Art & Alma’s Century Inn

Shhhhh! It’s my little secret… THE BEST Breakfast EVER! Biscuits and gravy, banana pancakes and great coffee. So reasonable! Tucked away off the beaten path.

Bad experience tonight! My advice don’t go with only 30 min. before the end of service. Ordered half slab of ribs and 6 shrimp with a baked potato. Ribs were not very warm but had a good flavor, shrimp was good, baked potato was dried out and mostly inedible. Salad bar was not as good as usual, cottage cheese nearly empty, other items run down. I mentioned to the waitress that the potato was dried out and she didn’t offer to do anything about it other than say she was sorry! When the waitress came by with the check I showed her how dried out the potato was, you couldn’t even mash it off the skin with a fork. I had gotten a little from the middle, very little and her smart comment to me was ’ looks like you ate it’. I always leave a 20% tip, not this time. As
we were eating the waitresses tore down the salad bar without asking if we wanted anything more from there. They should just close an hour earlier, instead of rudely taking things down when people are still eating. I was being generous rating three stars but we had eaten there three other times with no problems.

In one sentence… good, classic food in a casual setting. There are just real people and real food here. It’s not fancy. You won’t be getting a spoonful of food artfully place on a square white dish with a stripe of sauce. Nope. You will be getting hearty real food.
I ordered the Burlington House Chicken which was a char grilled chicken breast stuffed with Asiago cheese, artichokes, spinach, and mushrooms with a garlic wine sauce. It says «no side’ on the menu (meaning you don’t get to choose a side), but it was served on a bed of rice. It was delicious and the leftovers were great the next day as well.
Dinners come with the salad bar. Which, of course, fills you up with salad, soup, bread pudding (that’s right) before you even get your meal. The croutons were buttery and yummy, too.
My main reason for wanting to visit Art & Alma’s was that they have a Crème Brulee du jour. My favorite dessert! Yes! I was a little bummed because on the night we went, it was just normal crème brulee. I was hoping for something different. Service was okay. The bartender was friendly and wait staff was fine.
Also, they are known for their prime rib, but it was a busy Saturday night and by the time we sat down to dinner, they had run out. So, go early or on a weeknight if you want your share of the prime rib.

I have lived in nearby Sycamore for 17 yrs and never new this place existed, it took some friends from out of town who looked it up on Unilocal to say let’s try this place I thought they had an old site, I was completely wrong, this unremarkable building contained the best steakhouse I have ever been to, with outstanding service, and amazing atmosphere. The only thing I can say is I wish I had known about it before.

I’ll make this short. Been going here for 20 years and have never ever had a bad experience. Always outstanding. One reminder. Get there early on saturday night. It gets crowded and stays that way.

Great small town steakhouse, fantastic food and great service every time I’ve been there. Pricy, but absolutely worth it.

It doesn’t get much better than this. From the hostess with the mostess to the bartenders who really do shake cocktails for 1 minute. The wait staff is on point & the food is fabulous. Salad bar is nice, fresh and small but good, try the cole slaw and pea salad but it does change. Prime rib is ridiculous, the salmon w/​champagne sauce great. Don’t miss desert it’s all worth it!

The same. Been here several times for prime rib. It’s excellent. Atmosphere is very Midwestern. It’s traditional, and not fancy at all.

I stooped to a new low. I took a picture of my food. Though I was forced to do so, I don’t regret it.
I also made the «mistake» of being swindled by their menu’s words into getting the prime rib. It was delicious, succulent, well prepared, and absolutely gigantic. But it was nothing compared to the steak which was made from the best cut, with the best flavor, and made for absolute food porn.
They have great appetizers to match their food, a salad bar that accompanies your food.
It sits in a really old building that you might find in old Illinois towns like Burlington, much of what is in it is original. Well worth the trip from the city. The money you save on dinner will pay for the gas and it will blow the doors off of anything you find in more populated areas.

Service is very inconsistent. Fourth visit in the last 12 months and it remains the same. We won’t return.

The steak was Great first time I had to order a 2^nd one, we’ll be back soon. tv– Ron and group. Thanks for being great.

Always a pleasure to eat at this wonderful restaurant. We honestly have never had a bad meal here. The food is absolutely amazing and also the martini selection is crazy! Very cozy!!! If you stop in on the weekend, there may be a wait but make yourself comfy at the bar and have a cocktail.

