Grand Duke's Restaurant

Grand Duke's in Downers Grove is a must-try for anyone craving authentic Eastern European comfort food! Every dish we had was bursting with flavor – it felt like a warm hug from a Lithuanian grandmother. The menu is HUGE, almost to the point of being overwhelming, but don't worry, the friendly staff can help you navigate the many delicious options. And don't forget the cocktails! They were expertly mixed and the perfect complement to our meal. We can't wait to go back and explore more of that amazing menu!

More like Grand PUKES. FOOD WAS COLD AND DISGUSTING!!! Nobody in there and the server came around only 3 times. Took forever to get our food, too. In addition to that, staff was MOPPING the floor while we're attempting to eat this garbage food. Cool chemicals surrounding me. Unprofessional to say the least. I would rather starve than go here again.

Excellent dishes -wide variety-stuffed cabbage , schnitzel, sausage. So delicious! Good sized portions. Very good drinks & wide variety of beer.

Very large menu with lots of pictures. We tried the Lithuanian fried cheese bread, and it was just ok. We ordered the pierogi combo, and they were all delicious. He ordered the Polish combo and enjoyed it. I tried "the make your own combo" with potato pancakes, chicken schnitzel, and pierogis with potato spatzle. The potato pancakes were good, and their applesauce is very good. The chicken schnitzel was way too thick. I didn't enjoy it. The spatzle had no pierogi. I mixed it with his sauerkraut and it was good. This combo also came with mashed potatoes and a very delicious mushroom gravy. The restaurant was not crowded on a Sunday afternoon. Service was good and the prices are on the higher side but the food is homemade and the portions are a good size. We had plenty of leftovers.

This was a return visit, and was even more enjoyable! The service was exceptional, even with us sitting outside. All our food was delicious! We ordered the bang bang shrimp appetizer, borscht soup, a Lithuanian sausage farmer's platter, spattzle, and Malibu salad. Highly recommend.

First time here and I will definitely be coming back. The food was amazing and the service incredible! I highly recommend it if you're looking for Eastern European food. So tasty and the place itself is like a diamond in the rough. It's a bit confusing on how to get there and centered in between 2 businesses that give off a more industrial feel but once you walk in the front doors, it's like a whole other world. Very classy feel to the entire place. I can't wait to go back again!

No wait and incredible food. Some unique dishes such as the duck covered potato pancakes. I ordered the scnitzel platter and it was delicious. Very hard to find a place that serves veal, and theirs was incredible. Also ordered the café mocha which was very sweet and creamy. Definitely going to be coming back here

If you were lucky enough to stumble upon this gem, don't think twice....just go. Absolutely amazing food (I had the Munich japeleno bratwurst). Daniella was our server and she is amazing. I'll make sure to go back and see all the kind people here again!

We went in for Thanksgiving because it's been so busy and we didn't want to cook. We started with the grilled octopus and it was delicious. Even better were the potato pancakes with duck. Very moist and delicious. The bummer were the muscles. They were not fresh and tasted past their prime. The turkey dinners were amazing and came with copious amounts of food. The schnitzel was awesome as was the German sausage platter. We had the apple strudel and tiramisu cheesecake form dessert. Very good, and we will go back, but I wouldn't recommend the muscles. Server and ambiance were also solid!

We went in on a cold, rainy night and were immediately greeted with a warm, friendly and cozy atmosphere. The menu was extensive, and almost a little overwhelming. I'm reconnecting to my Lithuanian roots and appreciated the broad number of Lithuanian dishes - and also a selection of other Eastern European dishes and beers on tap. We ordered the fried bread with warm cheese and garlic blanket appetizer, which was deliciously cozy and tasted like Canadian poutine and a cheese fondue had a baby. For dinner, I ordered the Zeppelins and my husband ordered the Samogotian pancakes with meat. Both were fantastic and had generous (massive) portions - and leftovers were great for lunch! I'm excited to go back and bring my dad who hasn't had Lithuanian food in decades when he's visiting next - I think he will be so excited to have some comfort foods he grew up with!

