Jimmy’s Charhouse Riverwoods

I thought this place was OK at best. Nothing special. For your money, you’re better off going to Morton’s in Northbrook or Ruth Chris’ if you’re desperate. Not surprised they closed. Just too many other good steak type places in the nearby area.

Update… New owners raised the prices 50% more on some menu items. The Jimmy’s Charhouse in Libertyville has the same food and it’s 30% less. The manager there has NO personality and is a jerk to deal with, after all the years I have been going there at this point I will never walk in there again unless there is a major change.

Ugh! Don’t know what happened to this formerly decent restaurant. We hadn’t been there in quite a while, but I decided to pick up a burger and a barbecue chicken meal for takeout. Big mistake. The Burger was overcooked and came with cheese (really cheesespread, to be exact) and with fries instead of mashed potatoes. To be fair, fries never travel very well, and this was no exception, but that’s precisely the reason why we ordered mashed potatoes instead. Less understandable is the way the chicken dinner was screwed up. Instead of a chicken dinner, I got a truly lousy chicken sandwich. The meat was tough and the sandwich was really poor. Half the sandwich landed in the garbage because it really was just empty calories. I specifically ordered soup with my chicken, but of course that never materialized either. Yet we were charged for the more expensive chicken dinner.
I called when I got home and spoke with Peter, who was very cordial and offered to pick up our next meal. To be honest with you, I have no interest in ever setting foot in the restaurant, even for a meal on the house. It’s that bad!

Being that I went in on a Saturday night at around 8:30p it was actually slow. .but then again the weather was horrible. ANY WHO. I started off with a chicken tortilla soup which was very good! I also got the rib eye al forno. it was mediocre, I asked for med. got it med well which I really didn’t mind. but the crust on top was too much. my meal was $ 30 including the soup. which I expected. I’m glad I went and tried it, but I wouldn’t go back.

I was here approximately 10 years ago and suffered from bad service and just-​ok value. We decided then that we wouldn’t be going back, but some friends wanted to go here, so we decided to.
For last night’s experience we found much of the same. The servers were nice and courteous, but the food that you got for the price that you paid was subpar. I ordered a $ 30 Filet Mignon with a $ 2 add-​on Parmesan crust. I ordered the steak rare because I’ve had issues where the crust cooking causes the meat to further progress. I mentioned this to the server, and she agreed and understood. On the menu it says to specify if you want light or heavy crust. I told her I’d prefer the heavy amount of crust.
So, the steak came out well done, no pink in the center at all. The server said she would re-​fire it, and since it was a rare cook (and it was butterflied!) that it should just be a quick sear on each side, and said she could get a replacement out in about 7 minutes. FIFTEEN minutes later the steak arrived, cooked rare with a very thin crust.
Definitely not worth the price @$ 32 for high-​end steak. Additionally our party of 4 found the décor dated, and it seemed lower-​class than the other brother’s stores.
Jimmy’s Charhouse in Libertyville is a night and day difference in that it’s a high-​class & professional atmosphere. This Riverwoods location was closer to a diner. They had a Gyros plate on the menu! This isn’t Bo-Bo’s. Avoid!

This restaurant has changed. I used to LOVE the BBQ pork chops and broccoli. Well, thats changed. There was too much pepper on the chops and the broccoli was wilted. The chops were so tough and over cooked i couldn’t even cut them. Oh well, i guess ill be driving to the restaurant in glen view owned by Jimmy’s previous owners.

And that’s generous. We went with a large party so the gratuity was automatically added. This ensured that our surly waiter had nothing to worry about in being rude. Several of our party ordered steak or the 6 oz filet. All of the steaks were ordered medium or medium rare. All of the steaks were over cooked. The 2 that were well done were sent back. The vegetable side was pitiful looking, the portions were small and the prices were high.
On the positive side, there are 2 big bowls of candy near the door.

