Alchemy

Great pizza and deviled eggs. We had the Canadian pizza, Canadian bacon, pineapple, various cheeses. Had to wait awhile for the pizza, but was worth it! Nice open air seating.

The bruschetta burrata was divine – mozzarella stuffed with cream and curd atop a bed of tomatoes, garlic, onion with fresh made bread.
Definitely try the Gouda stuffed «tater tots». Handmade and certainly not the tater tots you had as a kid.
If you enjoy whiskey, don’t forget to ask for the reserve whiskey list and try the Green Dot! It pairs perfectly with the Vanilla Gelato with Espresso.

TERRIBLE Service! I have gone in there a couple times now, we always try to sit on the Big Al’s side of this place because we bring our daughter and want to stay out of the way from the trendy side of the place. Both times we have been treated like we weren’t good enough to be there. A guy sat us in the back corner and said he would try to find a kids menu, about 10 minutes later we hadn’t seen a single person yet to take our order. Finally some girl comes over and asks if we were ready yet and we told her that we were still waiting on a menu and she said fine I will go looking for one, another 10 minutes later she came back and said they don’t have any kids menu’s but they have … for kids. Fine we ordered a couple pizzas and appetizers, and a kids mac n cheese.
Appetizer came and it was pretty good but the sauce was about the smallest amount possible.
Then the pizzas came. Let me say the pizza itself is the best in the city hands down. We were given no cheese and red pepper flake or a refill. Finally after eating half of the first pizza I grabbed someone else and asked for the cheese and pepper and refills. a few minutes later we got those things.
I dump some of the cheese on my slice and when I took 1 bite I smell something weird, I narrow it down to the cheese shaker, it smelled like it was cleaned with a really dirty dish rag. The cheese even tasted like it smelled. I asked for a replacement, 5 minutes later I got the replacement and the same damn thing so I gave up on that. All the while no kids Mac and Cheese.
Waitress never came back to check up on us until after all this and when she did she was clearly trying to just do a run by and I had to stop her and ask where the F the Mac n Cheese was, she got pissy and said she would go look and a few minutes later someone else brought a cold mac n cheese to our table.
Like I say the pizza is great but the service is terrible, this might be a carry out only type of place for me and my family from now on since we were not treated well either time we came in.

Alchemy is impressive! 3 girls from the Chicago suburbs did not expect much from the Rosemont dining scene. But Alchemy exceeded our expectations and could easily have come right out of Schaumburg or quaint downtown Geneva or Naperville.
We were staying at a hotel nearby and had drinks and dinner here. The building is part of Giovanni’s, a larger banquet facility, but Alchemy is no crusty banquet facility. Alchemy has a trendy vibe, perfect for girls night, date night, or just simply good food and drinks.
The service was excellent. Service to me is usually good or bad, but our server was so sociable and attentive without being overbearing. He provided great recommendations and asked for feedback on items he hadn’t personally tried yet.
Each of us got a different pizza and decided to share. The Mac & Cheese pizza (with pulled pork and bacon) and the Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and shrimp) were out of this world! The mozzarella and basil wasn’t my favorite, but that’s only because there are more intriguing options. Pizzas are big enough for 1 person, although each of us had some leftovers, but it wasn’t quite enough for 2, unless you also had shared other dishes.
Aside from pizza, there are small/​shared plates, larger entrees, sandwiches and burgers too. There’s also a very appealing dessert menu, which includes tiramisu and gelato, but we were too full to indulge.
The cocktails are on par with those chic little hipster spots in Chicago. The Spring Tonic (with gin and lavender) was my favorite of the evening, it was light, refreshing, and floral. The Jam Session (with scotch and lots of muddled raspberry) was a heavier, fruity drink; I also tried another rum-​based drink served in a cute tiki mug. The cocktail list is just long enough to want to try 2 – 3 different cocktails, but short enough that you won’t obsess over what to order. Either way, you can’t go wrong here.
During our overnight stay in Rockford, we all agreed that we would return to Alchemy in a heartbeat.

I absolutely love this place! One of the best places in all of Rockford for great beer! The owner is such a great guy! So accommodating! Their food is hit or miss. We usually order the same thugs because they’re amazing! Every time we try something new we don’t love it. But they have a really cool menu. I Highly recommended this place.

