Blackwood Grill and Banquets

I must say after reading the reviews, I thought a flatbread would be the best afternoon lunch someone can have. However, my co-​worker and i were very disappointed. I got the Margarita and my co-​worker got the goat cheese flatbread. It was cold and soggy, and my co-​worker had hair in hers. The server was nice enough to reheat our flatbreads, which tasted a bit better, but for the wait at that point the pizza wasn’t even worth it.
Another co wroker mentioned the burgers and soup were good, but if you want slow service with not so great food this might be the place. The only thing this place has going for them is the ambiance and décor, the music could be a little better.

This place is out of business, it is now going to be another Nickobee’s, version 3.0. I did like Blackwood Grill for it good food and décor, hate to see it go. I wonder if the latest version of Nickobee’s is going to keep it intact.

Amazing food and service:) this place has a very rustic and cozy feel to it. Very romantic, but also great place for family dine out:))) food was fresh and yummie:) keep up the good work.

Went there cause we had a coupon. There was two huge parties there so it took forever to get our food and when it got there it was AWFUL.

Went here after a «friend» cancelled plans at the last minute because I didn’t text her back within a 2 hour span, despite we’d confirmed plans just the night before.twice. I like to swim when it’s 92 out and generally don’t take my phone in the pool, but let’s focus on Blackwood — not what a thoughtless wench she is. Great menu with regard to variety. They even have a gluten-​free menu. Salad, sandwiches, pasta, char-​broiled burgers, hot wings, and hell, they have $ 3 martini and $ 5 flatbread specials some nights. Rustic yet modern: I was excited! Strolled in rockin’ a mean pair of Demonia heels only to be gobsmacked that it wasn’t packed… until I heard «Gus».
I don’t know if his name is actually «Gus», but he looked like a Gus to me with a thick accent and questionable wardrobe choices. Either he’s the owner or manager, but between repeatedly snapping his fingers to direct his servers and the loud chats he likes to have in the bar with what I guess are regulars, he was grating my nerves. Much like when my mom bitches, I switched into tune-​out mode and was content playin’ Words with Friends, noshing on my veggies and sipping my martini in peace; I avoided eye contact with Gus at all times.
I’m gonna give this place another go because I think it has hella potential. Ambient lighting is flattering and relaxing. Roomy, comfy booths. Nicely-​sized bar tables. Servers are sweet/​cute girls and the bartender was energetic and attentive. Lots of attention to detail, fresh ingredients… perfect on the restaurant side for cozy conversation. Several quality flat screens for sports in the bar. Beer list left much to be desired, but they had some Goose Island on tap and that’s always a win. Private, large lot is a bonus. There was a sizable group in their mid-​twenties/​thirties in the bar with couples & older peeps on the restaurant side; Bar was lively, which was cool. A tasteful, chill spot just a short drive into the south burbs so channel a little young blood their way. If you go, tell Gus to «can it already»; He’s scaring away the locals.

I am a huge fan of this place.
The décor is gorgeous. As someone else mentioned, it’s a little bit rustic but classy.
The food is fantastic. I’ve yet to be disappointed by a meal here. I love that their dishes are a little bit creative without being over the top. Plus, goat cheese! They also have a great drink selection: a few awesome craft beer choices, and an interesting looking martini menu.
The wait staff has always been extremely friendly and service is good overall. The first couple times we were there was shortly after they opened so I think the servers were still trying to get into the swing of things (our first waitress was scared to light our saganaki for us.), but since then service has been awesome.
The only complaint I’ve ever had is that the banquet space — which is also gorgeous — isn’t separated from the general dining area that well so it can get extremely noisy if there’s a rowdy group in the banquet room

Definite potential here, but…
As other reviewers have said, the décor is great. The service is good. But a lot of the food was off, and running out of items at 6:15 on a not crowded night is just bad planning.
The good: service, ambiance, the salmon, the risotto (both in portion size and flavor) and the pork.
The mixed review: steak. One person in our party loved it, but the other said it was good for one bite and bland thereafter with a cheap cut.
The not so good: the fries, the soup (oversalted), the pacing of the meal was completely off, and several entrees (including the birthday celebrant’s) were just below par.

Food was great and ambiance was impressive for Alsip, IL. They also have a fabulous martini menu. This was the best place we found to take clients for business dinners. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because the service was poor. It seemed like they had a lot of new, inexperienced wait staff. Our waitress was nervous and she never cleared our table of plates when we all finished. We all sat looking at dirty plates for at least 30 minutes.