This place was pretty darn good and for 9 of us and what we ordered food wise and about a case of beer worth the bill was lower then expected. The bill was only $ 333.31 the other nice thing the server didnt add gratuity so we hooked him up with a $ 100 tip. I had the Black Angus NY Strip cooked medium rare and it was amazing! Thanks company for a great dinner

As of June 2012, according to my waiter, Jimmy’s is under new ownership.
Jimmy’s is a delicious (and slightly less expensive) alternative to the more popular ‘Wildfire’ chain that is located just down rt 45. It is what you expect from a char-​house.
Recommendation: The garlic chicken is unbelievably tasty if you are a garlic lover.
Warning: The Calamari is priced at $ 10.95 on the menu; last time I went it was incorrectly priced at $ 12.95 on the bill. This kind of mistake should not be happening at an established fine dining location.

Disappointed. Arrived and we were told they are under new management. White fish was burned. Mentioned to our waiter but told him we didn’t want another. He did offer free dessert but still charged us for burned fish. To top things off, half of the liver my mom ordered was also burned. My mom did not want to say anything so she just ate the half that wasn’t burned. If this is an example of new management, it’s not good. We won’t be back.

This restaurant has changed ownership August 2012.
It is no longer a great restaurant.
The food is fair and somewhat tasteless.
Many changes are expected.
Most changes so far have been very disappointing. To name just a few:
The prices have been raised and they do not offer those wonderful specials.
Fish is not offered except for salmon. The liver and onions that was great is now made with inferior pieces of liver and has no seasoning. Rice pilaf is also tasteless rice.
Fettucinni alfredo is absolutely awful.
We have been dining here for over 6 years with our family.
The owners bought the name but it is not the Jimmy’s we all loved.

If you’re ordering take-​out for dinner, think twice before you order from Jimmy’s. Not wanting to deal with the crowds on Mother’s Day, our family decided to place an order for pick up at 5PM. Still early before the dinner rush, not much chance to mixed up the order; right? WRONG. When the discrepency was noticed at the dinner table, we called the restaurant. Jenny, the gal who took the call was very uncaring and didn’t even offer an apology. «what do you want from me?» Excuse me? I don’t know about you dear reader, but good customer service should be expected everywhere your hard earned dollar is spent. Lousy service doesn’t deserve to receive my money. A follow-​up call to the manager the next day proved even less satisfactory. According to him, they do not offer credit to a bankcard. They will only offer a credit voucher. Now I ask you; what is so difficult about crediting a bankcard?
The food at Jimmy’s might be good, but other restaurants in the area also have decent food at decent prices. And they also offer something this restaurant lacks; people trained in customer service.

I went here last night to have dinner with my friend’s parents. His dad chose the restaurant since it was an easy location for us all to meet up and we thought the menu would have something for everyone. We arrived at about 8:30 pm since we were out having drinks with our coworkers prior to dinner. There were only a couple other table occupied when we walked in and by the time we left at about 10 pm, the place was empty. Our waitress joked with us that we should stay longer so she would not be bored.
Since it was a Friday during Lent, I ordered the Parmesan crusted tilapia with sweet potato fries. This was a huge portion and I had a ton of leftovers. The fish was moist and flaky… I really enjoyed it. I also had the French Onion soup. This is a dish that I only started liking recently, so I am by no means an expert. However, I thought it was really good and cheesy with bread onion in it.
The service was fantastic… but we were the only people dining there the majority of the time. Overall, it was a great experience!

You can smell the Charbroiled Steaks cooking from outside, which leave a salivating impression. But it’s somewhat disappointing when the food is served…
For Starters:
I asked for a Vodka Lemonade, when I got it, it was Pure VODKA with a lemon garnish! I was like… What the heck? This is rubbing alcohol I’m drinking.
For Dinner:
I decided to get the Spicy Linguini with Calamari. It sounded great off the menu, I know, I got pasta at a charhouse, but so what… I wanted to see if Jimmy’s had all around great cooks back in the kitchen.
Now I’m no dummy, but my calamari is suppose to be tender with a slight snap to it, not rubbery or mushy. Well that’s exactly how it tasted, rubbery and mushy and the pasta was slightly over cooked, I wanted
Al-​dente but it didn’t come out right. The sauce was good, full of flavor and zest.
Overall, I’ll give a 2.5 on a 5 scale. Maybe next time I will get a steak. How hard is it to mess up a steak at a Charhouse… right? LOL

Went here for the hub’s birthday. We were pleasantly surprised that:
1. Food was good. Loved the soup. Big portions.
2. Even though we were under dressed, we were still treated normally.
3. Food came out pretty quick, but we had enough time to eat our soup and digest before the meal.
4. Our bill was reasonable for what we got.
The Greek chicken was excellent, along with the shrimp. Wish I would have gotten the french onion soup because it looked sooooo good, but I was happy with my chicken & rice.

