This place is amazing! Not only is the food to die for, but the atmosphere is elegant and relaxing. AND the Peach Cobbler is off the Chain!!!! Thank you Chef for being born....
(5)
Yani S.
I was at this establishment on 4/25/15..@1:30pm. Absolutely TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!! The server kept messing up the order.. We requested to speak with a manager.. They refused to talk with our party. We paid our bill and lefted. The food was NOT GOOD AT ALL! Im a firm believer in supporting black owned businesses in our community.. BUT THIS ESTABLISHMENT I WILL NEVER COME TO AGAIN! #RudeChef #ManagerHidingInTheBack #LowStaff #BadCustomerService
(1)
Anthony R.
Really enjoyed my experience here. Chef Emmanuel is a great guy and went out of his way to be hospitable to me and my friends Really good food and nice staff and really good looking place. Give this place a shot!
(5)
Erika W.
The best thing about this place is the live music. Grub salad: I'm not sure how you mess up a salad, but that's exactly what happened. It was poorly dressed and the chicken in it was severely overcooked. Meatloaf: We didn't care for the gravy or the "Salisbury steak" flavor of the meatloaf. We also thought the greens may have been from a can since they had that metal/iron aftertaste. Shrimp & Grits: After sending back the meatloaf, we got an order of shrimp and grits. The cheese grits were super thick and tasted more like mac and cheese than grits. The shrimp were under-seasoned and overcooked. That seems to be a running theme. Peach cobbler: we decided to give dessert a try since reviewers on Yelp suggested that it was the best in town. First, I was confused as to why it was served on a plate instead of in a bowl. I ate it because I was hungry - not necessarily because it was good. Although we informed the manager and 2 servers that we were not pleased with the food, nothing was done about the bill. No one seemed to really be concerned about our disappointing meal. Needless to say, we won't be repeat customers.
(1)
Far S.
I like everything except the restaurant, Except the owner,Except food that means nothing . Anyone who saw the trouble I took such and the income from his mouth just told them. They suffered and left and they said nothing , and God is in the right place, and the day he will pay for their crimes. (I was like the brother I never had and I see my life seen such a man.) Sad But True.....
(1)
Cheretta S.
This place was a total disappointment! I came with a party of five and we ordered all the appetizers on the menu and didn't get what we ordered. We asked several times to no avail. Then there was shift change and we got a new server who was nervous and confused! Food wasn't good at ALL! The place was totally empty so you would think the service would be good! NO The customer service was horrible! We asked to speak with the manager and he refused to talk to us! It was a BAD BAD experience! I can see why the place was empty! I give 1 star for parking!
(1)
Miana M.
I've never been treated worse in any establishment in my life. I've lived in Chicago throughout my youth, traveled internationally and across the United States and I've never had such a worse experience. Let's start right from the start. I walk in with my family (cousin, aunt and uncle) for a nice Sunday Brunch at a new Chicago restaurant. There are about 2 tables occupied at this time. We order waters and coffees around. We open our place settings, no spoons to stir our coffees. Okay, no we are not ready to order but, yes we already needed service. I order the Crab Cakes, my aunt, the Egg Purgatory, my cousin, the Blackened Catfish, and my uncle the Biscuits in Gravy. We also ordered a Double Crunch Chicken & Waffle. Now let's just go meal by meal. We then had another round of coffees to which I said to our waitress, can we have another of 'everything" (meaning more creamers and sugar) as well. When she came back, it was just sugars. She created more work like that for herself multiple times. Not grabbing our saucers/ small plates to clear for our entrees. Never once refilling our waters again. She was not too knowledgable of the menu either. I honestly believe this was for fault of her own but because she was not trained and no prior experience. She was absolutely in between a rock and a hard place. Now back to the food. The Double Crunch Chicken & Wafflle come out first which was nice, since that was for the table. But how can you call something double crunch if there is no crunch to begin with? I've experienced better chicken at not only other establishments across the U.S. but also at family gathering and my very own kitchen. Secondly, the waffles were EGGOS! These were not and a repeat NOT homemade square deliciously buttery HOT and fluffy waffles. These were like I said, warm at best Eggo from the toaster 5 minutes ago then slabed with butter, waffles. My Uncle and I then receive our meal. Our plates were never cleared, waters nor other beverages checked. My meal: Crab Cakes- Two medicore seasoned, non-flaky crab cakes with an side sauce of "Comeback Sauce" which was over mayo serving of what could have been Hollindaise sauce and a handful of side 'mixed greens' that had NOTHING on them. It could have been a mini side salad. But come on, I'm not just gonna eat bare foliage dude. Nothing was garnished nor given a lemon wedge. My Uncle again ordered the Biscuits and Gravy. They were not in gravy at all. They were soaking up what looked to be Bisquick (Pillsburgy is even better) biscuits with nothing special, no butter and a brown/black oil and 'spice' mixture. I've never seen Southern Style food not with white creamy, rich gravy. Even KFC does gravy with actually gravy. This also came on the side with 2 skinny pieces of bacon. We waited about 15 minutes to honor us eating as a family and once the warmed Eggo waffles and mildly seasoned chicken was done, everyone agreed we should eat for the sake of our food still being room temperature. We asked our waitress were our other food orders were and she said things were being plated and should be out soon. Did I mention my Uncle never received his side order of eggs? Aren't eggs the first thing that can be ready in all breakfast items? My Aunt had the Egg Purgatory which consisted of warmed sliced potatoes withy scrambled eggs on top with Sriracha on the side. It also came with 2 pieces of skinny bacon. My cousin at this point had never received his meal and my Uncle and I had already finished eating. After asking for the second time for his food, other waiter not the chef (who presumably also was the manager) came to confess, that the Blackened Catfish was STILL FROZEN! And if he could order a tilapia instead and that could be out in 7 more minutes. Are you serious?! We had already been waiting 30 minutes and now your going to tell us that his meal still hasn't even been prepared? Like when were you going to tell us? Our waitress could have came back right away with this new information for my cousin to order something new. They absolutely created this miscommunication and further ruined our experience. My cousin explained to cancel his never prepared order and for us to have the check. He never ate which speaks volumes to their back of house/ front of house communication, workflow and time management. That's a basic function of all restaurants, have the food arrive all at the same time, unless otherwise stated, such as at a tapas style place. Finally our check came after none of our plates were cleared again, having third serving of coffee with continuing to ask our waitress to replenish our sugar and creamer. Again no additional waiter and also never asking us how our food even was. She then brings us the check with the side of eggs my Uncle had once ordered. Why would I sit here any longer to finish these eggs when I had finished my 'meal' 20 minutes before? Please read part 2 for the ultimate conclusion of this hot garage stor
(1)
Hip Mama F.
My mom made reservations to dine here for my birthday at 11:00 today, Saturday 3/21. To our surprise the door was locked, lights were off, tables set but not one employee in visible sight. I had been waiting to dine here since they opened, but we decided to go to a neighboring restaurant instead. When we returned to our car 2 hours later, they were still closed. I'm not sure if they are closed for business, however I think the courtesy of updating their Opentable account would have helped OR just having correct business hours posted. It's very upsetting because my mother drove from North Chicago to treat me to brunch and couldn't. I heard horror stories from people I know but this is beyond crazy to me.
(1)
Pha L.
Loved it. Good food. Nice, clean and relaxed vibe. I'd try it again. I learned they were only three months old, but for a new establishment everything seemed to be running smoothly. We had: double crunch chicken with Mac and cheese and yam pones, crab cakes, cheese grits and the peach cobbler. Liked everything.
(5)
Natalie L.
I really wish this place wasn't trying to be so fancy. I wish it was a counter service elevated take out place. But it's not. And that worries me because I want Grub to succeed and stick around the neighborhood. We've gotten fried chicken to go. The chicken was good but the mac & cheese with raisins was not my jam. Hubby liked it and really liked the greens. I could not get over the mac & cheese. I can't say that I have had a craving for this since we had it a little over a month ago but I'm going to give it another shot.
