Canteen Restaurant

Half way through our meal we told the waitress we were taking our kids to use the bathroom (which is downstairs). When we got back, our food was gone! We weren’t even finished! The owner blamed it on the bus boy, gave us the bill, didn’t offer an apology or any sort of discount and scooted us out so he could give our table to new customers. Why? Why would you be so rude and inconsiderate to customers? Never going back.

Cool joint. This or eggshells is probably the best breakfast if you want to stay in the 6−0−0−1−0. Service is a bit slow and gets a little cozy. Would recommend light clothing as the cushions in the booths will suck the greek right out of you.
Really good eggs benedict and the dish with artichoke hearts is pretty good too, especially if you are debating whether you want to walk home!

This review is long over due but after leaving a not so good review for another place I figured I would send praise to where we should have went this morning. All I can say is this is how breakfast should be done. Clean, great motif, awesome staff and a great menu that really delivers. By far my favorite b-​fast place. Have had many things on the menu and yet to have been let down. Have ordered 3 dishes for 2 people many times just to be ale to try as much as possible. Owners are present and friendly. Coffee tastes like coffee. Let you inner foodie off the chain and have a great breakfast

The Canteen is a cute little restaurant. We liked the planes hanging from the ceiling and the movie posters on the walls. The food is average and so is the service. A previous review we read mentioned a musty smell. We noticed that too. It smelled like dirty mop water. The previous review said the smell was strong enough to make the reviewer nauseous. We didn’t feel it was that bad, but it’s definitely noticeable and distracting. The waitress was not the best. She basically just brought out our food. No personality or friendliness. The young man clearing plates and filling drinks was nicer. Their smoker was running outside and we were curious how good the BBQ is. Maybe we’ll try takeout BBQ next time we’re in the area. The bottom line is that the Canteen is pricey for the quality of the food and not worth a drive. The only way we’ll be back is if we happen to be in the area, however, there are better places in Barrington.

The Canteen is a wonderful experience just south of downtown Barrington. What it is not — modern, chic, classy. What it is — wholesome, friendly, delicious.
This is a fairly typical diner, only open for breakfast and lunch. Over the years I have heard great things about it, but think this was my first visit. I went with my wife and my father-​in-​law.
They have an extensive menu including all sorts of breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, wraps and some entrees. It was noon when we arrived and I was torn between their burger, which I have heard wonderful things about, and their corned beef hash and eggs. Everything is homemade so I opted for the corned beef hash. You get a healthy serving of hash, breakfast potatoes and eggs any style. The corned beef was fantastic. My wife had a Reuben and said the same thing.
I mentioned friendly — the owner goes around from table to table and may sit with you for a whole. We had a long chat with him about his business. He loves what he does and takes pride in his restaurant. After we talked, he had someone bring us each a slice of pound cake, on the house.
Aside from the overall great time, there were a number of service members, in uniform, who were on leave and said they always come here when they come home. Talking to them, hearing their stories of being in Iraq and Afghanistan were both shocking and exciting. My point here is that everyone, customers included, feel at home here and everyone is comfortable to talk to each other.

Just four words: try the corned beef! Excellent, lean, and so tasty! Oh, and do it right and ask for Debbie to serve you. Great service and very nice – thanks Debbie!

We were greated by the owner and seated in a comfortable booth right away. The coffee was decent. No raw sugar available. No biggie. We ordered the Croquet french toast stuffed with brie and ham topped with eggs and a sweet drizzled sauce. Once I removed the sweetened saucy eggs the stuffed french toast was okay. Typical Greek owned restaurant in what used to be a building that looks like a mini airplane hanger. Interesting model airplanes hanging from the ceiling. I could tell that our waitress wished she were somewhere else. I wouldn’t recommend. My leather jacket smelled like grease for several hours afterwards.

I love a place that’s different or sets itself apart in some (good) way. Canteen does that. The décor inside, the interesting variety on the menu, the potato chip «starters» at lunch. All good stuff.
I asked my waitress whether I should choose the Corned Beef sandwich or the French Dip. She encouraged me to order the CB. Now, my kind of Corned Beef is warm and sliced thinly. Warm it was, but this is more of the thicker sliced CB kind of sandwich. I asked the waitress which it was and she was spot on — but I ordered it anyway based on her recommendation. For me, I still prefer the thinly sliced stuff… but if you’re a Corned Beef lover regardless of how thick it is — this CB is for you. It was very flavorful and the sandwich was actually large enough to take ½ of it home and still feel quite full.
I also had soup with lunch — that Greek Lemon soup that starts with an «A» and has eighty-​three letters following it. It was quite good too.
I had passed Canteen any number of times sometimes it looked too busy to go in, other times I just wasn’t hungry. But I’m glad I finally checked it out — quite a classic breakfast and lunch joint that one doesn’t see much of anymore.

Food was pretty good. I had one of the breakfast specials… pulled pork on a biscuit with two eggs covered with chipotle hollandaise sauce. Biscuit was a bit dry, but the pulled pork was very good, and the chipotle hollandaise had a vinegary rather than a lemony taste, but it was still good, and there was plenty of it. The eggs were eggy! I don’t know what my s/​o had, but it looked good, and he said it was very good.
The bad thing was that the ladie’s washroom was nasty, which is why I took off a star. It’s located downstairs from the restaurant. The first thing I saw was a roach scuttle across the floor. The floor is sticky, and the grout between the tiles is filthy. There is some green algae growing in the grout that holds the sink to the wall.
It took us a while to get waited on, but it was very busy. I think adding another waitperson might help with that.
All in all, I’d give the Canteen another chance, during the week. But please… DO something about that restroom!

