Mack’s Golden Pheasant

We enjoyed the backyard. The soup and salad was adequate. When they dropped the bad steak in front of me it changed my entire dinning experience. I turned it in for a spinach salad. The staff was attentive but Im sure it was only to mask the bad food.

I frequent Mack’s with my parents often. We love this place. Everyone there seems to know each other and everyone is so polite. The prime rib is to die for and they give you hefty potions.

My lovahh and I decided we would give their Sunday brunch a try. We weren’t greeted but we continued to walk farther into the restaurant and realized everyone was busy trying to prepare the brunch spread. From then on, everyone was extremely polite. They absolutely had great service and decent coffee. However, the experience reminded me of times I was invited to someone’s house where everyone is so glad to see you but they’re cooking skills were subpar. How do you complain after being treated so well?! The slightly burned omelet was the best part of the meal I had. He had pancakes that weren’t quite cooked thoroughly. They had so many things to offer that I didn’t get a chance to try it all. Beautiful décor and the backyard was a pleasant surprise! I will be back to try their other food.

Excellent service. Great quality. Old World flavor. They handle parties well too!

I was introduced to this place about ten years back. It’s a great place if you want to go in for a drink or to eat. The atmosphere is older and they have a beautiful fireplace that sets the scene. They also have a great backyard area. The food for the most part has been pretty good and the portions are huge. I would definitely recommend the baked French onion soup. It’s great for a dinner with the family or with a group of friends. My three year old loves the fish on the walls.

I have literally driven by this place 1,000 times in my life. We finally decided to stop in for dinner with our family on the way home from hockey practice last night.
Don’t let the run down exterior scare you away, I am sure this prevents a lot of people from from coming in. The sign is half lit and it it is just un-​inviting from North Ave. I would surely recommend sprucing up the outside and getting the classic neon sign working. Just these two things would make it more inviting.
Once inside, I was felt like I walked through a time/​space portal! Old school! I felt like it was transported back 1977 — but in a good way. This is the kind of road house supper club I remember going to as a kid. The bar and the restaurant have two opposite types of clientele, but it appears to coexist well. It was a Friday night but we were seated quickly. The dining room was full when we arrived, but started thinning out earlier than I would have expected. I would say the avg patron was on the older side but there were several young families with kids too! Service — good. Food was good and with a wide variety to fit just about anyone’s tastes. It was also very reasonable even after a couple of «cocktails», which are promoted on a sign outside. This place exuded history! There are several other items I want to try, so we will definitely be back. My only regret is not taking a chance to wander in years ago. There are not many places left like this anymore. I am not a fan of the corporate chain restaurants — this is kind of the exact opposite of that!

Rediscovered treasure. First ate here in my first marriage 45 years ago. I liked it then. Life happens. Divorce. Move way far away (downtown Chicago). Get married again, move to Oak Park. With second wife find the Golden Pheasant and like it again. Life gets busy. The drive from Oak Park is 35 minutes. Lots of closer places.
Then today, «Hey why don’t we try Golden Pheasant again?» Wow. It is even better than we remembered it. Great selection of food. Outstanding service. Large portions. Cheap prices for food and wine. What is not to like? This place is now high on our list and we will be frequent customers.

Make it out of the bar to the restaurant. Hunting Lodge décor with a fireplace, it’s cold out sit near the fireplace.
You will not roll up at 6pm on Friday or Saturday and get a table. I have tried. Good Lunch spot, and good for a business lunch.
There is a rumor that they have house made schnapps and shots. Not my thing; but let me know.

