The Little Gem Cafe
Joseph Kizior · 107 Google reviewsThe Little Gem Cafe — clean, consistent american in Forest Park. It wears its years well. Good cocktails round out an already strong menu. "The meat was juicy and tender and full of body and flavor" — Eileen Lopez [$$]
What 646 diners keep saying
What 646 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“This was my first time attending, and I had a wonderful experience. I started with the calamari as an appetizer, followed by the braised beef ribs with potatoes, and everything was absolutely delicious. The atmosphere was beautiful and welcoming, the customer service was excellent, and the drinks were top-tier. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I truly enjoyed myself.”
“this place is so cute and cozy, perfect for an intimate night out. service is always great and food is even better. i especially love the nights with live music!”
“We also came here for our wedding dinner. We ended up coming here when my hubby proposed to me. We came here for a date-night. It's a cute spot with some beautiful French decor, gold, and fresh flowers. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. We started off with the prosecco. They brought out this garlic, buttery, crusty bread. It was so good. Next, we tried the soup du jour, which was the French onion. It was a cute little crock with the cheese melty and crusty. It was everything that a French onion soup should be. We also tried the tomato bisque. I have to say with confidence that this was the best tomato bisque I've ever had. It was rich and creamy and so flavorful. Each spoonful was like a meal. Next up was the short ribs with the cavatelli pasta. The meat was juicy and tender and full of body and flavor. The pasta was perfect and it had these amazing mushrooms in it. Last, we had the tiramisu with an espresso spot and a cappuccino. The dessert was decadent, we really enjoyed it. I loved that they used Julius Meinl coffee and espresso. I haven't had this coffee from Vienna in a very long time. We will be back. This is a perfect anniversary or romantic date-night.”
“Love this Lil hidden Gem and the food is on point. Our waitress was the very best and extremely attentive. Love the decor, a real sweet spot tucked away in the cut.”
“Absolutely great restaurant. The Little Gem Cafe had a great, cozy atmosphere with a dapper look. The dessert was delicious. We had the tiramisu and creme brulé. For my entire I had the monk fish which was a special and enjoyed it. For appetizers we had the calamari (couldn't eat because allergy), the hummus and olive (my favorite) and some bread with cheese and figs if I recall correctly(?) which was also amazing. The drink menu was well crafted and offered a variety of specials. I would definitely return.”
“Wonderful early lunch today. Great service and value for the price.”
“Cute little whole in the wall, the service was impeccable, the food is to die for! Chef's kiss!! I wanted Sangria, but they didn't have it and my server whipped up something that tastes exactly like Sangria and I was surprised! Great suggestion from the server. We had the appetizers Calamari-cooked to perfection, and the crispy Eggplant with tomato, cheese and balsamic glaze that was amazing. The entrees we absolutely loooove were the cheese stuffed pork chop, roasted chicken, and beef braised ribs. It was all cooked to perfection, nothing left on our plates! Would absolutely go again!”
“We went for an early dinner right after 3pm, we told the server we only had 40 minutes before Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio tour nearby. The service was very quick and we got out around 3:45pm without feeling rushed. The food is delicious, the server is very professional. Wish we had more time to get some drink and enjoy more. Cash is preferred for tips.”
“Ordered from the date menu and what a deal! The food was delicious. I added the French onion soup and was soooo good.”
“Last Thursday was my husband's and my wedding anniversary and although this visit was only our second time, we celebrated at our favorite restaurant The Little Gem Cafe and they did not disappoint. The staff was so wonderful and accomodating and the food as always was exceptional from the calamari appetizer, the honey Brussels sprouts down to the main courses that included the Gouda stuffed pork chop and the sausage orecchiette; but the sleeper super rock star was those Brussels Sprouts which were crispy, sweet, flavorful and perfectly done. As always the desserts were fantastic and I would like to thank our server Carlos for being so attentive.”
“I'm moving my reviews over from Yelp. Originally published 2/2020 Great place for a nice meal with the wife! I had been to see these guys for lunch (killer burger, see photo) and knew that I wanted to get back in for dinner. They served me a burger good enough to warrant a return visit so I brought the wife in for their Monday/Wednesday dinner special on a Wednesday (live music scared us off of Monday night). They run an amazing date night special: $75 for a 3-course dinner for two, including a bottle of wine. We aren't really "wine people" so we asked the waiter to recommend a red wine based on our food order. There was a decent explanation behind the recommendation and it tasted fine but wine doesn't really resonate with me so the name or description didn't lodge itself sufficiently in my brain to make it into the review. Sorry about that. We started with the brie crostinis. I like brie and I like bread so there's just about no common configuration of those ingredients that won't work for me. That said, these were delicious! I really enjoyed the chunk of fig and the drizzle of honey. The crostinis were toasted well without being dry while the brie was delightfully softened. I didn't really like sharing them with the wife. Next up was the entree course. We had one order of roasted chicken and the hangar steak. We split the entrees but I didn't really develop a favorite. Both were pretty good but neither was life-changing. For dessert we had their Godiva chocolate mousse. It was pretty good but also a bit on the pedestrian side. The service was absolutely impeccable!”
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