Zero stars had to leave because of waitress and manager ignoring our table. Like we are not even here. I don’t want rant. I would not recommend.

First off they do not like travelers! I have traveled across the globe for my company and have never felt so unwanted! Sat at the bar to have dinner, the bartender was nice enough but was unmistakably nicer to the regulars. Then a second bartender came on who was less than friendly and decided on her own that I was done when she dropped the check without me even asking. My intention was to have a nice cognac before leaving, but why bother when they obviously wanted me to leave. And when I got up to leave some kid who was also working behind the bar decided to make a joke of me leaving. Very very rude.
So with this said, I will give great kudos to the kitchen! The food was excellent. Had an order of Pasta Alla Sarda that was excellent, flavorful, and well prepared. Everything is ala carte so be prepared! They don’t even offer bread, not quite sure how you eat a good pasta without a piece of bread!
Not quite sure why they would train their servers to lose revenue for the restaurant though!!! The food is the only reason this place gets 3 stars!

I stopped in at Alchemy during a work trip and was relieved to find a well-​reviewed dining locale near my hotel that was not one of the many chain restaurants in the area. Unfortunately, Alchemy did not win me over. I arrived for an early dinner so that I could get back to the hotel and get work done for the next day. Despite the fact that it was not busy my server let me sit for an extended period of time before greeting me at my table and then once again making me wait for far to long before coming back to take my food order.
Now, the food. I ordered the Beauty and the Beast pizza. With pear, onion, steak bleu cheese, 2 kinds of cheese, mixed greens and balsamic it had all the makings of a great dish. Sadly, it somehow managed to fall short. It was not impressive and it caused me to loose interest after the first bite. I also went for the Grasshopper malt listed under the cocktail section. It is essentially a boozy milkshake — combining booze and ice cream, yes please! The milkshake was adequate in taste though I wish it had been a bit larger. It also took FOREVER to get it. I ordered it after my meal and waited and waited for it to arrive. When the server finally delivered it to my table she gave some weird apology stating how the ordering process for the shakes has logistical problems causing it to take a long time. Um, if there are problems with your ordering systems don’t apologize– just fix them.
As I left Alchemy I wondered whether I should give it another try next time I am in town. Perhaps I would enjoy other menu items better than the Beauty and the Beast. However, as I was pulling out of the parking lot I notice their sign toted them as having «artisan pizza.» If they consider their pizza the highlight of their menu then I’ll let my recent visit be my one and only.

This little building of Giovanni, big al and alchemy. Triple threat.
Alchemy if right in front and in the summer has open windows so great breeze and perfect for enjoying happy hour– and they have great specials and also dinner specials that rotate daily.
The pizza is why I go back and back. They have great pizza combination. Traditional and unique. I would never have thought that a hot dog pizza would work… But it’s my favorite one! Who knew you could make a pizza and a hot dog in one?! It’s genius! The wagyu hot dog itself delish and I love the Peppers and sauces on it.
Another favorite… Eggplant Parmesan. Fried breaded eggplant on a pizza… What’s not to like?
The el dorado is another one that is
Really good.
You can’t go wrong with the pizza and I suggest you go with a few people so you can get s bunch and share.
This is a pretty happening place and trendy!
Cocktails are great (mock tails made on the pot for the preggo folk are not so great, but they get points for trying)

We were just getting into town around 5 o’clock on a Saturday & were starving, so we decided to eat early. Walking in, we were greeted & seated right away.
HAPPY HOUR. . gets you half off drafts & some well drinks. When I say drafts, I mean craft drafts. 10 oz. of deliciousness for about $ 2.50?! Yes please!
Their menu is sick & it makes for a real tough decision when you’re ordering so, we ate like we’ve never seen food before.
Here’s the rundown:
Deviled eggs — You need to get these, they’re not your average deviled eggs.
Buffalo shrimp — perfect balance of creamy goodness & a little heat. You could literally lick the bowl clean when you’re done. If the room was a little darker, I might have.
Mack with back — I don’t even know what to say about this little gem. Mac and cheese, bacon, red onion & BBQ sauce. No further description needed. I’ll just leave that there.
If all of THAT wasn’t enough, we decided to order The Forager. It was pretty good, I especially liked the peppered salami.
We totally monopolized this guys table for a good hour and a half (maybe two.. I lost track after the third beer) while drinking & eating and he was totally okay with it. Not a big bill either. We will definitely be back. Next time we will make reservations if we go later, the place filled up quick!

