The Finery & Blacksmith Bar

We were looking for a place to host a rehersal dinner for friends and family for our sons wedding. After meeting with John and Juliette we decided on The finery in St. Charles and were not disapointed. From the moment we arrived every detail was perfect, the staff was excellent and the food was fabulous. Everyone our our guests commented on how perfect the evening was and how wonderful a time they had.
Thank you John, Juliette and everyone at the Finery ! Doug & Jennifer Regan

What can I say, only this place is world class. The bar is amazing and the food is excellent. I had the special craft beer and loved it. Also had the steak which was juicy and cooked to perfection. Everything here is farm to table. Great service, great atmosphere in a wonderful setting.

Was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant, as its outside appearance was not a reflection of what was to come. The décor was casual but somewhat sophisticated in a sepia toned way with a hipster vibe. We were greeted by a charming host who explained there was a wine tasting dinner that had started, however we were welcome to sit in the dining room. We instead chose a high table in the bar where we had dinner and enjoyed the chill atmosphere. Our waiter was great, personable and welcoming. The menu was a little different in a refreshing way. Drinks spot on… will be back and will bring some friends.

Several menu items are delicious and well thought out (flat iron steak); others try too hard to be special («pork confit» on eggs Benedict was pulled pork that didn’t work). Simple wedge is not a classic wedge salad, and needs another name.
Décor is great except for the sound absorption pads all over– most of them should be painted over white. Service was the biggest complaint– way too slow; and menu is not young kid friendly even though we had called ahead and asked (age ranges 5 — 10). Probably worth another shot without kids.

David and Juliette Reyes have created a first class restaurant in St. Charles that is both unique and delicious! The food is creative. Absolutely the best charcuterie anywhere in the Chicago area. If you live in the Fox Valley there is no need for you to travel for great food. It is here, and The Finery is one of the best.

Wait staff was fantastic. Noise level however made it difficult to have conversation. Very high ceilings with nice décor. My husband had the Pheasant which he loved. Very tender and done just right. I had the cod. I forgot to order my side of potatoes and because we were on a tight timeframe I just skipped it.
The brownie dessert was very good as were the chirros. We could have just ordered one dessert and split it. The coffee was just ordinary and we both commented it tasted like «wedding» coffee or something out of a big party 30 cup coffee pot. We expected a deeper taste rather than watered down.
We will be back for the fall menu as we enjoyed but learned some lessons for next time.
Give it a try. Eclectic and nice ambiance all in all.
Oh and Definitely try the bread with compound butter. Absolutely amazing.

This was a great find. We had the marinated beets as an appetizer which was very good. For out main course we had the flat iron steak which was amazing and the Opah fish special which was equally good! Strawberry rhubarb crisp for desert was a perfect ending! Sampled some beer which was fun to do!

I was here with my 3 of colleagues for dinner and had a plesant experience. I would have given 5stars but we waited 40mins for the main course to show up.
I had Fried artichokes boy they were delecious, thanks to previous Unilocalers for recommending these.
Another occasion i tried lamb chops which came out reall good.

I brought my boyfriend here for his B-​Day and I’m glad I did. The ambiance is great, the waitress really knows her stuff and the food is amazing. I had a steak and my boyfriend had the pheasant with risotto and we were very pleased. Everything was fresh and we’ll prepared… We will go again and definitely recommend.

Outstanding food and service. Highly recommend the Pheasant and any appetizer. The owner came out to chat and thank us for coming, which I absolutely love. If you are looking for a «city quality restaurant» but don’t want to go all the way downtown, this is your place! Can’t wait for their Geneva restaurant to open!

Best dining experience in awhile! We were a large group of 10 and it can be difficult to manage service or food quality but not here. We were actually able to make a last minute reservation on a Saturday night and behold, we were seated immediately upon arrival, very impressive! Our waiter was awesome, attentive and relaxed which made the night so enjoyable. Now the food! Outstanding! The combination of flavors and ingredients were perfect and so was the presentation. Kudos to the Chef. Every single thing we ordered was amazing. I can’t even say which was my favorite because everything was that good. But here’s a few must order: lamb chops, Brussel sprouts, beet salad, country pheasant and panacotta. Need to keep coming back until I’ve tried everything on menu.

