I think this restaurant gets the top spot for quick service. Â The apps and meals were out so promptly and were so good. Â I had a vegetarian shepard's pie that was really good. Â Comfort food at its best. Â We also had a cheese plate and a couple of flatbread pizzas and those were good as well. Â
We were staying at the hotel and I ordered room service for breakfast which comes from the kitchen of this restaurant as well. Â I had a farmer's market frittata that was super tasty and was delivered within 15 minutes of ordering. Â Crazy fast for any room service I've ever had.
I came here right before the lunch crowd came around. Â My server was really nice. Â I had the deviled eggs appetizer, and that was delicious. Â Bacony and creamy and delicious. Â The house-smoked pulled pork bbq sandwich was AWESOME. Â (Don't expect much from the cole slaw that comes with it, it was disappointing and bland.) Â The sandwich and fries were GREAT though. Â Great. Â The lemon pound cake dessert was yummy, but I felt like something was not quite there. Â Good service and good food, I'd love to come back!
Review Source:I know its Chicago, and I know its an area where everything is expensive, but come on, the pricing here is redorkulous. Â $11 for a tiny grilled cheese sandwich with a dollop of (room temperature) tomato bisque for dipping? Â Plus, I wanted a Daisy Cutter and the bar tender was like, "everyone here has Daisy Cutter, so I have a different Half Acre beer on tap... Â Dude, if everyone has it, that means its good and people want it. Â You want to mix it up with some variety, then have Daisy Cutter AND another beer, not another beer INSTEAD of the crazy popular one everyone wants. Â And, the Revolution IPA they had on tap had clearly past its prime, and despite the fact hat I brought it up with less than three gulps out of it, and just gave it back to him, I was still charged for it. Â Finally, this is a restaurant inside a Kimpton hotel, where kids are supposed to be treated like actual people, not horrifying nightmare creatures. Â My perfectly behaved (for a six-yer-old) daughter's mere existence was clearly an imposition on the staff. Â We ate there for breakfast and that was overpriced too. Â I won't be back.
Review Source:I would call this one fairly average.
Service was all right - I had coffee refills abundantly and quickly. Â Timing was a bit odd on some things but it worked out ok and when one member of our party didn't get something that he ordered, our server brought out the correct thing fast enough.
In terms of the food, there were some inconsistencies. Â The soup of the day came out in a huge portion. Â I believe it was tomato basil and the husband, for it was his soup, felt it had an odd texture, which kind of threw things off. Â The flavor was definitely good, based on what I tried, though. Â He had the chilaquiles and the flavor was all right but the chips were very soggy and should have been a bit fresher. Â I had the challah french toast and it was quite delicious. Â Not too eggy and the lemon cream cheese was quite good. Â I also liked my bacon, which was pretty standard bacon, but still tasty. Â I also tried a bite of the smoked salmon, which the menu indicates is smoked in house, and it was pretty tasty. Â It also seemed like the beverages were a hit - the apple ginger soda was kind of amazing and the Buffalo Breakfast Flip got pretty high marks. Â
It took some time to get our bill and I would note that as a party of 6, an 18% gratuity was added on automatically, so that is something to look out for.
It looks like they will be closed for renovations for the next week or so so perhaps folks were preoccupied and maybe once that is over with, the inconsistencies will go away. Â There is potential but the execution wasn't quite there just yet.
As guests of Hotel Monaco, South Water Kitchen was an easy spot to grab breakfast on a rainy Chicago day. Â The service was great...I could barely get my half full mug of coffee to the table from my lips before our server or the manager was at the table ready to refill. Â My hubby got the chilaquiles while I stuck to the oatmeal (boring, I know, but I'm pregnant and can't stomach eggs/savories in the AM). Â Both dishes were yummy and the chilaquiles portions were large. Â Good food, but nothing spectacular...just a good spot to go for a quick breakfast while staying at the hotel!
