Morris Chop Shop

We had a very different experience than some other reviewers! We went on a Tuesday night and had great service. Our waiter Jeff was very attentive.
I had the braised short rib risotto. It was delicious! The beef was melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender, and the risotto was cooked perfectly. I had a couple bites I thought were slightly over-​salted, but that’s just being picky. My fiancé had the dry-​aged 18 ounce T-​bone with the mushroom risotto. It was fabulous. It had a slight char on the outside from being cooked over the cherry and oak wood, but it was flavorful and tender.
We had the key lime pie for dessert. It was good, but not amazing.
The ambiance in there was lovely – low lighting and white table cloths. Sinatra music and vintage photos.
Yes, it was pricey, but no more so than any other nice steakhouse. In the time it would have taken us to drive to Naperville, we were able to order and eat a very tasty meal. It’s nice to have some more options in Morris, especially on a work night when we don’t feel like driving somewhere far!

Really great food, nice atmosphere, attentive staff… would have been a 5 star review if we hadn’t froze all night because we were seated in front of the large picture window on the coldest night of the year. Maybe the seating needs to be changed around or find a good HVAC guy!!!

Visited last night with group of 8. We got PREMIER treatment from owner and staff with private room for our party. Even though we had some finicky diners, staff was patient with all of them as each of us ordered something different. Pork Chops were killer good last night as was the mushroom risotto side. Spouse had Brazilian steak and loved it. Strip steaks, lamb shank, crab cakes, chicken and filets made up rest of table. What a feast. Food was deliciously prepared, served with attention to detail that sets this place apart. If you want a steak experience without a long drive into Chi-​town than you MUST try this place. I know steak houses and this place is off the hook good.

Our food was fabulous! Service was great! Prices are a bit high for a restaurant in Morris, but the quality of food is excellent. We will definitely return!

I will keep it short and simple. I was hoping the reviews were a little misleading. I really like big fish. I have had big bash catering, also very good. So let’s check out chop shop! Had a beer at the bar and saw a couple eating and the plates looked good. So we got a table. The calamari was just down right terrible. Most people like it breaded, I don’t so how could it go wrong?! Well it was brought out cold as can be. Had a few bits and then… ugh the rest was raw. I payed the price for that! I won’t go in to detail! Haha. You would think when the app wasn’t finished something might be wrong? Nope no one cared. I’m not the type of person to complain about food so I just pushed it off. Prime rib was the special. I ordered that and it too was served cold. Absolutely terrible and tough. The bill for 2 people, 2 drinks, one app, 2 plates (al cate so tacky), and a slice of cheese cake (the only thing that was edible, probably a store bought Eli cheesecake) was $ 90! At that price I should be getting a great meal and not have cold or raw food! NEVER AGAIN WILL I RETURN. I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF I WILL GO TO BIG FISH AGAIN. There are too many place that want your business.

In short, what you can expect here is very poor service with high upscale dining prices. Most of the food is excellent, but if they don’t begin to properly service customers that are willing to pay the exorbitant prices, then they won’t last very long.
Reservation Issues:
My first problem came about when I attempted to make reservations. They don’t have an online portal to make reservations, simply an email address. Two separate emails to this address went unanswered. So, I chose to call the restaurant on the day of our visit. Strangely, the phone went unanswered for most of the day. It wasn’t until about 4:30 pm that someone answered the phone and I was able to make my reservations for 6:30. In short, the person that answered the phone was not friendly and implied we were calling too late for a same day reservation.
Service Issues:
We arrived at about 6:20 for our 6:30 reservation, and we were told that since there was a party in the back room we would have to wait about 20 – 30 minutes for a table. I inquired of the hostess as to why my reservation was not honored and a table reserved for us. She indicated that reservations did not guarantee a table, but just help the restaurant determine how many people they could expect. What? We were finally given a table about 10 minutes late. Our waitress came to the table for our drink order and expressed literal, verbal surprise that we wouldn’t be drinking any wine, but opted just for water for the evening. It was a very unprofessional move that made us feel less than welcome. When I inquired as to some of the restaurant’s «must have» specialties, she really had nothing to offer other than «the steaks are good». Let’s be clear here… this is a «chop house»…the steaks had better be good. So, with no direction the waitress disappeared for 20 minutes. We placed our appetizer order, and she disappeared for another 20 minutes before taking our dinner order. With the limited number of tables in the restaurant, there is no reason that our service should have been so delayed. We were in the restaurant for over 2.5 hours, which is entirely too long for a simple dinner for 4.
The Food:
The food was really excellent, with few exceptions. I’d give the food itself 5 stars.
Soups — The New England Clam Chowder and the Rosemary Chicken Potato Soup were excellent, but the Chicken Ginger soup was lacking any real flavor except the overpowering ginger that really ruined the dish.
Appetizers — We ordered the Crab Cake and the Pig & Prawn. The Crab Cake was one of the worst crab cakes I’ve ever had. It was cold, tasteless, and gritty with sand. The Shrimp appetizer was excellent. However, the serving portions of both appetizers was inadequate.
Salads — The dressings were excellent, and the side Caesar was perfect. However, an upscale dining establishment should never, ever, ever serve a wedge salad.
Entrees — This is where this restaurant really excels. We ordered 2 New York Strip Steaks, a Top Sirloin, and a Braised Lamb Shank. All excellent dishes worthy of 5 stars. The steaks were cooked perfectly, and the addition of the dill butter on top accented the flavor of the meat. The Lamb Shank was absolutely huge, cooked perfectly, and delicious.
Sides — The Mushroom risotto was a large portion, perfectly cooked, and delicious. The Au Gratin Potatoes were delicious with an adequate portion. The only bad side was the Cheddar grits. These were entirely tasteless and bland; and also had a very thick paste like consistency that was very unpalatable.
Dessert — We ordered a slice of chocolate cake for the four of us to share. The portion was very large, and definitely was enough for the four of us. It was also amazing! I don’t even like chocolate cake usually, but this was just perfect.
The Bottom Line:
Two things force me to give only two stars to this restaurant despite the overall excellent food experience. First, the service is atrocious. From the reservations, to the seating, to the wait staff, there are really no positives here. For a restaurant of this supposed caliber, the service is unacceptable and will be the downfall of this restaurant unless it is rectified. Finally, the pricing is entirely too high. Our bill for four was $ 235.00 with a 20+% tip. This is pricing on the level of a Gibson’s Steak House or a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Chicago, not the level of a small steakhouse with poor service. There is a reason that those other restaurants are able to charge what they do, and it comes down to service. They make you feel welcome as a guest, and do everything in their power to make you thrilled with your experience. That is why people pay the higher prices and come back again and again. Unfortunately, the Morris Chop Shop does not offer that level of service yet, but I truly hope that they get there as there is a very great potential for this to be the primo upscale restaurant in the area.

