I pointed out. They took it back to correct the mistake and it came back with cold pasta so am assuming it just sat there while they cooked the mussels. My husband really liked the chowder and fish stew, I thought they were both average. For dessert we got the lava cake which was just a very generic dessert, nothing special at all. Too pricey for an average meal with poor service. We decided to give it another try for lunch and were much happier! Our server, Liz, was great and very professional. We shared the beet and barrata salad, grouper sandwich, and tacos. The candied pistachios were missing from our salad but it was otherwise very good. We both enjoyed the grouper sandwich but thought it was weird it came with a side salad with wasabi dressing, I would have preferred fries. The shrimp tacos were very yummy and a good size. Overall I would come back and sit in the bar area as I enjoyed its ambience much more than the white table cloths. Their more "casual" menu items impressed me whereas the fancier items were average, so I'll go that route when ordering. It's nice to have a spot with a good bar in the area! read more

See all

We went there on a Tuesday at 5:00 we were the only people in the place. We ordered cocktails and appetizers the food came out before the drinks How long does it take to make 4 drinks they made excuses . Then the kicker is that I ordered my drink with ice and they charged me $1 for ice. I will never go back there. It's a shame such a great location and I would love to support this establishment but every time I give it a try I'm disappointed read more

The food and the service is great! We gather here for many family events. A diamond in the rough. read more

Apologizes for not adding enough detail. The owner is correct, I should've mentioned my feedback to the staff while I was in the resteraunt itself, but here are my detailed thoughts and feedback. Would be interested to know how fresh their lobster is. 1. Asked the waiter for their recommendation and they told me that "The scallops aren't good today", so recommended the shrimp instead. Not sure what that meant but disappointing. 2. Lobster fries $26 - fries were not crispy or warm, leading me to believe they weren't fresh. The lobster on the fries were dry, cold and rubbery with no flavor and with no seasoning, also making me thin it wasn't fresh. Fries had nice siracha sauce and cheese sauce but no salt or other seasoning. 3/10 3. Dust bowl Cauliflower $13 -cold and not crispy again, had no seasoning and came with a mango habanero sauce which had no spice. 4/10 Glad I opted for the shrimp pasta over the lobster roll and the scallops. 3. Pesto pasta of the day with shrimp - Was warm and shrimp was nicely cooked, lots of basil flavor from the pesto and large portion. 5 pieces of small shrimp for the whole plate, wished there were more. The fettuccini pasta was very very very soft, good. 6/10 4. Clam chowder- warm, well seasoned, enjoyed Overall really expensive, had good portions but was disappointing for the price. I would recommend adding more seasoning and flavor to all items. Service is perfect and the waiters are honest, which I appreciate. As per owners request, places I think that have good food include Firkin, Dover Straits, Otools, Bluefish. read more

Vault 232 - menu with prices - Seafood Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

This food is crazy good!! Lobster Mac n cheese and grilled calamari was fantastic. The hummus platter was big and delicious. We ordered the sirloin with mushroom risotto, cooked perfectly. So much to choose from. Quality food read more

One of my all-time favorite spots! The updated menu is divine. You can really tell a lot of thought went into every dish. The owners clearly take pride in this place. It's always super welcoming, and the staff is incredibly attentive. You feel taken care of the second you walk in. Can't wait to come back again (and again)! read more

They changed the menu! And i would not say it's for the better. They still have my favorite beet salad. (I would boycott for sure if they didn't have it.) their Appetizers are good. (Wings and Cauliflower). The biggest thing - you used to be able to have fish made the way you want. My husband wanted his Chilean sea bass with butter and a vegetable. They would not oblige. He could get it but he had to pick from risotto and other more masked options. He just likes the fish very basic so he can enjoy the flavor. And they used to do it. He went in singing praises and walked out feeling a little disappointed. He did say the calamari tacos (what he ended up eating) were awesome. But it used to be a place he would go for his seafood cravings. Now it's not our default. read more

I absolutely love that a local successful business moved i to an old bank location and renovated. The interior is rustic and gorgeous and there's a great party space if you're looking for a high end area. In the front there is a fish market you can purchase from. I recommend the fresh catch of the day you get to see everything they have to choose, how much you want of each, and have a cooked and whatever sauces or cooking show you want which is so much fun! Support local! read more

