Amelia’s at the Park

This used to be one of our favorite restaurants until new ownership took place in 2015. The quality of food and service took a steep nosedive. This is not the Amelia’s we loved and were so disgusted that we will not return… So sad

We decided after driving by several times to give it a try especially in light of the relatively favorable reviews. Unfortunately we did not view our experience in line with any of the reviews that we read which are positive. Service was very good and the ambience is nice but the food was extremely disappointing even with a Unilocal check in offer giving a percentage off.
I think this is probably a great place for a drink or a great place to dine in not your average restaurant strip environment, but absent that it’s definitely a place I’d avoid next time around.
2÷11÷16 update– We ordered the Wild Jumbo Scallops and NY Strip.

The restaurant serves a diverse menu with large portions. I had the fish and chips. It also comes with cole slaw. My boyfriend had the baked chicken and dumplings. We shared the NY cheesecake (I was expecting a chocolate cheesecake). Everything was delicious. I will definitely be back. The only downside was the service but it was the night they were having a beer tasting so their attention was more on that event.

My husband and I were there for a date night. We had the scallops and paella which were both delicious! The paella came with salmon and shrimp. The flavor was very tasty. The scallops were perfectly done also. We received a side of home made chips complimentary which tasted good also. The service was good and we used a groupon with no difficulty. We will come back!

For the mac and cheese balls, this place is phenomenal and worth a trip, if only for an order of the most delicious mac & cheese encased in a yummy shell. Doesn’t matter if these are a zillion calories and carb laden, they are delicious!

after my last trip, i won’t be back. the new owners have changed a lot of what made amelia’s one of my favorite places.
the waitstaff seems untrained. all the homemade sauces and condiments are gone, and replaced with cheap a$$ crap. the fresh, local, mostly organic ingredients have been replaced with cheaper, factory-​farmed food. if i wanted to eat basic food, i’d go to denny’s. amelia’s being sold has been very disappointing.

I don’t normally right reviews but tonight’s food was unacceptable. I ordered a burger and the burger was undercooked and cold, the bun was old and stale, and the fries were cold and hard. This was an unusually bad experience, and normally the food is executed better, but this was the last straw.

I recently came here with my family because I seen a groupon. I’ve never heard of Amelia’s before but the pictures they had on their site were appealing and it was only a few blocks away!
Our server was Brianna & she did a great job of explaining some of the restaurant specials including new beers on tap. The selection of local craft beers were great, seeing some of my own personal favorites. I was intrigued with the fact that they use organic Amish chicken & that the food was made from scratch. Can’t get any fresher than that.
I ordered the Reuben sandwich on our server’s recommendation & it was outstanding. By far one of the best I’ve had. With the great service & quality of everything they had to offer, I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to escape the chain restaurant environment.

Buffalo wings here are the best, nice combination of sour buffalo sauce and garlic sauce! The Scottish Salmon is kind of bland (which I believe many people like it that way), I would love to have some Tartar sauce on side.
They also have new dessert dish which is cheesecake something, they said to be start serving this thing yesterday. I have to say it’s the best cheesecake I have in years!
One other thing, I love warm atmosphere in this place. Staffs are very nice and friendly!

I’ve been here twice now with different people. Everything we’ve ordered has been delicious! Friendly service, reasonable prices, and huge portions.

It was hard to give this place a zero stars though I wanted to. We had a Groupon ordered the butternut squash soup which basically was tasteless super thick. Then we ordered the chicken with dumplings once again tasteless. I asked for a fresh cup of coffee I mean fresh she said she would brew a pot. Coffee was cold and weak. So she said she brew another pot which basically I don’t think she ever brewed a pot to begin with but it was just OK. Waitress came to light candles on the table which were all empty but she didn’t light ours.
Would I be back, give it a second chance?
NO

I’ve been here a few times for dinner and twice for brunch. The dinner alone was enough for me to come back. I have had the shrimp scampi which was fantastic. I also got a big bowl of mac and cheese for dinner once (hey it was my birthday) and they let me substitute and put peas in it. It was delicious and I recommend getting at least a side of Mac and cheese if it’s your first time.
Now the big surprise for me was brunch. I was craving French toast but I hadn’t found a *great* French toast place yet in the area. We happened to drive by and saw that they serve brunch. So we stopped in and I ordered the French toast. I don’t know why it was so good… Maybe the challah bread from Prairie Bread bakery… But it was mouth-​watering despite not being overly fancy like way too many brunch places do now. I also got a mimosa which was nice since my old go-​to brunch place does not have mimosas. It was the perfect brunch and at a very good price.
Overall, try it for dinner (especially if you haven’t been since the new owners took over). If you haven’t gone for brunch, you must go now.

