I want this place to be awesome because the interior is so cool. Came for lunch twice with clients. Had the fish sandwich which was just OK. Really giant and hard to eat as a sandwich and then the Lobster Roll which was not great. Had a 3 inch piece of lobster that was the exact shape of the claw. Too creepy. Messy to eat (but that's normal). Don't order it. Maybe I will come back for a class of whiskey but I think I'm done with Tortoise Club for now.
Review Source:Went here for a business dinner. Atmosphere and service was great but the food was mediocre. I think the garden salad (basically mixed greens with balsamic) was the best thing. Hard to mess that up! I ordered the crab cakes for dinner. They looked like giant chicken nuggets. Perfectly round, breaded and deep fried. A co worker ordered lamb chops. He got two bones. Portion was ridiculously small, especially for price. Disappointment
Review Source:The stars are really for the ambiance and location. The food was just ok. It was pretty plain, actually. My test is always whether it tastes better than what I could have made at home, and the food here didn't really exceed that. My entree came with a side of broccoli and potatoes, and the potatoes were severely undercooked. Not something you really expect at this price point. I think they need to amp up the menu a bit to survive in this neighborhood. Nothing was bad, but nothing stood out as being really delicious either.
Review Source:Live music and great food? Â What's not to like. Â And now after having been here a number of times, the Tortoise Club is quickly becoming the place I go to when I need a place in the neighborhood. Â Business lunch? Â Perfect. Â Glass of wine before the theater? Â Yep. Â Dinner ? Always spot on. Â And I also like that I can pop in most nights after 7:30 and enjoy that glass of wine with live music from a trio in the bar.
On my most recent visit- Sasha was our server and she was great! Â Helpful, friendly, the kind of server you want to pull up another chair to your table and buy her a glass of wine!
It is still too noisy in the place for any kind of intimate discussion, but for anything else, it's a winner! Â
And you have to try the toffee cake for dessert. Â It may just leave you licking the plate for one last taste of that bourbon ice cream!
I know I'm going to hear it for this review - but I finally got to try out Tortoise Club it was just ok for me. This is also a LUNCH review.
Atmosphere was warm/cozy and definitely a very suit-y type place so take note :)
Food - Good but nothing really stood out.
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail - Fine but I think "jumbo" was an over statement
Steak Tartare - Tasty and really liked the mustard. Probably my favorite dish of the meal
Entree - I got a Sea Bass special with spinach and wild mushrooms. The Sea Bass was a salt bomb in my mouth. WOAH over salty and too heavily buttered in the pan. Really over powered an already powerful fish. The spinach and mushrooms were like after thoughts with a plain sautee and nothing special.
Sides - All fine but plain - creamed spinach, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes.
Service - Our server was great - maybe almost too attentive. And then we had to tell the bread people no multiple times which got a little overwhelming.
If you like your standard classics then this is good but if you are looking for something to stand out this is not the place for you. Also beware the salt!
So happy to have this nice restaurant within walking distance from where I live. The ambiance is wonderfully old school, as is the menu. Service was great. The waiter even asked how we would liked to be served, either quickly or relaxed. We chose relaxed and that worked out fine. I started with the Brussel Sprout Salad which was very good. The almonds added a nice salty crunch. Husband started with tomato soup which he enjoyed very much. My entree was their burger, and it was delicious. Cooked to perfection, juicy and the meat tasted very fresh. Hand cut fries with housemade mayo made for a delicious accompaniment. My husband ordered the mushroom risotto, though the serving looked small, it was very rich and quite satisfying, not to mention very tasty. For dessert I ordered the Toffee Cake which I would not recommend. Tasted dry and the bourbon made it taste boozy. If boozy desserts is what you like, you will love the toffee cake.
All in all we definately will try this place again. Great food, nice surroundings, with a crowd that is a little older than most of the other restaurants in River North which for us is a nice change. For once we were not the oldest couple in the room!
LUNCH ONLY
I'm agnostic, but to be dramatic if there is a god waiting for me in heaven, he is waiting with a pot pie, and it is a wild pheasant and foie gras pot pie with a wedge of cracklin stuck in the top like a knife. You will find this on the dinner menu as well, and it has to be the best reason to come. I'm already planning my next trip: a date with a berkshire pork chop at that table in the red room directly in front of the fire place. I must hurry now that I think about it, that's probably no place to be sitting come summer.