I used to frequent a nearby diner with coworkers for lunch that unfortunately closed and I always thought Mack’s Golden Pheasant had a unique old-​school look to it when we’d drive by. The kind of local family run place that the Hubs & I enjoy. Well if you think the exterior looks interesting & unique the interior is even more so with lots of old woodwork, nature prints & plenty of taxidermy to keep your eyes busy. We went on a Saturday night and the parking lot was packed at 6 p.m. — there was a large party in their banquet room downstairs but the rest of the restaurant was already busy as well and was completely filled to capacity in both the dining room and bar by the time we left. They have some select early-​bird dinner specials (at least on that Saturday we were there) from 5 p.m. — 6:30 p.m. which is nice. Their meals were a range of prices and a good variety with more of a German-​theme. I had the red snapper fish special which was delicious and quite a big portion (I’m guessing 8 — 10 oz. for the fish & a huge MOUND of their awesome mashed potatoes). I only wish the meals also included a vegetable & not just a starch (though many of the German meals come w/​sauerkraut in addition to the starch) — but at least they come with soup/​salad. The Hubs had the Hunter’s Platter (German, roasted duck & weiner schnitzel with saurkraut, bread dumplings & gravy). He loved the duck but said the schnitzel was just «okay.» Their sauerkraut was far sweeter than we are used to, more like the sweetness you would expect if you had pickled red cabbage. The fresh hot bread they put on the table was also very good and quite soft.
Since they were packed the service wasn’t the best but it was adequate. And if you order one of the house wines it was quite a hefty pour, easily 8 oz. I’m not sure if the bartender has such a heavy hand when you are ordering some of their other wines, though. And they have different hours for the bar and their lunch service & dinner service are separate times as well so you’ll want to check their website if you plan on coming at an off time. Generally speaking Monday — Saturday they are open 11:30 a.m. — 3 p.m. for lunch & 5 p. m — 10 p.m. for dinner (a bit later on Fridays & Saturdays) and on Sundays lunch/​dinner is Noon — 9 p.m. The bar was longer hours.

A very pleasant ambiance (German chalet). Service was good but the food was generally lacking in flavor.
My wife had the walleye. It was a very generous portion and though it was swimming in a buttery sauce it had very little flavor. I had the weinersnitchel which had a pleasant crunch but, again, little flavor. The French onion soup was very ordinary. The best thing we had was the strudel which had a very light pastry shell and was jam packed with raisins and nuts.

I like coming here the back window landscape is great its clean and the fireplace is an added awesomeness. Good Drink specials and food specials. Baked French Onion soup is the bomb. Fresh baked bread still warm melts the butter. This place is great

I love everything about this place. I had the Almond crusted tilapia and some kolaczky for dessert. Both were equally delicious and memorable. The menu includes Czech and American faveorites, so the whole family will find something appealing. The dining room was very charming and warm. It felt like someone’s grandmother’s house, but all dressed up. The service was very attentive and friendly. Thanks Joyce and Luke for great meal!

I never even noticed this place and I drive pass it a million times going to Target down the road! Mack’s wasn’t our first option, but it was a good second option. I was skeptical about this place as part of the sign outside wasn’t lit and it never caught my attention. Even upon entering the restaurant it is extremely outdated.
Mack’s is not a full German restaurant, they offer a few simple dishes that ended up satisfying my German food craving. I ended up ordering Austrian wiener schnitzel and it was delicious, packed with flavor and perfectly seasoned. Their beef dumpling soup was a too salty for my taste and the Sunday «salad» bar (if you can call it that) left a lot to be desire with wilted salad and everything almost completely gone.
A good meal nonetheless, but Mack’s might stay as a second option.

I believe that every establishment has off nights and that is all I can think for some of the not-​so-​good reviews here. I have not had these experiences, ever.
Mack’s GP isn’t a place you go to one time. It is the kind of place that becomes a part of your life. This is the place where friendships are made and memories are had. It is the kind of establishment where everyone knows your name (though not lame like Cheers).
The business has been in the Mack family for over 60 years. Steve Mack who is the owner and a stellar person bartends on many nights and I guarantee you, that after a visit or two, he’ll know your name and make you feel at home, not to mention know your drink. You may even get a nickname as I did.
In addition to Steve Mack’s presence, his awesome wife takes up double duty as Hostess and Chef where Steve’s very nice and genuine Daughter Jesse bartends and works in the kitchen. round up the rest of the staff which include the Omnipresent Tommy who I believe has been there for 30 years, Danny, Eric and Waitresses like Evelyn and Ellen who have also been there for years and you have something special.
The food is all home made. They don’t dump in boxes of GFS crap straight into the deep fryer, or peel your frozen boxed burger off wax paper onto a griddle as do most places. The ingredients are fresh, the menu is dynamic and thoughtful with specials everyday which include great drink specials, even on the weekends. These aren’t the types of pre-​made jugged Zombie pours but actual specials. I challenge you to find a bar/​restaurant that has quality bargains on the weekends.
Anyway, if you haven’t tried Mack’s, I recommend it but what I’d suggest, (unless your an introvert which is fine, get it to go) is to start a conversation with your waitress if time permits, walk into the bar and if you can find a seat, talk to the person next to you. You’ll be surprised. All walks of life frequent Mack’s and to open arms.
Oh and if you sit next to an imposing Viking-​like figure with long blond hair and tattoos all up and down his arms, don’t worry, this is Dale who is one of the coolest people on this side of the bar and will be a good conversationalist for you I promise.