Stopped in to Alchemy for new experience, and what we found was delightfully pleasing.
We sat at the bar which was almost packed at 4 p.m. on a Friday (happy hour drink specials in effect). Sleek décor had a hipster vibe (at least that’s what a non-​hipster thinks).
The bartender with a distinctive beard, Joseph, created a distinctive drink at my request. It included tequila and was the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, but I won’t give away his recipe. My point is, Alchemy offers an impressive cocktail menu AND and a creative bartender to boot. Awesome.
We also enjoyed the tater-​tot-​tortilla-​chip nachos — tasty, if not a little cheesy. Unique combination that satisfies.

If you find yourself in Rockford looking for a place to eat, I would recommend checking out Alchemy. I was recently there on a business trip and we stopped in for lunch. The atmosphere is hip, seems like a nice spot in the area. Our service rocked, the waiter was pretty on top of his game and very friendly. For food, we got the starter «chips and crack» which were homemade chips and an onion dip that was awesome, I think the chips were more addicting than the dip though. I ordered the Beauty and the Beast pizza which had olive oil, pear, blue cheese mozzarella and steak topped with greens and walnuts — it was amazing. My colleague ordered the Mac with Back which had bbq pulled pork, mac n cheese, bacon, smoked gouda and red onion. Talk about order envy, I shied away form it because it sounded like it might be a little too intense, but after trying a bite I regretted not getting it a little, that ok though the Beauty and the Beast pizza was still really tasty.

We were in Rockford for fall harvesting and being a celiac my search for gluten free food bought me to Alchemy. We reached there around 3:30pm and were promptly seated. The menu is quite vast with gluten free options for most items. They also serve gluten free bread, which was definitely a plus. The food is okay. We ordered 3 small plates and 2 pizzas for a group of 4. The alche masala and bruschetta burrata were good, rest of the food was okay. One gripe was they brought all the food together rather than spacing out the small plates and pizza. Service definitely could’ve been better but the place seemed to fill up pretty quickly around 5pm.

I only ate out three times on my visit to Rockford and this was a very plesant suprise. The atmosphere is all that can be desired. A light screen keeps you open to the elements of summer and makes the place seem wide open while keeping the pests out. The lighting choices are excellent.
The beer selections are vast, and I like that they serve every beer in three different sizes, allowing you the opprotunity to sample a bunch or go all in on one specific one that you really like. I was able to try three different beers on my visit here.
I went for a rather indulgent meal by trying the three things that jumpted out at me the most. I ended up trying the mini tuna tacos and while I did like the tacos, I kind of hated the presentation. On the plus side I really enjoyed the roasted cauliflower and thought that it was the perfect side dish to a meal. My other dish was the Totchos, which was this amazing combination of tater tots and nachos. I kind of think that the only way to make tater tots likeable is to soak them in chesse sauce and this was a great and filling meal.

Why do people have to suck so much???
I’ll get to that in a second. We were having a late night in rockford and have been eager to try Alchemy for a long time so we stopped in around 9pm. The place was very busy but we were seated right away. The building is huge, with a bar/​lounge on the right, and restaurant on the left. Since it was Saturday night they had live music with a few couples dancing in the lounge area. We elected to sit in the restaurant side.
If you love beers, this is the place to go. They have over 30 beers on tap, and each beer is listed on the menu with ABV, IBU, and some even with the rating numbers. They are all divided by category. Even better, you can order a flight of beers witch is 4 beers your choosing, $ 2 each and I think you get a small sniffer glass which about 5oz. They also have a huge variety wines and cocktails.
The food selection is amazing. A multitude of Gluten Free options and Vegetarian options for those who need it. We tried the asian green beans and roasted cauliflower. Both were fantastic. The green beans were almost prepared like a curry with a flavor that literally danced in your mouth and a variety of textures… so no what I was expecting. The roasted cauliflower was interesting, large pieces that were roasted and seasoned. Great palate cleanser before the main meal. We weren’t that hungry so we shared a salad. I don’t remember the exact name but it had roasted beets and was very good. The croutons were obviously hand made and ingredients all fresh and the flavors well thought out.
Now to the service… This review could have easily been a 5 star if we had only gotten the right server. The lady we had looked like she hated us, hated working there, and had no interest in telling us anything about the menu. Any time I started to peruse the menu to ask her a question, she just insisted that she would come back. When ever she left, she would not return for 5−10min. Also, she was so insistent on us ordering our main meal before the appetizers came out, we felt like the kitchen was going to close… when in reality the kitchen didn’t close for another 2 hrs. After all the pressure… our appetizers and main meal all came out together… sorry but that annoys the hell out of me… I like to have my food in sequence so things don’t get cold and it doesn’t give you the opportunity to enjoy your food, instead you are rushed to eat and get out.
I was even more annoyed because I saw what great service the tables around us were getting. Their servers were smiling, getting them beverages in a timely fashion, and even interacting with them about the menu and options available… what a concept!
Overall, Alchemy has some amazing food and beverages available. I want to go back again and pray that I get a different member of the waitstaff. If you like good beer and a variety of food that will satisfy any palate, this is the place to go.