Double Crunch Chicken is to die for!!! Best chicken ever! Ohhh and they have hot sauce, just ask! Lol
(5)
Nikki L.
My husband and I visited Grub on 7/19/15 for Brunch. We were disappointed to learn that they no longer offered a brunch menu only after we were seated and our champagne was uncorked. Additionally, the Owner, who hid in the back, allowed his Server to field our questions about the website not being updated and to solve for leaving with an open bottle of champagne. Once we decided not to stay and dine off of the hearty dinner menu, we were..wait for it...charged for the glass of orange juice. What a joke!
(1)
Loren J.
Worst. service.ever. Sides came intermittently from our server who barely spoke English (had to point) to menu for translation. Main meals never arrived after 90 min.chef/ owner never came over to table to apologize for the debacle. Tables around us who arrived after us received food before we did. Doubtful that this place will still be open in a month. Good riddance to chef Emmanuel, he should stick to backyard bbqs and family events.
(1)
LaTanya L.
Ill prepared, out of lots of dishes even cornbread at a soul food place...I so wanted this place to be better but sadly disappointed. .. decor is nice location is prone but service and being stocked for hungry crowd is better
(1)
Maria G.
Well, I was looking forward to some delicious soul food and a nice dinner experience - but instead had to wait 45 minutes for a cornbread appetizer, cold chicken, and sloppy sides. Our service was horrible, just like the food. Considering the prices, I will never go back.
(1)
Paula W.
This restaurant still doesn't have it together. We were there tonight and the wait staff was very inexperienced, so much so that they had difficulties handling even the basics of service. We live in the neighborhood and would love to be regulars, but the menu seems too limited and the prices inflated for the size and quality of portions. Some of the food was good, if they could just get somebody to figure out how attend to the customers it might have a chance.
(2)
Persail B.
Where do I start? Terrible! Terrible! Terrible! I seen this place on Groupon and wanted to try it out. From the website and pictures I couldn't wait. My fiance and I finally got the opportunity to go by and visit this restaurant, and was very disappointed. When we arrived there was one family sitting down having dinner and the place was empty. We instantly notice the decor very beautiful and then we noticed there was about 5 tables with dirty dishes and no one sitting there but yes there was about 7 staff members around. After being seated the waiter came to take the order I asked for the collard greens and too my surprised they were out. A soul food restaurant with 0 greens? BAD! Now, when the food arrived it was warm if not cold. It tasted and looked as if it was old. The server asked if he could replace it and I said no. I had one fork full of everything. That's it! I still paid for my entire meal. Very bad customer service. I was extremely disappointed because I was really pulling for this restaurant. Don't waste your time or money.
(1)
Desmond D.
Wouldn't feed the food to a dog.
(1)
Rhonda Z.
Whenever I'm in Chicago this will be my new spot! The double crunch chicken is to die for...I received VIP treatment all the way. Even the chef came out to greet us and to make sure everything was up to par. I love the ambiance and how clean the restaurant is. I can't wait to get back to Chi-town for some of that double crunch chicken.
(5)
Lexie T.
This is a great new soul food restaurant that opened a few weeks ago. I have been going to the restaurant since it's soft opening and I love the food and the decorum of the restaurant. The fried cabbage and the double crunch chicken are my favorites. If you like something sweet, please try the peach cobbler. It's the bomb! The staff at Grub Chicago are very friendly and hospitable.
(5)
Salvatore T.
Nicely appointed room! Classic recipes . Too bad it is not busier . I wish they had take out.
(3)
Sabrina P.
Horrible service! We got up and left before getting any food. The table cloths were dirty. The floors hadn't been swept and the bathroom was dirty at 11 am. The restaurant opened at 10 am. This is definitely not an upscale restaurant. Stay away!
(1)
Yvonne B.
Some family members and I visited Grub Chicago for our very first time on my birthday, January 24, 2015. We didn't know what to expect since I told them that I had read mixed reviews about this restaurant both on its Facebook page and Yelp Chicago. We decided to go see for ourselves what the food and atmosphere was like, and make our own assessments. Let me say up front that I'm glad that we did! When first arrived for our 5:30 p.m. reservation, there was only two patrons in the entire place. As the evening went on, though, more patrons did begin to fill the place. Yes, we thought that was a little strange, considering it was Saturday evening, but went ahead and took our seats and started going over the menu. Our waitress was courteous and attentive, and wasted no time bringing glasses of water with lemon in them to our table. We ordered as an appetizer the Soul Wangs with Chef's Signature Cognac Barbeque Sauce. The wings didn't taste greasy, though they were deep-fried (six pieces to an order), and were flavorful and good. Our party ordered dinner entrees that included the Double-Crunch Chef's Signature Fried Chicken, Blackened Salmon, and the Pecan Crusted Talapia. I had the talapia entree and I am here to tell you that Chef Washington threw down! Not only was this entree a pleasure to look at, it was a pleasure to eat. The food was well-seasoned, nothing was over-cooked, and totally tasty. My family was equally happy with their entrees. Since the waitress was aware that it was my birthday, she said I was entitled to a free dessert. I chose the Bourbon Peach Cobbler with Rum Glaze ala mode. Totally delicious! At 8:30 pm, there was a free live performance with Mr. Vernard Burton, which capped off our dining experience. Grub Chicago is a great place to enjoy soul food, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new and pleasant dining experience.
(5)
Christine Y.
We just walked out (so the bill wasn't an issue) because I ordered the salmon n cabbage my cousin ordered the salmon and mashed potatoes and my daughter ordered fried chicken and Mac n cheese with a side of collards and yams. The salmon had a greasy taste to it (not olive oil) the cabbage was overlooked red cabbage. I asked the server what kind of cabbage was it "suppose" to be (because there was no mention of red cabbage) she said "fried cabbage" in what kitchen???? I cook so I KNOW how fried cabbage looks and taste. There was NO crunch to the "overcooked mushy cabbage." My cousin said her mashed potatoes was hard and salty. My daughter said her 1 butterflied chicken breast was salty (the server asked what "pieces" she wanted because there's a dollar charge for white pieces). The mac n cheese tasted like the cook used powdered milk and the sliced American cheese on top was severely burned. She didn't dare taste the collards and was happy the server forgot the yams because she was afraid how they were gonna look. Needless to say I'm not sure if they're going for "soul food" with a twist but if so, they need to rethink that decision.
(1)
Hasan A.
horrible and horrific!! stay away!! trust the reviews people, this is not the place to go. 1. the food was cold and overpriced 2. the service was terrible 3. establishment did not honor coupon 4. small 1pc tilapia fish dinner $23 served cold of course w/ cold greens!! 5. small order of beef ribs $33 served cold of course w/ cold greens!! 6. no corn bread 7. no red beans n rice 8. no turkey legs you've been warned!!!!!
(1)
Shavonn N.
The decor and atmosphere are great, but the food ummmm is not so much! My sister went after church because I had a Groupon. First the drink took forever this was interesting considering they were coming from a can and not a fountain! My sweet tee took forever as if he was drying tea leaves to make fresh tea! I ordered the blackened fish and she had the chicken and waffles! My fish was very greasy! The sides were mediocre, but my sister's experience was the worst! Her food was not hot, but warm. The chicken tasted like it was old and warmed up. The waffle was a frozen waffle and rubbery to the taste. As my sister worked to the last piece of chicken she felt something was wrong and ran to the bathroom upchucking it ALL! The service was slow which was crazy their was only another two folks there to be served! I thought the food would be good considering it smelled good in the place and there were 3 guys wearing chefs jackets... I was wrong again! We left and will not be returning NEVER! Its real sad I like supporting non-chain eating establishments, this one will not make the cut!
(1)
Breezy B.
Delicious food! Try the short ribs, Mac n cheese and cornbread. Great place and atmosphere to bring a date or to grab a bite with friends. Food was amazing and the service was even better. I'll definitely be coming back for more.
