27 ALUNA

Well this is a bucket list driving from Chicago but I'll have to come back again because I only had the Filipino brunch menu dining in. It was delicious. What really caught my attention on the website and I have to come back probably another time probably when it's a little warmer in the spring for their famous Beef Machado which is served for dinner. I went for their brunch which was good too. Their lumpia Shanghai or Filipino fried egg rolls were treating like an formal appetizer. Traditionally, when you're invited to a Filipino party the egg rolls are more like hors d'oeuvres than a formal appetizer in a big group and they separate the chili or sweet and sour sauce like a dip or condiment similar to ketchup and fries. It tasted good and original in traditional Filipino cuisine. Ambience was very modern but then again I see a lot of the newer restaurants in franchises like Max's restaurant franchise making it modern ambience versus reflecting traditional ambiance. It was originally another American restaurant bar but the owner being Pinoy Filipino bought it. I had found it on Facebook and it looked like a bucket list to come all the way from Chicago despite having a lot of other Filipino restaurants back in Chicago. I just came from a French Filipino one called "Kasama" which was unique that you had to pay first and then sit down and order your food ahead for their brunch and the dinner. Anyways, going back with this place it was good service. Staff was pretty friendly especially Lola and Brandon. I also met the chef for Dinner named Olivia My food came quick i for time having brunch. I ordered the Topsilog which was unique but delicious. Their version they don't use pork. I really don't eat pork that much now that I am older. They use thin marinated semi sweet and savory beef served with one Sunnyside egg and garlic rice for this restaurant's version. I just wish that portions was a little bigger as I was a little unsatisfied and I had to order another Filipino egg roll.I would come back for the dinner for the Machado was the main attraction. I did like the Ube drink called "Manila dreams" with vodka, lemon and guava with a dried lemon as a garnish. Surprisingly, I didn't really taste the tarty sweetness of lemon despite that it was labeled in the menu with guava. It was an alcoholic Filipino cocktail drink with Ube or purple yam which I don't see it being utilized as a usual cocktail at a bar or restaurant. I guess by chance if you're in Rockford, Illinois do stop by here if you're craving for Filipino breakfast, brunch and hopefully dinner but if you could wait up to after 5:00 pm I would suggest probably trying to dinner which I haven't done yet but will come next time.

Thoroughly enjoyed the fried chicken and ube pancake, as well as the morning noodles. Everything was flavorful and well prepared. Loved seeing local art on display, and there’s also a great selection of beverage options.

This establishment has a cozy and pleasant ambiance. However, the food was not impressive; the portions were small, and my lumpia was undercooked and required recooking. The staff were friendly and patient, and the service was excellent. They graciously removed the affected dish from the bill. While we were disappointed with the food, we might consider returning for the service or maybe their liquor selection, as they have a bar. We apologize for expressing our disappointment.

I really love this place, the food and the drinks are consistently good. The flavors are wonderful. Its a great place to hang out, wonderful atmosphere. My one complaint would be before shows downtown at places like the Coronado. They struggle with service when they are busy. The wait staff doesn't always seem to work well together. For the second time, we were recently there for dinner before an event. 90 minutes at a table with a reservation, and we only managed two drinks about 40 minutes apart. The stress was evident with the wait staff, but the bartender seemed at ease even with the backup of orders at the bar. After the rush started to slow, nobody was clearing the tables for new guests, the wait staff just seemed flustered. Room for improvement there, but I would still recommend going during times of normal operation for the unique flavors they offer to the city. Really happy to have them downtown.

Kris is absolutely amazing and provided amazing service! Very kind hearted and diligent. She made sure everything was perfect, took her time and great conversing with. Excellent service, she’ll continue to reel in consistent consumers!

I normally wait until I leave to leave a review, but this simply could not wait. We are in town for the Rockin Rockford volleyball tournament. Aggressively hung over, we decided to blindly give this place a shot. Boy were we surprised. In the best way possible. Atmosphere of the restaurant is so welcoming. Comfortable seats, great drink choices, and the food. The food is beyond anything we could have imagined. I've never had Filipino food before, but always heard good things. I will gladly make the almost 2 hour drive just to eat here again. The Ube Pancakes were to die for, the Morning Noodles were out of this world. Honestly, nothing but positive feedback. I also love the fact that the farms they source ingredients from are listed on the menu. Keep up the good work! We will be back!!