My husband and I were out in the St Charles area for the flea market and were looking for a place for a late lunch/​early dinner. Thanks to using my Unilocal app, I found this gem of a place. The Finery is a fairly new place in St Charles opening last July. The restaurant has a small bar area with a few tables immediately when you walk in. The dining area isn’t a large space, maybe 20 – 25 tables, and aesthetically pleasing with dark brown wood floors and tables, black chairs, exposed brick walls and high ceilings. The staff is extremely nice, especially our server Morgan. She was very knowledgeable about the menu, made great suggestions and was pleasant and friendly. Morgan provided great service. The gentleman who seated us and is the person who would work with you to pair wines with the food was very sweet as well. My husband and I started with the charcuterie board consisting of blue cheese, ricotta and honey, goat cheddar, lamb terrine, prosciutto and goose salumi served with grilled sourdough and cinnamon toast, homemade plum jam, grainy mustard and pickles. It was fabulous! We also ordered the bread with two butters, which consisted of four small rolls in different varieties with a caramel apple butter and a spicy mango butter. My husband ordered the cod for dinner, which was cooked to perfection with a crispy sear, moist and flaky and served on top of cauliflower purée. I had a half dozen oysters, which were very fresh served with salmon roe and cucumber ice, along with the grilled Caesar salad. The salad consisted of two halves of romaine hearts with homemade croutons, Parmesan, olive oil, anchovy and a poached egg. It was to me a deconstructed upscale Caesar salad. The husband and wife chefs are amazing and their food creations not only beautiful to look at, but full of flavor. We ended our meal with the churros with strawberry and chocolate ganache dipping sauces. I enjoyed this neighborhood gem and will definitely be back to explore more of the menu. Great place!

I’d been wanting to try Finery next time I was out this way and it was terrific. It was a cool day so the beef barley soup was a great start. My wife got the grilled Caesar salad with a poached egg and lucky for me she shared it because it was outstanding.
For entrees I had the pheasant, which you rarely see on menus. It is a signature dish and it was wonderful. In my youth I hunted with my Dad and pheasant was always our favorite. The breast was on a bed of risotto and truffles. The dark meat was like a duck confit but in a pastry pillow. Wow. My wife had the poached salmon which was ok.
We finished with a banana bread pudding.
It’s well worth the stop if you’re in the St. Charles area.

Excellent food and staff! Went here for my birthday. Greeted at the door and wished a happy birthday and then my husband was thanked for making a reservation. Server was extremely attentive but not over kill. The owner? (or manager) came by and checked on us and all tables at least 3 times throughout the meal. Again not over kill but just enough attention to make you feel like they were happy you were there and that they wanted to make sure you were happy too.
Started with the Pheasant Pâté that was excellent. I had the American bouillabaisse with perfectly cooked shrimp, prawn, mussels, white fish and scallops. My husband had the pheasant, which they are known for. After just one taste, without any black truffles, it was clear why! Both dishes were excellent, well prepared and served.
Dessert was the special banana bread pudding and almond pound cake. Both again were great and my dessert was on the house which was a pleasant surprise!
We loved this place so much my husband has asked to go back for his birthday in May and we most definitely will and we’ll be asking for «our table» when we do

Happy Hour review here… we showed up at 3:30, they let us in, but FYI, the new hours are 4:00 — 5:00. We ordered the one app one special: fried artichoke hearts. They were delicious, they was huge and not overly fried. There is a spicy aioli and and sweet chutney, delish.
Also, a few wines and all the tap beers are half off for happy hour. So, I ordered a Margarita. The Unilocal reviews were too good to pass up, and the drink delivered. It was AWESOME. The foam on top is so tasty, it may be egg white something, but don’t be discouraged, just try it. For $ 10, one was enough, but I wish I could have afforded three. I also got a beer, good too, but the margarita is a must.
My trip made me want to go back. The service was perfect; they put out a disc for your fork and knife to rest on, so sanitary. I really enjoyed myself and will be back.

By far, the best restaurant in the area! Whenever I want to impress someone with an amazing food and service experience, I bring them here.