(5)
Mrs. I.
I had the crunchy chicken and greens. Chicken was ok and the greens were salty. The service was slow. The waiters barely spoke proper english.
(1)
Lindsey W.
Grub Chicago was unwilling to accept the Groupon I PURCHASED for their establishment. When making reservations owner stated people who purchase groupons are bad for business and they're only looking for a free meal. That's weird - when you're a new business your mission is to get people thru the doors, show them a great time and guess what!!! THEY COME BACK. Don't waste your time with this place. They're not interested in gaining you as a long time customer.
(1)
Charlinda Z.
I so wanted to like this place and I tried really hard. It was my idea to invite my friends to go and check it out because of a Groupon deal. The place was practically empty when we arrived. The staff was very nice & welcoming. Now to the food. The double crunch chicken should lose the name. It wasn't crunchy and it was hardly seasoned. Dixie Kitchen chicken is real double crunch. The mac n cheese had some aluminum foil baked on a few of the noodles. It taste was average. Priscilla's is way better. The yams were superb. The braised rib is very small for $30. Do not order. We ordered the banana pudding which the waitress praised. She came back later and said they were out. FYI, my friends chicken breast was under cooked & they were very understanding. Even gave her a peach cobbler on the house. Maybe an off night but the chef can't have an off night. Too much competition & a possible Yelper (myself) may rate the place. Fortunately for the owner my comments stay on Yelp. However if it was good, I would have it all over my social media foodie pages.
(2)
Keesha B.
Ok... here's the deal. I am always pulling for new businesses to succeed but restaurateurs need to understand... CHICAGOANS DO NOT PLAY WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD! I'll start with the good. Waiter, nice and polite; ambiance great; bathrooms clean; blackened salmon & catfish tasty; fried chicken decent. The not so good (there's alot)...#1. Four folks in my family..2 served while 2 waited another 20 mins. #2. THE WAFFLES ARE FROZEN EGGO WAFFLES! The waiter actually microwaved them so they were slices of brick when brought to me...So much hard that I BROKE A NAIL WHEN I TRIED TO CUT THEM! The nice waiter apologized and went to get more only to return to say all the waffles were "messed up". No offer for a substitute so my daughter and I only ate chicken:(. #3. Cheese grits are baked & stiff. #4. Service is awfully slow even when the place is empty. I wish them good luck because they could do great things if they get it together. It only takes a couple minutes to prepare a fluffy waffle with batter so Grub, stop trying to cut corners! Also... side note..I ran into a friend as I was leaving (another first timer)& her daughter was eating (chicken only) while she waited for her plate....
(1)
Michael S.
One of my worst dining experiences. For starters, it took 10 minutes for my table to be even recognized, and the only reason we were even noticed was because we began to pack our stuff and leave. Someone finally noticed us and greeted us with a pretty poor attitude. I wanted to leave, however, my wife wanted to give it a try despite the already horrible start. We placed an order for Chicken Wings as an appetizer. The owner and head chef was in so I thought we would get prompt service and good food at this point, but that wasn't the case. The chef spent ten minutes or so talking to one of his friends before even acknowledging our order, despite the server telling him. We finally get the chicken wings eighteen minutes later ( yes, for 4 chicken wings ) and they are undercooked. The chef apologized and said he would take care of the meal. He told us that it was only him working in the kitchen and apologized for the wait. At this point my wife and I ended up just giving the server 5 dollars and leaving the restaurant. Why the 5 dollars? Well because we felt bad that the server had such a donkey for a boss. For the 30 minutes I was in there I never saw one person on their staff wash their hands and there were multiple dirty tables in the establishment despite there being a nearly empty restaurant. If there was a way to negative stars on yelp, this would be the winner. Dine at your own risk, and I wish you the best as you journey through the doors into this joke of a restaurant. I give it six months before it sinks, and that's being generous. It's a shame this place is taking up a nice piece of property in a pretty nice area. I hope I saved one of you from wasting your time and money.
(1)
Ryan G.
I happen to stop in because my foot doctor was next door so I figured since I blogged and write about many restaurants in Chicago area that I will check out the ratings of Grubs Chicago to see how good theyre food really is, it was lunch time so I ordered the double crunch which was $12 it was the chef s signature fried chicken with mac and cheese muffins, then I ordered a crackling corn bread for $2 which clearly shows on other reviews that you get two pieces of cornbread which I only receive one. now first of all the two pieces of chicken that I got seem like it was fried much much earlier than being freshly fried the moment you ordered it, well its supposed to be like that you would assumed. it was warm and cold in some parts of the chicken and the small amount of mac and cheese which was literally about 2 tablespoons full of mac and cheese, which was a very small amount of chicken and mac n cheese and im sorry, but where I came and was raised here in the south side of chicago, my family friends and great neighbors who are black will never have cooked me small amount of Soul food cooking in that huge plate Grub Chicago gave to me...if this was a real Soul food restaurant trust me you would have gotten back plate full of mac and cheese and three to four pieces of chicken the way my real black friends eat after I tasted it you can clearly taste the the mac and cheese was microwaved and I called one of the cooks to come to my table and I asked him if the Mac n cheese was baked or microwaved, he then thought a little bit and said it came out of the oven, and i replied, dont lie to me cause i can clearly taste the microwave in this somewhat warm mac and cheese ..then he said ok hold on, he went to the kitchen to speak to the other 3 chefs th as t were standing therr and came back to me and said Yes it was...and i told him i thought so..i can.smell it and taste it...why in the hell would a dead restaurant with no customers except me give me chicken that's been cooked way before I came in and microwave mac and cheese when they have all the time in the world to cook this food fresh? It made no sense to microwave eady made food when I was the only customer in the restaurant..!!! and for $12 to get 2 tiny pieces of chicken and a small amount of mac and cheese, to me is taking a customer for a ride and truthfully a rip off m. then the one piece of cornbread that they gave me not 2 pieces like other . Reviewers said they got, was so dry and the waiter never brought any butter for the corn bread...another thing that Real soul food or black people will never do is have corn bread with NO butter... It's unheard of. If I was the owner of this restaurant I would sit back look at the restaurant how nice it looks and understand that he's selling soul food and when you sell soul food you have to understand 1.)the pricing of the sell food and 2) to the amount of money of soul food 3)and the way soul food is supposed to be cooked freshly cooked not pre cooked an hour to three hours before a customer gets there order..that's warm or cold but never hot..think good. First of all you're paying for all those cooks to be there and nobody's cooking the food you're paying all that money for somebody is not cooking but microwaving especially when there's no customers there for lunch time that kind of gives it away when you first walk in why there isn't any customers in the first place now I can understand why the beautiful restaurant the owner's awesome got a great attitude but I think he needs to stay there and cook it himself and make sure its nice and hot and fresh and get rid of those cooks the waiters and the one waitress was very nice and I could see the embarrassment in their eyes... If it wasn't for the waiter and the waitress is in the restaurant looking so nice I wouldn't even reach you to stars
(2)
Dana M.
First of all, I want to apologize for this long essay, but if I could give this place no stars I would. After purchasing a groupon one week ago I was looking forward to trying this restaurant. So much so that after two failed attempts to go (the first time was closed, but set to reopen again for dinner at 5, and the 2nd it was closed to get ready for an event). Finally Sunday morning seemed like the perfect time to go. This time I called to make sure they were open, and also to make sure they take groupons for brunch. I spoke to the owner who informed me they were no longer taking the groupons because it was poor for the business but said he would make an exception. I was incredibly grateful and assured him that we always tip on the full bill (before the groupon is taken off) and always end up ordering more than the groupon. We even joked around a bit. We arrived around 10:30am to a locked door. The owner/chef came to open the door and I confirmed that he was the one I spoke to. He informed us that the servers weren't there yet and seated us. When he came back to take our drink orders, I asked for a latte (which is on the menu and I wanted to make sure our bill came out over the groupon, because that was one thing he had said was a downfall of the groupons). He said he didn't know how to make it, so I asked for a coffee instead. He gave me an extremely dirty look, walked away and gave me another dirty look. I was surprised and taken aback. My fiance decided that we were going to leave and I couldn't help but speak to him about the incident. I proceeded to be extremely rude and even led us out of the restaurant, saying he was doing us a favor and we were harassing him. I have never been treated so poorly by an owner, and yes he was going to take the groupon, but I was extremely appreciative and friendly. In my opinion, this place does not deserve a spot on Taylor Street, an amazing and culturally diverse area that is home to amazing restaurants and people. I urge all of you to choose one of the other restaurants and support all of the businesses that APPRECIATE AND RESPECT their customers.