This is when I wish Yelp would let us give half stars, because Grand Dukes really deserves 2.5 for my experience, but I'm not willing to go as high as three. Let's break it down. - First, the restaurant was busy and bustling (but not as noisy as it could have been) on a Friday night. There are tables, booths and a large bar area in the back. - We were the first table from the door because that was what was available. Despite there being a curtain hung to try to mitigate this, cold air still got in, and worse, people are smoking right outside the door so the whole front area smells like it and you walk through smoke to get in or out (by the way, the Smoke Free Illinois Act says no smoking or vaping within 15 feet of a restaurant door). - Our waitress started out strong but then basically disappeared. More annoying, when a large table was seated next to us (a table for two) she would keep checking with them but not check with us, though there were things we needed. - Food was a mixed bag. We started with the pretzel bites which were really tasty; they came with a cheese sauce and a mustard (usually I am not much for mustard but this one was really good, both sweet and tangy). My entree of schwein schnitzel was very good; originally I had wanted brown gravy but they were out of it? So I got the mushroom cream gravy which did not disappoint. The side of "grilled" veggies definitely seemed steamed, and both they and the spaetzel would have benefitted from salt and pepper...which was not provided on the table...but since we could never reach out waitress I had an under seasoned meal. My boyfriend got the potato pancakes with meat but they were too heavy and greasy; he said one as an appetizer would have been ok. Also, while the menu disclosed that they would be topped with bacon, it didn't mention the onions that come on it, and since he doesn't like onions he wasn't pleased. - The ladies' restroom was clean but had the most aggressively scented candle lit in there (& it's not a tiny space) that I started choking from the fake perfume smell. Yuck. They do have quite a big menu, including Lithuanian, Polish, Hungarian and German style dishes. With several days notice (and about $700) you can also order a whole roast suckling pig to feed 15 friends (and feel like Henry VIII, I guess). Since we didn't have the greatest experience, and given the smoke situation, I'm not sure we would return.

The food was delicious! It brightened up my mom's day. The cabbage was super good as well as the stuffed cabbage!! The dessert was Specktacular! Service was perfect and when I picked up the food, it seemed like a "homie" atmosphere.

Food is fantastic! We ordered the cold beet soup, potato pancakes with duck, a Lithuanian combo and duck with lingonberry sauce. Service was great! The only negative was the table next to us. They allowed their young kids to run around the restaurant screaming. They were tossing a small ball around and jumping on the small stage. The parents did nothing to stop them. We took our dessert to go because we had enough of their behavior. Restaurant is really clean and the staff is friendly! We will be back.

Wide ranging menu that covers much of Eastern Europe, with prompt accurate service and comfortable seating. The prices are moderately high but portion sizes are ridiculously generous, any entrée is at least two full meals and any combo is three. I think maybe the best dishes are Lithuanian. Great selection of sausages. I would like to come back some time when I'm not driving so I could have more beer and maybe vodka with my meal.

all that we ordered was tasty, fresh, well prepared. Amole serving size, and heated up nicely. loved all vegetables, the carrot, beet and cabbage salads so fresh and flavorful. chicken schnitzel, crisp, not greasy. Service was friendly with great app recommendation (garlic cheese baked onto rye bread, big serving).

Reservation system allows you to book a reservation for food until 10pm. We arrived at 9:25pm for our 9:30pm reservation only to be turned away because the kitchen was closing. Restaurant also imposes a 3% Credit Card Surcharge. I would just avoid!