See all

We just had a lovely dinner at the vault. The owner Frank was so gracious and a wonderful host. The food was absolutely delicious. We highly recommend a lovely evening at the vault. read more

We came back. Vault 232 has become our new favorite in the area. We were in the mood for a burger night and they make amazing burgers. 1st, the burger is fresh, tastes delicious. Our party wanted Medium rare, medium and medium well. Each was cooked to perfection. Yay! I yelled softly. We tried toppings like Swiss cheese, mushrooms onions and smoked cheddar ( my favorite ). We loved the fresh brioche buns. Our server, Kimberly, was friendly, happy and fun. She helped us pick sides as well. The side salad was fresh and tasted great. However, Kimberly suggested we should miss the amazing sweet potato waffle fries. They were cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside, soft in the inside and not greasy. Everything was soooo good that we forgot to take pictures and ate every bite. But wait, there's more. We were so full we thought we might explode. Then, We saw a portion of the tiramisu and threw caution to the wind. Oh my! It was creamy. We finished every bite and fought over who got to scrape the plate with their fork. Just save room for it. We rolled out to the car and plan to be back soon. You can't get much better than perfect. read more

We made reservations for a Wednesday night since it has been busy our previous visits but the r restaurant was almost empty. We ate in the bar area which has comfortable high top tables Two of our party ordered ordered a shrimp and lobster pasta bowl which they raved about I made the mistake of ordering salmon sauted over risotto. The salmon was alright, a small portion cooked ok. But the risotto was a mushy mess of ill seasoned goop. I informed the server when she came almost at the end of the meal- the first time she checked in with us. It was obvious that I hadn't eaten any of it besides the initial taste, and since meals don't come with any salads, vegetables or bread I certainly wasn't full from anything else. The manager responded by offering to give me 5% off of our bill for a total of $3.00. I didn't want to make a fuss because we were with friends and I didn't want to spoil any of their enjoyment We will not be returning any time when I am making suggestions I am giving 3 stars because of the good meals, but down graded for the poor handling of my feedback about my meal read more

This place is mediocre at best. The calamari and clam chowder was good, but the two sandwiches we got left a lot to be desired. It's just not a good value or quality for what you pay--very small amount of grouper for a $22 grouper sandwich. Service was slow, table bread seemed stale, there was a fingerprint smudge of butter on our water carafe when it arrived. After reading the overly passive aggressive responses to other reviews from the owner, it's pretty clear what kind of person is running the place. It's visually a cool spot but something is off. read more

5 stars is not high enough I had an amazing lunch at Vault 232! The food was absolutely delicious, the ambiance was beautiful, and the service was friendly and attentive. I can't wait to come back for dinner and make this a weekly spot for my family! Highly recommend to anyone looking for a fabulous dining experience. Looks like they host events as well! Gorgeous banquet space!! read more

The food and service was adequate for the large group dinner I attended. I was here for the first time and meeting people for the first time. While standing in the separate room for the event, I ordered a glass of Pinot noir. I was offered a choice of 2 and picked the first one. Later, for my second glass of red wine during dinner, I ordered cabaret and wasn't given a choice. When I received the check, I was shockingly surprised to be charged $18 for the 1st wine and $8 for the second wine. The people around me were also surprised by this high price. I brought this to the attention of the wait staff and a manager was consulted. I was not offered any adjustment in pricing. Most restaurants have a price difference between $2 - $3 for wines they serve by the glass. A person generally does not ask for prices of beverages in the presence of others. I have learned to request the "house wine" for the future. read more

Prime ribeye looked like a roughed up hockey puck - ordered medium and got well well done! Waitress was more concerned about the 6 very inebriated guys at the table next to us than providing sufficient service to us. While we were enjoying the nice weather on their back patio, the ambiance was definitely ruined by these guys jumping from table to couches to table to sleeping on said couches to leaving out the side gate down the ladder (yes I said ladder). Our waitress showed no remorse when she spilt liquor all over one of our phones on our table from her beverage tray. Should have walked away after asking for an outside table and the managers response was put them in the far corner! If there was a minimum quota of how many times a waitress should check on a table, she met the minimum! We want to support local business; but when you give a business a few chances and every time their food and service get worse, it is time to call it quits! read more