(1)
Xenon Z.
This was by far the worst dining experience of my life. I don't even know where to start. I went out with my family to eat and I really wanted to like the place. I love supporting small, local businesses, especially restaurant. The decor is nice. The wait staff is friendly, but thats where it all stops. The waitress was nice but seemed untrained. She didn't know basic waitress etiquette like refilling drinks, or clearing our table. We ordered a number of things because everything sounded so good. I'll go in the order of which they came out. Nothing came out together. We ordered a plate of chicken and waffles for the table. The chicken was decent. They probably used all the seasonings in the restaurant to doctor up the chicken. What the fuck was up with them Eggo waffles tho? Who ever thought to call them Double Crunch should get the taste slapped out they mouth. Those waffles were trash. My cousin got the crab cakes, which came (about ten minutes later) with nothing but a few sprigs of lettuce and no dressing. They were decent but had no real flavor to them. They also tasted like they were from a box mix or made in a microwave. The sauce they put wit it tasted like some mayo wit sum lemon n food coloring in it. My father ordered the biscuits and gravy (which came about ten minutes after the crab cakes) with a side of bacon and eggs. The biscuits and bacon came out, but the eggs came out about thirty minutes later, with the check for some reason. The biscuits tasted like a weak ass version of some pillsbury biscuits. What little gravy that was drizzled on top of them dry ass biscuits had no flavor. Still no eggs. My mother ordered the eggs purgatory which is simple. Eggs, potatoes, and bacon. It took them FOREVER to whip that up. Ill put it like this, my father and cousin finished their meals before she got hers. Keep in mind I still don't have my food. When it did come, it was luke warm and bland. So we're hanging out pretending to enjoy our food. Well, my family is, when the waiter comes up to me and politely lets me know that the catfish I had ordered is still frozen and the chef could make me some tilapia, that would take about seven minutes. I denied and just requested the check. This is where things got crazy. We came specifically because of the groupon my mom had purchased. When we tell them we wanted to pay with the groupon, they brought us a dirty piece of paper that explained that the groupon was only valid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and with certain items. I looked through the fine print and it didn't say any of that. When we asked to speak with the manager the waitstaff and chefs huddled up in a corner and never came and addressed our problem. We had to get our coats together and approach them at the front. The manager was a dick, and frankly the only reason I'm writing this review. I booted up my wifi, whipped out my computer, and made a yelp account just to talk shit about his old ugly ass and his garbage ass restaurant. He was incredibly rude to my family, and didn't apologize for the horrible experience or offer to make it better in anyway. He just stood there, stone faced repeating the same lines about the groupon over and over. I don't know why he had a chef jacket on. You don't need all that to stick food in the microwave bruh. It's not our fault you guys can't handle the groupon traffic. It's not our fault your food taste like it comes from a homeless shelter. It's not our fault you never trained your staff to bring out mixing spoons with coffee. It's not our fault your kitchen staff wasn't trained for shit. That was the worst dining experience i've ever had, and I hope yelp posts this entire review because people need to know. Not only did I leave there hungry, but I was in a bad mood from arguing with that chef. I suggest they close down and hire a consultant and do a complete retraining of the entire staff and revamping of the menu. With the plethora of dining options in Chicago (and on that same street. Sweet Maple Cafe is right down the street y'all!) this place doesn't stand a chance. It probably won't survive the winter. The best part of that experience was getting to let off some steam in this yelp review.
(1)
john z.
Wow, where do I start. First let me say that I truly hoped that this would be a wonderful dining experience with my family, well.... let me just say it was an experience. I loved the music although a little loud but old school Ronnie Laws and Roy Ayers had me grooving. But that didn't last long as our poor waitress seemed overmatched, befuddled and just plain confused when it came to the fine art of waitressing. She really couldn't explain the options on the menu, brought out the coffee without spoons, never checked in with us to make sure everything was all right, she definitely needed some training. The food: I had biscuits and gravy with something called a king kong biscuit which was nothing more then Bisquick and a drizzle of colored water posing as gravy. My eggs didn't come out until we were literally putting on our coats. There were a series of food calamities: the order of blackened catfish never happen we found out 30 minutes later that the catfish was frozen, the eggs pergatory (appropriately named) was a mishmash of lukewarm scrambled eggs over warmed over sliced potatoes from Jewel's frozen food section as a matter of fact everything seemed like to was microwaved. The real fun came when we were told that they were not going to honor my wife's Groupon coupon. The stoic ass chef/manager/soup nazi refused to come to the table to explain but instead sent out our poor befuddled waitress with a crumpled up piece of paper stating that they only honor Groupon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays huh? This was becoming a surreal situation with the Soup Nazi, standing there square jawed and resolute in his stupidity. I knew that this was a no win situation so my only recourse was to inform and caution others. If you care to thread these waters PLEASE beware.
(1)
Teresa Z.
No we paid $60 in cash & left a tip even though the food was not good. We did want to LOVE your restaurant but YOU made that impossible. On your groupon there is NO mention of specific dishes or days that it can be used. Simple just contact groupon and put in your request. My son never got served his food I paid because we did have SOME food yes in cash I don't won't to cause harm to your BIZ you just need to up your game. Also YOU never did come out the back to speak to me to address any issues I had. WHY NOT? We asked the waitress for you several times. We could have discussed it there not on social media. Good luck to you
(1)
Peggy A.
Great location and great jazz; however, the food was not so hot. I ordered the smothered pork chops and it was very tough. Also it was lukewarm. It was obvious it was not freshly cooked. The service was terrible! I would go back to try again. The live jazz was the best part!!
(2)
Deanna M.
Three of my friends and I went on a Friday evening before going to a function. Firstly the doors were late being opened the waiter was still in her coat and just waved that we could seat anywhere because we were the first customers of the evening. I noticed that the floor was dirty and had used napkins on the floor under the table we choose by the window. We were given the menus and we ordered, five minutes later the waiter came back and told us that she gave us the wrong menus she had given us the menus for lunch and she had to give us menus for dinner because the food cost more. The menus for dinner also had different selections and once we had ordered we had a taste for our previous sections. I myself ordered the peach cobbler and requested a lunch item for carryout after the conclusion of the meal. My Co diners were bought their meals at the same time. But because they were cold in the middle they we sent back to the kitchen. The three meals were bought back separately hot. My peach cobbler was very tasty. Then another staff came to the table and informed me I had ordered a lunch for carry out which she stated I was unable to get because it was dinner time she explained the error on the menus .after all the confusion I said forget about it I just won't take a meal home she apologized and went back to the kitchen. After which we heard a gentleman chastising the ladies for the areas of their errors. The verbiage made the meal unpleasant because we heard fussing in the background . The manager later came to the table told me that he would give me my order for carry out for free and he did. the food was tasty but the service was poor staff need training an atmosphere for dining should be pleasant not combative I probably won't go back.
(2)
KW W.
Disappointed to say the least. I purchased a Groupon months ago. I was looking forward to visiting this restaurant. As you enter theres a sign that reads WE DONT ACCEPT GROUPON. Ok, I was still looking forward to the experience. I ordered the Turkey Leg with greens and sweet potatos. The greens were bland, no taste at all and the sweet potatoes were not done they were hard. The Turkey Leg was ok, the services was not great I had ask several times for the check which was wrong. I expected better service especially since they only had a few customers.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Valet Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Vaniece C.