I don't know how we didn't know about Grand Duke's! We pass by the restaurant frequently but it wasn't till I was looking out the window one day that I googled it. Grand Duke's is an amazing European restaurant. After spending a few weeks last year in Europe, I was thrilled that I found a local restaurant that would be perfect to satisfy my cravings. They serve many different European cuisines. The restaurant has a modern medieval-ish look to it. It's beautiful and spacious with many seating options. The food was the highlight! For entrees, we ordered Chicken Dish "Vilnius" ($18.99), Teriyaki Glazed Salmon ($22.99), Jaeger Schnitzel ($19.99), Hungarian Schnitzel ($21.99), and Vareniki with Mushrooms ($17.99). Food was served very fast and fresh. Everything was very tasty and well seasoned. The salmon was so flavorful. We all tried each other's dishes. I loved my sister's Jaeger Schnitzel as the swiss cheese and mushrooms on top added so much flavor! The sides I chose for my dish were my fave which were the spatzel and cold salad trio.The Vareniki was so yummy filled with mushrooms and with savory gravy. With such a vast menu, I can't wait to come back and try more. I don't often get the opportunity to have European food so I was really pleased with my meal. Service was good. Pricewise, it definitely is on the pricier side. I do not know much about how European dishes are normally priced but I do feel like my meal was worth it! Grand Duke's also has some live music on some evenings free of charge. They also have banquet rooms that we got to tour. Overall, I loved my experience at Grand Duke's! Please support your local businesses and give Grand Duke's a shot!

if you like eastern European food like pierogi, potato pancakes , saurkraut, mushroom barley beet soup, chicken cutlets then Def Try this place out! It was really busy but the service was decent for a Saturday evening. there are couple banquet halls inside to reserve for private parties. the place has comfortable seating and live music.

The first 2 trips here was so impressive that tonight we drove Mom in law who came from Europe to drive from Hoffman estates. I'm so embarrassed so disappointed so disgusted.... Either your chef changed or your menu changed. But sorry your food needs improvement and don't ever serve this type of quality to others

I am native Lithuanian residing in US for 20 years. I stopped at the Grand Duke's restaurant on the way to Chicago's Radius club, because I decided to treat my American husband with some Lithuanian food for his B-Day, and looking at menu online I appreciated the opportunity to combine different meals to sample.. We ordered 2 make your own combo platters, beet salad, home-made white kvass and commercial dark kvass, šaltibarščiai soup etc. I can attest that food was freshly made (non-frozen), authentic, and not oversalted. Compliments to the native Lithuanian chef who knows what he/she doing with lots of love and attention to details... It is hard to make a correct airy non rubbery version of Cepelinai using US potatoes, so lots of respect... it was a bit strange to get potato pancakes (bulviniai blynai) with an apple sauce on a side, because they are traditionally served with sour-cream, but again - not a big deal, only a matter of taste, the pancakes were not greasy and perfectly cooked through. The Napoleon cake made in-house was a masterpiece. The service was good, friendly, and without interruptions. We chose a seating area outside to avoid other people, and while the waitresss was struggling with the shade umbrellas, it was still perfect. The only remark: the music played through the speakers should be Lithuanian to fit the theme. We will definitely come back for more. Worth of 2 h drive.

Bad food, not great service. Family got sick after eating here. Not impressed at all by the big menu but not good quality.

Food tasted like "old oil" on potato pancakes and guy buster sandwich. Had high expectations but they didn't deliver!

Been here before! The menu is extensive and interesting. The food is good and friends from the South say they have nothing like it. My only question is simple, I think: Why is sweet and sour cabbage not on the menu? Also, I would appreciate a CUP of liver dumpling soup. I would appreciate a response. Thanks!

A little pricier than it need be (I always feel ripped off afterwards), the unique dishes (duck, schnitzels, liver dumpling soup) so close to home & always quite yummy justify an occasional splurge. Interestingly though, I've never dined in here before. Our first experiences were during COVID lockdowns, when carryout was the only option. But the 5 or 6 times afterwards were also carryout. Food was always great and they pack everything so nicely. Today's visit was my first dine-in there. Brought my mother there for lunch. Food was as good as always. But the service was one of the worse either of us have ever experienced. This woman who served us was not inept, and was able to do her job effectively. Only she lacked any degree of friendliness whatsoever. No smile, no politeness. Not mean or rude or anything like that, just lacking of any human warmth. Her name was Kamila and for this reason I am pretty much through with this place. Though the drive to Frankfurt is much further, they always give you a warm welcome and make you feel like part of their family (and the liver dumpling soup there rocks even more).