Awesome place!!! The food is amazing! I had the smokehouse Benedict it was delicious! So well seasoned. I live about 30 minutes away and I will definitely becoming back! I will definitely recommend this place to friends family and coworkers. I almost passed by it looks small on the outside but it is definitely a comfortable friendly atmosphere on the inside!

It did it’s job. Very good but nothing great. Better than the average greek diner but nothing to do the chicken dance for. I’d go back then I’d go back again because the service was near great and the food was above average… but still, did it’s job. It is a simple pancake house with simple reviews. go and be happy. It is that kinda place!

If I could do 3−½ stars, I would. Breakfast was good, but I just can’t go to 4.
This place is obviously a local favorite (complete with regulars who good-​naturedly hassle the waitstaff).The dining area is small, so don’t come at a peak meal time unless you’re prepared to wait. We came for breakfast at 8 am on a Saturday and got a seat, but it filled up.
The atmosphere is family-​friendly and delightfully (and unpretentiously) small-​town. The «canteen» scheme comes complete with dozens of airplanes hanging from the ceiling, which the toddler loved.
The BBS crepes (blueberry, banana, strawberry) were generous, although unspectacular. The crepes were fine, and the serving of fruit was surprising. There must have been a whole banana on one crêpe, several fresh strawberries on another, and a healthy serving of blueberries on the third. Standard crepes, but the fruit stands up to the price tag.
The Argentine Benedict was great — eggs poached to perfection, the homemade Chimichurri sauce was a little spicy. The steaks were perfect, and the potatoes were good but standard.
All in all, a good breakfast. The prices may be a little ambitious, but I’ll pay a little extra for the friendly waitstaff and comfortable vibe.

Service was only issue. Only one waitress working that morning [July 4]. I think management underestimated customer levels, as she was SWAMPED! Not only was food waiting to be delivered while she was taking orders, but she had to handle cashier duties as well.
Ham off the bone mixed in scrambled eggs was great. I am from Berwyn and saw there ad in a Chicago newspaper recommendation.

My boyfriend’s dad LOVES it here, and brought me here a couple weeks ago. We’ve eaten there since, and I found the waitress to be nice/​friendly, and I love the airplanes! The food was good — I loved the scrambled eggs! My boyfriend’s dad loves biscuits and gravy — except he hates the biscuits that are used. He ordered a custom version — that involved English muffins, and they were more than happy to make it — and he thought it was delicious! The food always came out promptly, nice and hot and delicious.
I will agree with a previous review, I found the bacon to be slightly overcooked for my taste (I wish it had been like 30 seconds less on the grill). It was still good, but it wasn’t my preference. The bacon was fine on my first visit, however.

I’ve lived in the area for years and pass this place on my way to work every day. I encouraged two of my friends to join me for our 1^st adventure there. I’m all for local restaurants, we were expecting amazing, we got much less. The waitress had zero personality. She was slow and even though we were the ONLY people in the place she plopped the pot of coffee on the table so that we could serve ourselves, guessing so that she could focus on playing with her cell phone at the counter. We got an omelette, pancakes and waffles. Definitely not worth the $ 30 bill. Last but not least, here was an odd sewer smell. I see that other folks have written about that as well. I guess the owner of the restaurant doesn’t read their Unilocal reviews. Sadly, we will not be returning.

Place was very friendly with a nice assortment of breakfast and lunch items. Staff is really nice and accommodating. There was a stale smell that kinda gave me a nauseous feeling, and was a lot stronger in the basement where the restrooms are at. Add some bleach or Mr. clean to your mop and that may help that smell. Great food and staff, will return some day soon.

Stopped in here for the first time after driving past it for years. We won’t be going back.
There were maybe 5 other tables sitting when we sat down, but it took at least 5 – 7 minutes just for the server to bring us coffee.
We ordered basic eggs and bacon/​sausage, which came out in 3 minutes, clearly showing that the food is not prepared to order.
My wife ate 1 sausage link because they were not good. The bacon was hard and tasted like it was microwaved. The potatoes were cold, oily and soggy. Finally, the entire restaurant smelled like 3 day old garbage.
Don’t waste your time and money at this place

Very cool place for breakfast if your in the area. Model airplanes are hanging from the ceiling and they have a tiny U shaped counter if you like. Maybe 8 booths and as many tables. Good friendly service. For lunch I’m going to Baloneys.

Nothing fancy here, just good, solid, stick-​to-​your-​ribs kinda fare.
Sour cherry crepes, ham (right off the bone) and fluffy scrambled eggs, fresh-​squeezed orange juice, and strong coffee were all satisfying, if not mind-​blowing. They’re not reinventing the wheel; it’s comfort food in a diner atmosphere.
Service is friendly and familiar.
Charming place in a quaint part of Barrington. Open for breakfast and lunch only. I can see why the locals love it so.

My lovely dalliance with the Canteen started with an enthusiastic recommendation from the beautiful Brett D and one hungover phone call on New Year’s Day:
Me: You’re open today?
He: OF COURSE we’re open!
Done and done. We arrived to a full parking lot, a bustling restaurant and a hearty welcome from the same man who had answered the phone. We were situated in a big ol’ booth made for sprawling (love!) and quickly took to the books, err menus, before us. I made a decision based on a combination of gut reaction and survival necessity: The Croque Madame French Toast. As it turns out, a Croque Madame tailored for breakfast is every bit as decadent as my ‘bad girl’ lunch staple (check out my photo — isn’t she pretty?). I couldn’t resist complementing my savory selection with a sweet side so I added a pancake for a nominal fee. This is what last suppers are made of! NomNOMnomNoMnoM.
Canteen’s décor is very homey — think old movie posters and historic photos from a younger Barrington. Also on the menu’s honorable mention list: Falafel eggs Benedict and sour cherry crepes!