Three of us came here on Friday evening around 8pm. We decided to eat outside on the patio where there are four tables. As our food and drinks came, we were the only ones out there on a pretty beautiful night.
Service was attentive and the food was delicious. No complaints there. I had the vegetable bake while the two others in my party had burgers. The vegetable bake was full of flavor, was a tad spicy but overall filling and I was impressed!
At about 9pm, suddenly the wind picks up and almost immediately the umbrellas from all the tables (yes ALL) start flying up and toward us. One right after another they are lifting up out of all four tables, and are airborne! Holy shit! One flies up over, and hits my friend in the back, and as ours is jetting up into the air i quickly grab the pole and hold on tight – because all I can imagine is this giant wooden stick on its way back down jabbing me in the head. It all is happening so quickly. My one friend is able to hold onto two umbrellas fabric, while the other friend goes to knock on the door to inside, to ask the servers for some help. They come out to find us holding down these giant umbrellas as the rain has now started… all of us (servers included) have this look on our faces like «what the eff just happened?!?» We hand over the umbrellas to the workers and go inside…
We finish our drinks inside at a highboy, and our bills come. Full price! We were nearly empaled by large wooden sticks on your patio, and we need to pay full price? My friend asks to speak to the manager to see if we can get any kind of discount on this bill. The manager ends up being our server, who explains to her that he cannot predict the weather and therefore no discount will be given. How disappointing.
This could have easily been a 5 star review, but this untimely incident soured our overall experience.
Sir, what you said is true. We cannot predict the weather. But you can go to Home Depot and purchase some anchors for your outdoor table umbrellas, because of that sheer fact alone!
It is very unlikely I will return. Tsk, tsk.

Service was great, our waitress was a sweetheart. That being said, after finding hair in my food I was told the manager was on his way out to talk to me. Not only did he never come to talk to me, they took nothing off the bill. I won’t be going back.

Went there for birthday dinner with friend. I ordered a vegetable stew dish, I thought it was a beef stew. When I asked about the beef my mistake was pointed out and I took full responsibility but our waiter insisted I cooking some steak and adding it to my dish. While this was fantastically over the top service, when I rec my bow back the steak and the vegetable stew combo was fantastic! I hope I can order it again.
The food and service will bring me back.

This place is quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in Forest Park. The weekend brunch menu is incredible and well priced. We just took my parents and sister last weekend and spent less than $ 50 and were all very satisfied.
A couple new discoveries. The Salmon BLT with a fried egg. It’s difficult to convey how amazing this combination is. Great bread from a local bakery, crisp bacon and fresh lettuce and tomato, but the star is the full salmon fillet sitting in there. It pairs incredibly well with the salty bacon. This is an absolute must have dish. The fries are perfect and well salted too. The breakfast dishes are excellent as well. Thick sweet french toast, awesome pancakes, savory home fries, and a well made breakfast burrito are among the things we’ve tried.
I don’t know how the place was before the new owners, but it currently is producing some very very good food. Give this place a try. Sure the décor and tables could be spruced up a little, but you will quickly forget about that after you try the food.

Delicious food, well priced, and a great staff as well. I recommend trying the cole slaw.
Great outdoor eating area. Perfect for the small gatherings with close friends.

Great neighborhood find. Lots of beers, great salads and all entrees were fantastic! Will definitely return!

Whether you’re in Forest Park for a quick visit looking for a quick bite or a drink, Amelia’s is a nice place to park it. If you check in on Unilocal and show your waitress you get 10% off your bill. The orange sherbert walls and beautiful art work gives your eyes something to marvel while you wait for your food. If you’re not up for dining hall style seating, there is usually room at the bar and plenty of conversation to get into. My 8 piece hot wings and full plate of fries came out piping hot and fresh. And if my hot winged palate stands correct, those wings were tossed and drug through a bottle of Franks Red Hot, which in my opinion is the best way to do it. Let my Grandmother tell it, they got the recipe from her.
The chocolate tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was just right, just the perfect size to finish off a great meal.
And even when my card declined ;(after swiping the third time and I offered to pay part of my $ 14.00 with the $ 8 in cash I had on me and bring the rest the next day, the manager told me he tossed out the other $ 6. I dropped in the next morning with the remaining $ 6, leaving my waitress Brianna a $ 4 tip.
The waitresses are cool, laid back and know their stuff. Its really just a nice, if-​you-​happen-​to-​be-​or-​live-​in-​the-​neighborhood spot with a great staff and good food. Check them out sometime.

My husband and I decided to come here to give it a try. The location isn’t that great — probably because it’s not in heavily visited areas like downtown. It’s by the 290 highway and there isn’t much businesses around this restaurant so you don’t really notice it until you drive by it.
It wasn’t too crowded for a Friday night. They have a bar section and a regular dining section. Most of the crowd were at the bar area since the Bulls and Hawks game were going on. The inside of this restaurant is like an average dining place — it has a strange odor inside. Service is really slow. We found out our waiter is also the bartender, so we can’t really blame him. we think the restaurant just needs more help during this time because it took a good half hour before our food were served after we ordered.
As for the food, it is very good. I would give this place 5 stars for the food, but because the service was very slow I gave this place a 4. My husband and I started with the cobb salad and the macaroni and cheese with chicken. The mac and cheese was delicious! My husband and I loved it! Having the chicken there definitely enhances the taste — they have a selection of toppings for the mac and cheese. The cobb salad was good as well. For entrée, I ordered the wild diver scallop which was scallops on top of a bed of bacon/​spinach/​mushroom rissoto topped with spicy mayo. This was really good. The presentation was nice, too. My husband ordered their jambalaya. he said it was too saucy for his liking. He would’ve enjoyed it more if it wasn’t as saucy/​wet.
It was a long dinner, but the food is really good. I definitely come back and hopes the service will be faster this time.