We absolutely love the atmosphere here! David was a wonderful server and was so helpful with my dietary restrictions (gluten free). I absolutely love the steak tartare and the risotto! Highly recommend this restaurant! I also saw they had a NYE party with dancing and such, I did not attend but we love knowing there are fun nice options for us people out in the burbs :) read more

Do it! Fun, amazing, unique experience bartender extremely knowledgeable and creative

We came here for the first time on a Saturday. The outside patio was full, but inside was available. It has great modern decor and a fun look with the vault doors. Our waitress was very attentive even thought she was busy with a big party. Mixed drinks were great! They were unique and roughly $12-13. Beer was cheaper. My partner and I had mixed reviews on the food. We went with the fire shrimp as an appetizer. Large shrimp. Not spicy. I would suggest it. We ordered the waffle chicken sandwich with the Mac and walleye. The chicken on the sandwich was smaller. The chipotle sauce is delicious! I would pass on the Mac. The walleye and veggies it came with were very large in size. Don't forget they have a fish market. I think we'd come back for drinks and order other menu options. read more

Vault 232 - Fire shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

The food here is amazing. We had a party of 4 on a Thursday evening. None of us had been there before but had heard good things. We were not disappointed. The owner Frank visited our table a few time which we were impressed with. He wants this restaurant to succeed and he's putting his heart and soul into it. We all ordered the walleye which we all agreed was the best we'd ever had. We had it pan seared instead of deep fried and it was amazing. The aiolis they offer are incredible, you really didn't need it for the fish however, as the fish was perfect by itself, yet you had to have some because they were so good. The vegetables were done perfectly, not mushy but firm and flavorful. One diner, who was born and raised in New York, ordered the clam chowder. He was very impressed with the amount of ingredients and taste. I was sorry I didn't order it as it smelled amazing. Next time. Service was attentive and professional. The only downside for us was the noise level. It would be a bit more relaxing if there was something to absorb the sound. The space is sparse with clean lines but does lend itself to be very loud. All in all we all had one of the most wonderful tasting dinners and will be back. You can tell this is Franks love just by how involved he is with the patrons and the food. Great job. read more

Went here about a month ago for date night. There was some sort of event going on and the place was packed, but the dining area was empty except for 2 other tables. Maybe that should have been a clue. The service was very slow (probably due to the party), but they kept forgetting our drinks and apps. When items did arrive they were not good at all. Our entrees were also disappointing and lacked flavor. Way overpriced for what we received. No plans to go back, but hopefully they're better on a regular night because the ambiance is interesting. read more

Loved the food. Very fresh seafood Will work with my dietary restrictions Have to give them a try read more

Terrible experience. Went for New Year's Eve. Made reservation online. Online reso made no mention of a prix fixe menu. Also we booked a high chair and we're bringing 3 kids for a 6 pm reservation. We sit down and quickly realize the situation. There's nothing on the menu that 7 year olds would eat. They truly didn't care and almost thought our request to throw some grilled cheese together to appease our children was laughable. Eventually they acquiesced our request but it was too late. We were treated like peasants when we were ready to spend $400-$500 on a New Year's Eve meal for a party of 8. We went to Di Pieros down the street who treated us so well and saved our night. Space and ambience definitely trendy and cool. Menu looked good for adults. None of that matters however if you're treated poorly. read more

Sat at the bar, good vibe & bartender. Ordered Ahi Tuna, the fish was definitely over seared / cooked. Outside should be seared with a raw middle. My piece was cooked through with a tough consistency. Color was off. Cooked, but cold. I cut off one piece and took a bite. I politely told the bartender it was under par. The plate was removed. Bill came and he stated he was only able to remove 50% of the price. Again, I cut off one piece of the fish. If I ate 50% of the fish, that seems like a reasonable compromise. However we paid for an expensive piece of fish that was not consumed. Disappointed. read more

When the other upscale restaurant in town messed up our reservation for 13 people, Vault immediately came to the rescue with a last minute seating! We were put in the vault room which was perfect for a loud, Italian family that was celebrating it's matriarchal 90th birthday. The service was personal, prompt and accommodating. The food was outstanding. The staff went above and beyond to get us what we needed from start to finish with a literal firework birthday dessert. All top quality food and service. Complements to Vault for saving the day and making it a memorable night for us! read more

