Hemmingway's Bistro

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1. DY

   DavidYale

   Chicago

   20 reviews

   5.0

   20 reviews

   Dined on August 12, 2022

   overall5food4service5ambience5

   Generally fine, as usual. And comfortable outside. Attentive but not intrusive service. However, my duck entree was served cold. (I should have sent it back.)

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2. l

   liketoeat

   Chicago

   16 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   16 reviews

   Dined on August 10, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Wonderful, as always! The service and food were great!

   Report
3. PC

   PatrickC

   Chicago

   8 reviews

   5.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on August 10, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Have been going to Hemmingway's for many years for dinner and an occasional breakfast. Never disappointed.

   Report
4. PO

   PattyO

   Chicago

   132 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   132 reviews

   Dined on August 10, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Perfectly paced dinner starting with a nice cocktail and ending with a delicious blueberry lemon tart. Service was outstanding -- one of our favorite dinner destinations. Dining room is beautiful.

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5. G

   Goodeater2

   Chicago

   40 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   40 reviews

   Dined on August 9, 2022

   overall4food4service4ambience4

   Always a pleasure. Consistent. Delicious. Great cocktails.

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6. t

   trent

   Chicago

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on August 7, 2022

   overall5food4service5ambience5

   Really inviting space made me feel like I was in Europe.

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7. j

   jojo

   Chicago

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on August 6, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Amazing combination of a vintage charm, outstanding food, quality service, good choice wine list and all at a fair price!!

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8. LR

   LittleRedTT

   Chicago

   16 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   16 reviews

   Dined on August 4, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Delightful for lunch! Beautiful food …. amazing service. Just lovely!

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9. MM

   MagpieMama

   New England

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on August 2, 2022

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Whenever I’m in town I try to make it to Hemingways. It never disappoints. The food is delicious. The portions are perfect (not giant like most places). The wine selection is outstanding. The chocolate mousse is a must have. It’s a little slice of France in Oak Park.

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10. J

    Jen247

    Chicago

    89 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    89 reviews

    Dined on July 31, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    A fun and jazzy spot for a Sunday Champagne brunch. Love Petra's voice and the staff is terrific. Always fun to be in a spot where everyone is enjoying themselves.

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11. E

    Epidine

    Charleston

    150 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    150 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall3food2service3ambience3

    Hemmingway's is very hit or miss. There are some things that are consistently good -- the wine, bread and desserts. Starters and the entrees are not. The crab cake starter was fair, though the apple slaw with it was very good. The chicken liver pate is excellent. A soft shell crab special was over-breaded and then seemingly deep fried which killed all the flavor and delicacy of the crab. Likewise, a stack and frites was so-so. Fries were greasy and and breaded tomato was bland with too much breading. The ambiance is pleasant and the service is usually very good.

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12. n

    nancyg

    Chicago

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Most everything was good. The food server and dinners were great! The drinks were so so. The bar was very crowded so not sure that had impact on the drinks. Also the coffee was not good.

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13. T

    Tessla

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on July 29, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience4

    Great service & food. Love supporting Chris Ala…. Outdoor dining too!

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14. n

    nathan

    Chicago

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 29, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience4

    Small suggestion with huge impact: Candles on the outdoor tables after dark would improve the ambiance dramatically!

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15. C

    Chris

    New England

    18 reviews

    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on July 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Dinner with old friends from college. Great meal, great service (Damian?)..never a bad meal at Hemingway’s.

    Report
16. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 25, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    My friend came in from out of town, excited to show her this place since we normally have a great experience at Hemingway’s but this night was particularly poor. We were sat on the patio, there were 3 of us but the wait staff pulled two circular tables together, one of which was wobbling, next to a giant black SUV far away from the other guests on the other side of the entrance and actual patio. I asked if we could sit on the real patio but the wait staff told me they were unable to accommodate even though there were plenty of empty available tables. While isolated in what seemed like a 1 car parking lot in front of the place, I watched as the entire patio had been served drinks, appetizers, dinner, all before our drinks and aps arrived despite having been seated before any of the other tables. Went inside to see if the restaurant itself was busy potentially causing the delay, and there were barely any people inside. The waitress apologized but we had been sitting there for over 2 hours before our meal came. My dinner was absolutely awful, a cold mushroom pastry dish that was soggy and barely edible. I could barely stomach a single bite and let the waitress know, my partners dish was over cooked and both plates were well in the $20-$40 range. I ended up giving the waitress my card to pay for the entire table because I was super embarrassed at how terrible everything was, and frankly just wanted to leave as soon as possible. She offered to comp dessert but honestly did not want to stay another minute. It was wildly different than most experiences at Hemingway’s but am hoping this review helps this place return to their normal standard.

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17. o

    oldfoodies

    Chicago

    36 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    36 reviews

    Dined on July 20, 2022

    overall3food5service3ambience5

    We love Hemingway’s & eat there whenever we are on the area. The food & drinks were great, as always, but the service was not up to par. It took forever to place our order & then even longer to get our food. We will go back, but it was very disappointing and not up to its usual standards.

