Farmhouse on North - Barrington, Illinois

Eric

Excellent food! Ordered the chicken and it was delicious. Salmon cooked perfectly. Great ambiance. Plan to come back again as the menu changes with season. Service was very good as well. Coffee was a little bitter but dessert made up for it.

Vivek B.

Not my kind of a place. But it was really cozy amazing place. Its a restaurant in a residential area. A house is converted into a farmhouse look restaurant. Moment you entered the door, you get the feel of the front patio of a house.
We were seated upstairs in the bar area. The bartender was taking the order upstairs.

We started with the drinks. The whole ambiance was like you are at home but getting first class service.

We ordered
Cheese curds: they are are served with Strawberry Jalapeño jam: we’re actually good

Oven Fried Chicken: this is served with peas, potatoes and some kind of mustard sauce. Pretty good quantity.

Bang Bang Salmon Bowl: Salmon over veggies - carrots, broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms : it was very very good. Make sure you remove the skin of fish before earting.

And best part was buy this place’s Gift cards from Costco. You will get $100 gift card for $75 at Costco.

Emily W.

We really wanted to try Farmhouse on North for a while, but every time we had the time, the restaurant was closed for a private event or was already booked. Anyway, last week when I knew we would have some time, I again tried calling the Farmhouse and was able to make a reservation for a Friday at 5pm, right when the restaurant opens. When we arrived, I was surprised to see that indeed the restaurant used to be a very charming house. The doors to a restaurant were so enchanting, but they were locked. I called the restaurant, and a hostess unlocked the door for us. There were more people who later came in the restaurant and said they were there earlier, but thought the restaurant was closed because the doors were locked. The interior of the Farmhouse is beautifully renovated to bring to mind a lovely, old-fashioned but welcoming cottage. We were seated upstairs in a cute, intimate room. Our server, Jason welcomed us and was ready to give us some recommendations. We ordered some drinks and then decided to try three appetizers: pickle and hot honey flatbread, pigs in a blanket, and cheesy rosemary garlic bread knot skillet. I think the flatbread was to closest to meeting the menu description, even though there were just 9 tiny pieces of pickled cucumbers and the honey was not at all spicy. However, the dough and the presentation of the flatbread were both really good, so we were hopeful that the other appetizers would be better. The pigs in a blanket barely had any caramelized onions which would really help with the overall dryness of the appetizer. There was no spicy mustard, and the beer cheese sauce was cold and splattered on the plate, its texture reminded me of pudding. It could have been such a nice appetizers should the chef been more generous with caramelized onions and adding the sides of spicy mustard and the warm cheese sauce. Next up was the bread skillet; unfortunately, the chopped bread pieces were quite burned, and the cheese was not stretchy at all. You would think that you can't go wrong with a cheesy bread, but this one had little to no garlic or rosemary, and the cheese was dried out. I think mozzarella or another stretchy cheese would make a ton of difference in this recipe. The accompanying marinara was ok. For entrees, we ordered a braised short rib pot pie and a salmon. The first entree should have been called a deconstructed pot pie as all of the elements of the entree came separately on a plate. The 'pot pie' was not at all a baked meat pie with a top pastry crust. The meat was not warmed up thoroughly which is too bad. The mashed potatoes were tasty. The entree should have been served with roasted root vegetables, but there was mostly celery stalk pieces (a celery root would have been a root veggie) and some carrots. The addition of nicely roasted root veggies could have made such a difference.. Lastly, the salmon was decent. I got one rice 'tot' despite the menu saying that the entree consisted of more 'tots'; still, it was just fried plain rice, and I was not a fan. The veggies were actually pretty good, but the cucumber was not pickled. For any veggie to be considered pickled, it needs to be soaked in a pickling solution, vinegar and some spices, for at least a couple of days. Oh boy, whoever made the menu did have some great ideas, but whoever prepares these dishes does not come close to whatever is on the paper. I do love the farm to table concept, and we have tried all of the local farm to table restaurants which numbers are growing. I think this restaurant has everything to be successful: location, decor, impeccable service, and a great concept. However, despite the menu sounding delicious and attractive, there were too many shortcuts in the actual delivery. The reason I gave such a detailed review is that I strongly believe that with some constructive criticism, the restaurant can try to implement some changes to make the dining experience more worthwhile. In fact, Farmhouse on North has a great potential to be a trendy, hip restaurant visited by people of all ages trying to eat healthy.

Ted W.

There are plenty of 5-star dining experiences, and then there was our dinner yesterday evening at Farmhouse. I don't even know where to begin. The venue -- inside and outside -- was terrific. They even had decorative sounds baffles to deaden the sound that would normally be quite loud off of a wooden floor. Nice detail, and they matched the farm / country decor. The food was all outstanding, for each of the three of us. Check the photos of the three different entrees that we enjoyed. And while we almost never order dessert when dining out, one look at the dessert menu and we decided that we HAD to include it. The Lemon Delight was delightful, and the Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding? It now holds a place in my top 5 of all-time best desserts.

charles L.

Service was excellent. Very attentive and helpful. The atmosphere was nostalgic and fun. A little quiet but Wednesday night. The duck was crispy, tasty and done to a perfect medium rare. The short ribs were burnt and the chared flavor overpowered sides and the other dishes were shared. Chef should have not served the burnt ribs and offered an alternative.

Paul S.

Very cool place, neighborhood house turned into restaurant. Service was outstanding. Creative menu selections and very tasty. Make reservations! It's a house turned into a restaurant, so seating is limited, but worth it.

Mike R.

The restaurant has a great farm house feel to it. Parking out back is tight and you have to navigate a single car width alley. Entrance from the beach is bit well marked - go in the doorway to the three steps then tags the door to the right.

The prices are average to high. The meals are very well prepared.

The service is great!

Mo P.

Our server Brittany was very friendly & pleasant. Great food is an understatement. The service was excellent and accurate. The atmosphere is very uptight on the main floor as you enter but very comfortable and rustic in the room back of the restaurant and 2nd level. Elegant design flows through out the restaurant. Price of the food, doesn’t reflect the quality of the meal. It was a GREAT value. 2nd floor has the bar and some TV to catch your favorite sport with some exceptional collection of beers and cocktails. Our party of 8 was little loud at times so 2nd floor was perfect for us. The menu is seasonal. Few must: flat bread pizza and the meatball sausage dish for appetizers, burger and Fluffer nutter blonde for desert.