The Graceful Ordinary

First up the service and my server was top shelf here, amazing!
Started with oysters, octopus carpaccio and fog cheese plate. I had the Halibut and my girlfriend had the salmon, tasted both and they were equally delicious.

I will definitely be back.

We had a delightful evening at this restaurant! Despite arriving late for our 8 PM reservation, we were promptly seated. The ambiance is upscale yet welcoming. The oysters were superb, and the chef graciously provided off-menu options for my vegetarian wife. Our server was outstanding, and the bar drinks were satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the salmon dish, and the cheese bread was delicious, especially when paired with olives. Overall, a five-star experience—we'll definitely return!

The Graceful Ordinary was the perfect venue for hosting a bridal shower and man oh man it did not disappoint. From the service, to the food and drinks, to the decor, beauty & prime location on the Fox River- 10s all around! They’ve got it all! Thanks for a stellar experience. Will definitely be back!

First time dining here for wife's birthday celebration. I reserved online and mentioned celebrating her birthday. Upon arrival the staff greeted my wife wishing her a happy birthday along with a nice card signed from the entire staff. The food, service, and atmosphere was beyond 5 stars, I would honor more stars if I could. Not only were the dishes elevated visually but the flavor profiles are elevated to such high standards. This is a must visit dinning experience will definitely be back. Thank you to the entire staff for making a memorable birthday dinner.

Our dining experience at The Graceful Ordinary was amazing! From the moment we stepped in, the service was excellent. Everyone was very friendly and created a warm, welcoming environment. Throughout the entirety of our visit, our server, Jeff, was prompt, helpful and respectful, helping to make our experience great. Chris, the owner, even took time to come greet us at our table and showed genuine gratitude that we were there. The food was amazing. We enjoyed several things off of the small plates menu, entrees, dessert and cocktails; all were delicious and satisfying. We ordered a few seafood options that were all cooked perfectly. The halibut over gnocchi and brussels was the best I've ever had. My wife ordered the chicken entree, which she enjoyed thoroughly as well. We shared the caramel apple pie sandwich for dessert. Needless to say, amazing as well. I can't say enough good things about our first experience at The Graceful Ordinary and we look forward to many more to come!

This restaurant is truly a gem. The atmosphere was sophisticated and refined, the decor was beautiful. The food was stunning and absolutely delicious. It was our first visit, but will definitely be returning.

This place is always amazing when it comes to service and quality. I can’t speak to other servers , but every time we've gone , Tiffany has always served us and it just made the dinner that much better , she’s so sweet and attentive. This past Xmas, we attended the high tea event and it was absolutely wonderful!

Incredible experience tonight! I have been supporting your business for awhile now, celebrating several special occasions, my family loves the filets! We have had great dining experiences, but none like tonight with our server James. As a server in the the industry I noticed how attentive, friendly, and timely he portrayed himself. Needless to say he provided many smiles to make my birthday dinner special!

The food, ambiance and service were amazing. Tiffany took great care of us. Highly recommend this place for a wonderful experience.

My wife and I celebrated her birthday at The Graceful Ordinary this past weekend, and it turned out to be one of the best birthday dinners either of us has ever had. From the service to the quality of food to the atmosphere, nearly everything was perfect.

1. Service: we were being taken care of by Katy if I remember correctly. We arrived for dinner at 5:30 on a Saturday so things were busy, and Katy was super attentive and we never felt like we had to wait for anything. We brought our own cake, which the kitchen very gracefully allowed us to substitute in lieu of their own deserts, which was cut and served with coffee after the meal. There was a snafu with the steak my wife ordered, and instead of asking us to wait for the proper order to come out, we were invited to dig into the "wrong" order (which was still a delicious petite filet) while the kitchen prepared the right steak. The on-site somalier also provided a great little review and history of the bottle of pinot noir we ordered.

2. Quality of food: I don't remember the exact names of the dishes we ordered so I'm simplifying, but trust me they were all delicious. An octopus appetizer, a roasted shishito pepper side, a roasted cabbage side, and then a ribeye for the main along with the petite filet mignon, both done to medium rare. The flavors were interesting without being outlandish, especially the octopus and shishito peppers side. I trust there's nothing bad on this menu.

3. Atmosphere: It's a beautiful setting and place to enjoy a meal. During warmer weather the balcony seats along the river must be particularly enjoyable but we chose to sit in the main dining room, which felt spacious. We were at a back corner table, and didn't have any trouble having a conversation at all.

We'll absolutely be back. The proximity to Pollyana's brewpub is a huge plus too. Thank you Graceful Ordinary team for a fantastic and memorable dinner.

Star ratings. 1 bad. 2 below average. 3 average / neutral. 4 good. 5 excellent.

Had a great time. Atmosphere is cool. They kept a lot of the original detail from when it was a bank. Food was well prepared and timely. The scallop ceviche oil was great ended up dipping bread into it. The squid ink on it was a bit much for the size of the scallop and took away from it a bit. Loved the take on the potato.

Butterscotch de crema was amazing.

Love that the menu changes. Looking forward to coming back.

My wife surprised me and invited me and the children to celebrate my birthday. Have been there before and we liked it then too.
Nice place with nice service and delicious dishes. The food is very tasty, the service is very nice and classy. I highly recommend!!!

Went to celebrate my birthday and everything was delicious. I loved the ambience and decoration. The food was all excellent. Drank a cocktail that was a bit strong for my taste but not bad.

