The English Room

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where the Conversation Never Ends

The English Room lives on the first floor of the historic Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois, carrying forward the Inn's legacy of gracious dining while adding a distinctly contemporary sensibility. The restaurant describes itself as "a living salon—a spirited gathering place where modern British charm unfolds across every table, glass, and guest." That self-portrait is accurate: the atmosphere is warm and unhurried, the kind of room that feels lived in rather than staged.

Heritage with a Thread of Wit

The kitchen's philosophy is seasonal simplicity expressed with British flair—familiar forms elevated by thoughtful detail. The dinner menu opens at the sea, with oysters served with champagne mignonette, gin-cured salmon with tonic gel and soda croutons, and a full seafood tower of poached prawns, whole lobster, scallop tartare, and cocktail crab claws. From there, the menu moves through an Oxtail Cottage Pie of braised oxtail and short rib under potato purée, a Sole Meunière with beurre blanc and confit asparagus, and grass-fed steaks finished with green peppercorn or bordelaise. Sharing plates—a whole roast chicken or herb-crusted rack of lamb—arrive with beef tallow fingerling potatoes and maple-bathed carrots, the kind of detail that signals a kitchen paying attention.

Lunch brings Steak Frites, a Roast Chicken Caesar with anchovy dressing and sourdough croutons, and a dry-aged Brasserie Burger that appears on both menus for good reason. Breakfast and weekend brunch round out the day, running from a full DPI English Breakfast with black pudding and baked beans to Banana Bread French Toast with diplomat cream and fresh berries.

A Cellar Worth the Recognition

The wine program earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence in 2019—recognition that reflects genuine depth and curation rather than sheer volume. It pairs naturally with a drinks menu the restaurant calls "proper drinks for improper laughter," a line that captures the tone of the whole operation: serious craft, lightly worn.

The Setting

Situated at 255 East Illinois Road in Lake Forest, The English Room is accessible for breakfast through dinner seven days a week, making it as comfortable for a weekday lunch as for a dinner that lingers. The American dining sensibility and the British brasserie format sit together without friction here—the result is a room that feels both rooted in its Inn's history and entirely relevant today.