Review Source:Was staying at the hotel, so I ate here a few times (in the bar area) during my stay. Nice atmosphere, fantastic service, and a great bar - I loved the beer selection. But, the food was good but not great, especially for the price. Â I had the scallops (cooked well but a little grainy texture), lamb sirloin (a little too charred), and braised buffalo shank (too dry). Â It was also very annoying that, at that price, if you want vegetables you have to order them as a side. I was making the most of an expense card, but I think I would have been better off with the bar food regardless of cost. And, I could have been able to wrap it all up with a nice glass of port. Â They are on the verge of being wonderful - but I would have hoped at least one of the entrees hit it out of the park. Â So they still have some work to do. Â If it weren't for the Hotel, I probably wouldn't find myself here again, in a town full of amazing options.
Review Source:My co workers and I came here for lunch. The food was decent, but nothing special about them. I ordered the chicken cobb salad and the cauliflower cheese soup. The table shared an order of deviled eggs. My salad was decent ; nothing to complain about but there were a LOT of chicken chunks. One of my co workers ordered the same salad as I did and she had lots of chicken chunks remaining on her plate like I did. I didn't like the cauliflower soup that much. It tasted more potato-ey. Didnt even taste the cauliflower or felt it in our mouth. Didn't like the soup so much.
The deviled egg was good, though. It had bacon and mayo! yum!! Probably bad for my health but it tasted incredible.
Aside from that, it seems to be an okay place. Two  of my  other co workers ordered flatbread. They liked it.
We settled on South Water Kitchen on a night when we weren't terribly hungry but just needed a little something. The restaurant was about half full, but quiet and welcoming.
I had the cauliflower soup and the pureed sweet potatoes. The soup was good. I'd asked about the roasted root veggies but the waiter steered me to the sweet potatoes, saying they were sublime. They were good, though not sublime.
My boyfriend had the blackberry arugula salad and the mac and cheese. He's a good sport, but he didn't rave about either. Â I had a bite of each; the salad was heavy on dressing and light on goat cheese and the mac and cheese tasted more like mac and bechemel.
I'd go back again but probably woudn't seek it out for a special evening.
I have heard about SWK for a long time from many "foodie" friends. Â Their word of mouth reviews have always said that the food here is consistent and it is good. Â So, when I needed to make a reservation for a party of 7 at 9:30pm on a Friday night, I was excited to see that this was an option. Â The service here was spot on. Â We were taken care of and encouraged to take as much time as we wanted. Â
I wasn't very hungry so I decided to order the white cheddar cauliflower soup and the butternut squash, goat cheese flat bread. Â The soup was AMAZING and the portion huge. Â The crouton were also a toasted and buttery goodness that left me wanting more. Â The flatbread was huge. Â But that's the only great thing I can say about it. Â It was good. But nothing to write home about. Â I had really high expectations because not only do I love butternut squash, I love goat cheese. Â Somehow, it was just missing something. Â I would never suggest this to anyone else. Â My friend who also ordered this didn't even want to eat it after he took the first bite. Â He thought the goat cheese was really bland and left a lot to be desired. Â The mac and cheese though was scrumptious. Â He didn't leave a single morsel at the end. Â Everyone else seemed to enjoy their selections:
--Pork Belly Flatbread w/Dried Fig Jam, Ricotta, Arugula
--Arugula Salad w/ Blackberries, Goat Cheese, Sliced Almonds, Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette  (the person who ordered this also thought that the goat cheese was really bland)
--Herb Roasted Chicken w/Whipped Potatoes, Garlic Seared Spinach
--Grilled Five Spice Pork Loin w/ Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Bacon Braised Red Cabbage, Apple Cider Jus.
With all the other wonderful restaurants in Chicago, I don't think that I will be going back to SWK. Â The portions are good for what you're paying but the food is just mediocre. Â In my humble opinion, Â life is too short for mediocrity.
This restaurant is connected to the Hotel Monaco. The food is quite good, and the service is just fine.
They have a bartender on site who makes some very unusual and extremely delicious alcoholic beverages. Though the ingredients listed for these drinks on the menu seem very odd, the result is a wonderful and delicious mixture that's very easy to drink.
The staff are all very interested to know that everything is cooked properly and to your satisfaction. The ingredients are fresh, and everything I ordered was exactly as I liked.