We came to this restaurant for New Years Eve and had a nice meal and was excited to come for Valentine's Day too! All of that excitement went out the window when we walked up to a long line out the door 15 mins before our reservation, we were not told anything by any staff member only word of mouth from the other guests in line that they were running an hour behind. Frustrated and concerned that they were still accepting reservations, we waited. And waited. No sorry from the staff for the wait or much interaction from anyone, even when we finally got seated. We felt rushed to order and were given no specials (that I heard other tables get during our meal). We were told some of the items we wanted were no longer available, which was fine but what we did order came cold and bland. I told the waiter that we were underwhelmed and unhappy by the food and the one clump of lobster on a huge roll was unacceptable for the price we are paying. They took the roll off but we still paid over $100 for our dinner (overcharged for our cup of chowder, which was the worst I've ever had, which know didn't break the bank but I was so annoyed I just wanted to leave). We will not be back for any special occasions, I would recommend this restaurant learn from this train wreck of a Valentine's Day and work on a better system for dinner rush in front and back of house. Very underwhelmed. read more

One of our new favorites. Excellent food, service, and cocktails. Highly recommend this for a quiet dinner or a larger gathering of family/friends. Great option! read more

Fresh, healthy and beautiful presentation! Highly recommend the Poke bowl and grilled shrimp or salmon. Yum!

We were excited to try this place. Unfortunately, we weren't too impressed. We had cocktails, oysters, and an appetizer special - something with raw tuna. It was good. We both ordered the fresh catch. The scallops were fine - good, not great. We sat at the bar, and the service was okay. The fish market was really disappointing - very little fish and the presentation was poor. read more

Ummm. Not sure if they changed chefs of what happened. We have been here before and have loved it but recently the ribs were caked in a bad sauce and were not tender. My fish came out and could not be cut in the middle. This place was empty on a Saturday night. I understand why. read more

I am giving this spot 4 stars because their location is excellent and they do have really good quality fish (which is what they are popular for). I would echo that the service is lacking, but the bussers are all high schoolers and the manager (Kyle) is used to working in a smaller space. In my opinion they upgraded to a larger space without experienced industry staff, and it shows. I came here for the first time in the new space, and it did take a while for a server to come over. The hostess gave us a reservation at 7:30pm on a Sunday but closed the kitchen at 8pm so when we arrived we looked at the menu right away so we could be prepared to order. At about 7:52pm a stressed out server came over and asked what we wanted to drink, we had our order ready as well but he was so preoccupied he said he would come back. My dad ordered a gin drink and we asked for waters for the table. It wasn't until right before 8pm when we asked the bartender to send someone over to get our order (we weren't in a rush but truly just wanted to get our order in so we could eat and get out of there, plus we didn't want the kitchen to close on us). Finally, Kyle came over and took our order. Awhile later my dad asked again for the waters and drink, that we could see at the end of the bar the past 10 plus minutes, but someone just needed to bring it over. The high schooler who helped us wasn't able to carry the alcohol over so he had to find someone of age to send it to our table. Kyle was so apologetic for the error and sent over my parents favorite gin drinks, as they are regulars. I thought this was a great response from the manager and it gave me a good feeling about this place (hence the 4 stars). The food was all really good, we got the wings, scallop risotto, and flatbread. The flatbread was the only thing I wouldn't order again, it looked like a regulars pizza and was nothing special. I loved the risotto, it had a bright lemon flavor that was complimentary to the fresh scallops. My parents always order the grouper sandwich, which I would also recommend. Really you can't go wrong with any fish dish. They also have excellent cocktails (I would recommend the gin blossom). The space is awesome, super open, and they have a great wrap around bar. It would be great to see some live music at this venue. I am hopeful that they will iron our their service kinks and be a great addition to downtown Lake Zurich. read more

A nice find. It is spacious and looks cool inside. A beautiful, well-stocked, wood bar with plenty of seating. Prosecco on tap! Service was good, we felt welcomed by the staff. We started with ceviche which was delicious. Very fresh! We each had different fish entrees and loved each one. Now, I need to mention it was chilly in this place so bring a sweater. Or, go n warmer weather. We'll be back again. Especially in summer to sit on the patio ;) read more