Great meal. You really have to watch carefully or you’ll drive by it on Main like we did. Just park behind the Shell station and you’re there. A great eclectic menu with specials written on the tile wall. We started with fried artichokes and a grilled Caesar salad, both marvelously delicious. In fact we all agreed that the Caesar was the best we’ve ever had. The wine special was a pleasant Barbera.
There were lots of other specials but we stuck with the menu, beef cheek and flat iron steak. The beef cheek was fork tender and very tasty. It had a dark sauce with spätzle, turnips and parsnips (not my favorite veggies) but you couldn’t tell that by my plate. My wife’s flat iron was also tasty and rich. Our friends had flat iron and pheasant. We finished with pound cake, white chocolate, raspberry martini and pana cotta.
This is a new favorite for us. It’s about a forty minute drive but well worth it. I marveled that we found this in St. Charles and not downtown Chicago. Oh and don’t miss Mario, the effervescent and jovial roving host.

BAR: Tiny. Don’t expect to get a seat, especially not on a Friday night. We made a reservation and still had to wait 30 minutes which was annoying but understandable since there is limited seating.
FOOD: What everyone else said – GET THE PHEASANT! I’ve never tried it before but this place prepared it to be super tender and juicy. I ended up ordering the Flat Iron Steak which was also incredible with their chimichurri sauce. Another guest in our group ordered the Beef Cheek and was not entirely impressed. I love the Calabrese Potatoes but others in the group thought they tasted like dirt. We also ordered sides of the Romanesco (cross between broccoli & cauliflower) and Brussel Sprouts – both were a bit crunchy for my taste but flavorful.
VALUE: The beets were a joke for $ 9. There were maybe 4 slices and although they tasted great, it was hard to comprehend that we just paid more than $ 2 per tiny slice. I find it funny that they charge for bread especially at such a nice place where you know the avg bill for 2 is going to be around $ 60 – 75. The entrees were fairly priced because they were so delicious!
Overall, chic atmosphere (although I wish the crowd was a bit more mixed), drinks are creative, apps and sides were okay, entrees were awesome, bathrooms are clean. Would come back!

This restaurant has some amazing hits and misses.
First the restaurant itself is very comfortable, cozy and a great addition to the tri city area. Second the service was top notch and you can really tell they care about the restaurant and the food. Third the drinks wonderful and they have a decent wine list.
Now getting to the food itself, some of the meals are outstanding and some are just lacking something. Our party loved the pheasant, the bread and the deserts. Unfortunate we had some huge let downs with the beef tenderloin and the beef stroganoff. Our dinning partners agreed that the stroganoff was off this evening. The dish tasted bland and was very unappealing. After reading such rave reviews about this dish and our dinning partners insisting it was usually better than this, the beef stroganoff was a huge let down. Our waitress brought out a replacement meal without a problem and without really asking which meal we would like as a replacement. While this was nice we were then charged with the replacement that we didn’t even choose. From such a fine establishment we would have never expected to be charged for a very expensive replacement meal that we didn’t order.
We ended the meal with the apple torte, which was amazing!!! This place should seriously look at selling their deserts at a bakery outpost because they are amazing.
Overall the pheasant and the deserts are amazing, and some other dishes seem to be hit or miss. With that said this is probably one of the best spots for a nicer night out in Saint Charles and we would recommend it.

I’ve been to The Finery twice now– so I feel prepared to write a review. The Finery is definitely a new location, so they are working out a few kinks– but how they handled all minor issues is the reason I am still going with 5 stars. I have no doubt that they will be fully 5 stars with no issues in the future. Let’s start with the great– the food. Everything I’ve tasted here has been excellent. The last time I went I was with a group of 9 people– and we all got different entrees (impressive I know) — and everyone loved their dishes. Several of us had leftovers, but not all. My husband enjoyed his pheasant, I loved my potato pancakes, and I loved the beef stroganoff when I ate their before. Everyone that had a meat free dish was raving about their food– so this might be a great spot for vegetarians!
Here are our minor issues and how they were handled:
One tap of beer not working on our first visit– free beer for the person who ordered it.
Reservation changed from 7 – 9 but they did not get the updated reservation. We had to wait a bit for the table– but they happily moved us and the owner came over to specifically chat with us.
Our service was excellent on both occasions– and I love the atmosphere and how everyone wants to go here right now! Special touch– we were out to celebrate my Mom’s birthday the last time we went to The Finery and they brought her a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
I would definitely check this place out– and make a reservation in advance!