Going with a big "meh" on this one. Â Love the concept...underground, throwback joint with red lacquer walls, an array of bourbon and game birds on the menu. Â The gentleman have nice uniforms for the environment, the women must wear the high hair, lbd's and pearls of Audrey Hepburn. Â Although Audrey had nothing to spill over the decolletage and was so singular. Â Once you get 2 or 3 Audreys in your line of site, you feel more like witnessing a bad Robert Palmer video.
The food is pricey and not terribly impressive. Â I had their "too die for" pheasant pie. Â Better than Marie Calendar, but hardly the best crusted, sauced meat I've had this year. Â My companion had a bland Dover Sole for $55 ridiculous dollars. Â Worst of all was our waiter, who, while not unpleasant, clearly thought we came to get to know him better.
Four times he came upon the table, heard a few words of conversation, and chimed in.  For example, while catching up with this old friend, something in our discussion was "bittersweet".  The server approached, wanted to know if we knew what was bittersweet.  While rude and intrusive, a platitude or sonnet may have worked.  What followed was a banal anecdote about the man's day.  We finally promised to have  dinner with him another time, but sadly, were at a table for two that evening.
I may return for the ambiance, only to sit at the bar and sip and interesting whiskey in a groovy vibe. Â But for wine and food worth every penny, I will always dine two doors down at S&W. Â I shan't raise a fork here twice. Â The uninspired food would not be worth bearing the waiters favorite fork story of his youth.
The feel of 1950's Supper Club is always a welcome respite especially on a cold February night. Â Anyone with a long bourbon list featuring Weller Antique 107 is off to a great start and the Manhattan came wrapped up in 1950's style in a coupe. Â The menu was definitely a challenge in its organization, the placement of the courses and the descriptions. Â As much as I wanted to love this restaurant the pan roasted chicken was more like a sliced rotisserie chicken in its taste and texture. Â The risotto was delicious and appropriately ladened with butter and mushrooms. Â Our waiter who was a jewel , particularly chatty and delightful and he brought us a TC Toffee cake which was sticky and sweet in all the right places. Â The food was just not overwhelming and with the choices in Chicago I expected it to be just that.
My next trip if I go back will be to the bar where the crowd was encircled by the well playing band and a club like camaraderie.
First time at the the Tortoise Club and as soon as I walked in I was impressed with the dim lighting and beautiful seating area. Â I was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so I ended up ordering that. Â The burger came out burnt and undercooked in the middle. Probably will try something more interesting next time.
Review Source:I loved the design of Tortoise Club. However, I didn't love the food.
While the interiors are beautiful, it's definitely too loud for a date. Trying to have a conversation is like having a shouting match.
The oysters were great, as were the sweetbreads. My Dover sole was overcooked, and I was less than impressed with the presentation. My friend's salmon was also overcooked. #sadface.
I will say that the bread service was excellent. I had a small bite (ok, more than a small bite) of the tomato Parmesan bread.... and a small piece of my friend's pretzel stick. YUM.
Service was great. Everyone was incredibly friendly.
I'd definitely give this place another shot in a few months.
This place just opened in November and is a great addition to Chicago dining. Â It reminds me of an old school supper club. Â We went on Saturday evening and although we had a reservation we waited over an hour after our reservation to be seated. Â This was my biggest issues with the establishment. Â Beyond that, everything was fantastic. The bar had a great band,the bartender was very attentive and friendly, and the cocktails were fantastic. Â When we did FINALLY make it to our table they sent oysters however they should have sent a little more in my opinion as we were a party of 5. Â The dinner service was great and the food delicious. Its not really a "trendy feeling" scene stealer but loved the ambience. Â I will go back.
Review Source:Visited on 1/19. Overall, a very solid dinner. The atmosphere was very relaxing, but upscale. Our table was in the side room where it was a bit quieter. Service was EXCELLENT.
We had the salmon and short ribs. Both were excellent. I want to go back and try more things on the menu (tuna tartare, pheasant pie, pork chop).
I see this place as developing a solid reputation based on consistency.
Stopped in on a whim with a girlfriend on a late afternoon for a drink and to check the place out. Â Interestingly, we already had a dinner reservation at another restaurant a little later. We were welcomed warmly by the hostess and then sat in the bar area. We sat a little table and drank some great pinot noir- in a big pour! The service was great, knowledgeable and unhurried. Because we were enjoying the warmth of the space and the ambiance, we decided to cancel our dinner reservation and have dinner there in the bar area. More wine, a salad and then whitefish. Our server was most pleasant and gave us the history of the space as well as the vision of the restaurant. Dressed a la Audrey Hepburn, the female servers looked classy and sophisticated. After splitting a dessert and having a coffee, we needed to leave just before the live jazz combo began. I would definitely come here again.