Fantastic food, service and atmosphere. The new owners have done a wonderful job keeping all the character of the space and giving it a refresh. The Spicy Pork Rice Bowl is one of my favorite dishes in all of Rockford. I've also had the Salmon Curry Bowl and pasta - also delicious. The craft cocktails were great as well - my wife found her new favorite Espresso Martini and the peach and apple infused bourbon fall drink was great.

I've been wanting to try 27 Aluna for a while now and I was finally able to go for brunch. It was such a lovely experience all around, especially for my tastebuds! It's so rare to find a modern Filipino restaurant in the Midwest outside of Chicagoland and this is a MUST try if you're looking for something new. The brunch items are so fresh and flavorful and cooked with finess and Filipino love. The staff are very friendly and helpful with recommendations and the interior is decorated with beautiful art and mood lighting. The music selection during my visit was lovely 80s and 90s classics. I absolutely need to visit during dinner service and you do, too! Salamat po!

Stopped by for brunch with my friend on Sunday. Let's start with the drink. I got the Ube specialty cocktail and I loved it. Aside from the beautiful color it had a rich flavor that I enjoyed so if you like ube I think you'll enjoy! Food wise: we got a rice bowl and some noodles. Our favorite was definitely that beef with the garlic rice, so tasty. Would come back. Service was good too. Check it out!

My wife brought me here for my birthday and we had to try the Lechon Kawali. I really wanted the banana rum drink, but they were out of an ingredient so I had to settle for the Manilla Dreams- which was pretty tasty. The meal was filling and fed the two of us- twice. For dessert we got the ube cheesecake. Delicious. It was kinda busy being a Friday night, luckily we had reservations. I loved the atmosphere- the art work was awesome. I would come back- especially to dry the banana rum drink!

Checked out this incredibly great place in Rockford that was open later than most places around here. It has a pretty big Asian inspired menu. Octane has kind of pricy but terrific drinks, and of course the food, that are a change from the basic stuff at other places. Good staff that knows the menu and what to get. There's plenty of choices for vegetarians and whoever. After getting here a bit late, it was one of the few places that was still open downtown. It however for them was still early. The menu is full of good things as far as drinks and food. It's about $13 for the cheapest cocktails. Just had to get some though because they sounded cool enough. The best was the Vulcan's Vice. Kind of like a hard cider. This was brandy and Demerara with bitters, lemon juice, and tamarind. Each of us hit some noodles to eat. It's about $15 for a pretty good portion. The one I got was the Thai Noodles, good stuff. A lot was in it. There was broccoli, carrots, coconut peanut sauce, green beans, peanuts, and scallions. Have to come here again. It may be kind of high priced, but the drinks and food are worth it. The flavors are better than anything you can get sticks here, and there's plenty of choices for vegans and vegetarians.

Came here once and enjoyed it. I do want to try it again. Their menu was interesting enough and very accommodating to my son's food taste. It had more of a cool brunch/happy hour vibe tho!