This place is amazing! Not only is the food to die for, but the atmosphere is elegant and relaxing. AND the Peach Cobbler is off the Chain!!!! Thank you Chef for being born....
(5)Yani S.
I was at this establishment on 4/25/15..@1:30pm. Absolutely TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!! The server kept messing up the order.. We requested to speak with a manager.. They refused to talk with our party. We paid our bill and lefted. The food was NOT GOOD AT ALL! Im a firm believer in supporting black owned businesses in our community.. BUT THIS ESTABLISHMENT I WILL NEVER COME TO AGAIN! #RudeChef #ManagerHidingInTheBack #LowStaff #BadCustomerService
(1)Anthony R.
Really enjoyed my experience here. Chef Emmanuel is a great guy and went out of his way to be hospitable to me and my friends Really good food and nice staff and really good looking place. Give this place a shot!
(5)Erika W.
The best thing about this place is the live music. Grub salad: I'm not sure how you mess up a salad, but that's exactly what happened. It was poorly dressed and the chicken in it was severely overcooked. Meatloaf: We didn't care for the gravy or the "Salisbury steak" flavor of the meatloaf. We also thought the greens may have been from a can since they had that metal/iron aftertaste. Shrimp & Grits: After sending back the meatloaf, we got an order of shrimp and grits. The cheese grits were super thick and tasted more like mac and cheese than grits. The shrimp were under-seasoned and overcooked. That seems to be a running theme. Peach cobbler: we decided to give dessert a try since reviewers on Yelp suggested that it was the best in town. First, I was confused as to why it was served on a plate instead of in a bowl. I ate it because I was hungry - not necessarily because it was good. Although we informed the manager and 2 servers that we were not pleased with the food, nothing was done about the bill. No one seemed to really be concerned about our disappointing meal. Needless to say, we won't be repeat customers.
(1)Far S.
I like everything except the restaurant, Except the owner,Except food that means nothing . Anyone who saw the trouble I took such and the income from his mouth just told them. They suffered and left and they said nothing , and God is in the right place, and the day he will pay for their crimes. (I was like the brother I never had and I see my life seen such a man.) Sad But True.....
(1)Cheretta S.
This place was a total disappointment! I came with a party of five and we ordered all the appetizers on the menu and didn't get what we ordered. We asked several times to no avail. Then there was shift change and we got a new server who was nervous and confused! Food wasn't good at ALL! The place was totally empty so you would think the service would be good! NO The customer service was horrible! We asked to speak with the manager and he refused to talk to us! It was a BAD BAD experience! I can see why the place was empty! I give 1 star for parking!
(1)Miana M.
I've never been treated worse in any establishment in my life. I've lived in Chicago throughout my youth, traveled internationally and across the United States and I've never had such a worse experience. Let's start right from the start. I walk in with my family (cousin, aunt and uncle) for a nice Sunday Brunch at a new Chicago restaurant. There are about 2 tables occupied at this time. We order waters and coffees around. We open our place settings, no spoons to stir our coffees. Okay, no we are not ready to order but, yes we already needed service. I order the Crab Cakes, my aunt, the Egg Purgatory, my cousin, the Blackened Catfish, and my uncle the Biscuits in Gravy. We also ordered a Double Crunch Chicken & Waffle. Now let's just go meal by meal. We then had another round of coffees to which I said to our waitress, can we have another of 'everything" (meaning more creamers and sugar) as well. When she came back, it was just sugars. She created more work like that for herself multiple times. Not grabbing our saucers/ small plates to clear for our entrees. Never once refilling our waters again. She was not too knowledgable of the menu either. I honestly believe this was for fault of her own but because she was not trained and no prior experience. She was absolutely in between a rock and a hard place. Now back to the food. The Double Crunch Chicken & Wafflle come out first which was nice, since that was for the table. But how can you call something double crunch if there is no crunch to begin with? I've experienced better chicken at not only other establishments across the U.S. but also at family gathering and my very own kitchen. Secondly, the waffles were EGGOS! These were not and a repeat NOT homemade square deliciously buttery HOT and fluffy waffles. These were like I said, warm at best Eggo from the toaster 5 minutes ago then slabed with butter, waffles. My Uncle and I then receive our meal. Our plates were never cleared, waters nor other beverages checked. My meal: Crab Cakes- Two medicore seasoned, non-flaky crab cakes with an side sauce of "Comeback Sauce" which was over mayo serving of what could have been Hollindaise sauce and a handful of side 'mixed greens' that had NOTHING on them. It could have been a mini side salad. But come on, I'm not just gonna eat bare foliage dude. Nothing was garnished nor given a lemon wedge. My Uncle again ordered the Biscuits and Gravy. They were not in gravy at all. They were soaking up what looked to be Bisquick (Pillsburgy is even better) biscuits with nothing special, no butter and a brown/black oil and 'spice' mixture. I've never seen Southern Style food not with white creamy, rich gravy. Even KFC does gravy with actually gravy. This also came on the side with 2 skinny pieces of bacon. We waited about 15 minutes to honor us eating as a family and once the warmed Eggo waffles and mildly seasoned chicken was done, everyone agreed we should eat for the sake of our food still being room temperature. We asked our waitress were our other food orders were and she said things were being plated and should be out soon. Did I mention my Uncle never received his side order of eggs? Aren't eggs the first thing that can be ready in all breakfast items? My Aunt had the Egg Purgatory which consisted of warmed sliced potatoes withy scrambled eggs on top with Sriracha on the side. It also came with 2 pieces of skinny bacon. My cousin at this point had never received his meal and my Uncle and I had already finished eating. After asking for the second time for his food, other waiter not the chef (who presumably also was the manager) came to confess, that the Blackened Catfish was STILL FROZEN! And if he could order a tilapia instead and that could be out in 7 more minutes. Are you serious?! We had already been waiting 30 minutes and now your going to tell us that his meal still hasn't even been prepared? Like when were you going to tell us? Our waitress could have came back right away with this new information for my cousin to order something new. They absolutely created this miscommunication and further ruined our experience. My cousin explained to cancel his never prepared order and for us to have the check. He never ate which speaks volumes to their back of house/ front of house communication, workflow and time management. That's a basic function of all restaurants, have the food arrive all at the same time, unless otherwise stated, such as at a tapas style place. Finally our check came after none of our plates were cleared again, having third serving of coffee with continuing to ask our waitress to replenish our sugar and creamer. Again no additional waiter and also never asking us how our food even was. She then brings us the check with the side of eggs my Uncle had once ordered. Why would I sit here any longer to finish these eggs when I had finished my 'meal' 20 minutes before? Please read part 2 for the ultimate conclusion of this hot garage stor
(1)Hip Mama F.
My mom made reservations to dine here for my birthday at 11:00 today, Saturday 3/21. To our surprise the door was locked, lights were off, tables set but not one employee in visible sight. I had been waiting to dine here since they opened, but we decided to go to a neighboring restaurant instead. When we returned to our car 2 hours later, they were still closed. I'm not sure if they are closed for business, however I think the courtesy of updating their Opentable account would have helped OR just having correct business hours posted. It's very upsetting because my mother drove from North Chicago to treat me to brunch and couldn't. I heard horror stories from people I know but this is beyond crazy to me.
(1)Pha L.
Loved it. Good food. Nice, clean and relaxed vibe. I'd try it again. I learned they were only three months old, but for a new establishment everything seemed to be running smoothly. We had: double crunch chicken with Mac and cheese and yam pones, crab cakes, cheese grits and the peach cobbler. Liked everything.
(5)Natalie L.
I really wish this place wasn't trying to be so fancy. I wish it was a counter service elevated take out place. But it's not. And that worries me because I want Grub to succeed and stick around the neighborhood. We've gotten fried chicken to go. The chicken was good but the mac & cheese with raisins was not my jam. Hubby liked it and really liked the greens. I could not get over the mac & cheese. I can't say that I have had a craving for this since we had it a little over a month ago but I'm going to give it another shot.
