Gateway Lodge Restaurant

I remember being so excited about planning dinner at the Gateway Lodge Restaurant last month. My travel buddy and I made reservations here when booking a room at the lodge itself. After all, eating at the place you're staying is easier than finding food elsewhere; this is especially true when you're at a state park. And their three-course dinner menu looked delicious - a corn chowder soup, a main dish (steak or crab cakes), and a dessert. What could go wrong? Turns out, plenty.I was bummed out from the moment we came to the restaurant, which is when we were told the outdoor seating was closed. We still don't know why, as the weather was absolutely perfect. The patio had been busy and open the night before as well, which just made the news worse. So off we went to eat inside, during yet another big COVID surge I should note.Since the three-course dinner menu was set in advance we had previously picked our entrées when making our reservation. After confirming our chosen entrées, the waitress asked if we wanted anything else. I asked if there was a drink menu. Cue the waitress leaving the table to find the "restaurant wine expert." After waiting a bit, he arrived and also asked if we wanted a drink. I said I didn't know what was available, and he left to get a wine menu. Why exactly it took two people and 10ish minutes to bring a paper wine menu to the table, I will never know.Onto dinner itself. I thought the soup was OK; I'm not a big corn person but I do like it when mixed with other vegetables, which was the case with the soup. I was admittedly disappointed with my steak. While my travel buddy's crab cakes were perfect and delicious, I don't think any salt or pepper had been added to my steak. None was set on the table, either. The vegetables and potato were seasoned at least. As for the dessert, well...it was an almond tart with a scoop of raspberry corn ice cream. The tart was wonderful - I did not eat more than a bite of the ice cream. The corn flavor was just overpowering.This experience was definitely not worth the price, and I do not plan to visit Gateway Lodge Restaurant again during my future visits to Cook Forest.

Very disappointing. A well-designed, limited menu is ok, but the same starch and veg with each entree is not - it's lazy and unimaginative. A dinner salad isn't even an option! Entrees were hot, sides were room temp, at best. In addition, one can't charge their meal to their room, but must pay separately., which necessitated a trip back upstairs. At breakfast, I overheard the server tell another guest that they couldn't eliminate tomatoes from their veggie omelette because it was a mix! The property, however, is beautiful, and we'll come back. We'll just eat elsewhere. Or have cheese and crackers and wine in our suite.

Amazing freshly prepared foods, friendly service, and a cozy atmosphere. Definitely worth the price; great for special occasions.

Food was tasty, but not much of a selection.Service was great. Nice atmosphere, guitarist was good

Really good from soup to nuts. Interesting fresh menu for every diet. Staff was so nice and helpful. This was totally unexpected . Equal to the finest restaurants anywhere. and much less money. Very interesting interior and exterior, tastefully done.

Great food. Excellent staff. Cozy rustic atmosphere. We stay at the lodge regularly and have always been happy with our experience.

We had a wonderful time at Gateway Lodge's Restaurant. We ate there 3 nights in a row, while staying at the lodge. The service was excellent and personal, and the food was delicious. We enjoyed the hens of the woods crepes for an appetizer on our first night, and I ordered the salmon while my husband had the veggie pizza. All were perfectly prepared and served hot and nicely presented on the plate. Flavor balance was excellent. Our prix fixe dinner on Saturday night was delicious (we chose the lasagna and the steak) and we highly recommend the wine pairing! The sommelier has a wonderful manner and offers lovely insights into the wines and how they match the different courses. We'll definitely be back!

Stayed here for our anniversary and bought the three course meal option for Saturday night. I was preparing myself for a letdown due to mediocre yelp reviews but in the end was pleasantly surprised. Covid measures were well done, service was great and there just the right amount of time. Could not make a single critique on the food (chicken, rib eye) over any of the three courses. Yes, this is a high price point considering the other options in the area but they really do a fine job of differentiating themselves and earning it. Would definitely recommend this restaurant for someone looking to have a nice night out.

Ok meal. Couple meals well prepared and a couple salmons that were over cooked and charred to the point of tasting like charcoal around the edges. Was there with friends last weekend and a bit disappointed. Not as nice an experience as a year or so ago. Service was ok but not great. Actually thought waitress was annoyed when asking for water to be refilled. Thought if she was good, would not have to ask at all. Again good but not great and had experienced better here before. Good enough to try again. Atmosphere of the whole place is charming.

We have eaten here several times, years ago. We wanted an awesome meal in a great atmosphere, so decided this would be the perfect place. It's a beautiful place. We were there at 2:30, but they didn't open until 4:30, so we drove around the area until then. There were only five dinner choices (burger, tacos, chili, pizza, and apparently salad), two appetizers and three sweets. The menu was very limited and confusing. We thought we ordered a flat iron steak and a salad. We were extremely disappointed that what we ordered was a steak salad delivered in a clear plastic to-go box with plastic utensils. I commented that we did NOT want it to go. My husband ordered his steak medium rare and mine was to be medium well. My medium well was red inside. We asked to speak to the manager/owner. He informed us that due to COVID-19, this was it. We knew what we were ordering!!! We told him we could have gotten better at a tavern. We should have been informed that "eating in" involved "to go" presentation at the table. We were changed $24 for each salad (which we did not eat), and $3 for each beer. My husband put a slash through "tip". Our total was $62.28--a 10% gratuity was added. The menu states that ordering on line or by phone includes a 10% gratuity. We are both realtors, have very large families, and tons of friends--none of whom will ever frequent this establishment again!