First of all, let me just say, this is NOT an authentic Filipino restaurant. It's more a take on certain Filipino dishes, but it almost disguises every single dish with a different ethnic flavor so you're not really getting the true essence of Filipino food. At least not the kind my sister and I grew up on for sure! We came here on a Friday night - me, my sister, and her husband. We got there past 9pm, it was a pretty late dinner for us. As you walk up to the place, you can see the dining area through the big window wall, which I thought was pretty cool! As you walk through the door, one of the first things you see beyond the host station is the bar and a hallway like area with tables laid out. On the left side is the dining area, and supposedly there's more seating in the back, outdoor. There were a few people at the bar, and one table with a large party, and another where a couple was sitting. We opted to sit at one of the tables in the corner. I'd been wanting to try out this place since there's not a lot of Asian options around Rockford. My sister and I sat down, and a few minutes later, some menus were laid out on our table, but we were not greeted by the server. I thought it was kind of poor service but I shrugged it off. A few more moments later she asked us if we wanted some drinks and I couldn't decide yet so I said I needed more time. Tbh, the drinks selection didn't seem appealing to me. But I wanted to try out at least one cocktail because one of my favorite restaurants in another city is a fusion style place with really good cocktails! So I settled on a drink with mezcal called ChupaRosa...my sister ordered The Ritz which was a gin cocktail. First, my sister got her drink and it was gross - it tasted like cough syrup. Then my drink came, it was really pretty... but it tasted even worse than my sister's drink. It tasted super watered down with egg whites and you still get the smokiness of the mezcal but all that just tasted nauseating. Our food arrived about 25 minutes later. We got the lechon kawali to share and brother in law got the salmon curry. So confused because red curry is not a typical Filipino dish. Anyway, we pushed our drinks to the edge of the our table, hoping to let our server know we didn't like them. But she never bothered to come check in with us... The food was pretty good. We enjoyed the crunchy pork belly and my brother in law enjoyed his salmon plate. But the experience overall was ruined by the bad cocktails. And quite frankly the inadequate service!

My grandma introduced me to coffee when I was 4 and I drink it black unless it's a cappuccino. I like to order a cappuccino, whole milk, nothing added and this is where I go. I may not always drink 27 Aluna Cappuccino, but when I don't I wish I did.

Drove 1.5 hours to try the food and it doesn't disappoint. We had tapsilog, brunch bao, pandesal. I like the variation they added to our regular food, its elevated the flavors, enjoyed our visit. Service and ambience were good too

What a phenomenal little place! 10/10 would recommend for brunch to get the delicious ube pancake!! Our waitress was so nice and the vibes here were very relaxed.

We chose this place by accident, while we were at the city market (lines were too long). So we found this place but honestly we were better off standing in the lines. Not too many people, ambiance was nice but nothing Filipino stood out. Luckily we decided just to share a few dishes. The lumpia was okay. Small portion, even for an appetizer. The entree we chose was the chicken adobo. Too much black pepper, it overpowered the entire meal, the "garlic fried rice" was uncooked and didn't taste anything like authentic garlic fried rice. Did not come even close to authentic Filipino adobo. Overall would not be going back, over priced and even for a modern take on Filipino cuisine, just wasn't it.

We had a large party and the server was very nice and attentive. Didn't flinch when we all asked for separate checks. The food is delicious. It is fusion, but interesting and creative I had the vegan cauliflower bowl with the fried tofu and peanut sauce and I've dreamt about my meal the whole following day, and I never do that. Colleague had a corn dog with marshmallow which is something you can't get anywhere else so I appreciate that.

Visited for the first time. Made reservations for 4. Simple, modern vibe. Large bar center stage. Black table cloths. Service was excellent. Thank you, Liza! Small, eclectic menu; wanted to try everything. We started off with lumpia, chicken bao and tuna bao. We are Filipino (so we know our lumpia. ;) The lumpia was delish. It was served with a garlic fried rice which was good too. The Chicken bao was probably my favorite dish we ordered. Tuna bao was good too. For our mains, we ordered the Adobo rice with chicken, salmon curry, and a Korean burger. A tip for the kitchen - please take at easy with the salt. :) The burger was cooked nicely but way too salty. Should also try changing the burger bun - too dense. The chicken was very moist and the skin was crisp. But again way too much salt. Since it was served over "adobo" rice (which is cooked with soy sauce), the abundance of salt was unnecessary. Also, the Adobo rice tasted good - but did not taste like Filipino Adobo. The sauce tasted like a teriyaki sauce... but still very good. Finally, the salmon curry was yummy (just like the reviews said). Overall, I would give the menu a 5 (for its ingenuity) but I would give the execution of the dishes a 4. Other: Upon entry, looks like there are only a few tables but there is more seating in the back. There is parking across the street in a parking lot (and also in the street).