(3)Tré D.
Double Crunch Chicken is to die for!!! Best chicken ever! Ohhh and they have hot sauce, just ask! Lol
(5)Nikki L.
My husband and I visited Grub on 7/19/15 for Brunch. We were disappointed to learn that they no longer offered a brunch menu only after we were seated and our champagne was uncorked. Additionally, the Owner, who hid in the back, allowed his Server to field our questions about the website not being updated and to solve for leaving with an open bottle of champagne. Once we decided not to stay and dine off of the hearty dinner menu, we were..wait for it...charged for the glass of orange juice. What a joke!
(1)Loren J.
Worst. service.ever. Sides came intermittently from our server who barely spoke English (had to point) to menu for translation. Main meals never arrived after 90 min.chef/ owner never came over to table to apologize for the debacle. Tables around us who arrived after us received food before we did. Doubtful that this place will still be open in a month. Good riddance to chef Emmanuel, he should stick to backyard bbqs and family events.
(1)LaTanya L.
Ill prepared, out of lots of dishes even cornbread at a soul food place...I so wanted this place to be better but sadly disappointed. .. decor is nice location is prone but service and being stocked for hungry crowd is better
(1)Maria G.
Well, I was looking forward to some delicious soul food and a nice dinner experience - but instead had to wait 45 minutes for a cornbread appetizer, cold chicken, and sloppy sides. Our service was horrible, just like the food. Considering the prices, I will never go back.
(1)Paula W.
This restaurant still doesn't have it together. We were there tonight and the wait staff was very inexperienced, so much so that they had difficulties handling even the basics of service. We live in the neighborhood and would love to be regulars, but the menu seems too limited and the prices inflated for the size and quality of portions. Some of the food was good, if they could just get somebody to figure out how attend to the customers it might have a chance.
(2)Persail B.
Where do I start? Terrible! Terrible! Terrible! I seen this place on Groupon and wanted to try it out. From the website and pictures I couldn't wait. My fiance and I finally got the opportunity to go by and visit this restaurant, and was very disappointed. When we arrived there was one family sitting down having dinner and the place was empty. We instantly notice the decor very beautiful and then we noticed there was about 5 tables with dirty dishes and no one sitting there but yes there was about 7 staff members around. After being seated the waiter came to take the order I asked for the collard greens and too my surprised they were out. A soul food restaurant with 0 greens? BAD! Now, when the food arrived it was warm if not cold. It tasted and looked as if it was old. The server asked if he could replace it and I said no. I had one fork full of everything. That's it! I still paid for my entire meal. Very bad customer service. I was extremely disappointed because I was really pulling for this restaurant. Don't waste your time or money.
(1)Desmond D.
Wouldn't feed the food to a dog.
(1)Rhonda Z.
Whenever I'm in Chicago this will be my new spot! The double crunch chicken is to die for...I received VIP treatment all the way. Even the chef came out to greet us and to make sure everything was up to par. I love the ambiance and how clean the restaurant is. I can't wait to get back to Chi-town for some of that double crunch chicken.
(5)Lexie T.
This is a great new soul food restaurant that opened a few weeks ago. I have been going to the restaurant since it's soft opening and I love the food and the decorum of the restaurant. The fried cabbage and the double crunch chicken are my favorites. If you like something sweet, please try the peach cobbler. It's the bomb! The staff at Grub Chicago are very friendly and hospitable.
(5)Salvatore T.
Nicely appointed room! Classic recipes . Too bad it is not busier . I wish they had take out.
(3)Sabrina P.
Horrible service! We got up and left before getting any food. The table cloths were dirty. The floors hadn't been swept and the bathroom was dirty at 11 am. The restaurant opened at 10 am. This is definitely not an upscale restaurant. Stay away!
(1)Yvonne B.
Some family members and I visited Grub Chicago for our very first time on my birthday, January 24, 2015. We didn't know what to expect since I told them that I had read mixed reviews about this restaurant both on its Facebook page and Yelp Chicago. We decided to go see for ourselves what the food and atmosphere was like, and make our own assessments. Let me say up front that I'm glad that we did! When first arrived for our 5:30 p.m. reservation, there was only two patrons in the entire place. As the evening went on, though, more patrons did begin to fill the place. Yes, we thought that was a little strange, considering it was Saturday evening, but went ahead and took our seats and started going over the menu. Our waitress was courteous and attentive, and wasted no time bringing glasses of water with lemon in them to our table. We ordered as an appetizer the Soul Wangs with Chef's Signature Cognac Barbeque Sauce. The wings didn't taste greasy, though they were deep-fried (six pieces to an order), and were flavorful and good. Our party ordered dinner entrees that included the Double-Crunch Chef's Signature Fried Chicken, Blackened Salmon, and the Pecan Crusted Talapia. I had the talapia entree and I am here to tell you that Chef Washington threw down! Not only was this entree a pleasure to look at, it was a pleasure to eat. The food was well-seasoned, nothing was over-cooked, and totally tasty. My family was equally happy with their entrees. Since the waitress was aware that it was my birthday, she said I was entitled to a free dessert. I chose the Bourbon Peach Cobbler with Rum Glaze ala mode. Totally delicious! At 8:30 pm, there was a free live performance with Mr. Vernard Burton, which capped off our dining experience. Grub Chicago is a great place to enjoy soul food, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new and pleasant dining experience.
(5)Christine Y.
We just walked out (so the bill wasn't an issue) because I ordered the salmon n cabbage my cousin ordered the salmon and mashed potatoes and my daughter ordered fried chicken and Mac n cheese with a side of collards and yams. The salmon had a greasy taste to it (not olive oil) the cabbage was overlooked red cabbage. I asked the server what kind of cabbage was it "suppose" to be (because there was no mention of red cabbage) she said "fried cabbage" in what kitchen???? I cook so I KNOW how fried cabbage looks and taste. There was NO crunch to the "overcooked mushy cabbage." My cousin said her mashed potatoes was hard and salty. My daughter said her 1 butterflied chicken breast was salty (the server asked what "pieces" she wanted because there's a dollar charge for white pieces). The mac n cheese tasted like the cook used powdered milk and the sliced American cheese on top was severely burned. She didn't dare taste the collards and was happy the server forgot the yams because she was afraid how they were gonna look. Needless to say I'm not sure if they're going for "soul food" with a twist but if so, they need to rethink that decision.
(1)Hasan A.
horrible and horrific!! stay away!! trust the reviews people, this is not the place to go. 1. the food was cold and overpriced 2. the service was terrible 3. establishment did not honor coupon 4. small 1pc tilapia fish dinner $23 served cold of course w/ cold greens!! 5. small order of beef ribs $33 served cold of course w/ cold greens!! 6. no corn bread 7. no red beans n rice 8. no turkey legs you've been warned!!!!!
(1)Shavonn N.
The decor and atmosphere are great, but the food ummmm is not so much! My sister went after church because I had a Groupon. First the drink took forever this was interesting considering they were coming from a can and not a fountain! My sweet tee took forever as if he was drying tea leaves to make fresh tea! I ordered the blackened fish and she had the chicken and waffles! My fish was very greasy! The sides were mediocre, but my sister's experience was the worst! Her food was not hot, but warm. The chicken tasted like it was old and warmed up. The waffle was a frozen waffle and rubbery to the taste. As my sister worked to the last piece of chicken she felt something was wrong and ran to the bathroom upchucking it ALL! The service was slow which was crazy their was only another two folks there to be served! I thought the food would be good considering it smelled good in the place and there were 3 guys wearing chefs jackets... I was wrong again! We left and will not be returning NEVER! Its real sad I like supporting non-chain eating establishments, this one will not make the cut!
(1)Breezy B.
Delicious food! Try the short ribs, Mac n cheese and cornbread. Great place and atmosphere to bring a date or to grab a bite with friends. Food was amazing and the service was even better. I'll definitely be coming back for more.