Prices for the food is extremely reasonable for downtown Chicago.
This place is A-OK. Me and a few co-workers went for lunch last week. It's a cozy place, be mindful of the stairs going down. We split the pork belly and goat cheese flatbread to start which was really really good. I had the turkey burger with brie and cranberry sauce. It was good, but the turkey patty was so tall that I had to it is deconstructed style with a knife and fork. I also thought it was a little overcooked. I'm not a fries person, but the sweet potato fries were good.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals and the menu looked appetizing, but I can't say I would go out of my way to come here. I also thought that some of the entree/sandwich options were a little heavy for lunch.
Good food, good service, worth checking out if you're nearby.
While waiting for the rest of our party to arrive we enjoyed the bartender and his recommendations. Â Comfortable seats and nice atmosphere. Â My husband was thrilled with the IPA choices. Â The entire waitstaff was exceptional. Â From the hostess taking our drinks and seating us in a nice location, to our original server and then the additional server that helped with coverage.
In regards to the food, I would have to say that we only had the hamburgers which were very good and salads, which were also delicious but a bit small. Â I will definitely go back if I am looking for a quieter venue or a quick bite.
I went here with a group after participating in Jim Zimpel's work "Angle" at the Chicago Cultural Center. I fished from a sculpture and then we walked to the Chicago River, Some chose to release their fish, others chose to dine on their fish.
We were greeted by the hostess and taken to a large, square, banquet type table up a couple of stairs. We then met Roger the Executive Chef. Roger de-boned our Blue Gill and managed to attain some reasonable tasty bites from the small fish. Nice work Roger.
We returned to our table and were served water and lemonade to drink. The service was great and our drinks were kept full. Then our fish appeared at the table. Some trout filets were also served along with a giant salad that could feed an army.
I really enjoyed my time here. Bathrooms are upstairs which was kind of weird and there are various levels throughout the restaurant.
The food was good. Nothing was overpowering with seasoning, probably because it was a group from the Cultural Center and kids were with us.
My partner and I walked into this establishment after a frustrating search for local venues that we could enjoy. Â I ordered the Braised Pork Belly Flatbread
(with dried fig jam, ricotta, arugula ).  My partner ordered a turkey burger with sweet potato fries.  We both shared a salad.  The flat bread was wonderful, unique, and quite different and helped my disappointment over finding nothing other than chain shops.  My partner had a turkey burger that was tasty, but I found (I had a bite) a bit dry, but that's not unusual with turkey burgers.  The sweet potato fries were very well done, crispy and not oily and quite a treat.  The service was first rate and friendly  We felt welcomed and much attention was given to us with our small order.  I'd recommend this to anyone who can afford a menu that starts at 10 dollars per entree.
Establishment was very flexible and accomodating setting up for a larger group intially, but service and check situation was chaotic. Â They were unwilling to do a few smaller groupings of checks (I asked for 3-4 breakdowns for a group of 24). Chairs had no padding in them, table set up a little rickety. Â Food overall was pretty average. Quality of breads seemed store bought, not artisan or bakery, Cheese board "jam/spread" from a jar, nuts (mixed from a can), most food arrived cold. Pricing for quality seemed high. Â Wine pricing by the bottle was reasonable (not even doubled for most retail). Convenient to our hotel and a decent setting for our group.
Review Source:Service was wonderful! Everything we had was amazing. I had the mushroom ravioli and my husband had the herb roasted chicken. We also had the tortilla soup, which was very yummy!
The server was helpful. She brought a sample of two wines so I could decide which one paired best with my ravioli. She also offered an umbrella because it was pouring outside. Luckily we brought one with us, but it was a VERY kind offer!
We went on Sunday night and was surprised that the restaurant was not busy.
For me, the initial sign of a good restaurant is if the waiter or bartender comments on the book I'm reading. Â I've had more conversations about Chuck Palaniuk with waitstaff than I have with my colleagues--and I work in a freakin' English Department! Â But I digress.