I've been wanting to eat at Octane for years. I've heard so many great things about it and it did not disappoint. When we walked in we were warmly greeted and seated. Our waitress was wonderful and very charismatic, she made excellent recommendations on drinks. I had a lavender syrup drink that was so refreshing and delicious. The Salomon curry was incredible, so moist and flavorful. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I can't wait to return to try other items on the menu.

Delicious food, good service, welcoming ambiance with nice staff. I would come back. Delicious food, good service, welcoming ambiance with nice staff. I would come back.

This place has great cocktails and even better food! The Filipino inspired menu makes this place feel like home to me as a Filipino-American. Not only do they have awesome food, but they also have dope service. Everyone on staff is very mindful, very demure. From the service to the food to the environment, overall an outstanding experience!

If I write a review, it's totally GREAT or downright awful. So this Gem is above and beyond most. First off is located in a beautiful downtown district, and the ambiance is amazing. We had an excellent hostess, and the crafted cocktails are a must try (have a designated driver)! We had the Lumpias, Aluna Salad with Salmon,16 oz Pork Chop, Cheesecake, and a few cocktails that paired favorably.

Went for dinner yesterday, our waiter must of been knew. Took a long time to get drinks, then we ordered an appetizer when it came he only brought one plate and said he will be back with 2 more plates, but he didn't. Waited again for our food, when it came it was partially cold. Won't be back.

It's always so good and their new menu is mind blowing. Had the noodles and yummmm just so delicious

We came here before a comedy show at the Coronado Theater on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was packed, every table was taken, and we got the last one. Overall this wasn't a good experience & I would not recommend it. We weren't served drinks, or given utensils for 25 min. The wait staff did not know what they were doing. We ordered the chicken adobo and two beers. It took 25 minutes to get the 2 beers. Then another 30 minutes to get our food. Which was horrible, probably saltiest oiliest dish that we've been served. I'm giving this 2 stars because they did comp a portion of our meal and were very kind about our complaints.

Octane was AMAZING!! My husband and I enjoyed some cocktails, egg rolls, bao, Salmon Curry Bowl, and spicy pork rice bowl. Must try the tuna boa and lunchbox cocktail! Service was excellent. This will be a staple every time we come to Rockford!!

We had the Crap Rangoon Boa and Spring rolls, Pork Lumpia. Neither were what you expected but they were excellent. The Spicy Pork Rice Bowl with pulled pork was great and the Aluna Noodles with tofu reminded me of Pad Thai but the best Pad Thai I ever had. Both entrees were small plates but we had enough to take home so good generous portions. The place was crowded with Ice Hog fans and a prom group but must say the wait staff did a great job of taking care of us. A very good experience and so nice to go downtown Rkfd.

i came from Chicago and am excited to see a Filipino restaurant. Foods are not authentic Filipino and more America fusion.i think this is a bar. Filipinos, save yourself money. It's very expensive food and not a real Filipino food. It's cheaper in Chicago than this Rockford place. i feel robbed with false advertisement and disappointed Not coming back.

Reviews looked great so wanted to visit when in town and everything was delicious full of flavor and quality. Emma was so kind and attentive and made great recommendations . The hand cut fries were the BEST I have ever had and the sweet chili chicken Bao was a surprise. Loved the ambience in this lovely downtown Rockford Gem. Highly Recommend visiting as there's a reason they've been open for 20+years . Will be back!

The whole story can be surmised by telling you that I showed up about 10-15 minutes after they opened for lunch. By opened, I mean they were supposed to have, but 3 employees were sitting inside chatting instead of unlocking the door. This "slow pace" and non-chalant attitude carried on throughout my visit, which was especially noticeable as there were only 2 customers for 4-5 employees. It was fairly painful, with long waits between every single thing. Having said that, I tried the Ginger Pig Bao buns with wedges. They weren't bad, and even a little unique as they had a mustard flavor. However, they were a 3/5 at best. Overall, I left here less than impressed.

Pork bowl was disgusting Pork over fried and it was bland. Ramen was also disgusting. Better off getting some Asian instant noodles and making it at home and save yourself the money.

great food drinks and service. can't wait to come back. i would highly recommend the tofu sisig!!

