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Food Review: Cooper’s Hawk – Springfield, IL As a long-time fan of Cooper’s Hawk locations in St. Louis, MO and Orland Park, IL, I was truly looking forward to a special Mother’s Day dinner at the Springfield, IL location. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t meet expectations. We had an early reservation, yet service was sluggish from the start. After an extended wait, we had to flag down our waiter just to receive our dinner orders. One of the entrées arrived incorrect, though to their credit, the staff corrected it promptly. I was happy to see a gluten-free menu with several promising options. I ordered the gluten-free gnocchi chicken carbonara, but it fell flat—lacking the flavor and finesse I’ve come to expect from Cooper’s Hawk. The salad we ordered felt underwhelming in both size and value, and while I specifically asked for gluten-free bread, it never arrived. Service continued to be spotty. We had to track down our waiter repeatedly, and the final straw came when I opened my leftovers the next day. The lettuce wraps I had saved were a total mess—soggy and inedible, with the lettuce buried under wet toppings. A careless presentation that resulted in the entire appetizer being tossed. Cooper’s Hawk is typically a favorite of mine, but this particular visit was a disappointment from start to finish. Between the inattentive service, lackluster food, and sloppy packaging, I won’t be returning to the Springfield location.

Dave Washington

Todd Lee

Floyd Mills

Brian Emerson