The waitstaff here is exceptional, including Jack (tonight) and Denise (from a time ago). Â Jack and I chatted about Palaniuk for a while before I ordered-- always pleasant to do so. Â
And the food is good too. I ordered a potent signature drink--Love and Sailors: champagne, gin, and creme de violette in an old style champagne glass. Â The only thing missing from this classic-looking cocktail was Carole Lombard in an Edith Head evening gown.
I ordered two small plates-- a delicious watermelon salad and a charcuterie plate, which had more flavorful sausages than these dishes usually do. Â
Too, this place does not shy away from lagniappes. Â Jack brought me a free appetizer (a very good deviled egg). Â And after talking with manager Jose about the good quality of SWK, I was presented with a free sampler dish of artisanal cheeses, all of which were quite good. Â I do appreciate such kindnesses from strangers.
I also have to recommend the lavender soda, which sounds a little prissy at first.  But this unusual  combo of sparkling water, lavender syrup, and fresh blackberries was perfect for a muggy Chicago night.
I really like this place, for it always offers many opportunities to try unusual flavor combinations in both food and drink, and the people here make me feel like more than a mere customer. And it is located near quite a few of Chicago's nicer hotels on Michigan and Wacker.
Stumbled over with some girlfriends to have drinks and wow were theses some strong drinks! I like the atmosphere and the service was great. Â We had a few cosmos and manhattans. Not a fan of the drinks but it came with the experience. Â They were made very well and the prices were decent for happy hour specials.
Review Source:We ate here for brunch on July 4th. It wasn't packed, but it was a holiday, so I assume they're busier on other days. It's a hotel restaurant. We ate outside and it was lovely. Our server was very attentive and did a great job.
The food was also pretty good. It wasn't the best I'd ever had, but I blame myself a little. I ordered eggs benedict and discovered that I'm not really an eggs benedict kinda gal. So, it's not really their fault. One out of the 4 people in our group said they would definitely order their food again in a heartbeat if we came back. That's not that bad. It was pretty good brunch. Just not amazing. I'd go back.
South Water Kitchen is a fun, unique restaurant perfectly situated on a wide corner in the Chicago Loop and Theater district. Â The interior is funky and casual with low ceilings, brick walls and windows that sweep the majority of the restaurant. Â The outdoor seating is not cramped in the least and there is plenty of room for larger groups of 6 or 8.
The menu is diverse with plenty of scrumptious options. Â The deviled eggs with bacon, chives and mustard seed caviar is to die for! Â We enjoyed yummy flatbreads such as mushroom, goat cheese and asparagus, as well as bbq shrimp, cheddar and green onion. Â And don't miss the grilled cheese loaded with cheddar, avocado and watercress - delish!
South Water offers several local craft beers on draft as well as an extensive wine list. Â
The restaurant is located next to the Hotel Monaco and the restrooms are sort of in this maze through part of the lobby. Â (I nearly got lost!) Â Also, it seemed like a bit of a rush caused a significant slow down in the delivery of our food; no affect to the quality, however.
The prices are a bit steep... but look at the location! Beside trump tower on the loop!?! Overall, a great place! Â I'll definitely be back..
I came here with my family for Easter Brunch, thus have no opinion of their dinner menu. I was pleased with the traditional atmosphere and attentive waitstaff. Â
I ordered the smoked salmon benedict (it was decent). My friend however got the CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST and I can honestly say I've never had better (the cream sauce in the middle is sooo ridiculously good I kept on asking for bites). The entire family was happy with their food and so I will come back again.
This review is only based on the drinks as I didn't have food.
My date and I stopped in to have a few drinks and the bartender was awesome. I regret not getting her name but she was personable, funny and made fantastic drinks. (Ask her if she's from Lansing, MI & if she says yes then you've found your gal!) She said that she had custom made the majority of the drinks on the menu and that the 26th street was her personal favorite. It was great as were all the other drinks she served.
It wasn't very crowded and the atmosphere was chill. Maybe that's because it was a Saturday night??
I'd definitely go back and would recommend it to anyone.