Review Source:Went here for a business lunch - had great soup and an ok salad. I liked the vibe and went back for a dinner and....
I got food poisoning from the Dover Sole. Bad. Up all night and in the hospital the next day bad...
I'm sorry to say I will not go back. I know it is something that happens and can't always be something the restaurant can control - but it is enough to keep me (and anyone who knows me) away for good.
Perhaps a check of their kitchen practices is in order.
Just don't get the fish...
Two stars for the ambiance.
Ok ok, you walk in and you immediately start looking for Frank Sinatra or somebody from the Rat Pack. The two-piece band is phenomenal and it feels like a very comfortable environment. I ordered a martini and although it looked nice, it tasted like vodka flavored water. We were sat relatively quickly at our table and we ordered a food immediately as it was already 10pm. The food came out without much fuss but wasn't anything to write home about. The steak tartare looked like they made it on an airplane, tasteless. My spaghetti alla carbonara wasn't much better and basically tasted like 10 egg yolks with noodles. The bill was obviously very expensive and made you feel a bit like a sucker. I'll give it 3 stars for the service, the ambiance and their attempt at tasty food. I won't come back again though.
Review Source:Old school. Â If possible, there would be cigar and pipe smoke visible in the lights. Â There was a great little jazz group playing this Saturday, which could be heard throughout the whole restaurant. Â As said, old school. Â
We were seated in a corner leather booth, the lighting was a bit dark, but the attentive waitstaff saw everyone using their iPhone lights to read the menu, so they turned up the lamps in our section. Â Great service, my pork chop was enormous and cooked perfectly, and I everyone else's food looked equally delicious.
Would definitely recommend it, even just to grab a drink in the bar after work.
I'm giving this place three stars only due to service. Â The decor is lovely, bar/vintage cocktails were great, food was very good. Â However, when ordering, every question we asked our server had the response "I'll have to ask in the kitchen." I believe management needs to spend some time training the servers, or at least making sure that the servers they are more knowledgeable.
Review Source:I have been there several times since it has opened and have had nothing but great experiences. Â The service is old school excellent. Â Every staff member is attentive, and friendly, but not overbearing. Â
The food is equally excellent. Â Small menu allows for the kitchen to focus on perfection of every dish. Â I've had lunch and dinner there and been very impressed with every dish brought to the table.
Keene and Megan, the proprietor  husband and wife duo are there every day greeting guests and welcoming new friends.  You can tell this is their passion project after having extreme success in past restaurant ventures.  A very club like environment, where everyone greets you like you are there every day, and not even a hint of stuffiness.  Walk in with jeans or a tuxedo and you will be welcomed like a regular... Â
The Tortoise Club will become an institution within the Chicago restaurant scene. Â It has all the right attributes.
Had dinner here last night for New Years Eve. This place is great. The food is excellent. We had the quail and the tuna tartare as appetizers. Both were great. The quail was really flavorful with a deep earthy flavor. For entrees we had the salmon and the pheasant pie. My fiancée liked her salmon. The pheasant pie was awesome. It had such a great depth of flavors. Service was excellent. Everyone was attentive including our waitress who was also working a table of 14. We would definitely return for another special occasion.
Review Source:Had an unbeatable lunch here the other day. Â Decor and atmosphere is classy and upscale, yet comfortable. Â We were treated to extremely attentive service by the knowledgeable staff and the food was fantastic. Â Though we were there for lunch, the dishes felt very luxe, but affordable for such a nice place.
The Lobster roll is the best I've had anywhere. Â Creamy and rich with a nicely toasted roll that was warm and buttery. Â Treat yourself to this sometime. Â The club sandwich was also ordered by my party, and every bite disappeared before our meal was over.
Don't hesitate to come here for a nice lunch or a dinner. Â The decor, food, service and atmosphere would lend itself to a business meal as easily as a date or a nice night out with friends. Â HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
You had me at hello, you had me at hello!
I love this place as much as Dorothy Boyd loves Jerry McGuire. Â The moment you walk in you are welcomed by the warm and gracious host/hostess staff. Â Not to mention the ambiance of this place is just pure perfection. Â The decor is unlike anything I've seen in Chicago and I loved that!