Had a great lunch and great time. Service was fantastic. Braised short ribs were fork tender. Farmhouse burger was so flavorful. Love the concept.

It was a decent place to dine, but at this price range, my expectations are a bit higher.
First, the date and goat cheese appetizer was a miss. It was a neat concept, but the dates were too sweet and overwhelmed the rest of the flavors.
Next, the split pea and ham soup was far too salty. The flavors were on par with what I’d expect from a can, not a freshly prepared soup. The warm bread she brought out was tasty, but once again I though it had too much salt.
Fortunately, things improved with the prime rib and the brussel sprouts. The meat was extremely tender (almost buttery). The brussel sprouts were well cooked and savory.
Desert was good and very large– my wife and I shared the chocolate cake and didn’t finish it. It was a solid offering, but at $ 15, I thought it fell just a bit short of expectations. It was super rich, which I like, but didn’t have enough creamy texture to offset the dense cake.
So, here are my parting thoughts. It was a solid meal, but fell short of expectations for a high end restaurant. My wife and I will likely come back to give it another try, but unless we are more impressed next time, we’ll probably tend more towards Maria’s, except when I really want a steak. While I realize it is a chop house, some more vegetarian options would be nice. This is common in other restaurants promoting locally sourced food. Lastly, and this is by no means standard fare, I am always disappointed when I go to a nicer restaurant and the only coffee option is a standard automatic drip. My favorite dining experiences have included a small cappuccino or French press with dinner.

I feel that they are over priced. My steak came out cold. It is the same menu and staff as chapins with higher prices.

My wife and I went to Chop Shop last night for dinner and it was awesome. We both had steaks and they were better than most downtown steaks restaurants. Great smoke flavor from the real wood used during grilling. The staff was great also!!! We will be a regular at Chop Shop. Also I noticed that the owner buys almost all of the food & produce from local farms to help support the local economy, also a lot of there draft beer is from local brewers also. GREAT Place.

I have to give this four stars just because of the food. The food was delicious. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a lot of this in Morris. Bone marrow?! Amazing. I had the prawns and grits and they did not disappoint. I used to live in the south and rarely get the chance to eat anything like that anymore. We had crème brûlée for dessert and it was truly one of the best I had ever had.
Our server (I think her name was Kayla, or at least that’s what it said on our receipt) was also very sweet and attentive.
We probably will not go back until the opening rush wears off, however. (And when we have a babysitter again… I would not bring a small child here, that’s for sure. I have a personal rule of never taking them anywhere with tablecloths!) We’re new to the area and had never been there when it was Chapin’s, but I was under the impression that the menu and staff did not change too much, so I was surprised at how unorganized everything seemed. We had to wait for a table, which was perfectly fine, but our 30 minute wait turned into an hour wait without any notice from the host staff. The kitchen had gotten behind and wasn’t allowing any tables to be sat, but it seemed like they could have let the people waiting know or offered some sort of snacks to make up for it. I worked in restaurants for years and it’s amazing how many situations like this can be diffused if someone walks around with a tray of samples while breaking the news that your wait is going to be longer than anticipated. The bar staff was neither very quick nor friendly, but they did have a good selection of beers and cocktails.

Been twice and hit the essentials. Steak and burger. Both were exactly what you want when you order a steak or burger. I’ve found my new go to when I’m in town for work. Keep up the good work. You guys are killing it!

Food was average, service was average and management was below par. We asked for a piece of desert for a birthday cake they said they do not sing happy birthday nor do they supply a candle. They would not even wish a patron happy birthday??? Very strange… Very disappointed.

Amazing steaks and food!!! Absolutely fantastic new restaurant in Morris. It’s a must to check out for sure!!!

Formerly Chapin’s, this new addition is going to wow anyone seeking quality dining in Morris! The Chop Shop offers an extensive wine list, lovely appetizers, top-​notch steaks, and locally grown beef/​produce. I was able to chat with the owner, John, last night during a pre-​opening dinner. I’m excited to return later this week when they open for lunch and dinner as the menu, atmosphere, and people promise to make for a great meal downtown.