I have been here multiple times, but have to confess that it's only ever been for brunch and lunch so I can't comment on the dinner menu or the bar. Â What I can tell you is that it's a great spot for a meal early in the day. Â Delicious flatbreads (they offer different ones daily), really good challah french toast, and a friend who considers herself an expert in eggs benedict gave theirs high remarks too. Â
It's never over crowded here, but you can make a reservation. Â Also, if you're a tourist and staying in the Loop it's a great option for breakfast because they open earlier (since they are a hotel restaurant) than most brunch spots do.
What do to when you are staying at a stylish room just 5 floors up? Well a quick elevator down of course and TADA....a kitchen at your service.
My friendly server Ellen ran through the specials of the day which all sounded delicious. However the grilled coho salmon w/ roasted veggies caught my eye. My salmon did sport a charred frisee mohawk which earned stylish points in my book. The potato leek soup was just what I need as a starter with a butter coated warm bread side so soft I ate all three.
Given the prior festivites of St Patty's I was NOT in the mood for beer. A simple refreshing lemonade made my evening a perfect one.
I did notice other reviewers mentioning the booths being uncomfortable. Perhaps the establishment changed them because my booth was great.
Service was outstanding, worth every penny.
Came here twice - once for brunch and once for lunch. Â
My friends and I have the habit of taste testing everyone's food. Â Having tried about 12 entrees total, my only words of advice are - order something with Goat Cheese on it to ensure that you get an amazing dish.
Otherwise, nothing will really seem to stand out.  The food is not bad by any means, but  it didn't create enough of an impact to jump off the plate and embed itself  in my memory as a fantastic dish... except the goat cheese beat salad, that is.
This is actually a review of the seat at the bar next to the pizza oven in winter, which is such a joy that I will never let anyone know about it in the hope of keeping it vacant for myself at night--oh, wait . . . Damn you Yelp for making an honest and generous woman of me, the type who lets others in on a good thing.
Here's the deal: the bartenders are delightful, both the divine Sarah and the cute vegetarian guy whose name I forget. They are down to earth, polite, smart, cosmopolitan, wonderful hosts. Â Drinks are reasonably priced for this part of town, though the specialty cocktails recipes would benefit from less sugar and more spiking. (OK, so I should belt up and order a shot of Jameson's if I feel that way; noted.)
The show-stopper is the flat-bread oven. Â It sits there not far from the bar, smelling of baking dough, with flames visibly dancing in it. Â An open fireplace in Chicago is something people come early for, queue up to be around, and tend to hog once they are there. Â This oven has the same warmth (I peel off my sweater and unbutton my shirt after five minutes) and glowing comfort vibe as a fireplace, but no one pays any attention to it, so it's pretty easy to score a ringside seat and bask. Â I hope it stays that way, this hot tip notwithstanding.
We stumbled into SWK after Sweetwater had a wait for a party of 2. Â It was rather quiet in this dining establishment, and I wasn't sure whether to take it as a sign or not, but time was ticking, and we had A Christmas Story musical awaiting us in an hour's time.
For free, we got a piping hot bread basket of some kind of herb foccacia with some awesome butter (honey oat is my best guess). Â Delicious! Â For $10, I was extremely happy with my pork belly and fig flatbread. Â Though I felt it was a little heavy handed on the figs, I left satisfied, full, and happy. Â Other menu offerings were on average 2-3x as much as my flatbread. Â Bf tried the duck confit pasta special for $20 and inhaled it in 3.1 minutes, as usual. Â I took that as a decent sign.
I have a feeling I will be back for some more of that flatbread!
I have visited this place twice, and had to think hard about what rating to give it... While I loved the decor and service (and location) to choose this place for a business dinner- I've decided that the food is just not that great. The menu is fun and diverse, but I didn't walk away thinking I just experienced an excellent meal.
The decor is really cozy and lush. They have a nice private room, and bar area. Location is great. Valet is $12. And service is really good- they are attentive, professional, etc. Also, as my boss likes to talk A LOT, they didn't rush us out after dinner (we were there an extra hour... it wasnt until 30min after finishing that they stopped refilling water). But they also weren't crowded on a Monday night.
I had also gone for brunch-- again, fun menu, but food wasn't fabulous. My friends enjoyed their salmon benedict, but my french toast was a bit too tough/crunchy for my liking. They were nice about checking a stroller, and sat us in the corner since we had an infant in tow.
