The Assembly American Bar & Cafe

Meh. I’ve experienced better. The staff, however, was very good.

We came in late and they welcomed us and cooked us an awesome meal. Incredible service and great food. Thanks Stacy and Helene!!!

Everyone is so nice and the have the beat burgers in town!!! Highly recommend this place. I was very excited to put this on Unilocal!!!

Food was amazing!!! Cara was such a good server! Would go back again. A little disappointed they didn’t have a small enough burger for a kid.

I’ve gone to this restaurant since the 80’s when we went after our shift waiting tables at the Real Seafood Company. I’ve always enjoyed the bionic burger, and it’s fun to have it cooked right at the bar. The problem is the bacon. The bacon added to the burgers is hard and chewy because it’s not cooked fresh for each burger. So the last time I was there, I figured I’d just ask if my bacon could be made fresh. But unfortunately the waitress said that they cook the bacon in the morning and just reheat it. Well as you can imagine, bacon cooked in the morning for a burger eaten at night will not be that great. Assembly, please! At least make a fresh batch for dinner as compared to the morning bacon used at lunch!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! MY FAVORITE PLACE IN HOFFMAN ESTATES NOW! Cara was our waitress lastnight and she was amazing her service is too good… We feel like family when were here… DEF. be back again and the manager Mayra was so friendly and very welcoming. She remembered my mother and I from a couple weeks back. THATS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! Im telling everyone I see how awesome Assembly is!

Burgers are to die for. Special drinks are made perfectly, along with prompt service. Oh, also friendly service. Comfortable little bar where you would want to come back to. I am! They have tables for groups too.

My co-​worker just called to place a lunch order over the phone for pick up and whomever answered told her that they couldn’t take her order over the phone — she’d have to route it through their website only.
Apparently The Assembly is doing so well that they can turn business away because they’re too lazy to take a phone order. Or, perhaps they just think they’re too cool for school now that you can place orders online on their website. Won’t be getting any more business from anyone in our office which is just across the street. We used to frequent for Happy Hour often. Like it or not, there are still a few folks around that are old school and like to place a phone order for carryout with a person. Huge customer service fail.

So I’ve been here four times over the last 2 months with family and friends. Service has substantially improved and the staff seems happier! The food has been consistently good and the specialty draft beer selection interesting to say the least.
Whether its the medium well Bionic burger with waffle fries or the Portabella Vegetable grill… that may be my new favorite.

Great Burgers great service and UGA –vs– Ga Tech game was playing. Good vibe at the bar!

I’ve been living here for nearly 5 years and was always hesitant to go in. The outside is about as a appealing as the u-​haul building down the block. Walking in, you see miserable pool taking their turns at video slots. The bar area is reminiscent of Moe’s tavern. Local men escaping wives looking for answers at the bottom of a brew are sat on alternating bar stools obeying the unwritten rules of the urinsls. Depressing.
We sat down and felt a bit out of place. Not a crocs kinda place here. Our waitress sensed we were virgins here and immediately recommended the burgers. We started with the soup of the day; cream of broccoli. Delicious. Not too thick. Not too creamy and the broccoli was abundant. My French onion soup was terrific as well. Caramalized cheese stuck to the cup, fresh croutons, and onions which didn’t over power the soup. Also had the Mozzarella triangles. Could have skipped it. Too brown. Not enough cheese pull on the bite. Just boring.
The burger. Got the famous char something. This thing was huge. The beef was fresh and not beaten up. Cooked perfectly. Cheese. Bacon. Yes. There is some sort of a wine sauce they give you. Not sure what to do with so I dipped my fries and burger in it. It works. Really works.
Most def will return. Out tab was $ 40. No drinks. Just pop. Including tip. A bit pricey for sure, but good food. Perhaps they can tidey up the place s bit. But maybe not. It’s a comfortable depressing place with good good where you can eat your sorrows away.