Food www delicious our server was wonderful but the manager sucked . She obviously used coke instead of ginger beer for my dark and stormy because it tasted off

My husband's family is eastern european so this type of food is comforting for him. We got hungarian goulash with potato pancakes, pork schnitzel with mushroom gravy, spatzle and cold salad trio. The goulash was good and meaty and came with rye bread. I thought the portion size was small especially for the price. It came with a lot of potato pancakes though. I prefer more texture in my potato pancakes, but these were decent and not too oily. The schnitzel was good and crispy on the outside. I've tried spatzle a few times in my life, but I've never been impressed by it. So I'm not sure what a really good spatzle is supposed to taste like. I did like the cold salad trio, especially the beets. There are a ton of other things I'd like to try on the menu. The high prices are a deterrent though.

A pretty good place for some value on European style drinks and food. Grand Duke's in Downer's Grove has kind of classy feeling but actually is still very casual and there's no need to get all fancied up before going. It has a large menu of mostly classic German cuisine like schnitzels and things like that. For the most part it's pretty meaty. There's some that aren't such as pretzels and salads. It has a surprisingly affordable menu in spite of it looking kind of upscale outside and inside. Of course it really isn't as fancy as it seems and it's more of a laidback casual place. They have a bar area that features some interesting things on tap. It's mostly imports. Most of these are ones you likely won't be familiar with. Lots of older European and German beers. There's an opportunity to try some new stuff. A particularly good one is the Czechvar Pilsener. It's $2 off at happy hour and it's normally $6.50 a pint. This is surprisingly crisp and smooth. A good appetizer is the Bavarian Pretzel Bites. It's about $10 for a pretty generous portion. These come with beer cheese, mustard, and salt. Good prices when it's happy hour. It has many less common European beers for cheaper prices. The food mostly isn't vegetarian friendly but there's a few small things.

Authentic European food .very good . Great server young polish boy. Prices a bit high. Had to ask for bread not brought to table till after food was delivered . Like the Bavarian, polish ,and make your own combos. The mushroom sauce is great , but they only bring a tiny cup but you can ask for more. I do recommend dining here

We came here for my mother's 80th birthday dinner. There were 12 of us. When we called for a reservation they asked for a deposit, which they applied to the bill. The food was soooo good and soooo filling. I had the Beef Stroganoff. Delish! I was very full when finished but I did finish it. My son has the Octoburger, a special for October fest. Wow that was large. It was a burger with a brat on top. That made for a happy pre-teen. For appetizers we had the grilled octopus. We all enjoyed it but a lot of us found the sauce was a bit top spicy. However we have bland tastebuds, so take that with a grain of salt. All in all we will definitely return sometime in the future.

Amazing food at reasonable prices!! I had the duck with potato pancakes, my father in law had 1/2 a duck, my husband had the veal and our son had the lamb shank. Everything was tasty!! For dessert we had the napoleon and the lemon mascarpone cheese cake with blueberry compote!! Wow!! I highly recommend Grand Duke's Restaurant!! We are definitely coming back!!

I love Grand Duke's. Primarily for the Lithuanian food that I'm unable to get at home. The Kugelis (potato casserole) and ceppelini (large potato and meat dumplings) are fantastic. It's the only place I know of serving cold beet soup (which they call summer borscht). The primary ingredients are beets, sour cream, and dill. Fortunately you can get it anytime of year. Drop a chunk of roasted potato in it for a truly memorable bite (traditionally it goes with boiled potato but the roasted works too). Finally, their Ukrainian and Russian dumplings (vareniki) are also excellent. Just like Lithuanian Koldunai.

We made a reservation ahead of time. When we got there they said we didn't make it far in advance. They had plenty of tables available. No customer service at all.

