5101 Washington St
Gurnee, IL 60031
(847) 623-8999

Chan’s Chinese Restaurant has been a staple of Chinese cuisine in Gurnee for years. We’ve been eating there for many years and have been extremely satisfied with the quality and taste of their food and the fast (and cheap) delivery service. Their main restaurant is located on the corner opposite Great America, at Washington and Route 21/Riverside.

While they have a large sit-in restaurant, I have never been there when there have been more than a handful (or less) of eat-in customers. I believe, from experience, that their main customer is the pick-up or delivery customer, especially on weekends. Their delivery service during the week is decent for a small restaurant, hitting my home within a half hour.

Placing orders over the phone is usually not too difficult, especially if one of the younger men is taking your order. Even the lady who regularly answers the phone is easy to understand and hasn’t made mistakes on writing down my orders — this is important as many Chinese restaurant order-takers I am experienced with can be difficult to understand.

The food is wonderfully flavorful and pungent, and it is very consistent from day to day. Our favorites are the “dinner for 1″ which combines any entree item with crab ragoon, egg rolls, and rice. Their crab ragoon order by itself is big with the ragoons packed with crab and cream cheese. The curry beef and onions can’t be topped by any other Lake County Chinese restaurant, and their egg rolls are so flavorful and fresh that they re-heat well for days. Always order twice as many as you think you’ll want!

My only issue with Chan’s Chinese Restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois is their lack of concern about their customers. I stopped going to Chan’s for an entire 6-months over an issue regarding just 2 egg rolls I had ordered but not received. We were having a dinner party and decided to introduce our friends to a variety of restaurants in Gurnee. We spoke very highly of Chan’s eggrolls, so we ordered a large order of different foods to bring home. Upon arriving, we realizing there were no eggrolls, but rather than stop our entertainment, we just waited until the next time we ordered. The lady taking the order was very mean and told me that she will not fix the order. While most restauranteurs will gladly fix a $2.50 mistake, this lady has repeatedly been mean and unconcerned in the past. We stopped our 6-month boycott, though, because the food is just that good and Chan’s knows it.

I’m giving Chan’s Chinese Restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois 5-Stars for Product Quality and 3-Stars for Service Quality, based on their lack of concern over an incomplete order. Definitely try their food, though, as their delivery service is perfect and the food always comes piping hot and tasty.

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.