PERHAPS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD AT A RESTAURANT
I used to love this place. I went in tonight at 6:00 p.m. and got a seat at the bar and ordered a Pepsi and a bowl of chili right away. The three girls behind the bar were very busy. The problem is that they don’t pay attention to their customers. After I had finished my chili which is now about 6:30 p.m. I ask if I can order my burger. My order is now placed. I am watching as burgers are being cooked on the grill behind the bar. It is now 7:10 and I ask the girl who took my order is my burger ready? She said yours is with the next order going on the grill. I explained that I ordered it 40 minutes ago. Her response was that it is a busy Saturday night and this is how long it takes. I asked why that wasn’t explained to me when I ordered. She looked at me like I was in the wrong. I asked for my check and told her I was leaving. A manager came over and asked what the problem was. I explained what happened. She said well that’s the way we have been doing it for over 30 years. I explained that I have been in there multiple times and never had this happen. I asked the manager why I wasn’t told it would be at least 40 minutes before they even started cooking my dinner. She never apologized. She never attempted to make anything right. Instead she brought me the check and I paid my bill and left. Please name any restaurant anywhere that doesn’t start cooking a customer’s dinner until 40 minutes after it is ordered. This is a burger. Without question, the absolute worst service I have ever had at a restaurant.

In Town for a few days. This was close to my hotel. Came based on Unilocal reviews.
Ordered just a plain hamburger, and house chips.
Fantastic, would definitely return. Burger was huge and actually cooked the way I ordered it. Huge juicy patty on a toasted bun, couldn’t eat it all.
Server was attentive, but not overly so.

We’ve been here a handful of times now and the burgers have wavered between acceptable and outstanding, but I’m generally happy with them and appreciate their regularly rotating beers on tap.
The Assembly is a close and convenient place to grab a bite with my Mother-​in-​Law. She typically gets the Grilled Ribeye Steak. It wasn’t so impressive the first time around, but she got it with the special «Char-​Crust» last time and I felt genuinely jealous of her meal choice since I wasn’t sure if I’d like what I ordered that night.
Their basic burgers are just that and I’m OK with it. I’ve also tried the Macaroni & Cheese Burger, but I don’t think I saw it on the menu last time. It may have been a specialty item and I can’t say as I’m sad to see it go if that’s the case. I’m somewhat certain it was Kraft mac on top of an overcooked patty and sandwiched between a dry bun. I get down with the blue box every now and then, but it had no flavor when added to something that substantial.
I most recently had the Parmesan Burger and really enjoyed it. I upgraded to the pretzel bun but ended up deconstructing it and eating only the meat and toppings. For some reason the pretzel buns come out dry and are very dense. But it’s so much food that you don’t miss the bread.
Their appetizers are very large and our favorite is the Fried Pickles with their housemade ranch sauce.
I was really disappointed at our last trip out here because their giant TV flashed the Unilocal logo and asked you to check in on the app before you paid your bill. I hadn’t seen a Unilocal promo pop up when I checked in before we went inside, so I checked my Unilocal Deals page and didn’t see anything listed for them there either. We asked our waitress and she had to ask another employee. We were basically told we were mislead by the wordage (at worst) or incorrectly assumed we’d get a discount since it specifically mentioned the bill (at best). In essence, checking in here will do nothing more for you than show others you were there and promoted them, which you could really do at any time before or after the bill. So why mention it? «Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal!» or «We’re on Unilocal!» would be more fitting.

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Assembly.
However, after my visit today I doubt I’ll return again.
We stopped in on a quiet Saturday afternoon.
We were in the mood for the once excellent potato skins and a cup of French onion soup.
We sat in the bar area and ordered our drinks.
My guest ordered a beer, I a tomato juice on the rocks.
We also ordered a cup of the French onion soup.
We waited and waited for our drinks.
Guess what, the soup arrived before the drinks.
That right there, is a big no no in the restaurant industry.
Finally, our drinks magically appeared.
The tomato juice tasted like water. Imagine someone adding red dye to a water glass. That was sent back.
I was brought a diet Pepsi, flat as can be. That went back as well.
Our soup was served hot, yet lacked flavor.
There was little to no croûton in the soup.
There was plenty of cheese, I’ll give them that.
However, they should be using Gruyère in place of the bland mozzarella they use.
Throughout the meal, our server was MIA.
Drinks went dry with no service in sight.
Next, we ordered an order of the once amazing potato skins. The plate came with four HALF skins smothered in cheese. Funny thing is, a few years back you would get eight half skins, for $ 6.99. Now, they cut that in half. Little to no bacon bits on the skins. Very bland and disappointing.
Reluctantly, ordered the buffalo chicken tenders. Those too were a huge letdown. Way over cooked with sour food service «blue cheese» dressing. That too, was sent back.
I used to be a huge fan of their burger, but did not order it since the food was so disappointing. Sorry, I can’t comment on the current state of their burgers. However, I’d assume they cut corners as far as taste and quality there as well.
This place used to be my go to spot. If you’re looking for food with flavor and good service, head down to the Lucky Monk. That’s where all their once loyal customers are.
Very disappointed in the decline of the taste and quality of the food. Service was absolutely appalling too. My tip to the owner, get off the wallet and bring the assembly back to the quality you had once prided yourself on. Then, I’ll consider visiting again.
Two Stars Considering the Manager removed the drinks and buffalo tenders from the bill.

