Lake House Restaurant in Lake Villa, Illinois

Lake House Rotisserie, Grill & Tap is a casual dining establishment located in Lake Villa, Illinois. Lake Villa is in the Chain of Lakes region, in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

Lake House is located in an area with a lot of lakes, but in spite of the name, the restaurant itself is not on a lake. The restaurant is in a strip mall located a the intersection of Deep Lake Road and Grass Lake Road.

The interior of this relatively new restaurant has a woodsy North-wood atmosphere. There is seating in the roomy bar area or in the separate dining section. There is a large wooden bar with seating at the bar and booths on the side of the room. The dining area is in a large room with wooden floors and wooden tables. A fireplace separates the bar and restaurant sections. Diners can eat in the bar area, but it can be noisy due to music and patrons talking at the bar.

We have dined at Lake House Restaurant several times and have found them to consistently offer good food in generous portions. They used to have a lunch menu, but now the lunch menu is the same as the dinner menu, making lunch prices a bit high compared to other restaurants in the vicinity.

During our most recent visit, we were seated in the dining area, right next to the fish tank, which offered a nice focal point. It was a Wednesday night , which is Martini special night. We each ordered a Cosmo, on special for $5. Normally the martinis are priced in the range of $7 to $9. While waiting for our drinks we perused the menu.

The specialties of the house at Lake House are roasted chicken and ribs. The roasted chicken comes in a variety of flavors, including Olive oil and garlic, Vesuvio, spicy avocado and barbecue. My personal favorite is the Olive Oil and garlic, which is very garlicky. Chicken meals run about $13.95 - $14.95 and include choice of potato and soup or salad.

The menu also includes steaks, seafood dishes, pasta, salads and sandwiches. The steak and seafood dishes run from $15 to $20. Some of the meals seem to be priced a bit high for a casual dining restaurant.

I ordered the roasted chicken ($13..95) , with Olive oil and garlic, with garlic mashed potatoes and a cup of French Onion soup. My companion ordered a spinach salad with salmon ($14.95) and a cup of the Baked French Onion soup with cheese.

The server returned with a basket of fresh white bread, served with garlic butter. The crusty white bread was fresh and was a delicious start to the meal.

We both had the French onion soup, but mine was without cheese, while my companion had upgraded to the soup with baked cheese on top. We agreed that the soup tasted good, but it was somewhat salty, which is not unusual for restaurant soup.

The meals were served within minutes after we finished our soup. The chicken was a generous portion, an entire half chicken, marinated in Olive Oil, lemon and garlic and roasted. The scoop of garlic mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables were served on the plate along with the chicken. My companion ordered the more diet friendly spinach salad with four ounces of salmon and a vinaigrette dressing.

The chicken is a delight for garlic lovers. Lake House roasts the chickens so that they are tender and moist. The chicken was on the oily side, but I discarded the skin. The garlic mashed potatoes are rich, creamy and delicious. There was enough chicken left to take home and make another meal.

My companion enjoyed the spinach salad with the salmon. She said the vinaigrette dressing set it off perfectly.

Lake House is a casual restaurant with some upscale elements. It is a place that I enjoy eating at occasionally, but the prices are on the high side for casual dining.

Lake House has a bar, restaurant and a party/banquet room that seats 75 people. On special occasions, such as the Super Bowl and Academy Awards, they have a special event with a big-screen TV. They occasionally have live entertainment in the bar.

Lake House Rotisserie, Grill & Tap is located at 850 Tower Drive (corner Deep Lake Road and Grass Lake Road) in Lake Villa, Illinois.

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