We had been meaning to try Southgate cafe for years. We always loved walking the ""square"" in Lake Forest and visiting the shops but for some reason had never stopped for lunch or dinner. We always wanted to try the outside patio (summer), but being that it was November we opted for the warm dining room.
I liked the atmosphere and we enjoyed looking over the menu. We brought my 70 yr old mother with us and she can be picky but finally found a dish she liked. My husband ordered a pasta dish and I ordered an entree salad. We started with an appetizer (which was delicious) and my husband ordered a starter salad.
Well, after waiting awhile our waitress (who was nice but not very well informed as far as the menu went) said 2 (yes two) of the dishes we ordered were not available!! Ok - so back to the menu we went. My husband and mom had to change their entrees.
My salad was ok (nothing to write home about), and my mom's pasta was ok...basically the food was ok. I really liked the appetizer and we all tried a mini-dessert, all of which were good.
Overall -- I would try it again (outside patio in the summer). But was very disappointed. The service was not very good - the waitress didn't seem to know anything about the menu and they didn't have TWO dishes available? Who knows what else wasn't available.
South gate Cafe needs some work. Good location but that's about it.
Pros: Good location, nice atmosphere
Cons: Service not as expected, they ran out of 2/3 dishes
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