Rafters Restaurant

Write a Review815-369-5330

CLOSED NOW - Opens at 11:00am

Try Any of the Burgers, mac n cheese, fries!!! Great service, Great People! Friendly atmosphere, Nice place!

Ick, could not pay us to go there again bad service, bad decor, blah food.

My daughter and I met at the Rafters for lunch on Oct. 5. (She is from the Aurora, IL, area, and I am from the Platteville, WI, area, so we thought that would be a nice "half way" point to meet.)



Everything the previous poster said was true for us as well: our server (Ann) was rude and stomped around as if she was upset about something (Same issues with the bill delivery as the previous poster.) Clearly she had no training, and certainly does not have the personality to be a restaurant server! In fairness, we did notice that another server, a young man, was very attentive to his customers, seemed very pleasant, and provided the kind of customer service one would expect in a restaurant.



We, too, noticed a moldy smell. Because he had a table right in front of the waterfall, we were able to see the mold growing on the brick wall that the water trickled down. (And, contrary to what is on the website, it is NOT a waterFALL; it's more like a faucet trickling down a brick wall. The pics on the Rafters' web site are VERY deceiving -- bordering on false advertising!)



Because there on NO windows on the first floor of the restaurant (it’s a two-story building), that could be why they have an odor and a mold problem.



Unlike the other reviewer, we did not think the "value" was good. (Maybe it's because we're from small towns and not Chicago.) But for what you get -- just average food that you can easily make to taste just as good at home -- the prices were high (especially for an “out-in-the-boonies” town like Lena. There was a large table of ten or so seated next to us, and when they got the bill, the one gentleman remarked to the other: We just had chicken, mashed potatoes, water, and corn and look at this bill! When you average it out per person, this is highway robbery!" So, we were not the only ones who thought the price was a bit of a rip off.



The hostess gave terrible customer service, too:. We and several other people waited more than ten minutes for her to show up at the hostess desk – and the restaurant was over half empty! (Hmmm…maybe that should have clued us in.)





My advice: pass this one up.

Food was greasy-spoon type for sandwiches; the alternate choice was"farmhouse style" mashed potatoes and meatloaf for dinner menu. We went for lunch on Sunday, and arrived about 1:30 -- well after the lunch crowd. (They serve lunch from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.)



Server was terrible: she came to take our order, gave us coffee, and we didn't see her for well over 30 minutes. We ordered simple Reuben sandwiches (not difficult or time-intensive to prepare) , and the place was 3/4 empty, so it wasn't a busy time. Then, when our food arrived, no additional coffee refill was offered: she plopped our food down and took off. We didn't see her again until she said, "Can I bring the bill, now?" When she brought the ticket, she literally threw it down on the table as she went by us on her way to another table. Very rude. Then, when she came to pick it up after we had paid, she whisked it up on her way past our table again -- and once again with no acknowledgement: not even a "thank you."



In addition to the mediocre food and horrible service, as soon as you walk into the restaurant, it is depressing: the room is musty-smelling, and very, very dark. There are no windows at eye level: you are just surrounded by dark green colored walls, and the artificial lighting is almost non-existent. The atmosphere can best be described as: dark, dungeon-like and depressing. We often drive from Chicago to either Galena or Dubuque and have been looking for a place in between to stop and eat. We will NEVER stop here again. Yes, the value is OK, but the average "greasy-spoon" fare, the depressing decor, and the lazy server made our experience not one we wish to repeat.