I’ve been here more than 10 times and can’t believe I haven’t written a review yet.
This place is GREAT! The food is very good, reasonably priced. Service is exceptional. They have great food & drink specials. The $ 3 martinis on Friday are a steal! I suggest the fish tacos or salmon cooked in parchment — both delicious!
The bar area has live music on Friday and the crowd is 30+. The atmoshere is beautiful. They have an outdoor pation, which I can’t wait to hang at once the weather in nice.
Great for big groups!

Just a quicky review because I only utilized the bar services for one adult beverage. Cookie dough martini for $ 3? Yes, please! I will most certainly be back!

There seem to be a lot of mixed reviews for this place but I was pretty happy with it. The inside is really nice, and has a casual feel to it. The main area is divided into a dining section, and a bar section. When we were there, the bar section had a live band playing, but we sat in the dining area. Even with the band playing, the noise level in the dining section wasn’t bad. The appetizers and food were pretty good as well. I would definitely go back here again.

Finally stopped here last night. We have been talking about going since it opened. So glad we did.
The place is really nice inside. Rustic but classy. They weren’t real busy since it was 8:30 already. We got a nice booth in the dining room. Our waitress Courtney was very nice. Drinks and food came out real quick. We weren’t starving so we split a salad and flatbread. Both were delicious! The salad was huge, we couldn’t finish it. The goat cheese flatbread was killer! Can’t wait to go back and try their other flatbread.
We wanted to check out the bar area so we squared up with Courtney and headed over. The bar is real nice, great music playing, not too loud so you can still talk. Wife had a brownietini and she just loved it. Me I enjoyed a few Bell’s Two Hearted. Bar tender was great too.
Great food, great drink selection, reasonable prices, great atmosphere, we will definitely be back soon!

Gorgeous place inside and out, but I don’t plan to go back. It was a ten minute ordeal to find out that they don’t carry Corona Lights, nor Corona. The waitress didn’t seem to know what a Corona Light is. Scary. By her third trip to our table I gave up and ended up with a drink I really didn’t want, but their drink menu was so limited. For our meal we ordered steak sandwiches. The soup that came first was delicious as were the sandwiches, but my Mom said her coleslaw was horrible and soggy… as if it were a soup. Luckily, we had a coupon for the meal. We were just so disappointed, because we wanted to enjoy a few drinks and couldn’t get anything we wanted. Even the bar in back is really beautiful and inviting, but they really need to expand their drink menu if they plan to keep people there.

A friend and I went here for dinner last night. It was our first time and not knowing we to expect, we were pleasantly surprised at the great décor — kind of an upscale cottage, alot of wood, very inviting.
The waitress arrived quickly and took out drink orders. The wine list was short but the variety was great and the prices were more than fair. The same can be said for the martinis and beer.
The appetizer menu was creative. We decided on one of the number of flatbreads, with spinach and artichokes. When it arrived, it was quite large, more than enough for two, and absolutely delicious.
The dinner menu was not huge, but there was a nice variety of options. For our entrees, we both ordered the prime rib. This is the point in the dining experience where things kind of fell apart. It took much longer than I would have expected for the wait person to tell us they did not have any rare cuts of prime rib left (not to mention it was really early, only about 6:30pm). We both ordered the only other beef on the menu, a NY strip steak.
The entrees came quickly enough. However, the steak was just NOT a good cut of meat. There was a lot of grizzle and fat. Honestly, I got tired of trying to wrestle it with the knife and it was embarrassing to constantly try to remove the inedible waste from my mouth. My companion had the exact same experience. Thankfully, we had a coupon so we didn’t feel so ripped off.
I really think Blackwood could be a winner, the steak experience aside. I plan to give them another try but will stay away from the steak.
I strongly suggest you do the same.

Had dinner here on Saturday evening. Great dining room, very warm and contemporary décor. Booths have high backs, making a large room feel quite intimate. Service was attentive and friendly without being overwhelming or rushed. Bonus points for good pop music on the playlist, perfectly in tune with the feel of the night.
Terrific menu with several dishes I would have liked to try (and will in the future). We started with a goat cheese and roasted red pepper flatbread which was really savory and crispy and satisfying.
My entrée was Roman Chicken and I enjoyed every bite, took half home with me. Artichokes and asiago cheese and pancetta with a creamy sauce over sauteed chicken breast. My dining partner enjoyed a fantastic-​looking prime rib which he said was quite good, not overly seasoned and cooked the way he likes it. He went with the garlic mashed and that was a fine choice. He did say he missed a vegetable with the entrée.
Dessert was ridiculous — I believe it was cookie dough bread pudding? With a hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. Honestly enough for 4 to share but the 2 of us managed to do some damage.
The bar area at the front was very cozy, would like to have a drink there soon.
I plan to return with more friends and family. Best of luck to a great new restaurant in the Southwest suburbs — we need you!