Great food and environment! A little pricey and sometimes food takes some time to arrive, but the service is pretty good.

Visiting from out of town & decided to eat at Octane after seeing their great reviews and food options. The place lives up to the hype! The vegetarian & vegan options are plentiful, truly a menu for everyone! I had the spicy Buffalo cauliflower bao buns and they were *chefs kiss* perfection! The service was also amazing, the waiter & bartender were very kind & attentive. Highly recommend!

Interesting eclectic food place. We tried an Asian burger with fries, Cauliflower Bao, Mushroom Soup, and Thai noodles. All tasted very good. We told our waiter that we had a theatre date for 75 minutes after we got in, and he got us in and out in an hour. Would give it a 5-star - but my son ordered his steak medium, and it came much closer to rare. Everything else was exquisite!

I can always count on octane for a great meal! Some of my fav options are: Mac n cheese, fried chicken bao (appetizer), bleu note burger, shrimp pompano, tacos, ridge runner - basically everything on the menu is GOOD and whatever you choose you will not be disappointed! They also have a cocktail menu, tons of beer and wine to choose from. And if you are there for lunch they also make a great latte or cappuccino. Options for everyone!

I wish Yelp had a 1/2 option because I would give this place 3.5, but it's not a 4. Pros : Fresh ingredients, different Asian fusion dishes, waitstaff was attentive. Cons : Small portions vs. Cost, if you get a salad or soup as a side option it comes with meal and not before, the kitchen speed is extremely slow. We waited about 45 minutes for our food after ordering. Waiter came over 4 times before food came out asking about refills. The place was well staffed outside of the kitchen, but can't comment on the inside. Overall it was something new to try that was local. Might try again in the future.

Food was a little pricey, but everything tasted good. There was only one server/bar tender when I went, but she was attentive and very nice. The ambiance of the inside has a good mix of bar/cafe spot. There is also outdoor seating here which was lovely.

Just moved here and was looking for some food restaurants. Stumbled on this place. Food was amazing, drinks were strong, waitress Emma was so sweet! 10/10 will be back for sure

Went here with friends. Super interesting delicious food and drinks!! The ramen was good and so was the espresso martini.

I had heard of this place for years. Mostly from staff and patrons of other bars I frequent. Based on the personality of the people that always told me about it and when they said they where going, I always pictured Octane to be more of a dance club than what it truly is, a small bar with great decor and almost an hipster atmosphere. The lay out is interesting in that there is a hair studio in the back, and there is a long walk to the bathrooms. I walked in with my wife, and we happened to be downtown and wanted to try someplace new. This was bookmarked as a place to try and it was open, so I figured. What the heck. When I opened the door and the first thing I heard was Jazz music, I know my preconceived idea of Octane was wrong. We were there around 1 in the afternoon, so it wasn't too busy, we grabbed seats at the bar and that's when the good times started. Because we both had the day off, we thought we'd live it up a little and try their signature drinks. One of the items on the menu was the Mojito, and since we both love Mojitos and are on the look for the perfect one, that's what we ordered. I was a little surprised to find out that none of the staff there knew how to make a mojito. It was on their list of signature drinks, so I figured any bartender there should know how to make it. To give them credit, they tried real hard and to be honest, who orders Mojitos at 1 in the afternoon in April? The mojito's where okay... I doubt I'll order another from them. However, we played with their other signature drinks and since our bartender was very nice and apologetic about the Mojito, we had him make us a drink that he specializes in. It was a Neapolitan coffee drink. It was fantastic! We sampled many other drinks and for the most part, they where either really good or at least decent. I wasn't in a beer mood. (Gasp, I know!) but they did have a decent selection of craft beers and mainstream ones. Including Schlitz. (gag). I joked around with them bartenders and staff about the fact they have some good craft beers for the beer snobs and Schlitz for the occasional Backwoods American that might frequent. I was surprised that they didn't have anything on tap at all. I will say that even though their drinks were good, they were small. Most of the drinks we ordered were served in martini glasses and they used the smallest martini glasses I've seen.

