Pier 290

Reviews 5

JE

Jennifer Jones

My husband and I live in the area, and Pier 290 is a restaurant that we frequent every few weeks. Each time we go, there are a variety of new and exciting things to enjoy! The menu changes very often based on what new ingredients have arrived in their kitchen. The ever-changing menu always offers inventive, eclectic, innovative and delicious creations. From pillowy-ethereal gnocchi, to the savory-decadent lamb and pork chops, to the "snap-crackle-pop" sushi....it is always a fun culinary adventure. I love knowing that EVERYTHING IS MADE FROM SCRATCH! Not many restaurants can even come close to making that claim. When you go, ask Patrick, the GM, to tell you about their garden and chickens. Its a pretty cool story. They also offer an exciting Craft Cocktail menu that never disappoints. From updated twists on the classic drinks, you can also explore the cool Pisco Sours and "Mexico 70" (that I havent had anywhere else) amongst others. The Wine List is one of the best in the area. Its a very thoughtful collection of excellent wines offered at different prices and many unique wines are by the glass. The staff are always very friendly and attentive, and always make me feel like I am Norm at Cheers (an old TV reference for you youngsters). Finally, the location: *SIGH*! What a spot! There isnt anything like it around! It is located right on the edge of Lake Geneva, offering incredible views of the lake year-round. The fun summer months give you a front row seat to all of the boaters and water activities going on, along with seeing the beautiful, vintage tour boats that glide by. The beach, the fire pits and outdoor canopied area always offer a different and super-fun experience. There is always a fun band playing on any given day. The winter months offer cozy fireplaces and ski lodge-like atmosphere. A complete appreciation of this wonderful place will require multiple visits! Good food, good drinks, & good times await your arrival. Ill see you there; look for me drinking Champagne or Rosé on the Pier 290 beach. Cheers! Jen & Rob

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Karen Lincoln

I was celebrating a special birthday and chose Pier 290 as the place to dine at. Its about an hour from our home in Lake Villa, IL. I had been there once before for a short time when we were on a "Fat Tire" bike run and just loved the ambiance, decor, and location. I had called a week in advance for a reservation for 8 at 5:00 p.m. to beat the dinner rush. I had asked for an outside seating and that it was a special occasion (a birthday). The hostess said she would put my requests in my "notes". Well......the table that we were seated at when we arrived was outside but at the end in a corner right by where the boats are lifted out of Lake Geneva. Note to self: Remember to mention that area of the outside dining to NOT sit at next time we dine there. When I had asked for another location outside which is a fairly big area, I was denied and said that they were totally booked. :(((( Our service started out fine but then throughout our dining experience there were lapses in checking in on us. The food had a nice presentation and was delicious. We were all happy with our food selections. So...our server never asked if we were celebrating a special occasion nor did the hostess tell the server it was indeed a birthday celebration so no special dessert was presented to myself. :(( Also, my daughter who lives in Colorado had wanted to surprise us with several extra desserts and called earlier that day to arrange this but that NEVER happened. Hopefully she will not be charged on her credit card. So....all in all half of our experience was wonderful but there could definitely have been some improvement in service and checking the "notes" or following up with any special requests. Pier 290 was one of the places on my "summer" bucket list to go and dine at too. I hope that my next experience will be much better.

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JI

Jim Kanas

Good potential. Excellent location. All kids/young adults who served us were friendly and nice. The appetizers, salads and desert were very good... The service was unprofessional in that the servers and help seemed untrained. Waitress almost ran away after each time. I had to eventually tell her she was suppose to stay a minute to ask if we needed anything else. When my wife asked about how the meat was done as medium the waitress something like you cant really tell unless you cut it deep. The steak had to be sent back because it was rare. Lobster utensils were buried under the food and the claws were not cracked. There was a plastic flower on the desert. Dishes were not cleared and when the main course came the server stood there with the food motioning us to move dishes. He finally put the food on the fireplace so he could free his hands to clear. ... I would probably not take the time to write this if this was a moderately priced meal, but it wasnt. Our entrees were about $40 each which is fine if the experience and food was excellent. I asked one of the most mature undistracted servers if there were any adults around and he confirmed my suspicion, there were not. It was a weeknight and a week before the Fourth of July so it appears that the owners were not interested in the quality of service and product enough to maintain it all the time for all customers. I paid almost $200 for a meal that was a birthday gift to my wife and she was not thrilled. In short, it was run by nice kids.

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MA

Manar Beiruty

We took our boat all the way from lake geneva and parked at the dock and went in last sunday. we have previously dined there before and had such a pleasant experience this is why we decided to go again, this time we took our friends so total 4 adults and 2 kids. we got there and the place was half empty, we went to the host and asked for a table, she asked if we had a reservation, told her we didnt, then she said the restaurant was fully booked!!! really!! its half empty. we told her we were only interested in sitting for 1 hour and that we would really appreciate a table, she said we could go to the bar! we had two 1 year old babies with us, no way are we sitting on the bar, and again, the restaurant is empty!!! so i went on open table and of course found a reservation for 6 people!!! in 10 min!!! went back up to the host and told her we had a reservation and she was like "oh, ok ill get your table ready" really?? what a joke. the restaurant is good but the attitude of the host sucks. she has sent so many people home. as a business owner i would be PISSED!!!

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MI

Mike Quernemoen

For our 18th wedding anniversary, my wife made reservations days in advance with a note asking to sit outside hoping we could sit outside by the water. When we checked in with the host, we were told our "outside" seating was in their tent. If this is "outside" seating then the whole restaurant is "outside" as long as the doors are open. Simply ridiculous. The group checking in right before us was seated outside (actually outside by the water) immediately without any reservations. When I asked to be seated outside by the water, I was told the wait would be 3 hours with an attitude that was telling me to jump off the pier. We left and were seated immediately outside at Cafe Calamari. Ive eaten at Pier 290 before and can say we definitely had better food and service by leaving Pier 290. We will not be back. Too many good restaurants in the Lake Geneva area to waste any more time with this place.

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