Unbelievable. Seriously. Best prime rib I have EVER had. They don’t take reservations on weekends so we waited an hour and 15 minutes for a table but it was WELL WORTH it. (I really can’t believe I just said that, but I did because it is THAT GOOD.)
Also, be sure to try the potato pancakes. Crisp on the ends and delish in the middle. Soooo good.

This weekend, I «discovered» a morning meal worthy of being called the «$ 100 Breakfast,» and whether you’re out for a Sunday drive or flight, Art & Alma’s Century Inn, in Burlington, IL, is worth your time and effort.
Burlington is roughly 50 miles west of Chicago’s loop, and 40 miles east of Rockford. (There are actually a half dozen airports within five miles, if you’re actually contemplating a flight).
The restaurant has been open in one form or another since 1908, and currently serves dinner six nights, and breakfast/​brunch on Sundays.
This breakfast may well deserve the ‘subtitle’ of «the $ 35 breakfast,» as that’s about what you would pay for it at any fine hotel. Start off your Sunday with one of the Inn’s 25 unique Bloody Mary recipes, before launching into perfectly cooked to order breakfasts, including a half dozen varieties of «Benedicts.»
I went with the «Country Boy,» which had diced sausage and bacon, a generous slab of ham, poached eggs with country gravy atop biscuits. My pal opted for the «Mein Schatzi,» bacon, swiss, poached eggs, hollandaise and sour cream resting on potato pancakes. There are ‘cakes, hash, french toast, and plenty of sides to choose from — later in the morning, they add sandwiches to the Sunday morning menu.
The food was presently promptly, nice plating, cooked to perfection and the taste and flavors reflected quality ingredients.
No question, hands down, my best meal of 2015. Can’t wait to get back and try the dinner. Classic fish fry on Friday nights, and Prime Rib special, Wed, Fri, Saturday while it lasts.
Great job, Chef!

This is a favorite place for the family. I love the people and country décor. This not without saying we come back again and again for the food. Tonight was our anniversary dinner, and we like ribs. Theirs are fantastic! They offer two sauces, one tangy and a southern style. I’m a tangy fan here but both are good. I also enjoy the salad bar and full bar. For the first time I had a martini. Actually, a lemon drop martini. Not bad I say.
So if you are up for a drive, think about Art & Alma’s in Burlington. 5 stars and two thumbs up (after wet nap)!

Why, oh WHY have I not come here sooner?! That is the question my family and I asked ourselves tonight while eating here.
Literally, one of my top favorite restaurants. What a pleasure, we WILL be back.
We had no idea what to expect (honestly we were thinking hum drum bar food at best, but boy were we wrong/​pleasantly surprised).
This place feels like a bistro meets ’40’s style fine dining. Casual but fine dining food some how. The owner/​management figured out that perfect equilibrium between casual dress yet exceptional food. Wonderful atmosphere, very clean too (bathroom was spotless, that says something).
Everything we had was outstanding… crab cakes, steak tips on bread, shared the filet mignon and lobster for two, salad bar… literally everything was top notch. Lobster was fresh, tender, perfectly seasoned. Filet mignon was SUPER tender, perfectly (medium rare) cooked with delicious homemade au jus. Side of blue cheese mashed potatoes, yum. Salad bar was super fresh and gourmet, was expecting hum drum but it was exceptional.
Crime brûlée was perfect.
Staff were all on their game, nice, and true professionals.
I’m gushing, but it’s just that darn good. Check it out.
We will be back!

We have only been here a couple of times. Service has been good and food was excellent. I had a steak and it was cooked and season to perfection and almost melted in my mouth.
A bit on the pricey side. We went on our anniversary.

I had heard about this place from a co-​worker who had raved about their bloody mary selection, so the wife and I decided to go check it out one Sunday morning (over a year ago). Needless to say, their bloody mary selection did not disappoint. I’ve had a few off their menu, and have not had a bad one. I tend to prefer their house bloody or the Doctor Mary.
Since that first Sunday that we stopped in at A&A’s, we’ve gone back almost every Sunday now for breakfast. You can’t beat the food and service at A&A’s. The food is always cooked to perfection and the staff is always friendly as can be.
In addition to their Sunday breakfast, we will go once a month and have dinner. Just like their breakfast, their dinner is amazing. Like another reviewer below said, get whatever Zach’s dessert of the day is too. If the wife and I go out for dinner someplace else, we’ll usually wind up at A&A’s for dessert and a Green Frog.
I can’t say enough nice things about this place. We have turned several people on to this gem and everyone has been repeat customers. When we eventually move (plan to move to Algonquin), we still frequent A&A’s as regularly as we can!