(5)Mrs. I.
I had the crunchy chicken and greens. Chicken was ok and the greens were salty. The service was slow. The waiters barely spoke proper english.
(1)Lindsey W.
Grub Chicago was unwilling to accept the Groupon I PURCHASED for their establishment. When making reservations owner stated people who purchase groupons are bad for business and they're only looking for a free meal. That's weird - when you're a new business your mission is to get people thru the doors, show them a great time and guess what!!! THEY COME BACK. Don't waste your time with this place. They're not interested in gaining you as a long time customer.
(1)Charlinda Z.
I so wanted to like this place and I tried really hard. It was my idea to invite my friends to go and check it out because of a Groupon deal. The place was practically empty when we arrived. The staff was very nice & welcoming. Now to the food. The double crunch chicken should lose the name. It wasn't crunchy and it was hardly seasoned. Dixie Kitchen chicken is real double crunch. The mac n cheese had some aluminum foil baked on a few of the noodles. It taste was average. Priscilla's is way better. The yams were superb. The braised rib is very small for $30. Do not order. We ordered the banana pudding which the waitress praised. She came back later and said they were out. FYI, my friends chicken breast was under cooked & they were very understanding. Even gave her a peach cobbler on the house. Maybe an off night but the chef can't have an off night. Too much competition & a possible Yelper (myself) may rate the place. Fortunately for the owner my comments stay on Yelp. However if it was good, I would have it all over my social media foodie pages.
(2)Keesha B.
Ok... here's the deal. I am always pulling for new businesses to succeed but restaurateurs need to understand... CHICAGOANS DO NOT PLAY WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD! I'll start with the good. Waiter, nice and polite; ambiance great; bathrooms clean; blackened salmon & catfish tasty; fried chicken decent. The not so good (there's alot)...#1. Four folks in my family..2 served while 2 waited another 20 mins. #2. THE WAFFLES ARE FROZEN EGGO WAFFLES! The waiter actually microwaved them so they were slices of brick when brought to me...So much hard that I BROKE A NAIL WHEN I TRIED TO CUT THEM! The nice waiter apologized and went to get more only to return to say all the waffles were "messed up". No offer for a substitute so my daughter and I only ate chicken:(. #3. Cheese grits are baked & stiff. #4. Service is awfully slow even when the place is empty. I wish them good luck because they could do great things if they get it together. It only takes a couple minutes to prepare a fluffy waffle with batter so Grub, stop trying to cut corners! Also... side note..I ran into a friend as I was leaving (another first timer)& her daughter was eating (chicken only) while she waited for her plate....
(1)Michael S.
One of my worst dining experiences. For starters, it took 10 minutes for my table to be even recognized, and the only reason we were even noticed was because we began to pack our stuff and leave. Someone finally noticed us and greeted us with a pretty poor attitude. I wanted to leave, however, my wife wanted to give it a try despite the already horrible start. We placed an order for Chicken Wings as an appetizer. The owner and head chef was in so I thought we would get prompt service and good food at this point, but that wasn't the case. The chef spent ten minutes or so talking to one of his friends before even acknowledging our order, despite the server telling him. We finally get the chicken wings eighteen minutes later ( yes, for 4 chicken wings ) and they are undercooked. The chef apologized and said he would take care of the meal. He told us that it was only him working in the kitchen and apologized for the wait. At this point my wife and I ended up just giving the server 5 dollars and leaving the restaurant. Why the 5 dollars? Well because we felt bad that the server had such a donkey for a boss. For the 30 minutes I was in there I never saw one person on their staff wash their hands and there were multiple dirty tables in the establishment despite there being a nearly empty restaurant. If there was a way to negative stars on yelp, this would be the winner. Dine at your own risk, and I wish you the best as you journey through the doors into this joke of a restaurant. I give it six months before it sinks, and that's being generous. It's a shame this place is taking up a nice piece of property in a pretty nice area. I hope I saved one of you from wasting your time and money.
(1)Ryan G.
I happen to stop in because my foot doctor was next door so I figured since I blogged and write about many restaurants in Chicago area that I will check out the ratings of Grubs Chicago to see how good theyre food really is, it was lunch time so I ordered the double crunch which was $12 it was the chef s signature fried chicken with mac and cheese muffins, then I ordered a crackling corn bread for $2 which clearly shows on other reviews that you get two pieces of cornbread which I only receive one. now first of all the two pieces of chicken that I got seem like it was fried much much earlier than being freshly fried the moment you ordered it, well its supposed to be like that you would assumed. it was warm and cold in some parts of the chicken and the small amount of mac and cheese which was literally about 2 tablespoons full of mac and cheese, which was a very small amount of chicken and mac n cheese and im sorry, but where I came and was raised here in the south side of chicago, my family friends and great neighbors who are black will never have cooked me small amount of Soul food cooking in that huge plate Grub Chicago gave to me...if this was a real Soul food restaurant trust me you would have gotten back plate full of mac and cheese and three to four pieces of chicken the way my real black friends eat after I tasted it you can clearly taste the the mac and cheese was microwaved and I called one of the cooks to come to my table and I asked him if the Mac n cheese was baked or microwaved, he then thought a little bit and said it came out of the oven, and i replied, dont lie to me cause i can clearly taste the microwave in this somewhat warm mac and cheese ..then he said ok hold on, he went to the kitchen to speak to the other 3 chefs th as t were standing therr and came back to me and said Yes it was...and i told him i thought so..i can.smell it and taste it...why in the hell would a dead restaurant with no customers except me give me chicken that's been cooked way before I came in and microwave mac and cheese when they have all the time in the world to cook this food fresh? It made no sense to microwave eady made food when I was the only customer in the restaurant..!!! and for $12 to get 2 tiny pieces of chicken and a small amount of mac and cheese, to me is taking a customer for a ride and truthfully a rip off m. then the one piece of cornbread that they gave me not 2 pieces like other . Reviewers said they got, was so dry and the waiter never brought any butter for the corn bread...another thing that Real soul food or black people will never do is have corn bread with NO butter... It's unheard of. If I was the owner of this restaurant I would sit back look at the restaurant how nice it looks and understand that he's selling soul food and when you sell soul food you have to understand 1.)the pricing of the sell food and 2) to the amount of money of soul food 3)and the way soul food is supposed to be cooked freshly cooked not pre cooked an hour to three hours before a customer gets there order..that's warm or cold but never hot..think good. First of all you're paying for all those cooks to be there and nobody's cooking the food you're paying all that money for somebody is not cooking but microwaving especially when there's no customers there for lunch time that kind of gives it away when you first walk in why there isn't any customers in the first place now I can understand why the beautiful restaurant the owner's awesome got a great attitude but I think he needs to stay there and cook it himself and make sure its nice and hot and fresh and get rid of those cooks the waiters and the one waitress was very nice and I could see the embarrassment in their eyes... If it wasn't for the waiter and the waitress is in the restaurant looking so nice I wouldn't even reach you to stars
(2)Dana M.
First of all, I want to apologize for this long essay, but if I could give this place no stars I would. After purchasing a groupon one week ago I was looking forward to trying this restaurant. So much so that after two failed attempts to go (the first time was closed, but set to reopen again for dinner at 5, and the 2nd it was closed to get ready for an event). Finally Sunday morning seemed like the perfect time to go. This time I called to make sure they were open, and also to make sure they take groupons for brunch. I spoke to the owner who informed me they were no longer taking the groupons because it was poor for the business but said he would make an exception. I was incredibly grateful and assured him that we always tip on the full bill (before the groupon is taken off) and always end up ordering more than the groupon. We even joked around a bit. We arrived around 10:30am to a locked door. The owner/chef came to open the door and I confirmed that he was the one I spoke to. He informed us that the servers weren't there yet and seated us. When he came back to take our drink orders, I asked for a latte (which is on the menu and I wanted to make sure our bill came out over the groupon, because that was one thing he had said was a downfall of the groupons). He said he didn't know how to make it, so I asked for a coffee instead. He gave me an extremely dirty look, walked away and gave me another dirty look. I was surprised and taken aback. My fiance decided that we were going to leave and I couldn't help but speak to him about the incident. I proceeded to be extremely rude and even led us out of the restaurant, saying he was doing us a favor and we were harassing him. I have never been treated so poorly by an owner, and yes he was going to take the groupon, but I was extremely appreciative and friendly. In my opinion, this place does not deserve a spot on Taylor Street, an amazing and culturally diverse area that is home to amazing restaurants and people. I urge all of you to choose one of the other restaurants and support all of the businesses that APPRECIATE AND RESPECT their customers.
