This little restaurant is in the Westin hotel, and I went here specifically to taste the food, and then to meet with their events representative to talk about a private dinner.
The ambiance is lovely, light colors, and bright. Â Comfortable, and some of the views from the windows facing south looked out onto a summery and flowery terrace and the Chicago River. Â
Service was attaentive, but the place was EMPTY at lunch on a week day. Â So they really had nothing better to do.
The food was ok at best, but could have easily have gotten the same thing in the Macy's food court basement. Â Overall, nothing to write home about.
The private dining room was lovely, and again, right on the river by the bridge, but after talking with the rep, he said he'd call me back with a few more details, I never heard from him again. Â And the food wasn't good enough that I was going to press the subject.
I'll probably never be back here. Â No reason to. Â The best part was it's location- and you can walk around the grounds by the river there without having to dump $25 on the mediocre food.
I met up my cousins for brunch here and I was a little surprised. Though I never saw the bill, I was expecting a rather fancy affair.
The breakfast menu was standard fare. We had comps for the bugget. They had a great selection. But what was missing was the finish: the eggs were running, the french toast over-sogged. One doesn't expect much from a HoJo-type buffet, but at this place I was expecting a little more.
I am being picky and I sorta know that. It was delicious in its own way. But I have to think it was a $10 meal -- I'd rather head to Johnnys in Logan Square or the White Palace in the South Loop for that. But we got comp tix so that made it palatable.
Maybe I'll do another meal here someday. But there are better options for breakfast if you must choose.
I've been to Ember Grille for breakfast and lunch. Â It is difficult to get into the restaurant-- you have to enter through the westin which is annoying. Â The food is decent, but nothing to write home about and is rather on the expensive side, especially for food that isn't that special. Â The breakfast buffet is really unbelievably average and at $20 a person (and for being in a Westin hotel, which is supposed to be more upscale), I would really expect more. Â Lastly, there is hardly anyone there, but they seem to prefer to seat guests near eachother (including guests with young crying children) which makes it a loser for a business lunch or breakfast. Â I mean seriously, put the baby on the other side of the room! Â 1.5 stars, solely for the decency of the food.
Review Source:This place is a total mixed bag. Here is a quick summary to help potential diners make a decision. We came here for lunch during the week and it was completely dead. It is a cute restaurant with pretty good food; however we were not able to access the restaurant from the outside. We had made reservations, and no one had told us we had to go through the Westin to get in. I think Ember is missing out on the whole lunch crowd.
Ambiance- Â I give it a D rating. Even though the restaurant was brightly lit, our group of 7 felt like we were reliving a scene from the Schindler's List or something because of the doom and gloom music which was both loud and horrible.
Service - I give it a B. Even though there was only one other group in the restaurant, our waiter only checked on us once and our water was not refilled during the meal.
Food - I give it a B. There are quite a few options and the portions are quite large.
Overall- The Ember has tons of potential but something is just not right and I think all around everyone is missing out.
Nice decor (in a nice hotel). Â Service was slow and possibly incompetent. Â Most of the people at the table thought their entrees were average. Â Either this restaurant didn't have a wine list (surprising when you consider the targeted clientele) or the waiter was horrible (or both). Â We had to order wines by the type rather than by a winery or vintage, etc. Â Literally, it was "I will have a pinot noir." Â Pricey + average food + mediocre wine list, if any = overpriced. Â Came here for dinner.
Review Source:Nice decor, surprisingly good music, and like so many hotel restaurants was empty on the Monday night I visited. Â As such, service was excellent in terms of attention, but still lacking in the details, e.g., place settings were imperfect (no spoon with my coffee). Â Some of the food was very good while other dishes were barely edible (roasted red pepper soup). Â I'd only go back if I was staying at this Westin again.
Review Source:had lunch here. amazing food and set u-- very sophisticated and chic but so empty.. i was surprised. i believe so because the restaurant is secluded and rarely is there someone waiting to host you. i think 2 other parties were there while we were there for one and a half hours. i suggest you take-out at this joint. best dishes? any of their fishes.
Review Source:
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