The Octane is located in the old part of town and conveniently located just a block or so from the theater. As my wife and I were seeing a concert, before coming to the area I did some Yelp reconnaissance and booked marked the Octane. Didn't think about making reservation and we got lucky as we just got in with minutes to spare and were able to get sets at the bar... otherwise we would have been out of luck because all the tables were booked. So, word of caution, if you're coming here and there is a show going on just down the block, you may want to make reservations. The decor of the place is what I would call rather bazar and a bit cold. We found the service very good. They were on the spot, making sure our needs were taken care of and were very helpful in guiding us with choices on the menu. I must admit, while checking out the appearance of the decor and the wait staff, I was slightly doubtful on the quality of the food. So, I was pleasantly surprised when it came out with a very high end presentation... to the point where it was artfully done. Then the most important, the food tasted really, really good! Bravo, Octane! You once again taught me not to judge a book by it's cover, despite being a bit tattered, written on and has some spelling mistakes, the story was a good one!

We came here for a last minute dinner date after a movie. It was pretty busy for 8 o'clock on a Friday. We got seated immediately. Their menu is very unique, and has so many options for every persons desire or food needs. The decor is so cool, and retro, super 70s feels. Our server was very nice, had great daily specials. I got the Mac and cheese and i only got the half order which was my mistake because it was bowl licking good. My friend got the seared tuna salad, when it was brought out the waitress said it was the longest salad in rockford lol. Everything tasted great, the only thing i would say is it's kind of pricy for the amount of food you get. No need for reservations, space is limited so I'm not sure how they would accommodate a large group and kids probably would not enjoy such unique food, so leave them at home for this one. Can't wait to go back and try one of their specialty menu items.

Came in on a date night environment was nice and our staffer was friendly. Did not care for the food tho the noodles were not good flavorless barely ate any of it and couldn't exchange or refund best the manager would do was some super burnt fries! Left those too lol u win some u lose some ‍

I'm not very familiar with Rockford, so it came as a shock to me when we wandered into this part of town on a Saturday night and found--nothing. Although it was about 7 p.m., the streets were deserted, and it felt like 5 o'clock in the morning. We were just about to take that as a sign from to the universe to get out when we found Octane, our intended destination. Octane was the breath of life in a ghost town. There were people here! Lights! Life! Inside its double-doored entryway (as someone who has always lived in Chicagoland and survived countless brutal winters, I always appreciate this thoughtful bit of architecture), Octane bursts with life, creativity, and energy, as well as the rare combination of food, coffee, and booze. We were only there for drinks and snacks, but they were quite enjoyable--the spinach and artichoke dip was hearty and delicious, and my mojito was full of minty deliciousness. I loved some of the little touches there as well--impressive artwork from local high schoolers on the way to the restroom, a trendy bar area with colorful lighting and a club-like vibe, the well-lit and cheerful front room, and a nice-looking meeting room in the back that would have been great for a private party. Our waitress was a lot of fun, too: patient but helpful, with just the right amount of sass (she let out an "oh, snap" when we chided our friend for hogging the drink menu). A great place to fuel up, hang out, and let loose. Love it!

Absolutely delicious. Everything was fresh and delicious. Definitely a place to keep coming back and try the rest of the menu.

$5 martinis on Tuesdays (including mojitos)!! Hurray for new weekday drinking spot! And the food is good, with fun little "twists" to them. I never thought that wasabi mashed potatoes could be so tasty.

The food was incredible. Their nachos to die for! Drinks were unique and great quality.