My cousin told me about this place and I had to try it. He was right, it’s the best burger in the Chicago suburbs, if not all of Chicago!
I had the Parmesan/​garlic burger with added mozzarella for extra gooey richness. They will customize it any way you like while you watch them making it behind the bar. Top notch ingredients make this a burger you will crave for the rest of your life!

Still my favorite burger in Illinois poss the U.S. From sitting at the bar And watching Debbie make your burger while waiting on the rest of her guests it’s an art. The Parmesan burger with the fresh grated and melted cheese followed by the garlic butter is to die for Period! Great beers on tap too! Check it out you won’t be disappointed

I stopped in today to grab some food on my way back to the office and got the opportunity to meet Gary, the proprietor of the Assembly.
Such a great and genuine gentleman, and he thanked me for my honest review of his establishment. With so many owners of Chicagoland establishments taking an adversarial position towards Unilocalers, Gary was a breath of fresh air.
I took the food to go, as I still had work to do at the office and was forced to eat at my desk, but it was still scrumptious. The kitchen hand delivered my bag of awesome to me and it was complete with all utensils and condiments.
To those local to Hoffman Estates or Schaumburg, you really can’t go wrong here. Fantastic food and great service.

I was really hoping to be blown away by the food here — but nothing that I tried really stood out. The food wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better burgers and sandwhiches in this $ 10+ price range. In fact, even within a few hours of eating lunch — I couldn’t pinpoint any entrée that left a lasting impression on me.
Chicken rice soup bowl — This came out lukewarm, in a decent sized bowl. The chicken was a little overcooked, the broth lacked body to it, and the vegetables didn’t do much to add flavor.
Pulled pork — Lots of meat, but wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce. A bit too sweet and didn’t really go great with the pork — the meat was prepared pretty well though.
Burgers — None of them really stood out much for me. The meat was ordered medium rare but was cooked closer to medium to medium-​well (closer to pink than red and really didn’t have much juices flowing out). The Char didn’t taste too different from a normal burger, the flavor of the onions failed to make much of an impression. The Philly had a bit more flavor but really more because of the satueed peppers than anything else. Could really have used more seasoning to bring out a more hearty flavor. The parmesan I was expecting to be very rich and greasy/​butter in flavor. Even this really didn’t have a lot of flavor even with a highly visible coating.
Tator tots, fries, waffle fries, housemade chips — Normally I wouldn’t lump all the sides into a single category but these were so basic there’s nothing particuarly interesting to mention about any of these.
The cole slaw was pretty good though — creamy and a good amount of flavor (really more flavorful than the burgers). But that’s not a strong reason to visit the restaurant.
Overall, the food is okay — forgettable but prepared decently. I might visit if I’m in the area but I wouldn’t make a special trip here.

This is one of the places where I take friends and folks from out of town. It may look something like a dive from the outside but the food is all delicious. Burgers are a definite must, however, make sure you order it a step more cooked than you usually do. For example, since I prefer my meat medium rare I order it medium. This ensures my bun is not totally disinergrated by the time I get halfway through.
The chicken sandwich is also great, always juicy, never dry. I am not a fan of bbq so I order the honey mustard with extra so I can dip sweet potato fries in it.
My husband swears by their french onion soup and Reubens, my co-​workers won’t try anything other than the parmesan burger, my friend’s mom visiting from Indiana (told you I take everyone) loved the bloody mary, and my vegetarian BFF said that her last meal would include the fried zucchini.
Favorites of mine include the turkey club, fried pickles or filet mignon quesadilla. This is also the only place (other than a school cafeteria) where I’ve seen tator tots offered (and so much better than a school cafeteria, any of them). I used to crave their cobb salad but awhile ago they changed their plates to triangles and the portion isn’t as big anymore. I’m probably greedy but just don’t feel like the value is as good for the salads anymore. All other portions are very generous.
I don’t drink so can’t say much about the beer or alcohol situation although no one I have ever taken has complained about it. I have also never had their desserts because we are always too full, but the friendly servers have said on more than one occasion that they’re home made which is a plus in my book.
Best burger ever? Definitely in my top 3 and most certainly the most convenient in the Hoffman /​Schaumburg area. Really solid food and friendly service? Heck yeah. Check it out!