Gilson's

We visited with 8 people for lunch:

- service was terribly slow despite plenty of empty tables
- server was pleasant but obviously inexperienced
- kitchen delivered a rare burger when it was ordered medium
- bathrooms were dirty
- food was average at best
- prices are excessive
- kids were irritable due to being hungry and waiting over 40 minutes for food
- waitress was apologetic for slow kitchen, undercooked burger, etc. but did nothing to address the situations
- some entrees were delivered then we waited 5+ minutes for the rest
- we never saw a manager

I have contacted the restaurant and will update the review if they do something to address the situation.

Steaks in Chicago are kind of like pizza in Chicago. There are so many places that do it right, if you're going to make an attempt, it better deliver. Gilson's of Wilmette did just that. I ordered the center-cut fillet which was served with a lemon horseradish herbed butter. Whoever said the herbed butter trend was out, was wrong. Take that Tom Colicchio! This steak was cooked to perfection, served with tender grilled asparagus and a lemon mushroom risotto. Everything was great! My only complaint....they don't have a full bar. Other than that, I will definitely be going back and trying many other items.

The Chowhound Chick

Thank you Groupon. Been here a few times. You need a reservation for the weekend for sure. It's quite full by 6pm on a Sat evening. Had the baked French onion soup which comes with a full toast with melted Gruyere. Steamed mussels with wine sauce and garlic and herbs was delicious but very salty. Bison burger with cheddar in a nice sturdy bun (hate those wimpy ones) comes with delicious fries and a spicy aioli.

If you need a highchair, call in advance so they don't seat you in the booth. Their booster chair does not have buckles.

Very friendly service and a great wine selection with ratings for each bottle. 10+ beer choices.

Gilson's is a restaurant located in little old downtown wilmette.


It's a nice quaint little location to order up a meal....just sit down outside and they will come out,t ake your order and bring it to you. Definitely enjoyable on a nice summer day. Of course indoor seating is available and the food is a little bit pricey for a lunch but very uniquely (and creatively) done.

I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, but yelp lacks the half-stars. I had the "Big (really big) Salad", which was extremely good. Described in their menu as "Leafy organic greens with chopped veggies (carrots, broccoli, tomato, cucumber)"...I happened to have it with a unique dressing as well, which was Roasted Tomato Dressing.

It was good and something I've not seen offered the way that they had it, at many other places. I even took a few pictures of it.

Of course my mistake was sitting facing the wind, at which point I was reminded that salad is like paper and flies away. So although I got to enjoy most of my meal, I wore a bit of it out of the restaurant.

I'd definitely recommend people to take a look at least for exploration purposes, but it's a little pricey for an everyday eat to me. They do make some unique foods and some extremely good foods, so they are justified in their price if you want a quality lunch. However, if you're looking for a cheap lunch, you're at the wrong place.

To look at their lunch menu, go here:
http://www.gilsonsofwilmette.com/carryout%20menu.pdf
To see their dinner menu, go here:
http://www.gilsonsofwilmette.com/carryout%20menu1.pdf

You have to love a menu that includes both an "Adults-Only Grilled Cheese Sandwich" and "the Mark Cuban".

Gilson's does a great job of knowing how to cater to adults and kids simultaneously. The casual atmosphere and wood tables are crayon- and toy-friendly, while there is beer and wine a-plenty to take your mind off of the 1,347,675th question of the day.

I gobbled up my Turkey and Fontina Sandwich (pesto mayo - wooo!) and potato soup. Gobbled - get it?

Friendly service, mid-range prices, and a great neighborhood gathering spot. I'll definitely stop in next time I am in town.

I used to really enjoy Gilsons and have gone there as a special occasion spot at times. This last visit was so bad, I will not return. Our server must have taken lessons from the servers over at the Big Black Dog. We used to question how Gilsons could be so good and BBD be so poor. I think they may have done some switching around. Our server actually told a member of our party that "no, that isn't bacon, it is Italian bacon." Hmm, if one has a problem with bacon, I don't think it matters from where it hailed.
I believe the prices have been raised, to a point I don't find it worth it to dine here. That, mixed with horrible service (I kept this to a minimum, there were many other problems) will keep me away.

Having dined at Gilson's in the past, I'm disappointed to have to write this lackluster review.

The food was fine; nothing spectacular or memorable, but fine. Prices, on the other hand, were considerably more than need be. Seriously, $18 for fish tacos? $24 for skirt steak? $27 for walleye? The food doesn't come close to justifying these prices.

Even if the prices weren't outrageous, our service was. We'll give the server the benefit of the doubt when 5 of our 6 entrees arrived, with the 6th following about 7 minutes later...maybe it was the kitchen's fault. However, I can't believe that right after properly asking how everything was a few minutes into the meal, he asked if he could get us any coffee or dessert! Our dinner plates were still 3/4 full and in front of us! He was disinterested in being there and impossible to get his attention to pay the bill.

I was disappointed in the pricing and service, and probably equally disappointed that I can no longer support a local restaurant.

My husband and I had dinner there last night for the first time. I didn't know this place existed until the hubby pulled out a Groupon he bought for it. Let me just say I was very impressed! The Groupon was a good one; two entrees, two glasses of wine. Our choice of anything on the menu plus they would switch out the wine for beer if we wanted. So from the get-go I found this charming little place to be flexible and all about making our dinner a good one.

The wine and beer list were more than enough to choose from. Nice selections without it being insane. I might add they pour a NICE glass of vino too. Just what I needed after a long day at the office!

I had the Chilean Sea Bass with risotto and grilled asparagus. Totally delicious and I ate every bite. The grilled asparagus was perfection. Not mushy or under done-simply perfect. Risotto had leeks and mushrooms added and it was a generous serving flavored very well. The sea bass was outstanding. Cooked perfectly, not too well done so it was moist and flavorful. I was quite impressed.

The hubby had the bison burger and fries and an additional cup of chicken noodle soup. He gobbled the soup down in record time which is a clear indication of how good it was. Large portions on his entree and the adding toppings for the burger were very good. No dried out under ripened tomato slices here--all the toppings were fresh, fresh, fresh. It's nice to get a good burger that has good toppings along side it!

Our server was very nice however I didn't get her name for which I'm sorry because she should get a shout out. She was timely, very polite, discreet and right on top of things.

Gilson's may become my new favorite place simply because it's small, has great food and excellent service. Their menu while not huge has food at a variety of price points so this place does not need to be "saved" for special occasions only. I strongly recommend reservations. If you go after 6 pm on a weeknight you'll wait for a long time. Save yourself some hassle and make the reservation! Go to Gilson's, you'll love it!

Everything about Gilson's exceeded my expectations. The food was fresh, local and mostly organic, the service was over-the-top great, and the wine list was better than most.

Gilson's is open for lunch and dinner. I found it to be a great place to have a working lunch on my laptop (they have free wi-fi) as well as a great place to have a nice dinner with my husband. I would highly recommend the chicken salad croissant and the farmer's market pasta. Though, I believe their menu changes with the seasons so they can keep providing local foods.

I now know why they had to resort to Groupons to entice customers. This was our first visit here. My husband and I each ordered The Gilson burger ($11.95) and he also ordered a cup of tomato bisque soup ($4.95) His cup of soup was half full & below par. I substituted their potato fingerlings instead of French Fries and they were greasy and inedible. I would have flagged down our waiter - IF - I would have seen him, but he didn't come around until it was time for the check. My burger was fair....I asked for it to be cooked medium rare and it was a very bland, dry, medium. Will not be returning. Had high hopes for finding a new restaurant in the area but it was not to be.