It is rare to be a first-time customer in a restaurant and feel like everyone there enjoys having you there. The Graceful Ordinary team not only creates outstandingly tasty dishes, they create an atmosphere of comfortable, welcoming dining. We left our dinner feeling like we just started a new friendship. Looking forward to return visits!

Absolutely loved our dinner at The Graceful Ordinary tonight. The service, drinks, and food were on point. An excellent location with great ambiance. Service was stellar.

The Graceful Ordinary has a gorgeous bar and dining room that is located in a quaint area of St. Charles along the river. The kitchen area is open to the dining room so you can watch them preparing food if you are seated in that section of the dining room.
We started with the Maytag Bleu Cheese whipped with poached pear and pistachio granola. It was excellent and was served with bread. Next we had the Waldorf Salad with smoked grapes, pickled apples and vinaigrette, a very unique twist on the traditional Waldorf Salad. For our entrees we both had the Cajun Catfish, it was outstanding! Service was attentive and the restaurant is quite loud, but there is seating available outside. A creative addition to the St. Charles and Geneva restaurant scene. We will definitely return.

The MOST amazing restaurant ! The food is beyond incredible, the drinks are beautiful, the dessert…OH MY GOD! the ambiance and vibe 10/10. Well worth it for a wonderful night out. We enjoyed every bit of our evening here.

This has become a fave date night spot! Start with the Saint 75 cocktail and the marinated olives and the bread cheese--so much flavor. We love the mussels and pasta. The oysters and shrimp and grits are wonderful too. On our third visit we finally ordered dessert and the butterscotch pot de creme was fantastic. 😍Beautiful ambiance too.

The environment is lovely. Well decorated and warm. The food is exquisite and eclectic. It’s not a particular type, but a variety of different things. The staff is beyond wonderful! They make you feel at ease and comfortable. They’re helpful and chill. It’s not a rushed/stressed atmosphere, which we appreciated. We had an issue with the stake, and they took care of it in a very reasonable way.
If you haven’t been there, I’d recommend you try! Just be prepared to spend about 100 per person.

Alright, lets start off by getting the one bad thing out of the way here, and that is, this place is EXTREMELY expensive. Given the location, quality of food and service though, that should not come as a surprise to anyone who dines here. This is a 5 star restaurant right on the river. Expect to spend at least $80-$100 per person coming here if you want a full course meal (appetizer, dinner with sides, and dessert), and that is NOT including drinks. They also do not include any sides with your entree, you have to request and pay extra for those, which I thought was pretty bogus. But they are honest and upfront about it when you ask.

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, lets talk about all the great things, because there are a lot of them... The taste and quality of the food here is amazing. Simply incredible. All of the food and drinks here are top notch, 12 out of 10. I started off with the Octopus Carpaccio. Absolutely delicious. Its seasoned and marinated so well. Im a big fan of octopus and squid and this mini appetizer did not disappoint.

For my entree, I had the "Le Pigeon" (by the way, any place that has the balls to put PIGEON (ok squab, but basically pigeon) on their menu, my hats off to you, and I GOTTA try it!). I can see why its not a more popular item at other restaurants. Theres not a lot of meat on it compared to chicken or other poultry. But... it is EXTREMELY tasty!!! Im not exaggerating when I say this, it has the texture and taste of fine beef like filet mignon. If I didnt know it was pigeon (squab), I would have thought it was a fine red meat like filet mignon. Super delicious. Im a fan of exotic meats (or at least, uncommon ones) and this is one of the best Ive ever tasted in my life.

For my side, I had the fingerling potatoes. Again, very good. Very well seasoned and cooked. I could have eaten and filled up on those alone. Delicious.

I did not have any dessert, but instead opted to try 4 drinks off their signature cocktail menu. The drinks are actually very reasonably priced for how good they are. The quality and taste are a giant step above most restaurants and honestly some of the tastiest Ive ever had. I think the owners are smart enough to know people who get liquored up spend more money so they dont try and stand in your way on that one. Lol. They also make them quite strong, at least, for me they did. Not complaining at all, lol. Just something to note.

Its hard to say which was my favorite because they were all excellent. The "dont be salty" one is an EXCELLENT before and during dinner drink. Great appetizer drink. Their version of a dry martini. Nice hints of basil and proscutto infused Vodka that you can definitely taste.

The one that has wisconsin badgers in its name (cant remember the exact name) was really good. Like chocolate and cherry infused with an old fashioned. Probably more of a desert drink, but, could be enjoyed before dinner if you have a sweet tooth.

The pumpkin one (again, cant remember the name), which i believe was 2nd or 3rd from the top, most definitely a dessert drink. Great hints of pumpkin and cinnamon in that one. Very sweet and delicious.

Last one i tried was called the hulu tulu zulu or something like that. Its the tequilla/mezcal mixed one. Very delicious as well. Could be a before or after dinner drink. And as you can tell by the fact I cant remember most of the names, they werent stingy with the alcohol and got me buzzed quite well.

Lastly, I will talk a little about the atmosphere. Loved the atmosphere in this restaurant. Very professional and well done. Even the restroom had some really nice toilet paper. Lol. You really feel like youre in a high quality place. Decor was very nice. Lighting was excellent. I dont remember having to yell over the music (huge pet peeve of mine at some places). Awesome seating on the river.

All in all, an EXCELLENT restaurant! One of the best I have EVER been to! I will definitely be back again soon! Thank you owners for such a great experience!!!