(1)Xenon Z.
This was by far the worst dining experience of my life. I don't even know where to start. I went out with my family to eat and I really wanted to like the place. I love supporting small, local businesses, especially restaurant. The decor is nice. The wait staff is friendly, but thats where it all stops. The waitress was nice but seemed untrained. She didn't know basic waitress etiquette like refilling drinks, or clearing our table. We ordered a number of things because everything sounded so good. I'll go in the order of which they came out. Nothing came out together. We ordered a plate of chicken and waffles for the table. The chicken was decent. They probably used all the seasonings in the restaurant to doctor up the chicken. What the fuck was up with them Eggo waffles tho? Who ever thought to call them Double Crunch should get the taste slapped out they mouth. Those waffles were trash. My cousin got the crab cakes, which came (about ten minutes later) with nothing but a few sprigs of lettuce and no dressing. They were decent but had no real flavor to them. They also tasted like they were from a box mix or made in a microwave. The sauce they put wit it tasted like some mayo wit sum lemon n food coloring in it. My father ordered the biscuits and gravy (which came about ten minutes after the crab cakes) with a side of bacon and eggs. The biscuits and bacon came out, but the eggs came out about thirty minutes later, with the check for some reason. The biscuits tasted like a weak ass version of some pillsbury biscuits. What little gravy that was drizzled on top of them dry ass biscuits had no flavor. Still no eggs. My mother ordered the eggs purgatory which is simple. Eggs, potatoes, and bacon. It took them FOREVER to whip that up. Ill put it like this, my father and cousin finished their meals before she got hers. Keep in mind I still don't have my food. When it did come, it was luke warm and bland. So we're hanging out pretending to enjoy our food. Well, my family is, when the waiter comes up to me and politely lets me know that the catfish I had ordered is still frozen and the chef could make me some tilapia, that would take about seven minutes. I denied and just requested the check. This is where things got crazy. We came specifically because of the groupon my mom had purchased. When we tell them we wanted to pay with the groupon, they brought us a dirty piece of paper that explained that the groupon was only valid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and with certain items. I looked through the fine print and it didn't say any of that. When we asked to speak with the manager the waitstaff and chefs huddled up in a corner and never came and addressed our problem. We had to get our coats together and approach them at the front. The manager was a dick, and frankly the only reason I'm writing this review. I booted up my wifi, whipped out my computer, and made a yelp account just to talk shit about his old ugly ass and his garbage ass restaurant. He was incredibly rude to my family, and didn't apologize for the horrible experience or offer to make it better in anyway. He just stood there, stone faced repeating the same lines about the groupon over and over. I don't know why he had a chef jacket on. You don't need all that to stick food in the microwave bruh. It's not our fault you guys can't handle the groupon traffic. It's not our fault your food taste like it comes from a homeless shelter. It's not our fault you never trained your staff to bring out mixing spoons with coffee. It's not our fault your kitchen staff wasn't trained for shit. That was the worst dining experience i've ever had, and I hope yelp posts this entire review because people need to know. Not only did I leave there hungry, but I was in a bad mood from arguing with that chef. I suggest they close down and hire a consultant and do a complete retraining of the entire staff and revamping of the menu. With the plethora of dining options in Chicago (and on that same street. Sweet Maple Cafe is right down the street y'all!) this place doesn't stand a chance. It probably won't survive the winter. The best part of that experience was getting to let off some steam in this yelp review.
(1)john z.
Wow, where do I start. First let me say that I truly hoped that this would be a wonderful dining experience with my family, well.... let me just say it was an experience. I loved the music although a little loud but old school Ronnie Laws and Roy Ayers had me grooving. But that didn't last long as our poor waitress seemed overmatched, befuddled and just plain confused when it came to the fine art of waitressing. She really couldn't explain the options on the menu, brought out the coffee without spoons, never checked in with us to make sure everything was all right, she definitely needed some training. The food: I had biscuits and gravy with something called a king kong biscuit which was nothing more then Bisquick and a drizzle of colored water posing as gravy. My eggs didn't come out until we were literally putting on our coats. There were a series of food calamities: the order of blackened catfish never happen we found out 30 minutes later that the catfish was frozen, the eggs pergatory (appropriately named) was a mishmash of lukewarm scrambled eggs over warmed over sliced potatoes from Jewel's frozen food section as a matter of fact everything seemed like to was microwaved. The real fun came when we were told that they were not going to honor my wife's Groupon coupon. The stoic ass chef/manager/soup nazi refused to come to the table to explain but instead sent out our poor befuddled waitress with a crumpled up piece of paper stating that they only honor Groupon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays huh? This was becoming a surreal situation with the Soup Nazi, standing there square jawed and resolute in his stupidity. I knew that this was a no win situation so my only recourse was to inform and caution others. If you care to thread these waters PLEASE beware.
(1)Teresa Z.
No we paid $60 in cash & left a tip even though the food was not good. We did want to LOVE your restaurant but YOU made that impossible. On your groupon there is NO mention of specific dishes or days that it can be used. Simple just contact groupon and put in your request. My son never got served his food I paid because we did have SOME food yes in cash I don't won't to cause harm to your BIZ you just need to up your game. Also YOU never did come out the back to speak to me to address any issues I had. WHY NOT? We asked the waitress for you several times. We could have discussed it there not on social media. Good luck to you
(1)Peggy A.
Great location and great jazz; however, the food was not so hot. I ordered the smothered pork chops and it was very tough. Also it was lukewarm. It was obvious it was not freshly cooked. The service was terrible! I would go back to try again. The live jazz was the best part!!
(2)Deanna M.
Three of my friends and I went on a Friday evening before going to a function. Firstly the doors were late being opened the waiter was still in her coat and just waved that we could seat anywhere because we were the first customers of the evening. I noticed that the floor was dirty and had used napkins on the floor under the table we choose by the window. We were given the menus and we ordered, five minutes later the waiter came back and told us that she gave us the wrong menus she had given us the menus for lunch and she had to give us menus for dinner because the food cost more. The menus for dinner also had different selections and once we had ordered we had a taste for our previous sections. I myself ordered the peach cobbler and requested a lunch item for carryout after the conclusion of the meal. My Co diners were bought their meals at the same time. But because they were cold in the middle they we sent back to the kitchen. The three meals were bought back separately hot. My peach cobbler was very tasty. Then another staff came to the table and informed me I had ordered a lunch for carry out which she stated I was unable to get because it was dinner time she explained the error on the menus .after all the confusion I said forget about it I just won't take a meal home she apologized and went back to the kitchen. After which we heard a gentleman chastising the ladies for the areas of their errors. The verbiage made the meal unpleasant because we heard fussing in the background . The manager later came to the table told me that he would give me my order for carry out for free and he did. the food was tasty but the service was poor staff need training an atmosphere for dining should be pleasant not combative I probably won't go back.
(2)KW W.
Disappointed to say the least. I purchased a Groupon months ago. I was looking forward to visiting this restaurant. As you enter theres a sign that reads WE DONT ACCEPT GROUPON. Ok, I was still looking forward to the experience. I ordered the Turkey Leg with greens and sweet potatos. The greens were bland, no taste at all and the sweet potatoes were not done they were hard. The Turkey Leg was ok, the services was not great I had ask several times for the check which was wrong. I expected better service especially since they only had a few customers.
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