First time at this restaurant and for sure we will be returning. The food was great, and there were so many more dishes that we want to try. The bread selction was very nice, food presentaion perfect, and taste/flavor was excellent. Call out to our amazing waitress, Roberta.

It's been a while since I ate here but I remember thinking that I would go back. Oh. I guess I didn't write enough of a review because I was prompted to add more thoughts.

Excellent food and great service. We will definitely come back. A very laid back clean friendly place.

Another amazing meal here. The spicy mustard for the pretzels was great. Service great on a busy Friday night. Very talented saxophone player entertained us. Goat cheese and beet salad was fresh and delicious, chicken Kiev was great and the side of carrots was my favorite part of the meal! The roasted potatoes were perfect. We also had the honey cake for dessert which was quite good. Beer and wine were great. This is becoming a new area favorite of ours! Great food, service, very clean.

We have been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time. 5 of us were finally able to get there today (Wednesday afternoon around 3:30 ish).The menu was extensive, hard to decide. The waiter was very friendly but we had to ask for everything like bread, salt & pepper, more water. The food was pretty good but the entire time we were there the table next to us & behind us were never cleaned off. The dirty dishes & food sat there only to be cleaned up because they need a table for a large group. There were 3 employees standing at the back of the restaurant doing nothing except our waiter seemed to be the only one working. only one or two other tables of 2 in the restaurant yet no one cleaning up or helping our waiter. The portions were large and mostly what we expected, a bit pricey though. Not sure we'll be hurrying back.

VERY bad service and food for St. Patricks Day, will NOT go for any other food! They have NO idea what corn beef is all about for St.Patricks day, very, very bad!

Wish he was back on Harlem .Good kugelis.Enjoyed the Lithuanian plate .I hope he goes on door dash ,so I could have his food .

Food was disappointing. We all had, (party of six), the potato pancakes which were disappointing. They were all soggy and bland. True European potato pancakes are crispy on edges and usually flavorful with garlic and onion. The schnitzels were very dry. Liver dumpling soup was not hot when served. Is was not very busy when we were there so servers were not rushed to accommodate a crowded dinner time crowd which might be a reason for a sub par dinning experience, but this was not the case. Also the whole time we were there, we were aggravated with the very strong smell of cleaning solution used to wipe up the tables. My guess is it was Fabuloso. The smell was overwhelming and really took away from our dining experience. As to be fair, we would like to give this place another chance and hopefully our experience will be much better than our first time back in November of 2023.

Our waiter disappeared after delivering the bread. The mushroom barley soup, for over eight $, came with mostly broth, very little barley, and no mushrooms. The sauerkraut soup was OK. The Polish and Lithuanian entrées were OK, but pricey.

Mediocre food at a premium price? Went back after a terrible dinner figuring they had a bad night my last visit but nothing has changed! Prices go up and quality of food goes down

If you like CREMATED Duck at $ 27.99 for half. this is the place to go to! Never have I been so disappointed. Service was slow, waitress was rude, etc.Don't ask for extra gravy=$1.00 extra for a sample cup! Unbelievable ! Some very strange entrees. Have been here before but gave it one more chance but NEVER again!

The food was delicious and served nicely. Our guests all enjoyed it. We had around 25 people and there was soo much food and everything was tasty.

Driver of your catering vehicle is beyond aggressive and should remember he is driving a company vehicle, not his own. 9 am on a Sunday, even if your business isn't open yet, you're representing them.

Their food is good. I've gone about 5 times. The Euro weekend entertainment is very nice, some people even dance. But, they were short on help and the waitress took forever to take our order. When a customer asks for a "to go box, you shouldn't say II'll go get a box so you can take all the bread!" That's not why we asked for a box. Took about 2 hours with her service to get through this dinner.

Food is always amazing. Did not appreciate having to wait 30 min for our dinner to arrive. On top of that we were seated directly next to the hostess stand where every time people came in to the restaurant it felt like a freezer door was opened. There is a curtain they put at the entrance that seems like no one is aware that it needs to stay closed. Luckily two gentleman sitting at other tables near ours kept taking turns closing the curtain. How frustrating a situation!