We had our holiday office party here last Friday during lunch and my boss couldn't have picked a better spot. Â We were seated in the room with the fireplace at a table for twelve. Â We came in ready for a good time sporting our antler ears and Santa hats and a GREAT time is what we got. Â
I believe service is the most important part of a dining experience (food comes in 2nd for me) and the service we recieved was top notch. Â Big shout out to our server Lance. Â You were amazing! Â I don't know you personally, but I want to be friends with you. Seriously. Ok, just kidding, but seriously. Â Everyone, from the host, to the manager, to the bread giver, to the plate clearers to Lance were all constantly making sure our dining experience was pleasurable. Â For being so new, I was blown away by how on point everyone was! Â
The food was excellent. Â We split a few appetizers including the shrimp cocktail, oysters, and a lobster salad on toast. Â All were delicious and a perfect start to go with our wine and cocktails (I'll get to those later!). Â I had a cup of the tomato soup which I loved because it wasn't cream based. Â For my main dish, I ordered the Brussel Sprout Salad and my side of choice you may be wondering....carmelized brussel sprouts of course!! Call me crazy but I like to think of myself as a brussel sprout connoisseur, which on that note let me tell you, these were the best I've ever had. Â Clearly, I know what I'm talking about. Â Others at the table ordered the whitefish, Lake Perch, Salmon, Steak Frites, Lobster Roll....oh my goodness I'm getting hungry just writing about it. Â I'll stop now but you get the picture. Â After dinner came dessert. Â Pecan pie? Â What more can a girl from the South ask for!?
I failed to mention the cocktail menu which our group I'm pretty sure tried every single one but this review is getting long because when I really really love a place I have to yelp about it and shout it to the world (not to mention have a lot of run-on sentences) sooooo here are my final words Tortoise Club....
You, complete me!
Stopped in on a whim last night. This place is great. It's different than all of the other new spots that are opening because it is not over the top trendy. Rather than doing new things, and staying on top of what is current, this place has actually gone back a little- which I really like. It feels very classic- a similar atmosphere to RL. It feels romantic, cozy, and homey. The music is not loud or trendy. More Frank Sinatra-esque. You could feel totally comfortable taking your parents to this place, or coming here for a date night when you want to be able to hear each other.
The food, although we only sampled a couple of things, is also very classic. A steak, a pork chop, a pasta dish, a chicken dish, and a fish. They have oysters, sides of vegetables, and there is nothing that would make anyone feel intimidated. We ordered a steak tartar which was good, and had the toffee cake for dessert- which was great.
The service was great, friendly, and dressed appropriately. It seemed professional, and some place that I will definitely make a visit to again.
I went here with friends after learning about its opening via UrbanDaddy. Â Overall the experience was fantastic. Â What I liked most was the ambiance. Â It's perfect for fine dining or if you're looking for a place to start your night before you go partying (albeit you'd have to be dressed up to enter.) Â And speaking of partying...the cocktails would be #2 on my list of 'pluses.' Â If you're into alcoholic drinks that taste like nothing alcohol related...try the Bees Knees or the Corpse Reviver. Â Those two will be big fans with the ladies. Â I also tried their house specialty (the Tipsy Tortoise) but wasn't a huge fan.
The location is great b/c it's located next to several local attractions in downtown Chicago.  My table's server (Jason) was quite attentive and made sure we had a memorable evening.  The only thing I'd have to downgrade was my entrée...and more specifically the price.  I paid $45 for a NY Strip; and I was a tad disappointed in the size and taste.  For $45 I wanted to be floored with meaty goodness; and it just didn't happen here.  I think I was the only member of the party who wasn't impressed with their entrée though; as other people tried the salmon and the lobster and said good things.  In addition, the two appetizers we consumed (tuna tartare and crispy shrimp) were good; as well as the house salad.
I've still got to give this place 5 stars b/c everything else from start to finish was awesome and I'll be back. Â They'll need to lower the price tag on that steak before I give it another try; but that's the only thing that left me a lil concerned.
I recently enjoyed a trip to Chicago and tried out this new place off Grand St. near my hotel. I was pleased with the evening, but nothing made me want to crave it again. It does have a private club, dark woods, Mad Men feel to it, and overall that was a positive. The service was friendly and inviting, but sometimes a bit over done. I don't like for a waiter to approach the table too much -- and this one was repeatedly asking the equivalent of, "Do you like me? Do you really really like me?" Just a little much. The food was excellent, but be warned that it does not in large portions. The tomato soup with goat cheese always is a dependable winner, but nothing stood out about one (it's better with buttered toasted bread, FYI). The dover sole with veggies was an excellent choice, but limited in its portion. My friend enjoyed The Tortoise cocktail, an unusual Scotch based drink that tasted like mint iced tea. Overall, a very good experience but not one to write home about either.
