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.

1762 N. Milwaukee Ave
Libertyville, Illinois 60048.
Reservations/Info 847-362-cafe

Cafe Pyrenees started out in 1990 in Vernon Hills, Illinois but recently moved to Libertyville. Their location is a bit tough to find right away — they’re on the Southeast corner of Route 137 (Peterson Road) and Route 21 (Milwaukee Ave) in a strip mall south of the Mobil gas station.

Cafe Pyrenees is an international cuisine restaurant without an internationally high price. I visited Cafe Pyrenees for the first time just 2 months ago and was very happy with the ambience at lunch time — a combination of business folk, retired folk and some younger T-shirt and jeans eaters.

This restaurant offers great regular nightly packages for dinner specials that focus on a theme, such as the Taste of New Zealand and the Taste of France. These packages include everything — appetizer, meal, dessert, wine, the whole deal and are very reasonably priced. The food is appetizing and beautiful to display, and the wait staff was attentive and knew the menu well.

There is also a bar at Cafe Pyrenees which I have not visited, yet, and they also sell retail products such as wines and accompaniments.

I can not give Cafe Pyrenees 5-Stars, yet, as I have not tried their dinner menu, but will be visiting them again soon. Their international menu varies, which gives you a great reason to return. I saw crepes, tapas and all sorts of international selections you’d not expect in a restaurant located in a strip mall. Ignore the face, though, as the inside is magnificent and well laid out.

At the time of this review, they have a $1 wine-glass special on Wednesdays (with appetizer I believe), and they also have live music on certain Friday nights — currently of the jazz variety.