Been there a few times, but never going back. Their service is non existent. They will leave you sitting at a table for an eternity without taking your order. I would avoid at all costs, especially on a weekend.

A couple years ago my daughter had her communion here, the food was great. Today we went and the service was also great. But the managers definitely changed the menu because there aren't as many options as there used to be when I went a couple months ago. I liked the other manager better, there was weird stuff in my food and I probably will not be coming back for a while until there is a new manager. This was disappointing because this used to be one of our favorite resteraunt.

Once again....the Duke's doe NOT disappoint! It's been a while since we've been here, but clearly they are still on top of their game. Perfectly prepared Salmon with awesome grilled veggies! Great service and better smiles. You'll love the atmosphere as well as authentic dishes. Love coming here!

Awesome Lithuanian restaurant. Only 1/4 Lithuanian and don't speak it, but super-nice folks and awesome experience and food, and Lithuanian beers. Don't miss the cafe and store across from it either. Lietuva!

Terrible service. Food was beyond salty. Ran out of my drink and waited 15 for another. Never going back. Niggt and day difference from old place on harlem ave.

Happened to be in Downer's Grove recently and wanted to try something new. Grand Duke's is not a terribly huge restaurant, but it's seats plenty of people. Their chairs are the most comfortable restaurant chairs I've ever sat in, so there a random factoid for ya. They have a small stage set up near the bar on on one end of the restaurant, so they must have live music here on occasion (I'd expect something like a single musician playing cello or guitar or something--I don't think you'll find a band playing here, given the size of the stage, but I could be wrong). They lean hard into the medieval/knights/royalty theme To drink I had a Strawberry Crush from their cocktail menu, which is a mixture of muddled strawberries, vodka, and St. Germaine. I really like St. Germaine and this cocktail was refreshing. We were served a basket of bread and butter before our meal, and our server was very patient, explaining several menu items since we'd never been here before. My partner ordered his meal and asked for no sour cream. Unfortunately, that instruction was not honored and sour cream doesn't really stay in one place on the plate... our server didn't check on us very quickly (it was probably about 10-15 minutes before she come back) so when someone came by to take some plates, we asked if we could get a new knife since he had to use the knife to scrape the sour cream off the plate. Not very pleasant and he didn't get to enjoy the meal properly. Mine was very good. I especially liked the smoked sausage, but I ordered a combination plate and had some potato pancakes and something I'd never had before. It was a very large meal, moreso than I expected, and I wasn't able to finish it all. I am hoping I can talk my partner into trying it again sometime when in the area, but this is pretty far off the beaten path so I'm not sure when I'll make it out again.

Lithuanian Combo was amazing! Service was also excellent. One of the few places in the states to get authentic Lithuanian cuisine. I am already planning a trip back to the Chicago area to get another helping.

I can not believe they actually have audacity to serve this kind of food to people. I keep trying to give this place a chance, since it's one of couple Lithuanian restaurants in IL, but I would strongly advise to just to stay away if you're actually hungry. It will ruin your whole mood! Try other lithuanian restaurants in the area, there are way better options. It's really a disgrace to call these dishes Lithuanian. Everything from fried bread and cepelinai to pork hocks and kiev.. did the owner ever tasted what's being cooked in his kitchen?...

Had a delicious lunch at Grand Dukes. I had the schwein schnitzel with mashed potatoes, which was delicious! My dad and I met my uncle and cousin there, we stayed for about 2 hours and didn't feel rushed. The service was great and very attentive. The restaurant was very clean and ambiance was bright and lively. They have a large full bar. We already made plans to go back.

What a tragic little place - we went there for lunch during the week. The doors were open but no one was at the desk to greet or seat us. We stood patiently for five minutes before calling for someone. There was someone in the back chatting on her phone - sounded like a social call and not work call. Ten more minutes passed before we decided to leave. Such a disappointment, especially since the former restaurant on that location was superb. Zero stars if it were possible.