3077 Sheridan Road,
Zion, Illinois 60099
(847) 731-0800

Hennessey’s Steakhouse in Zion is located at the location of the famous Rook’s Restarant which had financial troubles in the 90s. Hennessey’s is the first restaurant in years to cater to the finer cuisine chophouse style. Co-run by Jimmy Mantzoros who has been involved in Lake County restaurants for decades. Mantzoros has worked restaurants from every aspect, including being a well known bartender at Jimmy’s Charhouse in Libertyville, Illinois. His friendly demeanor and understanding of a customer’s needs will contribute well to the future success of Hennessey’s as it seeks to attract locals in the region. Zion has been historically troubled by a terribly intrusive local government that has made it difficult for any business to prosper, but Hennessey’s is off to the right foot.

While they are primarily a steakhouse, their menu offers a good selection of big salads and fresh seafood. My favorite non-steak dish at Hennessey’s is their large crabcakes, made with a creamy sauce and are primarily crabmeat instead of filler. The restaurant is designed around a multi-room layout, so they can cater to private parties as well as separating the smokers (in the bar’s lounge) from the non-smokers. I’ve sent non-smoking friends to Hennessey’s and they commented how they didn’t even notice smoking was allowed in the other area.

The bar lounge is nice because it has full service tables as well as bar stools, and a large plasma television always displaying some sporting event. The bartenders are friendly, but a bit over-worked as the restaurant can experience a wide variety of rushes and dry spells. If you come for the socializing and find it empty, give it a half hour and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The layout of the restaurant feels very fresh and new, so it still needs a few years to get its own atmosphere. The walls are nicely painted and the flooring is too new — I believe a steakhouse needs to feel like it has been there forever.

The menu is decently priced and is extremely competitive against the popular expensive steakhouses in southern Lake County, but the Zion market will be more difficult to tap into. Hennessey’s has no competition within a 20 minute drive, but this doesn’t leave them overly busy even on popular weekends. Only with time and care will they blossom into the restaurant I hope to see down the road.

If you live between Gurnee and Kenosha, don’t pass up on this great little steakhouse. Good food, great value, friendly service and a clean atmosphere makes it worth a monthly visit. Their steaks are so fresh that I have them cooked rare — a specialty of co-owner Jimmy Mantzoros, an avid steak eater.

I’m giving Hennessey’s 4-stars because they still to break in the feel of the restaurant and also need a more consistent crowd coming so they can hire an extra hand or two during the busiest hours. They are very close to being a 5-star favorite of mine, and I’ll be re-reviewing them in the coming months.