Alcove - Evanston
Steven · 161 Google reviewsAlcove - Evanston — reliable fine dining in Evanston. Order the Octopus. Low-lit and personal, a strong date-night pick. Tom Miller: "The octopus was perfection, fresh, soft inside, lightly crusted outside, full of flavor" [patio]
What 189 diners keep saying
What 189 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Great visit to Alcove. It’s a fun location tucked under the train station. Very warm and modern interior. The service was awesome. Great food! The goat cheese tart was wonderful. We enjoyed the fish which had a delicious crispy skin yet was not dry or overcooked. Cocktails were well balanced and interesting. Save room for desert- we enjoyed the bread pudding! Overall a great meal.”
“First visit to this space in any incarnation. Welcoming staff and very friendly, happy to talk about the menu and cocktail options on a casual friday. Really liked the octopus and the foie. House old fashioned is very smooth. Surprisingly didn’t hear much train noise. Expected that to be much louder.”
“It is a secluded, lovely, peaceful area, and the food I order will melt in your mouth - friendly staff and very welcoming.”
“Very unassuming looking place with Wonderful food, excellent service, strict attention to allergy concerns, and a quiet environment to just enjoy the food. No ear splitting music or deafening beat. Wonderful preparations. We had pork belly and crab cake as appetizers, roasted duck breast and crispy roasted sea bass with lobster tortellini as entrées, followed by an amazing lemon cream and wild Berry Napoleon. A refreshing sorbet was also served as s palate cleanser between courses. Everything showed a delicate touch of refinement and knowledge or what works.”
“Celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary here tonight. It was a perfect evening - from warm, attentive, impeccable service, to the wonderful food. Ambiance was perfect for us - elegant, restrained decor, and no music, so you could have a conversation without yelling. Elegant, restrained decor. Our waitress was fabulous. I followed her recommendations for food which were excellent. I would highly recommend and we plan to return.”
“What a great place! The menu has lots of interesting selections -- the kind of menu that would draw me back over and over again to keep trying things -- if only I lived in the area! And for even more options, there's some specials each day that are tempting! The restaurant pays attention to details -- especially in the food. All items ordered were excellent and seemingly prepared without cutting costs. Additionally, the bread service is very good and they provide a sorbet intermezzo before the entrée, which is a very thoughtful touch that isn't done often enough at nice meals. The goat cheese tart and yellowfin tuna tartare were both excellent as starters. My braised beef short rib was rich and outstanding. Others in my group had a couple of fish entrees and one had lamb, and all loved it. The wine list has a lot of great selections and most bottles seem priced reasonably for what they are. The service was professional and super accommodating, with the kitchen happy to creatively work around a food allergy. The ambiance is comfortable and nice. Lighting decent. Noise level was low, though it wasn't terribly busy at the time of my visit. My only gripe is the 3% service charge for paying a card (they're very transparent about it though). Actual costs for most businesses are 2% or barely over, and for a fine dining restaurant where $75 - $100 person isn't uncommon, this should be a cost of doing business that's built into the pricing.”
“Surprising delicious food, prepared and served eloquently.”
“I haven’t been back to Alcove for two years and this time the quality of food drops significantly. The lamp tastes nothing but salty the fish is the driest I ever had. I don’t know if they had a change of chef, everything tastes differently compared to two years ago. I didn’t have a good experience. Plus they surcharge 3% for credit card which is nonsense.”
“What a lovely dining experience. We all had something different and each dish was beautifully presented and tasted even better than it looked. Impressed with a pallette-cleansing green apple sorbet. Service was thoughtful and knowledgeable. We plan to wine and dine here often”
“Wow, I came in at random and had a great meal and experience! The tenderloin was delicious but the standouts were the red wine sauce and the potato side. I consider this to be Chicago level fine dining at Evanston prices—a great combination.”
“Stellar gem of a restaurant. Great happy hour menu (served at small bar only). Drinks were yummy and bartender was very nice and accommodating. Food was excellent-I thought the appetizers offered better value, but the quality and presentation of the food was high. Would love to come again.”
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