Chicago is a great place for Greek diners of all varieties, from the corner joint in the city with a counter, great soups and pies, and a mile long menu, to the larger «fancier» suburban versions like Jimmy’s. They are where you go when you don’t know where else to go, you want that warm and friendly waitress who calls you «hon,» and where you want a moderately priced lunch or dinner. Jimmy’s is that kind of place.
There are some «charhouses» which are upgraded fast food joints with a lot more choices and things like Philly Steak sandwiches, gyros, roasted chicken and Greek specialties, like Spinach pie. Jimmy’s is somewhere between the diner and the steak house. They are famous for the steak items and the roasted chicken. The latter actually comes different varieties, too, such as Greek! Meals come with lots of extras like homemade soup. My Philly Skirt Steak sandwich came with hot, creamy, cheesy broccoli soup, a choice of regular or sweet potato fries, fresh fruit or slaw. It was a huge portion which I had to eat with a knife and fork. The skirt steak was very tender. My lunch companion ordered a bleu cheese burger, which I sampled and found to be delicious. 10 oz, of meat, too. With his carrot cake to go, our bill with tax for lunch was $ 28.00.
There’s a fireplace and a full separate bar here, too. The friendliness and welcoming staff makes the placed even warmer. So a good casual spot when you crave some kind of steak, daily specials under $ 10.00 with lots of sides, and lots of menu choices. I recommend it.

I have been to two Jimmy’s locations and both have solid service and better than decent food. Good lunch selections and the best Balsamic salad dressing in the universe.

We managed to get seated pretty quickly at the corner of the bar, our little party of four out celebrating yet another birthday this Friday night. The original plan was to get a little steak at Fleming’s but that was gonna be a long wait for our hungry crowd. So here’s my somewhat mixed take on things. My salad with blue cheese tasted odd to me. I couldn’t figure out what it was but I didn’t feel like salad anymore. I followed this up with linguine marinara with shrimp. The shrimp was plump and flavorful but the marinara tasted ketchupy. A big portion too. I sampled a bit of my friend’s steak and that was actually very good. So the verdict? Not a bad place for steaks, the bartenders know how to make solid standards and their tiramisu is quite good. Otherwise not a great food night. Luckily for me, the great company of dear friends was on center stage.

I am shocked! So many of the reviews for Jimmy’s are so negative and I love this place. Let me explain to all of those who are not a fan of Jimmys.
I personally feel their food (depending on what you get of course) is very good. More often than not I do not eat at Jimmy’s so I can not comment on the service to much. I normally do carry out and they have ALWAYS gotten the order right, and I have ordered from there a great deal.
My favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Brochette. It is chicken with veggies (mushrooms, onions, peppers, and tomatoes) and then either comes with rice or a baked potato. I personally love the rice, it gives the whole meal a great flavor. The meals also come with soup or salad and bread, what is not to like?
When I do pick up the meal, there is always someone ready to help me at the carryout booth. (They never seem very busy inside). They are always courteous and never rude to me. An important note is that they do not take expired coupons, I have tried =(. But I am always able to find new ones lying around the house from various mailers and clipper magazines we get so using the 15% makes the meal a pretty good deal.
Sorry to hear so many people had bad experiences but if your looking for something good to order in, the Chicken Brochette at Jimmy’s is a must!

The one time I went here prompted me never to go back. Rude, sloppy and slow waitstaff. They screwed up my order and got upset and argued with me when when I corrected them. By the time my cold food came out, it looked like someone had already taken a bite out of the burger patty. Needless to say, I didn’t eat it, so I can’t speak to taste.
Every time someone suggests this place, I just can’t bring myself to try it again, even though this was a couple years ago. It was that bad.
Extremely disappointed.