Review Source:Have visited here on more than one occasion with both family and friends and absolutely love it! The location is perfect and the atmosphere is clubby without feeling pretentious. I have always received a very warm welcome from all of the staff. The decor is gorgeous.
The service is great, I agree that the servers are a little too eager but better that than a server who isn't there when you need them! I have tried both the salmon and the pheasant pie, both were delicious and the portion sizes perfect, I hate coming away from a meal feeling too stuffed and was happy to have enough room for dessert. My companions sampled the pork chop and Dover sole and said they were delicious also!
The tipsy tortoise is a winner, the servers knowledge and assistance with the wine list was excellent. Prices were very reasonable for an experience that was enjoyed by all.
I will definitely be back.
Been there twice now... excellent restaurant! Â Menu has a unique selection of great food. Â Service is exceptional. Â Specialty drink selection is awesome as well; my favorites being the Moscow Mule and the Bloody Caesar.
I would highly recommend trying this place out... you won't be disappointed!
Food was seriously awesome! As a new spot in River North it really adds something new to the neighborhood.
I went for lunch and cannot go wait to go back and try more things on the menu. We had the jumbo shrimp for an appetizer. I had the crab toast salad which was really nice and refreshing. Delicious combo of salad, crab and brioche. Other folks tried the lake perch, lobster roll and the quinoa and beet salad - all looked amazing!
The restaurant looks like someplace the folks on mad men would have dined for their martini lunches. Really heavy, winter decor - very "old boys club"!
This is one incredible new destination! I haven't yet had a full dinner here, but what I've seen so far definitely deserves mention. I stopped in on a whim because I knew it had recently opened and I was in the area. Seated in the bar/club area, I had a drinks, appetizer, dessert and coffee. Everything was perfect.
First, I should mention prices. As of now, the Yelp price level is $$$$, which would normally scare away most sane diners who actually remember the concept of value. Don't worry...you'll be okay here. You can gauge the gouge by how much they charge for drinks. I'm a Guiness guy, so this is really easy. They charge $6, which is excellent considering that there are some dives in Uptown that charge $8 (and sneer). Prices can say a lot as far as what the establishment thinks of you as the paying customer.
Service was perfect. I had never met any of the people...owners, management or staff, yet even on this first visit I already felt like a well-liked member of a private club. Friendly, witty and devoid of any of the club-stuffiness. I wasn't running up a world-class bill, yet I had what must have been a Steve Buscemi-worthy 6 un-prompted refills on my cup of coffee.
Sorry that I can't speak more definitively on entrees, but my steak tartare appetizer and toffee cake dessert bode well for my next visit. Noise level was perfect for good conversation. The pianist Mark Burnell in the bar/club was yet another nice touch.
To wrap-up, I'd say the Tortoise wins another one.
Nice upscale place, lots of leather, paintings on the walls, fireplace, piano in the lounge. If you like old school then this is your place. Service was very good.
Reason for only 3 stars is that food was nothing special. I had the pheasant pie, my wife had the new york strip. Both were average, in my opinion, very traditional, heavy, nothing innovative here. New york strip had a sauce that overpowered the meat. Like I said, if you like old school you'll probably like this place.
food was spectacular overall... the hits: dover sole, lobster thermidor, crab toasts... the misses: inedible brussels sprouts and the brownie dessert might as well have been out of a box...
service was spotty at best... overbearing and underperforming, but will chalk that up to its first week of being open...
the space is beautiful and the red lounge is a must...
ultimately, we have every intention of returning...
Really Nice Place for a Civilized Cocktail
What a neat find. The BF and I stopped by early afternoon the day before Thanksgiving. We sat in comfy seats and enjoyed some artfully made cocktails. Ancient Whiskey Sour for me and a well done Martini with extra olives for him. The decor is reminiscent of RL, but with much more space. We did not sample the food which gives us a reason to go back.
One caveat, and the reason for 4 stars, service was a bit disjointed and the lights were on the bright side. This may have been because this was only the 3rd day they were open, or because we were there between shifts.
In any case, as the Tortoise Club develops it should take its place as a classic and fun bar. Once I eat there I will do another review of the food.
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