Enjoying "Around the Clock" Restaurant, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Enjoying "Around the Clock" Restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois only required that we show up and pay the very reasonable tab at the end. The meal, service and ambiance were all in the hands of the ownership and staff at this pleasant, informal northwest suburban eatery outside of Chicago. For our family of six including two children and two senior citizens, it was a perfect match for which we were most appreciative.

Of course what everyone wants to know about a restaurant right away is the food. At "Around the Clock" Restaurant, Crystal Lake, Illinois the food offerings are incredible. It is not so much that the cooking is "haute cuisine" in fact it is quite down to earth. What stands out most about the meals is the variety of foods that are on the menu. It turns out the not only is "Around the Clock" opened 24 hours a day, but specialty foods for every hour of the day are offered all day.

The result is that at our table 3 people had dinner style meals including beef, chicken and pulled pork and 3 had breakfast specialties such as crepes and Eggs Benedict. All meals were over sized and several of my family had their leftovers boxed to take home for another day. It was just a treat not to go out at 6 p.m. and have to choose from a typical dinner menu when you really felt like something entirely different.

Regardless of what we chose, it seemed that the prices were very reasonable and no one felt like they were stretching the family budget by selecting something they really wanted to try. For the most part meals came with something beside the basic meal, large salads, soups, desserts. At the end of the meal, the table looked like a small culinary battleground.

Further accommodations to select patrons, that is to say senior citizens and children, were tucked into the main menu and with a little searching you could quickly come upon a Seniors menu and a Children's menu. At "Around the Clock", Crystal Lake, Illinois there is just no reason to not find something you like or would like to try on the menu. Oh and for the thirsty members of your family, there is continuous soft beverage service that satisfies all without increasing your bottom line.

The service at "Around the Clock" made up for with cheerfulness what it at times lacked for in precision. We received orders that had three mistakes in them. One order lacked the indicated and all important "fries", one steak was a quite a bit pinker than desired and a side order of bacon didn't make it on the first delivery to table. All errors were addressed courteously and promptly. If you are someone who wants your meal served without error this may not be the placee for you. But if you can put up with the human element because it is also a friendly and cheerful element than you will enjoy "Around the Clock" restaurant.

Finally the ambiance of "Around the Clock" was delightful. We especially liked the fact that there was lots of room between tables and no one felt squished in. There was seating in several small rooms or alcoves which seemed to give you at once a feeling of privacy but not isolation. The antique feeling of the place was highlighted by details around each room. What we noticed was that it was a place where you could take your kids and not worry about the damages, while at the same time giving your children an experience of restaurant dining that was many steps above typical fast food seating.

After years of dining out I am convinced that there are no perfect restaurants but there are some restaurants that seem created to exactly match your needs for a pleasant, multi-generational meal. We all agreed that "Around the Clock", Crystal Lake, Illinois was just such a restaurant.