Centralia House - Centralia, Illinois

Nile F.

Visited Centralia House and enjoyed some Leonard Kreusch Riesling wine and ate:

Breaded Portabello Mushrooms, a cup of Cajun Bean soup, and Creole Shrimp.

Well worth the money spent. I skipped lunch because I had a feeling I'd eat well at Centralia House. Friendly GM and waitress. Loved the older decor feel. Centralia House has been around for more 100 years.

The L. T.

I try calamari at every restaurant I can and this one was definitely higher up on my list. They were fresh and hot, not rubbery or chewy. Their sauce with it was okay, but I could eat them plain.
Their shrimp was delicious, wish I had more bread and more room to sop up that sauce.
They ran out of penne on the night I went, but it was still pretty good with the fettuccine noodles, but in the end I really should have just gotten the fettuccine Alfredo.

Chase H.

Can’t say enough about the freshness and quality of the food. Highly recommend the Caesar salad and Centralia House dinner which includes a delicious filet and quality shrimp. Craig is an incredible guy and Centralia is blessed to have him in town. Will be back for many years to come. Order an old fashioned, you won’t be disappointed. -CH

george P. J.

I go here for the famous combo, petite filet and Centralia House Shrimp! The best steaks within a 100 miles bar none. The wait staff is professional and the atmosphere has to be experienced to be appreciated! Bananas Foster for dessert gets flamed at the table, a must try!

Amy S.

An hour wait for the entrees, and there was only one other party of two ahead of us. Vegetables were frozen, and so was the bread. My husband’s ribeye was overcooked. My Seafood fettuccini alfredo had diced shrimp and not a lot, and imitation crab meat but was described in the menu as diced shrimp, crab, shallots, and tomatoes. The escargot was tasteless and drenched in oil. The service was slow, especially since there were only four parties in the entire restaurant. The waitress did not bother to apologize for the escargot or comp it. The manager argued that imitation crab is crab. I had them take my dish back and remove it from our check, so I left without a meal. Neither the waitress or manager asked me if I’d like something else. The manager was rude, did not apologize, and dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans. This restaurant is supposed to be an upscale establishment, yet the booth seats are cracked, torn and band-aided with duct tape. The check was 49 dollars for six snails, a salad, a tiny cup of canned soup, an overcooked steak, and frozen veggies. Do not waste your time or money here.

Alex R.

Excellent food, wonderful service, quaint atmosphere in a historic setting.

Virginia W.

Delicious steaks. Stick with wine or beer and skip the cocktails. Cozy atmosphere. Skip the Creole menu items. Service was great.

Kevin K.

What they did well, they did very well! The rest? Well...?
I'll begin by saying that the wait staff was prompt, courteous, and attentive. The piano player was entertaining. The setting, almost historically perfect. The food, however, was a mixed bag - certainly not what I expected for the prices charged. While the bread and butter was excellent, the salads were under-dressed. While the folks in our party who had steaks seemed happy, the Cajun/Creole dishes were deeply disappointing. First, I didn't understand what they were doing on a "fine dining" menu, they just didn't fit. But I gave it a shot and my Shrimp Creole lacked seasoning of any sort - I had to ask for Frank's Red Hot Sauce just to add some flavor (the bottle was mostly empty and had that red crust around the top - better to season the food in the first place!). Now, I don't like my food excessively spicy, but a little something, please?
Maybe it was an off night for the kitchen staff, but I'm thinking it is time to hire a new chef and revamp the menu - and please, when a large group (we were 15 total) makes reservations , please work a little harder at seating everyone together!