I really went in wanting to like this place. We are limited out this way as far as good steak houses, however do have one that kind of sets a high standard over by the dirt race track, but we wanted some variety and someone suggested we try here so went Friday night, a couple days ago.
We called for reservations and were told they do not take them on Fri or Sat. Odd, but figured what the heck. When we got there we were told about 5 or 10 mins. I don’t even think we waited 3 mins before we were seated.
After sitting, it took a bit before someone came and got our drink order, then a while before our order was taken. They have three sizes of Prime Rib, 16 oz, 24 oz and 32 oz. My wife went with the 16, and I opted for the 24 oz. I like mine med rare (rare, but its a compromise with my wife and doctor) and my wife, much to my chagrin, always gets it well done. She asked for well done or an end cut.
We were given plate for the salad bar. It is small, but pretty good selection and the soup, lobster bisque, was excellent.
It took a while for our steaks, which means my wife has to put up with my looks because their burning her steaks (not really with prime rib, but hey, I get my entertainment where I can). When the food finally came, mine was slightly over done, but acceptable. My wife’s was an end cut, brown on the outside but cool and very, very red on the inside. We got a hold of the waitress to send back hers, and this is where things started to go downhill.
For whatever reason, the waitress seemed to take this personally. While she was not rude, she became very terse. Drink refills the rest of the night were now not happening and until my wife’s food was brought back, we did not see her. Even when she dropped off the plate, she said nothing and immediately left. She brought back the same piece, this time the outside was black but nothing had changed on the inside. Trying to get the waitresses attention was futile. She cut off what she could eat (not a lot) and decide the rest would come home for either me or our two dogs. (NOTE; I never got it.)
During this time, our waitress had set up one of those temporary stands to place trays on while delivering food, blocking the salad bar near us. People continued to bump it and when we left over a ½ hour later, it was still there, empty,
Now to my prime rib. While it was cooked the way I like it, it was a little salty. Again, acceptable but were I to order here in the future, I would see if I could get a little less salt. The issue I did have was how it was trimmed. I cut off about 4 to five ounces of pure fat, not the little bit you always see, but large areas. Looking at a previous post and a pic of the rib eye, this is how they may serve all their cuts. So in essences, mine was a 19 oz.
When our waitress finally came back, and I am purposely leaving out her name, she asked how the steak. My wife indicated «no difference, really.» and as she started to turn over a piece to show her, the waitress put down our bill and said she would get us a box.
Other than the issue with my wife’s steak, and if you did not have another restaurant to compare things to, the food was OK. While I would not recommend it, I would also not tell people to stay away. This sides were something that seemed more out of a can than freshly made (I had a creamed spinach) but the bread was obviously made in house.
This rating would have been a star higher if not for the service. Everyone seemed friendly, however our waitress really turned on us after we sent it back. Had we done it in a complaining, rude manner I would not mention it. My wife abhors sending things back and has to be encouraged to do so, meaning she does it somewhat sheepishly.
I know most who have written reviews seems to love the place, so this may have been an off night food-​wise, but based on the service, I can’t see us going out of our way to come back.

This place is a set back… unusual, anything but obvious, probably not normal, a different mind set, time warp, brain freeze, flashback and a momentary cure, oasis if you will, for the daily grind!
I can sit at the bar day all day and not even drink! «No Way»!
The food and service is excellent. Your dry aged Rib Eye or Sirloin is flash cooked to seal in the natural juices and flavor, thoughtfully served on a heated platter. Allow this Prime Cut to rest a minute or so before you carve it. Otherwise accept the consequences for your lack of patience.
The original oak bar is absolutely outstanding, hauntingly stunning! Spend your time here. Eat here!
Yet, the place is very small while located in the extreme outpost of suburbia. If you make it inside you will find seating is limited, cramped, crowded, congested and the conversation level is cranked!
No «kitsch» no frills and no nonsense.
«Perfect» and not for everybody.