Portions are medium size. They have booths as well as tables. Music selection is nice and diverse-- not too loud, but probably too loud for some. Also a well-worth it 3-course pre-fixe for $35. I do think the drinks are great--- so come for the drinks, and stick to a simple menu choice to save some $$.
It's pricey, but what do you expect?! It's in the loop!
Went here with a few co-workers, but to be honest I was already full and so I ate some soup. It was good, but I mean, it was just soup.
Their food, however, looked, smelled, and tasted delicious! I only wish I had been more hungry so I could chow down!
Then again, like I said, expensiveeeeeee
I have been here 7-8 times now. A few times for dinner,
and 4-5 times for lunch (over the past year or so).
I've eaten one too many bad meals here.
And I will not go back again.
Here is why:
-overpriced for what you get
-sandwiches are 80% bread, 15% toppings, 5% meat/fish
-flatbreads are thrown together, crust is bad, toppings aren't
incorporated or thought out, and theyve been burnt twice
-Salads are tasteless and boring
-Food is super inconsistent
I like good food, and I'll pay for it when I go out - so don't get me wrong,
I'm not bitching about prices here. I'm bitching about bad food.
The fact that they tack a $20+ tag to a piece of fish that tastes like
it was cooked on the sizzling, lower back of Chris Farley after a long
day at the beach.. well, that just makes me mad.
All that aside, the ice water is pretty damn good.
My meal was so bad, i had to write this before going to bed. Â Below are my ramblings:
Dear Manager/Owner,
I am disappointed and frustrated to write you this letter.  I came into South Water Kitchen last night for (what I hoped would be) an enjoyable meal  to close out a great weekend. Â
After pursuing the menu  was excited for what was in store, a glass of Zin and a Prix Fixe meal with a salad, soup (the waiter raved about) and Walleye with Mussels.  I mean, it read like a dream, and seemed priced OK.  Well, here is how it played out.
Course 1 - Chicken vegetable soup. Â Aroma was pretty solid, however, just looking at the bowl, it was fatty and greasy and THIN, it was like a red oil/water mix with large bits of shredded chicken (great idea) however, the soup had NO flavor. Â I quickly passed on and was not yet discouraged.
Course 2 - Mixed green salad. Â Mixed green, some radish, barley taste dressing, noting great here, but it's a salad. Â I will not critique.
Course 3 - The long awaited Walleye and Mussels! Â Before my place touched the table, I could smell the mussels were BAD. Foul order, they were quickly removed from my plate so I would not get sick. Â Next, the walleye, DELISHIOUS. Â The fish itself was the ONLY good thing your establishment put in front of me all night. Â Sad.
Other comments:
Wine - Zinfandel was good, however the glass was sticky and disgusting and there were little bits floating in my wine. Â Not sediment. Â Sadly, I did not notice until I was nearly finished and left the rest behind.,
Bread - Felt like it was pan seared in grease, very, very heavy and touch to tough without soaking your fingers in oil.
When I got the bill I was heartbroken. Â It was a $50 meal. Â For THAT kind of money, I should have received and awesome meal. Â Your food was pitiful and was not even close to being a $30 meal. Â I am sorry, but it is my responsibility as a concerned diner to make sure that no one else wastes their time on overpriced food that could get them sick (mussels) or break their pocketbook and not quench their taste buds.
Please consider looking into this,
Still Hungry in Chicago
South Water Kitchen has been my office's go-to place for happy hours for quite a while now. We originally came here on a Friday after going to several other bars in the neighborhood that were packed. In comparison, South Water is like an oasis. You can always get seats in the bar area and you don't need to yell to be heard.
There are food and drink specials on most (if not all) days of the week. I know they have $5 Skye vodka martinis on Fridays as well as other specials. The drinks are always good as is the food. We often end up getting a flatbread to share.
The staff is very friendly. Because we come here often, the waitress who works on Fridays knows us. One night we even got free food just because they were happy to have our business.
I think this is a perfect place for a happy hour if you have a smallish group and you're not into the overcrowded bars nearby.
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