Gonna try and keep this short and sweet. This place could be better, some issues need to be addressed for me to ever go back. Went for dinner with 3 friends on Saturday night, first time guest here. Looked interesting, I love fresh seafood. Get there, host staff was great, had a reservation. Waitress was professional and experienced. My two friends ordered Johnny walker black, sorry we are out. Then chose a bottle of common wine, sorry we are out. Waitress explained it was supply chain issues multiple times, was very sorry.. I know that's not her vault (pun intended) Ordered 12 wings with a couple sauces on the side, the sauces were incorrect and the wings were average and small. but they were fried nicely and the 5 alarm sauce was really hot! OMG.. Calamari with lemon aioli was good, but portion size was skimpy, serving bowl/plate was maybe 7" around and there was more lettuce underneath than Calamari.. and aioli cup was taking up the space in 1/5 of the tiny plate. Dinner food was all good, but not great. This is a total theme at Vault 232, "good but not great" and high prices for what you are getting. These things might get me to visit again. No more crappy dirty paper menus. Have the items on your menu in stock (drinks and food) Figure out better pricing options for your fresh fish and food, too confusing and too expensive. Final Note: If you mess up at least comp a drink or two, or send over a manager. We were moments from walking out. Take steps to show you want us to come back. I thought for sure they were gonna comp drink or 2 after the whole don't have it in stock thing, nope. We were charged full price for everything. read more

Frank was phenomenal! He went above and beyond for our holiday party to ensure we had everything we needed! He even met with us on off hours to view the beautiful private room! Our party was a hit, and we went with a 1920s theme, as per Frank that's were this business stems back to as an actual bank. The service was top notch. The food was plentiful and delicious. TOP NOTCH, HIGH CLASS, and SUPERB. Plan your next party here, the Vault and Frank will not disappoint. read more

Just ate here for the first time. Very pricey. Had the ahi tuna and was not a fan. Didn't have much flavor . Husband had the trout that he liked. Just felt it was overpriced for what we received. read more

Came here for a Saturday date night, seated at 7:30, place was pretty busy. The vibe seemed promising. The menu is extensive and it would be hard NOT to find something for both the adventurous eater and those who like to play it safe. We ordered a little of both. The seafood was amazing and different, tastes we hadn't yet experienced--this was delightful! The staff was very attentive and everything was timed beautifully. My only complaint was that the bad acoustics disrupt the vibe. It was louder than a rock concert inside. Also they sat two large parties smack in the middle of the restaurant and nobody at the two tops could hear themselves talk. Maybe don't seat the large parties in the middle of the place? Definitely NOT a chill date night atmosphere. The loudness really disrupted the vibe. We couldn't enjoy our food because we had to yell to each other and to our server to be heard. That was frustrating and felt ridiculous. We ended up rushing through our food and leaving within the hour just because it was not chill. Hopefully they can find a way to iron this out because it's a lovely looking place, the staff are a rare breed of good service and the menu is fantastic. read more

Went here last night. It was the annual team bowling dinner. There were 3 of us as our 4th team member declined. Very smart woman. Maybe this is new owner but it used to be fabulous. Now I wouldn't recommend EVER to anyone. Lake Zurich is under construction so super hassle to get to it. Open the door and your immediately hit with a smell of sewer and rotten seafood. Yikes. The hostess said we are getting your table ready but I was with the party who walked in before me so I had a reservation (they didn't) but they seated them in the restaurant and we had to be seated in the bar. The menu was different as you used to be able to order fresh fish by the ounce. No More! The 3 of looked at the menu and said ok heavy appetizers. Ok i can live with that but that was bust also. Coconut shrimp was good. Garlic flat bread was a joke. A man approached the table after we got the food and asked if liked it. I asked isn't flat bread supposed to be flat? Apparently he took offense and said the dough was his mom's recipe. Yikes now I have offended his mom. Didn't mean to but ..... The flat bread was like a football and tasteless, no fresh herbs as menu promised. Chopped Salad was underwhelming which said it had a garlic dressing but if there was garlic it may have been a minced piece. HORRIBLE PLEASE DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY. I WOULDN'T GIVE ASTAR BUT THEM THE RULES ON YELP read more