Food was great, atmosphere was great, will definately go again.

Tried this restaurant for the first time Tuesday and the food was amazing.
SERVICE: I waited for a bit for service, but found out later, that a server had a family emergency and had to leave suddenly. I’ve heard from a friend that the service is normally very attentive as others have commented before me, so this must have been an off night. They made up for it nicely… the rest of the wait staff and owners were picking up the slack to get everyone accommodated.
FOOD: I had the grilled salmon… fantastic and cooked perfectly and very reasonably priced. Too many places dry it out. If you’re eating light, ask for the butter lemon sauce on the side. My husband had the ribs, which were also great. It’s prepared with a dry rub that’s more uniquely flavored than most ribs you’ll find in the area. The best part of the meal though was dessert. If you come here, you have to try the bread pudding and the brownie which is crisp on the ouside, soft in the middle and served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Looking forward to trying it again.

Honestly a coupon got me to visit this place with a couple friends. Now I have been there 3x since and it is easy to say this place has potential to be one of the better Chef centric restaurants on the southwest side (quite remarkable for this area). While this place may be Greek owned, the menu only hints at ethnic diversity (there is saganaki). Nearly all the food is creative American presentations.
First — the wait staff is young (barely 21 I suspect) but engaged. Each time we had a different server and they were genuinely interested in helping understand the menu and provide meal service as well. And they had a sense of humor. One of the servers is also cooks in the kitchen and a student at Kendall Culinary — he was very proud of the Chef and originality of the menu.
Second — the meals were enjoyable each time. First visit, I had braised lamb shank (a special) that was perfectly cooked. 2^nd visit, rib eye sandwich – tasty but slightly fatty (which means the meat pulled apart while chewing) – with fries. The fries were thin and perfectly crisp — you could tell the oil used to cook them was fresh and hot. Another visit I had the crabcake sandwich; very good fresh preparation on a great bread. Unusual for a bar & grill around these parts to get real crab sandwich and decent size.
Third — went with the $ 3 hamburger night and $ 3 import beers — ordered Southwest burger rare (and was explicit in telling the server that I would except medium rare if the chef could not achieve rare and warm) — the meat was rare exactly as ordered. For that price you it’s a great deal — in fact there daily specials are super incentives and the food matches. NO evidence of Gordon food service here.
We also tried the Blackwood ale and did not find it to be remarkable. However the $ 3 martini nights include next to top shelf brands or their specialty drinks. I drink gin martinis and the 3 hand-​stuffed blue cheese olives were an antipasto by themselves.
This place deserves a visit as we need a casual and creative restaurant out this way that is affordable and fresh. I asked to meet Chef Rob but he was too busy in the kitchen doing it right for someone else. No prob — though I thought he deserved the encouragement from a patron.
Visit this place as we need to keep this chef in business.
Post note: I also tried the goat cheese flatbeard — super thin and you can taste all the toppings — no one dominated… best flatbeard I have had in Chicagoland. Also tried the salmon in a bag — perfectly cooked and unique presentation. Server mentioned the fish was shipped fresh to the chef.

I wanted to like this place. Menu looks great. The décor is nice. The $ 3 marinti price you can’t beat. Pumkin Pie Martini was good but did not taste like pumpkin pie.
The salad was good, nice and crisp. The bread and butter was good. I got the Char-​grilled Chicken breast, mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction, pesto mayo it was on grilled bread. But the only flavor was a burnt flavor. It did’t look burnt but you know when you burn toast and scrap off the burnt part. I think that is what they did. My partner had a ribeye steak with ajus. He said the flavor of the steak was good but it had alot of fat so he could not eat the whole sandwich. The fries were crisp but I have had better. I would go back and try the reuben sandwich which looked very good and if I had a taste for a burger which looked good. Maybe it was just an off night. Glad I had a coupon.

Went there for the 1^st time last week and tried the «Hangar Steak» which was VERY good and like I expect a steak to taste, the recommendation was Medium, which is what I typically get anyway, and I was not disappointed. Coupled with the AuGratin potatoes, which are amazing in their own right. My Wife had the Crabcake sandwich which was REAL crabmeat and not imitation (a good sign) and it was delicious as well.
Topped off by a bread pudding that was very impressive.
The portions were very generous and the service was very nice, we had a newer waitress, but she was on the spot with our refills.
After dinner the Chef came to our table and was VERY nice, and seemed genuinely interested in our experience. You don’t see this in the suburbs very often.
Nice ambiance and décor. I saw someone get a hot dog there that was the biggest I’ve ever seen, that is on the must try next visit!