Champps Americana

We had a very pleasant lunch here. I had a bruschetta salad that was quite delicious and filling, and the coffee was tasty. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, and was happy to bring the kiddos appetizers instead of meals.

I'm giving this three stars because the interior was freezing and the service, however, pleasant, could have been faster.

I've been to several Champps locations across the Midwest and this one is my least favorite. I went here on a Saturday night during a Chicago Blackhawks game and unfortunately was seated in the back/side room, which was somewhat cold, but more disappointingly, deathly quiet. The main room had the audio playing for the Blackhawks game but they wouldn't turn on the sound in the side room. So even though I was in a sports-themed restaurant surrounded by TVs, I couldn't hear any of the game since the sound didn't travel to this room and my server was unable or unwilling to get the sound turned on.

After asking her, she said something about not being able to turn it on because several games were being shown on various TVs. Well that didn't seem to be a problem in the main dining room where the game audio was on loud and clear. When you go to a sports-themed restaurant, you want to enjoy the game -- audio and video -- and not be shunned to a back room away from the action.

I left disappointed overall even though the food and service otherwise was decent, though the waitstaff generally seemed a bit harried and overworked (we had a couple of minor glitches with our order and had to track down a different server to get a to-go container at the end of our meal).

Overall, I'd recommend avoiding this particular Champps location. The food and drinks aren't inexpensive, so the service and overall experience should be better and more consistent. Try the Rock Bottom Brewery across the street instead.

The draft beer tasted exceptionally cold and tasty tonight! Our bartender was friendly and accommodating. Champps is always consistent and good times!