ZERO! OMG! My recommendation for #Octane in Rockford : ABSOLUTELY DO NOT GO! By FAR, the WORST dining experience we've had. Food was okay but I'll admit I'd have liked it a lot more if the service wasn't DEPLORABLE! After an hour and fifteen minute wait, 3 apologies from the waitress, and our meals being served (1 dish at a time, several minutes apart, with an employee just walking up to every person (3 tables of 6 or more, 2 different groups of people) asking if they ordered that dish, not even knowing what the dish was some of the time), I walked out to the bar, pounded on the counter and said, " Excuse me. We ordered a #MillerHighLife over an hour ago and I want it now!" At which time I was handed the beer... we had already eaten our meals, one person at a time. The specialty (high price) drinks were delivered about 45 minutes after ordering, but they were "too busy" to serve the non-alcoholic and domestic? Whomever claims to have been Manager tonight should be reprimanded, terminated or quit. I am embarrassed and ashamed for the owners of #octane that you even opened your doors tonight - a Buddy Guy concert and big Ice Hogs game downtown and this is what you are providing? Stop making Rockford look so rotten, if you can't provide an even remotely close to acceptable dining experience, close your doors! Worst part, when I went out to demand the beer, the restaurant was nearly empty, bar was full but only a few dinner tables left. ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC! We, all 12 of us, will NEVER dine here again. This wasn't just a poor training situation, it is clearly TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT. Add to this, FOUR of us work in downtown Rockford every day. I wouldn't feel so strongly about this if I hadn't heard this exact story from a friend only two weeks ago.

Had dinner here before the Kansas Concert at the Coronado- which is just a block away. Excellent food and drinks although, I thought the wine list could be better- so I went with mixed drinks which were poured well. The chicken Bao apps were awesome. Service was also good. After 5, there is abundant free parking. Only complaint is this is a "loud" restaurant, so be warned. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed Octane.

Octane was one of the first restaurants I visited when I moved to Rockford, and as such, it holds a special place in my heart. The first meal I ever got the was the Salmon Curry bowl and it exceeded all my expectations. I was seriously considering ordering another for dessert....Octane has also launched a ramen bar on Thursday nights which has been an absolute saving grace. I'm pretty sure it's the only place to get a good bowl of ramen within 50 miles. It's not necessarily super authentic, but the noodles are homemade, the egg is UNREAL, and the fried pulled pork or chicken adds an incredible texture element that you usually don't get with the traditional pork belly in ramen. The bao are also fantastic. I'm actually writing this review while eating cold, leftover fried chicken boa for breakfast - they're that good. All in all, I think Octane might be my favorite Rockford spot. More casual and thus more accessible than Social, and a far more inspirited menu than a majority of the spots you'll find in the downtown area.

We were told this place was great to hit before going a show at the Coronado. There is a huge variety of chooses right around the building. Parking is limited, so plan for Street parking. We got a table but I advise making reservations. The establishment isn't very big and if there is a show going on it'll be busy. Most of the tables are 2 or 4 people. They have a full bar and a nice selection of beers and cocktails. The service was pretty slow and took us about 15mins before someone took our drink order. By then we knew our dinner choices. The drinks again took quite a while to come, 10mins more. Mind you it REALLY wasn't that busy, most tables were empty. It seemed like there were only 2 guys working the entire place. The food did come out hot and beautiful presentation. The burger was done to perfection, the potato. Wedges were 'wigwammed' stacked. My Father Knows Best turkey on sourdough was excellent. Choose the Cesar salad, it was wonderful. I'd got back, Knowing I'd have a slow, time to relax meal.

Great succulent food. Good looking servers! Posh af. What a gem! Did, I mention that bartender , Anne, what a cutie!

Never disappointed with the food! Everything is so delicious, even the simple Caesar salad. I love the burgers. I have yet to try anything beyond a burger but am eager to and have heard great things from friends. The service has always been pleasant as well. I love the uniqueness of the menu and the fact that they use locally sourced foods. This place is definitely a downtown favorite!

We ordered the soup with the twisted Mac N Cheese because it was supposed to come with a "side". Well they charged us for it (after 1 hour of waiting on a not busy night) and they said, sorry but the menu has an error in it and we WON'T fix it for you. Sorry you have to pay. Last time to go here!

We took a group of out of town guests for dinner ( Chef's & Catering staff) One of the Chef's from Michigan had the Mac and Cheese.. he said it was the best he has ever had. I had the Hawaii 5-0.. Hands down the best burrito/wrap I've ever had. Down Side, food took a bit to come out.. not super long but could have been a little quicker, however we were a group of 9. The menu had a ton of stuff to choose from. I will make a effort to get back there to try some different options.