The least pretentious restaurant in the suburbs. I love it.
Here’s the thing, there are a lot of places with better service. There are places that do most menu items better… but… Mack’s is amazing for what it is — homestyle cooking.
Most places that advertise «homestyle cooking» really just serve bland, sad, and un incredible food. Mack’s feels like when someone’s old-​country mom cooks for company.
It absolutely makes me happy to go there and be able to order a wide variety of options (so wifey-​poo is happy) and know that they’ll all be good — not great, but very good. Everything I’ve ordered has the right texture and flavor, nothing has ever been too salty or bland.
Best example — the mashed potatoes. They are plain mashed potatoes with gravy. No chives, fusion ingredients, blue cheese… nothing fancy… but they are fantastic — buttery, good texture, honest gravy (not the industrial brown sludge most places try to pass off as gravy).
You’ll never impress a date here (unless she’s a total hipster) but everyone will be able to find something they like on the menu and it’ll be good and priced right.
The apple strudel and German chocolate cake ARE actually pretty fantastic though.

I’m another one of those «driven by a gazillion times and finally stopped» people. What put me over the top to stop this time was noticing that on a Monday night, the lot seemed nearly full. So I decided to see what all the hub-​bub was about. Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be any — though there were a fair number of people inside.
The place is definitely dated, but other than the bar itself, it’s in pretty good shape for as old as it all is. The people in the bar were generally of the 40 plus crowd with most wearing jeans and T-​shirts. The restaurant itself — fairly separate from the bar has two levels and looks out into a garden area that one would not expect behind the restaurant. Definitely a supper club feel in the restaurant.
I was given a list of specials that were good from 5 – 6:30, but I arrived after 7:30, so I double checked to see if those entrees were still available. They were, so I selected the beef stroganoff. Comes with soup and salad so I ordered the French Onion that comes with an upcharge. Both the soup and salad didn’t have a «polished» look, but they were good, so no big deal. The stroganoff came out and was quite a large plate with a fair amount of beef on the plate. Overall, it was pretty good, but one thing kinda threw me — they served it with linguini noodles (that were huge) rather than with the usual European egg noodles. So that part was kind of odd, but overall it was OK.
Lots of specials there — I hope to return soon — it’s fun going to such a classic place.

I have passed this place about a million times and finally had a chance to try it.
It’s got an old school feeling to it, kind of homey really but it works for this place. It’s been around since the 40s which is quite a feat in this day in age. Interestingly enough most of people I saw in there seemed like they’ve been going to this place since the 40s
I will say the prices at first seem a little high but for what you get with you meal it’s a really fair deal.
I. of course, had a cheeseburger and thought it was pretty decent but the fries were not. They had this weird extra crispy coating on it and I didn’t care for it. My burger also included a choice of soup or salad and I elected to get the baked french onion, which was good.
My food was like 3.5 but the service was more like a 2. It wasn’t terrible but I had to ask for my drink 3 times for instance. She never wrote anything down and I feel like that’s why she kept missing stuff and was a little slow in getting the stuff she missed to us.
The rest of my group enjoyed their food, those who got the prime rib raved about it and the portion they got was massive.
I would try this place again just to get the prime rib. I think it’s worth a stop by.

I’m glad we had a reservation because our table for 8 wouldn’t have been seated. Our entrees came with a salad AND a soup. I had the steak and crab legs. Unfortunately, they put the crab legs on top of my steak, so the steamy water created a pool on my steak. Not exactly the texture I was looking for. Plus, the steak was overcooked and tough.
The bread was hot, but was undercooked in the middle. Yep, still doughy. The kids ordered spaghetti, and were happy with their choice. Others in our group liked the fish and duck options. The apple dessert was amazing, and reminded me of old European treats.
+Yummy garlic salad dressing
+Delicious french onion soup
–Poor plating for surf&turf
–Muddy parking lot

Mack’s has yummy burgers, wings and probably the best strudel anywhere!
I love the outdoor patio, very cute. They have a wing special on Mondays which is a bargain. haven’t been disappointed in anything I’ve tried and their prime rib is amazing.

This is the closest you are going to get to a supper club outside of the north woods of Wisconsin. It’s a comfortable fine dining experience. My wife had the pork tenderloin and I had the fish special. Both were reasonably priced and came with soup and a salad. We’ve lived in Elmhurst for almost 30 years and this was our first visit. We’d definitely go back.
As of this writing there are ninety-​six restaurants in Elmhurst. I plan on eating at, and reviewing, every one. Follow me on Unilocal