Ok. .
I took the advice of my fellow UnilocalERS & decided to check this place out.. 20 minutes for the soup…
But it was really good…
But $ 7.50 each??!
I had the rainbow trout BLT, that the waiter recommended. It was good, but not worth $ 17.00. My husband had the dunk a dunk, pulled pork sitting in a puddle of BBQ sauce. He said it was good.
NOW FOR THE BIG TURN OFF:
EMPLOYEES DROPPING THE F BOMB SITTING AT THE BAR!!!
WHY???

Some friends and I stopped in for a bite and a hang while we had some time to kill.
The service was average, but the atmosphere and vibe made up for it.
Friends got beers and burgers. They had a nice selection of beer and my friends were pleased with their drinks. The burgers were good, but nothing out of the ordinary.
However, the Mac with Back Pizza was the best decision I’ve made in a while. I normally don’t like BBQ pizza but when I saw that it was BBQ sauce, pulled pork, and mac and cheese I had to try it… And I was not disappointed. If anything, it’s worth going to Alchemy just to try that pizza!
Overall, if you’re looking for a place with a good vibe, good food, and a good selection of drinks, this is your place!

I think I found my favorite place for pasta. My boyfriend and I came in there with our mind set for pizza but once we saw the pastas we quickly changed our mind. I ordered the pasta fresco and it was AMAZING! My boyfriend ordered the bolognese and has continued to talk about how good it was everyday since. I’m looking forward to going back and trying more dishes off their menu.

So great our family has made this a must stop during our drive across the state. Encredible brick oven pizza with delectable small plates. The shrimp, bruschetta, and everything are beyond amazing. The beauty and beast /​macaroni pizzazz are a great combination to try very different flavors. Great beer selection: try the award winning lost abbey collection which scores a whopping 100pt!
Service: wonderfuly charming, Jeremy was very helpful and enjoyable.
We’ve returned again only to be blow away with the mac and cheese pizza, beauty and the beast pizza, arugula salad, chocolate bourbon bacon, smore pizza and tasty beer/​cocktails. I would recommend all of these items, great for sharing. This place is now in my top 5 eats in the USA!!!
¹⁰⁄₁₀ overall :)

With dim lighting, smooth music, and their name spelled out in lightbulbs, how could Alchemy be anything but fancy?
The mood is good, and the food is even better. The waiter was very helpful in making sure you are taken care of, and that you are not left waiting to ask for more; however, he’s not a linger-​er.
The main hit here is their pizza, which ranges from your average cheese to something in your wildest dreams. However, keep in mind that you are at a snazzy place; your buck won’t go a long way. What you don’t get in size you’ll get in taste (meaning the pizza’s are about 10 inches, and go for around $ 13).
If you’re gluten-​sensitive (like me!) this place has a lot of options for you too! Almost anything off the menu can be turned gluten-​free.
My main hit of the night: the gelato flight. I searched everywhere to find some sort of picture of it before I hit up the place, to get a general feel, but couldn’t find one anywhere, so I went with my gut feeling and got it. BEST DECISION EVER. If you love dessert, you’ll love this.
One downside: our table was super wobbly. You’d think they’d keep up on that. But then again, they aren’t perfect.