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18. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on July 17, 2022

    overall4food4service2ambience3

    Good servers and hosts must be hard to find. We had brunch here and the concept was lovely. Beautiful food buffet plus an entree of your choice. However the hostess was very inexperienced and lacked polish. The server was slow and also pretty rough around the edges. Food was amazing! We left there very full of cheesy gooey goodness. Also great oysters and smoked salmon. Too bad about the service. All else was excellent.

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19. SD

    SteveD

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 16, 2022

    overall2food1service5ambience4

    French onion soup wasn’t very good. Didn’t Carmelita the onions enough so was watery and had very little taste. Hollindaze sauce was off and tasted of too much wine. Food was sub par for a restaurant that gets good reviews. Must have been an off day. They were nice enough to remove the soups from the bill.

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20. m

    mfmp

    Chicago

    15 reviews

    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on July 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    This lovely French restaurant now has a charming out door area. They are located on Oak Park Avenue, but far enough back from the street to keep traffic noise at bay.

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21. MM

    MaryM

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Like dining in Paris. The baked brie was an amazing starter and the walleye was delicious. Darren is knowledgeable and ensured that we enjoyed our dining experience. Cannot wait to return

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22. A

    Alan

    Chicago

    30 reviews

    4.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on July 11, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    We were dining outside when some rain showers started up - staff was very helpful with getting umbrellas set up for those of us who wanted to stay outdoors.

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23. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    FANTASTIC! If I could give Hemingway’s 10 stars, I would! The service (Tom) was outstanding, the food was amazing…couldn’t have asked for a better experience - thank you!!

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24. R

    Raymond

    St. Louis

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on July 3, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Wonderful ambiance. Wonderful food. Reasonable prices.

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25. L

    Lauren

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 3, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    They did not have the live jazz music. I guess I should have called ahead. Very nice server (Genesis) and food was good. Nothing stand out but good.

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26. A

    Ayten

    Chicago

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on June 26, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Nice crowd. Fresh flowers on tables…. Cloth linens. Buffet crowded….. maybe look at trying to reposition it.

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27. L

    Laura

    Chicago

    51 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    51 reviews

    Dined on June 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Cozy quiet bistro tucked away in an elegant old hotel built about 1920. Nice menu. Best herbed white fish I ever had. Reasonably priced. Our waiter Tom was great. We will definitely be back.

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28. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    55 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    55 reviews

    Dined on June 23, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience5

    Food was excellent, service was friendly and attentive; but they were very busy and I think a little understaffed.

    Report
29. RL

    RichardL

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 22, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food and service was outstanding. The restaurant is quaint! Ambiance was just right. It felt as though we were at a restaurant in Europe, will definitely be returning.

    Report
30. DY

    DavidYale

    Chicago

    21 reviews

    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on June 22, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    We enjoyed our excellent 3-hour lunch with professional and min-intrusive service. The chilled cucumber soup was especially refreshing on a warm day. This bistro is a still an under appreciated neighborhood treasure (and, selfishly, we like it that way).

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31. DK

    DianeK

    Chicago

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on June 21, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Everything about our experience was great. We were celebrating a birthday and the food and service were especially outstanding.

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32. l

    lisad

    Charleston

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on June 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Lovely Father’s Day dinner

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33. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on June 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Terrific Father’s Day brunch.

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34. CP

    ChristineP

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on June 18, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5

    We always search for someplace quiet, elegant, and small. We will keep returning to Hemingway's in Oak Park for this reason.

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35. SM

    SMCBelle

    Chicago

    16 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on June 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Easy to make a last minute reservation. Attentive service. Delicious food and tasty drinks. Nice options and satisfied every.single.time.

    Report
36. C

    Chris

    New England

    18 reviews

    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on June 15, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience5

    This is a little community gem. Great food and drink in a very cozy, romantic environment. They have the lighting right! Have never had a bad meal here. French food at it's finest with good wine menu and mixed cocktails.

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37. R

    Roberta

    Chicago

    19 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on June 9, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5

    The restaurant is calm, beautiful, with a noise-deadening ceiling, white tablecloths and our waiter, Juan, was way nicer than he had to be and we were grateful.

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38. I

    Iowaguy

    New York Area

    30 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on June 8, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Just what we were looking for in a lunch spot in Oak Park. Excellent wine list and very good food.

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39. NV

    NVP1

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on June 5, 2022

    overall2food2service4ambience2

    Quite noisy. Axel our server was delightful. The dining area is too small and tight. Food tasted ok not that out of this world. I enjoyed that my ordered is rightfully low-salt as I wanted it. Steak is ok. Need upscaling of menu, and place.

    Report
40. GB

    GeneB

    Chicago

    7 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on June 2, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience4

    The food was delicious. I hard the fish and the vegetables that went along were exception. The cocktails were a bit pricy, but experience was great

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